No, I'm not disabled. I just hurt if I walk a lot.

After sitting through a lot of our day at the swap meet in Minnesota playing games on the iPad, I decided maybe I should think about getting a mobility scooter.  After reading about two hundred reviews on Amazon and seeing many questions answered, I took the plunge and ordered one.  

It's actually described as an indoor-use scooter, but according to opinions of people who loved the thing, lots of them use it outdoors under certain circumstances.  It doesn't do bumps too well, can't go up extremely steep hills, and doesn't like wet grass.  This may mean I can't use it at tractor shows, at least not at all of them.  Time will tell.  I told Cliff I would rather spend $600 and risk having to re-sell it at perhaps half the price on Craigslist than to spend over $2,500 for one that is rated for outside and find out I wouldn't use it.  This may be an expensive experiment, but it isn't a budget-breaking one.  There are people on Craigslist looking for used scooters, so I'm sure I can recoup some of my expense if I need to.  At the very least, I will end up with some idea of whether I should expend five times the money and get an outdoor one.  

Cliff and I do lots of museums, and my knees get really sore, really fast these days.  I have a rough time at the zoo, also.  Of course, the zoo has scooters to rent, if that were the only place I wanted to go.  I have gotten to the point, lately, of not wanting to do anything that requires a lot of walking simply because of the pain.  I don't like being so limited.  

Some time back I got the idea that Medicare would cover the cost of a scooter, but upon doing research, I learned that a doctor has to submit a form saying you need one for use inside your home.  Well, I don't.  I'm sure there are doctors who would lie for you, but I don't like to do things that way.  Here's what I found on the Medicare website:

 – You have a health condition that causes significant difficulty moving around in your home. – You’re unable to do activities of daily living (like bathing, dressing, getting in or out of a bed or chair, or using the bathroom), even with the help of a cane, crutch, or walker. – You’re able to safely operate and get on and off the wheelchair or scooter, or have someone with you who’s always available to help you safely use the device. – Your doctor who’s treating you for the condition that requires a wheelchair or scooter and your supplier are both enrolled in Medicare. – The equipment must be usable within your home (for example, it’s not too big to fit through doorways in your home or blocked by floor surfaces or things in its path.)

Anyway, I'm going to try it.  We'll see how it goes.  If it doesn't work for me, it won't be the first dollars I flushed down the drain.  

Speaking of experiments, I am very thankful that I've invested in a stationary bike that lets me exercise!  When Cliff and I got back on a weight-loss program in December, we each lost fifteen pounds or so and then hit a platform.  We were eating the same number of calories but no longer losing.  Once I started hopping on the bike for 45 minutes or so daily, I began slowly shedding weight.  Burning calories makes the difference.