days_unfolding

Odds and Ends

2026-04-30T02:48:26Z

Got up around 6:30 AM. Threw myself together and got my blood test done a little after 8. The blood test person asked me which arm, and I said, “Whichever arm in which you can get a good vein.” She said, “Oh, you’re going to be like that.” She found one. I can check that off of my list.

I really want to go back to sleep. Come on, lunchtime. It doesn’t help that Gracie is snoozing in my field of vision. So jealous!

I got my slides done for work last night, so the pressure is off me today.

Called the CPAP people and they’re emailing me some forms to fill out. Made an appointment with Weight Management–for June, sigh.

Way overslept my nap.The dogs had been jumping on me and wrestling before I fell asleep. Maybe I should wake Gracie up whenever she naps upstairs. She’s snoozing now.

Got some file sorting done while Zara was eating because Oliver wasn’t in there. Then he came in and I stopped. Every little bit helps though. I need a box of file folders (ordered).

Cat thermometer. When it’s cold, Lily curls up in the cat bed, which has fleece. When it’s warm, she sprawls out in a box. It’s in-between right now, so first she tried the box and is now in the cat bed. She’s stretched out though. Gotta calibrate!

Oh! No piano tonight. My teacher sent a note because it’s the fifth Wednesday of the month.

I should be able to book the cruise in about a month if I don’t tap my Ally savings. Pink sand beaches, here I come! Oops, two months. Four paychecks.

I’m thinking of driving up to Michigan to get Mom’s stuff in storage the weekend of July 4th. We get the 3rd off, and I can drive up then. I need to check that the storage place will be open on July 4th though. I’d load up the car then and clean out the storage space. Then I’d drive back on Sunday. I need to get Mom’s car fixed by then. Money, money, money.

I finished my latest Heated Rivalry book (the guys wound up in each other’s arms after being idiots) and am waiting for a new one to load in the Kindle on my phone.

Gracie is barking her fool head off.

Got my groceries in. Got my recycling out. I need to get to bed early because I have a physical therapy appointment at 8:35. And then a dental appointment afterward.

Oh ugh. Passports with Trump's face on them. Good thing that mine won't expire for a while.

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The Calm After the Storm

2026-04-29T02:06:33Z

Woke up at 7 AM. Let the dogs out and went back to sleep. It’s a nice sunny day.

Bella came inside at 10 AM. I think that she wants a nap. Gracie is out lying in the mud, sigh.

It occurred to me that I should bring in a recycling bin when I watch Zara eat and go through some boxes of papers.

Oliver was snuggling up to Bella! They were even playing for a while, but then Bella got too rough. I took Oliver out of the room. Napped and overslept.

Gracie wanted to come in at 1:30 PM! She was waiting for me to open the door. I guess that she’s tired. Yeah, she’s out cold.

I really want to take a nap after work, but I need to get up early for a blood test tomorrow morning. I might have to finish up some work too (done).

Well, Project Go Through Papers didn’t go very well in Zara’s room. Oliver took advantage of my distraction to eat some of Zara’s food. Maybe a better plan is to watch Zara eat and then work on a box for a few minutes afterwards.

Fed the cats and myself. Gathered the garbage to go out. I started cleaning out the refrigerator, which sorely needs it. I’ll roll the can out after the dogs come in (done). Fed the dogs. Wrote myself a big note not to eat tomorrow morning for my blood test. I think that I’ll wend towards bed and read a while.

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Tornado Warnings

2026-04-28T04:33:58Z

The dogs completely crashed out as soon as we got into bed. I finished reading my book.

Woke up at 7 AM. Let the dogs out. Went back to sleep and overslept.

It’s a stormy morning. Let the wet dogs in. Have lights on throughout the house.

I had to put the clothes in the dryer because they wouldn’t be quite dry when I take my shower at lunchtime. Now I know more about timing when I use the heated drying rack.

Lily is looking lovely in the cat bed on my desk. Wow, that cat is beautiful.

Tornado warning. I’m in the basement with Lily and Oliver. The dogs won’t come down. Zara is in her room. It’s over now.

Groan. Lunchtime and I had to tell Gracie to stop barking at Lily. Showered.

I really, really want to go to Hawaii (Oahu). Maybe next year? Ack, flights have gotten expensive! I’m thinking May or June. Though I want to take a cruise to Bermuda, and that would be the same time frame. Well, there is a cruise in March. Maybe I could do that and go to Hawaii in September? Actually, there is a cruise on April 6th that looks good. I need to save up the money for it. It’ll be on Norwegian, which doesn’t thrill me, but they have nice solo cabins. And the cruise is out of New York City, so I could spend a day in the city.

Oh what a night. It was storming and pouring when I left for choir-–and Gracie ran out in the yard. Fuck. I had to go because it was dress rehearsal for our concert next week. I told Gracie to go under the porch, and she did go under there and checked it out, but she decided that she didn’t like it. So I drove off, worrying. The drive was scary. I got drenched running into the building. So we gathered for the rehearsal. And then there was a tornado warning (for those who are counting, that makes two). We went down in the basement of the church. Now I was really worried about Gracie, but the tornado was up north of us, so I figured that she would be okay. We sang a song a capella in the basement and then the warning was over and we went upstairs. Many of us, including me, were making mistakes on the songs. On our hardest song, she stopped us partway and asked why we were falling apart when we did a good job last week. But we got through it.

The rain had stopped when I left. I had planned to stop at the grocery store, but I thought that I shouldn’t because of Gracie, but I decided to run in and grab a few things. Then I went home. Gracie ran over to the fence near me when I drove up. When I got to the gate, she barked at me. I think that I was told off. I went inside and expected Bella to run out, but Gracie pushed her way in and Bella followed her. Gracie was soaked to the skin.

I ate the food that I picked up. Bella was being obnoxious and tried to take a bite of my chicken sandwich. I fed them after I finished, and Bella ignored the food. Right. Gracie was nowhere to be found; I think that she’s crashed out in the bedroom.

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Sick-ish Day

2026-04-27T01:42:25Z

Gracie woke me up at 8 AM. My stomach is really upset. I’ll see how I feel after my nap to see if I’ll be out sick for volunteering. Fed the catlings. Oliver didn’t want to eat in his usual spot for reasons known only to him. Ye gods, I feel like crap. I left the bedroom door open so that Lily can nap with me, and she’s fussing over me. Lily did pounce on my toe lumps, but then she left me alone. Napped.

I texted in sick. I’ll have some lunch and then I’ll go back to sleep for a while.

Had lunch and my stomach feels a little better. I’m going to take another nap. Checked on the dogs, and Gracie had gotten into my Amazon package. I was chasing her around trying to get it back. Eventually I did.

Napped. Wow, I’m hammered. Bella came in. Gracie is still running around outside. I’m trying to think of things that I can do sitting down. I could work on the kitchen. I can do some music practice too.

Bella is desperate for sleep.

I ordered black yoga pants and a black t-shirt for the concert. I want to set up my heated drying rack in the other bathroom.

Went outside to find Gracie, who was lying on the picnic table in the backyard. Checked the raspberries, and they looked droopy, so I watered them and the roses and the tree.

Oliver came over to climb into my lap and walk on me. I told him that I knew that he was hungry and Mommies are trainable. He said, “Not very well! I try to train you to feed me all the time, but you won’t do it.”

Fed the cats and Bella. (Gracie is still outside.) Had dinner. I’m thinking of going to bed early. Gracie finally came in when it got dark out.

I’ve got my clothes drying on the heated drying rack. We’ll see how it works. It appears to be working, and it uses less energy than a dryer.

I finished two Heated Rivalry books. Bought a third, but I was wondering how much I could read about gay hockey players. Well, the third book is totally charming and I’m hooked.

I should get to bed. I’ll turn off the heated drying rack while I sleep, but I’ll turn it on again when I wake up.

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Massage Day

2026-04-26T01:33:15Z

It took me a while to fall asleep. Gracie woke me up at 7 AM. Sigh. Feeling a little tired and dizzy. I’m wondering if I should Uber to my massage appointment because of the marathon today.

Fed the cats and myself. For some reason, Oliver didn’t eat his food. The dogs are outside doing doggy stuff.

Napped. Oliver was with me but he let me sleep. Ate lunch.

I think that the roads will no longer be blocked by the time that I leave for my massage.

Showered. Sitting for a moment before I put on my makeup (done).

Had my massage. It went well except that I asked for a hot stone massage but got a Swedish massage. The streets were not blocked.

I should do some stuff outside but don’t want to. I’m mulling over a nap, but I should at least get the plants out of the garage. I have a taste for a pizza. Ordered the pizza. They estimate that it will be delivered around 7 PM, so I have some time to kill.

Got the plants out of the garage and watered them. A couple of guys walking by thought that Gracie was adorable. (Bella went inside.)

Ate too much pizza, but it was good. Fed the fur faces. I’m really tired and want to go to bed soon.

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In-Person Event

2026-04-25T03:05:50Z

Woke up around 4:30 AM. The dogs and cats were wondering why I was up so early. Took an Uber and met my colleague at 6:30 AM.

My colleague drove us up to the Chicago area (Elmhurst). The event went well, and no one was upset about the lunch choices that I chose.

I’m so freaking exhausted. I have a singing lesson at 7, but then I’ll be working towards going to bed. Singing went well. I left a couple of pages out scanning a song though. I need to scan it for next time.

Oliver and Lily: ”Good, you’re home. Feed us!” Fed us all. Gracie isn’t eating her food. Anyway, now I’ll post and get ready for bed.

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Annual Physical

2026-04-24T01:52:34Z

My dad wants me to stop taking my antipsychotic med. I’m not going to do it, but I need to sleep on my response to him.

Oh great. Champaign-Urbana has a high level of nitrates in the water. Do I need to buy distilled water? Oh! No it doesn’t. I needed to zero in further on the map. It has other contaminants though. Need to get a reverse osmosis system.

Drastically overslept this morning. Sigh.

