Uncle Donkeys Tales

How to deal with type 1 diabetes

I’ve heard so many different times from several different people that I manage and stay on top of my blood sugars more than anybody they’ve ever worked with. My blood sugars usually never higher than 200

You have to stay on top of it or your health will diminish it can lead to amputations blindness and even death. It is very important that you check your blood sugars and administer insulin right away if you notice your blood sugar is high. I promise it’s going to cut down on a hospital trips risk of amputation and all kinds of other complications.

I’ve been a type 1 diabetic for the last 7 years and I still have 20/20 vision no amputations or complications. If you are a type 1 diabetic and you are not paying attention to your insulin levels as much as you should I highly recommend you do. If you have any questions message me and I will answer them for you

The importance of life

If you’ve been following along for any time you know that I’ve been in high risk for happening to sell the home I currently own in order to pay for my cares. Just wanted to update… as of now there’s no options to save it from happening and they are forcing me to sell my home in order to continue to pay for my cares so I have to go into a rental property. My Special Needs Trust manager will not entertain any ideas I have on how to fix the situation so unfortunately by August 15th I need to be packed and in a rental property. I also wanted to thank all of you I just hit 9586 views for the last 5 months and none of it would have been possible without you. Please like And subscribe and I will keep you all updated! Thanks to everyone you are helping my blog grow and that’s what I need

I wish I could find somebody that could set up some kind of loan so I can put $100,000 in my account which would give me a cushion in case something catastrophic happens if I was able to do that I might just be able to keep the home I I’m in. I would even be willing to sign some sort of contract on when it needs to be paid by but I would pay $2,000 a month until paid off

Just want some advice. Please and thank you!

Now I’ve paid for a few ad campaigns that have helped and today I have over 9,000 views since I started my blog in February, the 7th to be exact. So we are still not quite there but almost 5 months my blog has been running.

I’m hoping you guys will help me, should I post about quadriplegic stuff, like preventing pressure sores, how often to offload, what to watch out for, things like that. Please find the comment section and let me know what you want to read about.

Should I post about type 1 diabetes and how to manage it since I’m a type 1 diabetic and I usually keep my blood sugars very consistent.

Should I post it off working on cars and how to do it since I’m a car guy as well.

Last but not least should I post about being a single father, or just keep doing things the way I’m doing it? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think and I will create a blog going over everybody’s opinion the one with the most opinions is what I’m going to go with. Thanks y’all! #Donkeydidit #thatquadlife

More than one thing…

On what subject(s) are you an authority?

Now, first and foremost, it’s important to me that you know I have not been to school for these topics and I don’t have any certifications. I only have the knowledge because of first-hand experience.

I would consider myself the authority on the subject of being paralyzed considering I have been a quadriplegic for 11 years now.

I’ve had to deal with several pressure ulcers Burns and different kinds of wounds in the past 11 years so I would consider myself the authority on the topic of wound care and how to take care of and heal a wound.

I have been a type one diabetic for the last 7 years with no vision problems no amputations or anything, so I would consider myself an authority on the subject of diabetes and how to properly care for yourself or one with type 1 diabetes.

Having been through a failed marriage I would say I am an authority of what not to do when it comes to being in a relationship.

I’m pretty smart when it comes to car and what’s wrong with them how to fix them and suck but I don’t think I’m quite the authority on that subject however when it comes to Construction and how to build a house or fence or do plumbing or hang drywall or do some framing I would say I am an authority on the subject.

Last but not least, considering I have basically been a parent for the last 16 and a half 17 years and a single father for the last six, I would definitely say I am an authority on the subject of raising children… I have learned how to teach my children with minimal punishment and it works. All my children are very respectful and my 18 year old step son in which I fathered for the first 13 years of his life, even graduated.

If donkeydidit… You can too!

#donkeydidit

#thatquadlife

The growth of my children.

What are you most excited about for the future?

I think what I look forward to most in my future is watching my children become independent, accountable, and responsible. I can’t wait to see them become adults and act like adults should. To be completely responsible for their own actions and outcomes in life. Whether that’s go off to college, buy their own first car, or have their own children… You know what??? I don’t want it to happen, but, it happens to some people and most learn from it and move on, but, I’m even looking forward to seeing them get in to their own first adult trouble. If that’s what happens then I’m excited to see how they handle it, learn from it, and move on from it.

