A first time IKEA assembler

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Yesterday I took my aging parents to IKEA to buy an office chair and a bed slats unit. A wheel had fallen off my mothers desk chair and she wanted a new chair. This was easy at IKEA. She was quickly pleased with one of the chairs, and she liked the price and that was it. It seemed that my Dad needed a chair also, but he could not be coaxed into getting into buying one. I think he doesn't think he'll be around long enough to get much use out of a new thing.

My mother has been worried that she might fall off of her bed. It had been raised at the head, under doctors orders, and was thus rather too high for her. She's gotten quite a bit shorter over the years. It didn't take long for her to chose the slat frame that could be raise at the head, thus elimicating the need for the actual raising of her bed. But as slat systems go, that was the most complicated one. I wasn't worried however, as my husband is excellent at assembling IKEA things. He's been doing it for almot 30 years.

But I hadn't counted on his not being available to get this done before the weekend. My Mom was anxious to get her new items. So I offered to deliver the items today. They were in the back of my mini-van, being too large to get into their Lexus. I went out there just in time for lunch. They live in a retirement home where you have your own appartment, but they serve you meals. These meals are nothing to write home about, but the atmosphere is nice. Emily was of course with me, and she was flirted with by at least a dozen men. She was very well behaved, if you don't count the fact that she put the food she didn't want on the floor.

After lunch I went to move my car around to the delivery entrance. My Dad and the man there took the stuff upstairs, while I reparked the car. I was going back up to see if I could assemble the chair for them. Well I get up their and find that my Dad was knee deep in trying to assemble the slats. I knew immediately that I would need to stick around and help, as there were so many parts that he would surely foul it all up and his final verdict would be that IKEA made crummy products. I think in his world things come assembled. No need to cut costs by assembling it yourself.

I asked my Mom if she would keep an eye on Emily, and she happily agreed. Dad and I quickly commenced to argue. He kept trying to alter the procedure, but I stuck to my premice that you should put the object together exactly as they said. We were maybe a third done with the main frame when I heard strange noises coming from down the hall. I ran down there to see what was up, asked my Mom what Emily was up to, and she looked around and said she didn't know where she was! I immediately went into the bathroom and there she was with her hands in the toilet water. My Mom was quite shocked, saying she never imagined that she would go there. Who would quess that my mother had eight children. At least after that she kept a better eye on Emily.

Dad and I kept at it, with no deminishing arquing on his part, and we got the thing to the point where it could be set on the bed. I then need to head straight home because Tom was going to collect Emily and Christian. I don't yet know if my parents finished the job. But I was pleased to see that I could put something together using a screwdriver and the funny little tool following the schematic provided.

Now This weekend I'll see if I can do the same type of thing with following directions exactly to make my daring baker project. I've assembled all the ingredients, and I think Sunday is my day to make it, as Saturday there is a party at Heidi and Annie and Tia's house. I will need eaters. That shouldn't be too hard. There will be Riley and I, and maybe all of my children, though I don't know about Sarah and Zac. Tom has the kids only until seven on Sunday, so they can come, along with Tia and perhaps Ken and Marilyn. That's possilbly 12 people, more than I need.

Assembly Update: My Dad got the rest of the frame finished and the mattress back on the bed without my Mom even noticing anything happening. And then .... he assembled the chair. It think that my Dad is glad to find out that he can still do things. I think he needs more things like this. Good job Dad!