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Some idiot was setting off loud fireworks at midnight. The dogs took it surprisingly calmly. They were barking at something though.

Woke up at 7 AM. I stayed up late reading a book about The Big Bang Theory.

Hmm. It’s supposed to be really hot today. Not sure what to do. Sunday, it’ll be cooler but it’s going to rain.

Nap time. Gracie is barking at nothing in particular. The dog waste people are here. Bella, Gracie, and Oliver are all snoozing.

Had a nice nap and then ate lunch. Shower time. I’m getting a headache though, so maybe I need to lie down? Bella and Gracie were wrestling, so I escorted Gracie out.

My headache is gone and I want to get up, but Oliver is sleeping in the crook of my legs. Now he’s awake.

I ordered some Blue Sage and purple Coneflowers. I need to remember to pick them up on campus on Wednesday.

I started cleaning off my old laptop by copying files to a hard drive. Salt and Light refurbishes old computers and gives them to people in need, so I’ll donate this one.

Showered. I have Lily on my lap. I explained to her that it’s too early to eat, and she left.

Ugh. 92F/33C, feels like 97F/36C. No. I need to get to bed early (no reading!) and get outside early tomorrow and Sunday. Though I was going to go to the Unitarian church on Sunday. Took the dogs out and yes, it’s hot.

Got my new cool sheets on the bed, with a lot of hassle from two dogs and a cat. I lost my temper a little bit. But the duvet cover has beige stripes rather than gray ones, so I want to exchange it for one that matches the sheets. Contacted them.

My new laptop is updating. However, I accidentally bought two of them, so I'm returning the other one. I need to package it up tonight to drop at the UPS store tomorrow.

What now. I need to feed the critters and myself (done). Watered the garden.

Bella chewed up my external hard drive. I love that dog, but damn. I ordered a new one. Meanwhile, I'm recovering my files and downloading them.

I have Semagic installed on the new computer, but I'm having problems getting it to work with DW. I'm going to give up for tonight. I'm tired.

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Crap. I forgot to check my dad’s “stoplight system” for whether to invest or not. (It’s based on some Wall Street Journal stats.) I don’t want to go back upstairs and log on though. I need to put a note on my computer to do that. Hmm, it just occurred to me to note the stoplight readings on my email calendar. That would be a good way to view trends. I did remember to do it tonight. (It's a yellow light - hold.)

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Discovered that my phone didn’t charge and my Apple Watch needed charging too. Got the good charger. Took Bella out, but it was raining pretty hard, and she noped out. I’m going to go back to sleep for a while. Hmm, the Dynamic Duo (Oliver and Lily) are in here now. Good, they just left. Had a nice nap.

At work now. The Dynamic Duo are being very dynamic and are running around.

ChatGPT can be useful. I want a paragraph in my will stating that my friends can take one personal item each to remember me by, and it gave me a nice paragraph in legalese.

Speaking of my will and my trust, the big question is whether I include the house in the trust or not. I want the proceeds of the sale of the house to go into the trust, which makes me think that it should be included in the trust, but I'll probably sell the house before I pass away to go into a retirement community, which makes me think that it should not be in the trust. Dad said in a roundabout way to put the house in the trust because it keeps someone from suing me and getting the house. He said that if I’m the trustee, I can sell it whenever.

I somehow wound up with not one but two doctor's appointments on Friday afternoon (psychiatrist and eye doctor). My boss said that I could take the afternoon as sick time. Have I mentioned lately that I work with great people?

I forgot to feed the critters this morning. I suck.

I put the YMCA's "Gentle Yoga" class on my calendar, starting next week. That'll give me time to find my yoga clothes, mat, etc. Their Pilates classes are at an inconvenient time. And their Aqua Fit evening classes are at the same time as yoga. (I don't do exercise in the morning. If I get up on time and shower, I'm ahead of the game. Though hmm, the Deep Water Total Body Workout on Wednesday mornings sounds like a good class. Maybe I should try it and see if I can get up. They have the class on Fridays and Mondays too.)

I've been weeding a little while I'm out with Bella. Some weeds are going to need the weeding tool, but I've been able to knock off some easy weeds to pull up. I've got the bed for the tickseed cleared, but need to pull up the landscaping cloth underneath before I plant them. I want to order some begonias for the back of the house, which gets part sun and part shade. Hard to find plants for that exposure that are also dog-safe. Pulled up the landscaping cloth and planted tickseeds. I’m wondering if I should leave the sunflowers in their pots. They would require a big hole to plant them. Now I’m thinking about putting them on the patio. Maybe I could plant Black-Eyed Susans where I was going to plant them. Prairie Gardens has them. I also want to go to another big garden shop in the area this weekend. The ASPCA Web site says that begonias are toxic for dogs. The search continues….

Bella played tug of war with the landscaping cloth that I pulled up. I finally gave up on throwing it out. I’ll have to go outside without her to get it. (I got it when I took out the recycling.)

I read an article on places to retire in if you want to travel, but I think that I'm pretty well located. I can hop on a bus (or train) to Chicago and fly out of O'Hare Airport, which has nonstop flights to a lot of places. But Urbana is cheaper to live in than Chicago.

I've decided to replace the living room furniture (loveseat and chair) with new washable pieces. And I'll put my mom’s white chair, which is in good shape, in the library room and buy a cheap footstool for it. Though actually, I have a rattan footstool, I think. And I found a small trunk table on Wayfair to use as an end table. I can put a throw in it for cozy reading. I’ve thought again about getting a grandfather clock for the library room. The trick is finding a nice used one for not a lot of money and getting it over here.

The Swedish Death Cleaning book was talking about “curating” your stuff. That’s an interesting way to look at it.