I had a fun time feeding Oliver and Lily. Lily went down in the basement last night, and she spent the night in the basement. (She likes it down there. I wasn’t being cruel.) I went to let her up this morning, and Oliver went down. Sometime in there, Bella went half-way down the stairs to the landing, and I had to get her up. After a little while, I went to let Oliver up and Lily went down. I went to feed them, which got their attention, and both came up. Sheesh.

Lily is going after a roll of paper towels. I told her that she’s not a kitten anymore, but a full-grown cat, but she still wants it.

Had my annual physical. It went well. She is giving me a referral to Weight Management to get Wegovy. She is giving me a referral to a gynecologist for my urine leaks. (Getting older is the pits.) I have a fasting blood test next week.

I get a magazine called Hawaii magazine. It’s got me wondering if I should go back to Oahu one of these years, although I had been thinking of a trip to Molokai. I just found a perfect hotel near Waikiki. (I went to Oahu twice, one on our first Hawaii trip when I was about 10, and once when I was 17.) Oahu has cheaper hotels than the rest of the islands.

I’m reading the books on which Heated Rivalry was based. I think that they’re sexier than the TV show (although the two leads of the TV show got matching tattoos that say “Sex sells” ;))

Fed the cats and myself. (Gracie hasn’t come in yet.) Washed my clothes for tomorrow. I need to post, feed the dogs, and shower. I need to get to bed early because I’m meeting my colleague at 6:30 AM. Yikes.

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Physical Therapy Day

2026-04-22T04:23:48Z

Woke up at 7 AM. Went back to sleep for a while. Woke up with my alarm. I don’t know why I’m suddenly waking up to my alarm, but I’ll take it.

Zara has been chowing down on her food and polishing it off. Good to see. Her kidney values are about the same (stage 2 kidney disease), so that’s good. My tough girl.

I’m feeling like I’m over physical therapy, but I have a few weeks to go. I’m over doctors in general, but I have a physical on Thursday.

Had my physical therapy session. As much as physical therapy is a pain, I have to admit it's helping. I just discovered that going up stairs is a lot easier. (The trick is to keep the exercises up because both Mom and Auntie had problems with stairs later in life.) I haven't tested standing yet, but maybe I could do that upstairs on the carpeting with a mat.

Gracie and Bella came in unexpectedly early. It looks like Gracie really wanted to sleep because she’s crashed out now.

I’ve been discombobulated today, forgetting stuff and doing things out of order. Bad executive functioning day.

Lily didn’t eat her breakfast, so she was eating it now, and Bella really, really wanted her food. I was hanging onto her to keep her from eating it, but she got a little of it at the end. I told her that she was a Bad Dog, but she regrets nothing.

Had a nice nap. Gracie woke me a little before my alarm. Fed the fur faces. Now I’m making something to eat. Maybe I will watch Heated Rivalry while I eat. Then I need to order food for delivery from the store and crash.

Heated Rivalry had a knockout episode. I’m glad that I watched it.

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Choir Day

2026-04-21T03:39:33Z

I forgot to mention that my dad checked up on me because I haven’t emailed lately. That’s sweet.

Woke up at 7 AM and let the dogs out. Went back to sleep. Got up in time for work for once. Oliver and Lily were chasing each other and knocked down my monitor, sigh.

I’m tired. Today is my long day due to choir rehearsal.

Gracie is refusing to come in. I might have to leave her out when I take Zara to the vet.

Got Zara in the carrier. She is Not Happy. Her vet appointment went well. They don’t know why she’s picking at her food, but they gave me an appetite enhancer. She got her shots and blood test. She was somewhat fractious, but I’ve seen worse.

The dogs finally came in after Bella ran out again. I did yell at them. Now I don’t have to worry about them while I’m at choir.

Choir went okay. We practiced with a small orchestra for two songs. We practiced our solos. We’re sounding pretty good. (Our rendition of “I Believe” is sounding lovely if I say so myself.)

Stopped at the store for munchies and oat milk.

Lily really wants to be fed, but I want to sit for a moment.

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Volunteer Day

2026-04-20T03:34:12Z

The forecast is for frost tonight, so I ran out and covered some plants.

It’s dog-wrestling time. Sigh.

Gracie woke me up at 7 AM. Fed us all. Time for a nap. Dog-wrestling time again. And shrill Gracie barks.

Woke up after an hour. Had lunch. I had a dog (Bella) poised and ready to nab anything that fell on the floor.

I forgot to mention that some of my irises have flower buds. How exciting!

I did my volunteer work. Then I went to the University library. I was so out of it that I tried to drive off with The Club still on my steering wheel. I think that I need a snack and a nap.

Good news: the garage guy finally cleaned up the gravel. Bad news: we have a power outage. The power just came on.

Napped. Fed the fur faces. I’m making myself some food and will watch Heated Rivalry (done).

I’m wondering if I should put plants in the garage (freeze warning).

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Garden Day

2026-04-19T02:14:17Z

Well, crap. Home Depot has donated money to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians. I was going to go there after my massage tomorrow. Okay, Lowe’s it is. I also need to order a lot of dirt. I joined Lowe’s Rewards to get free delivery.

