#233 Happy New Year

 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL

In this post I attempt to cover two topics, the first related to my struggles with Parkinson’s Disease and the second an assignment I gave myself in the last post of the blog.

A Fall in the Fall

First is a story that happened a couple of weeks ago—-it’s about a fall which appropriately happened in the fall and is being written about while it’s still autumn [Notice how I deftly avoided another use of “fall.”] Also appropriately I was leaving a Parkinson’s support group meeting at the Canby Adult Center when I suddenly found myself on the ground of the parking lot. My head was bleeding, glasses askew, small gashes on my hand and one knee. How I got there I’m not sure. I could have tripped over a rough spot in the parking lot asphalt or I could have stumbled on the toe of a dragging foot. Whatever happened, I luckily didn’t hit the ground very hard. 

Taken by Anne at my request. Me on the ground surrounded by help while waiting for the professional (EMT) help.

Better yet I had numerous people around me ready to help—Anne (who goes to the meeting as a caregiver), a couple of other PD patients and caregivers, two staff from the Adult Center. Also, it was good that I knew what to do. I stayed down and waited for the EMTs who were called soon after I fell and who specialize in picking up and caring for the fallen.

The Canby Fire Dept. rescue truck arrived in five or six minutes, thankfully with no siren blaring. The two EMTs checked me over and after confirming that I had no major injuries picked me up off the ground and got me on my feet. They helped me walk to the rescue ambulance where they checked me out more thoroughly.  Since I had hit my head on the ground, bending my glasses but not breaking the frame, they said I should consider a visit to the hospital in case I was concussed [I’ve always wanted to use that word, “concussed,” if it is a word.], We decided that with neighbors on both sides being nurses, we’d have help close by if I felt worse later. 

The result of the fall was a sore wrist and knee, some facial scabs, a little embarrassment, and a reality check. There is good logic to Parkinson’s warning that each of us struggling with the condition are only one bad fall away from a really bad day. My day wasn’t this one.  

My Photo Assignment

Celebrating Thanksgiving with a dinner out at Arrowhead GC in Mollala.

We did manage to get in a round of golf in good weather.

 

I managed to take a couple of almost good photos at the course.

The second part of this post is my response to an assignment I gave myself: "put together a photo essay of a small town between Thanksgiving and Christmas." My intent was to produce a coherent narrative of events and scenes in and around the holidays as celebrated in Canby. Within the photos I’d come up with I would hopefully find a couple (maybe more) of significant artistic value. What I ended up with was a bunch of trite snapshots not worthy of a passing grade on the assignment.

We went to our rented storage unit to pick up the last of the 17 boxes of Christmas decorations.

Why such a poor result when I had had such lofty hopes? This may sound like I’m looking for an excuse for my performance, but really I’m just recounting how I conspired against myself and got no help from outside sources.

Some of the decorations in our home for the holidays. Anne does a great job of organizing and displaying our treasures.

I had envisioned going to local town events and taking pictures of holiday cheer and happiness, but when I had opportunities I blew my chances. For instance, when at Anne’s birthday meal out with friends I didn’t even think about taking my camera until we were already at the restaurant. I did the same for a big band Christmas concert at the Hope Village Community Center. 

At the concert I did borrow Anne's iPhone to get picture. It's the only shot I took and you can tell I'm not used to using the iPhone as a camera.

I had planned to visit a couple of local parks (for nature photos and pictures of lighting displays). I did neither, I simply dropped the ball on those ideas. I have to say my Parkinson’s didn’t cooperate at all. Early in the month I fell [see previous story] and recovery was slow with several visits to doctors and therapists in the way of anything planned. I could have pivoted on my plans and come up with something else, but winter blues or Parkinson’s apathy put an end to that. The pictures I did come up with lack any value beyond the typical scapebook snapshots which could have been taken with 1953 Kodak Brownie. 

The city of Canby is nicely decorated by local snowman contest (as well as a light in the park display. I made very poor use of bothers opportunities. There's much more that I could have done.

I did learn that if I’m going to continue to produce anything worth your time to view I have to find ways to overcome physical and mental blocks that I faced on this assignment. If  I do that, the month will not have been a total washout.

Lots of local flooding and wind damage was done by the three Atmospheric Rivers (used to be called The Pineapple Express) hit us in a two week period.

NEXT: Something worth your time to read and see.