My daddy passed away in May 2008. However, there was much leading up to when he passed away. It was a difficult time for many years as in the summer of 2002, his left leg was amputated below the knee due to an infection that somehow got into his leg from complications from Charcot’s foot. His right foot ended up being a Charcot’s foot, too, but he never had to have it amputated. He wore a big boot on that one. Then, he had diabetes and a lot of other health problems related to it.
When we learned that he would need a ramp, some really good friends of mine came and built the ramp for him. However, the porch was not something that was ready for him. He needed to be able to see the porch. I did not know this, and I had no planned on doing this home improvement project by myself, I ended up doing it myself. Thankfully, while it was not a comfortable time doing the project because the weather was not, it was not a difficult project. Preparation It was important to be dressed in clothes that could get dirty. It mattered that if they got ruined, it was okay.
Then, two large paintbrushes and two smaller detailing paintbrushes were needed for the project. The paints used were gray house paint and yellow house paint. It was also important to have a hose and a broom to prepare. The Project The porch needed to be painted so my Daddy could see the edge well. The first thing that needed to be done was to clean the porch. This meant moving things that were on it and it also meant spraying and sweeping away any twigs, leaves, seeds, and piles, and ants from the porch. The next step was to paint the entire porch gray.
Thankfully there were no certain ways to hold a paintbrush or to stroke it to paint the porch gray since it did not matter if there was a certain direction to the brush strokes in the paint. The only part that mattered was that the coat of paint seemed flat so it would not cause anybody to trip. A smaller detailing brush was used to get parts of the porch that were lined against the planters on the side of it. The gray paint then had to dry. A straight yellow line had to be painted with a smaller detailing brush to mark where the yellow line would be painted at the edge of the porch to mark it as the edge.
Once this was done, the bigger brush for the yellow paint could be used to paint in the yellow from that line to the front edge of the porch. The front face of the porch also had to be painted yellow so it could be seen. The smaller detailing brush used with the yellow paint was used to paint the part of the porch that touched the sidewalk path so the path was not painted yellow. That paint was left to dry. Results While the porch may not have looked “pretty” like some people like for homes, it definitely helped. The edge of the porch could now be seen with a little bit of light in the dark night.
Painting a porch this way, or at least with some type of a bright color at the edge is a good idea if the edge needs to be seen so people do not trip on the step. Pool running is a type of exercise that may actually do more for you than jogging along the road or even around a track. Pool running is exactly what it sounds like: running in place inside a pool so that the water provides an element of force against you that is much more helpful at building stamina and strength than mere gravity outside the pool can ever hope to be.
The benefits of pool running as your go-to method of exercising can potentially be enormous. The resistance of working against the water means using your muscles in a way that you may never have before when doing aerobic exercises. That force of water provides an isokinetic element that you can’t get from jogging along the road. What does isokinetic element mean? It means that resistance from the water increases in a direct ratio to the strength you place against it. What does that mean? The harder you run, the more the water resists your force, thus providing even more strengthening benefits.
For some, the greatest benefit possible from pool running may be that it is low impact. Those ankles, knees, thighs and other parts of the body that ache after a jogging session are all subject to far less intensive damage and pain when you run inside a pool. In fact, if you are recovering from a jogging injury and can’t get outside to the street or sidewalk, you should consider pool jogging as a means for recovery. Pool running is also a good option for those suffering from arthritis. The benefits accorded the human body from the isokinetic principles of pool running includes increasing your flexibility.
The more force you place against the water, the greater the increase in the strength of your joints and the more flexible your body becomes. Learning how to pool run to the gain the greatest benefit requires certain knowledge beforehand and then practice afterward. For instance, where do you think you’ll gain the most benefit from pool running: in shallow water or in deeper water? Keeping in mind that pool jogging is a low impact exercise option; you want to go into the deep end of the pool.
In fact, head to the deepest part of the pool you feel comfortable in when you extended toes are no longer able to touch the bottom surface. Pool running does not mean running in place in the shallow end of the pool. You want to essentially be floating on the surface in a way that allows you to use your legs in a running motion that doesn’t allow you to bend at the knees. Keep your toes in ballet shape by pointing them down toward the bottom of the pool. Stretch your arms out straight and proceed to move them in a swinging motion along the sides of your body, keeping them in concert with the movement of your legs.
Those are the basic rules of pool swimming. You will also need to make sure you keep your upper body and head straight and in alignment to achieve the fullest benefit. As for the duration of the exercise, start off slow and continually build up to a duration that you can stand without getting completely exhausted. The water, even a pool, is no place to become exhausted so if you do feel yourself starting to give in to the lethargy of overexercising, do yourself a solid and get out of the pool. It’s been on the local news for two days straight.
There’s been a rash of young children drowning in back yard pools. You might think “there are laws that are supposed to keep children safe. ” You would be both right… and wrong. If you have an adult sized pool anywhere, there are laws. It has to be totally fenced, gated and kept locked unless adults are watching. Many areas also require alarms to let parents or other adult watchers know when someone has gone into the enclosed pool area without proper authority. These laws have probably saved countless lives. The laws came at a terrible cost, at least in our area.
Southern California gets extremely hot in the summer, and the best two ways of staying cool is to be in the water or in the air conditioning. Unsupervised and undersupervised pools were normal. If it was a public pool, there was a lifeguard, but not so the backyard pool. Over the course of a few weeks several children died or were seriously hurt, and something had to be done. Where the assumption that this will prevent all pool drownings is inaccurate. The smaller, inflatable pools are just as dangerous without proper supervision, particularly for small children.
Part of the reason is the weight proportions unique to them. A small child’s head is heavier than the rest of his or her body. This top heaviness makes balance difficult, especially when leaning over something. Children have actually drowned in mop buckets with only a few inches of water in the bottom. On top of that is the natural curiosity and playful nature of children. I remember when we introduced our toddler daughters to inflatable pools. They loved them at first sight. We have countless pictures of them playing in the pool, playing with the water hose and giggling at the whole thing.
That could be why we didn’t have a tragedy… we were there taking pictures. It didn’t occur to me that the girls could have drowned until they were much older. That’s why I’m writing about it; they look so innocent. They’re in stores everywhere and they don’t require a lock and key to use. The tragic loss of a young life scars both the family and the community forever. It’s a big price to pay for a moment’s lack of attention. I don’t think we need more laws, we just need to be aware of the dangers even an innocent looking toy can cause.