I’m resting for a moment before taking out the recycling (done). I can’t rest long because I have Italian homework to do and I need to order some fencing from Lowe’s (done) and groceries.

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Got up a little after 6:30 AM. Took Bella out, but I decided that I wanted to go back to sleep for a while. Whoa, Bella had a hard fall off of the bed, but she seems to be okay.

I got into a wrangle with the software that we use for expense reports, and I wanted to cry. I hate expense reports. Note to self: stop traveling for work.

I think that I need a NokBox (Next of Kin box) so that I can include the will and trust documents in it. I bought a fireproof one. I also got a book on Swedish Death Cleaning for Americans on Kindle Unlimited. I also got The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly.

I was able to get Zara in the carrier this time. She’s not happy, but that’s to be expected.

Aargh. I got Zara in the car, and then realized that I forgot my phone. I decided to go in the front door because it was easier—and Bella dashed out. She refused to come in, not even for a Munchie Bone, so I had to leave her in the yard. I’m stressing over her. Zara, on the other hand, is being surprisingly good at the vet. They told me to feed her a little more food, which she'll like. They want me to bring Zara in for a dental appointment, which we made, but they need to check the bloodwork first. Bella was waiting for me when we got back and went inside without protest.

Man, I'm tired. And there's more expense report fun and games. Sigh.

Fed us all. I’m feeling like just going to bed and not gathering the trash to take out, but it’s a little early (7:15 PM) to go to bed. I need to just do it. I got the trash from the wastebaskets and was working on scooping the cat boxes when my back started to hurt. I decided to post and rest my back.

Errand Day

May. 24th, 2025 10:36 pm
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I bought bleach because my new towels are white. I'll have to learn how to use it.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I had the impulse to clean house, which is good. But I forgot to take my morning meds yesterday. I need to keep up with them to keep my energy up.

I had gotten Bella a couple of tug-of-war ropes that I had put away because she has no one with whom to play tug. She loves them. She tosses them around.

Woke up a little before 8 AM. Fed us all. Napped and overslept. Had a dream about my mom. We were looking for a particular type of bread for an event, and couldn’t find it, and she was crying. Mom is always upset in my dreams. I don’t know why. Now it’s around 11:30.

I was wondering if I had an appointment with my psychiatrist, and I did make one for next week. I want to stay on my current dose of meds. They’re working.

The “Oliver knocks everything off of the counters and Bella chews it” routine is active.

Got my Lowe’s order, including the garden fencing. I’ll have to put it up this weekend to see if it really keeps Bella out. If it works, I’ll get more.

Ate lunch. Now I’m waiting for my Walmart order.

Hmm. I’m thinking of going back to Michigan to pick up my stuff in the July 4th weekend.

Oliver was on my lap and Bella was trying to bite him. Play bites, but they still hurt. I kept on pushing her away, so she was biting me. This is why I want another dog for her to wrestle and play with.

Got my groceries in. I’m going to sit for a moment because my back hurts. Then I’ll shower. Booked a haircut appointment.

Bella came to see what I was doing. “Oh, you’re being boring [looking at my phone].” My arm was dangling. “Oh, you should be petting me.”

I was looking for a tote bag for my book and notebook, but I didn’t find one. I know that I have a bunch of them somewhere.

Showered and put on my makeup. Brought the garbage and recycling cans by the house. I have a half-hour to kill, and I don’t want to get dirty, so I guess that I’ll read my trust book.

Bella started out gently chewing my hands, but then she got overexcited and started biting down hard. I went “Aaaaah!” very loudly, and she backed off, to my surprise. She ignores when Oliver cries out, but I feed her.

I read an article about self-hypnosis. I want to try an app, but they haven’t sent me my login info yet.

At the nail salon. I read the “Trusts” part of my will and trusts book. I have an idea of what I want. Finding witnesses for the documents will be challenging.

My toenails look nice. My feet are sandal-ready!

Went to Home Depot. They didn’t have pansies; I think that it’s a little late in the year for them. They did have a dill plant and petunias. Gerber daisies might be a substitute for the pansies. They also have sunflowers, but I was planning to put berry plants where I originally wanted to plant sunflowers. They didn’t have coneflowers.

Ate at Steak and Shake, which knocked me out.

Now I’m home and need to feed the critters. Then I want to go to bed. So. Freaking. Tired.

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Woke up at 6:30. Took Bella out, showered, and fed us all. Bella was whining while I was in the shower, but then she fell asleep while I was getting dressed.

I've decided that I should read my trust books before telling the trust that I want to manage the money myself. So I need to make time for reading this long weekend. (It's the Memorial Day holiday on Monday in the US.)

I was wondering if I should replace my personal laptop (it's several years old), but I shouldn't spend money just because I can. I did find one that I like though. Hmm.

Oliver and Lily are looking out the upstairs window, twitching their tails in unison :)

I went with Bella to take a nap, but Oliver was lying on the bed. I removed him because he and Bella will squabble. Bad Mommy! Bella was barking at the door for no apparent reason. I finally let her out. Then she was quiet.

I got contacted about a fraudulent transaction on my Capital One debit card. Sigh. I don't know how someone got the card number.

I'm mulling over my ethics in investing. There is an ETF that invests in data centers, more of which will be built for AI. But that's a negative environmental impact. Should I make money from damaging the environment?

They let us leave work early due to the holiday. I had just finished the task that I was working on, so that worked out well. I took Bella out, and apparently I missed throwing out one of the plastic pots that the plants came in, and Bella was having a great time playing with it. I didn’t have the heart to throw it out.

[personal profile] zhelana mentioned that she bought her dog a small pool for hot summer days, and that sounded like a good idea, so I got Bella one. I hope that she likes it.

