3/26 and still moving forward

Time is just flying by, but every day is a good day! I have been trying to get Tiffaney's trailer ready for her to move in to. I had to do the plumbing (water and sewer) and run and hook up the electrical line. She is moving to Deer Park and they are so tight on everything, A electrical company had to be certified by the city to check everything. They told me a few things that I had to change out. I put the electrical wiring in 2" conduit and laid it on the ground. An electrical friend told me that it had to be buried or suspended. Their rule was it had to be 18" deep and I knew I could not dig a hole under the trailer 18" deep, so I had to pull it out and run it OVER the sewer line and suspend it from the trailer. This was pretty tough because the conduit was 10' long and with this wire in it, it was heavy. I ended up tying it to trailer until I could get the bracket on. Then I would have to untie it, move down and tie up the next one. I am not sure which was worse, tying and untying or getting around under the trailer. I know I don't move as well as I once did, but I did get it run. I also had to change out the existing outdoor plug because it had to be a GCFI plug. More fun, huh? Then the city approved plumber came out and told me the same thing about the water line. It would only have to be 6" under ground, but it got attached to the trailer, too. I had the sewer line run, but they had to make sure and adjust the slope. They are much better than me on this! If this was not enough, I had to get a porch built, too. She found the boards she wanted it made of and I put the legs about 4 ft. apart. These 1 1/4" boards she liked could not support the weight without bending. I had to get back under there and put in more supports to make it sturdy enough. I guess the boards on the old deck were good for something (building these braces). I did not get railings or edge boards on yet, but that is my goal for this week-end. I also have to build another set of steps for the backyard area so the dogs can get in and out. I also have to go and put the skirting on it, too. Are we having fun on this? It sure makes me hurt the next day and this moving around so low is not pleasant, either, but at least the low part is mostly over. I knew that me trying to do this would be better than paying someone else to do this. One of the things you just do to help your kids. On top of all of that, TODAY is her Birthday.
We had a deposition with the opposing lawyer a couple of weeks ago and he implied several things that I don't agree with. He seemed to think that part of the issue was with Shane. Shane questioned the roof we were on and they said it was OK and that people were up there a lot. This company did not provide us with anything to tie off to, either. Shane did not build this roof and he asked if it was safe. I don't know what more he could have done. This lawyer also thought I fell through a skylight, which would make it look like I made a mistake. So wrong on this, too. I think they were just trying to take some of the blame off themselves, but because of them, I had over $900,000 in hospital bills and thanks to Shane, I am still here. They blame him, but I give him the credit for saving me. He was, and still is, upset about it all. It has to hurt deep down to see a good friend go through all this. It looks like a jury will have to hear my story for these people to understand how it changed my life so much. This will not be pleasant for this company to hear, but that is just how life deals the cards sometimes. I know the first things to come out of my settlement will be the hospital and doctor fees and my lawyer fees. I know when a group of people here what I and all my family and friends went through, the money it cost us and the time we lost, 12 people will be there, feeling what happened. How do you make people understand how I had to withdraw money from my retirement to keep our family afloat? Plus all the miles put on many peoples cars and the parking and meals, etc. Do I need to hit someone with a broom handle to get them to understand how much pain I still feel every day? Walking and stairs still hurt every day but I have adjusted to it because it is part of life now.
Life is great because so many people were there pulling me along and that God made a difference in my life by keeping me around. And, if this weren't enough, I get to spend some time with Maxwell tomorrow and Monday and Tuesday of next week. Yes, I had to take some vacation for it, but this is all worth it! He will just smile at me and make my life great all of those days. So how can I say "Life is Great"? It is and I am here taking in my share of air each day.

