Boise or Bust

When I moved back to where I was born and raised I thought it would be my last move but that doesn't seem to be the case. Dan retires in February and I'm afraid if we don't make a change then, it may never happen. Change is good and we are not done with this thing called life.

I came home for a variety of reasons and have enjoyed it all. This lucky duck found a new mate, learned how to coach basketball and cross country and mentored some amazing kids who taught me what is important and what is not. 

Let's just say I was here for about 20 years, the first time, and I'm close to 60. So for the past 40 years I've lived in six different places. If you do the math, it's time for me to move again.

1. Eugene, OR 
2. Spokane, WA
3. La Crescenta, CA
4. Lancaster, CA
5. Lynden, WA
6. Boise, ID

I've chosen Boise which will be the 3rd city I've lived in more than once. My kids are there, I miss them very much and I want to enjoy them as adults while I still can. Boise has grown a lot since I called it home, but it is still a very comfortable city.

When I tell people about our decision, I get the idea some think it has not been well thought out. Actually, most probably think we gave it no thought at all which is false. Hear this: I realize I won't see my kids daily and maybe not even weekly, nor do I want to. Also, I know they might move away as soon as we get there, and we're OK with that too. 

Winters are hard for me and Boise has a gentler climate. It does snow but the average is 31 inches per year in comparison to Kalispell's 56. That may not feel like a huge difference but it is for those who hobble. The snow rarely stays and does not build up. Moving to Boise the 1st time, I realized it was sunnier than any place I had been. On average, there are 206 days per year with sunshine in Boise and only 151 days in Kalispell. More sun and less snow result in a longer golfing season which Dan will like.

Housing options abound in Boise. Although there are beau-coup single family homes in many very different areas, there are also other living options. There are several 55 plus retirement communities. They are regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing which require that at least one person is 55 or older in a least 80 percent of the occupied units. The monthly dues usually include lawn/garden maintenance and snow removal along with fancy things like a pool, clubhouse, fitness center, golf course(s), restaurant and bar.

Currently I belong to the Summit where I attend 'old people' fitness courses both on the ground and in the pool. So theoretically I would not have to join a gym and all course fees would be covered by our home owners association fee. The a resale market would be smaller but the neighbors would be more like us.

There are also communities with pools and other fun stuff that have no age restrictions. These communities are likely to include families with kids and I have not decided whether or not I want kids around. Part of me loves kids, that's one reason why I coach, but then again, random children I have nothing to do with can be annoying.

Pictures of My Brain

Recently, I had an MRI done of my brain. Then, had some breakfast and took a bath. After that I met with my neurologist, who also happens to be a high school classmate. When I asked him if I could record him for my daughter, Nurse Rachel, he said, "Of course!"

I cannot call him Doctor so when he enters the room I say, "Hi Brett." He is the same Brett I remember from nearly forty years ago. At least the few memories of him I can conjure. He has a pleasant way about him. He angles the screen towards me and begins flipping through the images like slides. As he turns towards me, the flipping stops and he says that I was born with everything needed in the brain department or something like that. I imagined him saying the exact same thing to many patient o quell their anxiety. He explained what I was looking at from which angle and more or less told me what I had been expecting to hear. The white area or lack of it indicated the brain had been hurt. We looked at the area that appeared smaller than its counter part on the brain's opposite side and he said something about the image being reversed. In essence the left side of my brain is less than the right which makes sense. The left side of my brain controls the right side of my body which is definitely compromised and doesn't work quite right.

It has not worked right since my accident in 1991 but I was young then, just 30 years old, so I regained enough function to get me here. Over the past few years I have noticed a decline and since about a year ago I started dealing with extreme fatigue. That's why I was at my neurologist's to begin with.

"We ARE 57 years old, Lexie," Brett informed me when he suggested it was simply the aging process. I read somewhere that a traumatic brain injury automatically takes 10 years off your life span. When I think in terms of being 67, it makes more sense that I am tired, really tired. But my sister Wally explains it best when she says everything physical takes me twice the amount of work.

In the end, I am glad I had the scan because I saw the actual damage. It was something I had never seen. For some reason, it makes me feel better. I have spent years explaining why I am the way I am but now I have seen the proof that backs up my claims.

Nurse Rachel never did hear Brett's words because I did something wrong with my phone. It may be smarter than me.