days_unfolding

Crud. It's supposed to rain on Monday afternoon, which would put the kibosh on mower guy.

Woke up at 6:45 AM. Bella was busy watching Squirrel TV and didn’t do her business. I finally brought her in, knowing that I would regret it. She pooped inside after eating. At least we’re all fed now.

Napped and overslept an hour. Bella was tired too. Brought the rosemary plant outside, and it looks much happier since I watered it.

Hmm. It occurred to me that I would like to grow strawberries. I looked at a strawberry planter. I need to figure out another place for the garbage and recycling bins because I’d like to grow plants on the existing patio, which is a small concrete one.

I just noticed on my mower guy’s business card that he cleans gutters. I’ll throw my business his way. He’s a young guy starting out.

Ate lunch. I think that I want another short nap. Done. Bella was still asleep when I woke up, so I sat there playing with my phone until she decided to get up.

I’ve been exchanging emails with my dad about investing. I might need Moody’s reports to begin with.

Aww. Oliver wants Mommy time. It won’t last long, but it’s cute. I have a dog partially in my lap and a cat in my face.

Bella, Lily, and Oliver attended my shower. Lily walked on top of the shower stall and then jumped in. I opened the door for her and Bella walked in. Then Oliver appeared from under the toilet. Lily was in the window, behind the blinds, looking outside. Then she and Oliver were wrestling in my laundry basket and knocked it over. My shoes were in there to keep them from Bella, and now one is missing. I pulled out a new pair of Skechers from my closet. It’s a zoo here :) That reminds me that I want a nice hamper for the bathroom (done).

I made my food first because I want to hustle Bella outside right after she eats to go poop. (It’s funny how much of my life revolves around poop now.)

I planted four plants and dug up a daylily. The shade side garden is taking shape. Cleared the lawn of debris except for one stick that Bella kept on bringing back out when I put it on the stick pile. Watered the garden. I need to charge the tiller to plant the daylily by the street.

Some neighbors walked by and said "Hi" to Bella. They know her name but not my name :) They said that she looked like a happy dog. I said that she likes it when I work outside.

The Silvervine sticks that susandennis mentioned are a big hit with Oliver. Bella took one because it’s a stick, and sticks belong to dogs. She destroyed it in short order. I’m going to bring them upstairs so that Oliver and Lily can play with them in peace. Yeah, Lily likes them too.

Bought a Japanese Spirea. One of the ones that I have is very happy, but the other one is not. Plus I wanted a light pink one like my mom had. And I bought a really pretty strawberry pot and strawberries.

I need to get my new weeder out of the package. And find my clippers.

I think that I'm going to post and then work on the kitchen. I need to get up early to bring the car in to be fixed. Which reminds me to get my new debit card entered into Uber.

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.

Hmm. Hibiscus is safe for pets. I’d love a container or two of them. But I’d have to winter it over indoors. I wonder if I could suspend a grow light from the basement ceiling? I’d like bougainvillea also. Hmm, it's mildly toxic to dogs. (I do have to worry because Bella eats plants.) On Lowe's site, I found a long grow light with a fixture to hang it from and a timer. That would work.

Now I’m thinking of a retractable awning for my patio-to-be so that I can grow plants on the patio. But I want it to be rainproof. Hmm.

I think that I cracked the dog code. Bella was refusing to come in the kitchen. I couldn’t figure it out, but then it occurred to me that it might be that the ceiling fan was on? I turned it off, and then she came in.

Got up at 7 AM with my alarm. Took an ice-cold shower, which sucked. I need to clear some stuff off of the basement stairs, and then I'll call Ameren to fix the hot-water heater. Lily, Oliver, and Bella attended my shower. Lily is a climber; she was at the top of the shelves in the laundry area of the bathroom.

It’s another gray and rainy day. I’m looking forward to my lunchtime nap.

I got a little money from my check. Placed a grocery order, including cat food and cat litter, and a Costco order for dog food.

Another thing to do in retirement: make printables in Canva and sell them on etsy.

I attended a webinar about the non-financial aspects of retirement, and the speaker gave a list of thought-provoking questions. It was very interesting. I took tons of notes. He said that people spend a lot of time thinking about money and where to live, but not the other aspects. I requested What Color Is Your Parachute in Retirement? from the library. I was able to get Purposeful Retirement for free with Kindle Unlimited, so I'll read it now.

Holy cow! I received a ton of plants for my garden. One set was the coral bells for my shade garden, but I think that the rest is tickseed? Maybe bee balm?

