‘REAL’izing over idolizing??

I’m at that moment.

That moment where I’m questioning just whether... or not..... my heart can take the risk of break.

I want to open this book...

We all have ‘heroes’ who are special to us, people we admire and look up to, people who show us what the courage to work at dreams really means. My own personal heroes of my life have been those who I, for whatever reason, have felt connected to through sports and through music. And Kenny Rogers has been my TOP list hero for as long as I can even remember back throughout my lifetime.

I had a lot of hard days at school as a kiddo who just didn’t fit in and who just felt devastated at having to face day after day in upset... but Kenny Rogers sang me all better on my little blue plastic record player every afternoon when I arrived gratefully home. I’ve never been a good sleeper, my mind just never can seem to settle enough for real rest to take over... until I reach for my earphones, switch on my soothing playlist where my Kenny Rogers favourites lull me into that old familiar settled comfort that never lets me down. I love every song, every television special, every movie Kenny Rogers has graced and I will unashamedly admit that Six Pack remains my most favourite movie EVER, and likely always will... even when I watch it now on DVD at home (over and over and over and...) I disappear back to the first time I saw it when my aunt took me to see it at the movie theatre, way back  in the 80’s on the day it opened; pure awesomeness and I adore Brewster Baker just as I adore my beloved Kenny Rogers.

That’s why this moment is so hard.

I want to open and read this book, this memoir of the man who has unknowingly helped me through so much of my life.

But I don’t want to be disappointed.

I had a moment like this once before. Kenny Rogers was coming through town on his concert tour and I was so excited that I actually cried because I was just sooooooo filled with joy over the prospect of actually getting to see and hear Kenny Rogers in real life performing all the songs of my heart! Believe it, or not, but I was twenty-eight had never before been to a music concert before... even with my HUGE love of music and having played music myself for many years, I had never been to a concert simply because I was fearful that the magic of my musical heroes would be lost if I saw the real. But it was Kenny Rogers. And so, before I let me talk myself out of going, I drove into town and I bought Enz and I tickets to see Kenny Rogers in concert.

And when it came concert time, I almost couldn't force myself to go... because I didn’t want to be disappointed and I agonosized over living my dream of seeing Kenny Rogers for real or keeping my dream just the way it was. In the end I did go to the concert and it was perfect, beyond perfect actually. Kenny Rogers was as comfortable and as warm and as gracious on that big arena stage as I had always imagined he could be. I was so lost in the beautiful of the fact that my first-ever concert had the been the very soundtrack of my life that it felt as though I was the only person there and I was grateful for every moment I shared space with my greatest hero for a snippet of time I will never lose. But along with overwhelming joy came sadness of farewell for a couple of hours that had meant the whole world in its moments for me.

Well, of course Kenny Rogers is on my ‘Case for Heroes’!

Now, I know in my heart that I won’t be let down by reading this book. I know that Kenny Rogers has had ups and downs in his life and that he’s, at times, made headlines for less-than perfect moments but he’s also been forthright in owning up to them rather than hiding behind cop-outs which is something I also admire in those I look up to. Still, I am over-angsty about reading the words he’s chosen to share. I had heard of this upcoming book release and couldn’t wait until it was available to puchase... but once it had finally made it to release date, I just couldn’t even pick it up for my ridiculous fear of being disappointed before I even dove in. The story of my own life right there... the experiences I have misss out on for fear of being disappointed are, in fact, the greatest disappointments of my life. But my mama wasn’t too afraid to buy the book for me and so this book is really two gifts in one.

I want to open this book..... because before I’ve even begun I am already dreading its final word.

I don’t like goodbyes, even to friends I’ve not yet met.

Even so, I am going to open this book..... eventually.

Back to therapy... Week 1

Physiotherapy Round TWO - Appointment 1: (March 12, 2018.)

I’m not sure why I was so nervous about today... but I was. I guess it was just the fear of yet another physical assessment and worrying over how I might ‘measure up’ this time. Some of the stresses were lower than when I first began therapy in the Neurology Day Program because I already knew where I was going and I already knew and felt comfortable’n’trusting of who I would be working with... so, going back into a quick, intensive physio program, this time, has struck me more with hopeful than with trepidation which is a really great thing!

