days_unfolding

I found a puppy that I like at the place at which I adopted Bella. She's going to be around Bella's size and she's cute. I'm going to sleep on whether to contact them. I wouldn't be able to pick her up next week though.

Oliver is eating Zara’s leftover food. The vet told me to feed Zara as much food as she wants because she has been losing weight, but that means that I feed her more food than she wants.

I bought a lockable fireproof safe that takes file folders plus a laptop because mine keeps running out of space. (I got a 2 TB hard drive. That should keep me for a while.)

Bella is taking the stuff that I’m throwing out and is squirreling it away.

I woke up at 5 AM. I decided that I wanted to go back to sleep for a while but put clothes in the dryer first. Overslept my nap. Soaked a litter box.

The dentist will glue the tooth back on at 4 PM today. Excellent.

I emailed the shelter about the puppy. Either I’ll get her or I won’t. Lily is sleeping in the window.

My Bee Balm is blooming! And the rest of them have buds.

I’m getting the puppy!!!! They said that they could transport her the following week. I'll pick her up in Bloomington.

I tried to nap at lunch, but I was too excited about the puppy. Bella, on the other hand, is a "five more minutes" kind of gal.

My permanent bridge came in! Things are looking up. The dentist wants me to come in a little earlier, and they'll put it on. I’ve nicknamed the dentist “Dr. Payne” because he keeps doing stuff that hurts (to be fair, my teeth are very sensitive), but it looks great.

Hmm. Feeling dizzy. Must drink water. I get dizzy learning back in dentist's chairs.

Hmm. There's a cruise line that guarantees that you will see the Aurora Borealis during their cruise, or you will get a second cruise for free. I would like to see that. Ooh, I want their astronomy voyage.

I need to get to bed early because the tree guy is coming at 8:30 AM tomorrow.

Hmm, I'm missing a bra that I ordered a few weeks ago. I can live without it, but I wanted to take it with me on my business trip. Anyway, I need to do some maintenance on my "paper trading" account, do some dishes and tidying, and get to bed so that I'll get up really early.

Lily smacked Oliver. Cranky cats.

I was feeling very sleepy but drank some water, which helped. I need to get to bed. Ordered some ear wax removal drops and a bike helmet.

According to my dad’s system, now is a good time to buy stocks. I’ll “paper trade” some tomorrow.

Good. The tree people got back to me and they can come by on Tuesday morning “to assess my situation.”

I was eyeing a Lincoln plug-in hybrid car yesterday, but need to compare prices with other ones. The price was less than I expected. I wouldn’t want to buy a car until after I get the garage built. The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid is more expensive. The Toyota RAV4 plug-in is comparable, so it’s all about which car that I like best. Also Consumer Reports, which says to get the RAV4. It doesn't have a report for the Lincoln though. Actually, I really like the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, but it's more expensive. (Consumer Reports says no on it though.) Actually, the CX-70 is more my size. Most dealers do not carry plug-in hybrids, so how can I test drive them?

Placed a grocery order to get Munchie Bones, lots of cat food, and some food for me.

Came in with Bella after an hour. She tried to grab my donut. Bad Bella! Urgh. I brought food into Zara’s room and noticed that she needed water. I went to get her water dish and Oliver busted in. Zara hissed and hid. I went to get Oliver out, and Bella ate Zara’s food. Sigh. What a zoo. I’ve got it sorted now.

I’m leaning more towards “Freckles” for a dog companion. If she’s still available after I get back from my business trip, I’ll look into her. Unless I go for “Rita”, but I don’t know if they will adopt across state lines. She looks like a real sweetie though. I saw the most adorable puppy at the place where I adopted Bella, but I don’t want a puppy. She sure is cute though. Look at that face!

I almost forgot to feed Bella with the brouhaha about Zara’s food. I filled her dish and sat on the stairs to the upstairs. I felt cat feet on my head and knew who it was (Oliver) without looking.

Napped. When I got up, I had Bella with her paws on my chest, licking my face, and Oliver on my back shoulders. Got my groceries in. Ate lunch and read The Washington Post. Started opening packages. Found the “good” dental glue. I’m having a dizzy spell, so I’m sitting down and chilling carbonated water in the freezer. I need to clear a spot for the air conditioner, and then I’ll be done. Got the air conditioner in. (My next step will be to get someone to install the air conditioner.)

