POINT labs started up again last Monday at the University of St. Augustine. Along with the Mock OT clinic, they  are programs for physical and occupational therapy  in which students study a volunteer and recommend ways to alleviate what ails  him or her, usually exercise and stretches. They turn out quality professionals who will help patients rehab  in the not to  distant future.
​      Professors Barbara Estes and Kristin Barta arrange to have stroke survivors, and those in need of therapy, participate in clinics one day a week for 4 weeks. One hour for PT and 2 hours for OT.   Volunteer participants are advised by 5th semester students. They are as intelligent a group of students as I have been around, all college graduates and seem to be  earnest  about helping people.
      I was talking to Kristin  (one of the student therapists) as she was walking me out to my truck after the session, about the kind of therapy I needed.  She noticed that my right foot was everted,  pushing outward, and I told her about the conversation I had had with  the orthotics specialist at Hill Country Orthotics about the cause of my  everted right foot.  He said it was caused by my weak hip flexor.  That hip flexor is the bane of my existence.  And the whole time I am thinking," I can fix that!"  (along with everything else). But I will settle for a rehabbed hip-flexor to get me back in the game.
       I   am just  realizing that after 4 years, that's what's been a big barrier keeping me from walking. My weak hip is causing the vulnerability in my ankle and probably to a large extent the hyperextension of my knee.
​      When I have had glimpses of the hip flexor working, my foot goes back to neutral and my knee bends, somewhat. I imagine my hip as a bowl that  is tilted and has spilt its soup.  Every muscle, nerve, and bone need to cooperate in supporting  the muscle to resist the urge to  keep  it steady  while walking, and avoid collapse. So I must call on the Psoas Major and Iliacus to tighten up and not spill anymore soup. Try getting that into my brain and keeping it there! The thing with mind over matter is that it can take all of your time.
     We will see how it goes. Instead of me trying to explain the exercises, I will just show examples of very flexible people stretching.

      I have included many  yoga  stretches,  some  are impossible  for the average  hemiplegic. Modify as you see fit. If nothing else, imagine yourself in that position. 
     More stretches for the hip flexor are available at sparkpeople.com.

     I'm listening to Johnny Cash on Pandora, singing along with the Fulsome Prison Blues that I used to sing in music class at St. David's when I was a patient. The music therapist used to come in the late morning with her guitar and notebook of lyrics. So I am always ready to break into song even if I do not know all the words. It also takes a while to get in sync with the music, "Okay, okay. I can't carry a tune." But I think it's a terrific therapy. Singing gets your jaw moving, your tongue as well, and improves breathing because you always have to think about inhaling and exhaling. So it helps in those 3 areas. Moving your jaw keeps you from developing apraxia, and moving the tongue helps with better articulation of words. Breathing ties it all together like a bundle of  moving parts searching for clarity. 

     We got home Sunday after a 7 day trip to El Paso, Old Mesilla, and Truth or Consequences. Chris and I were very casual about it. Took us 2 days to get to El Paso and from there we took day trips to New Mexico.
​    I drove with my left foot and steering-wheel knob. Because  we have  cruise control, once we were on the highway,  the speed  can be  controlled by  pressing a button  to either  accelerate or decelerate. The hardest part about driving our Pontiac Vibe was getting in and out of the car. Of course, having to cross over my tucked-under right leg with my left foot in order to accelerate can be hair raising,  at first.   Except for the knob,  our  Vibe is not outfitted like  the Chevy, with a left-sided gas pedal.
​    I was always seeking the chance to use my right arm and leg.  Holding things is what my right hand does best, so I use it to carry things back and forth like a sweater or jacket left in the car or reaching into the ice chest for a beer.  Putting  half the weight on  my right side  while standing is therapeutic.  Remembering to do it all is the challenge!
     Not having made hotel reservations before-hand, we checked out the prospects in Fort Stockton and decided on the Quality Inn because the room was good size; they provided me with a shower chair as well as free breakfast. So I took a much needed shower in the morning.
​    On Wednesday after we got to El Paso, we went to historic Old Mesilla for lunch at the Double Eagle. There and La Posta are both well known restaurants. I had beef and mushroom soup and two chile rellenos, where as my wife had some fancy chicken dish.
     There are not too many barriers around Old Mesilla Plaza with a wheelchair cut-out  ramp on every corner, even in the restaurant I could move around. Though I could see where a wheelchair would have difficulty negotiating the long bar and through the doors to the restroom. Inside was a clean, spacious bathroom with plenty of room to maneuver. If I remember correctly, there were no barriers on the way.
       While in El Paso, we stayed  in  my boyhood home with my 93 year old dad. Twice in the morning, Wednesday and Thursday, we took a half-mile undulating hike through McKelligon Canyon. The mornings were pristine, complete with clear blue skies and just a slight smog over Fort Bliss.   My dad walked with me because ever since he broke his hip he's been slow moving.    

