MaGee & Me

Bark at the Park at Turner Field 4/27/14

Yesterday, MaGee & Me went to the Braves game in Atlanta with friends Casey and Brett (on right with Emma) and my aide Charlsie and her boyfriend Mark (back row). We had a great time in spite of a seating mix up and a very low-scoring pitcher’s duel. Emma and MaGee were very glad to see each other after about 7 months or so (in dog years that’s probably 4 years or eternity). There was much sniffing and nuzzling and jockeying for position on the floor but they soon settled down for the ride to the stadium. I was very glad to see Casey too even though I knew it had only been 7 months or so. Casey used to be one of my aides and worked for me off and on for nearly 4 years. She made the return trip to PA with MaGee & Me for training, too, so we have become good friends, but no sniffing and nuzzling and jockeying.

It was Bark at the Park day and MaGee did really well around all the other dogs. She got a little nosey and sniffy a few times but was not too excitable. She did get really hot but a stadium worker came by with some ice, which cooled her right down and by then we were also in the shade. The stadium also had a cooling area with pools and sprayers but neither Casey nor I want to ride home with wet dogs.

Best Laid Plans

Then game was scoreless until the10th inning when Braves 1st baseman Freddie Freeman hit a double with two men on and we won!! The grey clouds had been gathering over the last inning or so and were growing darker by the minute. We snapped the above pic and headed to the car.

When the elevator opened on the ground floor, we could see that the skies had opened up and it was thundering and lightning. We tried to wait it out but wrapped me in my red poncho and pulled out my pathetic tiny umbrella for Charlsie and Mark. Casey and Brett had to go down a different way with Emma.

We edged toward the plaza area, debating if it had let up enough to make a run for it when this stadium worker with a loud voice asked if she could clear a path for us through the crowd. It felt like the scene in the Thieves Forest from “The Princess Bride.”

"Everybody MOVE!"

She didn’t say that but you get the idea.

And off we ran! The wind blew the rain sideways and flipped my poncho all around. We stopped under the awning at the main gate until we could find out where Casey, Brett and Emma were. Then made a dash for the car.

MaGee & Me have had kind of a hard week. My wheelchair went on the fritz last Wednesday evening, leaving me dead in the water. I won’t go into all the ugly, hugely frustrating details of arranging for a repair. That’s too negative. Instead I want to tell you what and, more importantly, who kept a stressful situation from becoming a full blown crisis. So here are the blessings I found over the last 7 days:

1) My folks, in particular my stepmom Mary, who patiently swapped out meal dishes for my laptop and strung and unstrung its power cord every day so I could still work (and entertain myself) and not go completely and utterly crazy.

2) My Girls -- Charlsie, Jamie and Rebecca -- who generously offered up their free time to walk MaGee, help me feed MaGee dinner (we usually use an auto-feeder in the afternoon), stayed with me when everyone else was gone and Rebecca even helped me power through a family dinner. They also put up with my testy moods with understanding and patience. Gold Stars all around!

3) My adaptable dog who didn’t mind the dining room floor and the lack of treat balls (after dinner play)…too much and who learned quickly to keep to the right like always while I was in different chairs. No nipped toes!!

4) Chai tea—Never underestimate the power of a hot, caffeinated, sweet treat on a frazzled soul.

Yesterday on our morning walk MaGee & Me happened on to some neighbor kids selling lemonade and Arnold Palmers (half sweet tea/half lemonade). It may be a bit early for a lemonade stand but it was G Day at the university, the Spring football game that draws at least half, if not more, of the crowd a regular Georgia football game gets, and the temperature was rising into the 80s. These kids were poised to make a killing - or at least boost their allowances a bit.

I heard them shouting “lemonade” from at least four houses away. When we came up, a little boy about 3 and a girl maybe 9 years old stood behind a card table at their front gate.

"We have lemonade," the boy told me, waving a paper cup.

"And Arnold Palmers," his sister added.

I asked if they were having any luck. The girl nodded but the boy said, “You have to buy some lemonade!”

"I’m sorry but I don’t have any money with me."

"We do!" He stuck his hand in their cash bowl.

I laughed and apologized and headed on down the street. We had to pass them again on our way home so I told then I’d go home and see if anyone there wanted any lemonade and I’d come back.

"And bring some money!" the boy said. His mother screeched as we pulled away. Too funny!

After pottying MaGee, I found my stepmom in the dining room. No, she didn’t want any lemonade but found me a cup with a lid and help get it and my money situated for the trek back down the street. MaGee gave me a confused, “Didn’t we just do this?” look as I opened the door, but soon resigned herself to a second run.

"You have to wait," the boy said, not exactly schooled in the art of customer service. I expected him to ask me if I had money next. Instead he grabbed the cup I had brought and fixed my lemonade (with his mon’s help) while his sister took care of the other two customers.

"You’re a good little salesman," I said as he slid the cup back into its spot behind me.

"Yeah," said Mom, "he harasses you until you buy something!"

My friend Samantha Lorey designed a t-shirt to raise funds for her 3-week team training with her new service dog Stephen! Shirts will be $16 + shipping (tba). The shirts will be grey short sleeve WITHOUT "Proof" all over them. 

Yesterday MaGee & Me and my aide Rebecca went to Loganville, GA to support my brother Matt at his fundraising event for the Muscular Dystrophy Association: Run Matt Run! He is a manager of a Kroger store and he runs as many laps as he can around his store's parking lot.  That's him--the 6'2" leprechaun. He's started the event years ago and usually has hotdogs grilling, bands playing, sometimes a fire engine for kids to explore and more. This year a local high school cross country team ran with him. Kia ran with him in the past and MaGee and Rebecca did a lap this year. He did 14 laps, about 4 miles, and raised over $900. 

When she wasn't running, MaGee hung out under her Aunt Emily's umbrella with a bowl of water. We met some interesting folks like a clarinet player who thought her dog looked just like MaGee but hers had white spots and was "just a mutt." And a little boy who really wanted to "pet your dog please."  He settled for a high five. "That's cool!"  And a man loading groceries in his car who shouted, "You take good care of Mama now, y'hear boy?!" repeatedly. He did eventually ask if she was a he or a she and corrected his instructions accordingly.