I really hope they end up being every good moral I taught them, and nothing they don’t like about the way I am as a person or parent. After all isn’t that your goal as a parent? To teach your child good morals but at the same time, do it without doing any of the things you hated about the way you were parented? Idk, leave a comment and let me know! Already though, I look at my kids, and their actions, responses, and attitudes, both with me and when they are not with me, show me that they are learning and make me feel like a proud parent. They rarely do things they should not do, they respect their elders, and they do not participate if one of their friends is doing something and they know it’s wrong. Anyhow, I think this is what I look forward to most. Remember… If donkeydidit, you can too!

Is it ok to complain?

I once had a buddy tell me that he would get upset if he was in my shoes and somebody was complaining…

My take on that though… You never know what somebody else is going through unless they tell you directly. You can never just assume that your problems are worse than somebody else’s. We all react to things differently and we can’t control the amount of emotion our nervous system sends out when certain scenarios happen. On top of that, complaining is our natural way of coping with what is happening. We want to and we do feel better when somebody listens.

I’ve always wanted to be some kind of caseworker and believe it or not, quite a few people both younger and older than me actually look up to me and come to me for advice quite often. When something bothers you, you get it off your chest, you learn from it, and you move on. If somebody did something that bothers you, it’s important that you discuss it with them ASAP or the very next time you see them. Otherwise it just sits in your gut and makes you sick. Plus that’s what fake people do and I don’t know about you but I’m trying to be as real as possible. I want people to know they’re getting 100% donkey and not some half-ass generic version.

It’s funny because my sister-in-law was complaining about her legs hurting the other day while we were at the grocery store. My immediate response as a quadriplegic, was yeah tell me about it, I’m tired of walking, my legs are killing me. We both immediately busted into laughter. 🤪😂

Remember… If donkeydidit… You can too!

#donkeydidit

#thatquadlife

What Uncle Donkey is passionate about…

I love my kids and I am super passionate about raising them and making sure they have great morals but aside from that, my passion is cars.

I love just about anything to do with cars. Just about anything with a motor actually. Cars, trucks, semi’s, utvs, it doesn’t matter. Now, As a quadriplegic I only have 1 vehicle because I can’t drive.

If I could still drive I would probably have at least 3 vehicles. I love working on them (I often let people use my tools and teach them how to fix and work on their own vehicles), customizing, washing them, learning about them, just anything that has to do with vehicles I am game for.

I love making them preform better and I often go to races. Whether it’s circle track racing, drift racing, or drag racing I love it all. If I knew somebody with a two-seated race car of any kind I would totally strap in and go for a ride. I don’t care how fast or slow.

I have taught people how to change their breaks, do oil changes, put in new spark plugs, o2 sensors, I even walked somebody through the process of replacing the front struts on their car. All from the comfort of my wheelchair.

My personal vehicle is a white 2011 honda odyssey. I tinted the windows, put a awesome stereo system in it, put black 22 inch rims on it, had a custom exhaust made for it, added a dvd player for my kids, put an aftermarket drilled and slotted 6 piston break kit on it, upgraded the ignition system, and put an aftermarket intake set up on it.

2011 Honda Odyssey and its current setup

I figured, if I had to be stuck driving a minivan, it would be the coolest one around. It sounds good, it goes around corners like it’s on the rails, and believe it or not it will spin the 10 inch wide by 22 inch tires if you punch it at a stoplight. If you lock up the e-brake you can floor it and it will sit there and smoke the tires like it’s nothing.

We take it downtown once in awhile and it doesn’t do too bad from stoplight to a stoplight if you get what I’m saying. It loves Mountain Roads as well with almost no body roll you can go around a 45 mile an hour turn at 80 85 like it’s nothing.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed and if you know anybody in Idaho that has a two-seater race car they can put me in, let me know. Other than that, thank you so much and don’t forget, if donkeydidit… You can too!

