days_unfolding

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.

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.

I forgot to mention that “Blowing in the Wind” has been playing in my head. Appropriate.

Lily approves of my sweats alternative. 10/10 soft to lie on. I like them too for days that I'm staying home.

Overslept until 8:30 AM.

The radiologists want me to have an ultrasound of my left breast. I’m refusing to worry. Okay, I'm worrying a little.

More recession signs: job loss and issues with private credit.

Lily and Oliver are playing Chase Me! Gracie doesn't want to come in from outside. I can't blame her; it's gorgeous out. Nice and warm and sunny. And the irises are coming up!

Oh crud. The place where I wanted Gracie to be trained wants a certificate saying that the dog is free from Giardia (among other things). Gracie still has a little Giardia in her system. I guess that I need to go somewhere else. I'm looking at Polite Pups individual training, at least for Gracie.

I canceled my French lesson. We aren't studying what I want to study, so why am I spending time and money on it? I shouldn't just go along with things. I found a teacher that said, roughly (in French), that she didn't think that lessons are one size fits all. That's promising.

I grabbed Gracie by the collar and marched her in. That was mean, but I wanted to feed Oliver and Zara, and that depended on her coming in because I wanted Oliver shut away when I open the front door.

I way overslept my nap. I was dreaming about my paternal grandmother, whom I resemble.

Whoa. My printer landed on the floor. I blame you, Oliver. It seems to be working okay.

Hmm. An inflatable two-person hot tub isn't that expensive. It's cheaper than a Jacuzzi. Not right now though.

Hmm. Harry Potter is streaming on Max. It might be worth it to get it for a month or two and watch the movies.

I’m looking at piano scales charts, but nothing on Amazon is exactly what I want. Okay, I found some books that I like.

My singing lesson went well. We worked on “The Times, They Are a Changing”. I don’t like the choral arrangement. My teacher wasn’t familiar with the song, and she said, “Boy, this guy doesn’t like his parents!” Yepper. Hard to believe that the song is almost as old as I am.

My dad is worried about the federal debt. It’s a staggering number (30.8 trillion). That is worrisome. He compared it to Germany in the 1920s. That worries me.

Fed everyone. I’m washing clothes, so I think that I’ll watch the first Harry Potter movie on my computer.

Gracie got me up at 7:30 AM. I guess that I should be grateful for the extra 30 minutes.

Lily is so pretty and delicate. I love looking at her. Appearances can be deceiving though; she’ll smack Oliver, who usually deserves it.

Gracie doesn’t want to come in. At least, I got Bella in.

Booked a hair appointment. Ordered another stock.

I'm feeling like staying home today, but I have stuff on Facebook Marketplace to buy. I'll see how I feel after my nap and shower. The clock is a long drive away, but the nail gun is local.

Got Gracie in with the aid of a munchie bone. Now she’s eating Bella’s food. That’s okay; it’s the same food.

Napped. Oliver Snugglebug is snuggling. Had lunch. I think that I want another nap.

Gracie likes to nuzzle my ear for reasons known only to her.

Napped. I’m in the kitchen trying to wake up. Then a shower. I’ve decided that I’m going to stay in and work on the bathroom.

Showered. I’m wearing a pants and sweatshirt set that I bought a while ago. It’s like sweats but a thinner and nicer fabric.

Lily is parading around in my face, purring. (The cat food dishes are soaking.) My pets keep me grounded in the now.

Reading news on Iran. Sigh. On a happier note, the BBC had an article about Madeira, to which I’d like to go.

Hmm. Snow tonight.

You know that you’re getting old when you don’t recognize half the actors’ names in the Actors Awards.

Did a little work on the bathroom. Found a gazillon socks. But I want to get to bed early.

I was up really late and woke up a little after 10 AM. Lily ate Zara’s leftover food and settled in for a snooze. Gracie did a “Yes, I’m coming in”, “ No, I’m not “, “Yes, I am “ routine. It’s been a zoo in here but got us all fed. Nap time. Ugh. Oliver came into the bedroom. This is not going to be restful. It looks like he might snooze on the shelf above the doorway, which Oliver thinks is a cat perch. Oliver came down and I removed him.

