Day Zero
I started this trip a little early this time. I went out to West Texas to visit my mom who had a little surgery. I love my extended family and cherish the time I get to spend with them. My cousin Shana works at a meat market, and they make the best jerky. She had some saved for me, but she also let my son know how many bags she gave me so I couldn’t lie and keep more for myself. It’s that good.
My aunt Shirley has always dabbled in our family genealogy but has dived in headfirst this time and we spent a lot of time going through Grannie King’s chest looking for pictures and documents. All those memories brought more memories to my mom, aunts Glenda and Peggy, and even uncles Bob and Bobby talking about their family histories. Some really great stories I’d never heard before. Good times.
Mom was doing so well; I left a little early so I didn’t have to drive in the dark. I spent the night with cousin Shelly who lives in Ft. Worth so to make my drive to the airport tomorrow morning a little easier. Turns out, Shelly has season tickets to the home TCU football games on the club level (typed in my finest hoity-toity voice) where you get access to an amazing array of fantastic buffets, and some of the best seats I’ve ever sat in. TCU played Long Island University or my high school team, I can’t remember. But the score would have probably been about the same. I was afraid that TCU was going to run out of the fireworks since they shot them off every time they scored. I rather enjoyed myself regardless. The weather, for September in Texas, was unseasonably cool. We sat outside and didn’t sweat through all of our clothes. Makes for a nice night.
The next morning, I drive to my parking lot only to find that I’ve reserved a parking spot at the wrong airport in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Luckily, they’re only about 20 minutes apart, but it made for a hectic morning, which I hate.
Got all that figured out and made it onto my plane, headed to Minneapolis, the cleanest airport I’ve ever seen. And if you didn’t know you were in an airport, you’d think you were in some upscale shopping mall. It’s pretty impressive.
I’m on my way to New Richmond, Wisconsin, which is about an hour’s drive east of St. Paul, to work with Chuck who reports that he walks between four and five miles a day. I’m going to get into bed as soon as I can. Sounds like I’m going to need all the rest I can get.
Day One
Chuck lives not even ten minutes from my hotel, so the morning goes pretty easy. He and his wife, Barb, live just east of town in a sub-division that is connected by a system of very well-maintained trails, of which Chuck is very familiar. They’ve lived here for about nine years and Chuck walks every day except when it’s “really cold” which means zero degrees with a brisk wind blowing. They make them different up north, that’s for sure. At Leader, I’m always the first one to put on the winter gear, and usually the last one to take them off. I’m not going to tell Chuck that, I bet he’ll figure it out pretty quickly on his own.
Before we get started, we talk a bit with Barb about the very real but often overlooked subject of the spouses or caregivers. Barb and Chuck have been married since they were 19 years old, long enough to have 17 grandchildren, but Chuck having vision problems is a strain.
She does more than she ever has for him, but doesn’t want to do too much, nor does he want her to. He gets frustrated with himself mostly because he can’t do everything he used to, but it can seem as if he’s frustrated with her. There’s a fine line between helping, helping too much and helping too little. A line Barb never considered she’d have to walk. It’s hard on the loved ones. Different challenges, but it can be just as difficult for the partners of people who are visually impaired. We solved nothing but admitted that we needed more discussion on the subject.
Chuck and I headed out on the trails that lead from his house, through the neighborhoods, and into town just a little over five miles total. Having had very little instruction with the cane, I can point out a couple of simple techniques to Chuck that make a big difference. Mostly holding his head up. I talk about this all the time, but it makes such a big difference in the way people travel. Naturally, people start to look down more and more as they lose their vision. Chuck didn’t realize just how much he was looking down, and I told him that he’s as normal as they come in this regard. Everyone does. You and I would too, if we didn’t have a cane or dog in our hand to find those obstacles, we’re likely to trip on otherwise.
There are also some crossing warnings at intersections of which Chuck was unaware. Honestly, my job is pretty basic, but it’s the little things, right? Lots of little things add up to be big things.
More big things await this evening, as the monthly expense report is due and the Cubs are playing on the West Coast. I hate West Coast games unless I’m in their time zone. And paperwork is my favorite part of the job. Said no one. Ever.
Day two
Day twoThe Cubs won, so the morning went well again. The weather here in Wisconsin is just gorgeous. The temperature was in the mid-60’s when I walked out and it’s supposed to get up to the mid 80’s. Oh, the horror!
