Getting a seat

Since Martha's knee surgery she has been having a hard time getting up from sitting in chairs and getting down into chairs. She also says that she seems to have lost some of her "padding" and so hard wood chairs are uncomfortable for her (if only I had that problem...losing my padding). Part of her physical therapy is doing squats to build those leg muscles again but in the long run she still needs to sit down.

While Penny was here she took Martha around and helped her pick out a chair to sit in. When she sat on the couch after surgery she couldn't get up without help because it was too low and she didn't have anything to push off of with her arms. Penny and Martha eventually picked out a chair that is small enough to fit in the crowded family room, matches somewhat with the furniture already there, and that Martha can more easily (still not easy if she's been sitting for awhile) get out of. While I was here we worked on kitchen seating. Penny had purchased a bathroom seat for the shower. When I got here I put it together and had Martha sit on it to measure if I had the right height set (it had multiple height settings). She decided it was easier to get out of than the kitchen chair she was already using. She has left it there for now, but we both talked about this was not a long term solution, both for aesthetic reasons and because the chair wasn't made for that much use, three times a day every day.

Last week we had looked on line for types of chairs that might be easier for her to get out of. Then Monday after physical therapy Martha was feeling strong enough to go chair shopping. We went to three different furniture stores and sat in lots of dinning/kitchen chairs. Eventually we found one at Wood U on Capital Circle NE.

Then we were faced with another dilemma...four chairs to match or just one for her or four chairs AND a new kitchen table to match. Then there was another dilemma...stain or paint (her kitchen table is white).

Today, Wednesday, after much deliberation we went back to Wood U. We ordered one chair (after testing it again) and took a small wood statue from the bookcase in the family room to match with stain (my suggestion since I think the kitchen cabinets are too dark and dated to even want to match). Wood U said the chair will be done by next week. It will be after I'm gone but they did say they would load the chair for her in the back seat and then (hopefully) we can get Clarence, a helpful neighbor, to help her get it into the house.

I have to admit while looking for Martha's new chairs I did get some ideas for the kitchen table and chairs I want for the dining room. I guess I'll have to come home and finish painting it first.

-- Stephanie