Had a nice nap. Had a tasty lunch (Shrimp Chow Mein). Took another nap.

Nothing that is on the Olympics interests me (although ski jumping is kind of cool). So maybe I’ll get stuff done instead. I watched a little speed skating and ski jumping while I ate. The dogs don’t want to come inside. Watched a Mentour Pilot episode about a brave flight attendant who lost her life helping passengers off a burning plane. Bella and Gracie finally came in.

I started hand-washing clothes because I’m not going to finish getting the washer fixed, and I want to jump-start the car tomorrow. I want to get to bed early. Oh, I know. I'll go do some scanning of music while my clothes are soaking clean.

A while back, I bought some Milkbones for “medium“ dogs. Well, their idea of medium is not mine; they’re tiny. Bella loves them. The box is open, but she doesn’t try to eat them all at once, so I let her get one when she feels like it. She always gets one right before we go to bed, and comes trotting in with it in her mouth. She’s almost done with the box, and I’ll get her some larger ones.

Overslept until 8 AM. I must have needed the sleep. Let the dogs out, fed us all, etc.

I’m thinking that it’s funny that Lily is the smallest cat that I’ve had, and Oliver is one of the biggest.

Why is “Puff, the Magic Dragon” playing in my head?

Showered, makeupped, ready to go. I have a few minutes before I get an Uber. At the dentist now.

Back home. The implant wasn’t too bad, but it’ll probably hurt after the numbness wears off. I took some preemptive acetaminophen, but they recommend ibuprofen, so I’ll have to have some delivered. I think that I’ll nap soon. Napped for a couple of hours.

The dogs keep sniffing my face. I think that they smell the blood from my dental surgery.

I’m feeling shaky. I’m making some macaroni and cheese. Had a good late lunch. Now I’ll order my meds to be delivered and also some yogurt because of the antibiotics. I forgot ibuprofen so I submitted another order, sigh. They’re shipping my meds although I wanted same-day delivery. Oh well. It’ll get here tomorrow. Got my ibuprofen and took some.

I’m reading the PCT book with Oliver curled up in my lap. Cozy. I bought two headlamps because they would be good to have if the power goes out.

Lousy day on the stock market. Oh well.

Let the dogs out. Can’t stop yawning. I need to make it an early night.

I did get my meds today. I’ll take the antibiotic before I go to sleep.

I really would like to see Crater Lake sometime. The closest airport is Redmond. I’d want to rent a car, although there is a bus there. The airfare isn’t too expensive.

Finished my book. I ordered her next book, but it won’t be published until March.

Fed us all. I ate more macaroni because it’s soft. Now I’m seriously thinking about going to bed. I did start another Pacific Crest Trail book. The guy worked in Silicon Valley, and oh, could I relate. I haven’t reached the point where he chucks it for the trail yet.

Ugh. Possible ice tonight. Good thing I don’t have to go anywhere tomorrow.

Cool. I found a pair of clean pajamas. They're ugly but very warm.

I always forget to set the faucets dripping until after I’m in bed. I sigh and get up. Come on warmer weather.

Overslept. Sigh. And I forgot to turn the dryer on last night. I’ll take my shower at lunchtime.

Cold out (4F/-15C). The dogs came in right away. Fed everyone except me, although Lily didn’t eat because she’s down in the basement and won’t come up. I can’t tell if she’s stuck in a crawl space or not. I put some food down there to encourage her to come out. She ate it, so I guess that she's okay. I put down some water for her too.

Work is kind of a zoo, but I'll have lots of time this afternoon to work on stuff.

I had a headache earlier and think that it’s probably because I’m dehydrated. I’m trying to chug some water down. I received some new water enhancers that I need to check out.

Managed to get my weary and cold butt into the shower. Received my grocery order. Walmart bagged three sodas a bag and the bags broke, so I'm not happy with them.

Fell asleep at my desk. I haven't done that in quite a while. I'm not sure how long I slept, a half hour? I emailed and canceled my singing lesson because I can’t keep my eyes open. I know that the sleep doctor told me not to nap at night, but I’ve got to nap.

