Monday, September 12, 2016

In search of a wooden rocking chair

Cliff was having a lot of back pain when we set out for Colorado recently.  I noticed that a couple of the motels we chose had chrome chairs with padded, but solid, arms.  Both of us sometimes need something solid we can put our hands on to push up out of a chair, and I made a mental note to perhaps purchase a chair for Cliff that might be more back-friendly and easier to get out of.  Our couch has sort of a recliner on each end, and Cliff has put plenty of time sitting on his end of the couch; I bought a separate recliner for myself, but he was happy with his spot on the couch.  

I know from his past back-episodes that recliners haven't always been good for Cliff; he tried mine when I first bought it and only stayed in it a few minutes because it hurt his back.  Also, as is typical for many of us, he spends more time sitting than he used to, and that's where he sits... on his recliner end of the couch.

While vacationing, and with Cliff's glass back constantly in mind, a picture-memory came to me from the fifties:

When Kennedy was President, pictures of him in a rocking chair were all over the news.  He had a lot of physical problems, not the least of which was his back.  His doctor prescribed the use of a rocking chair to ease his pain.  It must have worked well, because he eventually bought rockers for Air Force One and all the Kennedy estates.  While I was googling for information, I discovered there is a company that makes Kennedy rockers.  Their website is kennedyrockers.com  

"Cliff," I said, "We need to buy you a wooden rocking chair."

I'll leave it at that.  You don't want to hear his answer.

I kept insisting we'd buy a rocking chair when we arrived home, and at some point he said, "We have a rocking chair sitting on the back porch.  Bring that one inside."

Well, I had to start somewhere with this plan, so I brought my morning-coffee-on-the-deck chair inside.  It used to have a back cushion, but that disappeared along the way.  We replaced it with an ordinary bed pillow.  Cliff mentioned, about the third day into our experiment, that he sure would like to be able to recline and relax; so I said, "I'll have Alexa set a one-hour timer; go to the couch and be comfortable for awhile."

He took my suggestion, but soon, before half-an-hour had passed, he went back to the rocker.

I eventually want to get a regular indoor rocking chair, but I can't order one online as I'm accustomed to doing with everything, because he needs to sit on chairs and try them out before we buy one.  We both hate to shop, especially for furniture.  We went to a furniture store in Richmond yesterday that doesn't even carry wooden rockers.  Maybe Nebraska Furniture Mart has some, but Cliff hates going over there.  

I hope my wicker, outdoor-type rocking chair is up to the task it's been given.





4 comments:

  1. I am overly chair-picky. Not the look of the thing, but the comfort. None of them seem to be all that comfortable except for a saucer sink-in-to-it. Maybe just get another outdoor one & leave Cliff with the one that is working now. It might be more hearty than you assume.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I had no idea they made Kennedy rocking chairs. I'll bet they're pretty expensive.
    I have two wooden rocking chairs that I bought on sale at Walmart long ago. I think they were only $25 each (on sale) but they're large and sturdy.

    My back has been so BAD lately that nothing helps (thanks to when I fell on the ice). When I crawl out of bed in the morning, I scream with pain and limp like Quasimodo.

    Hey, the full Harvest Moon will occur at the end of this week.
    A good time for some more journal burning??

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have seen the gravity chair advertised and have thought about ordering me one of them. They look like outside chairs but who cares as long as it will help our backs. They do have them that will recline back.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jon, I got all my journals burned in two sessions, so that project is done. Jean, anything that reclines seems to make Cliff's back worse. I have an outside gravity chair... I love it, Cliff hates it.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments!