Blog Archives
Stairs and Home Safety
Two years ago, my husband and I went to San Jose for a couple of days and visited the Winchester Mystery House. The owner of the house, the wife of the founder of Winchester Guns was told that her house was being haunted by the ghosts of people killed by her husband’s guns. She did non-stop construction on the house to appease and confuse the spirits. There are doorways that lead to drop-offs outside, or just open to solid walls. Floors between rooms are at different heights. Everything is very disjointed.
What stuck out to me most though, were the stairs. Sarah Winchester had arthritis and hip problems, so she had very small steps installed so she didn’t have to lift her legs very high. The steps weren’t even an inch apart in distance. Our tour group kept bumping their toes into steps and mismeasuring where the next step would be because they were so unexpected. While most people don’t have these problems in their home, they should still be thinking about stair safety.
Stairs are one of the leading causes of home accidents, particularly for the elderly. Walking safely up and down stairs is something many of us take for granted, but it does take a certain level of coordination and depth perception. Stairs are also one of the recommended areas to check for safety before attempting to sell your home. Below are some measures you can take to make the stairs in your home safer for everyone.
Maughwauwama
Maybe
Just maybe,
you’re hearing me,
seeing things,
perceiving,
incorrectly.
Have you ever
stopped
to think?
But no,
perception is reality,
so we must be in Wyoming.
In the wind
Maggie pushed her way through the gusting air back to her truck. The sand-colored vehicle stared at her as if to say “what took you so long? I’ve been waiting forEVER”
“Hush, you silly truck. I was only gone for a minute. You’d rather me pee in there than in you, wouldn’t you?”
Sandy just looked at her disapprovingly.
Maggie sighed and turned the key in the door.
After situating all of her possessions so that she could drive without something falling on her and could almost see out of her rear view mirrors, Maggie backed Sandy out of the gas station parking lot and started out on the road again. Moving cross country was so far not the adventure she had imagined.
As she waited at the turnoff for the freeway, a movement caught her eye. Off to the side, a plastic bag was drifting along, moving faster than the cars on the on-ramp. She had seen garbage on the side of the road for the whole trip. People’s inconsideration was really pissing her off.
Once on the freeway, Maggie unwrapped the sandwich she had bought at the pit stop and cranked up the radio. At least she had good company on this solitary roadtrip.
A yellow sticky note caught on the wind soared past her windshield.