Bella and Gracie are chasing each other through the yard and play-fighting and don’t want to come inside. I’ll give them a few minutes and try again. This time they came inside. Fed the dogs and started soaking the cat dishes. Nap time. Slept for 5.5 hours. Oliver: Mom, are you going to get up and feed us? Did so. Both Bella and Gracie have diarrhea, sigh.

I bought a Wyze scale after reading susandennis' mention of it. I bought the scale with Bluetooth so that it can send readings to my phone. What can I say; I love tech. And I paid for it with my FSA account. I'm counting the days until my annual physical so that I can ask for Wegovy. I want the pills; I'm a pain wuss.

I need more hoodies and jeans so that I don't need to do laundry all the time. I bought most of my hoodies from one shop that sold kind of bohemian and zen stuff, but now I can't find it. Cosmic Clothing Co.? They don't seem to have hoodies now though. They have t-shirts. No, they do have hoodies too. Bought a couple pairs of jeans and hoodies. I need to eat dinner yet. Then I'll feed the critters their crunchies and go back to bed.

Oliver likes to sleep on my down coat. So I looked for a down cat bed, and there aren’t any. I found a plush self-heating bed that wasn’t too expensive and ordered it. We’ll see if he likes it. I also found a shag dog bed on Chewy, but it’s large.

Got up reluctantly at 6 AM. The problem with getting up early is that I want to go back to sleep. But I need to feed the cats first. I think that I forgot to give them their crunchies last night. I suck.

I’m not going back to sleep. I need to take a shower because I have a short lunch today.

Bella is being manic.

I rescheduled my lab visits so that I can wait until Sunday to jump-start the car. I have to brush off the cars today so that I don’t get a ticket.

The cold bathroom is COLD. (I think that it once was a porch that someone converted into a bathroom. There's very little insulation and the floor stays cold.) I almost didn't take a shower because I didn't want to take my pajamas off. And after the shower, I was chanting COLD COLD COLD as I got dressed. It's cold upstairs too, but I'm cranking the space heater. My dad said to close the bathroom door so that the heat vent heats only that room, but I have litter boxes in there, so I need to figure out what to do with them. There is a door hook thing that opens a door to let cats in but keep dogs out. I should look into that as a possible solution.

Note to self: Cabela's is where I got the wool socks. Cozy! I ordered some more compression and regular socks on Amazon, and I'll order wool socks later (done).

sunshine_two's passing has left me a little shaken up. She was two years younger than me. I wonder what happened to her dogs and cats. You never know, so I was thinking about my dogs and cats. I think that I'll contact Hospice Hearts (dog and cat shelter for pets whose human becomes incapacitated or passes away) and see if I can mention them in my will along with a hefty donation.

I have a short lunch because my 11:30 meeting ran long and I have a 1:00. Bella and Oliver are in my face; Bella for pets and because she’s lonely when I work upstairs (she won’t use the stairs), and Oliver because he’s hoping that I’ll feed him again. (Not.) Oliver and Gracie: We’d be happy to eat your food. Me: I bet you would.

Piano class went well. Nothing exciting to report. Zara was happy for the cuddle time.

I shut Oliver in the bathroom when I let the dogs in so that he doesn’t get out. There are other advantages. Lily can eat without him eating her food when he’s done with his, and I can feed Zara without Oliver bursting in there.

Gracie still has a scarcity mentality about food. She needs to clean up every scrap of food around. She was found in a park (probably dumped—people suck) and probably had to scrounge for food. I told her that she hasn’t missed many meals here, but she still worries.

I’m not going to fix the washer tonight because it’s gotten late due to my piano class. I have some black clothes that someone, probably Lily, got fur on. I’ll run them in the dryer along with some hand-washed underwear and socks.

I think that I’ll wait until lunchtime tomorrow to brush off the cars, even if I get a ticket. There’s a wind chill warning now through tomorrow morning.