Having switched over to working with a new Neurologist who is happy to still be seeing improvements (no matter how small) has been incredibly uplifting for me. When my first neurologist started to just write me off while trying to convince me I should be happy to have any movement back in my legs, I hit a bit of a low point and questioned myself. I was fortunate to get angry enough that I didn't let myself give up and found my way to not only a new and helpful Neurologist but also a finally confirmed and diagnosis of Guillaine-Barré Syndrome that I really am healing from and likely will fully recover from. It’s because of my new specialist that I am back in the Neuro Day Program once again and my hope is that with a little more learnings and workings I will be able to ditch my Stix for good before long.

Now, please don’t get me wrong... I am NOT dissin’ the Stix; I seriously cannot express to you just how much I absolutely LOVE my SideStix and I know that I would not be anywhere near as independently moving again without the support, both physically and emotionally, they have offered me over the past year and a half! My Stix have given me the confidence I couldn’t muster when I was in the wheelchair or on the walker because I was just so beyond humiliated at being seen and devastated at feeling trapped in a chair or behind a walker. I had grown in ‘okayness with my situation’ enough that I allowed a few pictures with my walker once I worked up to being a little more mobile but I was too ashamed to let any be taken while I was wheelchairing around and in not being proud of my pridefulness back then I made the focused decision that I wouldn’t hide any longer when the Stix time came along. I think it was just a realization that hit me of how hard I had to work in learning how to walk again... but in reality, I was wasting too much energy trying to hide away from the world I felt might judge my sudden downfall. I was embarrassed to be starting back at toddler-hood again and it was scary on my always happy soul for awhile. But I threw myself right straight out into the wide open when my lifesaving Stix came along. It did take me awhile to admit that I needed them, awhile longer to actually force myself to order them but once they were delivered to me I was not only ready for them, I was grateful for them. I am grateful for them. I am NOT embarrassed by them. Still, I’d like to be able to confidently tuck them away and again be able to walk all on my own and maybe with this next quick round of therapy I’ll be a little more prepared for when it finally does come to happen.

As my first day back, today was an assessment day, much like the first time around had been. I have been back a couple of times over the year and a half since my last intensive round of therapy to update my home exercises but those were only for single appointments, Because I am so structured and dedicated to doing my daily home exercises; the rule for me has been that when the exercises become not as challenging I call and go for slightly more challenging updates which has been working well because I like to be home in my safe space to do my exercises unseen by others... I still do have a few issues in pride upsets but I’m working on that, too.

Anyhow, back to the assessment and why I had been so worried about it. It’s a little hard to explain but when I last finished my intensive round of physio I was transitioning from being on a walker to walking with the forearm crutches and it was a pretty challenging time. However, I feel like I have come sooooo far with my walking, my balance, my endurance and even just my confidence and willingness to get out try to be active again, even if on a much lower scale than my own normal used to be. I feel like I’ve made SO much progress but as today’s therapy appointment neared I started to question whether I had been honest with myself... had I really improved over the past seventeen months or have I just been letting myself believe I’ve improved? Self-doubt... it's a toughy! But when Julie's eyes lit up at how I walked in, I knew that my improvements were not just in my mind but also showed in my body’s regained ability. I still have a way to go but to know that the progress is noticeable to others is just one more giant push to keep going. It’s so easy with something as slow in healing as Guillaine-Barré to get lost in that slow roll because when progress is slow, it’s hard to see it as it happens.

Looking back now I really can see that from this...

.....to this, was HUGE!

Last time, I cried with disappointment as I failed every test and for safety’s sake was reluctantly put back onto a walker. Today I cried with gratefulness to have struggled and wobbled but not fallen through every balance challenge of the stability test. I didn’t ace the tests, by any means, but I was able to shakily hold myself upright without being held which is pretty huge! My left leg has grown much stronger, my right leg still needs help. I have to admit that I was a little nervous to begin today because Julie has two about-to-graduate Physio students on assignment from McMaster University in Southern Ontario working with her right now and I am not so good at the whole new people seeing me faltering deal but when she asked I stepped a little further out of my comfort zone in fully agreeing to allow both of them into the loop I deliberately keep very small. I am big on urging sharing and so I must be open to sharing as well, right?! Who knows, sharing my struggles might help both young men to understand a little about the rare GBS if they come across it as they begin on their own journies helping others to heal, especially since both said that mine is the first case either have been involved with. I figure the more help, the better to heal which far outweighs any hesitation of a couple more people seeing my awkwardness... instead I am forcing myself to view it as having a couple more people on my side against this formidable foe of an illness.

