Holiday Glimmers

Holidays can be stressful.  You have to think of all the things you have to do, and all the places you need to go.  Sometimes planning for your service dog can be stressful as well. Going to peoples homes is different than every day, and they might even have pets of their own.  Navigating around homes with decorations, and small doorways can be challenging. Sometimes these challenges make me stressed, and can even make me feel like I don't want to go or participate. 

 

I found out about this really cool thing called "glimmers" it is parts of your day that make you feel happy, peaceful, glad, hopeful, or joyful.  By focusing on all of my "glimmers" throughout the day it helps me to focus on the good parts of my day.  When I reflect at the end of the day my negative experiences are always out shined by all of the "glimmers" in the day. I love the holidays, for some of the things I really enjoy.  I love decorations, and putting up the Christmas tree.  I love riding in the car and looking at everyone's holiday lights. I love celebrating my birthday that is very close to Christmas with my family. Making holiday treats to share is so fun.  Relaxing and resting after a busy day is wonderful!  

   

Going to my grandparents and getting to see them is one of my holiday traditions.  This past week we got to celebrate Thanksgiving.  This was Tibbs and I's first turkey day being together.  I was nervous about all of the thanksgiving smells, new places, and our big family crowds.  Tibbs had also had an allergic reaction earlier in the week.  Tibbs had never had anything like this happen so I of course was worried.  We had to take him back to the veterinarian so soon after his yearly visit, but I am so glad that they were able to help and he is all back to himself now.  On Thanksgiving I was concerned that his Halti was going to irritate his face since he had just had a allergic reaction, so we went with just a martingale collar. I gave him the day off from his vest since we were just going to my grandmas with my close family.  I was nervous about their house with all the yummy food smells, their pet cat, and all the decorations being up.  I am happy to report that Tibbs did amazing.  We both had a great day.  Holidays and unexpected events can make life stressful, but be sure to keep your eyes out for the "glimmers" this season!

Tibbs and Kass Getting Holiday Spirit

I was getting ready to get out of my van last week when my chair went on the fritz.  Could you imagine what it is like to not be able to move yourself for hours?  My power chair is the only way I have that I can move myself.  We called up our chair guys to find a solution.  We tried to trouble shoot and get it going. I would just get it going briefly, then it would quit again😒.  Like everything it takes time and I had to be patient.  When I can't get around I have to rely on Tibbs and others to help me do everything.   Tibbs can go to the other room to search for things I need. He also can go and alert someone when I need help, or he can push the alert button we have set up. (I will have to make a whole post on that later, it is his favorite task).   We ended up getting up very early the next day to get to the chair specialist and have them take a look.  I am always so relieved when they can find a solution to get me going again! 

There happened to be a volunteer dog outing just down the road, and it turned out to make my week so much better.   Working with Tibbs and the Paws Giving Independence Volunteers is my favorite thing to do.  I have never met a nicer group of people that all want to help others, and love dogs!  The Crittenton Center Festival of Trees is such a neat event, and I am glad Tibbs and I got to be a part of it. I got to go during senior day. They had activities like a hot cocoa or coffee bar, bingo games, pictures with Santa, carolers singing, and a polka band.  Paws Giving Independence was there to allow the visitors to  meet and get introduced to some of the dogs.  Tibbs and I got to meet and talk to many lovely people, and explain what PGI does.   They had turned a hotel hall into a winter wonderland.  All the trees were hand decorated, special, and unique.  They had themed trees, wreaths, and holiday decor.  They were all decorated amazingly. I thought it was cool that they had started decorating them all the way back this past summer and then their creations are all ready for people to enjoy and at the event.  They had so many neat trees.  Tibbs favorite tree was the dog themed tree.  Tibbs and I even got to take a picture with Santa, and some of my favorite PGI team volunteers.  The whole event it a fundraiser for the Crittenton Center and they did a wonderful job. 

   

Christmas time is my favorite time of year. I love decorations, family gatherings, and buying gifts for others.  It was a wonderful way to start of the holiday season. It is headed into Thanksgiving week and this year I know I have so much to be thankful for. 