I’ve been reading Pete Buttigieg’s autobiography. I thought that it would be dry, but he’s a good storyteller, plus the way that he built his career is fascinating. Recommended if you are interested in politics and like biographies. It’s called Shortest Way Home.

I've got the underwear and socks soaking in the sink. I grabbed out the wide sink plug that I take with me for traveling. It's very useful to make a good seal. So I'll post, give the cats and dogs their crunchies, put the clothes in the dryer, and go to bed.

Crud. I overslept until 7 AM. The crazy cold temperatures have started. And it’s supposed to snow this weekend. I’m screwed. Actually, I can run out tomorrow morning before the snow starts.

Managed to get the dogs in early. Gracie was stalling but finally decided to come in. It’s 2F/-17C with a wind chill of -18F/-28C. The snow is predicted to start Saturday afternoon.

I've been talking cats with my colleagues via IM. I'm lucky that most of them are "pet people".

Got a bunch of stuff done at work.

I told Gracie that she has a puppy ADHD brain. She came over for some pets, and then promptly ran over to the window to look out.

I think that maybe I'll work on the kitchen table tonight. I have a singing lesson, but I'll probably have some time for cleaning. Actually, I should open some packages.

It just occurred to me that Gracie might have never lived in a house before I got her. That would explain a lot.

Fed the critters. I’ll eat after my singing lesson.

Hmm. I’m wondering if I could design and upgrade my closet (in the library) myself or with a handyman. I kind of know what I want: two rods on top of each other for shirts and pants, but I also want a smaller space that has only one rod for dresses. The shelf up top can stay there if it still fits. I keep my shoes in the bedroom closet, which really needs help but is an awkward size. Well, none of it is happening right now.Actually, I found something at Home Depot that might work (I need to measure) and it costs only $138.

Had my singing lesson. I didn’t have a song to practice, so we worked on intervals. That was a mental workout as well as a vocal workout.

Pulled out clean clothes for tomorrow morning. I need to clean the washer drain sometime this weekend, but that will require moving stuff.

Had dinner. It's gotten late (9 PM), and I want to get up early to let my hair dry before contacting AAA. Maybe I could use a blow dryer. Anyway, time for bed.

I overslept 45 minutes. I got my shower done though. No time to put on makeup. Wrestled the recycling bin out and opened the garage.

I just saw that the electricians had a “confirm appointment” link, which I just clicked. I hope that I didn’t mess up the appointment.

Jealousy, thy name is Bella. I was petting Gracie, and Bella came over and said, “Pet ME!”

The electricians are here. I showed them the circuit breaker box. I was ordering food for Bella and Gracie when the “dog alarm” went off. They’re going nuts. I shut the cats in the bathroom and want to leave them there until the electricians are done. Oliver likes to go into the basement.

I ordered some compression socks. I hope that I got the right sizes. I got some funky designs: flamingos, sloths, and polka dots.

I looked into dog training, but it won’t start until February, so I’ll wait to register.

Hmm, the dogs seem to be settling down. Are the guys done? No.

I need to order more pillows to put my feet up while I sleep (if the dogs let me!)

Got the first check from the trust. I'll deposit it into my main bank account at lunchtime. Then I'll get a cashier's check for Charles Schwab later. (I want the money safely in a bank account first, and Schwab is a little complicated.)

Meeting-o-rama today at work. Well, one got cancelled.

Ran to the bank over lunch. The check is safely away from my chewing dogs :)

Well, I did step 1 and brought water upstairs to drink. But I haven't been drinking it. Must force myself....

There's a decluttering course that isn't too expensive and has good reviews. I might sign up for it (done).

The 3:00 meeting was short. Good. I can go out and see what the electricians have done when they're done. I'm having a hard time concentrating with the guys doing the work. I should look for something mindless. I see lights on in the garage. That's progress. They're done. There are lights on in the garage and the garage door works.

Let the cats out of the bathroom, and Oliver bitched me out. I deserve it :)

Let the dogs out. Bella ate Gracie’s bribe donut, so I had to give her another one. Fed us all.

I'm going to go to sleep soon. Maybe I'll get some cleaning done tomorrow morning before I take Lily to the vet.