days_unfolding

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.

Hmm, if I want to go to La Maddalena (an island off of Sardinia), I'd have to take an expensive one-hour cab ride to the ferry each way. But I'd really like to go there. I need to create a Sardinia document with my findings in one place.

I was outside, and Zara was sitting with her back in the window. I tapped on it, and she kept on meowing at me. So now I’m sitting with her in her room. She heard Oliver and went away and hid. So I’m keeping her door closed at night. (I was keeping it open in case she wanted to wander around.)

Overslept this morning and got up at 7. I went to the car repair place and signed the paperwork. Now I wait. The Honda is still running smoothly though.

Man, I'm tired. I'm wondering if I'll be up for raking tonight. It's a beautiful day for it though. (I dropped out of choir for this semester because I've missed a lot and I'm worn out. I'll pick it up in the fall.)

I was wondering where Oliver and Lily went, but now they're upstairs with me. They seem to have a napping spot of which I'm not aware.

Ow. The toes on my left foot are aching. Arthritis? Now the joints in my hands are hurting too. I had something like this happen several years ago. Aargh.

Ugh. It’s cold out and windy. The forecasters are predicting a freeze tonight, so I need to cover the plants. No raking today. After I eat dinner, I’ll do some dishes, take my nighttime meds, maybe watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and get to bed early. I have Italian tomorrow morning.

There was a discussion on Facebook about what clothes are made in the USA. I’m actually glad that I have too many clothes. Speaking of which, I went into the library room (Zara’s room) to visit with Zara, but Oliver and Lily busted in a couple of times, so Zara wouldn’t come out. I started sorting clothes and filled a bag to go to the thrift store. And I found my white jeans that I had been looking for. I’ll try to sit with Zara again before I go to sleep, when I feed her again. Practiced piano. I need to get more money from the trust before I can schedule more lessons, but I should practice anyway. There’s going to be a recital, and I want to do “Danny Boy”. I’m slowly picking up the threads of my life.

Watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory. Now I'm going to post, feed the cats, take Bella out, and go to bed. Oh, and cover my plants while I'm outside. I should let Bella in first because I could just see her grabbing the dropcloth with which to cover the plants and running with it.

Oh crud, it’s supposed to rain. Wet leaves will be fun to rake.

Oliver and Lily sound like a herd of rampaging elephants.

Got up around 8 AM. Fed us all. Napped. I forgot to put my clothes in the dryer, so I’m waiting for them to dry.

Bella and I are having a discussion about how toilet paper is not a dog toy. Oliver is annoyed by Bella, and I hardly blame him. She bugs him all the time.

Headache. Ouch. Napped. Showered.

My shade garden from White Flower Farms arrived, so I’ve been planting the plants. Some are bare root and some are not. Bella pulled out one of the plants :( And another. I can see that it will be Bella vs. the garden. Turned the water on and watered the plants.

My vets sent me a nice sympathy card about Mimi with personalized notes. It does help.

I’m feeling like I need to lie down but I need to eat and feed the beasts first. Okay, done.

Knowing that Bella needed to go out got me out of bed. I need to feed the cats, but I’ve been watching snippets of The Big Bang Theory.

Zara was loving me up and showing me her belly. I got a trill from Zara.

I’m still wondering why the Mexico cruise isn’t showing up on my future Holland America cruises. The travel agent never responded.

I have a singing lesson tomorrow morning, so I need to get to sleep.

Lily is meowing up a storm. She managed to meow with a ball in her mouth :) I hope that she’ll let me sleep.

Woke up at 6 AM. Lily is entertaining me, showing me her belly. She is asking for and getting lots of pets.

Put my clothes in the dryer. When they finish drying, I’ll shower. Fed Lily and Zara.

Snow? Ugh.

Found some nail polish remover pads and got the polish on my hands off because it was chipping.

The vet where I’m boarding Oliver and Bella is closed, so I’ll have to pick them up on Monday.

The U of I called. I made an appointment at 10 for Mimi.

Mimi is gone. The vet and vet tech couldn't have been nicer and gave me lots of time with her. She passed away on my lap. I'm planning on taking a good long nap.

