First...Tom is okay. He's not hurt. But he spent the afternoon on the floor next to a collapsed wheelchair.

Let's start at the beginning. Jeri "kidnapped" me this afternoon for lunch and a beach walk. Tom was situated and fine when I left and I'd made his lunch and left it in a convenient place. My cell was on if he needed to reach me. (He's the only one who knows the number and I only have it on when I'm out and he's at home.)

Not long after we left, he needed to use his chamber pot (which he felt more secure using in this case than his commode) which was on the floor next to his bed. He did so successfully. Then he went to sit back down in the wheelchair and it collapsed. He went down, too, of course.

So when I came in about 4 hours later, I found him lying on his side on the floor between his bed and the recliner with the wheelchair collapsed and on its side on the floor, and his bedside things scattered. He said he had thought about taking the cordless phone with him, but had left it on the table on the other side of the room.

He was fine, but couldn't get up and I couldn't safely get him up, so I called 911 for a lift assist. I also couldn't properly expand the wheelchair. It's the one that was delivered yesterday and the delivery sheet said we should have been instructed in maintenance, etc. but all the guy did was set it up, get Tom into it and let him try it out, and then he left.

So that's another phone call that has to be made tomorrow morning.

Poor Tom never got his lunch either, of course.

We hadn't thought he needed one of those emergency buttons to wear around his neck, but after this, I think he does and will let the appropriate person know about that right away tomorrow morning as well.

The wasp sting still hurts, combination of burning and being stabbed with a needle, but I'm sure it will be okay. But meanwhile, I'm a bit too shaken to make the smoked scallop chowder I was going to make for dinner, so we'll have leftover meatloaf with mushroom gravy and nice little potatoes.

And I think I need a large glass of wine...right now!

Linn