Gracie let me sleep until 8 AM. Yay.

Google says that I can’t till muddy ground. Hmm.

Fed us all. Zara isn’t eating much, and I’m worried. But she has an appointment at the vet on Monday.

It’s looking very uninviting out. Very dark and gloomy.

Hmm. I’m thinking of going to Lowe’s tomorrow or Tuesday. Or I could have stuff delivered. I’ll come straight home after my massage appointment and plant stuff.

I looked on Burnalong for some stretch routines and found some possibilities.

Napped. My massage therapist texted me and said that they were having HVAC issues at the spa. We’re trying to set something up for next Saturday. In this case, I’ll have lunch, shower, and get outside.

Well, here’s an interesting wrinkle—there’s a freeze watch tomorrow night. Maybe I should just clear beds but not plant? But I need to get stuff in the ground. I do have plastic drop cloths that I can throw over the plants.

I did something to my back in the shower (!), so I’m going to lie down for a little while. Napped. Got up and let the dogs out. I’m sitting for a moment.

Bella killed the Japanese Maple in front of me. I think that I need a taller plant because she leaves the crabapple alone. And I need to put chicken wire around it.

Planted the raspberries. Got most of the blueberry bed cleaned out when my back said, “Enough “.

Fed us all. I’m tired. Ordered wire cutters, hook and eye latches, and soil from Lowe’s. I thought that I was going to get free delivery, but they charged me. I think that I’ll watch an episode of Heated Rivalry and go to bed early,

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"Voice and the Violin": Concert

2026-04-18T04:15:22Z

Gracie woke me up at 6:30. I let the dogs out and went back to sleep. Then I drastically overslept. Fuck.

A lot of people at work seemed to have had a tough week. Yay, weekend.

Fed the cats and showered at lunchtime. I’m wearing used clothes and will change later before the concert.

It’s a good day for planting tomorrow–a high of 56 F/13C. It’s supposed to be windy though, which isn’t great for assembling the planters. I guess that I could put a brick on the instructions? I need to find my stapler to staple the instructions together. I checked on crops, and I should plant green beans as soon as I get the planters built. Sweet potatoes are a warm-weather crop, and I like them. Zucchini? I ordered bean seeds and sweet potato slips. I’m going to order my soil on Sunday. I’ve been looking at and saving green bean and sweet potato recipes. I bought a book on canning.

Hmm. I added a cooling comforter to my Amazon list (not expensive because Gracie chews stuff). But I’ve been sleeping without a comforter, so do I really need it? But that does give Gracie easy access to me to wake me up. I need to dig out my linen sheets.

I fell in love with a t-shirt that is artsy and would make a good travel t-shirt. But it’s $72! Yikes! I found the perfect shirt for my mom in the same catalog, sigh. I would get it for her if she was still alive.

Gracie came in at the last minute before I had to leave. Give me a heart attack, dog. I slammed their food down and left. I left early for the concert because the first floor is sold out, and I didn’t know what parking would be like. I found a spot though, and I’m in my seat chilling. It’s interesting to people-watch. Most people dressed up a little (including me—I’m wearing a linen top, pants, and blazer), some are wearing jeans, and some dressed to the nines. I’m in the balcony. Some people got seats right above the stage, which is something to think about for next time. Most of the people are older. I guess that classical music attracts an older crowd.

They did a good job building the venue. There are no bad seats.

This is my second time to see Joshua Bell. I saw him once in California.

The concert was fabulous. His wife has a lovely voice. He substituted the Massenet "Méditation" from Thaïs for one of the songs, which is one of my favorite violin pieces ever. He played it in honor of a friend of his from Indiana University who got a job at the University of Illinois, where we are. The friend had an untimely death while on tour. He commented that he was from nearby (he’s from Bloomington, Indiana) and said, “Go, Hoosiers,” and we all laughed. We gave them two standing ovations and they did one encore. Then he made a gesture with his hands that clearly said, “Enough “.

I’m sitting with a Diet Coke waiting for the traffic to clear out. Well, we ended with a bang with a tornado warning. The staff brought us down into the basement where the sets for plays are made. A nice person found me a chair.

I’m home now. It’s storming but not too bad now. At least I know that my phone makes a nasty noise when there is a tornado warning.

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Physical Therapy Day

2026-04-17T03:46:08Z

Gracie woke me up at 6:30 AM. Sigh. I’m going to go back to sleep. Overslept my alarm.

Shit. I shouldn’t have let the dogs out because I have physical therapy at 1. Bella came in at 11. Gracie came in at 11:30. Yay. Fed everyone. I didn’t have time for a shower, but I took one last night, so it’ll do.

Physical therapy went well. She had me doing stuff like balancing (it’s hard on a squishy mat), pushing a heavy cart, etc. She thought that I did pretty well.

The stock market is back to where I can buy stocks again, so I need to do some research.