  Our other day trip was Thursday to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where we stayed at the Pelican Spa in the Historic Hot Springs District. We spent just under 24 hours in T or C, so it counts as a day trip. Needless to say, the hot tubs were great! Though they were not exactly of ADA  standards, but the "bath rooms" where very roomy and there was a place where one could sit and get undressed and dressed. I did not ask for special accommodations, though they might have had some.  I had a little trouble getting into the tub, but I managed with Chris's help.
     What is a trip back home without a funeral? My dad has an aunt, Elisa, who died on Tuesday, the day we arrived.  The rosary was Friday, the day before we left. She was 98. It was so great to see family I had not seen in forever or could not ever remember  meeting.
​     Our last day in El Paso when we got in from T or C, and before the rosary, we enjoyed lamb, roasted vegetables, salad and capirotada at my sister Sandy's beautiful home in West El Paso. And that was the best meal of the trip until we got to Ozona, on the way back. The Best Western clerk recommended the Café Next-Door, so we went. The way I judge a restaurant is by the quality of their food, and those were some of the best tacos I ever had, and coming from Austin and El Paso, I have  eaten my fair share. It was garnished with the freshest tasting  tomato salsa.  Chris  was served the most scrumptious enchiladas with red Chile, El Paso style. With all these superlatives I can't help but highly recommend the  Café Next-Door. So the next time you find yourself on the road to EP, you should consider Ozona for dinner.

   It seems that when people take off on a trip, they always come back to a few surprises. On Monday, after I got back to Austin, my step-grandson was born. "Oliver! Welcome to this crazy wonderful world!"  

     I will be off for the next 7 days. El Paso bound to visit my father, sister and bother-in-law. Get in as much forced-use as you can!

    My mint is growing gangbusters! So are the parsley and lemon balm which I harvested today. With the mint, I just  uprooted a bunch of  from the lighter green spearmint  patch,  as well as the two smaller plants  of peppermint with the tighter, darker,  and diminutive leaves. So I had to put  both my hands to work today.
     Before I could bundle the herbs, first I had to clean and separate the branches. To do that I needed  a colander, and to wash the herbs, a deep pan of water. I had pulled up the prolific mint by the roots with the intent of stopping the eventual take over of the garden.
      I could not say the same about the medium growing lemon balm. Though it has some of the same qualities as mint. Its tangy, zesty flavor is reminiscent of a tangerine. The meaty leaves  of the lemon balm are very fragrant.   The plant  is probably  the same size as the parsley and 3/4th smaller than the mint.
     I began  my gardening adventure by getting my balance figured out, and then I ventured forth, on shaky leg,  and reached down for a right-handful of mint. The mint is relentless in its pursuit of garden real estate, so I have no qualms ripping it up by the roots. When I began to sculpt my efforts, I followed the  timber that separates the garden from the  walkway, and I  cleared a 6 inch path.
     The fun part was in the kitchen where I  snipped off the dirty little roots using the scissors in my right hand. Thinking about it now, I should have done that part outside where it would be easier to clean up the muddy mess. Anyhow, in the end I washed, separated, and made bundles – one for the lemon balm, 3 for the mint, making a conscious effort to use my right arm and hand where I could. I put the parsley in the refrigerator in a gallon size Ziploc along with the arugula for immediate use.
     These activities underscore the  readiness of the good hand to help out, whether it be left or right. It needs to be in a position to help--either holding a pair of scissors or winding string around herbs and hanging them to dry. The examples are endless. I invite my viewers to  send me a story from personal experience  about a forced-use situation in the garden.

