[stevem53]

Hi Everyone..Happy 4th of July!

Ive been trying to get out of this physical funk Ive been in..I went out clamming with a friend of mine a couple of times this past week..Steamer clams for the holiday market..He was in the water digging, and I was in the boat sorting and bagging..We were at Conimicut Point, and that place can be a hell hole..The tide runs real hard over there because the Providence River dumps into the upper bay on the out going tide..At the point there is a huge sandbar that is about a quarter mile long, and when the wind is from the south in the summer, the out going tide clashes with it and breaks over the bar, untill the tide goes down far enough and the bar is dry land, and seperates the tide from the wind..We were anchored up close to the bar in the shallow water where the waves break over the bar..I had a humbling experience over there on Thursday that I wont soon forget..It was really windy that day, and my friend told me that if I didnt feel comfortable going that it was ok, but I went anyway, even though I had reservations about going..It was 90 degrees, and it was a slow rough ride over there, and when we got there we anchored the boat up, and the waves were breaking over the sandbar..nothing serious, but constant, like a washing machine..I didnt think much of it, but after a couple of hours, between the sun, the constant sloshing sound of the waves, and the rocking action of the boat, I got almost completely incapacitated, and extremely weak..So I took a Sinemet, thinking that it would rectify the problem, but it did absolutely nothing..and I was thinking about how I was going to get through the rough ride back..I felt completely useless..Anyway, we left, and it was kinda rough..There was a constant spray coming over the bow, and I got pretty wet, and much to my surprise it helped to snap me out of the funk I was in..When we got in, my friend John, went and sold some of the clams we caught, and I sat in my truck at the dock with the air on, and waited untill he got back..We still had over 3 bushels of clams we has to sort out, and by the time he got back I was fine, and we sorted and bagged the rest of the clams like nothing happened..I really thought I was down for the count that day, and it amazed me that I was able to bounce back..That day was my 55th birthday

So what did I do on the Fourth of July?..I ate clams

How was your week?

The sandbar goes all the way out to the lighthouse



The sandbar at low tide looking fom the lighthouse towards the point

[chasmo]

Steve;

I can't help but wonder if you were not suffering from a form of motion-sickness?? It seems to me. from your description, that it was movement related. Think about it the next time you go out. PD motion-sickness can be uniique in its symptoms.


Charlie

[MKane]

What is it about this particular holiday that is so tough on us? My neighbors began shooting fireworks over my pasture on the 3rd. Another neighbor went over too talk to them about it and was told that because I had called the police last year that that night was just an intp and that they had enough fireworks for the 4th to run my horses to death. So. I had to move the horses but one of them had already cut his leg and the other lost over 100 lbs. The neighbir did light up the sky on the 4th until 2:00 AM/ Last night they shot them rught at my barn which is full of hay. I spent the night spraying the barn and hedgerows with a hose. I hope it doesn't continue tonught because I'm having trouble walking today. Also, the police did not respond to my calls this year at al. Someone must have been paid off.

I hate the 4th of July

[stevem53]

Originally Posted by chasmo

Steve;

I can't help but wonder if you were not suffering from a form of motion-sickness?? It seems to me. from your description, that it was movement related. Think about it the next time you go out. PD motion-sickness can be uniique in its symptoms.


Charlie

I think that's what it was Charlie..Damn nasty!

[stevem53]

Originally Posted by MKane

What is it about this particular holiday that is so tough on us? My neighbors began shooting fireworks over my pasture on the 3rd. Another neighbor went over too talk to them about it and was told that because I had called the police last year that that night was just an intp and that they had enough fireworks for the 4th to run my horses to death. So. I had to move the horses but one of them had already cut his leg and the other lost over 100 lbs. The neighbir did light up the sky on the 4th until 2:00 AM/ Last night they shot them rught at my barn which is full of hay. I spent the night spraying the barn and hedgerows with a hose. I hope it doesn't continue tonught because I'm having trouble walking today. Also, the police did not respond to my calls this year at al. Someone must have been paid off.