I started doing my “things that I need for my business trip” shopping.

I’m being poked with a Munchie Bone :) Finished my water.

Ugh, I don’t feel like going out. I should take my shower and fix my tooth though. I certainly have a lot of stuff to do here. Glued the tooth back in and it's setting. It came out when I took my partial out. I guess that I didn't let it set enough.

Took a shower. Bella was pulling stuff out of the garbage and strewing them on the floor. I told her that she was creating a dog mess. I need a trash can with a cover (ordered). I just remembered that I need to sign Bella up for obedience training.

It’s raining. Bella is noping out. I love my raincoat. I never use umbrellas anymore.

Do I want to subscribe to the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra? Most of their upcoming concerts sound interesting. They have a "pick 4" deal that I'm going to get. No online sales though; you need to send the order form in or call.

I can’t stop yawning. I need to make it an early night.

Overslept a little. A branch of my tree cracked and is in the neighbor’s yard. I need to call a tree guy. I’ll get him to take down the tree at the same time. Bella grabbed one of my strawberry plants and trashed it. Sigh. Bella tried to get my donut. She’s full of it today.

It’s supposed to storm today.

I need to figure out a way to get my tooth in for my meeting with the bank.

At least the tasks that we’re doing today at work are quick and easy. It’s raining out, and neither Bella nor I was thrilled, so I convinced her to come in early.

I read somewhere that dogs wag to the right for something they like and left if they’re nervous. Bella looks at me and wags to the right. I guess that’s good. Speaking of dogs, the one that I was interested in got adopted. The shelter asked me if there were other dogs that they had that interested me. I saw one that’s a “maybe”. He’s shy and Bella’s shy, so maybe they’d be in sync.

I gingerly got my tooth in. It just has to hold on through my meeting with the bank. Which reminds me that I need to list questions for them (done).

More weird stuff going on at work (technical stuff, not people stuff).

Talked to the vet. Zara's kidneys are stable, and they think that she'd do okay under anesthesia. We made a dental appointment for the week after I get back from my business trip. (I don't want her to be alone, even with a pet sitter, after recent surgery.) So that's settled.

I talked to a rep from Midlands State Bank about the will and trust. They can be the executor of the will and successor trustee and also can manage my money if I become incapacitated. They are a national bank and have a lot of trust and investment assets, but are small enough "to provide good customer service". I'm going to send them the drafts that I have of my will and trust documents for them to look at. Success, I think! I liked them and what they had to say.

I really want to take a nap. After I feed the critters. And myself.

The rain is coming down in sheets. Bella noped out. I stayed on the porch with her a while in case she needed to dash out and poop. It was kind of nice being on the porch in the rain. Bella went out a little later and walked around in the rain.

Took a nap. Slept until 12:30 AM. I’m gathering the recycling and my back hurts. Got the recycling in the bin. I need to get up really early to roll the bin and take the boxes to the street, but I’ll probably go back to sleep for a while afterwards. Fed us all. My tooth popped back out.

Speaking of dogs, I sent an inquiry about a poodle mix. We'll see what happens. He's a real cutie.

Woke up a little before my alarm at 8 AM. Bella pooped outside again, so I cracked the code.

I’m really not feeling the trip to Allerton for flower arranging. I want to stay home with my dog and cats and plant plants in the garden. Anyway, I need to feed the critters (done) and take a shower. If I’m not going to Allerton, I think that I’ll take a nap.

Put my tomato plants outside for the Buy Nothing person. It sucks that I can’t grow tomatoes, but I don’t trust Bella. Maybe when I have a high raised bed, I could grow some.

Had a nice nap. Overslept a little. Ate lunch.

Now I’m out in the yard. I tried my new weeding tools and one of them, Grandpa’s weeding tool, works. The big weeds need multiple tries though. Bella is having a great time playing with the pots that the plants came in. I’ve planted some herbs, but I think that I’ll need more dirt to plant strawberries. That little snot Bella grabbed one of my basils and tore it apart. I guess that I need a new basil. Sigh. She also dug up a coral bell that I planted. Hmm. Basil online comes in multipacks. I’ll have to go to Walmart or Lowe’s or Home Depot. Well, I had a little problem. My strawberries didn’t fit in the strawberry pot. I planted two in there, four in another pot, and four in a small pot. Now I’m trying to plant some irises, and Bella keeps on stealing them.

