Moving Furniture Again

On By Lois RoelofsIn aging, Health, humor, writing

You may remember that close to my 80th birthday I bought a recliner, pulled and dragged it from my SUV into the house, and set it up in my AZ bedroom. So when I bought two new chairs recently, I reasoned with the sales person, that even though I’m now more than a year older, I could handle these chairs with a “garage drop.” Yay, I thought, I can save over $100 and get them in myself. Or with the help of my daughter or grandson nearby.

You can probably guess what happened. The day the chairs came, they would not budge.

And then my helpers weren’t available right away. I got antsy. So, just like in AZ, I got a sheet, laid it on the floor next to one of the chairs, tipped the chair over onto it, and pulled. I slid it to the doorway, took a deep breath, and, in good nurse posture, bent my knees, straightened my back, and pushed the chair sideways onto the threshold. Shimmied it into the angle I’d seen on a YouTube video.

It got stuck. Wedged at an angle on the threshold between the door frame. Now what? It was hot, the AC was on, I had to get the door closed. Then I remembered the video had said that there is some give in an upholstered chair so it could be pushed, gently, one inch at a time.

I tried it. After ten tiny pushes, the chair suddenly cleared the door frame. There I stood, shocked, amazed, and sweating bullets. Hercules at my finest.

But then I froze. What had I done? I’d just had my Prolia shot for osteoporosis and was scheduled for my every two-year dexascan to determine if the previous shots had improved my status. What if my honeycomb bones had gotten worse? And what if I’d fractured a vertebra or two with my moving business? Would that be worth not having the patience to wait for help?

Of course not. But now I had to move the chair. I retrieved the sheet from the garage side of the threshold, placed it on the tile floor in my extra long foyer, tipped the chair over onto it, and pulled some more, depositing it into my living room. With a glass of iced tea, I sat on my couch, sipped my drink, admired my handiwork, and, you guessed it again, felt empowered to move the other chair in from the garage.

So I did. No problem. I was ready to hang a sign on my garage: Lois’ Moving Services.

I cut off the wrappings. But both chairs were securely placed in a cardboard frame around the bottom. As I was worrying about how I was going to get those off, a repairman I had called for another problem showed up. He quickly fixed what he’d come for, and we were in the living room, chatting. As he perused the bulky pile of wrappings on the floor and the chairs, I said,”Yeah, I managed to get these chairs in from the garage, but I’ll have to wait for my help to come to get them out of those cardboard thingies.”

With one effortless movement per chair, he lifted them out of those cardboard frames and put them in place.

Saved by the bell! In this case the repairman.

Just then I heard the front door open and, surprise, there came my unexpected daughter. She looked at me, then the chairs, and then at the repairman, whom she knew, and said, “I saw your truck and thought right away I bet Mom rooked you into helping her with her new chairs.”

Whatever works, I thought, whatever works! After all, I’d not asked him for help.

Happy mover!

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Reminder: if you’ve read my book, Marv Taking Charge, and if you have an Amazon account, and if you’d like to share your reaction, please add a review here. A few sentences will do. Reviews help potential readers decide if they’d like to buy or not. I’m taking Marv Taking Charge to Marv’s hometown in MN next week and will give an updated report next time.

26 thoughts on “Moving Furniture Again”

  1. I really enjoyed this post because this is something I would do (against the advice of family). I also appreciated your comment about bones and Prolia (I’m on Reclast) and, while I think about that occasionally, I’m usually lifting and exerting myself!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Crazy, aren’t we! I deny my age. I got my dexascan report. No change from two years ago so still osteoporosis. I was hoping the Prolia would jump me up to osteopenia, but I guess I should be happy I’m not worse.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. That’s what I’m hoping for with the Reclast, but holding steady is okay too. I feel great and I’m doing everything I have always done except I switched from running to walking – a wise choice anyway.

        Like

  4. Even though I have lost way too much body strength and mobility to ever do such a Herculean job such as you delightfully described, I still override my better instincts at self-preservation at times. As the consequences of stubborn actions become more dire, I have to settle for wee triumphs, like deciding to move a vase of flowers on my rollator across my room without spilling. I know I COULD ring for a nurse’s attendant in my assisted living room, but I still find great satisfaction in doing things myself. Learning to ask for help and being graceful about it is still a work in progress for me… Meanwhile I say “Yay you!”.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I can identify with your “wee triumphs.” Last summer after complications after hip surgery I used a walker for some time. Every movement of an object was a huge deal. And, yes, it’s hard to accept our limitations and ask for help. But I think it’s healthy to try to remain as independent as possible and also then to graciously work on asking for help. I heard a sermon once that the Good Samaritan needs a recipient to care for! One way to look at it😉. Thanks for your thoughts!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. Oh, Lois — I can relate to the sense of excitement and urgency you must’ve felt…but glad to hear you’re no worse for wearing for having moved the chairs as you did. I give you an A+++ and the pic of you in one of the chairs? You look mighty comfy! 🥰

    Like

    Reply

    1. I’m very happy with my new chairs. They’re are lighter in color and don’t have ottomans that stick out into the room. Most of all, though, they were matching recliners, one of which was Marv’s. Now I don’t have to look at that empty chair every day. I’m making our house more mine than ours which feels healthy and good.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

What's on YOUR mind?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.