Arthritis Walk

Today was a rainy day and perfect for staying inside but instead I walked for the Arthritis Walk at Maryville College this morning. My processors are definitely going in the "dryer" tonight! I walked with some of my coworkers from work. My group (Alcoa Tenn Federal Credit Union) was the top fundraiser in our area for the walk and came in first place for the fourth year in a row! We usually walk around the loop three times but took a shortcut on the second round because the rain was pouring down so hard. The sound of the raindrops hitting my umbrella was pleasant and reminded me of the times I used to walk barefoot in the rain with my sister, Kathy, when we were younger.

We enjoyed our Virginia Tech visitors last weekend but they came and left too quickly. I spent the weekend cooking for them. We had pork chops on the grill, scalloped potatoes, homemade oatmeal rolls, hamburgers with the fixings, Brad's favorite cookies (Snickerdoodles), & Kathy's signature baked beans, just to name a few items. College boys love to eat! They were relaxed and glad to have a place to get away for a little while. The boys hung around and watched TV, went bowling with Marissa and Chris, and slept. Brad and his friends even came to church with me on Sunday, which was nice because they were able to thank everyone for their *Party in a Box.* The box had almost 80 pounds of food in it for them! Brad and the boys didn't say much about what happened but did say that the campus was "different" now and will never be the same. Many of the students took their grades they had at the time of the shooting and have already left for the semester, making the Virginia Tech campus seem like a ghost town. Brad says there are police everywhere. Most of his friends are done with their classes but are hanging around until the semester is over because they won't see each other this summer.

Our puppies are growing and getting more vocal all the time. It won't be long before they start climbing out of the box! Their eyes are open and they are trying to walk on all fours. I had a *CI moment* this past week with Riga. One of the things that my implants have allowed me to do is hear the dogs at the door when they want to come inside. When I put one of my processors on the other morning after my shower, I heard Riga barking. She wasn't in the hallway waiting for me when I opened the bedroom door. She never barks unless she needs to and it sounded like her "let me in now!" bark. My first thought was "Oh no! Someone left her outside all night long and forgot about her!" I ran to the laundry room to check on the puppies and there was no Riga. Opened all the doors going outside and still no Riga. I heard her bark again and this time I realized that she was in the basement. She had gone into Jason's room (probably to sleep on his bed for a little while) and apparently the door closed shut behind her, leaving her trapped inside! Jason's room is right below our bedroom, which explains why I heard her the first time. Those puppies had a feeding frenzy as soon as their mommy stepped in the box to check on them!

Last night Steve and I were talking about the difference between my CI's and my hearing aids. I don't ever have to wear another ear mold again and do not have to worry about my ears "whistling" like they did with the hearing aids. My ears don't hurt anymore because of the ear molds and I don't make *noise* at unwanted times with feedback from my ears. Those two things alone are HUGE. Also, having two CI's isn't any harder than keeping up with two hearing aids. I just have to change the batteries more often. We do not have a single hearing aid left in the house since I gave them all away. Steve said the next hearing aid that comes in the house will probably be his! And I'll have to help him hear! I told him that maybe by the time he needs a hearing aid, there might be a *mini-cochlear implant* available for him. Technology is amazing and who knows what the future will hold. . .