I am just Checking In

[Kev L]

Hope things work out OK Jim.

[Big_Jim59]

It's good to hear from you Jim, although I'm sorry to hear it's not under better circumstances.

I'm in a similar situation as you regarding elderly parents. It's hard to see them deteriorating as they get older with all their different health issues. I have to keep reminding myself this is the way the system is even though I don't like it, and most of us will come to this if we live long enough. I doubt there are many who reach a really brilliant old age, then pop-off without ever having any ailments at all.

There are some very good words of wisdom already been posted here, so I will just underline the bit about taking care of yourself, and the bit about remembering we are here if you need to off-load, or even take your mind away from reality for a few minutes,

Chris.

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. The biggest problem is the watchful waiting. You know that it's going to happen. You don't want it to happen but you know that your life will be both easier and more empty when it does happen.

It's funny about my dad. He is really not sick. He has a bit of dementia but I guess that is to be expected as the mind ages. He doesn't have any of the normal ailments associated with aging. His kidneys are fine, his liver is fine, he doesn't have high blood pressure or diabetes, he is just wearing out. Yesterday he told my wife that he had come to the realization that he couldn't walk. He has had bad knees for years but he has always been able to struggle up on his feet. He just realized that he just can't anymore. The are working with him to try and get him walking but he just doesn't have the strength.

I had a friend, when I was in college, that worked as an aid in a nursing home. He used to like to record their stories because that all had great stories. One day he was sitting outside with this little old lady. She was sitting in her wheelchair and she said "See that grass out there? I know what it's like to run across that grass. I know what it's like to turn a cartwheel, my mind still remembers the skills my hands, arms and legs need to do it. I could spring out of this chair and do it if my poor old body would let me." I have always thought that summed up the aging process. We will always remember we just won't always be able to.

Yesterday I rode my VFR800 to town for a client meeting. I took my VTR1000 out this afternoon for a 30 mile loop. I didn't ride far but I did ride it pretty hard. (I was exploring the performance that lurks past 7K on the tach.) It's tough to really thrash the VTR because I am just not that good a rider. I followed a couple of BMW riders back to the house and it felt like I was crawling. I got gas and was met with some disproving comments by the clerk (about motorcycle riding the the dangers there of). I just shook my head. I know, from my experience with my dad, that life is something you can't keep. Life is to be used. Sure there is risk but as my old boss used to say "no one gets out of this alive." My motorcycle is my happy place. But more than my bike my friends who ride, the ones that get it, make me happy. You guys get it. You help me keep my sanity and my chin up. Thanks for the support It means a lot.

[sirch345]

I had a friend, when I was in college, that worked as an aid in a nursing home. He used to like to record their stories because that all had great stories. One day he was sitting outside with this little old lady. She was sitting in her wheelchair and she said "See that grass out there? I know what it's like to run across that grass. I know what it's like to turn a cartwheel, my mind still remembers the skills my hands, arms and legs need to do it. I could spring out of this chair and do it if my poor old body would let me." I have always thought that summed up the aging process. We will always remember we just won't always be able to.

That sums it up very well Jim,

Chris.

[Pete.L]

Great words Jim

Shame your not a little closer for a ride out or a beer, I think I'd enjoy either.
I hope your Dad doesn't lose hope. Age is cruel and it takes no prisoners. My knees are starting to twinge already, I hope they last as long as your Dads. Personally, I think 90 something years is something to aspire to but I bet if I make it I'll want just a few more

Pete.l

[Big_Jim59]

Great words Jim

Shame your not a little closer for a ride out or a beer, I think I'd enjoy either.
I hope your Dad doesn't lose hope. Age is cruel and it takes no prisoners. My knees are starting to twinge already, I hope they last as long as your Dads. Personally, I think 90 something years is something to aspire to but I bet if I make it I'll want just a few more

Pete.l

Yep, If I win the lottery I am having you all over for barbecue and beer! (or maybe Mexican food) We can get some bikes to make it fun. I have to win the lottery first but it shouldn't be long now.

My old bike shop boss used to say "No one get's out of this alive!" I guess it's all the more reason to do the things that make life worthwhile and spend time with the people that really count.

[Big_Jim59]

My dad was one of the youngest World War Two veterans. He was born in 1926 and was 18 years old in 1944. He graduated and went into the US Navy. He shipped out of Pearl Harbor and sailed out past the twisted hulks of the destroyed battle ships. (He said it made quite an impression.) He was on a troop ship with a large task force headed for a then, unknown island called Iwo Jima. His ship and a destroyer escort pulled away from the main group and headed for an island called Kwajalein in the Marshall islands. There, as a machinist mate, he fixed sea going tug boats and landing craft.

He was not in combat but he almost died twice. Once when he was hit by an anchor, released by a careless boson, while he was working under the craft and once from a burst appendix. I talked to him about his service and he never thought of it as remarkable. He said “I was never in harm’s way. I was just doing a job. I didn’t fight like the other guys” I asked him, “did you travel across the pacific on a troop ship?” He assured me that he had. “Then” I said, “you were indeed in harm’s way and could have been sunk by a patrolling Japanese’s sub.

I often think of my grandmother. She was a sweet, gentle woman and my dad was her only child. She must have died a little every day that he was gone.