  

  

 

Veterinarian Appointment and Around Town

I took Tibbs to the vet last week, and I was sure nervous on the way there.  This was my first time taking Tibbs to the vet.  I was so pleased to see the highly accessible vets office and entry.  The waiting room was huge.  They even had an office cat that Tibbs and I had to get close to to see if it was real.  Their cat liked its sunny spot in the office window and did not want to move. With all the new smells and the new office Tibbs liked to sit with me and look around. We waited until it was our turn to get called back to the exam room.  I was again so pleased to see the very big and clean room.  Tibbs was extra snugly and I think he knew what was coming.  When the veterinarian came in he examined Tibbs and of course he said he was perfect.  He took him for a moment to the lab room to get his blood drawn for testing.  It only took a few seconds and the vet said he did wonderful, but it seemed I think to Tibbs that he had been gone for years.  You see Tibbs and I are never really apart he can always see or hear me.  Tibbs gave a very sweet and long visit with his head on my lap while we waited for the results, and was SO happy to be back at my side. The veterinarian came back and had all of Tibbs annual shots. Tibbs did great as he effortlessly took the shots and was sure ready to go as soon as we could.  He must have gotten that confidence from helping me with my shots😅.  We paid for his visit and were sure to say goodbye to the sweet office kitty on our way out.  Tibbs hopes we do not have to go back until next year.  It was a good visit overall and we were glad to find a vet office close to home to take good care of him.  
  

I love shopping, but Tibbs makes it even better.   To go into the store Tibbs must get ready first.  I grab his vest and tell him "get dressed".  Tibbs is great about helping in such a small space.  I get Tibbs all dressed in vest and Halti, and he goes into a "behind", where he follows my chair to go safely into the parking lot.  

  

  

He helps me navigate through the traffic, and sometimes helps me open the doors if they are not automatic.   We sometimes have to squeeze down the isles, especially when it is busy.  If the isles are tight I sometimes have him go in a "front" or "behind" to make room for others to pass by.  If I need to to stop and look I have him "line up" so that he is out of the way and he stays safe from carts and things going by. Sometimes things are just to hard for me to reach. I can tell Tibbs to "get it" and "give lap". He can get things from low shelves and give them to me, or rise and put them into the cart. I know what you are thinking what if it is food or something like that. Tibbs is pretty amazing, and can even get food items gently without damaging them.  I am always sure it is something we are going to get before I have him "get it".  It has not happened yet, but just like if you break something at a store, if he did I would buy it.  If I drop my purse or coat he is always willing to "get it" for me quickly.  I get a lot of people talking to me at the store since I have been able to bring Tibbs.  I know it is hard to imagine, but everyone seems to think Tibbs is as cute as I do😍😍.  Tibbs and I love the self checkouts where we can use the handheld scanner to scan all our purchases.  He can even help bag groceries.  I like to go shopping when its not busy so we do not feel rushed by people waiting in line.  Tibbs helps get the door at the store, and get back to the van.  He is a pro at backing into the car.  This is something we worked on a bunch at first, but now reads my body language and knows just how to navigate with me with just a few cues.  I help him undress from his gear.  After a shopping trip in town we are both ready to go home and relax! 

  

Do you have an idea for a new blog topic for me to write about?  Leave a suggestion in the comments, I would love to hear your ideas!

Lakeland Park - Illinois Exploring

This fall has been exceptionally warm for our area.  Last weekend Tibbs and I took full advantage and spent some time exploring outdoors. If you are ever in Central Illinois, Lakeland Park in Canton, Illinois is a neat place to visit.  They have over two miles of paved sidewalk trails.  The trails also link to the other town parks to make the trail even longer with more to see.  My dad and siblings decided to go for a run.  Tibbs and I set off on a walk and let my mom come along.  If you do not want to walk, roll, or run, they have a neat option that allows you to be able to rent a bike. There is a neat bridge that allows you to look out over the lake.  Tibbs and I enjoyed seeing how fast we could go up and down the hills.  My mom like to see how slow she could walk the hills, and we were even able to circle back around her.  Tibbs loved the smooth trails as much as I did.  

Finding a good spot to explore with lots of pavement is tricky to do in November. We enjoyed looking at all the fall leaves.   The leaves even made neat prints on some parts of the sidewalk.  The sun was so warm and beautiful this day you could even see it in the shadows.  The geese on the lakes were beautiful and we enjoyed stopping to watch them. 

