Whether care giving or needing care sometimesthe best thing you can do is just go have some fun.
Laughing while spandex wearing sheep tried toeat Patti’s wheelchair we began our visit to the 2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show.
With 24 accessible acres(approximately 24 football fields) under roof, I cannotthink of a more wheelchair friendly outing for January. (and excellent pushing and walking exercise for me)
Enjoying two creamy chocolate milk shakes fromPA Dairyman’s Association in search of the butter sculpture we decidedto watch some honeybees in a glass observation hive at an exhibit by PABeekeepers Association. Soon we found ourselves in a conversation with abeekeeper about bee stings and medicine. While most visitors took a step backfrom the weird people talking about stinging themselves, several lingered,listened, and asked questions in a spontaneous discussion about Patti’seventually unsuccessful two years of Bee Venom Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis and the beekeeperwho had found genuine success for his Rheumatoid Arthritis through apiatherapy.
It’s hard to miss 1,000 lbs (454 kg) of butter and weeventually found the sculpture. After the week long farm show the sculpture isgiven to a selected dairy farm where it is converted into electricity.
After a couple hours of checking out and oftenvisiting up close and personal certainly every farm animal and crop in ourimagination – well, we were hungry … hey, the theme was “from the farm gate tothe dinner plate.”
Heading to the food court area we decided onLamb Stew from PA Livestock Association with frozen maple yogurt topped withmaple syrup for dessert from PA Maple Syrup Producers.
Lamb stew and frozen yogurt could not have beenmore dysphagia friendly and feeding Patti was no problem in the crowd ofhumanity, over 50,000 attend each day. Most people are shoving one thing oranother in each other’s mouth anyway under the ‘try this’ principle of fine farmshow dining.
Happy and fed Patti was ready for a longwinter’s nap.
Fortunately between MS fatigue and her memory lossshe would not have to fret about counting spandex clad sheep.
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer
