This was supposed to be the year when I did more of this, not less … more of blogging that is, not less.

It hasn’t happened that way. I’ve been occupied with Other Things, mostly personal. So while most of my posts are only marginally personal, this one will catch you up on the things that are occupying me now.

In December, I started a period of about 8 weeks when I experienced serious falls four times. For a guy in a leg brace, if the brace fails and the knee joint unlocks, especially when the wearer is in motion, the outcome can be of consequence.

First time, outside, going to the grill to finish off dinner. Failure of knee lock, pitched head forward, didn’t hurt anything but fell hard. In a new brace (that’s another story).

Second time, inside, coming in from the grill (not the same day). Another knee joint failure, this time pitching forward with head hitting kitchen floor hard enough to rebound, i.e., head hits floor, bounces up, and then hits the floor again — and I thought this was something I only saw in sports. Pretty shaken, but, again, no visible damage. Still, concussion possibility? Also in new brace.

Third time, Christmas Day, in the evening, moving from the living room to carry a glass into the kitchen on retiring, another knee failure, but this time fall with glass in hand. Fall caused glass to break, and me to sustain 5 cuts on my left hand, one serious enough to justify a trip to the ER. Several hours, and several stitches later, my wife and I made it home about 3:30 in the morning.

Fourth time, a few weeks later, post stitch removal, and on receiving an improved version of the new brace — did I mention that after each fall in the new brace, a visit to my ortho guy to try to make the brace function better? — this time, less than 2 hours after the brace adjustment, one more fall with glass in hand. This time glass does not break, but left ring finger dislocates. Remember Zero Mostel in The Producers in court bandaged up with a finger in an impossible direction? Pretty much the same. So having watched a doctor relocate a my dislocated little toe several years before, I knew the drill, yanked on the finger and relocated it. Visit to the doctor the next day to confirm no other damage, except a badly swollen finger.

So, what’s the outcome? Well, first to decide I’m not walking around with a glass in my left hand (braced side). Second, to decide that maybe I should be considering using my wheelchair in doors at home when not doing stuff you can’t do in a wheelchair. Third, to have a look at exactly how accessible my current home is. Outcome: it isn’t very.

Not only not very accessible, but that many of the doors, and especially the hallway and door into the master bedroom, are the standard 32″ wide, and a handicapped accessible entrance should be 36″. Now, you can, depending, widen a normal American 32″ doorway to 36″ for about $800 a door, if you’re not buying an expensive door. However, back to that master bedroom and hallway, to fix that would mean widening the hallway, moving a wall, removing / blowing out a closet, and probably redoing a bathroom as part of the whole process, about a $20K proposition.

How about a remodel then? Doing it another way? Creating a new wing with doors that are right, an accessible bathroom with plenty of wheelchair space? Attractive, but a $60K (maybe more) outlay as not only would I have to expand the expansion would eliminate a covered carport which would need to be replace on the other side of the house.

So a new house hunt began …