My main goal in continuing to work on learning to walk on my own again is still to be able to walk my boys (two Greyhounds) all on my own without needing supervision and help to keep us all safe. But this time around in therapy I have added a new +goal... I want to walk with a normal gait. I am still stumbly because my right foot just still does not want to listen to my brain and walk with a proper heel to toe movement though I have have greatly improved in now being able to put my foot flat on the floor rather than not being able to control my toes dropping first with the whole foot-drop awfulness... it still takes concentration to make it happen. The other issue with my right leg weakness is that when I weight-transfer to my right side my leg snaps violently back at my knee and throws me off which usually causes a fall and that’s never fun.

For the most part I have been doing well with keeping up my work toward healing as well as with holding patience in waiting for my nerves to physically heal but I am hoping that this next quick jump-start will push me even further ahead. I was honestly hoping for just a single appointment of learning new home exercises but Julie is figuring that in just a few weeks of intense work we might just be able to teach my legs to work a little better thanks to the nerves having begun repair and
having some feeling back to help gauge new movements.

All in all it was a really great appointment today and although it left me utterly beyond exhausted I left feeling like I seriously wanted to do a Mary Katherine Gallagher “SUPERSTARRRRR.....” in the hallway as I left; maybe on the day I can finally ditch my Stix I will! Next Monday I begin a quick stint back in therapy but I am not looking at it as ‘going back’ because I’m working forward, I just need a little more help in learning how to deal with my still a little uncooperative legs.

Regretfully broken.....

I’ve mentioned before, in my blogging, that personality-wise I pretty much only have two ‘speeds’... happy and laughing or LOOK OUT ‘CAUSE I AM PISSED RIGHT OFF!! Today I am definitely of the latter.

I totally SHOULD have been that dreaded ‘BITCHY and DEMANDING’ hound-mama instead of the pleading worrier... Two Mondays ago I called the Vet and told them my Day had started suddenly limping on his left hind leg and that I felt he needed an x-ray. Even though I am with him all the time, I didn’t witness an injury occur but it was clear he was suddenly hurting and something was wrong with his leg. They told me They could book him for an appointment that Friday. I asked if we could get an x-ray during the week in preparation for the appointment. “No, we’ll wait and see what the doctor decides to do when she sees him on Friday.”

I was upset but we do not have many choices for care options where we live and with all of Day’s medical issues already known with this office It seemed in his best interest to stick there through what might end up being an emergency visit. We reluctantly waited it out until our appointment on Friday but called twice again over that week to see if there were any x-ray or appointment cancellations to get him checked as his limp worsened.

Finally, at the appointment, the doctor saw that he was hobbling, saw that he was refusing to bear any weight on that leg but because he did the usual ‘Greyhound statue and just take what happens to me through an examination while disappearing somewhere behind glazed over eyes’ she said she figured with his age and all the wear and tear his joints would have taken over his racing years it was likely just arthritis starting and that we should try him on a Glucosamine /anti-inflammatory mix to wait and see if that would help.

I asked directly if we shouldn’t just do an x-ray to figure out the true root of the issue instead of supposing and trying a supplement... he was clearly having serious pain issues. No, she figured she knew what it was and we should see a change within just a few days.

By end of the following Monday he was still badly hobbling so we called first thing Tuesday morning and told them he was not better, even a little bit, and that he NEEDED an x-ray. They told us that it could take a few more days for the supplements to show they would be of help and that he probably would be fine.

But I knew he wasn’t “fine”.....

Because I was too close to just flipping completely the fuck out on them, if I was to phone, I finally made Enz call back Tuesday evening and force them to make him an appointment for an x-ray and not just to see the doctor again. They finally agreed to book him in for an x-ray for today, ELEVEN days after I first called and asked to have an x-ray of his leg. The newest stress problem for us was that although they had agreed to book him for an x-ray for today (Friday), they wouldn’t pinpoint a time and that we would need to drop him off between 8:00 - 8:30am and they would try and find a time to get an x-ray of his leg in between all the other booked treatments for the day. That was a definite NO-GO for me. Why should he have to wait all day long in a clinic kennel when he hates being kenneled, is not happy at the Vet’s and is already in pain??! Extra stress on top of being in pain... not if I could help it and I was already mad!

