days_unfolding

I told my professor that I was sick and I’m going back to bed for a while. Mimi thinks that I skipped work to pet her. It’s all about Me! Me! Me! Mimi! No, she wants me to go upstairs and work so that she can sit on my lap. No, she wanted more food. I gave her some dry food. (The vet said that it was okay to give her a little more food.) So I’m teaching her to meow at me. Zara gave me a little kiss (and you earn it with her). Aww.

My mom’s annoying ex-friend Deanna now wants to take clippings of the plants. I’m fuming, so I’m wondering if I should get up. I emailed her telling her that I didn't want her to take clippings of the plants.

I did some homework, but now I'm having a stabbing pain in my side, so I'm going to take some acetaminophen and lie down.

Mimi got some small green stars stuck on her butt. What a goof :)

I napped and got up and worked on my program some. But I need to go back to sleep now. I wrote my professor and said that I won't be handing in the assignment tonight.

Woke up with my alarm at 8 AM. Did my usual morning routine and took a nap after breakfast. (That's my weekend treat.) Got up, did some fruitless searching for the key to Deanna's house but found some spare house keys, restarted clothes in the dryer to dewrinkle my blazer, and went through the bag of my mom's clothes to pull out stuff that wasn't clothes. Called about Zara's prescription.

Mom has some really nice large ceramic pots that I'd like to take, but I'm not sure how to pack them. I could turn one of them into a fountain, which would be a cheap way to get a fountain.

Oh drat. I did the time change wrong and I'm not going to make it to the YMCA. (My watch is on Central Time and my phone is on Eastern. Okay, I changed that.) I could go tomorrow after Italian.

I'm now adorned with cheap jewelry, plus one of my mom's necklaces. She liked spirals and labyrinths, and I'm taking her necklaces with one on them. One of the new bracelets won't fit me though. I love the one that I'm wearing though. It has gold, copper, and steel stripes in a slanted pattern.

Nice day for a drive. Dropped the clothes off at the resale shop. They made it sound like my donation was the greatest thing. I told them that there will be more. Picked up Zara's meds.

The drought is doing nasty things to the lawn and garden. I'm going to get the automatic sprinklers fixed, but meanwhile, I need a manual one. I ordered one from Meijer for pickup tomorrow. Oh yay, it's going to rain tomorrow.

The pond is growing algae. Ugh. I need to get the skimmer out and a bag for it.

Had my voice lesson. It went well. Now I'm working on "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac.

Watched an air crash video, and I think that I'm going to bed.

I remembered that I had a photo of Mom on Facebook. I tried to print it on Walgreens Photo site, but it said that it was too low resolution. I found software that used AI to increase the resolution of photos. It changed the colors slightly, but it looked pretty good. So I ordered a matted and framed print of it to pick up same-day.

Apparently people are being asses over Target selling Pride merchandise, so I bought a Pride t-shirt. I like it; it's a rainbow-colored heart.

Well, the catalytic converter on my car was not stolen! I took the car into the collision repair place today, and they said that it looked fine with just some rust. I don't know cars! I made an appointment at the dealer to have it looked at because it's running really rough.

My musician classmate is encouraging me to buy the piano. He thinks that I should go for a private sale though, but I haven't seen anything that I like on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

I asked Kate if she wanted something of my mom's as a memento, and I picked out a beautiful scarf that she thought was perfect. I want to give Lotus and Barb something too, but there's less rush because they're in the area. (Kate is flying in from Vancouver.)

I got in touch with the lawn guy, and he said that he'd try to make it over here tomorrow. The grass is looking like a meadow.

I started my eight-week meditation class tonight. I was kind of resenting the timing, but it does seem like a good class. We have exercises to do at home.

I am so screwed. Apparently there were no refills left on my meds, and I'm out of one of my meds.Walgreens usually reminds me when there are no refills, but they didn't this time. I have to call the doctor first thing in the morning and beg for refills. Right before my mom's funeral is not the time to run out. I hope that I'll be able to sleep tonight because the meds usually knock me out.

I picked up the picture of Mom and it looks good.