I got my new Brooklinen towels, and oh, are they soft and luxurious. I’m tempted to get another set while the Memorial Day sale is still on (done).

Celebrated the holiday weekend with a nap. Overslept and slept until 8 PM. Ow, my knee hurts.

Fed us all. The can of Bella’s food that I opened had liquefied food, and Bella wouldn’t eat it, so I gave her a new can of it.

I’m thinking of going back to sleep. I want to get outside tomorrow before my pedicure appointment. I need to submit a Walmart order and Lowe’s order first though (done).

Note to self: Pedicure Saturday at 5 PM. Bring trust book.

Y-M-C-A

May. 22nd, 2025 10:46 pm
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Woke up at 6:30 AM. I was out with Bella when I realized that I hadn’t put my clothes in the dryer. Came in and did so, but it’ll take a while, so I’ll have to take my shower at lunchtime. Decided to go back to sleep for a half hour. It's a rainy, dreary day.

The recycling people didn't take my boxes, probably because it was raining. They left a mess, so I'll need to go out and drag the boxes back into the yard. Bah.

Forgot to mention that I bought a book on Medicare that I need to read. And my trust books.

I've got a paper trading account set up on Schwab, although they don't make it easy to find. I'll start following my dad's system next week.

I had an appointment to take Zara to the vet. When I went in her room, Oliver tried to come in and then Oliver and Bella were fighting outside the door. That freaked Zara out, and she retreated to the closet whenever I went near her. I called the vet, and have a new appointment for next Tuesday. Next time, I'll corral Oliver, Lily, and Bella before I try to get Zara.

I read an article in the BBC about the health benefits of saunas, including reducing the severity of tension headaches, which I get a lot. I’m looking for a sauna in the area but am having no luck. The big gym at the university has one, but I just read a comment about how they don’t keep the gym clean, which doesn’t make me want to go there. The YMCA has one. Maybe when my required membership at the university gym is up, I’ll try there. The membership at the uni gym was a minimum of four months, so it should be over soon if not already. I guess that my next step is to check the date and visit the YMCA to see if I want to switch there. Oh! It has a lap pool! And they have swim lessons! And a "gentle yoga" class! And an indoor walking track! And "learn to play pickleball" in the fall! Okay, I want to join the YMCA (joined). I need to cancel my uni gym membership.

I'm thinking of looking for a part-time job at one of the local public libraries when I retire. It would be fun and bring in a little money.

I've been bouncing back and forth from my work area upstairs to the kitchen. I'm processing videos at work, so I set one off for processing, went downstairs and worked on the kitchen, came back up to process videos, etc. I did get some cleaning done on the kitchen. The boxes are flattened.

Cleaned up the boxes outside. I have a video processing. If it's done after I post, I'll move it to the next step. Otherwise, I'll finish up tomorrow. Okay, I got the second video uploaded. I don't have the energy to start video 3. I'll work on it tomorrow.

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A guy from my hometown whom I know on Facebook wants to meet with me. I don’t want to go. I’m going to tell him that my mower guy is coming by tonight to mow and give me an estimate on cleaning my gutters (true). Oh okay, he's asking about the 21st.

Arthritis is bothering me. It's not excruciating, just mildly annoying. My concern is more about my fingers instead of my toes because that could impact working on the computer and piano.

I'm falling asleep at my desk. Crashed hard at lunch and overslept my nap.

I'm looking into BistroMD again. I got tired of their food, but I did lose weight on it.

83F/28C. It's hot upstairs. It feels like 10 degrees cooler downstairs, so I won't turn on the a/c yet. You can feel the heat as you walk upstairs. I'm wondering if I should get an air conditioner or bite the bullet and buy a heat pump for upstairs. I spend a lot of time in my home office upstairs. I'm running a fan by my desk. It's hotter in Urbana than it is in Miami. And a lot hotter than Chicago.

It's kind of giving me the creeps that people with whom I worked at the beginning of my tech writing career have passed away. But they were a lot older than me, so it shouldn't be surprising.

I got the strawberry pot. And the Japanese Spirea.

Hum. I'm wondering if I should go to bed really early and get up early to work on the upstairs. It's too hot to work on it during the evening unless I stay up really late.

Oliver went over to see what Lily was doing. She was flat out because of the heat, and swatted at him. He walked away to lie down on the floor too.

Mower guy said that the lawn was too wet to mow. It was foggy this morning.

For my guest room, I was looking at the 8-drawer Van Gogh dresser that [personal profile] susandennis bought. But eight drawers is really more than I need. I found a 3-drawer version. If someone has more clothes, they can put them in the closet. Though if I got the 8-drawer one, I could keep colored pencils and such in some of the drawers. And some travel stuff.

Speaking of travel stuff, I looked at the linen outfit that I wanted to wear on the plane, and the color that I wanted is sold out. I could do a black-and-white top and white pants and a white blazer. I bought a “flax” top and pants and a “driftwood” blazer. That should look okay with my brown shoes.

Done with work. I have a cat (Oliver) in my face and a dog being manic. Fed us all. I was going to take a nap, but it’s late enough that I should probably go to bed for the night.

I started reading a new biography of Jennie Churchill. It’s interesting.

I’m feeling kind of dizzy.

Bella is out cold on her bed. She got up when I did though.

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I did think of a college town to check out for retirement: Clemson, South Carolina. It ticks all my boxes. I found a senior living community to check out. The place doesn't seem to allow pets, and I'm likely to still have Oliver and Lily when I would move there. So I started to look in Greenville, SC, and found a place that I like that allows pets. It sounds pretty perfect.

Booked a massage. My neck is killing me.

