I’m a week and a half into the one-handed life, and it’s going okay so far. I been trying to use dictation on the Mac. I pause a lot more than it thinks I should, so everything becomes a half-sentence, making my one-handed typing mostly combining phrases and making periods. So if you’re reading something I wrote and it doesn’t make sense, I’m blaming it all on the dictation software…
I moved to a hotel because, as my friend Mary pointed out, I do need to rest the hand and living in an RV isn’t exactly restful for a bashed-up hand. It’s been nine days now and the hand actually is starting to feel like my hand again and not just a bruised, throbbing thing on the end of my arm so I guess that’s progress. Today I went over to my trailer, still parked in my friend’s driveway, and did some cleanup and prep for moving on, which I hope happens on Saturday. (For my trailer friends, I figured out I can get the stabilizers up and down OK and I can put the weight distribution bars on and off with some thinking it out. Still to be tested is how to pump the tanks out with one hand, I’m not sure that is going to work very well, so I may find out exactly who my friends are next week!)
While I’m hanging out in downtown Terre Haute I’ve been wandering around checking things out. There’re a lot of really old buildings here and so far this is my favorite one, it is small but it’s cool. I have no idea what a Terminal Arcade is.
Right across the street from it is the Clabber Girl museum. Clabber Girl is a brand of baking powder and so you would think that the museum would be all about baking. But you would be wrong.
It’s more of a museum about the company, the founders, and their progeny, one of whom raced this car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Idiosyncratic doesn’t begin to describe this museum but I thought it was really an interesting look at how things were in Terre Haute in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It certainly something I never would’ve thought I wanted to see, but once I was there, I was fascinated by the collections and by the details of daily life during The Great Depression, during World War II, and all those other periods that I only read about history books.
I’m figuring out how to drive my car with 1 1/2 hands and so far, it’s going well. I drove down to the river because the Wabash River goes through the middle of Terre Haute but you don’t really see it, you drive over it. I wanted to SEE it, so I found the one park in town that goes down to the riverbank. It was definitely worth the effort.
And for those who are Boston Celtics fans, you know the most well-known ex-resident, right? Larry Bird! Yes, “the hick from French Lick” has a big ole statue on the Indiana State campus, about two blocks from my hotel. Of course I had to go see it. I was rooting for Boston back in the day, even though I was living in New York. I still root for the Celtics, and I still remember those championships that Bird, DJ, Danny Ainge, Robert Parrish, and Kevin McHale brought home to Boston.
Who else lived in Terre Haute? Eugene Debs, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies), and five-time Socialist Party candidate for President of the United States (1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920).
And to close out this weeks post, the photo below seems to be my week in a nutshell: All I can see is the outside and I’ve no idea what’s going on with the inside of that beautiful window. Kind of like me, staring at my cast, no idea what’s going on inside there either.
When we are in partnership and have stopped clutching each other’s throats, when we have stopped enslaving each other, we will stand together, hands clasped, and be friends. We will be comrades, we will be brothers, and we will begin the march to the grandest civilization the human race has ever known.
Eugene Debs
WOW – Terre Haute is so close to us (about 1 1/4 hours)! If you are still in the general area, our home is your home if you need any R&R sans Alto! SERIOUSLY!!! Pete & Bart
Thanks, Bart! I have a friend in Terre Haute I was visiting when I had the hand accident, and so I’ll be back at some point. Will keep you guys in mind!
Though I was born and raised in upstate New York, I feel most at home in Boston. We lived in Concord MA for 15 years and raised three children there. It’s a terrific historical area and I followed sports from ’80 to ’95 during the golden years of the Celtics. Loved the old ‘Garden’ and now enjoy your blog. Safe travels my friend.
Thanks for reading, Daniel! I lived in Acton and Stow so knew Concord (and hated the Route 2 commute). It’s a beautiful area, and I still miss Boston. And I remember so well the one game I saw in the old Garden (pre-season). Heading to the Cape and hope to visit Boston a few days later this year, if my hand cooperates.
Hang in there. It only gets better from here.
Hang in there!!!
Glad to hear that your mobility is improving! Aren’t you glad you don’t have a stick shift? 🙂
Totally! and electric windows, too.