I really want to book the Mexico cruise over New Year’s Day. It would be cheaper from Vacations to Go though. Apparently they are open today, so I'll call them when Lily is off my lap. Done and booked.

Lily needs to learn not to walk on the keyboard. Mimi occasionally did so, but mostly stayed on my lap.

I think another nap and then finish unpacking and practice voice and piano. Which reminds me that I need to book lessons (done). I need to pick up the threads of my life.

It’s strange having only two cats here. Lily wanted food, so I fed her and Zara. Zara came over to say ”Hi”. Zara is hissing at Lily.

I’m grateful that I have Lily to ease the heartache.

I'm feeling like going back to sleep, and I'm trying to be kind to myself, so I'll do so.

I need to look into a carpet cleaner for upstairs. Mimi occasionally missed her box.

l copied off some music to take with me on the trip. I found an online virtual piano that I can use to help me.

Tried on my new pair of white jeans and some shorts. I’ll pack them tomorrow morning.

My “shock clock” is charging. It’s made in Canada, so I’m giving some money to our friends up north.

Overslept a touch, but got up early. It’s quiet outside. People must be sleeping in. No, I didn’t oversleep. My alarm went off after I got up. Fed us all. Napped.

Lily was playing with a q-tip. Oliver had to see what she was doing. And then Bella ran at them both. I’m telling Bella to chill, but she’s manic. Bella was barking at Lily and Oliver, who were wrestling. Everyone wanted my Lean Cuisine pizza. Okay, they seem to have settled down :) Now Lily is chasing Oliver.

Oh crud, I forgot to do my music theory homework. After my shower, I guess.

Bought extra chargers so I won’t have to grab them at the last minute.

Had my voice lesson. It went well, and I have some exercises to work on while I’m gone. Zara falls asleep when I sing. Aww :) (My singing teacher is in Canada too.) Here comes Zara.

I discovered the glories of Costco. I got my membership card. I bought my pet supplies, plus some cereal and munchies (their raspberry cheesecake bites are to die for). And I fell in love with a gray cat tree in which the platforms look like leaves. That would be perfect for my bedroom, so I bought it. I got a Costco hot dog and soda too. Then I returned my jeans at Staples and bought scissors and tape to put in my suitcase to attach the cruise luggage tag when I arrive in Miami. And I forgot to get big plastic bags for dog and cat food. Maybe I could use kitchen garbage bags.

I'm tired. I might be dehydrated, so I need to drink some water. I think that I'll work on packing after I finish feeding the hordes. Then I'll go to bed early and get up early. (This is a good time to test the "Shock Clock".)

As long as I'm upstairs, I'll post, though Mimi says that I should pet her instead.

I put a date on my calendar to plant sunflowers, coneflowers, and zinnias. Probably wildflowers too.

Bella had the three-times-daily frustration called “The cats are eating!” I said, “Bella, that’s CAT food. It’s for CATS. You are not a CAT.” She thinks that she still should get their food.

Woke up around 10 AM. Measured my gardens with some help (not!) from Bella.

Got my grocery order. Lily was eating the crumbs from my turnover. Filled Mimi's fountain. Fed us all.

Ordered a boatload of seeds and plants. It's exciting!

I need to figure out what song to work on for singing lessons.

Amazon needs better UX people. When I set an alarm for my Echo Spot, there is a large button at the bottom to delete the alarm and a small link at the top right to save it. I press the damn delete button all the time. I wonder if they did usability studies.

Napped. It just occurred to me that I can’t plant flowers along the fence because I’m replacing the fence. I’ll have to do something else with them. I could plant the zinnias under the tree in the front yard.

I told Oliver that we have our own orange menace, and that would be him :) He did sit nicely on my lap for a couple of minutes, but then he started biting. He is now in the food box and Bella is whining because she can’t reach him.

Hmm. Now I’m wondering if I should board Oliver while I’m gone because he’ll try to get out.

I have to remember to sign Bella up for training. Ugh. Registration starts while I’m gone. I’ll put a reminder on my calendar and hope that I’ll check it. I’ll try a pop-up reminder too.