Tried to nap but couldn’t sleep. I think that the excitement about my garden kept me awake. I need to expand a garden bed, so I need to charge the tiller.

Got my food. Yay. I no longer have to eat Ramen and canned food. (That reminds me that I should replenish my stash though.) And the cats have food and litter. I need to get more litter when I get more money though. (All the boxes need to be changed out, and I have three jugs of litter.)

The Ameren guy came by and turned the pilot light on the water heater back on and told me how to light it myself in case it goes out again. The furnace is working.

Geesh. The rain is coming down in buckets. I don't think that I'll be able to plant my new plants today.

Hmm. There were a series of attempted vehicle thefts on campus that sound a lot like what happened to my car. They are targeting Kia and Hyundai cars.

Took Bella out, but it was pouring, so she noped out onto the porch.

Someone working on the slides for the presentation at work tomorrow told me of a change that I needed to make. I had to wait until he unlocked the file though, so I left work early with the plan that I would log on tonight. Meant to sleep for two hours but slept four.

The dog and cats were hungry and in my face. Fed us all. (I eat last so that they’re more likely to let me be.)

Found a new social group to try: the Illinois Club.

Oh crud. I forgot to buy napkins.

Okay, tweaked my slides and practiced the presentation. Wow, I'm going to be talking a lot!

I think that I'll post, take Bella out one more time, and go back to sleep.

I tried my dad’s system for timing the market, and it looks like we’re in a yellow light (basically, hold), although it has to be three days in a row to be official.

Woke up at 6 AM. I want to go back to sleep, but I need to take a shower because I have my appointment with the psychiatrist at noon. I just realized that I need to postpone my dental appointment tomorrow because I don’t have the money. Compromised and dozed for a 1/2 hour.

I’ve created a monster. Bella thinks that she deserves a treat for coming inside the house.

Okay, rescheduled the dental appointment. Nothing like talking on the phone with a dog licking your face :) Oliver is playing with my pen. Now Bella is chewing the pen, sigh.

I had a strong impulse this morning to retire. But I’m getting our Web site accessible, and I should finish that at least.

Bella and Lily are attending my shower. Bella is ripping up rags. Bella was being a little snot. First, she was bugging Lily. Then she tried to eat Oliver's food.

Lily is sleeping on the floor upstairs. I'm not sure where Oliver is, but he was there when I fed them.

I found a chair and ottoman that I want for the library room. The question is, can I get it in the car?

For some reason, I'm thinking of the joke: if you get to a psychiatrist's appointment early, you're anxious; late, you're depressed; right on time, you're obsessive-compulsive :) I was "anxious".

I'm up and down with the hospital at which I have my doctor's appointments. Don't like my primary physician; liked my gynecologist; love my psychiatrist. The psychiatrist listens well and is helpful and caring. She's bumping up one of my meds and wants to see me in a month to see if it helps.

Bella was really excited when I came back. "You were gone and came back!!! I'm so thrilled!!!"

It was okayed for me to take Amtrak to Chicago instead of car pooling when I go to the conference. Yay! I get a chance to read! I'll bring my macroeconomics book!

I have a real taste for carrot cake. I wonder if Meijer has some? I also have a taste for a poke bowl but need to wait until I get the money to order some. Hmm, I wonder if I could take the poke bowl on the train? I need to get some soda to take with me too. Hmm, carrot cake mix is a lot cheaper than an actual cake.

I just found a washable loveseat and armchair. I might get it and get rid of my mom's loveseat and chair because they're a pain to wash the covers.

Lily is sleeping in the guest room window.

Fed us all. Bella was acting really weird. I filled her dish with food, but she wasn’t eating it. Instead, she hid under the bed. I left her in the bedroom with the food and she did eat it. I took her outside, and she was acting normally except for barking a lot at a dog across the street. And she whined when a little dog came by across the street. Does she want to go back to the Doggie Day Care place? I’m going to board her there.

I want to put fresh sheets on the bed, but Bella is camping out there. I guess that I'll get them in the morning. I started cleaning the kitchen. I want to start packing for my trip, but I need to check the weather to figure out what to wear. So that's why I'm online. I'll post now though. I guess that I could wear a tweed jacket on Sunday? 63F/17C? And boots? Black-and-white top, black pants, and a black blazer for another outfit. Light red-and-black blazer, black t-shirt, and black pants for the hottest day. I need one more outfit. And it all has to fit in my carryon. Maybe I could rewear the black blazer with a different top. Hmm, I'm thinking my blue-and-white top, white pants, and a navy blazer? I might need a larger suitcase. Oh, and I found my charger case.

