The New Routine

We are back in Sasebo, Dory is home, and we are attempting to readjust to yet another definition of "normal life." This is the version where Zack is not allowed to move from a chair unless absolutely necessary. It wasn't so bad when we were living in a hotel room because there was no where for him to go. Now he's trying to do dishes, or cook, or work on laundry or do a lot of things that kind of require him to at least stand up. It's hard work keeping him in a chair! He says it's good practice for chasing around kids, but at least kids can go from the kitchen to the living room without fear of messing up their little legs.
Zack has physical therapy four days a week, and his ship wants him to come in after that each day and work from a building on the peer. We're still sorting out how to best do this without me spending the day driving him around. (They also would like for him to come in BEFORE his therapy, but that would require me to get up at the crack of dawn, and he'd only really get in an hour of work before he'd have to leave again, so it's probably not worth it.) In the end, I'm hoping that I can just drop him off at PT in the mornings, and pick him up when he's ready to come home at night. This would work out fine for the most part, with only a night or two a week where it could get hairy because my primary teaching time is also primary coming-home time. We'll see. We're still sorting out the details.
Also, while we were away, the land lady contacted us to ask if she could install a rail in our stairway. We had never asked for one, though we've both fallen on the stairs at least once (Zack broke a toe that way earlier this year), so we jumped at the remarkably good timing of it. As I type, two men are installing our new hand rail on the stairs, which will bring reassurance to both of us and make Zack's crutches on the stairs a little bit safer (though I'd still be happier if he'd sit when he went down them since he's lost his balance a few times doing that).
Dory is terrified of the crutches, by the way. They make a loud noise on our hardwood floors and Zack has a tendency to tease her a little with them. She hides from them obsessively, and won't go near Zack if he's within arms reach of them. This has led to all kinds of new Dory-tormenting games, poor dear. On the plus side, if I have to take Zack from PT to work every day, I will probably bring Dory with me and the two of us can take a walk while we're waiting for him. That's what we did yesterday, and it was good times for both of us.
Also, the weather is finally cooling off so that walking outside sounds like a good idea rather than a special form of torture. It's still warm in the sun, but the breeze is very cool. We haven't turned on any air since we've been home, and we actually have to close some of the windows at night or it gets too cold. Yay! I know Zack hates the bitter cold parts of the year, but I actually look forward to it after the nasty summer heat.
Hopefully later this month I'll be able to do a little more adventuring and we'll have something less painful to write about. :-)