I hate the 4th of July

Yes..My cats went and hid untill it was over..I can imagine you had your hands full with horses..Some people have no consideration

[Evon]

Hi Steve I had a similar incident when my meds wouldn't work and it was an extremely hot day. I couldn't function well at all, it took me by surprise. It has been five years since I was dxs and things have changed.
The weather here in Ontario is very wonderful, lots of sunsine and hot. I like to make the best of it, summer is so short. I am still busy fixing up my house that I just moved into on May 1st. Tomorrow I am meeting with 3 YOPD people in the surrounding area to set up a group for the Eastern region of Ontario. Looking forward to meeting some new people and fellow PWP.

[rosebud]

Well glad we're past those nasty holidays. In Canada it's july 1 followed by the 4th for yooose Americans! Sounds like you all had a jolly time indeed. I lived in the States for 3 tears and vividly remember the 4th of July. It's just another excuse to get out the BBQ and Beer for a lot of folks. But that's people for you. MK: Your neighbors are idiots and don't understand your situation. Have you ever gotten to know them at any point? Some people are just seriously limited when it comes to others. Sorry about your horses...I know you love them like people.

We're finally getting some summer out on the west coast. Not hot, just comfortable and the sun feels good. I have some skin issues I'l have to go get checked out. I suspect they are sun related.

Well I've got family with me until the 17th, then I head out to the Island to see more family. I'm not very motivated to go far this summer or for very long.

I'll do my usual run down the threads most days to see what's up/new/interesting etc.

stay cool (both physically and mentally) J.

[RLSmi]

Funny how one's perspective on holiday pyrotechnics changes with age! I distinctly remember being really enthusiastic about personally firing off rockets, roman candles, arial reports and firecrackers in general between the ages of 10 or so until about 30. It was about that time that my own children began getting interested in them and I was faced with the prospect of their possible injury as a result of careless handling of fireworks. Since then my enthusiasm has cooled considerably to the point that I only enjoy watching displays, and then preferably at a distance of a half mile or more. This July 4, I was reminded of this when my 14-year old grandson was insistent on putting on his own show. I dutifully monitored his and his friends explosive activites as they and other people on the street blasted away. The only mishap was the malfunction of what was supposed to be an arial starburst report that failed to launch and exploded on the ground. Our poor dog was a nervous wreck by the time it was all over. She hid under whatever she could find and shook so badly we though she was going to have convulsions.

Steve, I hope you are feeling better. I'm pretty much the same as usual. I have an appointment with my neurologist next Friday.

Rosie, I would be happy to share some of this Louisiana summertime heat with you if I could find a way to get it to Vancouver efficiently.

Robert

[Todd]

Steve - those pictures you posted are beautiful. I really miss being near the water. We're headed to Hawaii in August and I can't wait to get into the ocean! My dream is to spend the rest of my life near the ocean, but it has to be a sunny location most of the year! I don't ask for much, do I?

The 4th is tough on our dog too. She shakes like crazy and we had to get meds from the vet in order to help her get through the night. I feel bad that I have to drug her, but it's the better option. Otherwise she's so miserable.

When we were younger, we used to go to the local Indian reservation and pick up really insane, wicked fireworks. Nobody I knew ever got hurt, which was a miracle, because truth be told, we were nowhere near responsible with them! But now that I'm older, I just have no desire for them anymore. Where we currently live, all personal fireworks are illegal with a $1000 fine if you get caught, but people still fire them off anyway.

I've been playing with a video editing program my wife has on her computer and put together a little sample of some speeches I've done. I managed to get it posted to You Tube but am having trouble embedding them on my website. I really should think about taking some computer classes. It's amazing what you can do now on your home computer, but sometimes learning to actually do it is so overwhelming! I think the secret is to find a 10 year old with a Mac and he could probably do it all in about 10 minutes without even trying hard!

I'm not recovering from my auto accident very well. I get dystonia from my PD on the right side of my neck and upper shoulders and the whiplash is on my left neck, shoulder, and back. So turning my head in any direction can be brutal. Thankfully the PT got me a TENS unit and I can send electrical currents into my left side all day, which helps a great deal. Much better and more effective than taking more drugs.

Looking forward to Atlanta and the YOPN in August. I hope some of you are able to make the trip this year. Should be a great time.

Have a great week everyone!