Done with work. I need to go outside and do some gardening, but I have a headache, so I’m sitting for a minute. I should drink lots of water. I got outside later than I intended because Mentour Pilot was discussing the Tenerife air disaster. Got the raspberry bushes, blueberry bushes, lilac bush, and some ferns out of their boxes and watered them. I need to get out early on Saturday and clean beds and plant. The raspberry bushes don’t look happy, so I need to get them into the ground quickly. The blueberry and lilac bushes look perky.

Fed the fur faces. Got my clothes together for the concert tomorrow. Gracie keeps barking and being annoying. I’m going to eat dinner while watching Heated Rivalry. No, I watched the season finale of The Pitt! It’s going to be a long wait until next season.

I need to get my clothes out of the dryer and hang them up for tomorrow. And give the critters their nighttime crunchies. I hope that Gracie doesn’t wake me up at 6:30 AM tomorrow.

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Sleep Apnea Diagnosis

2026-04-16T03:31:26Z

I slept for about an hour. I think that I’ll skip piano class tonight to get more sleep.

Bella came back outside when I went to try to get Gracie in. Okay.

Got my groceries. The delivery guy thought that the dogs were cute. I also got something from Fast Growing Trees. Raspberry or blueberry bushes? Oh! Both of them!

Damn, I feel groggy. Maybe another nap at lunchtime. And it’s getting dark in here.

Lily is sprawled out on the futon. For a little cat, she can sure stretch out long!

The dogs came in. I’m surprised that they did something that sensible. But Gracie was thirsty, so maybe that’s why she decided to come in. Bella followed her.

Oliver was on the ledge above the bedroom door. Well, the nap was a fiasco. Oliver came down and jumped on the bed. The dogs went to bug him. I held them off, but he went under the bed. Gracie started barking at him. Well, Gracie's barks would wake the dead; my Apple Watch popped up a message saying that I was in a loud environment. I was tired; in the few minutes that Gracie stopped barking, I started dreaming. Then Oliver jumped back on the bed, and I gave up. Now I’m back at work, still groggy.

I’ve perked up a little. Food helped. No, I wiped out again, so I emailed in sick and went to lie down.

The doctor did confirm my sleep apnea diagnosis though and ordered me a CPAP.

Woke up at 7 PM. Showered. I’m looking for a plain black t-shirt to wear to the concert on Friday.

Fed the critters. I’m microwaving butter chicken for me. Ate dinner and watched Heated Rivalry. I need to get to sleep soon.

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Sleep Study

2026-04-15T11:24:12Z

Woke up at 8:30 AM. The computer couldn’t find my router last night, so I unburied it, and it’s working fine this morning. Whew.

I was told not to take a nap, but I took one anyway. I was really tired at lunchtime.

Now I’ve cut off caffeine. Wow, I’m going to be tired tonight.

I couldn’t find Lily for quite some time, but I found her on top of a small chest with small drawers (kind of like an old library catalog). She crashed out on the futon upstairs for a while, completely outstretched because it’s hot.

Had dinner and I’m about to take a shower. A possible ending for a poem that I started several years ago popped up in my head. I don’t know why now. I was wondering where I could get a piece of paper. Duh, phone. I wound up writing the whole poem.

Fed the hordes and left for the sleep lab. Damn, this bed is high. I almost can’t get up on it. Of course, it’s ridiculously early for me to go to bed. The lab guy hooked me up to a zillion electrodes. Then I was supposed to sleep. It took me over an hour, but I did fall asleep. The next thing that I knew, he was waking me up at 5 AM.

Drove home. Let the dogs out. Bella was thrilled that I was home, and she was jumping on me. Lily fussed over me too. I was missed.

I need to submit a grocery order and go back to sleep.

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"Voice and the Violin"

2026-04-14T04:23:01Z

Gracie woke me up at 6:30 AM. Sigh. Let the dogs out. The cats were interested in what I was doing in the bathroom. Went back to sleep.

I’ve wanted to see Joshua Bell and Larisa Martinez for a long time. I logged onto Krannert’s Web site to find that the concert is this Friday! Got a ticket. Canceled my voice lesson, which takes place then, and my teacher said that it was for a “wonderful reason”.

Bella came in but Gracie did not. Talked to a guy walking his dogs, and someone is throwing pieces of salmon and chicken onto the sidewalk?!?

Gracie came in at 11:30 AM. Early for her. I’m always nervous when I let her out on Mondays that she won’t come in in time for me to leave for choir.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I got the solo part that I wanted, but the choir director is dividing it between me and someone else.

Lily is sleeping in a box on my desk.

Damn, I’m tired. Dozed off for a moment. Turned the fan on (it’s 80F/27C) up here, and it helps.

Got my sleep study instructions for tomorrow. I think that I need to bring my backpack. I can have decaf soda, so I need to pick up a bottle of root beer tonight.

Choir went okay. I scored some root beer and a pineapple upside down cake at the store afterwards.

It’s still hot.

I probably won’t post tomorrow because I have my sleep study. Not looking forward to it.

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Yard Work Day

2026-04-13T01:20:39Z

Booked a massage for next Saturday (Note to self: 4:30). My entire body hurts. I’m sitting in the kitchen waiting for acetaminophen to kick in.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Feeling groggy. Fed us all. Nap time. Showered and got myself together.

