Bookcase Bout

At the house in Swarthmore, I had a library of some 8300 volumes of books. I reduced it to a third when I moved to this one-bedroom apartment in New York and stopped buying more books.  But the moratorium lasted only three months. 

Now I got too many towers of piled books for which there were no more bookshelf spaces.  Since, however, there was no more floor space left for adding more bookcases, I considered bookshelf extensions that go on top of the bookcases. I could find such extensions that fit perfectly on these Ikea bookcases. 

So, I ordered book shelf extensions to go on top of the four bookcases as a trial.  Four heavy packages arrived, and I unpacked them.  Assembling them was not too hard, just a lot of screwing, or screwdriving, should I say.  Trained in architecture, I am good at that.  But raising each extension up 6-1/2 feet to the top of the bookcase was no simple task for a skinny 80-year old. 

The first one fell down over my head just before it was about to settle on the top ledge, but I hang on to it, and managed to put it back in place; I wasn’t hurt.  I waited a day to rest, and I lifted the second one high up ; this time, I lost my balance, tottered, and the stool on which I was standing tipped over.  So, the extension shelf together with my body leaned down against the nearby floor lamp, which fell and its glass shades (one large and one small) shattered into smithereens; and I found myself on top of the mess. The lamp itself was uninjured; I had to order replacement shades.  As for myself, I just suffered no more than a few light bruises.  The third one, the following day, fell on me again but I held it away from my head; and I fell this time on top of the towers of piled books that collapsed, and they provided a padding of sort and saved me from hurting myself seriously; I got one bruise on the left shin and hurt my tail,  the lower tip of the spine that ends between the cheeks, which didn't smile for about ten days.  Finally, I got the fourth one up without any incident, and I enjoyed a great feeling of accomplishment.  All's Well that Ends Well.

Yes, I know.  I could have asked a friend’s help, or engaged the super.  Perhaps I should have. But I have always been independent and self-sufficient.  True, at some point I must learn to recognize that I will no longer be what I have been.  I was considering a few more extension shelves; but I decided that four are enough.

 

My I-did-it Look