So, we called back yesterday and fought again for an actual x-ray appointment time... Finally, after the reception staff had discussed with the doctor hours later,  they had called us back and told us to have him there for 8:30 this morning and that the x-ray would be done right then while we waited. 

Even as they took him (painfully unwillingly and scared to death of going back through the treatment area doors) I could feel that the staff was far from pleased with us for having been so pushy about getting him x-rayed. By this point, though, all I cared about was getting the pictures over with. It was only about a minute or so later when his doctor came out to say that they wouldn’t be able to x-ray him without sedating him because he was just too uncomfortable. She would give him the reversible sedation and do the pictures right away but wanted to keep him for a couple of hours to be sure he was clear-headed and steady enough on his three comfortable legs to be safe for us to bring him home. THAT, I was fine with, I just hadn’t been fine with him sitting uncomfortably and stressed out for hours on end in wait of x-ray.

Play and I weren’t even home for a full hour before the phone call came. Day’s doctor sounded very regretful as she told me what was wrong with my Day’s poor leg... my poor lil’ sunshiny Day has a broken ankle. And I feel like the absolute WORST mama ever to live because I knew... I KNEW that something was wrong but didn’t become the total raging BITCH that I should have in forcing them to look deeper in my fear of being shunned and put off for longer if I pissed them off too badly at the clinic.

My poor, splinted-up, Day... zoned and woozy still from the sedative.

This just sucks..... like, SO bad.......

Now I know I am not a Veterinarian but I know my boys and I know when something is wrong with them... but the fact that I questioned the initial diagnosis and asked for an x-ray over and again should NOT have been dismissed so carelessly. Day’s poor ankle break is on the front part of his ankle... the break, fortunately did not snap right through the entire bone but along with the main fracture he also had a chip fracture occur where a chunk of bone broke off at the front. From the type of break he has it appears he likely broke it with a wonky jump-landing while playing. Day is a WILD zoomie-Greyhound when it comes to playtime and often gets so zoned and focused that I have to corral, catch and hold him tight to help him stop when he can’t stop himself... sometimes its scary to see him zone out like that, his eyes go wild, his whole body quakes and he just circles and circles and circles at warp-speed as though he is running for his life. Surgery was an option for a few minutes but because of where the break sits directly between two close joints putting screws in would definitely cause more chipping and breaks to happen. Instead, he is splinted and will need to have splint changes every four days while being on absolute bed rest until he heals. Because of his body’s healing issues and skin sensitivities she doesn’t feel he won’t suffer with complications of a hard cast so splinting is his safest option of keeping his ankle immobilized to begin healing. Well, to begin the healing that should have started eleven days ago when I first called and asked for an x-ray.

Believe me when I tell you that this is a HARD on my heart lesson I am sharing in my own personal downfall of now discovering I am the awfullest mama ever... I have been streaming tears of guilt and regret since getting my poor Day home and settled into a comfortable sleep. We are on the search for another Veterinary clinic but just helping Day heal well from his poor broken ankle is all I will be having time to concentrate on for the next while... and then the Vet interviews will begin.

So, why am I sharing this rambling rant that makes me seem like an angry complainer? Because I want others to learn from my mistake! When you know in your heart that something is wrong... do NOT defer to so-called ‘authority’ as I did. Don’t be afraid to be ‘the bitch’ in order to make happen what should happen. I should not have had to fight for a simple x-ray. And my Day should not have gone though almost two full weeks of pain and hobbling to finally be diagnosed. I am always going to keep this mistake of mine in my back pocket and I hope that anyone reading it will, too. I hope that nothing is ever again wrong with either of my boys but if it is, you can bet I will not be pushed aside in my concerns again. Sure, mistakes happen but negligence due to overbooking shouldn’t.

A Snowy Family Day Weekend

We had grand plans of how we wanted to spend our long weekend in celebration of Family Day... but these past few years of struggles have taught us nothing if not to just keep on rolling with the punches. So the weekend didn’t exactly live up to our expectations, but we still managed to find a few hours of fun throughout.

Saturday started out well enough with a trip into town to first stop of and do a little sorting at Enz’s mom’s condo followed by a quick stop to buy flooring for the camp; our next step in finishing up the interior work on the cabin. We had planned on actually starting to lay the flooring but it was just too late to start any projects by the time we got out there and after unloading it was time to just turn around and head back home.