The importance of staying positive

Now don’t get me wrong I have bad days, but, as a parent it’s important to stay positive. Especially around your children. If you are having a bad day it’s important you do not let it affect the way you deal with your children. You don’t take it out on them. If you don’t stay positive and only see the negative side of everything… You stop caring about yourself and you stop caring about your children. Your Health starts to decline, you end up in hospital and you don’t care about what your kids are doing, how they are doing, who they’re doing it with, or where they’re doing it at.

Nobody’s going to ruin my day except for me. If I am having a hard time staying positive I force myself to go do something I know I enjoy. You’re not going to get anywhere in life if you just sit around and dwell about every situation. Staying positive also makes it easier to get through the hard times. Being down and negative just makes the hard times drag on and on and never end. Do whatever you can to take your mind off the issue. If you’re busy just allow yourself 5 minutes to breathe and focus on something else, tell yourself it could be worse… I could be homeless and dealing with this issue or I could have two flat tires instead of one. If you’re still struggling, find somebody you can vent to. It’s good to talk about your issues it’s your body’s way of coping and getting through things.

Thanks for reading, have a good day, and don’t forget… If donkeydidit, you can too!

Donkey gets caught by his daughter

One night back in December my daughter asked if she could go to a friend’s house for a sleepover. As I usually do, I told her yes as long as I get the parents phone number and the address of where she will be. She gets me the info and later that evening (after she’s already gone) I decided to look up the address. It looked very familiar and I knew I had been there before.

I open Google maps and I start sifting through the history… Boom, I found it! I knew it looked familiar! I had taken her and two of her friends roller skating and this is where we picked one of them up. It was the address to a mobile home park and this particular friend of hers was a male and there was no way I would ever let my 14-year-old daughter spend the night at a boy’s house.

I never have an issue trusting my children and I rarely accuse them of lying, they just don’t do it… I decided to message her and she promised she wasn’t at his house and it was just a coincidence. When I picked the boy up to go skating, I didn’t have a mobile home number, but, I remember exactly where we picked him up from. This time I have a mobile home number and I told myself if it’s anywhere even close to where we picked him up she’s in trouble. So I sat around for a couple hours debating on what I should do and letting it turn in my gut.

I asked a couple people what they would do in this situation and we collectively agreed I should go drive by. Ok so now it’s like 11pm at night and I can’t take it anymore… I got to know… Is she actually lying to me??? We get over there and we’re driving around the mobile home park unable to see anything let alone a tiny little number on the corner of a mobile home. My sister-in-law got out to walk around so she could get closer to the numbers and tell which one was which.

We quickly established that the one the boy lived in is in a completely different area than the one she was at this time. We turned the corner on to a dead end Road with a little cul-de-sac at the end and all of a sudden we hear my daughter’s voice… Oh my God there’s my dad, let’s go inside. There she was, her and two of her girlfriends, no boys, out on the deck hanging out. She instantly sends me 2 text messages… The first one in all caps… DAD I’M NOT DOING THIS!!! And the second one… YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW!!! I didn’t get out, we just simply turned around and went home… I did not say a single word to her… I now knew she was being 100% truthful. In fact I never should have questioned it. Next day when I pick her up, She said she was embarrassed and I felt so bad for making her think I did not trust her.

Luckily… After she got home, her and I had a good talk. I explained everything to her and why I felt like I had to drive by. She completely understood and really showed me just how responsible and grown up she really is. She said it totally makes sense and she would have thought the same thing as well. She just said it sucked because it made her feel like I didn’t trust her. I told her I understood and that I was sorry. I pointed out that I hardly ever accuse her or her brother of lying and it’s not like this happens a lot, but, I had to know… It’s a father’s job to protect his children… Especially his daughter! I told her… If I’ve ever done anything right in my life, it’s be a parent, and I’m not going to stop now!

I hope you enjoyed reading about this and hopefully you cracked a smile. I often do when I think back to this moment.

Please like comment and share share share my website/blog! Thank you for everything hope you’re having a wonderful day and never forget… If donkeydidit… You can too! 🤙

Good job Uncle Donkey…

Write a letter to your 100-year-old self.

Uncle Donkey, if you are reading this letter that means you lived to be 100 years old. Wow, good for you… It wasn’t easy but you pulled it off. You have been through so much and kept going. So many times the universe and other people tried to beat you down and you wouldn’t have it. You just kept getting back up on your feet and moving forward. Good for you!

