days_unfolding

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.

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.

I was looking at a potting bench on a gardening supply store, but it was $500! No. I found something on Wayfair that’s much cheaper.

One of the plants in my fern pots from Mom’s house is unhappy. I moved it to see if that helps. The other plant is happy.

Woke up around 10 AM. Fed us all. Now it’s nap time.

It’s 55 F/13 C already. It’s going to be a beautiful day.

Napped. Ate lunch. I think that I want another nap. Napped and woke at 7 PM.

Got my new glasses. I don’t know if I would order from them again because they take too long, but they’re nice glasses and don’t slip off when I bend over.

Oliver wants food and is parading in front of me in case that I don’t see him and realize that he’s hungry. He also tried to chew my new glasses and my phone case. Bella ate Oliver’s food when I turned my back to give Zara her food. Sigh. Fed us all.

I really didn’t want to take a shower (depression?), but I finally forced myself into one. Ran my errands. Now I can stay home tomorrow.

I think that I'll feed the critters and crash.

I did get some snuggle time with Zara. Yay. She’s still my girl. And it fills me with oxytocin (the “love hormone“), so it helps me too. She's still eating well and seems to be in good shape. (She's 16, so I'm keeping a close eye on her.)

Overslept this morning, so I wouldn't have time to shower before Italian. But my Internet was down. I finally figured out that I missed a payment and they suspended my account. I paid it, and it came back up at 8 AM. Technically, I could have logged into Italian, but I wasn't in decent shape to be seen, so I told my teacher that I was still working on the problem. But the Internet was up in plenty of time for work, and I had time to take a shower.

It's freaking cold out. The plants that I covered look okay, and so do the daffodils, tulips, daylilies, and chives. (I figured that they are used to a cold snap, so I didn't cover them.) I think that it's too cold to rake today, so I'll just give the recycling people what I have. I'll hire someone to rake once I get the money from the trust.

Urgh. My neck is getting really stiff.

I’m mulling over getting a wood stove for the living room. It would be very cozy. It would have to have glass doors to keep curious creatures out.

I need to spend some time cleaning up the upstairs this weekend because I want to get the carpet cleaned as soon as I get the trust money.

Got the garbage out. Took Bella for a walk. She was really happy. I need to spend more time making Bella and Zara happy. Oliver and Lily are more independent.

I forgot to soak the cat dishes, so I came up to post. Then I'll feed the critters and spend some time with Zara, practice piano, do dishes, put laundry in the dryer, and go to bed.

Here is a picture of Lily and Oliver in the window that I took yesterday:

Oh, I forgot to mention that I discussed the timing of the Sardinia trip with my boss, and she said to do what works for me. She's also planning a trip to Italy, so we talked about it. I'm glad that I have a cool boss.

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.

Panama Canal Lock Closing

Someone (Oliver, I’m looking at you) dumped Mimi’s dry food all over the kitchen floor. Little pig :) That’s going to be a bitch to clean up. He is not feeling guilty though. Bella is eating it.

Lily and Oliver are chasing each other upstairs.

I'm pondering working part-time as a travel agent when I retire. The question is where I would get leads. It would be fun though.

Thunderstorms tonight, which will play havoc with my taking Bella out for a walk. Maybe they'll be over quickly.

I’m trying to decide whether to rake leaves this weekend. Arguably, I should hire someone because I’m the only person who can declutter, but Mimi’s hospitalization and the hotel and flying back were very expensive. Maybe if I get up early, I can do both. At least, I called and the U of I vet hospital has Mimi's carrier, so I won't have to buy a new one for Lily. I'll stop by later or tomorrow to pick it up depending on the weather. There's a tornado watch until 9, so I will go afterward. Though I need to get the recycling out too.

Lily likes the front window upstairs (as well as the fish tank). I had put a rocking chair in the window, thinking that a cat would like to sit in it, but no one has until now.

Urgh, I have a stiff neck already, probably from stress. I need to make an appointment for a massage.

My daffodils are coming up and also those daylilies that Bella didn't dig up. I want to transplant them near the street but I'll let them bloom first.

I'm pricing carpet cleaners.

Here come the storms. They stayed in the distance. There was a tornado miles away. Okay, now it seems to be storming.

Fed everyone except me. Now I ate too. Bella wanted my frozen yogurt bar, but I ate it.

Did dishes and brought down recycling. Maybe I’ll post while I’m waiting for the storms to clear up. Now the forecast is saying that the rain should stop in three minutes. I could get the recycling out. No, I’ll wait until 9 PM when the watches and alerts end.

I ordered a "dusk to dawn" light bulb for the porch for delivery from Lowe's. I completely forgot to get a light bulb.

Fuck. I overslept until after 6 AM. The zap things went off, but I incorporated them into my dream. It’s doubly annoying because I woke up at 3:30 but went back to sleep. I’ll need to skip choir to get things done. Anyway, I should get cracking.

I forgot to mention yesterday that my neighbor came over to say “Hi” to Bella, and Bella gave her a kiss through the fence. Then her husband came over, and Bella hid behind me :) She said that a neighbor’s dog might be a good playmate for Bella.

Speaking of Bella, she got into the magnets for my cruise ship door. Sigh. I hope that she didn't swallow one.

My choir director is SO nice. I told her that I wouldn't be at choir tonight, and she said to have a safe trip and happy practicing!

I booked WiFi and another "fine dining" restaurant on the ship. Sheesh, the second restaurant was expensive, but filet mignon is calling my name. Or "surf and turf". This trip, I'm indulging myself.