We did have just enough time to open a box of flooring to just lay out and see how it would look. We still had the other sample out there that we first had opted for but at the last minute I decided to change my mind... Enz is not sure of my decision change. See, I decided, with a second look at the store, that the cabin floor needed a little sharper grain look than the muted look we had first chosen... I just think it helps to enhance the wood knottiness of the wall boards. Enz still likes the muted look. So we laid them out together as a unit to see which looks better. I am decided, Enz is not. Either way is fine with me but his decision-making process is a bit delayed these days with everything else going on. The lower left quarter is the muted flooring as is the lower secyion of the closeup picture..... just in case you might want to offer a flooring opinion since we can use all the help we can get right now.

I haven’t really mentioned in my blogging about our life stresses of late but life has not been fun and we haven’t had much time, at all, to work on finishing the cabin... which we had hoped to have completely finished by springtime. The reason for our delay (this time) is that Enz’s mom suffered a horrible stroke two-and-a-half months ago... Enz has been running himself ragged between the daily hospital visits, her rehab therapy consults, lawyer appointments and everything else that goes along with his mom’s care dealings..... along with the two of us now having to deal with closing up her condo and look for a kindness-filled and trustworthy nursing home we can be assured she will be safe and comfortable living in since she is now awaiting a long-term care home. Paralyzed on her entire right side and mking no improvements have the rehabilitation staff feeling like she will never walk again and clearly is not safe to live on her own again. With no other family in town to help, it is proving beyond brutal to try and keep afloat in the worry, frustrations and workload of it all.

Anyhow, we decided that Sunday morning we would get an early start at the condo and get as much work done as possible so we could head out to the camp by mid-afternoon to actually get started on the flooring.

Sorting and packing to close up someone else’s home is NOT a fun deal...

...but we are doing our best to respectfully whittle the collected years of personal possessions down to manageable.














BUT... when it got to this point of messy overwhelming while we worked there on Sunday... and after alreay having removed EIGHT huge bags of trash and FIVE huge bags of recycling.....I had a bit of an almost full on meltdown. It just suddenly became too much mess along with all the stresses of just the whole, entire ordeal of the whole crappy situation.

We were both at breaking point so Enz said, “Let’s just go... right now..... we’ll go have some lunch, get a few minutes of fresh air then come back and finish up this bit.” So, that’s what we did and we managed through another couple of hours afterward.

Somewhere within the almost two hours after going out to get lunch and finishing up a little more work at the condo it had started to snow... majorly! Just getting home was slow in the whiteout conditions so we were foiled again. We arrived safely home and we stayed safely home. We planned on coffee, sugar bread and some Olympics watching instead of going to camp mid snowstorm. But, those plans were also a no-go... I was SO beyond physically and emotionally exhausted after my little freak-out from being overwhelmed at the condo that the instant I sat down on the edge of the bed to pull my heat socks on after changing into a cozy onsie..... well, Enz said he came into the bedroom to find me when he had the coffee ready and instead found the boys and I cuddled up in bed and sound asleep, where the three of us stayed conked out cold for over THREE hours. A usual thing for the boys, sure, but I never nap so that’s how tired I was physically and the boys just knew my hy soul needed a little cuddle healing, I guess. The three of us really only got up to have some dinner before heading back for an early bedtime... Enz was tired and asleep before ten, tired was seriously going around!

On Monday morning we woke up to just over a foot of fresh, FLUFFY snow!!! The boys decided they would be game for a quick two minute play in the fresh backyard snow shallows... but only just right in front of the house door area.

Day reeeaaaaally wanted Play to play with him...

...but Play just is not so keen on playing in the snow.

They agreed on a quick shoulder-bump romp.

And together they politely said, “No, thank you!” to joining their dad for a play in the deeper snow.

After the boys had enjoyed their QUICK outside time and Enz and I had finished with the dirveway and pen snow cleanup... Enz headed in to the hospital to visit his mom and bring her a blueberry scone with some fresh fruit.

While Enz was at the hospital, the boys napped and I practiced...

And then we finally headed on out to camp and even the drive was calming.

I tried to make a Snow Angel but my legs didn’t work properly...

...which, of course, set me to laughing.

I loved my trudging-through-the-fresh-snow shore walk...

...being at the lake just never disappoints!

It sure was cold and windy at the shoreline but the beautiful of the snow-lined waters edge was more than worth the chilliness!

Enz took a huge and hilarious wipeout... he went down HARD!