Now I need to clean up and water the plants (done, but I forgot to water the tickseed). I have only the tickseed and Japanese Spirea left to plant.

Fed us all. Bella “said” she wanted to go outside afterwards, but so far, she hasn’t done her business.

I'm beat. I made an appointment to bring the Honda in to be looked at. That will be Friday because I'm going to have a busy week.

I'm going to go to bed soon. Oh, I need to send an email to the Italian school because they haven't responded to me.

No Italian. We got snarled up in the time changes. We rescheduled for next week. I guess that I'll start work early after I feed the critters.

I'm feeling kind of chilled. And tired.

I saved the links to some exercise classes (yoga, weight training, pilates). Now I just need to do them.

I overslept my nap, dreaming that I was staying at my mom's house, but my dad was taking me to the airport.

It won't stop raining.

Called Holland America to get my bookings straightened out on their app. I had two IDs, and they are in the process of merging them. I hope that it will be fixed tomorrow.

Oliver and Lily are best buds, except when they're eating. Then it's every cat for himself or herself.

Ordered more canned dog food for delivery.

I have a little over a month to get things in order for a new pet sitter when I go to a conference in May. I need to set goals for myself. I should meet with the life coach to set goals, but I don't want to spend the money right now. Hmm.

I tried some Dubai chocolates from Costco with pistachio and knafeh. Oh, are they ever good. I tend to be picky about chocolate because I don't like chocolate unless it's cut with something, but these are great!

Lily is crashed out on the guest room futon. Not sure where Oliver went. Now she's loving me up because she's hungry.

Bella seems to recognize dogs as dogs, but she is nervous around them. One guy who walks his dogs on our street is trying to get her to say “Hello” to his dogs or him, but she hasn’t quite gotten the nerve up yet.

Hmm. There are some Corgi mixes that like cats and other dogs and are 73 miles away. Their adoption fees are reasonable too.

Huh. I was looking at a Lucid Air, but sheesh. Expensive. I don’t think so.

Got us all fed. I need to clean up the kitchen because Bella shredded toilet paper in here, but I think that I need a nap first. I got up early today. Slept through until 5:30 AM.

Now I'm thinking that raised beds for vegetables would look a lot neater near the patio. I'm looking at some at Gardener's Supply. Realistically, I should wait to put in the raised beds after the garage and patio are built, so no lettuce and spinach for me this Spring.

I'm also thinking about lawn seeding. I'll do the front and sides of the house in the Spring, but it doesn't make sense to do the back with all the construction that will be going on.

I found people for dog poop cleanup and leaf raking.

I found a listing for a Border Collie mix who loves playing with other dogs. If she’s still available after my trip, I’ll look into her. It wouldn’t be fair to adopt a dog and promptly go on a trip.

Coach House Garages in Champaign has good reviews. I'll contact them after I have Mom's house money in hand and am back from my trip. And someone to try for the patio.

Today has been another pajama day. It's been quiet at work. We're testing a possible new ticketing system, so that's what I'm doing.

Freezing drizzle is predicted on Saturday morning. Well, I'm not going anywhere.

It turns out that the trust thought that I was asking for all the money in the trust, not just the proceeds from the sale of my mom's house. I don't know where they got that, but I told them that I wanted the house money (for now, anyway).

Fed everyone except me. I’m working on my food (done).

I have a lap full of Oliver and Bella resting her head on my arm. Oliver snuggled for a while, but then started nipping me, so I moved him out of the bedroom.

Napped. Woke up around midnight. I'm in the process of feeding the beasties. Then I'll go back to bed.

Had my Italian lesson. She felt sorry for Oliver because I shut him in the bathroom, but he got upstairs last night, and I wanted to be able to close the gate. I'll feed them and let him out (done).

I'm very sleepy this morning. And cold. I'm glad that I remembered the Italian lesson last night though because a Monday holiday always throws me off.

It’s still cold. Took Bella out. There was a big leaf careening down the street. It went against the fence and she sniffed it cautiously. Then she was like, that’s enough. Let’s go in. LOL.

Napped at lunch with Bella. Bella thinks that it's too cold to go out, although she did pee but was grateful to go inside.

