Visiting Beard and Peanut

I arrived in the neighborhood where Beard and Peanut live, and decided to get some lunch before arriving at their house. I called Peanut to let her know that I was just blocks away, and she told me that Beard was still not aware that I was going to surprise him for his birthday.  I show up at their door, and she lets me in. I walk into their living room looking at my map, muttering, “I should have made a left in Albuquerque” (a line from some of my favorite Bugs Bunny episodes).  Beard just stares at me, trying to figure out what I am doing in Arizona.  The surprise worked! WEEE!

As described earlier, earlier in the year a delivery truck ran a traffic light and hit Beard on his motorcycle, causing doctors to amputate his left leg, just above the knee.  A drastic change, but here he was, able to make jokes about it.  His prosthetic leg had just recently arrived, and he was regularly in physical therapy to relearn how to walk. As it worked out, his trainer also had a prosthetic leg (after getting a snake bite as a very young child), and Beard was amazed at how well his instructor was able to walk. So, this gave him much optimism and motivation. While it takes months to work up the strength and stamina to use the prosthetic on a full-time basis, Beard was only able to practice for about 30 minutes each day.  One of his co-therapy students had tried to rush the process, which caused damage to the blood vessels, requiring some further amputation, so this was sufficient warning for Beard to keep to the therapy schedule and work up his endurance.

Beard’s attitude was great.  He always had a way of looking at the glass being half-full, and he was adjusting well to the ‘new normal’. His wife, Peanut, is also incredibly supportive, and they worked as a team to keep this challenge from beating them. We did a trip to the store, and Beard was showing off his new hoveround, speeding up and down the aisles, carrying bags of potatoes in the space where his leg would normally fit.

While practicing with his new leg and walker, Beard gave me permission to take some photos and pictures.  All of his friends, in Columbus and our riding group, were wishing him the best in his recovery, and it was comforting to see him able to get up on the new leg.

As we spent time chatting about friends and news, Beard mentioned how his friend Trevor had come to visit a few months before the accident, and how unfortunate it was that Peanut had to be out of town during his visit. “Boy, it would be nice if Trevor could come out for a visit sometime when Peanut is here.”  A little later, he talked about wanting to see our friend Lang, from California, again. “We had a great time when he passed through town a few years ago. It sure would be fun if he came to visit again!”.

Little did Beard realize that both Trevor and Lang were coming to town for his surprise party!  It was fun to see the look on his face when Lang knocked at the door. Much like the confused look Beard had when I arrived, it quickly turned into surprise.

For his birthday, Beard was looking forward to getting a free lunch at his favorite barbecue restaurant in town. While we’re in line, someone cuts in line in front of him “Excuse me. Out of my way. Excuse me.” It’s Trevor.  Once again, the confused expression before Beard realizes that we’re all arriving for his 50th birthday.

For dinner, we go to another restaurant for a free dinner (it’s has the same owners as lunch, but with a very different menu). He’s all about free.  After dinner, Peanut mentions that there is a band playing at the coffee shop next door to their church.  As she’s driving, her phone keeps getting text messages, so she gives me her phone. Their church group was waiting for him at the coffee shop, and they wanted to be assembled to surprise him.  Using my GPS, I give them the countdown (5 minutes away, 3 minutes, 1 minute). Just as we pull into the parking lot, his step-daughter calls to wish him a happy birthday. He’s busy on the phone as we unpack the hoveround and some of the treats for the party, so he doesn’t even notice us.  He rolls into the coffee shop to have dozens of their congregation shout “SURPRISE!”. He’s really and truly surprised.  He didn’t have any idea that this was in the works.

It is a fun gathering, with their favorite local band playing and good food and treats for everyone. Hardly anyone in their church had seen them since the accident, so this was their first opportunity to share their support. I had met his parents when they came through Ohio once, and they now live in Phoenix, so it was really nice to see them once again.  Peanut had asked me to gather some pictures of Beard onto a DVD, so they play that in a loop on a screen next to the band. There are lots of pictures from road trips and parties in Ohio, and each picture tells a story. Peanut told me that their friends in Arizona didn’t know any of his friends from Ohio or the road trips, so this was a great way to show them photos from other places and times.  The party was quite a success!

A few days after the party, Trevor and Lang fly to their respective homes, and I start my trip back towards Ohio.

Next: Back to the Ozarks…