Deanna kept on "reminding" me to bring the ashes to the funeral, and I finally blasted her. She seems to think that she's the only person who is competent. Like I'd forget to bring the ashes to my mom's funeral! I told her that I'd find another pet sitter for next week, and I found someone who is coming on Sunday for a "Meet and Greet".

Anyway, I need to crash so that I can call the doctor first thing tomorrow morning. I also need to do dishes in the morning.

Well, here's a new wrinkle in the "where should I live" question: I just got one of the best haircuts that I've had in my life. The stylist asked lots of questions and gave me what I wanted. And the stylists give you a shoulder and hand massage as well. I'm feeling so relaxed. I just bought a new hair dryer with a diffuser that is supposed to decrease frizz. And I bought the product that my stylist used. I also asked her if I could have highlights if I swim, and she said that they would have to be redone more often (monthly). Hmm. They also have facials and a brow treatment that tames unruly hairs, which is what I need. I might get a deep conditioning treatment for my hair the next time that I'm there.

There also is free Tai Chi in a local park. Urbana does have a lot of amenities.

Had a nice nap over lunch.

I booked the hotel/spa place near Lake Michigan for a room and a massage, facial, and body scrub. I hope that Deanna will watch the cats.

All the tension of the last few months seemed to hit me all at once, and all my muscles were aching pretty badly. So I booked a massage for tomorrow morning also. Two massages in two weeks is pretty decadent, but I think that I need it.

I ran some errands and went and had a beer with some of my classmates. It was fun. Urbana has a nice beer garden too, but it was hard to find my way back. The 1/3 of a beer that I drank seemed to relax me some.

Now I'm thinking of going to sleep early. My massage is at 10 AM tomorrow. My therapy session is at 1 PM.

Oh, and Road Scholar said that I can book the tour now and the airfare for the Italy trip later as long as it's by December. I should know where I've decided to live by then.

I spent some time thinking about a plan of attack on the house. I decided that instead of tackling the garage, I'll work on the kitchen and dining room and clear off the tables. That will give me more room to maneuver. Deanna found more mail in mom's stuff from the nursing home and hospital, so I need to go through that stuff. And that means that I can stay in my pajamas.

I had some "me" time on Friday night and it helped. I need time to relax and think.

I decided to try the Factor prepared meals plan. It's kind of pricey, but boy, am I going to eat well. I asked for calorie-conscious meals but also their chef's choice meals. I have one meal of filet mignon, one of mahi mahi, and a couple with salmon (and some chicken and pasta meals). I am going to eat well! I'll have to remember to skip the following week because I'll be gone for my onsite meeting for work in Illinois. Speaking of which, Deanna said that she would take care of the cats. Zara was brave and said hello to her. Mimi hid.

I think that part of the reason that the cats like the house is that each of them can have their own space. The back bedroom is Zara's.

There's a table in front of the window in the dining room, and Mimi likes it. There are birds and squirrels outside. Kitty TV.

Hmm, I just realized that the pond guy never called me back. I'll have to track him down. He texted me when I was taking my nap, saying that he missed the email and that he's in the area. I texted him back when I got up, but he might be gone now.

I read an op-ed in the Washington Post by someone who is dying of a lung disease. He said, "There's nothing wrong with dying. All the best people have done it." Just so.

I just added Freecycle where my mom's house is because I might want to give away some stuff. And I found a place that refurbishes hearing aids and gives them to people in need. Mom had some really expensive ones, so I'm glad that someone will be able to use them. Hmm, I need to pick up some bubble mailers.

I submitted a Kroger order and forgot the bubble mailers. I guess that I'll go to Meijer tomorrow and get some. Paid my bills. Got my Kroger order. I'm assuming that the pond guy isn't coming by tonight. Discovered that my mom's other life insurance policy is so old that it still has my dad as beneficiary. Emailed him to ask him what he wants me to do. Took a nap.

I was tickled by the Washington Post's description of the UK's King Charles' coronation: "There will be a lot of bling." Indeed.

I might have found someone to mow the lawn. He said to give him a call and he'll come over. I need to get some cash.

I started looking at the information Deanna got from St. Regis church about the choices for the Funeral Mass. It's hard to decide because that isn't my belief system.

