HARMONY — Once a singer fronting an oldies band and a self-employed master plumber, Jim Ehrhardt now spends his days in a motorized wheelchair and calls a nursing facility home.

But don't feel sorry for the 58-year-old, self-described people person, and certainly don't count him out.

Ehrhardt fully participates in and enjoys his life since a fall from an unfinished staircase in 2000 broke two vertebrae in his cervical spine, rendering him virtually paralyzed from the chest down.

Ehrhardt invested in a voice-activated computer program that allows him to perform any function online or on his word processing program by issuing voice commands.

A visit from his 2-year-old granddaughter Mandi four years ago prompted him to begin his writing career with the short story "Pap Pap and Mimi Take Mandi to Pellway," which is a mystical zoo where all the animals talk in rhyme.

"I just looked at her one day, and she just inspired me in every way," Ehrhardt said Monday as he puffed on the pipe clenched between his teeth.

Once his muse arrived at Evergreen Nursing Home, where all who pass offer a hearty hello to Ehrhardt, the sporadic sleeper began writing approximately 18 hours per day.

"They gave me a roommate who sleeps all the time," said Ehrhardt of his ability to wake up at 2 a.m. and dictate to his computer.

Ehrhardt recently published a 139-page book aimed at the preteen age group, titled "The Adventures of Poppy McBee."

The book was published through PublishAmerica.

He said a sequel is in the works, and he sent a copy of the completed book to Walt Disney Productions for consideration as a movie.

Ehrhardt is also returning to his musical roots, having formed an oldies band that rehearses at Evergreen on Wednesdays and Sundays. The combo's first gig is Aug. 19 at the nursing home, where residents and staff will listen to music from the 1950s and '60s.

Ehrhardt also has 312 e-mail contacts to whom he sends funny messages or newsletters about his exploits.

"I hope I am an inspiration to other handicapped people," Ehrhardt said. "People should know they shouldn't sit around and be unhappy about it. Because I'm happy."

But that mirthful attitude wasn't always the case.

After his accident, Ehrhardt endured several surgeries to repair his broken vertebrae. He seemed to be on the mend, but still had virtually no use of his hands. Surgeons talked him into one more operation that would return their use.

"That surgery did me in, and I started to go downhill," Ehrhardt said.

His wife cared for him at home for six years, but Ehrhardt in 2006 became severely depressed at being stuck in the house instead of out among people.

"I was so depressed, I drove my wheelchair down the basement steps," said Ehrhardt. "I broke my wrist and all the bones around my left eye and chipped some teeth."

Psychologists determined the action resulted from anger over the handicap and placed him in Western Psychiatric Institute in Pittsburgh for a couple months. He was then transferred to D.T. Watson Rehabilitation Hospital before the state placed him at Evergreen, where he has lived for two years.

Doctors and other professionals have tried various therapies with Ehrhardt to improve his strength and mobility, but none have helped.

"It's futile," Ehrhardt said without rancor.

These days, the burly bandleader looks forward to visits from his grandchildren, wife and his four grown children, all of whom graduated from Penn State University and work in their fields of study.

Sometimes his wife brings their 13-year-old dog, Nessie, who saved his life by alerting his wife about the fall.

"I remember I was laying on the hardwood floor and I thought I was screaming for my wife, but it was just a little trill," Ehrhardt said. "Then Nessie ran right past me and I thought, 'Yeah, man's best friend, huh?' But she was heading for the bedroom to wake up my wife."

Ehrhardt said while the staff at Evergreen is wonderful, his dream is to once again live with his wife with nursing help. He said he hopes his experiences and love of life will help others to accentuate the positive in life.

"There's too much to life," Ehrhardt said. "It's no use sitting around brooding."

The Rev. Robert Miller of St. Gregory Roman Catholic Church in Zelienople called Ehrhardt "amazing" as he prepared to administer Communion to him Monday in Ehrhardt's Steelers-festooned room.

"Although he is confined to a wheelchair, his mind is so active and expansive," Miller said. "He doesn't let his physical limitations get in the way of leading a productive life."

Nurse Monica Smith called her patient "a real sweetheart," adding he is caring about fellow residents and staff, creative, protective of his roommate and helpful to new staff members.

"He's a good guy," she said.

Ehrhardt took the opportunity to get in a zinger.

"I don't charge for being good," quipped Ehrhardt. "I'm good for nothing."

For more information on "The Adventures of Poppy McBee," visit the Web site, www.amazon.com.