A great addition to my house!

Everybody knows I'm a webcam addict and this one from Moose, WY has been my favorite of late because of the golden trees -- aspens, probably -- but this is what greeted me this morning. Gorgeous! (unfortunately, a couple of days later, the camera appears to have been taken down.)

Been a busy week or so since my last entry here. My lower back is really, really unhappy, but of course life and its necessities must go on. Standing seems to be the hardest on the back, although sitting improperly or certain positions lying down aren't much better.

Where to start? Let's see ... the double bed exited the premises back to the main house on Sunday, when a freshman at UO moved into one of the rooms there, temporarily, and needed a bed. I'd offered it up, because it took too much space, and because its softness seemed to aggravate the back issues. So, back to the air mattress, currently on the floor. Am slowly getting it inflated to a place that supports the back, and have found that its being on the floor allows me to prop pillows against the wall (below the windows) in a way that really supports the back and is comfortable.

A simple hot water bottle also made its appearance over the weekend -- and it works wonderfully! It's in use almost continuously, sitting or lying down, and aside from the welcome heat, works as support as well. A great use of $$!

A friend of the landlady's brought some big winter veggie seedlings over one day of the weekend, so now I have 4 good-sized kale seedlings that should last me nicely through the winter. Plus, a pot of small chrysanthemums also joined the crowd, a gift from the folks at Albertsons on Sunday. The existing layer of blossoms was drying out and really unsalable, so rather than toss them they were offering them to customers in the vicinity. I dead-headed the old blossoms and there was a big crop of buds underneath.

But -- the really big story of this week, to me, is a wonderful leather chair that I scored at St. Vincent de Paul on Monday! It's exactly what I've been looking for -- soft and plushy and utterly comfortable, and inexpensive. I think it may be a twin, aside from color, to one a local friend of mine has that's been my comfort-inspiration. No ottoman, unfortunately, but if and when I ever have the room, an ottoman is easy to find even if it doesn't match. I've also purchased a box spring from them, so I can use the frame and air mattress that I already have.

After due consideration yesterday, I opted to pay them to deliver, rather than than having me and the landlady and college student try to wrestle that chair out of her car and back here. I can't help at all, and she's only marginally in better shape, and he can't do it alone. So, I wait until Friday, but happy to do so. The chair needs cleaning, but I can't wait to sink into it. I'm 99.9% certain it'll actually fit in the space available for it. Of course, now I can no longer brag that I can move everything I own in my car, but I can live with that.

In the meantime, I'm gonna chill, rest the back, and not do too much more until the Friday delivery.