Just posted on Facebook to my Chicago peeps that I'm going to be there.

I need to go to the grocery store.

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.

It’s pouring rain out. I’m glad for my raincoat; it kept me dry. Bella lasted for a few minutes and then went up on the porch, out of the rain. The ferns will like it.

Woke up at 7 AM. Bella found an enormous stick that she was dragging around. She chewed up one of the ferns :(

RIP Pope Francis. You were one of the better ones.

Yay. Another colleague is driving a colleague to his hotel (we're having an all-staff meeting Tuesday and Wednesday). So I can stop worrying. I went to lunch late though because the person "on-call" had an errand to run.

I'm trying to get ChatGPT on my phone but am having problems.

Crud. I don't have the money for the Doggie Day Care. I'll call them later today. Actually, I have enough cash. I won't be able to go out to dinner tomorrow night. I neeeed my check from the trust!

I found an outfit to wear tomorrow. Black-and-white striped top, tan vegan leather blazer, and jeans.

My psychiatrist recommended that I take a vitamin B12 and D supplement.

Bella is now insisting on me bribing her with treats to come in. It works though :) Now she’s trotting around with a pair of my underwear that she’s trashed.

I've been exchanging emails with my dad about Paris and Europe. I forgot that he looked for some books in French for me while he was in Paris.

Hmm. I was reading susandennis’ post about WiFi connected shades, and I wonder if I could get one on a timer in my bedroom to open when I’m supposed to wake up. That would rock. I need to do some research. Yes, it looks like it’s possible with Alexa or Google Home.

Got us all fed. Now what? I need to get up early to drop Bella off at doggie daycare and get to my meeting. Oh. I need to run an errand. And go to the library too.

Crud. I got myself together, but my phone’s battery is low. I think that I’ll skip the library today (I need to bring my charger to the meeting tomorrow) and let it charge while I post. I should be able to go to the store though.

I feel like all I'm saying is "No." "Bella, leave Oliver alone." "Oliver, quit chewing my straw." "Bella, stop barking at Lily." But they've settled down now. Sort of.

I overslept, so I need to jam. I got everything done except the bedroom. I'll clean it myself.

Lily was playing with a ball, so I gave Oliver one. So Lily started playing with the one that I gave to Oliver. Cats!

My cleaner is here. Yay! She likes the new-to-her kitties and dog. She found a leak in the toilet, sigh. It probably needs replacing. I need to get a plumber in here also because the faucet in that bathroom is dripping. She says that she gets endorphins from cleaning. I'm the exact opposite. I'm able to walk right by a mess and not "see" it. When I'm cleaning, my back starts hurting and I'm done. She recommended Mrs. Meyers for non-toxic cleaning.

This is great though. Because it's going to rain, I'll get the bedroom and upstairs done and mop the living room floor. Then I'll need to get a carpet cleaner in for the upstairs, but that might have to wait until after my conference trip.

I’m telling Bella that the house looks nicer without shredded toilet paper and paper towels, but she stole the napkin on my lap while I was eating dinner, so I think that she’s not convinced. Now Bella is chewing a stick and getting wood splinters all over the nice clean floor. But I’d rather that she chew that instead of my stuff.

The trust said that they thought that the check would be ready on Tuesday.

Got the forms in for doggie day care.

Okay. Quince has an outfit that I want for the flight. A linen tank top, pants, and blazer in "driftwood" (ecruish). I could wear it to church too when I start going.

At the doctor’s office. I got a blood test that I had been putting off beforehand. The doctor is running really late. And I have stomach cramps. I finally saw the doctor, and she asked me why I was there, and I said, "Because you had me set up a follow-up appointment!" We did talk about my impacted ear wax, and she told me to use Debrox and come back, and they'll have a nurse irrigate my ear.

I’m completely wiped out. I’m thinking of going to bed extremely early. I need to run to the library tomorrow along with planting the bare root ferns.

I discovered where Oliver likes to nap—on one of the chairs in the kitchen. When the chair is pushed in, I can’t see him.

Got us all fed. Noodled around on the Internet. I'm going to feed the beasties and crash.

Forgot to mention that ChatGPT found the maximum luggage dimensions for the train in Sardinia. A medium-sized suitcase would work.

I found a pet sitter who's a vet student and likes cats as well as dogs. I sent him a message. He's not available, so I'll try others.

