Summer Wanes

Pretty Full Dance Card

My last couple of blogs tracked my summer odyssey to Asheville, North Carolina but that’s not the only dance on my 2025 summer card. I was able to ride shotgun on several auto travel trips as well: to see family in Wisconsin, hang out with close friends in Duluth, and socialize with four other couples (our 20-year bike group) in Perham (Minnesota). But summer is waning, and my travel escapades will undoubtedly be limited for a while . . . maybe a fishing outing yet.

Something Different this Summer

The last two summers it seems were spent recovering from a botched deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery intended to help my progressing Parkinson’s Disease. This summer has been different. I have basically the same ailments as the last two years, but my spirit has more defiance against life’s ills, and my soul more courage to fight back against my plight. Chris has been saying these words a lot this summer, “Really? You want to go and do that?” And my answer has been, “yes”, with an immediate sigh from dear Chris.  

David the Warrior King, My Example

King David was the shepherd boy turned anointed leader of Israel. The road to the throne for David was no easy street and included the emotional extremes of killing Goliath the giant terrorist and being anointed by the prophet Samuel as the future king of Israel. Before David dined in the luxury of the king's palace, he overcame great diversity like running for his life, hiding in caves, and accepting whatever food he could get from strangers. Through all these experiences David wrote many of the Bible’s psalms. I think my resurgent spiritual courage the last two years has surfaced through absorbing God’s love and truth coming from David's writings.  That was me the first two years post DBS—just trying to stay alive. However, I am alive, I made it through those tough times. Some of you can relate. In Psalm 30 David’s song is a prelude to dedicating the great temple, built later by his son Solomon. At this time, David is reflecting back on all he has endured up to this point. His song and my last two years are stunningly comparable:

• Verse 1. “I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up.” I can only say that whatever courage or strength I have now it has to be from God.
• Verse 1. “And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.” I have certainly been beaten down by my enemy, which is this disease, but I am not letting it steal my joy.
• Verse 2-3. “I cried to You for help, and You healed me. O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol [Hebrew underworld].” I may never be healed of PD, but I have recovered miraculously from certain elements of its tentacles, and I am certainly not letting it take me to a shadowy place of separation from God.

The Last Gasp of Summer

The last gasp of this summer included a frenzy of midwestern travel. Here’s some of the highlights of getting out of the pit and braving my road in retirement over the past few weeks:

• Hung out in Duluth, played cards, and did a fancy dinner on the harbor at Silos with friends.
• Did the whirl-wind tour of Wisconsin starting with breakfast in Hudson (sister and brother-in-law), a fish fry with Chris’s little sister near Fremont on the Wolf River, played cards and enjoyed awesome cookout food with Chris’s parents and older sister/brother-in-law in Rome . . . . WI.
• Spent a steamy evening in NE Minneapolis with my youngest traveling a bumpy sidewalk in my wheelchair from his apartment to a fish place followed by a visit to Minnesota Nice ice cream for dessert. He and Chris took turns pushing. We all complained about the uneven sidewalks, but we didn't complain about the heat and humidity, knowing all too well that winter is coming; usually long and hard.
• We spent three days laughing, exploring, eating, quilt material shopping, and oh yes biking in the Detroit Lakes-Perham area of Minnesota. Chris pushed me down a bike trail that wound around and through the rolling hills, forest, and lakes of Maplewood State Park (MN) not too far from Perham. For a couple hours at least, I could feel the warm summer air wisping through my hair as Chris mastered the paved trail. My biking days are gone for good, but if I can experience a beautiful summer day in lakes country with this different set of wheels, I'm happy. And don’t get me wrong, Chris loves the workout and anything involving the outdoors.
• In that same area we traveled to places never been, like Dunton Locks County Park (MN) in search of a troll (famous Dutch artisan builds large wooden trolls around the world, seven of them in this area). We found it and it was making a face at us; somewhat similar to the face I was giving PD this summer.
• And there were a few other side trips this summer to downtown markets, a minor league baseball game, a rib fest, and cards with Ed out at “the ranch.”

Update 

I haven’t really given an update in a while on my actual physical condition on this present road in retirement, so here goes. I am seeing a new neuro-specialist in DBS tuning in Golden Valley (Twin Cities). I have another visit in September, and we’ll see if the probes can be tuned to relieve some of my symptoms. I am also on a different carbidopa levodopa regimen. These two updates are connected and give me hope. My speech is still near nothing, but I have been slowly learning to use an augmentative assistive technology (AAC) device on loan for a few months to see if this might help me write, text, email, and “voice” messages. More to come hopefully on that. My reference to miracles earlier is my ability to chew and swallow, albeit very messy, but well enough to maintain a good weight and metabolism. This is a result of my G-tube which also provides vitamins and hydration. My drooling has been stubbornly bad for several weeks due to PD creating an inability to swallow excess saliva efficiently. In late September, more Botox will hopefully curb that. I can still get some exercise walking with a walker and spotter and my in-home PT and OT girls (do any guys work in these fields?) are wizards for keeping me in the game. And I would trade all Hallmark movies forever to be rid of this pesky dystonia in my fingers which has rendered them difficult to use for just about everything except poking Chris to help me with something. 

Sorry for the dreary update, but that's where I am currently parked on my road in retirement. No worries though because I haven't lost my tenacity to want to experience life and I will end with another verse from David's song in Psalm 30.  

• Verse 4. “You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones and give thanks to His holy name.” As I reflect on this waning summer, I realize that I could have just sat in the pit of self-pity, but I am alive and therefore I decided to live life. Hence, the resounding words, “Really? You want to go and do that?” Yes, I want to and if possible, I will, singing praises to God through it all.