Woke up at 7 AM. Bella was too distracted by the outside world to do her business. She finally peed at least. Bella was being totally manic and she scratched me in the face. I gave her a Munchie Bone and she settled down. I’ve decided to take my shower at lunchtime because my clothes aren’t dry yet. So now I have time to kill.

Cool. I got The Economist's Guide to Investment Strategies for $4 on eBay. I'm going to have quite an investment library. And I received The Economist’s Guide to Analyzing Companies, which I will read first.

The arthritis in my toes is bugging me.

Had my therapy session. I told her that the increased meds were helping somewhat, but that I'm still tired. I looked tired. I asked how to force myself to clean up the kitchen, and we decided that I would make an appointment with a cleaner, and then I would clean up the dog debris in there before the appointment. She recommended that I get the security cameras put up and contact the garage people in the next two weeks.

The new pope is from my hometown of Chicago! There are jokes on Facebook about a deep-dish* Eucharist :)

I watered my plants outside and took the new plants out of their boxes and watered them too. Opened some Amazon boxes and my investment books are coming in. Now I just need time to read them!

My digestive system is roiling. I need to get to bed early anyway because I need to drop the car off to be fixed tomorrow.

I think that I'm going to hire someone to walk Bella because I've been so drained. I found someone who also does cat sitting, which I will need when I go to a conference in June. Also I'm going to hire an organizer to keep me working on decluttering and organizing.

* Deep-dish pizza is a thing in Chicago. It's several inches high and filled with cheese, meat, and other items such as mushrooms. Jon Stewart derisively called it a "casserole," but it's quite good.

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Gardening is the road to bankruptcy :) Ordered more coral bells and some herbs and tomatoes (although the groundhog likes to eat some of my herbs, so it's a losing battle).

Cool, my Capital One credit card payment has posted.

Ack! The forecasters are predicting rain from 5 AM onwards!

Lily loves cherry turnovers. That’s something that she has in common with Zara, although grumpy old Zara wants nothing to do with Lily.

It is COLD out. The forecast said that the wind chill will be down into the 30s F at 11 PM.

Oliver projectile vomited in the living room. I’ll have to keep an eye on him. Bella licked it up, which was gross but useful.

Got up at 7 AM. I was thinking that it’s Monday, but there is another day of weekend!

It’s raining lightly.

Got what I think are the batteries for the mower.

Lily keeps dropping napkins on the floor. Then Bella grabs them. Sigh.

Fed us all. My plan of action is to nap, eat lunch, shower, and head out to pick up my plants. Hmm, I don’t see the pots for the African daisies. I’ll need to order some.

Ordered more recycled paper products from Who Gives a Crap?

Napped. While I was out with Bella, a guy came by with a pile of Amazon boxes. I got the fake book in which to stash cash, and it really does look like a book. Now I need to get the cash. I got some investing books, collars with a pocket for AirTags for Oliver and Lily, cat food, and some underwear and socks. Oliver has taken over one of the boxes. Oh, and there’s a tall box that I forgot about. I have no idea what it is. It’s the weeder.

Bella has a squeaky ball, and she’s kind of driving me crazy with it, but at least, she’s happy. Oliver got part of my pizza and Lily got part of my donut. I have cats who need to learn manners.

I’m fighting the impulse to go back to sleep. Then I’d lose the plants that I bought. I should get myself together and go.

Just remembered to order vitamin B12. My levels are borderline low.

I’m getting a headache:( Took some acetaminophen and I could lie down for a half-hour.

Went and got the plants. They got my order wrong and left two plants out of it. They found another astilbe of the same color and one of a slightly different color and gave them to me. (That’s fine; my garden won’t be perfect.) They thanked me for shopping the sale. It occurred to me that they probably were volunteers at Allerton, and that sounds like fun to do.

My eye is twitching. Napped but woke up after a half-hour. My eye is still twitching. Fed us all. I’m feeling too tired to clean.

I’m looking for stuff to buy. I need to stop that.

Maybe I’ll read What Color Is Your Parachute in Retirement? for a while.

Bella is having fun playing with the paper from one of the Amazon boxes.

Most of the team will be at the conference tomorrow, so it should be a quiet day. I need to figure out when to take the Honda to the dealer for them to look at. I also need to get my student loans straightened out.

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Great. Bella grabbed my debit card off of the table and ran away with it. Eventually I got it away from her, but there are punctures in it. I’m going to have to go to the bank tomorrow.

Lily got into the napkins and dropped a bunch of them on the floor.

I only live here :)

Woke up at 6:30 AM. They’re predicting rain most of the day. I really want to go back to sleep, but I need to go to the bank to replace my debit card. Maybe I could take a short nap.

One of my irises is blooming. How exciting!

iris.jpg

Fed us all. Bella ate Oliver’s food. I told her that she was being annoying.

Time for a short nap. Had a nice nap.

I was looking into whether I could get the bus to O’ Hare on Christmas for my cruise, and the answer is no. I’ll have to go up the day before.

Took Bella out and ran into my neighbors. Bella was very excited.

I got my Paris and Istanbul books and the security cameras. Now I need to find a handyman to put them up. Ordered the batteries for my mower.

Showered and dressed. I’m trying to decide whether to drive to Monticello to pick up my plants today or tomorrow. Rain both days. I’m feeling like sticking close to home and planting the plants that I have.

Went to the bank to get a new debit card. Their machine wasn’t working, so no card. One of the people working at the bank heard what happened and we exchanged “dog talk”. So, I withdrew money because I’m not sure if the payments to my credit cards have posted yet. Got my library books. Got gas for the drive to Monticello, but I’m still thinking of going tomorrow. It’s gloomy today but not raining so far. Bella burst out of the door when I came home, and I told her that’s not good.