He did not laugh... but instead just kept repeating, “Ughhh, I think I broke my wrist. No, really..... I think I broke my wrist!” while I laughed.

He didn’t actually break his wrist, it just hurt really bad for a few minutes. Also, he was wishing he had put on his snowpants prior to taking a shore walk like I had suggested.

Then it was time for sliding... I really LOVE sliding!

I laughed with the absolute glee of anticipation while getting ready to slide!

And I laughed with absolute JOY all the way down the slide run.

Enz caught a face FULL of snow on his first slide run...

... he did not laugh..... even after a few minutes, as he trudged back up the hill....... he still did not see the funny of it.

I had invited the boys to play outside with us buuuuut... this is as close to sliding as they ever want to get.....

Enz and I both had a little while of great fun, even if I was the only one to admit to the fact, but when we headed back inside the cabin it was just too close to the time we needed to start heading home... but we had a few minutes to share a quick coffee as the boys enjoyed their snack while Enz and I debated over our flooring choice again; Enz still isn’t sure on the choice I made so itks pribably a good thing that life again got in the way of starting on the floor.

 

All in all, we did get to spend the weekend together as a family, and a little of it was even FUN! 


How did you spend your Family Day Weekend?? I hope whatever you did you were able to celebrate with lots and lots of fun!!

Lake ice is ‘coooooooool’...

The lake ice-changes are fascinating! I am loving having the cabin almost finished and fully heated so we are comfortably set to spend some time there. Unfortunately, life got in the way again this winter and we have not been blessed with as much time as we had hoped to spend out there BUT we are so thankful for the fleeting moments we do get to head out to camp... even on the days we can only manage to stay out there for twenty minutes or less; sometimes just the drive and a quick peek at the lake is enough to help us fight back against the horrible stresses of late with just those few breaths of peaceful.

And I wasn’t kidding about how fascinating the lake-ice changes are... on a daily basis, too! I seriously cannot wait to be out there for a few days at a time just to experience the changes that happen in what seems like the blink of an eye. Lake Superior is a beautiful very deep and very cold and very unpredictable lake... at all times of the year.

All of these pictures below, were taken within an eleven day period of icy cooooolness. So, what have I learned about this whirlwind of ice days? Tkae full advantage for fun at first take... waste no time for it can disappear in a heartbeat!

One day we were sliding down the hill toward open water with a few floating ice chunks.

The next day, not quite twenty-four hours later, we were sliding toward a full view of setting ice... which was a little safer feel than sliding toward open water.

From there the lake went into a settling, thickening of the ice which was super cool to witness with eyes and ears and feels... and the ice was safe enough for rink beginnings for our neighbours.

Because I’m not up to skating quite yet I stuck with sliding and ice strolls while our neighbours skated.

Just three days ago, our partof the lake was frozen solidly deep. I headed inside as the neighbours were finishing up on the rink for the day, before heading out to do a little ice-fishing for a nice dinner catch. One of the many great things about ice-fishing is that you don’t even need a boat to get to the best fishing spots... even a bicycle will do! Play was absolutely fascinated at watching them make their way across the ice and kept checking the windows to see that they finally made it home safely.

After being down on the ice while the skating fun was happening, I started to dream of when my own time skating across the ice might come back... my mind instantly formulated a plan to try skating with my walker for stability. Enz was not impressed by my newest, grand plan but I decided it was going to happen, and soon! It appears the universe agrees with Enz on my skating plans because our quick run out to camp last night, just TWO DAYS after all that icy fun, I spied open water as we pulled in the driveway!

It was an annoyingly beautiful view... The wind was whipping so viciously that I couldn’t stay upright in it without the treeline buffer so there was no ice walking for me!

Enz decided to chance an ice-walk but boy, did he hilariously start Flintstone-tippy-toeing it back to shore when he got to close to the open water, heard the ice cracking and felt it pulling beneath him. He did get a few neat pictures of the open water area and rink cracks, though... it is beyond amazing what a single windy afternoon can accomplish on lake ice that is over two feet thick .

I still think my walker-skating plan would have worked but maybe it’s a better plan to try it on a groomed rink in town before trying to take on the ice of Lake Superior... I sure hope we can get out to camp today for at least a minute of two because I have a feeling we willbe back to open water again today. Oh well, I’ll keep praying for more cold and strong ice so I can lace ip and give’er a good go!