The day after

Nancy has been home a full day and little by little is mending. For the time being, she has to live downstairs. Climbing stairs is currently not an option. She walks with difficulty and pain, doing so only to go to the bathroom in the back of the house. Every move she makes requires careful planning. To make it easier, I’ve placed a few wooden chairs in spots where Nancy can use them for support. Her blood pressure is low, though better than it was yesterday. She tires quickly and then has to nap; in the photo you see after waking up from a nap late this afternoon. She counts it as a major achievement that earlier today she was able to feed our cat, Beckett, while passing through the kitchen.

If one must get hit by a car, the results could have been far worse. No broken bones. No concussion. No damage to her kidney. The main impact area was her right knee. The only bleeding was from a wound in the back of her head.

I'm taking a crash course in home nursing. I would give myself mixed grades. At breakfast I managed to spill the freshly-squeezed orange juice (one of my normal morning chores) all over the living room carpet. On the other hand lunch and supper went well. I’ve also washed the blood off the canvas bag she was carrying -- it hasn’t been this clean in years -- and also off the wool sweater she was wearing.

Nancy has done a good deal of reading these past 24 hours, mainly the novel, Pillars of the Earth, but also an anthology of humorous pieces written by S.J. Perelman. It was a joy to hear her laughing.

She arranged this accident, several few members of our parish have suggested, in order not to have to attend the parish meeting that followed the liturgy today. Nonetheless she was elected secretary of the new parish council, to be installed in March.