Ate lunch with rapt attention from Oliver, Lily, and Bella. Oliver got a hunk of cheese and spinach from my Lean Cuisine pizza. Oliver and Lily ate the cheese, and Bella gobbled up the spinach.

The forecasters say rain in the late afternoon, so I need to get out and get planting. I’ll nap when it starts raining.

Got the plants out of the boxes, and I have coral bells, bee balm, and tickseed. The bee balm will be complicated because I want to pull up the fabric covering the bed, but don’t want to disturb the irises, which are blooming. Planted the coral bells. I need a few more for the side yard. Planted the bee balm. I’m done for the day. I’m pooped, and it’s supposed to start raining.

Napped, but it didn’t rain. Went out and watered the plants.

I’m thinking of going to bed early to get up and clean out the garden bed for the tickseed plants.

I found my missing glasses. Remarkably, they are not broken. They would have been useful when I was bending over planting plants.

Bella was whining, but it was a false alarm. When I was outside, I noticed another box of plants. I won’t order more plants until I know what it is, although I don’t think that it’s coral bells because they came from another company. It was tickseed.

I’m feeling too tired to start cleaning now. I’ll go upstairs and do some things on my computer, and then go to bed.

Ordered some Bonkers dog treats from Amazon. Bella thinks that they are canine crack.

I’m communicating with my dad about a possible trip to see him next year. I think that I’ll do that instead of taking a cruise. He said that late May to early June is the best weather-wise.

Asked for handyman recommendations on NextDoor.

I'll order some coral bells and start wending my way towards bed.

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Hell. I feel like going to sleep and getting up early. I need a snack though (done). I DO have to get up early because of my Italian lesson. I didn’t go to the grocery store. Tomorrow.

I’m looking into French lessons as well.

I’m explaining to Oliver and Lily that they are not starving to death. They are not convinced.

It’s hot.

I brought a garbage bag into the bedroom to clean it up. Oliver is reaching under the door and pulling it out. This is a zoo :)

I got my electric bill and need to start turning off the porch light at night. Expensive to leave it on.

I’m pleased with myself. There is a book called No New Things, which I want to read, but I requested it from the library.

I’m having problems falling asleep. Suckage. Finally did. Got up a little after 6 AM.

I'm ready for my Italian lesson. Had the lesson. My teacher was sad about Mimi. We talked about the cruise for a while. Oliver and Lily showed up to say "Hi". We won't have a lesson for another three weeks because I'm gone next week and my teacher is gone the following week.

I'm really stressing about my check. Silence from the trust.

I have to hand it to Ameren. They replaced my gas meter and asked me to call them to have the gas turned back on. (They had been trying to set a time with me, but I kept forgetting to call them.) They had someone come out right away. Hot water for showers!

I have stomach cramps, plus I have to gather garbage, plus I’m tired, so I’m not going to the store tonight. I need to eat up some of the food that I have stashed. I listed my pet ramp that I bought for Bella to get into my car for sale on Facebook. (She didn't need it. She can get into my car perfectly well. She just didn't want to go in there.) I hope that someone will buy it. I'm trying to think of other things to sell.

Got the garbage out. I’m going to have some Ramen noodles and go to bed.

Investing

Apr. 27th, 2025 07:23 pm
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Lily promptly sat on my book. Sigh. Lily sez, “I don’t understand what you mean by ‘reading’. Books are for lying on.”

My Fidelity choices available kind of suck. They went for the cheapest index funds. I bumped up my international funds because they are doing better than the US funds.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella was watching Squirrel TV. Fed us all. Now it’s nap time (done). I’m trying to explain to Bella that if Oliver is yowling, it means that he is not happy. Bella doesn’t speak cat. Ow. Bella just scratched my face. She’s getting hyper.

Ate lunch. I think that I’m going to nap for an hour and then shower. Had a nice nap.

I need to find my chargers for my business trip.

My dad is going to teach me his system that he uses for investments. He’s done quite well for himself, so it should be useful.

Oliver is occupying my lap and Bella doesn’t like it. Got my lazy butt into the shower.

One of my irises has a bud. How exciting! I have a headache but need to get going. Back from the library. I was able to check out The Economist as well as The Economist’s Guide to Financial Markets. I could save a ton of money in retirement by using the library more fully.

Ow, my fingers hurt. Ow. Only one of the mower batteries seems to be working, but I got most of the front yard done.

Fed us all. I'm feeling really tired, so I'm thinking of going to sleep early.

Tired Day

Apr. 26th, 2025 10:01 pm
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I can get What It’s Like to Live Now on eBay. It’s in a box somewhere, but I really would like to reread it.

Everyone wants my string cheese.

So much for going to bed early. I’ve been reading Meredith Maran’s book about needing to reinvent her life at age 60, and it’s good and what I needed to read.

Woke up at 5:30 AM. Bella had the zoomies after she did her business. She’s full of havoc: barking at Lily and bugging Oliver.

Crap. My Greenworks chargers are not turning on. It’ll cost a fortune to replace the batteries. Lily ran down into the basement. I don’t know what the attraction of the basement is, but she loves it.

I’m going back to bed. Slept until 10.

Oh fuck. They’re having a race today, so I can’t get to the library. I’ll go late in the day.

I’m figuring out how the day should go. I want to wash the clothes that I have on to get a pair of grungy jeans for yard work. I’ll go work on my investment course while it’s washing. Then I’ll shower and go outside. I’ll try to mow, but I’m expecting that the batteries won’t work. Then I’ll weed and clean out garden beds. I’ll change clothes and go to the library and grocery store at 5 PM. Note to self: buy napkins! When I get back, I’ll clean house.

