Day 133

It was Diane's turn to teach the 7 p.m. class which means I teach the 8 p.m. class. I managed to goof off all day and not spend a single second training Sanity. Well, actually I didn't really goof off since I managed to train everyone else, just not Sanity. By the time 5 p.m. rolled around the list of aches and pains in all my joints was reaching a code red emergency level. So since I don't have to drive I figured what the hey and popped a bunch of pain pills. In this case, no pain means I gain.

By the time we got to class I was feeling pretty good and when it was discovered that the wheelchair I usually "borrow" had fully inflated tires, I up and decided I should work Sanity in Diane's class. Couldn't quite manage the entire class, but we did manage most of it. Sanity, after a very short bit of fumbling around managed to locate a heel position that we were both happy with and from that point on heeled beside the wheelchair like she had been doing so all her short life. This particular chair has a leg strap as well as a U shaped foot rest. Sanity really had a problem trying to figure out where to sit when I called her. On more than one occasion she came flying in and somehow managed to sit with her front legs on the other side of the U bar and leg strap. Getting her untangled and not tipping the chair over was an interesting experience to say the least.

She was pretty steady on her stays UNTIL I decided I was going to leave the training floor and go up the ramp to the lobby level. My plan was to turn around and come flying back into the room as a major distraction. Seemed like a great plan, but as Bobby Burns said: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.” Sanity, while steady and comfortable as long as she could keep track of my comings and goings wasn't about to let me get out of her sight completely when she saw me heading for what she knows is the location of the front door. Seems the out of sight stays will take a bit more practice.

Working in the class was fun and I lasted until about half way through the teaching of the second class. At that point the drugs wore off and I thought my elbows were going to explode. So I think starting next week I am going to make myself take my scooter and see if the difference it makes far outweights the hassles of having to asked others for help getting it into and out of the car. It may fold up easily and be light weight for everyone else, but for me most of the time it might as well weight a ton. whine whine whine whine

I did manage to have her do a few 6 foot placed retrieves as everyone else was leaving and she was already thinking we were leaving as well. Turned out to be a good distraction and she passed the test with flying colors. I think I will be moving her on to the next level before much longer.