So, more about that new ladder. When I got home Tuesday night, there it was on the front porch. After years of borrowing tools from White Trash Bob, finally I have something I can loan him. The Little Giant Titan Type 1 Model 22 with Wheel Kit. He's terrified of wobbly ladders, a fact he didn't admit until after he finished painting the high parts of my house. What a guy. WTB would love this ladder—there's nothing wobbly about it. In fact, because of its sturdiness and weight (39 pounds) I was worried that I might not be able to handle it alone. In the storage position, it's taller than me. How the heck am I, all by myself, gonna be able to turn that into a 9-foot stepladder or two trestles or a 19-foot extension ladder? After all, as my friend Sam pointed out, I am "kinda weeny". (He explains that's a cross between "weak" and "teeny" and not to be confused with "weenie". Whatever.) Well, I am here to tell you that I can change the ladder from storage position to A-frame to 90-degree ladder to staircase ladder and back to storage again with no trouble at all, and in a wrist brace to boot. (Because I was indoors I didn't try to make it into an extension ladder.) It's hard to explain how it works without pictures, so if you want to see how it reconfigures you should
watch this. My goal is to someday be able to switch the thing out as fast as Mr. Wing does. I am impressed by how simple it is to change the height and position of the ladder, and how the design of it means you're never moving more than half its weight. The hinge locks are pretty much fool-proof, so it's well nigh impossible to mistake the locked position for the unlocked, and the base of the ladder is fairly wide. The ladder's feet are good-sized and it's easy to tell whether or not they're square on the floor. To my mind, those things make for a safer ladder. That's important to me after my recent fall. I do not wish to have a repeat trip to the ER. Now, keep in mind that I haven't had a chance to really
use the ladder just yet so this is only a preliminary opinion. By Tuesday night I should be able to tell you more than you probably ever wanted to know about a Little Giant ladder.
While I was checking out the ladder, Louis and Liberty decided that the best part of a new ladder is the box it came in.
"Hey, Louis! Check out this big box the ladder came in! It's so cool!"
(This is my favorite photo because it shows off Libbi's cute curly tail.)
"You're so right, Libbi. This box is really cool!"
"Louis? Hey, Louis, where'd you go??"
"Oh! There you are!"
(You can just barely see Louie's face in the hole.)
"Gee, Mom, thanks for getting us such a cool box to play in!
I like it here!"