Chuck says that this is unseasonably warm for this time of year and that it means that fall will be upon us very quickly. We spend our training time downtown working on negotiating light-controlled intersections and walking another trail around the Willow River.
The river runs through town and is responsible for the town being here. Lots of lumber here, a while back, then canning operations and milling.
Around one mill pond, there are several historical markers denoting the career of a local lawyer who was instrumental in the Civil Rights movement. The lawyer was involved in prosecuting the murders connected to the case made famous in the movie “Mississippi Burning”, prosecuting the Watergate nonsense and a whole lot more. He was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sounds like he led a life that made quite a difference.
On another note, the trails here are very well maintained and Chuck says that they are that way year-round. Very impressive. We found an intersection that was controlled by a stop sign for the less busy road and the main road was uncontrolled. It was marked with a crosswalk, some flashing lights and some waning flags that you can carry across the road to make yourself more visible. It’s the first time I’ve seen this. I appreciate the effort here.
Day three
Chuck and I head over to Stillwater, Minnesota, a town about 20 minutes back toward St. Paul. He and Barb lived there after they first got married and both went to school not far from here. In 1965, the St. Croix River flooded, and they asked for volunteers from the local schools to come and fill sandbags and build a temporary dike. “Anything to get out of school,” Chuck said, so he and other students, including Barb, worked alongside prisoners from the Stillwater prison to build the dike and Main Street was still under a foot of water before the water stopped rising.
The Stillwater prison is also famous for housing the Younger brothers after their failed bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota. The town got tipped off that the James and the Younger brothers were headed to rob their bank and were waiting for them with an arsenal on both sides of the street. The James’ got away, but the Youngers ended up in Stillwater. Groovy story.
On the river, there’s a two-lane lift bridge that was built in 1931 that served as one of the major crossings of the St. Croix for a considerable distance in either direction. A new four-lane bridge was finished about ten years ago just south of town that took the pressure off Stillwater, and they connected the two bridges with another well-maintained trail system. A loop of approximately five miles, you can park in Minnesota and walk to Wisconsin across the bridges (or vice versa), and back. Pretty neat.
Stillwater is no longer the lumber center anymore, but it turned into quite the tourist destination, and Main Street, which Chuck and Barb helped to save in ’65, is bustling with restaurants, souvenir shops and boutiques. Tons of obstacles for Chuck to navigate and he did a great job of holding his head up and trusting his cane.
Day four
Chuck and Barb are sitting on their front porch when I arrive today, reading the paper and taking their morning coffee. They even had a chair for me. They gave me their newspaper, which has not one but two crosswords, as well. The weather is so nice and they’re both so welcoming, I tell them I may never leave.
However, assuming my manager would one day check to see if I was actually working in the wide world, Chuck and I went to explore a new trail that the Civil Rights/Watergate lawyer helped establish. Lots of native trees, grasses, and wildlife are said to reside here, but I only saw the native field mouse, the native Lazy Eyed Susan and the native blue-stem grass. This trail is connected to town by at least two other trails, Chuck can (and probably will) walk here from his house on the other side of town. I found out yesterday that Chuck worked for 3M for most of his professional career. Ironically, 3M makes the red and white reflective tape that’s on his cane. Everything eventually comes full circle, doesn’t it?
After dark, I went over to Chuck’s to do a night lesson. I’ve probably said it before, but there aren’t any new skills to teach during night lessons. It’s almost always about confidence. Trusting your cane enough to find those obstacles that your remaining vision can no longer see. There are plenty of streetlights on the street, but there are several places where we go aways between lights and it gets pretty dark. Chuck did great, as expected, but admitted that it was a little nerve-wracking. I’m sure it is. I don’t want anyone to go out at night if they don’t want to, but I do want them to have the confidence to do so if they choose to. I want our clients to have options.
Chuck and Barb are going to a concert with some of their family on Saturday night and Chuck will be taking his cane with him, just in case he needs it. That’s what I want for him: to have the confidence to pull his cane out and use it when he feels like he needs it.
Day five
After a wrap-up and review, I say “goodbye” to Chuck and Barb, and I come back to the hotel to write this blog. I also had a good burger at a place called Meister’s. It was called a…wait for it…Meisterburger! How great is that?
I’m headed off to Chicago, well Elgin, Illinois tomorrow to work with another client. And hopefully, meet up with friends and former clients all week. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll talk to y’all next time.