I'm looking at Japan cruises for 2027. I'd prefer one that also includes Hong Kong, a "bucket list" place. Holland America has one that goes all over Japan, but no Hong Kong. Norwegian has one that I like, but no Hong Kong. Hmm. I like this one on Norwegian.

We have a toilet paper winner. The Who Gives a Crap? recycled paper is strong and soft and recycled! I do want to start the process for getting a bidet when I come back though. I need to have an electrical outlet put in near the toilet.

I was looking into food when I arrive in Miami. Uber Eats has food while DoorDash does not. I found something that I like, but I don't know if it will be open late because I'm getting in late. I'll find something.

I ordered another alarm for under my pillow to get up early on Wednesday.

Ugh. The weather in Chicago on Wednesday, the day of my flight, is supposed to be rainy and windy, with possible snow. Worst case, I leave a day later and miss my Miami tour.

I booked a conference in Chicago in May. I'll have to see if people are available to connect with. I also booked a conference in Atlanta in June.

I'm trying to decide whether to do the U of I's Student Farm's CSA for produce. I probably won't be set up for growing vegetables until late in the season. By the way, I found some raised boxes that I like for growing produce.

I’m plugging away at the kitchen and making progress. Bella and Oliver are very manic and are (not!) helping. Lily wants to go down in the basement. Bella was being manic beyond belief, so I shut her in the bedroom to calm down and give the cats a respite. It worked; she's a lot calmer.

I'm still working on the kitchen but have made tons of progress. I brought some mail upstairs, and Mimi started meowing, so I decided to post.

Oliver went into the poke bowl bag and fell off the kitchen table :) Now Bella is shredding the bag.

Crap. I was changing into my pajamas when Oliver tried to jump on my lap, lost his balance, scratched up my leg, and drew blood. I hissed at him and he backed off. Lily was sleeping through it all. She is a champion sleeper. I need to do laundry, but Lily is sleeping in my laundry basket, so I’ll get up a little earlier to do it.

Damn, my leg hurts. Oliver really did a number on it.

Crud. I apparently didn’t pay for my drinks package on the cruise, so I need to do that in the morning (done).

I signed up for the Yazio weight loss app.

Discovered that tickseed plants need full sun rather than shade, so I guess that I’ll plant them on the sunny side of the house.

Overslept and woke up at 8 AM. There were a lot of dog walkers out when I was out with Bella. One dog really wanted to play with Bella. The walker complemented Bella on how well behaved Bella was, and I told her that Bella is shy with other dogs. She asked how old Bella was, and I said, “a year”.

Got us all fed. I put the clothes in the dryer only a few minutes ago, so I’m going to just slap on some makeup for my lesson and shower later.

Sigh. Bella plays rough with Oliver, so he turns around and picks on Lily. She can give as good as she gets though. Mass chaos.

My singing lesson was good. She gave me a bunch of music theory homework. And we practiced some more complicated sight-reading lessons. I need to remember to pick a song from choir to work on for next time.

It’s really warm out (currently 48F). Bella likes it.

The local “Stand Up for Science “ group is looking for volunteers to organize a protest, but I’m going to be gone.

Hmm. I should donate to the local LGBTQIA group (done). I was wondering if they were going to have any protests. They also have an “aging” group that intrigues me. I also need to set up monthly donations to the ACLU because they’re filing most of the court cases against Trump’s actions (done). I’m trying to donate to the national LGBTQ Task Force, but I keep getting an error.

I need to replace my Echo Spot because it fell in Bella’s water dish and now it’s malfunctioning. Sigh.

Bella is ready for a nap. So am I. Overslept my nap. I was dreaming that I was living with my dad.

Saw the tree-obsessed neighbor while I was out with Bella. He was happy that I’ll be taking the tree down when I have the garage built. He liked Bella, but Bella didn’t like him. She was barking at him. People like dogs though.

Bella chewed off the end of my shoelace while I had the shoes on! Jesus, dog.

I’m reading the BBC. It’s scary how many votes were cast in Germany for the Nazi party. Dark times ahead.

I saw a really pretty garden with bushes and lavender. Maybe I’ll plant lavender in the area by the side of the driveway-to-be.

Got us all fed. Now Oliver was playing with my shoelaces. Sigh. He’s looking like such a grown cat though!

I’ve decided to work on packing tonight and tomorrow night. I ordered some jars for my moisturizer creams. Found some nice shorts that need to be washed. I also found a swimsuit with a wrap-around skirt. That would be good for the pool on the ship. Cleaning on the rest of the nights this week.

I’ll need to find a new housekeeper because mine is busy this coming weekend.

Oh wow. I saw some beautiful thornless roses on a Facebook ad. That would be great for the side of the garage.

I’m about to take a shower and have Bella, Oliver, and Lily in here. Yikes! Oliver just left.

Just ordered more pairs of underwear so that I can pack them and still have some to wear this coming week.

Bought a “cruise-approved” power strip and some magnets for my door. It will make it easier to find my cruise door with them!

Need to do laundry, but Lily is snoozing in the basket. I guess not.

I’m going to do some packing while my hair dries and then take Bella for a walk. Though hmm, she’ll need to go soon. She was snoozing though. Maybe I’ll post.

I bought some reef-safe sunscreen because I’ll have a full two weeks in the sun. Got my makeup organized for the cruise.

I had to take Bella out for an emergency pee and poop run, and now it’s feeding time. I’ve decided to get up early and walk Bella before we go to the vet. It would be good if she’s tired out. I’ll set up wake-up calls to make sure that I get up.

My prescriptions are ready for pickup, so I need to go on Tuesday.

I hope that Pete Buttigieg runs for president next time, but I hope that he does what is best for his family though. These are scary times to be running.

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.