We hardly saw any other people, but there would be plenty of room for all to enjoy.  It is a dog friendly park and all dogs are welcome as long as you pick up after them.  I had Tibbs wear his Hali and vest, not because he needed it, but sometimes I have found that people let their dogs interact without controlling them.  It is easier for me and Tibbs when people respect our space.  I have found that when I have Tibbs in his vest people typically will ask before interacting with him or I.  Tibbs also loves working and putting him in his gear always gets him ready to go, and excited for our adventure. I am making plans to go back for different times of the year.  They have fishing, boat rentals, a playground, grills and a picnic area, shelters, a Veterans Memorial, and even wheelchair accessible restrooms.   We also saw that it links to Big Creek Park that has a frisbee golf course we think Tibbs and I's buddy Ace might enjoy! 

  This week has continued to have nice weather.  I hope you have been able to get outside to enjoy it.  Tibbs and I are headed outside. Check back next week to see what we are up to!

  

 

Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford Museum

 

It seemed like we went back in time when we entered Greenfield Village.  We had a last minute change of plans and had to change directions and book this trip just the day before.  Luckily I had already learned about it and knew what to expect.   Dearborn, Michigan is home to a few very interesting places.  Two of them that Tibbs and I got to experience on this trip were Greenfield Village, and the Henry Ford Museum. After we parked and went to the Village entrance Tibbs and I were again asked if he was a service dog, and three tasks he is trained to assist me with.  We then joined the rest of my family and journeyed back in time to see how things used to be done.  They have many historical buildings showing an old farm and garden with the hand tools and plows displayed.  On a nice day you can even see the workers using them on the fields and gardens they have there.  They have a building showing how printing presses started, glass blowing and making, cloth and fabric making, woodworking, and so much more.  They had old Ford vehicles and house drawn carriages taking people around the small town in these transportation options.  They also had a train at the front entrance that you could ride around and get off at different stops. They showed how to make things the old fashioned way and sold them in the gift shop.  They had buildings set up with displays to talk about people like the Wright Brothers.  They had a replica of Thomas Edison's shop and showed his inventions and how they worked.  The workers there had all kinds of information and loved to share it. Since many of the areas were historic many of them were not wheelchair accessible.  They had markings for steps and tight areas, and sometimes Tibbs and I would have to back out or go another way than what was normally directed.  It was frustrating a few times when there were stairs and I couldn't access the exhibit.  I will say that the staff was excellent and sometimes would bring over an Ipad to show me what the areas I could not get to were like (and I think maybe even gave me some extra details that are not normally on the tour). We had gotten there just when it opened to avoid the crowds. It was a really warm day and we had decided to do the village first so we could enjoy the air conditioning of the museum as it got too warm out. 

  

  
  

  

  

 

We headed just across the street to the Henry Ford Museum next. This was much more wheelchair accessible and there were only a few activities I could not do.  As it was a new entrance TTibbs opened up the doors for me with the buttons, then we went to the ticket check in and answered our favorite service dog questions;)  We went in the entrance nearest the village, and they had giant trains that you could climb stairs to go see.  Tibbs and I could go right up beside them ans see how much bigger they were than us.  They had a huge car display with vehicles that were built through the years, and it really showed how much they have changed over the years.  My favorite were the Presidential cars and they information they gave about why they made them each the way they did.  They had a huge aircraft display that you could see at ground level or from above.  Tibbs and I took the elevator up to see the aircraft from above as well.   They had an exhibit with Hallmark ornaments through the decades it had rooms full of display ornaments.  Since Christmas is my favorite holiday I found this display particularly interesting. 

   

  

  

Really the museum and Village are both so large you could spend days there.  We only had half a day at the museum and village so we made the most of our time.  I really enjoyed the interactive Mathematica exhibit. It used multiplication, probabilities, and geometry to make a fantastic hands on math adventure. They had a Julia Child exhibit that even let Tibbs and I pretend to host our own cooking show.  They had furniture displays, a Rosa Parks exhibit and bus, doll houses, and more.  They had so many more exhibits but it would take too long to tell you all about them. 

  

  

Tibbs was an amazing museum and village tour partner.   He helped me navigate around the museum, opened doors, picked up items I dropped, and allowed me to navigate and explore with independence. 

The village does get very warm so we were sure to get mushers cream on Tibbs feet and reapply it often. The train tracks and mixture of stones, pavement, rocks, dirt, and grass were different at every turn and anyone with mobility challenges would want to plan ahead.  We were so exhasted after this exciting day Tibbs slept almost the whole way home!  You will need to plan your own adventure to check it all out.  I am sure Tibbs and I will be making a return trip in the future.