For a number of years
now, I have owned and used a mobility scooter up in Sharon. The walk to
synagogue became impossible and it was difficult for Barry to push me in a
wheel chair. I have written a few times about the availability of a scooter that,
for people who have significant medical issues, can be converted to a mode
allowing use on the Jewish Sabbath, when turning on or using ordinary electrical
gadgets is generally not allowed.
We drive a small car
for a number of reasons. First, we have a very small garage, and particularly during
the winter we like to be able to park the car in it. Second, both driving and parking
in the City are much easier with a small car. But the trouble with a small car
is that a scooter cannot fit in it. Recently, a number of companies began to
develop a scooter that disassembles in four or five “easy” steps, where the
definition of “easy” is in the eye of the person taking it apart, lifting the
pieces in and out of the car, and putting it back together as in the
demonstration video. Nonetheless, now that I am here in Riverdale most weekdays,
while Barry is in his laboratory or teaching or attending meetings, I have been
feeling a bit trapped in the house.
If I am cooking and
run out of something I have to either change gears or wait until he comes home.
If I am really in the mood for Starbucks or frozen yogurt, both of which are
just a few blocks away, I cannot go. So Barry decided that what I need is a
scooter here. Riverdale is pretty quiet on weekdays, so getting around should
not be so difficult other than a few parts of sidewalks that are in dire need
of repairs from the particularly cold and icy winter we have just had.
So after hours of
discussion and a trip last week to a couple of stores that sell these scooters,
we decided to buy one called the GoGo Elite Traveler Sport three-wheeler from
Pride Medical Supplies. It came with red trim but included inserts to change
that to blue. And that may be useful. It occurred me that since I am not
roaming too far away, I might become recognizable around here. But if I keep
changing the color of my scooter, maybe people will think there are two such “old
ladies with oxygen on scooters,” the red one and the blue one, here in our little
corner of the Bronx.
We
are spending this weekend in New York. Everyone is exhausted from Thanksgiving
so we are having quiet meals at home. But Passover provided what you might say is
an unrelated and unexpected idea: baking! Every year before the start of
Passover I make two sponge cakes, one lemon and one chocolate. These cakes are
made with potato starch, basically a sort of cake flour made of potatoes. I
have gotten pretty good at it over the years, judging by how quickly it seems
to be eaten. So I got the grocery items and pulled out the cookbook I remember
was my “bible” for sponge cakes, The Joy of Cooking. I used to have this in two
small paperback volumes, but a few years ago I broke down and replaced those
30+ year old books with the new, large hardback edition. She gives very
specific instruction on how to make a sponge cake, which I try to follow religiously.
You could say I take them as seriously as instructions for preparing our
kitchen for Passover.
One
weakness of an exercise like this on Friday morning is that I have to wait
until this evening to sample the cake. I will have to report back next week.
Barry’s vote carries the most weight on this one.
The
Mets are playing Sunday afternoon and Barry managed to get some pretty good
handicap-accessible seats. So we are looking forward to being out on a day that
we hope will at least not be too cold or rainy. Fortunately all the accessible
seats are covered by upper levels of the stadium. I suppose they recognized
that if a big storm hits we would have a hard time getting to a safe place
quickly.
Stay
dry and have a nice weekend.
Love,
Rebecca
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