It's better than it is, wasn't it?

My back is much better these days. There are still some minor twinges now and then, just to remind me, but they are fewer and farther between than a week ago. I even skipped my anti-inflammatory drug on Sunday so that I could be awake at a garden party with no ill effects. I'm still being careful about moving my neck and head and I'm still wearing the neck brace most of the time, and especially to bed at night.

Part of the vineyard on a hazy August morning.

We're really getting close to finishing the painting. Ken's done a great job having taken over the painting of the large sloping ceiling and higher walls. I've been working on priming the closet doors which doesn't involve much moving around. They're primed now, so I'll fill in some holes with putty and wait for that to dry before putting the paint coat on. I've also been fiddling with hardware and have started the process of removing the painting tape from the floor.

We are anxious to be done. The next step after painting will be the clean up. The floor needs a good going over to remove the inevitable drops of paint (we used drop cloths, but you can't cover everything) and leftover dust and dirt. Ken wants to give the steps another coat of varnish.

Then we'll start moving the furniture up. There's a lot of moving to do because we are essentially re-arranging the entire house. But there's nothing really big or heavy to deal with and we'll be able to manage it pretty easily. Then the rest of the house needs a thorough cleaning as we put it all back together. We skipped spring cleaning this year because of the construction work, so now it's time to pay the piper.

After all that, there's the garage and utility room to put back in order. They've served as our storage and staging areas for construction and painting. It'll be nice to clear out and clean up before the weather turns cold. We'll also have the plumber back to hang the radiators in the new space sometime during all of this.