Week 10 Day 5: August 24, 2009

Day 75: Have you ever had a dream that came true but with a twist all it's own? Well, I've given myself a few days to recover from my "twist" before I tell on myself.

We spent June, July, and some of August in the hospital. Now August is almost over and Travis lays day after day inside, mostly in bed. The summer slips away too quickly. In my mind, I wish to have Travis sitting on our back porch by the end of the summer, taking in the evening air and the golden light of an August sunset, a cold drink in his hand, the kids and the dogs running around. I've even written in my journal a couple of times that it would be awesome to get him out on the back porch before the end of summer.

Well, last Friday evening I convinced Travis that the temperature was the same inside as outside (81 F). There was no wind. Why not go out and sit on the back porch for the evening? He agreed and muscled himself across the slider board into the wheelchair. We put his hat and glasses on and we were ready! I didn't know if I could get him from the grass to the concrete slab of the porch, but figured if all else failed I could call for help. To my great relief, we succeeded by pulling the wheelchair backwards. I settled him toward the inside of the porch behind the blue kiddie pool facing the garden and the swing set. I was thrilled--a quiet peaceful evening in an August sunset! It wasn't long until Travis started asking about the new sprinkler system (My dad spearheaded this project. It has really helped us out this summer--Thank you dad!). My explanations of how the sprinklers worked were difficult for Travis to understand, so I decided to just show him. I stepped into the garage and turned on zone 8. It had a dry spot that needed some water and is located close to the porch. I peeked around the corner to see if it was on and realized a sprinkler was headed full board for Travis! I ducked back in the garage, immediately pushed off, and raced back to Travis hoping he was far enough back that he didn't get wet.

No Luck! He was wet from head to toe! He looked at me wide-eyed through his beaded-up glasses and said, "You almost killed me!" He sat there shocked continuing to rattle off how he "was stuck with no where to go!" I tried to wipe him off with a paper towel, but hurt his skin instead. Then I gave up and started laughing. Emily saw it all happen from inside the porch came out laughing too. Travis--he didn't laugh, and hasn't yet, but he doesn't hesitate to tell on me! He did survive, but I don't think I'll be able to convince him to go sit on the back porch again!