I have to check-in for my cruise, which means that I need to clear a credit card. I also need to book the bus to O’Hare and my Miami tour.

I have a boatload of things to do today, so I should get into the shower soon. I have my meeting with the life coach. And I need to work on the kitchen. And practice singing and piano. (Zara will like that.) And start packing.

I was wondering when to start shaving my legs for the trip when I remembered that I have a massage next Saturday. I’ll do it before the massage.

Oliver knocked over my donuts and turnovers. I’m now missing a turnover. Bella has it. Chaos central :)

I ordered more blue socks. I have a million black pairs, but the blue ones are MIA. I was looking for a pair of white jeans. I couldn’t find one in my size in Gloria Vanderbilt, but Woman Within has a pair that I’ll try.

I took a shower without “help”. It was very nice. Now I need to feed the critters.

I ordered the white jeans in two different sizes to see which fits better.

I'm now checked into the cruise. Paid my credit cards. Oh, I need to find the first hotel that I booked for Miami and cancel it (done). Booked the bus. I'm trying to book a hotel in Chicago on my trip back, but the Web site is being wonky. I tried another browser and it worked. Booked the Art Deco tour in South Beach.

Had my session with the life coach. She thinks that I should get someone to help me move some of the stuff out of the living room to the storage shed and upstairs, so I'll post on NextDoor to ask if someone has a kid who would like to make some money. I also will put quiet time on my phone during the evenings to keep me from scrolling. (I could go upstairs to log onto the Web, but that takes more effort.)

Now I'll take Bella out, eat dinner, and do some cleaning and practice singing and piano before I go to sleep. Mimi is whining because she doesn't want to get off of my lap.

It’s miserable out—a mix of freezing rain and snow. Even Bella agrees. I’m thawing. I hope that the roads are okay for my errands tomorrow.

The food has knocked me out. I’ve started the nighttime feeding process, although I also soaked a litter box. It would be good to get up early to run errands earlier.

The university for which I work sponsors trips abroad for alumni. They have some nice trips. Something to keep in mind.

Had my Italian lesson. She wished me luck with Mimi. We were talking about “una casa stile,” a stylish house. She asked me if I had a stylish house, and I said that with four cats and a dog, I have a chaotic house :) She laughed.

Speaking of Mimi, she walked around the fountain to get to her bowl to drink. Sigh. She did eat her food though.

Mimi's bloodwork was normal. The vet is going to give us an anti-nausea medication. We're going to do a follow up in three to four weeks to see how her weight is doing. If she's still losing weight, then we'll do an ultrasound.

My dad recommended that I move my assets to Charles Schwab. I filled out a form for them to contact me.

I ordered the shims for the fish tank.

I have a taste for Chinese food, but shouldn't spend the money. I found a place on DoorDash though that has Empress Chicken, which I like. I used to get it in a great Chinese restaurant in Lincoln. Okay, I did order it. I should get three meals out of it though, which brings down the price a little.

Bella’s wet food bowl is missing. WTF? (I found it.) And I missed Bella’s cues and she pooped in the bathroom while I was outside getting my DoorDash.

The food was really good. Oliver earned a trip to the bathroom with the door closed because he tried hard to swipe my Crab Rangoon. (Bella and Lily were interested too but less obnoxious about it.)

Gathered the garbage with Oliver repeatedly crawling into the garbage bag. Thanks, Oliver. Got the toilet paper and paper towels that Bella shredded cleaned up in the cold bathroom. Oliver dashed down in the basement (I can’t get too upset because Zara and Mimi have been down there), so I took advantage of his distraction to get the garbage out. However, the door to the basement was left open, so Lily is probably down there too. Yep.

I worked on Operation get Bella to walk on a harness and leash. I got the harness on her, but it was a little tight. Also, the buckles were a bitch to get on and off. I took her outside to play ball, but the harness was bugging her, so I took her in and got it off. I gave her lots of treats while she had it on. Then I took her out to play ball without it. Bella lost the ball somewhere in the yard. I ordered a new, simpler harness for delivery tomorrow. (Bella is not used to a harness and leash. She grew up in the country where she was mostly off leash.)