You were able to get married, you raised three children, good children at that, and you learned how to survive as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. Life wasn’t easy but you kept fighting. You have earned everything you have. You’ve come so far in the last 100 years. You have done things nobody else can do and completed things most people would give up on.

Anytime you would start to lose you would figure it out and conquer the task. You were always there for your kids and you were a giver. You were never greedy and you weren’t afraid to share everything you had as long as your kids didn’t go without. Good job for you, at 100 years old you have really set an example and impacted a lot of lives positively.

You were a giver when no one else could give and a helper when nobody else could help. You were never lazy and you never took the easy way out. You didn’t start something unless you knew you could finish it and you never made a promise you couldn’t keep.

It’s unfortunate you had to go the troubles you did, but they are what made you who you are today. You wouldn’t be the same without them. Just know that you did your best and your best was well. Don’t doubt yourself or think otherwise.

Good job Uncle Donkey!

Sincerely,

Uncle Donkey

Don’t forget… If donkeydidit… You can too!

Other than a fine wine, cheese, or a good whiskey…

What do you think gets better with age?

I think that when it comes to people or the human being specifically, the only attribute that gets better with age is wisdom. As you get older you get smarter and wiser, the older you get the smarter you are. That’s why you never argue with your elders and any chance you have to get their advice or observe how they do things, you should pay attention and soak it up. That is why we say “trust me, I’ve been doing it for x amount of years” or “trust me I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you” when our children or somebody significantly younger than us tries to argue

Patients and self control

What makes a teacher great?

Whether it’s about my care, I’m trying to help somebody work on their vehicle, or I’m trying to teach my child something… As a quadriplegic, I have had to teach many people. I think a good teacher should have tons of patience and self-control. Not everybody just understands. You have to learn to remain calm and come up with different ways on how to explain what you are trying to get across. You cannot just get irritated and mad at somebody because you had to go over things three or four times. Sometimes people just don’t get it and you have to come up with different ways of explaining the same thing so that you can get them to understand. I also believe that a good teacher needs to lead by example. You need to be a good role model and show your students how to be good people.

My children for sure!

Who do you spend the most time with?

As a single father and quadriplegic that does not work, I definitely spend the majority of my time with my children and their friends for sure. I love spending time with my children and I never get annoyed by them or “need a break” from them. NEVER!

Thinking back, as a kid, I remember my parents constantly telling us kids to go play or get out of their face or go outside. Seems like they would almost do anything and where constantly trying to get rid of us haha. Not me though, no way! I love my kids and I love spending time with them! Now that they are teens it seems like they don’t want anything to do with me when I want to go somewhere or have an idea on something to do. You know, when I want to spend time with them, but I bribe them into it all the time haha. Usually we go on drives and spend lots of time together in the car, but we watch movies together, I’ll go outside and hang out with them while they play basketball or hit the volleyball back and forth, we go on lots of walks together, and I’ll even save money to order a nice dinner we all sit together at the table and eat. I enjoy the long drives the most though I think because we are all very close when we are in the car and it’s more intimate and personal. It seems like it means more. There is no TV, computer, or wifi, we have to listen to each other.

Life is short, and one day you’re going to wake up and you’re not going to be able to do something you used to enjoy doing anymore. Like, chasing your kids around the park, going on bike rides, or even just being the Tickle Monster, it doesn’t matter… One day, you are going to wake up and find that something you enjoyed doing today you are now no longer able to do, or you’re not going to wake up at all. I know because it happened to me and I’ve observed it happen too many other people. Hell, I used to throw my kids up in the air, tickle them to death, go on bike rides, and chase them through the park. However, one day… I was with my kids and my ex-wife, you know, spending time with the people I love and in under a minute… I went from being able to do all those things to not being able to do anything at all, not even, wipe my own butt. So! Don’t forget! Spend time with the people you love first! You want to make sure that once you’re gone, they have memories of you and they can stop every now and again and smile thinking about you and the things they used to do with you. After that, spend time doing and mastering the other things you enjoy!

Anyhow, I hope you are well and have a wonderful day! Remember, if donkeydidit… You can too!

