days_unfolding

I forgot to mention that I got my camping mattress from REI. My sleeping bag should arrive on Monday. Then I'll have to test them out. I second-guessed my choice of sleeping bag, but it has an outer polyester shell and a removable inner down bag. So I could take the down bag out for summer camping.

Lily is lying flat on the floor upstairs, stretched out. I don’t know why she is up here when it’s cooler downstairs. Hmm, Oliver was upstairs too. Keeping an eye on me?

Crud. I forgot to put clothes in the dryer, including my summer pajamas. I dug out some shorts and an “A Woman’s Place Is in the White House“ t-shirt (so much for that) to sleep in, which I can also wear for cleaning tomorrow.

Hmm. A CNN article about beating the heat suggested sleeping in the basement. Maybe I should test my camping mattress down there.

Oliver discovered the package of little cat ball toys, and he’s trying to open it.

I’m in bed, and Bella is zonked out cold in her bed.

Woke up at 8 AM. It’s already 80F/27C out. Sigh. Fed us all. Now it’s nap time. Napped, and now I feel groggy. Had lunch. A box of donuts fell down and Bella snatched one.

91F/32C now.

I’m going to nap for an hour and then get cleaning. Boy, did I zonk out. I dreamed that I was looking for a place to be buried in Urbana. Hmm. Bella is still asleep.

Oh fuck. I forgot about the garden walk today. Oh well. But it’s too hot anyway.

It is oppressively hot out (94F/34C). Crazy Bella wanted to lie in the sun. I convinced her to come in quickly though.

I’ve got the sleeping bag and the tent! The sleeping bag seems nice and cushy. I’m assuming that next weekend will be cooler so that I can practice pitching the tent. (The forecasters are predicting the high 80sF.) Maybe I’ll test the camping mattress and sleeping bag later. Oh, and I got the cooler. Bella is playing with the box that the sleeping bag came in. Now she’s bugging Oliver.

Okay, I’ve cooled off. I should get cracking on cleaning the house. I was petting Lily, and Bella was jealous. Critters :) Oliver is trying to tell me something, but I’m not sure what.

Oliver was climbing in the dishwasher. Fun with cleaning with pets. Got the clothes in the dryer.

I’m feeling shaky, so I’m making something to eat.

Hmm. Sling is advertising Queer As Folk for Pride. I always meant to see that, so maybe I’ll watch later if it’s on demand.

Bella is playing with a tug-of-war rope. She’s twirling it around.

I asked ChatGPT for women’s hiking sandals with wide widths. It recommended hiking sandals without wide widths. Sigh. Okay, the last one that they had did have a wide width, so I bought it.

Hmm. The BBC had an article about a "death cafe" in Bangkok, which asks, “Who would you talk to if it was your last night?” I don’t know the answer to that. I need to make more friends.

I have a headache. I need to feed the critters , but then I’ll lie down for a little while. Watered the outside plants while I was out with Bella. It occurred to me that I need to pull out the stake from the camping supplies because I’ll need to stake the puppy out while I work in the yard. I could put the dog pool out for her. Bella is flaked out on the kitchen floor. I’ll feed the cats and start cleaning the bathroom. Then I think that I’ll shower before bed.

I found a pair of waterproof Columbia hiking boots on sale. I checked, and I don’t have hiking boots, so I bought them. I need a taller shoe rack (ordered).

I’m feeling headachy and tired. I think that I’ll take my nighttime meds, post, and go to bed. I can clean in the morning when it’s cooler. Wow, it's hot upstairs. Work is going to suck on Monday. Maybe I'll bring my work laptop downstairs, where it's cooler. I need to get a workman to install my new air conditioner.

I booked the HipCamp. I got the tent site farthest from the road, so it should be quiet.

Got up a little before 9 AM. Manic dog is manic. Ate breakfast and now my stomach hurts. I need to feed the beasties and lie back down.

I’m trying to find the perfect pair of sandals. It’s hard because I have thick ankles.

Nap time. I’m not going to set an alarm because it’s a holiday. Bella is already crashed out. Woke up in the same amount of time that I would have taken had I set an alarm. I’m still feeling tired.

I’m looking at coolers for camping, but sheesh. Expensive.

Had lunch, and now my stomach hurts. I wish that I knew what was causing it. I’m going to lie down for a while.