Oliver came up from the basement but Lily was enamored of it. It took some time to get her trust down there. Then I abused it by picking her up and taking her upstairs.

I need to get into the nightly feeding routine and then post and print off some piano stuff. Then I’ll practice piano and singing; I need to get my act together about practicing, plus I can spend quality time with Zara. Then I’ll go to bed.

The pup is asleep under the kitchen table :)

I posted the following as a comment on dadi's journal, which I thought that I should post in my journal as well:

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I have been following the (US and world) news, but don't know what to do about it (plus I've been distracted by my new fur kids). I came up with a bit of an action plan:

1. Donate money to the American Civil Liberties Union, which often will sponsor court cases on civil liberties matters in the US.

2. Donate money to Amnesty International (although one of their action items is to sign a petition against Trump's actions. Yeah, like that would help.)

3. Join the Unitarian church, which I've been talking about for years. They have Social Justice committees, one of which is on immigration. I'm not sure what they can do in the face of Trump's actions, but at least I'll be with like-minded people to discuss actions.

Any additional thoughts would be welcome.

I forgot to do laundry today. I guess that I start work in my pajamas. I can sleep a little later in that case.

I’ve been using the electric toothbrush and WaterPik. I wind up dousing the mirror with the WaterPik, but my teeth do feel squeaky clean.

Woke up at 7:30 AM. The puppy was sleepy but got up. Now she has her squeaky ball. I’m trying to wake up and warm up.

Submitted a Walmart order. My membership in Walmart+ has really paid off.

Oliver was up on the “kitty highway“ above the cabinets. Bella was looking at him like, what are you doing up there? Now she’s chasing the youngsters. It’s a zoo here. I told her that I was told that she was chill. She’s not acting like it :)

Got the clothes in the dryer.

Hmm. There is a “new to CU” mixer in February. Also, Hospice Hearts (the organization that takes care of pets when their owner is sick or dies) is looking for volunteers. I might join. I could do pet transport and work adoption events on the weekend. Hmm, I wonder if I should foster a dog? That would get Bella a friend but I could give it back :) But the dog would need to like cats. Maybe not.

Oy vey. Oliver ate some of Lily's wet food. I gave her some dry food, and he knocked into it and spilled it. I threw my hands up. At least, she got SOME food in her.

I was pondering on how to set up Mimi when I'm gone in March. I might take the gate down so that she can get water if something happens with the pet sitter. Better to deal with Oliver than no water. Yeah, I worry.

Bella is being manic. She’s been squishing Oliver, which he doesn’t like. I told her to cut it out and that I wouldn’t like it either. I’m worried because he’s crying out and she could hurt him.

Napped over lunch. The puppy is still dozing.

The ladder is here. It's tall enough that I should be able to change light bulbs in the living room. And the light in the cold bathroom, which is why I bought it. The critters are like, what is THAT? I also got the binder for my piano music. I forgot to get sheet protectors, so I ordered some from Amazon. And I got my Google Home speaker, so I'm going to set it up and play Bach while I excavate the kitchen.

Mimi has been picking at her food. I wonder if I could ask the vet for an appetite stimulant. She must have heard my thought because she went over to nose at the food.

Bella lay down in the yard to chew on a big stick, so she clearly thinks that it's warm. I talked her into coming inside though.

Hmm. I saw susandennis' post mentioning yoga pants with pockets, and I thought, oh that would be good. But I wear petites. But I found some on Amazon. Excellent.

I want to get Bella one of those round fluffy faux fur beds, but they're kind of expensive. They have them on Amazon though. I would like one myself! They sell small ones for cats too, but I was going to get the cats heated beds. But Oliver would like one because he's been sleeping on the folded faux fur rug from the bedroom.

Now Mimi is seriously eating. Good. And drinking.

Fed the poochka. Now I’m working on the cats (done).

Hmm. I want some white plastic baskets to organize pet stuff. I need to go to Dollar Tree and see what they have.

Got my Google Home speaker set up. It’s a lot easier than Echo Dot. The sound is better too. I decided to play classic rock.

