The Heavy Lifting

 

High and Heavy

High and Heavy

Now that we are into Week Eight of Nyel’s recovery, I am beginning to make mental lists of things that need to be taken care of by the other half of Team Stevens. Mostly they are things that require height, strength, and meticulous patience. In those areas, I am definitely challenged and have grown to automatically depend upon the “Tall Guy” (as my friend Nan calls Nyel).

First, there are the things that I cannot safely reach – the light bulbs in ceiling fixtures, especially in the rooms with eleven-foot ceilings, for instance. And there are the heavy boxes that need to be returned to high shelves. Usually they are boxes of my books that I’ve had to wrestle down so that I can fill an order (which is a good thing) but the process points up one of the major problems with being your own warehouse and distribution center.

Libray Ceiling Fixture

Libray Ceiling Fixture

Another biggee is the recycling. How I wish that we had curbside pick-up like they do in the Big City. On the other hand, I can’t really say I’d like the curbs. There are trade-offs to country living for sure. Suffice it to say that the recycle bins in our garage are full to overflowing. There is absolutely no reason that I can’t take that stuff down to the recycle station in Nahcotta, at least bit-by-bit. But, somehow it’s low on my priority list, especially when I have to limit my minutes away from the house.

Then there’s the ‘touch-up painting’ – those nicks and scrapes to the woodwork that occur over time and suddenly loom large on the To Do List. That’s where meticulous patience (and a steady hand) comes in. I am not a detail person when it comes to tasks of that sort and, while I don’t think they are at the top of Nyel’s list either, we both concede that he is better at them than I. There are outside jobs as well, like putting away the fuchsia baskets and winterizing the perimeter – those things that I pay scant attention to and wouldn’t know how or where to begin.

Hanging Baskets Last Spring

Hanging Baskets Last Spring

All of which points up how dependent I am upon my other half. It sort of puts me to shame. I don’t think there is a single thing that I do that Nyel would have to put on hold were I the one in Recovery Mode. Let’s hope there is no reason to put that to the test very soon. We definitely need both team members functioning around here.

 

I think I should add a little P.S. to this blog.  Friends and neighbors have been wonderful in volunteering for just the sorts of tasks described here and we very much appreciate all they have done for us.  But, it is just a fact of life that our lifestyle in this household is a team effort under normal circumstances and I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to normal!

3 Responses to “The Heavy Lifting”

  1. Nancy Russell stone says:

    From aforementioned friend, Nan, whose “guy” is about 5’6″ on his toes. I have diminished to about 5’2″….so when the florescent lights in the garage failed to turn on properly, a problem was sensed. After a day of struggling by the taller of the two, new tubes, a ladder to help the assent to the top of the the washer and ability to reach up high enough, it was concluded that we would find and hire an electrician. What would I do without my other half? A feeling of gratitude surrounds. Time to get ready to go the the Senior Center for the Halloween brunch! We will go in disguise and join the other elders (space for 55 attendees) who each have a lovely story to share about this aging process.

  2. If you still have the recycling, I can do that for you.

  3. sydney says:

    Thanks, Pat! Some neighbor elves beat you to it. Let’s have coffee instead.

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