Goofball Oliver was in the microwave (turned off, of course). Lily decided to come up from the basement.

I finished the Meredith Maran book. I’m letting it sink in. She completely rebuilt her life in LA! It’s giving me food for thought.

Now I’m thinking of a nap while the clothes are in the wash. Bella has half a tennis ball. (She chewed the other half.) Couldn’t sleep. I’ll go work on my investment class. Bought a new charger for my Apple Watch. I can’t find my case of chargers and the original one is bent.

Got my clothes in the dryer after Oliver got out. Cats!

Have a headache and sore neck.

Checked in for my doctor's appointment on Monday, but I'm not sure where I go. Need to call them on Monday. Worked on my investment class, but I need to spend some time playing with the financials for different sectors in the paper-trading tool. Later today, I think.

Now I'm thinking of skipping the yard work today and just running errands. I have tomorrow to work outside. The race will be over soon.

Found my Econ books and stashed them away out of Bella’s reach. Speaking of which, someone whose name is Bella is pulling toilet paper out of the bathroom and chewing it. Dogs!

I found some books on Audible that I want to get, but I need to wait for the check.

Managed to drag my weary butt into the shower. I’m thinking that I need to eat something because I also need to run to Lowe’s and get keys cut. I’m feeling draggy though and don’t feel like going out. Hmm. The last day that I can pick up the library book is tomorrow. Lowe’s opens at 8 AM tomorrow. The library opens at 1PM tomorrow. I can pick up napkins and 7up Tropical Zero Sugar at Meijer. Yeah, I think that I’ll stay in. Ye gods, I am tired. Actually, I’m low on cat litter (though I have some in the car), so I think that I’ll submit a Meijer’s order (done).

Got us all fed. I want to take a nap but want to be up for the Meijer order, so I’ll email my dad back and look at financial sector charts. Actually, there’s nothing in my order that will spoil so I’ll nap. Meijer canceled my delivery order. Why? Oh, apparently I didn’t have enough money.

Slept until 7:30 PM. Kept Bella from bugging Oliver. (She was not pleased.) Worked on my investment course. I think that I'll feed the beasts and go to bed. I might need to throw some laundry in--I'll check.

Actually, I'll read some of my macroeconomics book before going to sleep.

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Fed the critters and the washer stopped.

Got up at 6 AM. I'm not feeling well, so I emailed in sick and texted the person with whom I was going to go to the meeting. I need to stay up to call the car repair place (done). I slammed into a wall and am out of spoons.

My glasses are missing. I suspect a critter (Bella?) took them but I don’t know where they are.

The cats are being manic. Oliver found a box that he likes.

Zara is due for a Wellness exam. That’ll be fun. I need the money from the trust.

Slept until 11. Got my groceries. And I forgot to get napkins, damn it. I’ll need to run to the local grocery store later.

Aaargh! The trust just requested the check yesterday! They *think* that I will get it next week. I am so screwed. I wrote a cranky email to them but am sleeping on it. My goal is to get to a point where I can manage my money myself—my dad has taught me some—but I have a lot of work to do. I’ll look into Schwab for the meanwhile.

Ate lunch. I’m going to take a nap but Bella is bothering Oliver. Sigh. Got Oliver to leave and napped. I’m trying to decide whether to get up or go back to sleep.

The library is open until 6. I could make it over there if I jump into the shower. Maybe not. I’m feeling groggy. Bella needs to go out but the pet waste people are coming. Okay, they're gone so I can take her out. She actually came in without a treat bribe but it was raining.

The critters want food. I’m trying to figure out low-energy things to do after I feed the beasts. I could go through the mail and clear off the kitchen table. Study Italian and piano and voice. Work on my investing class, although I need a notebook for it. Actually, I could take notes on my computer.

We’re all fed. I think that I’ll take another nap. Couldn't sleep. Good. The essay that Randy Shilts wrote about the year after And the Band Played On was published popped into my head. It's one of the two best essays that I've read. The other was a chapter in Meredith Maran's book What It's Like to Live Now called "Line of Fire" in which she juxtaposes the death of her friend from AIDS and the Oakland Fire. I checked, and What It's Like to Live Now is out of print, but she has a new memoir out. It's about how she broke up with her wife and moved to LA in her sixties. I bought it.

Now I think that I'll work on my investment class because the sooner that I take these classes, the sooner I'll be completely independent. Looked at some videos and opened a paper trading account. I created a Live Journal for my notes from the course. But that means that I need to log in and out of it. I've been getting 100% on the investment quizzes thus far. I need to find my economics books.

I'm going to go to bed early. I need to get up at a reasonable hour to run to the library and then mow the lawn.

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I watched a couple more episodes of The Golden Girls. The dog is fast asleep, so I’m going to get in my pajamas and join her.

Got up at 7. Bella defended the yard against a squirrel. She ate Lily’s food. Bad dog! She was trotting around with one of my bras that she found.

I was looking for pictures of Mimi because I think that I want the painted urn. Found some.

Oh shit! I just realized that a book that Bella destroyed was a library book! Guess that I need to go over and pay for it.

Tried to nap but couldn’t sleep.

I’m trying to decide what to do. I need to run over to Walmart to get Mrs. Meyers cleaner and Munchie Bones. I need to plant the new plants, which requires cleaning out the garden bed. And I need to clean the bedroom, kitchen, and upstairs.

It’s a little early for lunch, so I guess that I’ll get in the shower. Well, I needed to do laundry, so I guess that I’ll have lunch.

I’m looking for a new housekeeper because mine is moving out of town in June. I found someone who wants to support herself as a new grad student. I’ll contact her later in May.

