What happened to me just after I moved to Portland

(I finally am free to write to the media and government representatives about the experience that I write about in the next paragraphs.  My lawsuit with State Farm ended in March 2020. 

I got my freedom to write just in time for the advent of Covid 19.  I don't think the media or government representatives will care about my experience with the bus company unitl long after the virus is finally conquered.  But, at least now I have the freedom to write in my blog.)

In 1994 I vacationed in Seattle and Portland.  I fell in love with Portland and dreamed of moving there one day.

When my youngest son was looking for employment he searched in Portland because I told him how vibrant and beautiful the city is.

In 2015 he and his family moved to Portland.  My husband and I had divorced so nothing was holding me back in Houston TX.

I retired from a job I loved, sold my large house, gave away or sold most of my belongings and moved to Portland. I was looking forward to helping take of my 2 young grandchildren and involving myself in Portland’s rich art community.

I moved into a small apartment on May 19, 2017 with my cat and dog. Around 6 PM on May 22 I took my dog for a short walk outside.  I looked both ways as I crossed the street.  I was about a third of the way into the crosswalk when I heard a noise.  A large bus was bearing down on me.  It hit me throwing me onto the pavement.  I suffered a major concussion and a shattered right femur.

I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and had surgery the next day.  Then I spent 5 weeks in a rehabilitation center.  When I healed enough to walk with a walker, Medicare decided I should be released.  I knew that living alone would be dangerous for me.  Besides, my apartment wasn’t for someone with a handicap.  Medicare had not given me enough time to apply for assisted living so I moved into a senior apartment complex that provided meals and cleaning service.  Plus there was nursing assistance business and physical therapy office in the building.  I paid a high premium to live there.  After 4 months there I bought a home near my son.

18 months later I had to have another surgery - a bone graft.  I stayed 3 more weeks in a rehabilitation center.

The police had given the bus driving a ticket for reckless driving.  The Drivers’ Union fought the ticket in court.  Since The Portland police officer failed to show up for court, the ticket was dismissed.

Trimet was obviously at fault for my injures.  They had a video that showed the driver running 2 stops before he ran the third one where I was in the street.

They had a moral obligation to pay me a settlement for my injuries that resulted in my being permanently handicapped.  Instead of going ahead and fulfilling their obligation I had to hire an attorney and file suit against them.

At times I was followed by their private detective.  I couldn’t email my friends, write on my blog, or post on facebook.  Everything I said was open to Trimet.  If I did email a friend, they would inevitably ask me how I was doing.  If I said I was doing better, Trimet would interpret that as my total recovery.

So for over 2 years I did not write online.  It took Trimet that long to give me a settlement.  I had to turn over all my medical records - even those before the accident.  On August 13, 2019. the deposition with my lawyer, Trimet’s lawyer, a recording clerk, videographer and the bus driver took place   During the bus driver’s deposition I learned that he had rear ended a truck the week before he hit me.  One of his passengers went to the hospital by ambulance.  Trimet took no action against him.  In fact, even after he hit me he was not fired.  Trimet allowed him to keep his employment record clean by allowing him quit with the provision that he not talk or write about the bus company..

After Trimet’s lawyer presented the details of the deposition to Trimet, I was awarded the most that Trimet legally has to pay - less than $700,000.  A third of that went to my lawyer, another third to my insurance companies for paying my accident related bills.  That does not leave much compensation for a permanent disability.

I’m writing  because I believe that Trimet does not train their drivers adequately.  Nor do they have enough performance checks.  The tort bill limits their liability so they do not fear retribution for their inadequacies.

Also, Trimet seems to be immune to traffic laws.  The driver who hit me ended up with a clean driving record.  Police officers should be instructed that they MUST show up in traffic court to insure that their tickets are upheld.

Now that I have lived in Portland for over 3 years I have witnessed many incidents of buses running stop signs, traffic lights, cutting off other traffic.  I believe that buses need to follow the same traffic laws as other vehicles. Drivers should be trained that all traffic laws must be obeyed.  If that had been done, I would have avoided all the pain and anguish that the accident caused me.

 This is a personal journal entry.

I lost a friend this week.  We would hang out about once a week.  We went to the coast one day, Sauvie Island another day.  We made lunch for each other.  We had plans this week to go to the OMSI museum.  I was looking forward to it.  And he wanted to come over and watch Borat's second movie.

