Diversions for the Sick

Look what jumped off the shelf at me as I was walking past the Friends of the Library bookstore last week -- 

I'm fascinated by old books that deal with homemaking and parenting.  If I find an inexpensive one, it comes home with me. And this one seems particularly relevant these days, even if the suggestions are somewhat less than practical.

You can prop up the head of the mattress by putting a chair upside down between the springs and headboard. (I don't know if I'd be more worried about what that was doing to the mattress, or the chair, or the bed!)

Elevate the bedclothes with a barrel hoop cut in two (because we've all got those lying around, with no other plans for them!) and support the feet with a board and ropes tied to the headboard.

"The patient's room should be the brightest, best ventilated, and quietest room in the house. It should be free of useless furniture, but should not seem drab or bare."  The little book doesn't offer any guidance as far as what "the attendant" is supposed to do with the rest of the family...except for scheduling them to take turns reading out loud to the patient. After, of course, glancing through the reading material first to make sure that unpleasant subjects are avoided. 

I've been on bed rest. I can't imagine how miserable it would have been in the days before television. Because you can only read and knit for so many hours a day...and no one brought me any crepe paper to twist and weave with -- thank goodness!

This post is linked to Vintage Thingie Thursday, Thriftasaurus, Share Your Cup, Ivy and Elephants, We Call it Olde, Savvy Southern Style, Thrifter Maker Fixer.