Planted the Japanese Maple. The wind keeps threatening to knock it over. I think that it needs a stake, so I ordered some garden tape.

I received two extra peonies from my order last year. I guess that I could expand the left-hand flowerbed in front and plant them. I might need one more.

Hell. I’ve been hauling bricks away from the side garden, and then I was going to use the tiller. Well, Bella and Gracie burst out of the front door. So much for the tiller. Maybe I could do the wildflower patches in front.I don’t know about assembling the raised boxes because the instructions will blow away.

And no, the garage guy never showed up. I hate him.

It was splatting raindrops, so I came in. It’ll have to rain harder for Bella and Gracie to come in. Lily is making a fuss over me because she’s hungry. Fed myself and the cats. Bella came in but Gracie would not.

I’m really, really tired. I’m thinking of posting early and getting to bed early. Gracie came in at 7. Fed the dogs. Watched the first episode of Heated Rivalry. Now I’ll post.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I found the garage keys! They were in a pocket of a pair of jeans that I hadn't worn in a while. Yay.

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Book Sale Day

2026-04-12T03:50:29Z

I need a name for my side hustle business. I had thought AJR Enterprises, but there is already two of them, one in Illinois. Need to mull this over. Some suggestions of ChatGPT that I like are Paper & Flourish and AJR Studios. There already is an AJR Studio though. Adrienne R Studios? I’m leaning hard towards Paper & Flourish.

Woke up with my alarm at 7 AM.

My refrigerator is working again. I don’t know why it stopped working and why it’s working now, but I’ll take it. I don’t want to have it fixed or replace it.

Fed us all. Nap time. I was singing and Gracie came over and licked my face.

Woke up at 11. Ate lunch. Showered. Put on my makeup. Left for my volunteer work.

I wound up being one of the people who ran cards on Square and managed the cash box. For some reason, whenever the volunteer leader looked over, there was no one there, but I did get some traffic. Then I helped box books, but my back was killing me, so then I sat and took tape off of things. I left around six. Ran to the local grocery store and picked up some things.

Fed us all. I was feeling completely beat, so I decided to watch the last Harry Potter movie. It’s over, and I really want to crash.

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No Singing Lesson

2026-04-11T03:40:04Z

I’m wondering if I could do cursive transcription as a sideline. I can read cursive unless the handwriting is really bad.

Woke up a little after 7 AM. Went back to sleep after a little while, and woke up a little after 9.

I was waiting to let the dogs out until the dog poop scooper person came by. They’ll go out at lunchtime (done).

Oliver burst into Zara’s room when I fed her, so I went in and guarded her food while she ate. Oliver did try to rush at her dish a couple of times. Little shit. Zara ate all of her food!

My Home Depot order with the grass blankets and rake arrived. I forgot about it when I let the dogs out, but they put it over the fence. I went outside and got it into the garage.

Napped. I’ll take my shower after work.

Bella came in at 1:15. Gracie came in at 2. It keeps threatening rain but I haven’t seen any. The darkness is making me sleepy.

I’m thinking that I’ll need to mow the rest of the grass while the new grass is growing. Once it has grown, then I’ll get someone to mow the lawn for me.

I’ve been wanting a peace flag for the house for a while, and I’m wondering if I should get one. I want one with a dove on it rather than the peace sign.

I think that I need more Japanese forest grass for the shady side garden. I want to plant them between the Astilbe (or maybe the ferns?), so I’ll count how many I need when I plant the Astilbe. I also have a ground cover type thing for which I need to use my plant identifier to find out what it is.

Gracie was going berserk at the window. The cats thought that she was nuts and bailed. I told her that they were right.

Well, hell. Something wacky is going on in Lessonface, and we can’t schedule tonight’s lesson. I tried some things to no avail. I guess that there’s no lesson tonight. Oliver came into Zara’s room and is being manic and obnoxious. My teacher said that she was able to book my lesson, but by that point, I had put my food in the microwave. What a mess.

I’ve been feeling achy and keep on starting to fall forward. I don’t know what’s going on. I think that I’ll finish feeding the critters and go watch Harry Potter (done).

I need to get to bed soon because tomorrow will be a busy day.

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Rose Planting Day

2026-04-10T02:59:34Z

I ordered some peonies also. I should be done with buying stuff for the garden. Wait, no, I want to buy blueberry and raspberry bushes. And I’d like strawberries, but the birds eat them. Hmm. Okay, I bought the blueberries and raspberries with bird netting. I’m not sure how many strawberries to get. I have a big strawberry pot, but don’t remember how many pockets it has. Ordered a new lilac bush, and I’ll put chicken wire around it.

Gracie was biting me because I was trying to disentangle the blanket. Then she rolled over to have her belly scratched. Dog logic. Young dog logic. Bella wanted her belly rubbed too, but at least she wasn’t biting me to begin with.

Got up a little after 7 AM. I’m charging my cordless drill. Showered, and it feels good to be clean. I really want a nap.