No, he didn't die.  He said he wanted to "take a break."  He gave no reason for this.  At first I thought it was all about me.  I thought I had said or done something wrong.  Then I realized that the last time I saw him he told me to arrange for the museum's tickets.  It can't be about me.  Most likely another woman has come into his life - either a new person or an old girlfriend.

Last Thursday he told me he was tired and congested.  I checked in on him by text on Friday.  He didn't respond.  I tried Saturday.  I texted once and then called and left a message.  My family comes for dinner on Sundays.  I was worried that maybe he had the virus and that I had been exposed.

I texted him again telling him that I needed to know if it was necessary for me to isolate from my family.

He responded to this text.  He said he was okay and that he would email me on Sunday.  That was kind of weird because he likes to talk on the phone.

On Saturday night I made meatballs and sauce for the family dinner.  I made enough for him and I to have for lunch later,  Sunday morning I got the "take a break" email.  I responded that I was disappointed and could he give me a reason.  It would be nice if he would respond but he hasn't.  That makes it doubtful that I will see him again.

He was a very sweet person, kind and caring.  I had really enjoyed his company.  He never approached me physically.  That was okay with me, though I do enjoy more closeness.  Friendship is very important to me.

It's been difficult for me to find a companion since I've been in Portland.  I think I wrote about the woman friend that I had.  We had lots in common, went shopping, lunch, plays, some sewing together.  She basically dumped me.  She wouldn't say why.  Finally after a month or so, I took her aside at a sewing meeting and asked her why she was mad at me.  She said she wasn't mad, just tired of hearing about the bus accident.  I guess that makes sense considering the timing.  She dumped me on the same day that I found out that I would need bone graft surgery.  I guess we were really never friends if she would do that to me.

Last year I met a nice man.  We dated for a few months.  Then I didn't hear from him.  Finally after he told me that he had gone back to an old girlfriend.

When I look at men's profiles on line I feel undesirable.  The men here all want to camp and hike.  I wish I could do those things.  I can't ride a bike, take long walks, squat in a forest, etc. It's beautiful in Oregon.  I enjoy the nature here in a more limited way.

Even though my chances seem slim I joined an online dating site this week.  Maybe one day I will find a significant other or at least a pleasant companion.

October 10, 2020: It feels weird.

 Today when I was walking Sweetsie in the neighborhood I said hello to some neighbors.  They were a young couple working together in their yard.  It hit me again how strange it feels to not be part of a couple.  It was never in my plans.  I guess I thought I might be a widow someday.  But that was in the future, not now.

I've joined the league of older single women.  It's a big club.  But, it feels weird to be a member of it.  Jim used to talk about growing old together.  Maybe if he hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't be thinking of it now.

There are a lot of positives to living alone.  I can buy whatever I want for my house without consulting anyone,  watch whatever I want on TV, listen or not listen to any music, go to bed when I feel like it, etc.  But, I'm not sure I'll ever grow used to it.  Or maybe I already have -  I just bought a new car.  I researched different models, chose one and bought it.  

It is wonderful to be independent.  It just continues to feel weird.

                                                      September 15, 2020:  Double Trouble 

                                                                VIRUS AND SMOKE!

2020/09/13: Sweetsie on a walk with dog walker. Today it's too smoky for him to take her.

For the first time since I was a kid in Rochester, NY I have a little garden.  I watered it everyday.  I'd sit on my porch enjoying my flowers and waving to passersby.  It made staying at home during the pandemic more bearable.

But now, it seems like Portland's beautiful summer and fall have abruptly ended.  Last week wind storms started.  It was like a hurricane without the rain.  The huge pine trees bent in half as the wind roared through.  The winds encouraged forest fires.  

Now the air is very still and filled with thick smoke.  Sweetsie and I can't sit on the front porch or go for walks.  Poor Sweetsie keeps bugging me to walk her.  It's actually so bad here that even opening the door to let her outside is difficult.  The smoke and burning smell is so strong.  My flowers are suffering without my attention.

We are lucky here that we just have the smoke and not the fires.

It's dark in the mornings.  My cat, Stella is letting me sleep later.  As I write I'm sitting under my daylight lamp.  Otherwise I'd probably stay up late into the night and sleep until the afternoon.  I want to keep my circadian rhythm normal.

My hobbies keep me motivated to get up and moving every day.  My mother always thought that my sewing was a strange hobby.  But, it certainly is helpful now.

