We’ve really been enjoying the new hot tub . . . me probably more than anyone else, because for the past week and a half I have had, for the first time in my life, something wrong with my back. I’m kind of an orthopedic nightmare, and have had fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulder, ankles and toes broken or operated on over the years, but my back has always been good to me. Until two Sundays ago, when some combination of bike riding and heavy lifting at both work and home caused something in my lower back to get out of whack. And bad.

So I’ve been sitting in the hot tub whenever I can, and trying not to make old man noises (“nnnnnggghhhh…..”) everytime I stand up and sit down. The back was feeling some better yesterday, so I hopped on the bike for a short ride just to test it out. I’m a little twingey again this morning, which is sort of disappointing, since I hate to think that riding through the woods, which I’ve been enjoying a lot, may be contributing to the problem. I rode the same bike for over 20 years before getting this one . . . maybe it’s just a matter of my body adjusting to the difference, I don’t know.

But the hot tub helps, that’s for sure. I didn’t get it for medical or therapeutic purposes, but it’s doing the job, so I won’t complain.