Threw myself together and now I’m at the orientation for dog training. I feel okay if I don’t eat, just a little dizzy. I forgot to print off Bella’s shot records, but I had them on my phone.

I found a pair of sandals that look promising. They’re wide width by Orthofeet (ordered).

Bella is being manic. “You left! And came back! I’m so happy!”

I’m tired. I’m thinking of getting to bed early.

I confirmed that Illinois Canyon Trail at Starved Rock doesn't have stairs. It sounds like a nice hike. I need to dig out my hiking boots. Hmm, I need to get a second phone charger battery for camping. There's a limit to how much I'll rough it! I bought a travel dog bed for Bella.

It looks like Bella found another dead possum. Is she killing them? I might need to take her out on a leash at night. I’m calling her “Possum Breath”. Okay, she’s a dog and doesn’t know any better.

I was going to get ready for bed. Cats: not so fast. We didn’t get our second meal! They were right, so I fed them. Now I’m in bed.

Woke up at 8 AM. Emailed in sick. Two of the tickseeds are blooming!

We get Thursday off for Juneteenth, so I plan to do some gardening and cleaning.

Bella was digging in the back garden, so I threw a stick and distracted her. She’s busy chewing it. Now we’re inside. Bella is trying to “play” with Oliver and he gave her a swat. I told her that I speak Cat and he’s annoyed with her.

I need to check whether the lab at the hospital will be open on Thursday (Juneteenth). It would be a good time to get my blood work done.

Fed us all. My stomach hurts. Time to sleep.

Hmm, it’s going to go up to 87F today. I guess that I’ll shave my legs and put on shorts.

Bella is always up for a nap. My bed potato :) Woke up at 1PM.

I received the camping food. I want reusable grocery bags to put them in. I also received a tie-out for Bella, a lantern, and some pots. The tent should arrive on the weekend. Hmm, maybe I should save a box to also put stuff in. I’ll be "car camping".

I’m feeling better but shaky with some stomach cramps. Food should help. It did.

American Airlines flights to Reno are either early in the morning or late at night. I need to take a morning flight to get picked up in Reno by my dad. I’m wondering if I’ll need to overnight in Chicago.

Maybe I’ll take another nap. Bella was already in the bedroom ready to take a nap! Napped and woke up at 6 PM.

I’m feeling dizzy.

It’s predicted to be 93 and 95 F on the weekend. Fuck. Not great for yard work. It looks like an iris that I planted is coming up.

There are ants in my mailbox. It looks like some food spilled in there. I don’t have ant spray. I left the mail outside.

Fed us all. Ordered groceries. I’m trying to get the energy together to gather the garbage for pickup. Woah. I’m feeling dizzy.

The BBC had a video about how Cologne, Germany is sex-positive. It sounds like an interesting city that I’d like to visit.

Bella has a crinkly brown mailer. I can see the appeal. She’s now ripping it up.

I flipped through the destination guide to Greenville, SC, and it looks interesting.

Got most of the garbage out. Hot and dizzy.

I’m looking into Bark Air for when I study in Italy and France. Apparently they do take cats also.

I never did take a shower. I need to get up early to do so because I need to hand off my check to someone at work. It just occurred to me that I need to find out if I need to spell out the name of the consortium or not.

It's oppressively hot upstairs. And Lily wants to snuggle.

I bought a tent and a sleeping bag on eBay. I would like to do some camping. I bought a two-person tent, so I could take Bella camping! I looked into some HipCamp sites.

I found a campground that I like. It’s near Starved Rock, so I could take Bella hiking (although she probably wouldn’t like the metal stairs). I wouldn’t take the puppy until she gets older. Though Starved Rock is wall-to-wall people in the summer. The fall would be better. I found the one trail that doesn’t have stairs (Illinois Canyon).

Starved Rock has dog-friendly cabins, but I can’t find out how much they cost.

I should test out the tent and sleeping bag in the back yard.

Got up at 8 AM. Fed us all. Did laundry. (My white towels came out looking good!) Now it’s nap time.

Napped. Moved around some stuff that’s by the front stairs outside. Now I’m boiling. I turned the ceiling fan on in the kitchen, although Bella doesn’t like it.

I’ve been working hard on the kitchen and packing on breaks. I still need to figure out one more outfit for the trip. Hmm, if I hand wash the clothes that I’m wearing on the plane, I’ll be okay.

