ELMER AND ANNA GET TO PINECRAFT

Well, Anna wouldn't take cancelling out trip Pinecraft, so that is where we are.  Fanny, Eli's Mother, gave us the name of a local hospital in Sarasota, Florida where Anna could go if she needed a hospital.  She also gave us the name of their local doctor and a bone specialist.  We gave this information to our local bone doctor when I told him Anna wanted to go to Pinecraft and wouldn't take no for an answer. Bone doctor checked with Florida doctors and hospital and said he would send them her records and gave Anna permission to go under certain circumstances.

We had decided to go Amtrak because Olive and Albert had gone that way and we had never been.  We ordered the same type of room that they ordered on their trip.  Also, we called to check if Porter was working that time and he was.

Everything we felt was a problem, Porter said no problem.  We had no problem getting to Amtrak.  I brought both Anna's walker and her wheel chair.  We got the same type of room that Olive and Albert had, but we found that Anna and the walker couldn't fit into the bathroom together.  So I became Anna's crutch in and out.  Porter caught us coming out and said this wasn't going to work for Anna.  We said it would be okay, but Porter took me down and showed me another room, like the one Olive didn't like.  It was a chair in the middle of the room that converted to a toilet.  We liked that.  Except the room was registered to someone else.  Porter said he would take care of it.

Soon he came, got our luggage and moved us down to the other room which gave Anna room to go to the bathroom with her walker.  Little did we know, after he got us settled, he went back to our room, cleaned it (even though we didn't dirty it -policy) and moved the other people in there.  He said really, the couple that moved in our former room got the better deal.  That was more expensive than our second room.  The people really wanted a room like we had but couldn't afford it, but they got it anyway.  Everyone was happy.

At meal time, Porter would leave us the menu and would come back later for our order.  He would deliver it to our room.  It saved Anna going down to the dining room.  We did go to the dining room once, but we really liked Porter's room service.  Also, when he moved us into the room he set the room up so Anna could have her leg straight out and yet she could look out the window if she wanted and I could sit next to her.  I mean all Porter did for us and he had to take care of the whole  sleeping car.  I asked him, if he gives this kind of service to anyone or just us.  He said that he gives this service to anyone that needs it.

When it came time to get off, Porter saw that we were the first off and he helped me get Anna off.  Our driver was there to take us to Pinecraft.  Anna sat in the back seat with her leg across the back and I sat in front with the driver.

Eli and Emma had gone to Pinecraft  on January 25 th, so they were there when we arrived.  We were trying to figure out how to get Anna out of the back seat when Eli just reached in the back seat lifted her up and set her in her wheel chair.  Then the big problem began.

We got to his parents cottage and it has stairs in front of it, which would be a problem.  Finally we got her up the stairs, which Eli said he would have an incline put on, but the wheel chair wouldn't fit through the door with Anna in it.  Anna walked in on her walker.  Eli and I went to the other little cottage to see if it would fit in that door.  No fit.  Olive and Albert came to welcome us so Albert, Amos, Eli and I went to their cottage to see if it would fit through their door and it would. Also, no stairs.  So Anna and I are guests at Olive and Albert's cottage.  Against our protest, they gave us their master bedroom and they are sleeping in their other bedroom.  Olive took up all her throw rugs so Anna can get around on her walker and wheel chair in the house.

A discussion was on how we were going to get Anna around so she can go to the dinners, yard sales, etc.  It would mean pushing the wheel chair that bothers my back.  Eli said he would push.  After our good nights sleep, Olive informed us something appeared on their porch the right before.  We went out and there is an electric chair sitting on the porch.  Who it came from we didn't know.  It had been used but was in great condition, but it wouldn't start.  Eli, Albert, Amos and I tried everything, but it wouldn't work.  Olive came out with some lemon aide and said maybe the battery is dead and you have to recharge it.  We didn't say anything.  Finally Amos remembered a man down the street had one, so he went to talk to him.  Amos comes back and  informs us the battery is dead.  It seems the man got a new one and kept his old one in case someone would need it.  He said the battery was low when his wife brought it over there.  I guess she forgot to plug it in to charge it.  There was an outside plug on the cottage, so we plugged it in.  A few hours later, we had power.

Anna and I went to an open area so she could practice driving it.  We left her in the chair and me walking.  We came back with her on my lap both in the chair.  Did that to get some laughs.  It does work and it is a great saver on both Anna and us.  She can keep her leg straight and go where we go - just as long as we remember to charge the battery every now and again.  We have been to church, dinners, music groups, yard sales, Yoder's for dinner and more.  Anna keeps up with us, sometimes ahead of us.  She has such power in that chair.

Well the weather is 82 degrees here, but it is going to drop.  I mean really drop.  They are talking of snow near here even maybe here - in Florida.  There are two cold fronts coming through at the same time.  We are enjoying the warm weather while we have it.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer