days_unfolding

I’m looking at locksmiths. I really want a key pad for the front door so that I don’t get locked out. I also need to get my garbage disposal fixed.

The money hasn't posted to my account, so I need to call the bank. Now it's posted. Yay. I'll have to pay some bills tonight.

Hmm. The uni has a Dial-A-Carol service. Do I want to sign up to sing? I checked when the recital on Sunday is over. I did sign up for four sessions because that 's the minimum to get a Dial-A-Carol shirt.

I'm pondering making Christmas cookies, but I don't know where my mom's recipes are. I hope that I kept them.

Drat. The robot vac that I wanted is now longer on sale. Oh well. I have to find out how to set an alert for a price drop. Well, there is a $299 off coupon. Hmm. I need to think about that. I just bought a boat load of diet cookbooks. And thermal curtains for my bedroom. I need to get flannel sheets too (done). Got to be ready for winter!

We had our choir concert tonight. It went pretty well; I just made a minor flub. (We had a mini-rehearsal beforehand, and I made more flubs, which made me nervous, but I got it out of my system.) I’m feeling a little melancholy because my mom didn’t get to see it. She would be so happy that I joined a choir. (My dad isn’t into music, which I think is strange, but okay.)

I picked up some Lobster Bisque at the local grocery store and it was really good. The girls want their food NOW!

I’m tired. I need to practice piano, but I’ll do so in the morning. I’ll just pay some bills (done) and submit a grocery order (done).

Woke up at 7 AM. Went back to sleep. Woke up at 9:30 AM. Dreamed that I moved to San Francisco.

Someone (Zara?) ate Mimi’s piece of turkey. Fed the cats and myself. Watered the spider plants because they were looking a little unhappy. Nap time. I woke up after only one hour. I guess that I’m caught up on my sleep.

Um. It’s snowing! It’s a good day to stay home. The snow didn’t stick.

I forgot to put clothes in the dryer. I need to dig out my cordless drill and charge it so that I can hang the pots for the spider plants. But first, I need to shower and try on some jeans that I bought in Michigan.

Um, I’m trying to decide whether to take one more nap. I’m a little sleepy after lunch. I did decide to lie down. Zara is snuggling. And I did put clothes in the dryer. Slept for another hour.

I’ve been scrolling through the Black Friday deals although I’m not buying anything. I like the flannel sheets from L.L. Bean. They also have a flannel comforter cover, but would it lock to the sheets? I might need to call them.

I need to go get coffee filters later today. I might go to Meijer late.

I read the weather report. It’s good that I’m not in Michigan this weekend because it’s slick up there.

Finally got my lazy butt into the shower. Afterwards, tried on my Ann Taylor LOFT jeans, and they were too big. I like the cut though, so I might look for some in my size. I think that I’ll sell the two pairs that I have on Mercari because they’re new with tags and nice jeans. I also tried on the corduroy blazer and don’t want it. Into the donation bag it goes.

Zara wants food. I think that my full-time job is being a chef and waitress to cats :) Fed myself and them.

Got my new stand mixer.

I need to get the ingredients for Snickerdoodles when I have more money. Got my mom's coffee maker out (Ninja) and found the model number. I got a PDF of the instructions for it. I'm trying to print out the PDF, but for some reason, it's not printing. There we go. The printer wanted more paper but didn't tell me that.

Hmm. I'm trying to decide whether to go to Meijer now. I'd like a few donuts as well as the coffee filters, and I'm afraid that they'll sell out.

Mimi is being pushy about lap time though. I tipped her off when I was dealing with the printer, and she jumped back. Multiple times.

I have a headache, so I’m going to lie down for a little while with Zara. Rested for a half-hour. Mimi has taken to lying just inside the bedroom door when I’m in here. She ate Zara’s leftover food.

Went to Meijer and got the coffee filters, donuts, and a baguette. It was freaking cold out (currently 20F/-6C with a wind chill of 9F/-12C). Ack! It’s nice and toasty in the house though. I’m thinking of hibernating soon. Ran downstairs and turned off the outside water because it might freeze.

My mom’s Zig Zag plant is really happy and is putting out shoots like crazy.

I'm now upstairs with a loudly meowing Mimi. It's surprisingly warm up here. Maybe I'll just get by with a small space heater.

Woke up on time. Getting to bed early helps. It's dark and gloomy again today. It's going to be a long winter.

I love it when Zara comes running up to snuggle when I lie down on the bed. She curls up and naps.

I'm feeling like crying for no good reason. Here is the winter Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'm wondering if I should try a light box again, but I experienced racing thoughts the last time that I used one, which isn't good either. I should look into other methods of dealing with it. I'm already on two antidepressants, so I don't think that I need more. A Web site said to get outside even if it's gloomy to get all the sunlight that you can. Maybe now that my foot is better, I should go for a walk outside. Though it’s light for so short a time that it makes it difficult to find a time.

Got a grocery order from Walmart. I'm now well stocked. I need to check out Aldi for some Thanksgiving-type things. They're supposed to have great pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes. (My work group has a "watercooler" Zoom meeting where we discuss stuff like that!) I checked, and pumpkin pie can be frozen, so I might pick up a couple.

I need to get rid of my old laptop that I had been using for my music lessons. The sound wasn’t working. I can recycle it at Best Buy. And note to self: Do get rid of it instead of keeping it hanging around.

I was looking for a place where I could donate Christmas gifts because I don't have anyone to shop for. I found a couple of possibilities. I want to get a local children's home some craft supplies and a Lego set. Crud, I wanted to get a Harry Potter Lego set, but it’s $135! Yikes!

I need a stand mixer to make Snickerdoodles with Almond Flour (and other baking). I'm looking for a cheaper alternative. I should check out Facebook Marketplace. Hmm, most of those are KitchenAid. I'd love a KitchenAid mixer, but I was hoping to spend less. Hmm. I was thinking of getting a new Hamliton Beach one, but I can get a used KitchenAid for only $40 more. Actually, I can get a used Hamilton Beach one for $64. That's better. Actually, there is an open box one on eBay for $50.

I was investigating a Panama Canal cruise for next year on Oceania. I'd have to go in the spring or fall; there are no cruises in the summer. It would cost a chunk of money to get a balcony too. Bermuda cruises are in the summer and are drastically cheaper. And I really, really want to go on this Japan, China, and Hong Kong cruise. Maybe I should wait until I retire and look for a "last minute" fare. But the airfare is a consideration too.

Mimi comes downstairs for food but then calls me to go back upstairs. I told her that I bought a two-story house to use both stories. She doesn’t think that’s a good reason to stay downstairs. Cats! I’m sitting in bed, and Zara is snuggled in my lap. Aww.

I got my extension cord for the light on my bedside table, but it has only one outlet. I didn’t know that they made extension cords with only one outlet. I have my lamp plugged in and like it (it’s very cozy with the dimmest setting) but I want to charge other items on my bedside table, so I bought an extension cord with a cube of outlets and USB ports. I’ll give this one away on Buy Nothing. I also looked at trays on Etsy to put my charging items on to make it neater.

Tried to nap but couldn’t sleep.

The temps this coming week are all over the map. It’s winter! It’s fall! It’s winter!

I’m tempted to go to bed early and get up early to practice singing and piano and Italian. I feel like a slug now. Plus I have the writing webinar at 11 AM.

I got the Mental Health pack from StruggleCare.com. The "How to Clean Your Depression House" booklet gave some great ideas for cleaning supplies, so I got them from Amazon. And it gave some good suggestions, like cleaning crumbs off the stove with a hand-held vacuum cleaner. It also had some questions to ask when you look for a therapist, so I'll use them when I talk to the possible therapist.

Got up, had breakfast, and had a nice nap. Had lunch. The StruggleCare.com handouts had a to-do list that breaks big tasks down into little tasks, so I wrote some out. Knocked two mini-tasks off my list already. Zara: Mommy, aren't your forgetting something IMPORTANT? Fed the girls.

Damn, it's hot when I move. Weather.com says that it's only 81F though.

Got the garbage out. Started laundry. Ordered some biodegradable garbage and pet poop bags because I'm running out of garbage bags. Went to turn on the bread maker, but it got stuck in a setting, so I'm waiting for it to clear. I don't think that I'll be able to make bread until tomorrow. I also want to make banana-walnut bread in the bread maker because I have three overripe bananas, but it requires buttermilk, so I ordered some buttermilk powder from Amazon. Everything is complicated.

Dawn Powerwash (suggested by StruggleCare.com) does make a really good cleaner as well as dish soap.

Made the spinach salad. Made biscuits and gravy and ate them. I'm doing more dishes, and then I'll do my other nighttime tasks and go to sleep.

The rain has started. It's going to rain on and off all day.

Italian went well. Mimi joined in at the beginning. We talked about animals that bring good luck in Italy. Now it's storming.

I want to take a nap, but my pension fund is having a meeting. I want to hear their update. I found out that only half of the pension liabilities are covered by their investments, and they need to rely on the legislature for additional funding. Sounds shaky to me. They pointed out that you forfeit cost-of-living increases if you take a lump sum, but still, funding sounds iffy.

I've been enjoying the scones, so I looked for a recipe to make them from scratch. I found one with sour cream and raisins for which I have all the ingredients, so I'll make them after I finish the carrot-cake ones.

Had a nice nap. Had a strange dream about cataloging books. I was groggy when I woke up, so I finished going through my box of books. I got a couple of books to keep, a couple of books to sell, a bunch of books to toss, and a bunch of books for the library. Zara has discovered the empty box :) And now Mimi has checked it out.

Worked on the kitchen. Got the garbage out. Opened a couple of windows to get some air in. Had dinner, but it was the last of the veggie bake, and I might need to have some soup before bed too.

Oh ack. I went to list some books on Amazon, only to find that two books required approval to sell, which I got but it hasn't gone through the system yet, one had too many listings, and then I got a good one, but it wanted me to change my debit card again. Sigh. I need to check eBay. Oh, at least I got the Amazon seller app, which you can use to scan barcodes. Oh, and eBay has the same thing too! Oh, and I found some CBT books that I would like to get. (Yes, I'm fighting a losing battle with the number of books that I have!)

I'm not sure what to do now. Maybe go through some magazines. And get to bed early.

Added: I found a Web site with healthy recipes: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/

Followed the normal morning food and nap routine.

Mimi tries to chew the Fitbit band.
Me: Mimi, don't chew the Fitbit band.
Mimi tries to chew the Fitbit band.
Etc
Finally Mimi got up and lay down with her face away from the band because apparently it's irresistible if she's close to it. Cats!

Ran out to get milk, oatmeal, jam, and bread. Looked into flat-rate shipping boxes, and sheesh, they're expensive. It's probably cheaper to send my package to Chicago using normal rates.

Made cookie dough and put it into the refrigerator to chill. It seems kind of crumbly though. I think that it needs more butter.

I'm in a wrangle with an eBay seller. The print return label thing in eBay was not printing a label, so I had emailed the seller asking for the address. He never responded. Yesterday he sent a NastyGram because I hadn't returned the boots. I can't return them if I don't know the address! Anyway, they'll go out tomorrow. I shouldn't get pissed off over this. But I am.

Need to wind down for bed. I need to meditate on peace....

Churned out my long-distance Christmas cards except for the one to my friend Lance. I usually write him a longish note with the card.

I also paid bills. And resubscribed to the digital edition of the The New York Times.

I opened up the package with the alpaca socks for my uncle and yeah, they're really nice. That reminds me that I want to get a pair for myself. They would be nice to sleep in or wear outside when it gets really cold.

Did my normal morning routine. Tried again to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal (they're having a $4 a month sale), but they still are not letting me create an account. Bummer. Printed off directions to the library at which I'm returning books.

Mom called. She talked to my uncle in the hospital and said that he was in good spirits. He wished me good luck on the new job.

Napped and ate. Threw myself together and set off. First stop was Walmart to get almond extract and wax paper. They had some gold and silver sprinkles that I'll use for my star cookies. They also had some sparkly white spray that I could use for the snowman cookies, but I've decided to make it easy and just do star cookies.

Then it was off to Normal (about 35 minutes away) to return books after successfully overriding a case of the "don't wannas". Went around in circles a little trying to find the parking lot. I had to carry the books about a half-block up several flights of stairs, so I had to make two trips in the Arctic wind. But I did it. When I got back to Lincoln, I got gas, returned books to the public library, and mailed Christmas cards. I discovered that you can get flat rate shipping boxes at any time at the post office, but I need to assemble my gifts to figure how how big boxes I need.

Now the cats and I have eaten, and I'm feeling beat. I was going to mix up some cookie dough to chill, but I'm seriously thinking of going to bed. Maybe I'll wrap some presents first.

I bought the alpaca socks for myself. All they had was blue in my size, but if I'm going to wear them to bed, who cares if they match. Maybe I'll get a second pair when they're back in stock.

I have a cat (Zara) on my shoulders. This is a little disconcerting.

Woke up around 11 AM, went back to sleep, and woke up around 2. So much for getting up early. The cats have been surprisingly patient waiting for their food. They've cleaned out the dry food. Got us all fed. All's right with the world. The cats inhaled their food.

I'm looking at the Fitbit Inspire. I liked my old Garmin, but it didn't have replacement bands, and this one does. Actually, I'm looking at the Fitbit Charge because it has GPS. Bought it.

Bought a pair of cute black boots. I'm not a shoe person. I usually get a pair of black boots and wear them all the time until they wear out. The seller was offering a discount on one, which was my favorite pair, so I snatched them. My current boots are really falling apart. I hope that they ship the new ones quickly.

Threw myself together to go to the store and get milk. Fed the girls, and I'm waiting for Zara to finish before I go. Well, hell. The lights were off at Walmart. I guess that I'll go tomorrow.

Mimi: "Mom, you're making a lap, and Zara isn't on it!" I am inhabited. Zara came out to bug me while I ate.

Zara loves turkey, so I bought some turkey cat food on Amazon, plus their usual chicken and seafood.

Crud. I forgot to put the butter out to soften. I guess that I'll read or nap while I wait for it. Couldn't sleep.

I tackled cookies. The dough was sticking to the rolling pin, so I used my hands to flatten the dough, and the cookies were too thick. Here they are, such as they are: