Cancer is No Laughing Matter...

Unless you happen to be Mrs. India Pale Ale. Me (and to some extent, him) spent most of the day yesterday laughing like idiots!

Remember that a few days ago, I had rented what they call a transport chair (kind of like a push chair for grown ups) because his Lordship can't walk very far - even with his walking frame. Yesterday, I decided that we would give it a trial run on a trip down to the World Market where I needed to get some of that wonderful Barrie's Irish Tea, tins of Ambrosia Rice Pudding, and other of life's necessities.

I was able to get the chair out of the back of the car without too much trouble - it only weighs about 19lbs - and I got Mr. Indi in and situated and ready to roll. I had parked very close to the store, in a handicapped parking spot, and just had to push him across the road and up a slight slope onto the pavement and into the store. Off we went. Hmmm - I thought - this isn't as easy as I thought. Mr. Indi is a big guy (240 lbs) and I was finding it hard to push him and when I got to the slope - well! I thought I was going to die! I puffed and panted and finally got him in through the front door where I had to stop and rest. "See" he said, "I told you that you wouldn't be able to do it!" I'm a bit of a stubborn old bugger and insisted that I was OK and just needed to catch my breath.

After about 5 minutes of looking at Christmas ornaments, I felt strong enough to continue but by the time we got to the back of the shop where they keep the tea - I was afraid I was going to collapse of a heart attack! I couldn't go any further. I stopped and let my head fall forward to relax AND it was then that I noticed that I had left one of the brakes on the rear wheel! Stupid woman! Here I was - a 110lb stick insect who had been pushing a behemoth about with the break on! I burst out laughing and couldn't stop! Himself was not so amused! But - once I let the brake off - it was amazing how easy it was to push the chair!

Now that I had got the hang of the thing, it was easy to push Mr. Indi over to his favorite section - the beer and wines. Of course he can't drink because of his morphine etc - but he likes to look at all the different beer from all over the world and hopes to try some when he gets better. The trouble with the World Market is that it is not wheel-chair friendly and the aisles are jam packed with stuff that I had to maneuver - AND - don't forget that I don't have a license to drive this thing! Well, I got the chair stuck between the beer shelf and a huge case of wine. The thing wouldn't budge! I tried pushing and pulling and sideways and backwards but his leg got squashed up against the wine bottles and I was afraid I would break either the wine - or his leg! I finally gave one mighty tug and broke him free! He called me some very unpleasant names - of which his mother would not have approved! So, I pushed him into a wide open space by some crappy looking furniture and left him there while I had a wander around!

The whole time, I was wiping the tears from my eyes because I couldn't stop laughing! I could see the headlines Woman Abandons Handicapped Husband in Chair with 4 Boxes of Tea Bags and 6 Tins of Rice Pud! But it all ended well and I got him back to the car and put the chair away without further incident. I bet me poor old arms will be sore today though!

The picture is one I took in October of 2006 at Morro Bay. Mr. Indi peering out to sea!