An Interesting Experience
 

All -

Had surgery for a complete replacement of my left hip this week.

Rolled into surgery 1:30 pm Tuesday afternoon and released from

Hospital 2:00 Wednesday afternoon.

So now I have a ceramic ball fitted into a titanium socket

Lined with HDPE.

Present day surgery is simply amazing!

But that is not where I was headed.

I get home equipped with a walker, a "Reacher", a device

Which allows me to put my socks on and off without

Bending the wrong way, etc.

Then the comeuppance began.

The first 8-10 things I tried to do, I couldn't

Because my walker/reacher combo couldn't work

With the way I had everything from socks to food stored.

Wicked humor of the day award, today. Needed to install

New roll of toilet paper. No go, because reserve toilet paper

Was stored on bottom shelf of vanity at the back, with a bunch of

Stuff in front.

High use items were often stored behind very low use items.

Food supplies especially this way, last date in first day out system

Poorly physically arranged.

It was fine when I could reach in their and grab what I needed.

I realized that all except one of my guns were stored in such a way

That to take one in hand, I'd have to approach with the walker

In a way that my back was to the desired field of fire.

Can't drive the pickup, because it is a manual transmission

With a fairly stiff clutch.

Can't drive gardening equipment with a clutch.

Similar deal in my 3 bay shop.

Fasteners I grab all the timed buried behind weird specialty

Stuff I use maybe one every couple years.

Another classic; all my longhandled garden tools neatly

Racked on a wall with all the powered garden equipment backed

Right up to that wall.

And the list goes on and on.

In conclusion, I thought I had my gear well arranged.

I'm humbled - it was well arranged if you did not take in

A temporary but significant physical impairment.

If you really want to torture yourself, rent a walker and a reacher

And pick a weekend in which you use them exclusively.

I can just about bet you you will come out of it shaking your head,

And saying "just how the hell did I end up with that arrangement?"

Now, if the present experience I am going through

Had been a true SHTF situation, I would have been

Pretty well screwed. So I feel lucky to be catching it early on

With a surgery I chose to have rather than

A disaster I didn't.


scyth

Re: An Interesting Experience
 

I wish you a quick recovery Scyth.

I shall be keeping efficiency in mind next time I organize the pantry.

Re: An Interesting Experience
 

You know...the government probably has a program for this. After making a few calls, getting disconnected and rerouted multiple times by rude folks on the phone, and finally getting directed to a recording that provides you with no information, you could go to the county health department and fill out paperwork to sign up for them to come out and to an inspection which would allow you to make your pantry more accessible at taxpayer expense. :sarcasm:

In all seriousness, though...get well soon!