Today is a long awaited day in our house. We’re FINALLY getting a new mattress. The one we’ve been sleeping on, I bought at a Haverty’s in Fayetteville, Georgia, back in September 2009. Mattresses are supposed to be replaced after about ten years, but we’ve had this one for almost 16 years. It now sags on both sides, where we’ve been sleeping.

I put off getting a new mattress because we live in Germany, and beds are differently sized in Europe. And if I was going to buy a new mattress, I wanted it to be a really nice one. AAFES doesn’t have the greatest selection, especially in Europe. But the sagging finally got so bad that I told Bill to go to AAFES and see what he could get there. He bought their most expensive Serta mattress, alas, without new box springs. They didn’t have any of those.

The new mattress is supposed to be delivered today, so I just stripped the bed, which was quite an ordeal. To cope with the sagging, I put a foam topper on our old mattress, which helped a bit. It’s also heavy and bulky, and takes up a lot of room on the floor.

I also bought us a new air conditioner. The one we bought in August 2018 in Nagold went on the fritz this week. It’s been hot as hell, and although we don’t know what the future holds in terms of where we’ll be living next year, I don’t think I can bear weeks of being hot at night. I put the older AC in the bedroom, as it’s still working fine. Then I ordered a Dreo air conditioner from Amazon, which is supposed to get here today. I’d rather not buy from Amazon, but logistically speaking, it was the most practical choice. So, hopefully, it will work well, because as I write this, I’m pouring sweat. My office gets super hot this time of year!

Last night, we went to the wine stand. I got a few photos… We talked to Hannah, our American neighbor, who said she’s applied for German citizenship for herself and her kids. Her partner is a veteran, so it’s a bit more complicated for her to switch nationalities. I really can’t blame them, given how the United States is going right now. Hannah speaks fluent German and has many local friends. I think it’s a good decision for her to just stay here. Wish we could do that.

Below are a few obligatory photos. It was nice last night. Not too crowded, and there was a lovely breeze. I got a few photos of Bill in his new Guinness t-shirt. The Germans running the wine stand joked with him about it– “We have no Guinness here!”

In two weeks, the mattress in the featured photo will be headed to a German dump somewhere, along with other stuff we want to get rid of. Amazingly, Bill forgot to add a few items, including the aforementioned air conditioner. I would have had Amazon take it, but the specific model of air conditioner I bought didn’t offer that service, for some reason. Maybe we can get the other air conditioner to work somewhat and use it in Noyzi’s room…

Weirdly enough, even as saggy as it is, I sleep better on that old mattress than I do on most hotel mattresses. Hopefully, the new one will be an improvement. I’m tired of sleeping in the valley.