I’ve got 2/3rds of the kitchen floor done. (Yes, it was trashed.) I also soaked and filled a litter box and scooped litter boxes. I need to take out the garbage and recycling. I’m planning to get up early to do more and drag the recycling to the curb.

I’m also planning to fill the fish tank and turn on the heater and filter. Then I’ll post and go to bed. I got a lot done tonight though. The music helped. My goal is to clean the kitchen and bathrooms this weekend. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got the hamper today too. I want to get it set up this weekend too.

Oh crap. The water bucket is in the bathroom with Oliver. I guess that I’ll fill the tank in the morning.

Did dishes. Fed the cats. I had a hard time keeping Bella from eating Lily’s food. And Bella and Oliver charged into Zara’s room. I have to hand it to Zara. Bella kind of got in Zara's face, and Zara went Wap! Wap! Wap! across Bella’s nose. That was gutsy.

More crap. Bella completely chewed up one of my shoes. And now she’s going into the cats’ litter box and digging. She scattered litter all over the floor. I’m feeling annoyed with her and Oliver. I need to get to bed and sleep it off.

Tried to get the WaterPic working but it’s not working. I’ll mess with it tomorrow. My pajamas were ice cold, so I ran the dryer until they were nice and toasty.

Woke up at 7:30 AM. The critters are restless. Step 1: took Bella out. Step 2: put the cat dishes on to soak. Step 3: fed cats. Step 4: Fed me. Step 5: fed Bella. Step 6: filled the cats’ water dish. Then Bella decided that she wanted to go out again. I gave her her purple ball toy, and it’s a hit!

Hmm. If I got the puppy, I’d need a gate for overnight in the warm bathroom. And a puppy bed. Hmm, I wonder if they’d have a gate at Costco? Speaking of Costco, it’s kind of cold to go today.

And speaking of cold, feeling it. I’m thinking of huddling under the bedroom blanket after lunch. My heater is good, but it’s not quite keeping up.

Saw an airplane. I was wondering if it was coming from the local airport. I usually take the bus to O’Hare because it’s cheaper.

Hmm. I’m wondering if I should bring out my cashmere coat, but it doesn’t have a hood, but it’s long.

Oliver is dozing off, and peace reigned throughout the land. Oops, I knocked over my soda and swore, and it woke him up.

Napped. It was nice and cozy warm. The puppy is still asleep.

I’m trying to avoid any news of the inauguration. At least now I don’t have Mom to call me to tell me what Trump did, but that’s kind of sad.

Jealousy….Bella thinks that the cats can’t settle on my lap. This time, surprisingly, it’s Oliver. He starts off nice but then bites. Snot :)

Someone knocked over one of my plants. Oliver, I’m looking at you, but it could be Bella. Oh for god’s sake. Bella munched on the pot. Luckily, I had another one.

Took a shower. Damn, that bathroom is cold. Got the WaterPik working. Ugh, it feels too cold to do anything. I’d break out the electric blanket, but with Bella’s chewing habit, probably not a good idea.

I decided to cuddle under the blanket in the bedroom. Bella approves. It’s supposed to be cold through tomorrow and then warm up to more usual temperatures. Ooh, standing on the heat vent is nice.

Zara was very happy that I’m in the library room and is being cuddly. She misses me! I need to spend more time in here.

Had a good piano lesson. Zara showed up and my teacher took a picture of her :)

Ate dinner. Ouch, my left wrist is hurting. Did I do something wacky to it playing piano?

I have a lot of work to do picking up the stuff that Bella shredded. But I think that I’ll do it in the morning.

I was thinking that Bella was jerking my chain because I’ll take her out if she goes into the bathroom and whines. But she did need to pee. I’m reversing the morning routine. Bella is fed and so am I. I’m working on the cats.

I keep calling Lily “Bella”. She could be a Bella. She’s a very pretty little cat.

Everyone’s fed. Scooped litter boxes. Soaked Zara’s box. I’m getting a headache. Figured out how the shower works in the warm bathroom. Took meds.

Oliver was licking out one of the cat food cans. It fell in Lily’s dish. Bella swooped in and grabbed the can. I just about died laughing.

Now I’ll post and go to bed.

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.