I finally learned how to use my sewing machine's walking foot.  It's easy and really helps with sewing knits.  I'm working on getting a t-shirt to fit me.  I have a small frame and big bust.  Finding a nice fit in ready-to-wear is difficult.  I've already made one using a Pamela Pattern.  It isn't quite right so I've tweaked the pattern and cut out another shirt.  I plan on finishing the shirt today.  I'm using a different knit fabric so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one turns out better.

My timing isn't always very good (eg. using the crosswalk when a bus is being driven by an inept, irresponsible driver).  However, when it turned out that I had to get my heat pump moved because of my home remodel, I decided to have a Halo unit installed.  https://www.rgf.com/products/air/reme-halo/

I was thinking that it would be a good thing to have because of the pandemic.  It cleans the air with ultraviolet light killing viruses, bacteria and filtering the air from dust, smoke, etc.  So I'm a lucky one in Portland now.  My house doesn't smell smoky!

September 10, 2020: My house remodel, Part 2

 Guess I got out of the habit of blogging.  3 years of not being able to express myself in writing has changed me.  I think about what I'd like to say but that's as far as it goes.  I'm going to attempt to do better.  It's healthy - makes me feel connected and chases negative thoughts away.

My House Remodeling Part 2

BEFORE: The front of my house:

AFTER:

I have enjoyed my new front porch so much!  Sweetsie loves sitting out there with me. 

I even planted a little garden in front of the porch.  Fuschia are in containers on the porch rails.

I had my front door painted in dark pink last year.  This year I decided that the garage door should match.

People who walk by compliment me on my pretty house!

The driveway used to be full of broken concrete.  I had a new larger driveway poured.  An addition of a basketball hoop over the garage gives Kenny his own practice court.

August 5, 2020: Life is a Crap Shoot

And sometimes what you get can be pretty crappy.

Ten years ago was my tenth wedding anniversary.  We had hoped to travel to cooler climes on our anniversaries.  But in 2010 I was recovering from knee replacement surgery.  

In 1969 I was in an automobile accident.  The collision spun my car around and then hit a huge tree.  As a result my left kneecap was shattered.  The pieces were surgically removed.  The kneecap functions as a fulcrum to the lever formed by the long leg bones.  Its removal results in a 33% permanent disability.

The disability worsened as I aged.  I saw an orthopedist who told me to wait as long as possible for a knee replacement.  I waited until I was 59.  He replaced the knee joint but could not replace the kneecap.

So, in July 2010, when Rice University's classes were out for the summer I got my new knee joint.  It was wonderfully successful.

My husband and I celebrated our tenth anniversary at the restaurant in Hotel ZaZa.  We spoke about how we would have a vacation the next year to celebrate.

But, by our 11th anniversary on August 5, 2011 my husband had become quadriplegic as a result of a fall in November 2010.  He also had sustained a severe brain injury.  

Shortly after our anniversary in 2012 I found out that he had proposed and given an engagement ring to his young Mexican caregiver.  He told me he didn't love me or even like me anymore.  We were divorced in 2013.

I love to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and birthdays.  Today is no cause for celebration though.

My house remodel, Part 1

I had lots of remodeling done to my house after I finally got my settlement with the bus company.  Mostly I worked on making my home more handicap friendly.  But, also I had other work done just to make me happy,

My she shed

I wanted to build a laundry room in my garage.  I had to walk down steps and go into my garage that was usually extremely cold.  But, first I had to move all my stored stuff out of the garage.  I had a shed built in the backyard.  On the outside it looks like a cute "she shed."  Not so cute on the inside - just shelves with christmas and halloween things plus lots of other stuff.

 

before

I now have a laundry room with shelves for canned goods and supplies, a freezer, a pegboard with tools, a utility sink, litter box, a small work table along with the washer and dryer.  I had a pet door installed so the dog and cat can go outside.  So far, neither of them will use it - too chicken!
I had hoped to put a fabric cutting table in it, too but not enough space.  So I still have to use the kitchen table.

I had a ramp installed from the laundry room door into the garage.  I put groceries, etc. into bins and load them onto my old wheelchair and roll them up into the house.  Wheelchairs are great for moving stuff.  They can hold lots of weight and don't tip over easily - much more user friendly than a dolly or cart.

I had pegboards installed above the handrail on the ramp.  Here I hang garden tools, shopping bags, brooms, etc.  I found some skinny shelves to put in the garage along the other side of the ramp.  I put things that I can easily grab when I'm on the ramp - canned drinks, paper towels, water bottles.

The view of laundry room wall from the garage. 
Of course, I hang artwork in my garage!

My house is still tiny but the space is much more useful now.