      Gardening can be a tricky sport. It seems simple enough. Just throw a few seeds in the ground and water them, but there is a lot of hard work involved. Gardeners need all the help they can get, especially disabled ones. The practice of 'forced-use' comes in handy. A hand can hold things for the other hand, or maybe use the 'death-grip' (clamp onto something and can't let go) to help lift heavy objects like a bag of mulch.
​      Today, I held a seed packet with my right hand and fished seeds out with my left hand. A lot of times I have to move objects so I can tidy-up stuff around the yard. For example, the barbecue grill is an item I use fairly often. Moving it back and forth to/from the middle of the yard on its 2 wheels is something I can do. It's one of those large kettle styles. I move it using both hands, and once I get my hand in position, I can trust my spastic right hand not to let go.
     When I'm exercising and stretching my arm and hand, I tell my brain to extend the arm using my tricep and then bring it up with my bicep.  Each event is unique  and has to be part of  an intention.
​     Also,  with the affected hand I practice making a fist then spreading my fingers out. Close it and open it in a pumping fashion about 5 times,  or as long as it lasts.  The spasticity   starts freezing up the fingers. That's why it's important to breathe, because breathing helps the hand to relax.  Exhale when the hand opens and inhale when a fist is made. If only that were enough. 
​     The affected side needs to feel loved, as well. And you make it feel love by putting it to work. For a healthy garden,  Lady Bug fertilizer pellets  can be broadcast  at the base of plants. Guess what I do? I hold a small jar of fertilizer in my affected right hand and pull out a fingerful of pellets  with my left and toss them  under the plants . It doesn't seem like a lot, but for a stroke survivor it could be a major accomplishment of intent and coordination. It involves maintaining balance and throwing  the pellets with accuracy.
     The gardener has to keep a steady hand with a jar of fertilizer pellets. Stroke survivors know how spasticity can be, and there's no controlling it. I'm lucky when I don't spill half of it because  the  jar in my hand tends to want to turn outward and up toward my chest. Consequently, I have to concentrate on relaxing and breathing into my hand  to keep it from turning over. And that can be very dicey when you're trying to keep a cup of coffee, a glass containing liquid remnants, or a little jar of fertilizer pellets from spilling to the ground.
​   It helps if particular tendencies  can be detected  during the process. Pay attention to the hand and arm. Help them to be  helpful! And be safe.   Anticipate what  could happen when you move into a particular space.

      Let me just say first off that one has to take every precaution to be safe.  I did not want to give the impression in my last post that I was able to move around my garden freely without regard for my safety. I have already fallen too many times to know that for the disabled, gardening can be hazardous to  one's health. But gardening also provides  many opportunities for forced use and a Zen quality that can be beneficial to restoring  healthy spirits. I just wanted to get that in before I continue talking about therapy in the garden.

      Leap Day is a good time to talk about gardening. It's an added day that one can spend in the jardin, basking in its joyful pleasure. I began to engage myself by noticing all the weeds that I had growing alongside my house on the gravel path, thinking that they would eventually take over. So on Thursday of last week, I began to take charge over my little exterior dominion and started pulling weeds. The thing about yanking weeds from the ground is that you gotta get the root, or they will just grow back in a week's time. In my side yard are tufts of ragweed, a prolific growth of henbit along with spiny amaranth, a few dandelions, and some others that I can't recognize. Weeds are indiscriminate and will grow in all the nooks and crannies where they are able to find nourishment. Weeding is addictive because once you get started there is no stopping until you tire. While I was at it, my step grandson Dillon also had his tools and was hard at work straightening up my piles, then he went to the garage to get me a leaf bag and helped stuff the piles of weeds into the bag.
      Our garden is about 3 feet wide by 40 feet long, and for the most part shady the majority of summer and fall, but once the leaves have fallen it kind of opens up to the winter and early spring sun. We raise mostly herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme, sage,  Rosemary, and mint. We also have some arugula, two Brussel sprouts and one Anaheim chile bush that has survived almost a year and is still producing. There are a handful of flowering perennials such as Salvia, Greg's mist flower, purple coneflower, milkweed and woodland phlox.
​      Chris uses the  kale, parsley  or arugula, even mint, in the morning's green smoothie. I say green smoothie as opposed to a fruit smoothie, although she adds fruit as well, usually banana, apple, blueberries, cherries, pineapple, or papaya. She blends them  in the nutri-bullet until the mixture is smooth  and creamy.
      I watered my garden by hand, back in the day, but now I have a drip system where I simply have to screw the water source hose into the soaker. Before I planted our garden, I got a soaker hose and snaked it all around the garden  where future plants would be. But since  the soaker is only lying on top of the garden, I can move it around later to make adjustments.  Since then, I have covered it with mulch.  A timer regulates the flow of water, and right now I have it set for every 2 days, an hour each time. The water goes deep. You'd be surprised at how much water--drip, drip, drip--your plants can get in an hour. Works well!  I got set up with hose and timer over at Home Depot. The store is barely crowded, and they provide good electric shopping carts. The employees can be helpful. I also get my mulch there: brown Cedar. If you are disabled and you've been there, please help me rank it. Positives and drawbacks, for the HD in Sunset Valley. I would give it out 4  out of 5 stars.
​       My favorite places  for gardening supplies are The Natural Gardener ​ and the afore mentioned. It does about well for ADA as can be expected of a garden center that is not HD. At TNG​ you will find  any type of plant, seed, fertilizer, nutrient, and a bag of  the right kind of soil. I use  Lady Bug 824 all-purpose fertilizer to feed my garden, and by all  measures, the plants seem to love it . I make sure that my garden is well mulched,  with at least 3 inches  of shredded Cedar, so it retains as much moisture as possible.
      You can see for yourself what our horticulture experience has wrought. That's me plucking weeds. And Dillon is also featured along with his trusty spade.  I like talking about my garden, so expect more. Until my next entry, when I will talk about the therapeutic benefits of gardening, this is Victor saying, "Good Gardening!"