{"id":104304,"date":"2025-01-09T07:54:47","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T12:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=104304"},"modified":"2025-01-09T07:54:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T12:54:47","slug":"the-old-coot-engineers-a-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/01\/09\/the-old-coot-engineers-a-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"The Old Coot engineers a solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler —<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not an engineer. At least not with a four-year degree. I\u2019m missing some credit hours. But, I am an \u201cengineer,\u201d with a small \u201ce.\u201d A lot of people are. Engineering is mostly a mindset, the ability to puzzle things out. A technical degree provides a deeper knowledge to work with; you need it to design a bridge or an electronic circuit. But for a lot of other tricky issues in life, you just need the engineering mindset. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of blah, blah to get me to the point. My greatest engineering accomplishment! It took place four years ago when I had a severe reaction to the cholesterol medicine I\u2019d been on for years. I started to lose strength in my arms and legs, and didn\u2019t really notice until the day I had trouble getting up a single stair. It\u2019s all behind me now, the cause determined and eliminated; my strength is back to normal. (An 82-year old normal.)<\/span><\/p>\n

When I was in that weakened state, I had to utilize my full range of engineering skills to address it. Especially if I fell or slipped to the ground. I became that \u201cHelp, I\u2019ve fallen and I can\u2019t get up\u201d person. <\/span><\/p>\n

I slipped down several times when I was out on my own getting into the car. Once it was the garbage man who picked me up. Another time, it was a nice couple in a grocery store parking lot. The last time, it was a guy in a pick-up truck. I changed my technique; I started backing into the car seat, instead of stepping up and in. Duh! Took me long enough to figure that one out. Some engineer!<\/span><\/p>\n

My real concern was getting off the floor at home. Even when my wife was with me, we sometimes had to get a friend to help. We went to a physical therapy center to see if there was a technique we could use. We spent an hour going through a laundry list of commonly used techniques. Nothing worked. I was too weak. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was determined to come up with a solution. I spent one whole night in a recliner chair, straining my brain to find a solution. Thinking, dozing, dreaming. That\u2019s when I made my greatest engineering feat. I had a plan. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, to try it out. I asked my wife to get a small cooler from the garage. She looked at me like I was nuts. I get that a lot. The cooler was slim, 6 inches in height when laid on its side. I lowered myself to the floor; I had sufficient arm strength to crawl towards it. I positioned it beside a lounge chair in the living room and managed to sit up on the floor and then on it. <\/span><\/p>\n

From there, I pushed up another six inches and settled onto the chair. The height was too low for me to stand up, but the chair next to it, elevated on four-inch risers, was not. I slid across the first chair and ascended onto the second one. From there I got to my feet. I was so proud of myself. I\u2019d regained my freedom. No more, \u201cHelp, I\u2019ve fallen and can\u2019t get up!\u201d I could stay home alone; my wife also gained her freedom. This was truly my greatest engineering feat ever! <\/span><\/p>\n

Comments, complaints? Send to mlessler7@gmail.com<\/a>.   <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler — I\u2019m not an engineer. At least not with a four-year degree. I\u2019m missing some credit hours. But, I am an \u201cengineer,\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":82349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Old Coot engineers a solution - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/01\/09\/the-old-coot-engineers-a-solution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Old Coot engineers a solution - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Merlin Lessler — I\u2019m not an engineer. 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