The (community) 'hood

(From L to R) Obi-Wan, The Bulldog, and The Tiger. They were pulling up into my driveway just after their electric wheelchair races.

I have been very reluctant to post photos of the people mentioned in this blog. There is a fine line between exploitation and innocent sharing. This photo was too good to keep to myself so hopefully this would be categorized as innocent sharing. But I'm writing about these people (names changed) on the world-wide-waste-of-time without their knowing...and now posting their photos. Maybe I'll take it down after a few days. I don't know. Your input is appreciated.

The story of this photo is as follows: Just this week Obi-Wan was telling me that he wanted to get an electric wheelchair. His hands are too crippled and weak to push himself in a regular wheelchair. My junk wheeler/dealer neighbor Frieda Sanford and her boys picked up TWO electric wheelchairs today at a garage sale for $30 a piece (a steal). They find out Obi-Wan was interested so they had the two plus another they've had. While he was out test riding in the street (the first time he's been out in months) the Sanford boys joined in and raced him. It was hilarious. An 88 year old man and two teens racing wheelchairs in the street like punks.

Bottom line: Frieda sells him the one he likes for $60. She makes a 100% profit to support her family and Obi-Wan gets a $2300 wheelchair for $60. It's win-win. Capitalism at its best. Of course, she could have sold it in a garage sale for much more, but she was being nice.

Obi-Wan has a new found independence. He can now join us for walks around the neighborhood. And his nurse was visiting today so she lined up a guy to come over Monday to start building a ramp inside his garage for his new wheels.

Obi-Wan was like a little kid riding around in the street.