Monday, December 26, 2005

Ho Ho update from Balmy South Dakota

Hello from balmy Sioux Falls. December 24th and shirt sleeves? Yup that was the way it was this year. Well maybe not shirt sleeves - but I did leave my jacket in the car as I popped in and out of several of my customers' offices, to drop off some goodies and exchange Merry Christmas greetings. Our snow has all but disappeared. Even the larger drifts couldn't outlast Mother Nature's sunny rays and high 40 degree temps.

Christmas at our house - one of those occasions that you look forward to and are then glad when it is all over. We were blessed to have Roberta, Sam, Jeff, and Erin here with us this year. Jeff and Erin will go to Watertown and be with his folks over New Years. Roberta is having a few friends over for New Years eve, at last count 20+, and old Mom and Me are staying home - we will fondue, watch the New Year celebration from New York City (cauze it happens an hour earlier there) and will be conked out by midnight our time - after all I did turn 61 a week ago!

On Friday Sam got a new wheel chair. For those that have not experienced such and acquisition let me enlighten you. This process starts out with an 'evlautation and recommendation' session which is conducted by either an Occupational Therapist or a Physical Therapist. Now the going rate for either of these types here in Sioux Falls is $105.00 per half hour. Of course because of Sam's multiple needs it takes one of each of these birds to conduct his "Eval". That of course equates to $210.00 per half hour. The Eval session lasted 1 3/4 hours with the head of the department sticking his nose in from time to time - it is yet to be determined what nose sticking in bills out at. After the Eval then the chair is ordered and you wait 4 to 6 weeks for the chair to come. Then comes the "fitting" session. Yup you guessed it. The same OT and PT get their heads together, look at Sam sitting in the chair, stand around and discuss the weather, adjust the seat, visit a little, then go back into the shop and adjust his tray, then they admit that they may not have ordered the correct seat base -- and can you come back next week so we can go through this dance again, which of course we did. So Friday we were back for another round of fitting. This one went much better - it lasted only a little over two hours (the first fitting was almost three). Anyway, Sam had new wheels for Christmas, Children's Care Re-hab Center had a nice increase in revenue and his new chair is supposed to last him till he reaches 150 pounds.

We had a great Christmas - some pictures follow along with some pictures of Mom.

My best to all.........

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