The Japanese Maple should arrive today. Arrived. I have lots of planting to do. Oh, and the chicken wire top for the raised bed for the tomatoes arrived yesterday.

Got the registration renewed for the Honda. Yay. And I hope that they will email me a reminder in the future.

Napped. I’m feeling groggy. My work computer crashed but came back up. Someone was running around here and unplugged two devices.

Received the cane with a seat and the small stepper.

Hmm. Someone in a Facebook group online starts extra plants and sells the seedings. I was looking into that for next year (I want to get a setup for starting seeds next year), but apparently I’d need a couple of licenses to do that. Might not be worth it. My other plan for next year is to get a third planter with legs for herbs (I’m growing herbs in pots this year) and to clean out the area behind the garage and put down mulch. Eventually, I’ll want to take down the trees there and plant redbuds, some pink grass with a name that I’ve forgotten, and lavender. Maybe have stepping stones that lead to the back.

Had my therapy session. She told me that there are straw “blankets” for grass seed, so what I’m going to do is get the “dog-safe” seed and buy those blankets. Excellent. I need to remember to bring the measuring tape out when I go outside after work. Ordered the “dog-safe” grass seed.

Garage guy called me back. He’s coming over on Sunday (note to self–3ish) to rake up the gravel and talk to me about what I want for the driveway. Things are taking shape.

I planted the three roses and four ferns. Watered the side garden, roses, and crabapple tree. The Japanese Maple is soaking in a bucket. (This sounds so simple, but it was a lot of work.) My small Craftsman shovel worked better than my big shovel, so I’m wondering if I should order a big Craftsman shovel. And I need a rake to loosen the dirt for the grass seed.

Oh, I also got my Astilbe in, so I’ll need to plant it on Sunday.

I’m beat. Bella came in but Gracie did not. I need to sit for a minute and then I’ll feed the cats. Fed the cats and dogs. Ate dinner while watching the latest episode of The Pitt.

Ordered the grass blanket, stakes, and a rake.

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At Home Day/Piano Class

2026-04-09T03:11:19Z

I was doing my PT exercises, and Gracie and Oliver had to get in the middle of what I was doing. The hazards of doing exercises at home.

Someone on a frugal living Facebook group suggested getting shoes on Poshmark. That never occurred to me, and they have some nice shoes in my size. Also, I have some boots that I want to sell, so I’ll try selling them there.

Woke up before my alarm a little before 7 AM. Let the dogs out. Went back to sleep. Got up a little before 9. The dogs must have gotten good exercise because Gracie is totally crashed out. (Bella probably is too, but she’s downstairs.)

Called about rescheduling Zara’s appointment at the vet. Apparently the vet with whom we were scheduled is out sick. The new appointment is a little over a week out.

Overslept my nap a little. I’m getting caught up on my sleep.

Made some phone calls. Started to call the Secretary of State for the registration number and PIN for online renewal, but the Web site said that it should be on the prior registration card. Left a message for the garage guy about getting the gravel out of my yard.

There’s a lively conversation on one of the listservs at work about whether the new Obama Presidential Library would join our consortium. That would be pretty cool. I’d like to see it when it opens. (The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield is a member of our consortium, and I’ve been to the museum.) I’m wondering if we could get a group of people from high school to go together.

One of the books that I requested from the university library is in. I want to wait for the rest of them, though, before I trek over there.

Ordered a ton of fall bulbs from Breck’s. This time, I will stash the bulbs in my garage until I’m ready to plant them. (My last set got stolen.) I still need to order peonies for the front garden.

I’m waiting for my piano class and talking to Zara. I told her that she’s one tough kitty. Of the older contingent of my mom, Mimi, and Zara, I wouldn’t have thought that Zara would be the last one alive. (I think that she’s 17 now.) Piano went okay. I was working on a pretty piece (simplified Gurlitt Andante? I’m not near the music.)

I shut Oliver in the bedroom so that he won’t eat Zara’s food. Also, I need him in there when I get the recycling out.

Got the recycling out. I didn’t get the boxes on the porch, but I did put out some boxes from inside. Got the registration card for the Honda, and it did NOT have the registration number and PIN, so I need to call them tomorrow. I also discovered that the battery on the Honda is dead. Sigh.

Filed my taxes. It was more expensive than I thought because I had to pay for TurboTax as well as pay the taxes. Life is expensive right now (says the person who spent a pile of money on bulbs). I forgot to mention that the refrigerator isn’t working properly, so I need to get it fixed or replace it after I finish the kitchen.

Anyway, I should wrap things up and head to bed.

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Physical Therapy Day/Choir Day

2026-04-07T04:15:02Z

Woke up at 8 AM. The catlings want FOOD! NOW!

Hmm, I really want to nap at lunch, but I need to take a shower. Can I shower after work? I have choir. Oh! I have physical therapy today, so I need to shower at lunch.

The dogs came in early. Because it’s cold?

I forgot to mention yesterday that because of the sun pattern, I’m going to move the raised beds over against the fence in my yard. I plan to assemble them next weekend. Oh, I have the book sale next weekend. It’s going to be hectic.