I kind of want it to be dinner time because I need a break. I’m soaking the dog and cat dishes and am cooling off from being outside. I’m going to take a shower (done) and see if I perk up. It’s been almost 24 hours since I had my brows done.

I have an impulse to say that I can’t go on the business trip, but I should go. Getting ready to go is a hassle.

Started more loads of laundry. Finished packing my suitcase. The linen clothes will be nice and cool. Remembered my swimsuit. (The hotel has two pools.)

Now I’m going to take a SHORT nap. Bella is zonking out.

Ugh. Bella found a dead possum and wouldn’t let it go. I finally got her to come in with a food bribe. I need to go out and get rid of it.

I’ve decided not to go. I just can’t. I’ll tell the people at work I’m sick. Not a lie because my stomach is really upset. I just canceled everything and will email them about it in a few hours.

I woke up at 2 AM to clean. Told the housecleaner that I was sick, and went back to sleep until 8:30 AM. I'm still having IBS issues.

I'm going to be super busy this weekend because I'll need to clean and pack. I'm going to try to get the house cleaned by Saturday night. I need to go get money for the pet sitter tonight. The forecasters are predicting rain at 5 PM. Note to self: go to the library to pick up books on Saturday. And my brow appointment is at 4:20 PM at Ulta.

I could get a pallet of white stepping stones from Home Depot, but I need to figure out how many I'd need.

Oh, I made a major screwup at work. I'm ready to retire now. Sigh. I'm feeling at the end of my rope.

I talked to the trust person in the bank. They said that all my assets outside of the trust, including the car, must be under $100,000 to avoid probate. Otherwise, all assets must be in the name of the trust. I will need to file a trustee's deed for the house. She recommended that I consult with an attorney.

I'm stymied at work because the statistics that I've been posting to the Web pages have errors. I'm glad that I don't have to fix the errors.

I keep forgetting to mention that I want a sprinkler system put in outside because I want to overseed the whole lawn in the fall, and that will be a lot of watering.

I received my blueberry bushes!

Just remembered that I need a laptop sleeve for my work computer because I'm going to try to bring it with me as well as my personal laptop. (My backpack will be heavy, but oh well.) It's too late to order from Amazon before my trip, so I placed an order with Best Buy for pickup. It's ready for pickup, but I'll go tomorrow because my appointment at Ulta is nearby.

I feel like crying, but I think that I forgot to take my meds this morning. Sigh.

It's freaking humid out. I wish that it would rain and clear the air. Oh, the forecasters say that it's raining, but it isn't raining hard.

Now it’s pouring. We ran into a neighbor. She said that someone else also lives with the neighbor whom I talked to yesterday, but I’ve never seen her. She asked when I’m getting the puppy. Bella noped out over the rain. I put the plants on the porch outside to benefit from the rain. I’m going to put them out back this weekend so that they can benefit from any rain next week.

I don’t really feel like running errands in the heavy rain, so plan B is to go to bed really early and get up early to go to the bank tomorrow before it closes.

I need to feed the cats and myself (done). I fed Bella before I took her outside.

Bella is very wet.

I was going to work on the kitchen a little until it got a little later to go to sleep, but my stomach is upset. I did find out how to add bleach to my washer for the white towels, but I want to wait until I'm nude after a shower to add bleach in case it splashes. (I don't particularly want bleach on me, but I could wash it off.) I need a measuring cup for the bleach though, so I'll order one from Walmart along with more pads for my spin mopper (done).

Now I'm going to post and go to bed.

Added: The orientation for the dog training class is next week, while I'll be out of town. I just emailed the registrar about it. I'm getting the feeling that my taking the class is jinxed. (I had to drop out of the one in the spring because my car was broken into.)

Woke up at 7 AM. Had an early morning meeting. Now I have a headache.

Oh good. My neighbors got the dangling tree branch down, and it fell into my yard. I told them that I had made an appointment with a tree guy, but it isn’t for a couple of weeks. They said, "Not to worry; it’s all good." I have the nicest neighbors.

Bella says, "This is the biggest stick ever!"

I ordered a small address book, which would be good to have when I start meeting people.

Dozed lightly during lunch. Oliver was in the room and wanted to snuggle, but it took a while for him to settle down.

