How to Make an Easy Outdoor Ramp in No Time

By Javier Robles

Having been inspired by Rich Fabend a friend and Blogger on ThisAbled, I will be sharing a “down and dirty” trick to a quick outdoor ramp.

There are many things I love to do when the weather breaks, however, my favorites are landscaping and gardening.  Although, I physically cannot do everything involved in these two loves, I can usually get a volunteer or pay someone a few bucks to get the job done.  It is with this method that between my family and I we have managed to basically redo our whole yard and house front.  This week I undertook a project I have been thinking about doing in the backyard, for a few years now.  It was really easier to do than I anticipated, but it took some time, patience and ingenuity.

The project was to make seating area under an Oak tree we have in the back yard corner of the house.  During the hot summer it is a great place to relax and keep cool.  We did have some chairs under the tree but the problem was that the ground had become uneven, mainly due to tree roots. The furniture never sat right on the ground and it really needed to be a more defined area.

What I decided to do was build a retaining wall around the front of the tree (a half circle), then fill it with topsoil, to even it out.  I went Loews, picked out some red interlocking bricks.  I brought 46 of the least expensive, at 98 cents a brick. Each brick was about a foot long and I needed 24 feet of wall.  After making a 2 to 3 inch ditch to bury the bottom bricks, using a level to make sure they were even, we put them in.  The bottom set of bricks must be level and you can basically make the wall as round or square as you wish.  Then the top set was put on, no concrete needed, these bricks interlock with each other and are held on by the pressure created from the dirt fill.  The retaining wall raised the seating area about 7 inches.

The new height of the seating area presented a problem for me.  I would not be able to access the cool area under the Oak in my power chair.  I was tired of building at this point and wanted a quick but sturdy solution.  It also had to be inexpensive. I went on a search in a builders warehouse outlet open to the public.  Clayton, is located in Edison, NJ but search your local directory or Home store, for this item.   I looked around for a while, then when I was about to give-up, there was my answer.  Pre-Fabricated concrete  splash guards, about 36 inches long and 9 inches wide.  You flipped them and it is the perfect texture for a ramp.  I brought 2 of them at $16 each, a bag of paving gravel and sand $6, for a total of $38 dollars.

I found the shortest area between the top of the new brick wall and the soil.  We edged out a shape, cleaned it up, and then filled with gravel, sand, in an upward slope.  Tamp down dirt with tamper and insure it is sturdy.  It took a number of tries but we eventually placed both splashguards so they became a ramp.  You want to separate them according to your wheelchair width, fill middle space with gravel and dirt.  For longer ramps add more splashguards, they also sell an 18-inch long splashguard, which you could use. You will want to make sure the sides are filled with dirt or edged out with bricks, to give an even and safe ramp area.

This project took three days and ramp took 4 hours to complete, mainly due to cutting some tree roots.

Where did I leave my vibrator?

By Odeon Black
Please note this article contains adult content and language.

Where did I leave my vibrator?  Well as it happened, my vibrator was eventually found, but I will get to that later.  First, let me give you the back-story.  My girlfriend (we will call her Becky) and I had always liked traveling.  We would travel any chance we got.  It was so great to get away from the dull drum of every day existence.  To go someplace where no one knows your name, or cares.  You are just a visitor or tourist, there to have fun.  My disability would often get lost in the dancing, sun, drinks and my favorite, sex.  This was and continues to be an escape, a place to simply be a sexual gimp with a hard-on for life.

One of our exciting trips took us to the Bahamas, fabulous beaches, great drinks, and so many foods made with conch.  There was deep fried conch, stewed, sautéed, boiled and the ever-popular sandwich.  The hotel was filled with tourist, clean and surprisingly wheelchair accessible; given it was over 10 years ago. Becky and I could not wait to check-in and get to our room, flying always frustrated us, but also made us very horny.
If you think flying with a power chair is hard now you should have flown 10 or 15 years ago.

We check-in to the hotel and race to the room, the door swings open and the clothes drop like heavy raindrops in a storm.  She tears off my t-shirt, and I rip the three buttons that hold her skimpy shirt together, off with my teeth.  The smell of sea salt wafting in through the window and the scent of sweat fills the room.  Then we remember, we brought a new sex toy; a 7 inch pink vibrator.  It was an average size I suppose, made of silicone and took two AA batteries.  We also, brought a bottle of lube and of course condoms to our mini-soirée.  She unwrapped the vibe and we worked it until the batteries died.  I held it in my mouth, my splint, and she held it in every position imaginable.  All our hotel neighbors heard was, “Oh my God, I love this Vibe”, “that’s my vibe”, “nothing better than your tongue and the vibe”.  Yes, four days and three nights of lube filled, condom smacking, pink vibrations.

Well, on the last day we pack and are ready to go; but we cannot find the pink vibe. We must have searched the whole entire room.  We came to the conclusion that maybe the maid took it or accidentally fell in the garbage can.  We had to go or miss the plane. We left wondering where it was?   We arrived at the airport and rushed to security.  They had a system where they run your carry-on baggage and suitcases through the X-ray machines, while one stands there.

We wait for our bags to go through, as the line behind us gets longer.  The Security officer, in standard white shirt, shorts an official Bahamian hat, begins his review.  One carry-on goes through, and then another, and finally the suitcase has a turn. As it is starting to come out the other end the officer stop the conveyer belt, and backs up the suitcase, he yells to the other guard.  “There is a long metal object in here!” at the same time Becky remembers where she put the vibrator.  She packed it in the suitcase first,  “so she would not forget it”.  She leans close to me and says,  “oh my god, I hate that vibe”, that’s not my vibe”, “how embarrassing”.