My towels didn’t dry, so I threw on the clothes that I had on yesterday. I found my shovel and will go out and plant the ferns (done). Then the alarm on the Honda started going off. I shut it off twice, but apparently it had been going off since last night, but I didn’t hear it. I contacted an online Honda mechanic, and he said that the alarm system was built in. He said to bring it to a dealer to read the messages why the alarm was going off, but next week is problematic because of my off-site meetings. He told me how to disconnect the battery, but I didn’t have a small enough wrench. My neighbor came over and disconnected it.

I'm supposed to give someone a ride tomorrow, but that isn't going to work.

The pup is tired from being outside so long. Napped with her.

It’s a little late to go to Walmart. I’ll go tomorrow.

I started reading Judy Collins’ book. It’s interesting.

I don't feel up to starting anything new, so I'm going to crash.

Lazy Day

Mar. 8th, 2025 06:02 pm
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The Internet is out on the ship. Bah.

You needed an engineering degree to figure out the shower. I finally figured out how to turn the water on (it wasn't obvious) but could not figure out how to get the shower on. So I took a bath and stuck my head under the faucet to wash my hair. And I almost wasn’t able to get out of the bathtub!

I took a lot of sweet rolls at breakfast. Then I discovered a place that would make me pancakes (which were quite good). I left with a contraband napkin full of sweet rolls. Waste not, want not.

I'm fighting the impulse to skip my shore excursion and go back to sleep. Note to self: don't book shore excursions at the beginning of a trip when you know that you will be tired. Now I'm thinking nap and wander over to the spa to see if I can get a manicure. Napped. Dug out my suntan stick in case I want to read in the sun.

I’m staying out of my room because I remember from the last cruise ship that they get upset if they can’t make up the room. I thought that lunch was at 11, but it looks like 12.

They’re playing the movie Conclave at 2 and 8:30. I would like to see that.

I had a moment of missing my dog. And I’m a little worried about Mimi. She’s been somewhat unsteady on her feet. But the vet said that she was okay, probably.

The room was made up. Now it’s nap time. I think that I’ll go for the later showing of the movie.

The pet sitter is sending me pictures of the cat food cans that she found under the cabinets and fridge. Not exactly restful.

Hmm. They put out a call for blood donors to help with a medical emergency. I had problems understanding the Captain on the PA, but it sounds like they are evacuating the ill person?

Read some of my book: Shift by Ethan Kross. It’s about using and managing emotions. It’s interesting so far.

I’m getting a little frustrated because the restaurant does not keep its posted hours.

Oh! They’re having introduction to pickleball tomorrow! I’ll be there!

My pet sitter can’t find Lily. She has to be there somewhere.

The Sweet Spot counter guy is always disappointed that I don’t want cookies. Ice cream, yes. I asked for one scoop and he gave me two.

Impressions so far: Holland America charges for everything. I spent more money getting the same amenities that I had last time, although this cruise is for two weeks, not one. Both staterooms were nice. The food was a little better on Celebrity, I think, but comparable. The ship is a lot quieter, which is nice, and there weren't late-night revelers (or at least, I didn't hear them).

I'm waiting to go to the movie, so I think that I'll post.

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I got one full recycling bin and some boxes out.

Lily snuck upstairs when I went up to post, and there is major kitty drama going on with Mimi. I'll see if Lily will leave with me. I had to pick her up, protesting.

Got clothes in the dryer.

I forgot to mention that I bought two of Judy Collins’ bios to read on the trip.

The trust said that they were in contact with the bank about having the safety deposit box drilled and that I should have the tax document when I come back.

Bella was chewing the leg of the over-toilet shelves. This is why we can't have nice things :) I escorted her out.

Got my groceries in. I think that I bought too much cat litter. That at least is self-correcting.

Got my hair cut. She layered it, but blow-dried it straight, but I hope that the waves will pop up when I wash it. Got money for the pet sitter.

Oliver snuck up here too (bad day for Mimi), but eventually I got him out.

Hmm. I'm going to need to put in some extra time at work to finish a Web page so that it can get reviewed on Monday. Do I do that tonight or tomorrow night? Tomorrow, I was going to pull a all-nighter cleaning because I don't seem to be getting a cleaner. So I guess that means I need to work late tonight. Actually, I finished my Web page except for an outstanding question, so I can do other things tonight. I'm in the mood for packing.

The vet called. Oliver's fecal results were fine, but Bella tested positive for hookworms. I'm going to go by later to get meds for her. They said that boarding her would be okay if I give her the meds. Maybe I should pick up some hot dogs to put the meds in.

Picked up Bella’s meds. Now the desk clerk said that he would have to double check with the practice manager tomorrow morning if they could take Bella without a retest in a month. This is turning into a cliffhanger. A kennel did contact me today saying that they could take them.

I keep having freaking stomach cramps. Sigh.

Gave Bella her meds in her food and promptly washed out her dish because I don't know what the meds would do to the cats.

Trump has taken down the Income Based Repayment form for my student loans that I need to fill out to re-register for it. Trump’s chaos has arrived at my house. I have no idea what to do.

Took Bella for a walk. She did well, except for freaking out a little when we saw another dog. It was a half-hour, not an hour, but it's a start. She's starting to realize that the harness and leash can mean good things. I think that she thought that we were going to see her friend the vet!

Now I think that I'll feed the critters and go to bed. I'll work on packing when I get up. Oh, and I need to soak a litter box before I go to bed.

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Overslept, but got the recycling out. I’ll take my shower at lunchtime.

Busy at work, but that's okay. I like being busy. I have a list of things to get done before I leave.

Got my RSV shot. I had pounds of clothes on because it was 19F/-7C out, and I had to pull them off to get down to my t-shirt underneath. The pharmacist joked, “Oh, there is a person under there.” Then I got my library books.