Work is being frustrating. I keep on finding issues with the statistics that we are computing. There's no way that I'll have everything done before I go out of town next week.

Bella dug up and destroyed one of my coral bells. Sigh. I need to weed and get the fence up.

Got the recycling out. I’m feeling wiped out, so I’m going to go to bed early. I need to rinse out recycling and soak a litter box first (done). Started laundry. Got my groceries in.

Lily is chewing on paper napkins. Don’t ask me why. This is why we can’t have nice things :)

I found a puppy that I like at the place at which I adopted Bella. She's going to be around Bella's size and she's cute. I'm going to sleep on whether to contact them. I wouldn't be able to pick her up next week though.

Oliver is eating Zara’s leftover food. The vet told me to feed Zara as much food as she wants because she has been losing weight, but that means that I feed her more food than she wants.

I bought a lockable fireproof safe that takes file folders plus a laptop because mine keeps running out of space. (I got a 2 TB hard drive. That should keep me for a while.)

Bella is taking the stuff that I’m throwing out and is squirreling it away.

I woke up at 5 AM. I decided that I wanted to go back to sleep for a while but put clothes in the dryer first. Overslept my nap. Soaked a litter box.

The dentist will glue the tooth back on at 4 PM today. Excellent.

I emailed the shelter about the puppy. Either I’ll get her or I won’t. Lily is sleeping in the window.

My Bee Balm is blooming! And the rest of them have buds.

I’m getting the puppy!!!! They said that they could transport her the following week. I'll pick her up in Bloomington.

I tried to nap at lunch, but I was too excited about the puppy. Bella, on the other hand, is a "five more minutes" kind of gal.

My permanent bridge came in! Things are looking up. The dentist wants me to come in a little earlier, and they'll put it on. I’ve nicknamed the dentist “Dr. Payne” because he keeps doing stuff that hurts (to be fair, my teeth are very sensitive), but it looks great.

Hmm. Feeling dizzy. Must drink water. I get dizzy learning back in dentist's chairs.

Hmm. There's a cruise line that guarantees that you will see the Aurora Borealis during their cruise, or you will get a second cruise for free. I would like to see that. Ooh, I want their astronomy voyage.

I need to get to bed early because the tree guy is coming at 8:30 AM tomorrow.

Hmm, I'm missing a bra that I ordered a few weeks ago. I can live without it, but I wanted to take it with me on my business trip. Anyway, I need to do some maintenance on my "paper trading" account, do some dishes and tidying, and get to bed so that I'll get up really early.

Lily smacked Oliver. Cranky cats.

I was feeling very sleepy but drank some water, which helped. I need to get to bed. Ordered some ear wax removal drops and a bike helmet.

According to my dad’s system, now is a good time to buy stocks. I’ll “paper trade” some tomorrow.

Good. The tree people got back to me and they can come by on Tuesday morning “to assess my situation.”

I was eyeing a Lincoln plug-in hybrid car yesterday, but need to compare prices with other ones. The price was less than I expected. I wouldn’t want to buy a car until after I get the garage built. The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid is more expensive. The Toyota RAV4 plug-in is comparable, so it’s all about which car that I like best. Also Consumer Reports, which says to get the RAV4. It doesn't have a report for the Lincoln though. Actually, I really like the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, but it's more expensive. (Consumer Reports says no on it though.) Actually, the CX-70 is more my size. Most dealers do not carry plug-in hybrids, so how can I test drive them?

Placed a grocery order to get Munchie Bones, lots of cat food, and some food for me.

Came in with Bella after an hour. She tried to grab my donut. Bad Bella! Urgh. I brought food into Zara’s room and noticed that she needed water. I went to get her water dish and Oliver busted in. Zara hissed and hid. I went to get Oliver out, and Bella ate Zara’s food. Sigh. What a zoo. I’ve got it sorted now.

I’m leaning more towards “Freckles” for a dog companion. If she’s still available after I get back from my business trip, I’ll look into her. Unless I go for “Rita”, but I don’t know if they will adopt across state lines. She looks like a real sweetie though. I saw the most adorable puppy at the place where I adopted Bella, but I don’t want a puppy. She sure is cute though. Look at that face!

I almost forgot to feed Bella with the brouhaha about Zara’s food. I filled her dish and sat on the stairs to the upstairs. I felt cat feet on my head and knew who it was (Oliver) without looking.