This is my dad, showing off his broken front tooth he got after falling on his face.

[sirch345]

Interesting to read about your Dad's life Jim, at least he made it through, thanks for sharing that.

I like the photo too, your Dad looks like he's proud of his missing tooth, almost like a trophy he got from a fight he'd been in

Chris.

[Big_Jim59]

Interesting to read about your Dad's life Jim, at least he made it through, thanks for sharing that.

I like the photo too, your Dad looks like he's proud of his missing tooth, almost like a trophy he got from a fight he'd been in

Chris.

Thanks! He was just being goofy. He is a fun guy when he is feeling good. Yes, he made it through. A lot of guys didn't. I think it is interesting that a lot of war service is about the mundane but it can be just as dangerous as combat. Most of his life was spent as a mechanical engineer in document processing. He helped develop a machine that would read and sort money and check for counterfeit bills. He also worked on check processing equipment. He spent some time in London working at the Bank of England. I was lucky and I got to work at the same company with him for a number of years. We didn't work in the same group but we did get to see each other a lot.

[sirch345]

Interesting to read about your Dad's life Jim, at least he made it through, thanks for sharing that.

I like the photo too, your Dad looks like he's proud of his missing tooth, almost like a trophy he got from a fight he'd been in

Chris.

Thanks! He was just being goofy. He is a fun guy when he is feeling good. Yes, he made it through. A lot of guys didn't. I think it is interesting that a lot of war service is about the mundane but it can be just as dangerous as combat. Most of his life was spent as a mechanical engineer in document processing. He helped develop a machine that would read and sort money and check for counterfeit bills. He also worked on check processing equipment. He spent some time in London working at the Bank of England. I was lucky and I got to work at the same company with him for a number of years. We didn't work in the same group but we did get to see each other a lot.

Nice to have those memories of the time you spent together Jim,

Chris.

[Big_Jim59]

I thought I would drop in a see what was going on. I have not been riding my VTR much. In fact I haven't been riding much at all and what little riding I have done has been on the VFR.

I have kept the battery hot and I have cranked it up every few weeks to warm it and keep the oil circulating. Saturday Aaron, my daughter's husband, was over and I wanted him to listen to the sounds the Superhawk makes. He is pretty good with mechanical things. The VTR rattles in kind of a random way, on deceleration, always has.

I had trouble getting it to light. I discovered that I don't need full choke when cold. My wife had come out of the house and was walking around the back of the shop. The roll up door was open and the business end of the Two Brother's exhaust was sticking out. She just missed the HUGE backfire and the accompanying ball of flame from the Storm. It just missed her. It sounded like a canon going off. She was seriously not happy.

I am tempted. There is a 2000 model VTR for sale down in Houston. It is a non-runner with a missing title. The guy wants $1000 which is OK but the best thing is it is yellow and would match my VFR. (Or I could swap the tank and body work and have a yellow VTR.) It would cost around $250 to get the paper work straightened out with a bonded title. I have done this a couple of times. It's not hard but you have to be prepared to stand in lines and deal with entrenched bureaucracy. He did say that there was a salvage title (he thought). You get a salvage title when it was in a flood, a wreck or if it is a theft recovery. The bike looks positively bone stock and has 27K showing. He said it was "running when parked" but so are they all.

http://houston.craigslist.org/mcy/5480742287.html

I sort of casually mentioned that there was a bike down in Houston to my wife and she didn't freak out so that's a good thing. It's hard to stop at just one VTR.

[tony.mon]

Bring it home while she's out, strip it and then you just have parts. They don't count parts.....

Half the time you could swap your one for one of a different colour and they still wouldn't notice.... All you have to do is show them a fairing panel of the original colour and tell them you swapped over the bodywork.

The only giveaway is a personal plate.....
(OVO 4RSY on my SP2...)
She'd spot the lack of "arsy" on it......

[sirch345]

I sort of casually mentioned that there was a bike down in Houston to my wife and she didn't freak out so that's a good thing. It's hard to stop at just one VTR.

Your wife probably didn't hear what you said Jim, after you almost deafened her with that backfire

Good to hear from you again

Chris.

[Big_Jim59]

I am checking in again. My life has settled into a pattern of working and hanging out at the nursing home. I have been riding the VTR a little too. Before it was my dad who was having problems. He is now pretty stable but my mom has been in serious decline. She lost her eyesight in spite of the doctors reassurances (Grrr) and she has also lost a lot of strength. This is not to bring anyone down. It's just what is happening and it is the way of the world. I do get a chance to ride the VTR at lease a coupe of times a month on my run to Sherman, Texas. There is a road that runs from Whitewright to Sherman that's about 16 miles. It's fun and pretty curvy (curvy for Texas anyway.) It is a blast and lets the Superhawk (Firestorm) act out in its natural habitat.

[agentpineapple]

I love that picture of your dad jim, he looks like a real character, sadly all you can do is be there for them mate, keep us updated as I for one enjoy reading your comments.....

[VTRDark]

+1 on that.

Good to hear from you Jim. Hey things could be worse...there could be an election I don't always trust the doctors they are smart and know what's happening and accept or kind of give up. All they do then is try to keep both the patient and family's sweet with bullshit so the patient can have some care and dignity in their later years.

Chin up and hope your have your own support around you too as it not only the patients that need caring for.