Shopping Again

Peon has been shopping on the Internet again. But this time it's for something useful. My arthritic knees are such now that I no longer get down on my knees. Well, I might be able to get down, but I wouldn't be able to get up. This makes some things very difficult, like scrubbing the kitchen floor and finding objects that have rolled under the bed.

So I've been searching the arthritis forums and have found useful information. (Forums can actually be useful, so long as they aren't trying to convince you to treat your cancer with an herbal tea.) People suffering from the chosen affliction gather together to exchange ideas. And since most arthritis sufferers are women, housecleaning is a big issue. No longer can we whip through the entire house; we have to rest between rooms. A couple of the ideas were really good. First, a long grabber is a good idea for reaching things you've dropped and can't pick up if you live alone. But if you don't live alone, just leave it there and get someone else to get it for you. Why didn't I think of that? I can't count the number of times I've laid flat across the bed, head over the side, and hands brushing back and forth to recover something that's rolled under the bed. What an idiot!

The other good idea is an exercise ball. Not for exercising, but for sitting on. For instance, you need to scrub the kitchen floor. You assemble your materials. Then you sit down on your exercise ball, scrub as much as you can, and then move the exercise ball to the next spot. You don't have to worry about getting it wet, and it's not heavy. You can also use this for dusting baseboards and polishing furniture. Another option is a car mechanic's stool. Those sit about 14" high, have casters, and come with a shelf, so that you could roll around the room. But they're bigger and heavier than an exercise ball, and the deluxe model costs $160.