Now everybody is looking at us.  We have become microbes under a microscope of possible wrongdoing, passenger curiosity and Security guard indiscretions.  Yikes!
The guard slowly but methodically un-zippered the suitcase as two others watched, Becky, turned a beet red as they lifted the flap and felt around for the “long metal object.”  Yes.  His expression said it all when his hands clutched what could only feel like a worn down silicone cock.  As he “pulled-it-out”, the other guards simultaneously looked up at the young girl and her “friend” in the wheelchair.  Becky looked mortified, horrified, she was not into the “vibe”, right now.  I shrugged.

The guards quickly threw the vibe back, zipped the suitcase and yelled, next!  I was so glad we were not next.

Wishes and Daydreams

Both of my nurses have children graduating from high school this year. My primary nurse has been with me for almost 11 years now. Her children are almost like grandchildren to my wife and me. It is her son Devin who’s graduating. When he was young we used to play together. Over the years he has done work around our house, has stayed with me overnight when my wife was away (we call it Adult Sitting) and I’ve watched him grow up. He is a fine young man, as well as a good soccer player and I’ve seen him play a number of times. Devin will be going into the United States Navy, after graduation, and will train to be corpsman.

I’m envious! He’s young and I’m old. He’s got his life ahead of him; most of mine is behind me. He’s fit and I am not. I want to be him, young, healthy, virile with so much to look forward to. Just the other night I was thinking it is too bad life doesn’t begin at old age and go backward to childhood. However, wishing and daydreaming isn’t going to change my situation. But what it does do is help me look at my life and put things in perspective. People come and go every day and little changes in the grand scheme of things. All this is wishful thinking, I guess, but the reality is only the earth goes on. It reminds me of part of the Serenity Poem which was stuck on a bulletin board in the kitchen at my best friend’s house.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference. *                                                                               

*Reinhold Niebuhr

So, all things considered, what is the lesson to be learned? Deal in reality, enjoy your life as it is, change what you can and take time each day to smell the roses. We are not here very long so we should make the best of our situation.

Senior Year 2010

Senior Year 1961

Christopher Reeve, Inspiration and Success

Did you know, CNN is doing a story on Parenting with Disabilities. I’m sure it’s very difficult for many of us to feel comfortable opening up and sharing ou stories. Although I found the switch to give me the passion to come forth and become some what of an exhibitionist , it’s not always easy. Well I also noticed while watching television , shows aren’t always delivering content involving issues, actors or athletes with disabilities. I wonder to myself sometimes since my disability I watch more television. I wonder if any of you experienced this as well and if so I asked myself, if television is mostly viewed by individuals with disabilities. If this theory is true then why aren’t we seeing ourselves or representations of our real aspiration on film and television.

Ratings are made up of human viewers, if no one is watching , industry is dropping. My comrade Larry the Rolling Filmmaker is a big advocate on putting more actors with disabilities working in Hollywood, I’m sure seeing this would give many more inspiration as well. The few friends I made that are aspiring to break down barriers as well as fulfill their dreams are continuing to pursue their passions. I’m not a famous actor, I didn’t grow up in Hollywood and I don’t have famous friends but I still see those who are struggling within their own careers. I didn’t truly become more of a name among my peers on my own. It took everyone I met on Care Cure Community to help me get to this point where I’m taking a stand on this movement for supporting each other.

It’s been my statement that Christopher Reeve is my inspiration, I learned more about spinal cord injury because of him. Not just learning about the research, politics and technology but collaborating and helping others. Although it’s very important we support each other for the things we need to live we also need to enjoy life. We are still human despite our disability but sometimes we feel detached from the world considered normal. I’m assuming we possibly make up a very large percentage of viewers when it comes to television ratings. I’m sure someone would enjoy researching this idea but I know the many friends I chat with online many are stuck at home. That’s no luxury like some may think. I had a few people say to me I live like a King having people cater to my needs. If being stuck in bed and can’t get up and having to wait for someone to wake up to help me eat is living like a King, someone please dethrone me.

Back to the topic about what we see on TV. I would like to finally see a network about disability, they can call it TDC The Disability Channel, not an unique name but something to get us relative television. I can be conceited saying this but that’s just another theory, I bet if Christopher was here we had a television show maybe a network by now. Christopher seemed to have the super powers to be forever Superman and he broke more barriers then most actors with disabilities for disability, not only for himself. I feel beyond whatever reason others may feel they can’t get ahead , many times when you use your talents or power for others you succeed a lot more. That was Christopher, no matter what ever anyone thinks, he didn’t use his power for self gratification he used his power to help all of us.

So finally what I’m trying to say, is we need to try to support bringing disability in the media. If there’s no ratings there’s no sponsors. CNN called me to be part in a promotion about Parents with Disabilities. The show has nothing to do with me but I will support, watch, blog, bulletin or send out a newsletter. No matter weather you are a disabled parent or not, post , watch, add a video of your support. The key to balancing all these TV shows we say are crap yet get the most air time is going to need the same attention. So please pass on this link and encourage others to if not get involved, read the synopsis.

http://www.facebook.com/l/9ed79;www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=432759&hpt=Sbin

Professir X