Napped. When I got up, I had Bella with her paws on my chest, licking my face, and Oliver on my back shoulders. Got my groceries in. Ate lunch and read The Washington Post. Started opening packages. Found the “good” dental glue. I’m having a dizzy spell, so I’m sitting down and chilling carbonated water in the freezer. I need to clear a spot for the air conditioner, and then I’ll be done. Got the air conditioner in. (My next step will be to get someone to install the air conditioner.)

I started doing my “things that I need for my business trip” shopping.

I’m being poked with a Munchie Bone :) Finished my water.

Ugh, I don’t feel like going out. I should take my shower and fix my tooth though. I certainly have a lot of stuff to do here. Glued the tooth back in and it's setting. It came out when I took my partial out. I guess that I didn't let it set enough.

Took a shower. Bella was pulling stuff out of the garbage and strewing them on the floor. I told her that she was creating a dog mess. I need a trash can with a cover (ordered). I just remembered that I need to sign Bella up for obedience training.

It’s raining. Bella is noping out. I love my raincoat. I never use umbrellas anymore.

Do I want to subscribe to the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra? Most of their upcoming concerts sound interesting. They have a "pick 4" deal that I'm going to get. No online sales though; you need to send the order form in or call.

I can’t stop yawning. I need to make it an early night.

For some reason, the poem isn't showing up now, so here it is.

Adrift

Who knows when the rope began to fray?
With one strong tug, a strand just snapped,
Increasing the strain on its sibling strands,
Until they all failed, and he drifted off.

The shockwaves pulse from wire to wire,
Farther and farther from where he went adrift,
Until we all gather, arms entwined,
To make a whole of the fragments left.

The ocean wonders why we suffer so,
What's done is done, and done before;
We believe we failed to hold him here.
We were not strong enough, but if more--

And him--he was captain as well as ship,
How could he head where we are not?
(Forgetting how often we find ourselves
Landing far from our chosen port.)

And we disperse to our separate ports,
To anchor, hammer, tie our lives down.
We light candles for the long night's watch.
But instead of him, the sun appears,
And we blow our candles out.

Copyright 1998 Adrienne Radzvickas
All Rights Reserved

Overslept a little. A branch of my tree cracked and is in the neighbor’s yard. I need to call a tree guy. I’ll get him to take down the tree at the same time. Bella grabbed one of my strawberry plants and trashed it. Sigh. Bella tried to get my donut. She’s full of it today.

It’s supposed to storm today.

I need to figure out a way to get my tooth in for my meeting with the bank.

At least the tasks that we’re doing today at work are quick and easy. It’s raining out, and neither Bella nor I was thrilled, so I convinced her to come in early.

I read somewhere that dogs wag to the right for something they like and left if they’re nervous. Bella looks at me and wags to the right. I guess that’s good. Speaking of dogs, the one that I was interested in got adopted. The shelter asked me if there were other dogs that they had that interested me. I saw one that’s a “maybe”. He’s shy and Bella’s shy, so maybe they’d be in sync.

I gingerly got my tooth in. It just has to hold on through my meeting with the bank. Which reminds me that I need to list questions for them (done).

More weird stuff going on at work (technical stuff, not people stuff).

Talked to the vet. Zara's kidneys are stable, and they think that she'd do okay under anesthesia. We made a dental appointment for the week after I get back from my business trip. (I don't want her to be alone, even with a pet sitter, after recent surgery.) So that's settled.

I talked to a rep from Midlands State Bank about the will and trust. They can be the executor of the will and successor trustee and also can manage my money if I become incapacitated. They are a national bank and have a lot of trust and investment assets, but are small enough "to provide good customer service". I'm going to send them the drafts that I have of my will and trust documents for them to look at. Success, I think! I liked them and what they had to say.

I really want to take a nap. After I feed the critters. And myself.

The rain is coming down in sheets. Bella noped out. I stayed on the porch with her a while in case she needed to dash out and poop. It was kind of nice being on the porch in the rain. Bella went out a little later and walked around in the rain.

Took a nap. Slept until 12:30 AM. I’m gathering the recycling and my back hurts. Got the recycling in the bin. I need to get up really early to roll the bin and take the boxes to the street, but I’ll probably go back to sleep for a while afterwards. Fed us all. My tooth popped back out.