As you know, I’ve been sleeping at an angle (for the acid reflux trouble) since… Christmas? and I have to tell you, it’s not that bad having a whole bed to yourself. I love Lloyd and everything, but when we’re all together the cats sleep with me and it gets kinda crowded on my side. However, since the current situation was starting to feel more like we were housemates than spouses, I think I have a prototype.

These are the twin beds in the downstairs guest room. Mine is propped up at an with concrete blocks, and Lloyd’s is flat, but has some 2×4 pieces under the legs so that my incline isn’t so noticeable. (My diagram makes it look like the head of his bed is on a block, too. It isn’t – I goofed up the drawing.) It took nearly an hour and a half of finagling to get them just right, and I ripped my shirt crawling around underneath, but I’m pleased with the result. The best part? I’m back in a room with a t.v.! The downside? I messed up – I’m supposed to be on the left. I’m not fixing it.

My voice has sounded much more normal lately, and singing isn’t as difficult as it used to be. I graduated from the couch to a bed a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to write about it. We prototyped Brad’s bed by propping up one end with cement blocks. (Those classy green blocks are from our Maryland days – the awesome brick & board bookshelves. We still have all the blocks and boards, and they’ve come in handy.) You’ll notice that it’s sloped toward the wall – that’s so I don’t fall off. When I was just sleeping on sheets I’d slide down about once an hour. There’s a flannel comforter under me now to provide some friction. It really works when I don’t shave my legs.

The problem with sleeping on the wedge is that it hurts my lower back.  To gain the same acid-pooling benefit, you can prop up the head of your bed frame on blocks or cats.  That’s too much trouble, so I’m experimenting with this for the weekend.

When Lloyd and I moved into this house, we didn’t have a bedframe.  We just put the box spring and mattress on the floor and called it good for many, many years.  A while back (five years?), he went on a little summer trip to see his family, and I was inspired by the show While You Were Out.  You’ll need to know that Lloyd teaches chess to his middle school kids, and he is the only person I know who reads big, giant, boring books about chess. I had found a border online that showed castle-y things (this was back when I liked border), and we already had a ton of extra chess pieces around the house.

Some paint, some trim and the chess pieces completed the walls.  I had also purchased a couple of under-bed storage units made for twin beds, but cobbled them together for our queen bed.  That raised the bed substantially – the first night after I made them I slept in the middle of the bed because I was afraid I’d fall off.   By borrowing the neighbors router the ‘chessboard headboard’ was completed.  So there you go – our crazy chess room.  Can you see how my pillows are eight inches higher than Lloyd’s due to the incline pillow?

And in case you’re wondering, yes – that’s a blanket over the window.  It’s eight degrees warmer on this side.

We thought these guys left!  What a surprise to find that they stayed behind.  It’s a shame to wake them….

So, the Missouri Sommerers are off on their whirlwind adventure to Western Nebraska and then Colorado.  They have a real vacation planned, with actual stuff to do!  Sam has one of my ukuleles along, with strict instructions to take pictures of it wherever they stop.  So, if you’re checking this with your laptop, Sam, don’t forget.  Then it can be like this.