My friend wears handicap blinders

My slightly disabled friend kindly gives me rides sometimes, so I hesitate being a backseat driver, but recently I noticed a pattern he employs that bugs me when it comes to his handicap parking.

My buddy has a disability permit. His first doctor said he was well enough and that he should walk more. The doc would not recommend a special parking placard. So what did my friend do? He drove to the next town for a second opinion.

I don’t believe he told the second doctor what the first thought. Perhaps my friend exaggerated his agony, trying to gain quick empathy. Another thing that bothers me is when my friend sometimes aims to park in a designated spot; a regular parking spot is also open mere steps away. What if someone with a more difficult disability needed the spot my friend just snagged? Someone blind who’s experienced a horrific crash or a quadriplegic needing room for his wheelchair?

Mt friend doesn’t see it this way. For him it’s “First come, first serve!” When I see attitudes like this I’m reminded of the nine UCLA football players who counterfeited handicapped placards back in 1999*. Here was a case of our most able-bodied men caught being parking cheats.

My friend makes the argument that he needs the closest spot in the event of an icy pathway. Well, maybe so, but some desired spots are icier because they’re closer to the building shade! I would hope for snow my friend would don proper shoes or use lightweight cleats. And call on me to guide him to the door.

 Meanwhile, if my friend would consider nicer courtesy toward those with less fortunate ambulatory capabilities, it would be a nice turn of a walk for him to take.

*https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/29/sports/college-football-9-enter-pleas-in-ucla-parking-case.html

Emergency snow-thrower reserve

A few weeks ago, when we had back-to-back snowstorms I went down to Clearwater nursery in Bellevue to pick up some extra shear-pins for my snowblower. While there, I noticed that they completely sold out of new snow blowers and only had half a dozen used ones in stock. The shop supervisor said that when he tried to order new ones, his supplier said that they were completely out nationwide, due the abundance of snowstorms. Clearwater has sold all twelve of their new ones during that last big storm.

Later on his supplier called back and said that they had been able to tap into some sort of national reserve of snow blowers and that they would be able to supply him with some more, after all. Evidently, it helped that parts of Idaho had been declared a national emergency due to the heavy snows, roofs caving in, etc. And FEMA or some such agency must be keeping a backup supply available somewhere.