Bella went outside while I was bringing stuff in. There was a possum on the other side of the fence, and she wanted to spend the night looking for where it went. I had to bring out the squeaky ball, which she loves, to get her to come in. Zen and the Art of Manipulation :)

Everyone’s fed except me. I’m planning to remedy this.

Bella pulled down one of my spider plants, so I need to repot it. And hang the pots in the kitchen soon.

I'm exhausted. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, plus I might be feeling some side effects of the shot. I'm going to go to bed and get up early to do things.

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Hmm. I have library books to pick up, but I need a way to keep them away from Bella. Maybe the bottom drawer of my nightstand.

Overslept this morning. I'll need to take my shower during lunch.

My showers are endlessly fascinating to the fur kids. I think that it's the sound of the water. Today, I had Bella and Lily observing.

Having the aquarium next to my work desk is very relaxing even without fish. The hum of the filter and water sounds are very meditative. And I like looking at the plants. Hmm, I had thought that I wanted plants up here, but maybe the aquarium plants are enough. Though maybe I'll get some African Violets for my desk. Lowe's has African Violets.

Had some really good Orange Chicken for lunch. The frozen dish was kind of pricey, but oh, so good. (It blows my mind what food costs these days!)

I was on the way back from the library, using Mom’s car, when it slowed down to a crawl even when I hit the gas, and the Check Engine light went on. I managed to get it home using my flashers. Unless it’s something like transmission fluid, it probably isn’t worth fixing. Any ideas on what might cause it?

I got the garbage out. Well, most of it, anyway.

I took my car to Walmart for soda and some food. I’m set for the snow.

Hmm. I wound up staying up late, but tomorrow probably will be a pajama day. Though I will have to get the recycling out in the snow. I need to email the trust, feed the cats, and go to sleep.

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Woke up with my alarm at 6 AM. The Echo Dot alarm did not sound, sigh. The critters think that this is too early to get up.

Ugh. Zara was out roaming around, and Bella lunged for her. I grabbed Bella. Sigh. Zara took off for her room. I took the puppy out. Now I’m thawing and then will gather the recycling.

Got the recycling out. I’m going to thaw for a moment, soak the cat dishes, and let Oliver out of kitty jail. (I’ll never convince him that I do that for his own protection.)

I read online that Neil Gaiman based his Sandman series on Tanith Lee's Tales of a Flat Earth series, so I went looking for the Tanith Lee books. The public library does not have them. The university library does have them, but the first book is checked out. I'm leery of buying it until I see if I like it or not. (I have too many books, so I'm trying to be choosy about what I keep.) And it sucks that Gaiman didn't give her credit and make her books circulate more! Though I'll probably set up a Little Free Library in the Spring, so I could recycle it there if I don't want to keep it. Oh okay, I got it for the Kindle.

We have some dedicated bicyclists for neighbors. I saw two separate people out riding their bikes. And it's cold out (31F/-1C, although that IS balmy compared to the weather that we've been having). Bella was fascinated by the bicyclists. She didn't bark but watched them intently.

I've been redesigning the yard in my head while I'm out with Bella. I want a six-foot-tall white picket fence to replace the current fence. There is a raised bed and trees by the side of where the driveway to the garage-to-be will be. I think that I want to take the trees and raised bed out (they're "junk trees'") and plant redbuds and holly bushes along the side of the driveway. Bark mulch underneath them. And I want a crabapple for the main part of the back yard and roses along the side of the garage. I probably want a path from the back door to the garage, but I'm not sure yet what to put in. I’m thinking a concrete sidewalk because its purpose is a way to unload stuff from the car, not to be pretty.

Bella did not want to come in when I took her outside after our nap. There was a garbage truck! And the outdoor cat went by the neighbor's house! Lots of interesting things to see. And it felt downright warm in the sun! Oh, it WAS warm, 37F/3C.

The doctor's office called to reschedule my appointment for next week.

When I paid my AT&T bill, they had an offer for one month of Hulu free, so I took the deal and added Max to it. I want to watch TV sometimes cuddling with the dog.

I had a nice chat with my neighbor who lives right next door to me. Bella barked at him for some reason, but he didn't seem to mind. I told him that the dog was new, and he said that he had cats, and I said that I had them too! He said that he liked my Harris/Walz yard sign, and we agreed that we weren't looking forward to the next four years. I like living in Urbana.

I'm thinking that I want to get the fish tank and plants set up, but I might wait to get fish until after my trip. I'd hate to get the fish and then leave them to the pet sitter or automatic feeder. I want to know more about how their rhythm is.

I'm also thinking that I should try to meet more people. I was going to wait until I got the house together, but meeting people would provide me with the motivation to get the house together. My therapist thought that was a good idea.

Because it's warmish, and it's supposed to get cold this weekend, I'll get the garbage out tonight. Nope.

Played a fun game of feeding the fur kids. I need to go get Bella out of the bedroom and take her outside. There was a person on a scooter walking two dogs. They stopped in front of the house for the dogs to sniff. Bella barked once and then retreated by my side for me to protect her.

I’m trying to figure out where Bella’s collar went. I have her harness, but I’m not sure where the collar is, but I know that it arrived. And I should get collars for Oliver and Lily. I need to spend this long weekend getting stuff organized. I think that I’ll start in one corner and do a 360-degree thing.

Oliver and Bella seem especially tired today. I wonder what they’ve been up to. They’re both asleep, and I’m kind of stuck here because I don’t want to wake them.

I cleaned off the heater for the fish tank, but it's getting late, so I'll fill the tank tomorrow. Paid bills. Now I think that it's bedtime.

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