t for the phone, and shortly Mary came in with a steaming tray
of food. That's where the fun began.

First of all, picture the old house. It was very old, and had high,
pine-paneled ceilings ... probably twelve feet high. Duchess and I
were a little off-center, closer to the door, I guess. The room was
big, and being on the ground floor, had a dormer window looking out on
our rather scraggly garden. In fact, pretty soon I began to get the
impression from the pine "boards" "beneath" me, that I was actually
lying on a floor, and the ceiling to floor dormer window didn't do
anything to help either. Curtains looked rather odd though, sticking
straight "up."

About the food: Mary was right under us with the tray. She put it
down, picked up a bowl of oatmeal and started to hand it to me. She
couldn't reach high enough and I couldn't reach down far enough. The
thought crossed my mind, "why not stand up?" Well, I tried it,
Brother! What a sensation! As I began gathering my legs under me, the
idea of being on a pine floor increased. Increased until I made the
mistake of looking out the window! It's just plain impossible to
describe, but try to imagine how it would look right now, if you
looked out your window ... at the top (to you) is the ground, and at
the bottom? Nothing! Just nothing, but blue sky. The vertigo was
pretty bad and I flopped back down, or rather "up" and tried to regain
my equilibrium.

"What's the matter?" my wife asked. "Don't you want any breakfast?"

* * * * *

As soon as I caught my breath, I said, "Well, yes and no, honey. Could
you or Johnny get a ladder? I think that might do it." I could stay
lying down that way.

Johnny brought in the short stepladder, so without standing "up" I at
least got my hands on the food. Hands is about all. Here's a picture
for you.... Flat on your back; an open dish of hot oatmeal open side
to, coming right at you. When you grab it you have to reach around
behind it to keep it from falling. You get it right up to your face,
take the spoon and start to take a bite. How do you do it? I don't
know either. I gave up oatmeal right then and there. Johnny, and
again, bless his little heart, had the idea that saved us. "Hey, Dad,
why don't you try a banana?" It worked! In fact, most any food that
was in a chunk could be eaten. Difficult, but it could be done. The
big problem then was liquid, and again Johnny came to my rescue with
some fountain