#donkeydidit

#thatquadlife

How to be a good parent

If you find yourself wondering whether or not you are a good parent… Maybe this will help? Uncle Donkey’s thoughts about what makes a good parent…

I’ve been a parent for the last 17 years, since my stepson was 1 and a half years old. As a parent myself, a single parent (for the last 5 years), a father to be exact, I have to say… There are definitely times where I don’t think I was being a very good parent or at the very least, I questioned myself. Most importantly though, if I thought it was wrong or I thought I could figure out a better way too parent, I changed the way I did it, so, I was able to recognize it and correct it rather than keep doing it or do it excessively. That’s the important part, being able to identify and correct it. Even if it’s not wrong, if the way you’re parenting your children makes you uneasy in any way, notate it and work on doing things a different way. A way that still works but you don’t have to question whether or not it was right or wrong or too harsh or whatever. Even if it’s not bad parenting, if you feel uneasy during or after parenting your children then you need to know to change your way. A good parent can identify when they feel this way and change the way they do things for the better of their children.

I believe a good parent always, no matter what, puts their kids first before anything else! I’m talking about their wants, their needs, their feelings, and yes, even their actions. Now don’t get me wrong, I know, most people have to work in order to pay for life, but, your children still come first. They are more important than money!

I know it’s a new day and age and things are much different than when I was a child, but, I don’t believe that spanking your child every now and again makes you a bad parent. As long as you aren’t beating them, or using a belt, or a stick like my parents did back in the day and it’s a last resort only option… I don’t see anything wrong with that. In fact, I think sometimes it’s the only thing that can truly correct, or get a child to snap out of a certain behavior.

I think that a good parent is persistent and doesn’t give in. No means no and if it’s a no now, it will always be a no. I believe that A good parent will correct their child no matter when or where if they are doing something or acting in a way they should not be.

I believe that as a parent, a good parent, you make sure that no matter what, your child knows they are important to you. In other words don’t push them away but rather give them excuses to spend time with you. Give them reasons to want to be around you and if they do then soak it up and don’t shun them away. If they need you to do something for them, a good parent does it as soon as possible. A good parent will be there for their child if their child is wanting them. Now, maybe not every time, but most of time… They will be there for things like, award ceremonies, basketball games, or hurt feelings.

I think a good parent makes sure that their children knows that the way they feel, their feelings are important to you and they do matter. For instance… My daughter told me she didn’t like it when I drank alcohol and asked me to quit 3 years ago… Well, guess what? I went from drinking to the point I had a good Buzz at least three or four times a month, to the point where last year I only had 5 beers all year long and in 2024 I’ve only drank twice. A little bit on New Year’s, and then I had a little bit on my birthday.

I believe that a good parent is honest with their children and shows their children how important it is to tell the truth. How important honesty is, whether it’s about something you did or the way you feel. It’s important to be honest and real. As long as my children either come to me and tell me before I find out through somebody else or they are matter of fact and truthful the first time I ask, I won’t be hard on them and I will help them work through it. However if they try to lie, be deceitful, or I have to find out through a third party well after the fact, then we’re going to have issues. It’s important that I’m honest with my kids and they are honest with me. You have to show them that they don’t have to be afraid to be honest. If they get in trouble because they were honest about doing something wrong then next time they’re going to think twice about being honest with you. Think about that.

Last but not least, I think that a good parent knows that it is their decisions today that effect their children’s tomorrow! In other words, you don’t do anything, without thinking about your children and how it will affect them first. I don’t care how bad you want to do it.

Now being a parent is a very complex complicated thing and there are so many other things you need to teach your children, and you need to lead by example and stuff like that but, Aside from the spanking, I think that if you are at least doing these things, you are doing a pretty decent job at being a parent. Let me know how you feel about my thoughts and please like, comment, and share! Have a great day and don’t forget… If donkeydidit, you can too!

It’s important to remember this!

No matter what always try hard to stay positive and never forget… Life could be worse. Do your best not to ever take anything for granted, remind yourself to stop and be thankful, appreciate, and make sure to cherish everything you have as it may not be there tomorrow. Trust me… If donkeydidit… You can too!