Okay, I'm going to book the "Orient Express" trip if nothing at the meeting tomorrow dissuades me. I'm looking at a picture of Istanbul and going, "Oh wow". I also asked ChatGPT for "a bookstore tour of Paris".

I'm not taking out the garbage. I'm just going to bed and getting up early.

Got up a little after 7 AM. I got up in time for a shower, but I fell down a Facebook rabbit hole and didn’t have time for a shower.

Oh crud. They're predicting rain all weekend, and I need to get out into the garden to prepare the garden beds for seeds and plants. Beautiful day today. I had to bribe Bella to come in with a Munchie Bone. I’ll be glad when I replace the fence so I’d feel more comfortable leaving her out.

I distracted Oliver and Lily with catnip toys from the KitNipBox. Oliver, typically, wanted Lily's toy when he saw her having fun with it, so they switched toys.

I didn't shower at lunch because I wanted to take a nap. Couldn't sleep though. I'll shower before the Meetup about the trips and run an errand afterward.

I'm thinking that maybe I should get my plane travel clothes at Chico's. They have petite travel pants and some interesting blazers.

I felt a pang because I won't get email from my mom. (I've been emailing my dad about the weather and garden plans.) I have to hand it to Zara though, Of Zara, Mimi, and my mom, I would have expected Zara to pass away first. She's outlived both my mom and Mimi and is doing well. She's a tough old lady!

Received the little plastic cat ball toys. Oliver and Lily have no excuse to be bored. (I'll give Zara one too.)

5:35 PM: Load dishwasher
5:36 PM: Remove cat (Oliver) from dishwasher, sigh

Oliver was rubbing against me right before my shower. Then he was walking on top of the shower stall while I took the shower, meowing. Then he knocked two rolls of toilet paper into the toilet. One stayed dry, thank goodness, but one is toast. I told him that he and Bella are my resident goofballs.

Aargh! I scrambled to take my shower before the Meetup for the international travel, only for them to reschedule it for June. Sigh. Well, that gives me more time to clean. But I was looking forward to finding out more about the trips.

They did have the Meetup. They had just changed it to the next one before the meeting. I logged in a few minutes late, but got my questions answered. The travel agent is going to send me a detailed itinerary of the Japan and Orient Express trips. Both trips are fairly full already, so I'd need to make a decision quickly. Also, you can skip any parts of the tours that you want. They're going to St. Mark's Square in Venice, to which I've already been, so I'd want to do something else. (Murano?)

Ran an errand. Fed the critters. Did dishes and started the dishwasher. Ordered groceries. I'm going to get up early to wash sheets and towels and tidy up for the cleaner on Friday.

Picked up the car. They didn’t fix the driver’s side lock, so they’re going to order parts and call me.

I'm really tired, but can't justify calling in sick, so here I am.

The university is having a plant sale. I can get astilbe for not a lot of money. But I'm really low on funds because of the deductible for the car. I hope that the trust check gets here soon. They have lilacs too. And African daisies, which I'd like to grow in the house.

I do have enough money to submit a Walmart order instead of going there. It's arrived.

Lily: Mom, are you going to feed us? (Yes.)

I found a group on Meetup that arranges international travel. They have a Cherry Blossom trip to Japan next year that interests me. (I’d have to skip the cruise.) And an “Orient Express“ trip. I’m attending a Q & A session on Wednesday. Don’t know how they accommodate solo travelers.

I’ve put The Club anti-theft device on the Kia. I hope that it works.

Lay down for a nap but couldn’t sleep. Then I did and slept until a little before 2 AM.

Overslept but got up in enough time to take a shower, which is good because I need to go get Mimi's ashes in the afternoon. It's raining lightly but not too bad.

Got my grocery order. It just occurred to me why I didn’t get everything on my list. People are hoarding food.

Lily is sleeping on the rocking chair upstairs in the front window. I'm glad that someone discovered that chair.

I’m in Bloomington. I picked up Mimi’s ashes, and I stopped for a bite to eat at Dairy Queen. I was jonesing for a plain hot dog, but all they had was a chili cheese dog. It was okay. I had an orange cream shake for dessert, and that was awesome. And it was cheap! DQ for the win!

Mimi-Bug is back home in her rightful place. Swept by the garbage cans outside because Bella found broken glass there. Ye gods, am I tired. I’m thinking of going to bed extremely early and getting up early to get the recycling out.

I’m spending a little time with Zara. I have to remember that even though she doesn’t demand attention like Mimi did, she likes my company.

I'm going to post and get ready for bed. At 7 PM.