I'm going to go to bed. A TaskRabbit guy is scheduled to clean out the garden beds tomorrow, and I need to make sure that Mom has waste bags for it. I might need to run to Meijer before Italian.

Woke up at 7. Did my usual morning routine, and now I'm waiting for my Walmart order. Well, this was a first. They tried to give me someone else's order. She had my order in the car and swapped the orders.

Tried to take a nap, but got woken up by the hospital, which just found Mom's cell phone. I'll see if Deanna and Ken can pick it up. Otherwise, I'll pick it up on Friday when I'm out for the visitation.

My professors offered me an extension on my paper, and I decided to take it.

Napped. I broke a bowl that I use to make soup, so I need to get to Meijer and get another one. Had lunch. I can't believe it; I want another nap, but I'll put my clothes in the bathroom first.

I've been thinking about my mom's memorial service while I've been doing other stuff. I want to read 1 Corinthians 13, which might be unusual for a funeral, but my mom had a lot of love for a lot of people. And I want "Morning Has Broken" as a hymn and possibly "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace". My mom wanted her priest friend Bob to do a service for her, so I need to talk to him. Right now, I have the memorial service set at the funeral home, but I need to talk to Mom's church. And I want to ask Lotus and Kate if they would give eulogies. It's weird, but I don't know what my mom's favorite flower is. Okay, I found some flowers that I like. Bright flowers only!

In Lincoln now and had dinner. I came to the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to do the rest of the cleaning; I'm just getting my cleaning stuff and miscellaneous items out. I was having a problem getting moving, but that jump-started me. I'm boiling hot so I'm trying to cool off.

I've decided to sleep here and finish up in the morning. My neighbors would probably prefer that I not be banging around late at night. I couldn't sleep, so I got up and continued working. Now I think that I can sleep. I haven't been sleeping well, so I'm trying to move my mom's visitation to Monday. Okay, yay, it's moved. I've got the car loaded up. I'm going to try to take a nap before I drive back. Can't sleep. My mind keeps churning.

I'm back. The cats are not happy with me. I plan to feed the cats, eat breakfast, and nap in my own bed, which I hope should go better. I'm going to go back tonight and continue cleaning.

No one called me from the nursing home. I made up a test for my programming class. It was easier than expected.

Mom was in a worse mood today. She agreed, though, to have some of her stuff boxed up and put in storage. So I have a boatload of stuff to do this weekend, even with help. She said that the nursing home will contact me first if anything comes up. She's now thinking of adapting the front steps so that she can get up them. I need to make measurements of the current stairs to determine whether we could use the existing stairs or would need new ones. We would need to add railings for Mom to hold onto. I said that I wished that we had a contractor who adapts homes for older people, and she suggested asking the social worker for recommendations. That's a good idea.

That jerk Ken talked to Mom and blamed the fact that they no longer want to help on his wife, when he was the one who was complaining. Honestly, I think that the sooner that Mom is shut of them, the better.

Mom asked if I thought everything would be all right again. I said, "Everything: no, some things: yes."

Yay. My homework is due tomorrow instead of today. I reserved a storage space for Mom. I need to get TaskRabbit people, but I'm running out of steam. And I'm wondering if I should put stuff in plastic bins, which would protect the items (papers) better, but would run into $$$. Hmm. I'm eyeing see-through plastic tubs, which might reassure Mom that we could find her stuff. Home Depot has a bunch.

But I think that it's bedtime. Oh, note to self: rebook Amtrak!!!!

My Italian teacher had to cancel. Oh well. So I went to see Mom. She slept most of the afternoon, which is good because she didn't sleep well last night. Some nurse was having her save her poop though, and the room reeked. I finally got someone to get a nurse to deal with it.

Then I had dinner with Mom's "friends" Ken and Deanna. They said that they didn't want to be the primary point of contact when Mom comes home. I was surprised that Ken was the most vocal about that. They also think that medical people will see the house and whisk Mom off to a nursing home because she can't take care of herself. I talked to Mom's friend Kate, and she suggested putting stuff in bins.

I'm tired. I put in an order for cleaning supplies from Meijer, but forgot to finalize it, so now it's coming tomorrow. At least then I can put my clothes in the dryer and go to sleep and get up early to study.