Another week has flown by & I am still here, 3/15/09

It is amazing the things I can do and the things I can't do quite right. Tiffaney's trailer was moved to Deer Park and it needs the water, sewer and electricity all run. The plumbing stuff was easy except that I had to crawl under the trailer to do it. It is still a struggle to get on the ground and harder to move around. My hardheadedness helps me get this done, but the pain is still there. There is not enough room under it to sit or move easily. Most of this had to be done while laying on my back. Moving from one spot to the next is still difficult, but I had to do this instead of having Tiff pay a plumber his fee for it. The electrical was much harder! I put all this wiring inside 2" piping all on the ground. I found out after I had run it on the ground that it either had to be 18" under ground or off the ground, suspended from the trailer. I had to pull all of this wiring back out and attach it to the bottom of the trailer. This meant it had to run OVER the sewer line. This wiring is SO HEAVY. I could not lift it up to bolt it in place. At first, I used a block of cement and a small piece of piping to get it close and attach the holder in place. After this, I started using rope to tie each piece in place until I could get the holder attached. This worked out OK except once the holder was attached, the rope had to be removed before tightening the holder. The hardest part was getting this OVER the sewer line without messing this piping up. The ground under the trailer is hard, which is hard on my tailbone. When I was under there and needed something else to continue, I had to work my way out to get it. It was a long, time consuming progress, but I got most of it done in one LONG day. The last little bit at the incoming box was a challenge, too. I could not put it together to get length of piping, so I got it as close as I could and had to cut the pipe to the length I though was right. It turned out to be a little long so I had to cut it again. This time it was a little short. That's my luck, huh? To get this to fit, I had to remove the last bracket in to make it fit. Once it was right, I had to glue the last few pieces in place. I had a friend that is a state certified electrician come by and check everything to make sure I did everything correctly. He was impressed with the way it all came out and everything looked great. He checked and tightened all connections and said it was ready to go. Now I have to get a "Deer Park approved" electrician to check it AGAIN so power can be turned on. We have one scheduled for Monday but they want $350 to do it. I think this is an easy way for them to make EASY money, but they have to be "certified" by Deer Park to get the city's permit so power can be turned on. Plumbing is the same way, but we can't get a "certified" plumber to call us back. Until we find one, we won't have water or sewer either. Next, I started working on the porch. We (Tiff and I) took the old deck apart and started on it Saturday, but with all the rain we are getting, I could not go very far. It is supposed to rain again today, but the weather is supposed to be better tomorrow (Monday). We are not going to try to fight this rain today, so I know where I will be tomorrow. This is easier because I am upright instead of being under the trailer. Moving and holding these boards is tough, but Tiff is a lot of of help doing this.
Life is wonderful and, yes, I SHOULD NOT be able to do this stuff, but God has helped me to be able to do it. He is such an inspiration to me to allow me the ability to do these things! I guess that is why I am is such a good mood most of the time and able to do things that the hospital told me I would not be able to do.

Tuesday, March 3 and still around

Well, another week has flown by and life is GREAT. I was on vacation yesterday and watched my Grandson all day. It was wonderful all day long. He was sweet almost all day. It was a wonderful thing to spend time with him. He would just look up and smile at me as he passed gas.... Typical boy, huh? I got to hold him most of the time and let him lay quietly and sleep some of the time, too.
I had to go to Huntsville on Friday and start getting the trailer ready for moving. Much of this I could do and part of it I couldn't. Getting down on the ground still hurts and getting up is not too pleasant either. We had to remove the water line, the sewer line and the wiring for electricity. The skirting along the bottom was really an interesting thing to do. It does not come a part very easily. You have to pull them away from the trailer, then lift them up to get them apart. We stacked them in my truck, one on top of the other. There was quite a few of them and they took up a lot of the room in the truck. All the piping was easy to load since it was light, but we had to tie the together so they did not blow out. Once the truck was full, we still had the porch to go. Shane was with me with his brother-in-law. Shane suggested we go to his brother's house to get a trailer to load the deck up. It was so big, we had to cut it into three pieces. It was still too heavy to easily load, but thanks to my "helpers", they did just fine. It is things like this that make me realize how hurt I still am. Do what you can and smile that I am still here taking in air. Tiffaney is getting excited about getting the trailer set up and fixed up so she will have her own place. She is a sweetheart to be around, but I think she really needs this location change. She will enjoy her own place and have her animals around to keep her company. We will really miss having her around her. She is one of those that does the things that need to be done. She cooks regularly and helps Matt with his homework, too. I don't think we will know how much we miss her until she is gone. Somehow, I need to get the porch re-built and the wiring and plumbing all still is needed. I think she will have to hire someone to put the skirting back on because it is too delicate and precise for me these days. The porches will be a challenge, but they are made of wood and I can do wood items.
Another good day is right around the corner as I get to watch Maxwell again on Friday. Betty will be working days and Megan and Matt will be gone so he is all MINE to SPOIL!
Life is great. Smile and thank God for allowing us time to enjoy everything. My love is sent to all of you that read this. Make life wonderful every day. I will write again real soon.
Mark 3/3/09