Physical therapy went okay. The physical therapist worked me really hard. I’m looking at some tools that she had me use on Amazon. She gave me an exercise band.

I think that I want to learn how to can. I should have extra tomatoes.

Choir went well. I should get a solo part. The question is which one?

Went to the local grocery store and picked up a few things. Lily really wanted my chicken sandwich and took a bite out of it. Somehow she makes that charming. I’m putty in her paws :) I also submitted a Walmart order.

I couldn’t get the door to the basement stairs open from the outside, so I stashed the roses under the porch. That should keep frost off of them. Speaking of garden plants, Breck’s has a great catalog for fall. Sale prices are until early May though. I need to figure out what I want.

The dogs came in on the first try. They’re easier to get in at night.

No TV tonight. I need to get to bed.

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Coming Up Roses

2026-04-06T02:22:04Z

I ordered the Japanese Maple because the plant nursery was having a sale. I also ordered some fertilizer for the trees and the roses.

Woke up at 8:30 AM. Had a lively conversation with Zara when I went to get her dish. The dogs, surprisingly, came in after an hour. It’s 40F/4C, so that’s probably why. Everyone is fed. Nap time. Oliver is on the shelf over the bedroom door. Sneaky little dickens. Woke up after an hour. I’m not sure if I woke up spontaneously or Gracie woke me up.

Hmm. I saw an ad for grass seed that you just roll out in sheets. That might work with the dogs.

Napped again for an hour.

Crud. There’s a freeze watch on early Tuesday morning. Should I plant the roses or not? Three out of four are bare roots. I’m thinking of doing the tilling, but waiting until Tuesday to plant them. I need to check if they need water.

There was gravel where I want to plant the roses, so I used the transfer shovel to scrape off the gravel. It worked pretty well and there was dirt underneath, so I didn’t need to till. I got the cedar beds with legs in the garage, piece by piece because it was too heavy to drag over there. I need to print off the assembly instructions online. I watered the roses (they sent three out of four). The roses came with plastic wrap that I can put over them in case of frost.

I forgot today was Easter and the local grocery store was closed, so I picked up some munchies at Circle K. Watched The Pitt during dinner. The dogs are in and fed.

I’m doing some laundry, but then I’ll go to bed.

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Rainy Day

2026-04-05T02:32:26Z

Woke up a little after 9 AM. It’s raining. Bella was lingering in the doorway like “Make it stop!” Oliver tried to eat Lily’s food, and Lily bit him. Good girl, Lily. The wet dogs came in early. Bella is grooming Gracie. That’s nice.

Nap time. Woke up way before my alarm. It’s still raining. Had lunch. Napped again.

I’ve started opening up packages and putting packing material in the recycling bin. I’m feeling exhausted and not sure what to do now. I’m charging the batteries for my cordless tiller.

I decided that I wanted to create a semicircular bed of wildflowers on either side of the front sidewalk. I ordered twine and bamboo poles to mark out the space.

Fed the cats. Got the dogs in and fed them. Watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The dogs are barking at who-knows-what.

I’m going to feed the critters their late-night snack and go to bed.

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Singing Lesson Day

2026-04-04T04:46:34Z

Overslept until 8:30 AM. Tired. I think that I’ll nap at lunchtime and shower after work.

Fed the cats. Oliver seems to be learning that I don’t want him to eat Lily’s food. The dogs don’t want to come in. They’ll probably get wet in the rain predicted for 11. I have a meeting then, but they could stay on the porch. Oh! My 11:00 meeting was canceled! And the rain doesn’t seem to be coming.

Wow, did I oversleep my nap. I’ll need to make up some time for work this weekend.

It looks like I got my roses. I’ll need to assemble and charge the tiller on Saturday to plant them on Sunday.

I want to sign up for an app in which you earn Amazon gift cards when you walk. (You also pay for it, so they’re making money, but I think that the gift card incentive will work.) I’ve decided to do the mobility exercises first to walk better. Hmm. I could ease into walking on the treadmill. I ordered a (used) book on walking. I ordered some more (used) books on yoga, stretching, and hydration.

Hmm. Someone is selling a Pilates Reformer in Normal for $100. Though I think that I want a folding one. I should take Pilates classes, but I’ll wait until I get farther on the Lifelong Mobility classes.

Hmm, because I’m doing volunteer work on Sundays (although not this Sunday), I could get up a little earlier and go to the UU Church. It would be my community day. I could have lunch out.

My singing lesson went well. We were singing my two favorite songs for this year, and I got a good sound on the solos (although I want to practice more this weekend), so I was happy. I’m feeling full of music!

Fed the cats. Ate dinner and watched an episode of The Pitt. Got the dogs in and fed them. Watched another episode of The Pitt. When I watch it on Sunday, I’ll be caught up with all the released episodes. I think that I’ll watch Heated Rivalry next because it got a lot of buzz.

I’m washing some clothes, but then I’ll go to sleep. I think that tomorrow I’ll work on the bathroom, but I’ll work on seated tasks in the kitchen when I need breaks from standing.

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