The shelter responded to my question about the poodle. I think that I'll leave it in the lap of the gods. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

I suck at small talk. I just signed up for a class in it (and avoided their upsell). Hmm, I chat with my Italian teacher okay, but come prepared. I need a list of topics to talk about.

I keep getting emails about upgrading my bathroom, but I don't think that I'll be able to do it this year.

Did I say that I was tired? I think that it should be an early night.

I ordered dog food for delivery from Costco. The delivery fee is only $3, which is worth it for me. I’m not sure about cat food. Zara is so particular about her food, but Oliver and Lily will probably eat anything. Okay, I’m going to try some Wellness cat food. It’ll get eaten one way or another.

I’m going to gather garbage tonight, but I think that it’s too cold to take the can out. My face and hands have been hurting when I take Bella out. Bella wanted to go out again. She got distracted because the Amazon guy brought packages up the stairs—she’s a really good tracker and probably part hunting dog—but she finally did poop. I can’t blame her too much because it is really cold (0F/-18C and windy and miserable).

Ate dinner. I’m going to lie down for a few minutes under a warm blanket.

I read some about blue heelers, which is part of Bella’s heritage, and they like to stay with their humans (true) and get destructive when bored (hmm?) I just bought her a puzzle toy to pique her interest.

I got the can organizers from Amazon. Maybe I’ll get up early and make tea and work with them.

Ugh. I’m feeling cold inside of me. I’m thinking of just going to bed. Tomorrow, it’s supposed to go up to 25F/-4C. A heat wave!

I’ve been in the bed long enough for it to really heat me up. Plus, I have a dog next to me :) I hate to get up, but I need to post and take Bella out one more time.

Woke up a little before 6 AM. The puppy was looking at me like, are you really going to get up now? I really got up now. It’s freaking cold out (wind chill of -5F/-20C) and my nose is running. There’s a cold weather advisory tonight with wind chills as low as 19 below zero (-29C).

Oliver is telling me, quit sitting and feed me! Bella says, pet me! Good to know that I’m useful :) Bella thinks that when I’m talking, it must be to her. Why would I talk to the cats? (I was talking to Lily.)

I’m mulling over a friend for Bella. There is a standard poodle that I was looking at, but the shelter from which I adopted Bella has a border collie mix that looked good. Hmm. The border collie is a puppy though. Do I really want a puppy? Though there would be a lot of grooming fees for the poodle.

I tried to shut Bella in the bedroom while I fed the cats but she noped out. Lily eats slowly, so I spent my time shooing Oliver and Bella away. I need to feed Bella (done) but I’m taking a break.

Napped. Took Bella out. She never does her business right away, but runs around and sniffs first. And she checks to make sure that I’m following her! I bring a ball out with us, but whether we play depends on how cold I am :) Today I asked her to go in, and she listened to me! That amazes me. In contrast, Oliver NEVER listens to me.

I don’t know why I thought that it was going to be warm today. It’s too cold to go clean up dog poop (12F/-11C with a wind chill of -11F/-24C).

I found a skin care place in Champaign that interests me. But I’m having a facial on the cruise, so I’ll wait until afterwards.

Got Bella her chew stick. She started whining in the bathroom where she has previously pooped, which got me vaulting up to take her out. I forgot my hat and pulled my hood up, which was made for a taller person, so I can barely see out of it. After all that, she didn’t do anything.

I’m trying to figure out my day. I think that I want another nap. Then I’ll work on the kitchen until 3 and then take a shower. My singing lesson got moved to 4:30. After that, I’ll cook. Then I’ll go upstairs and get the aquarium set up after putting Oliver in kitty jail. And then I’ll work on the kitchen again.

Hmm. Bella’s nails are long. But they’re black, so I’d be worried about cutting the quick. I guess that I’ll ask the vet to do them and see how far they cut them back.

Napped. The puppy is next to me on the bed.

Bella doesn’t like artificial chews. She picks them up and drops them.

For some reason, I’m remembering my mom hugging the elephant that I gave her, and that breaks my heart.

Hmm. I have a shoe rack over the door in the library, but I’m thinking to move it to the bedroom and put over-the-door hooks for backpacks and purses (ordered from Amazon).

Zara is being cuddly. I managed to keep Oliver out of my singing lesson. Bella too. Just me and Zara.

Had a great singing lesson. She started me on an Italian art song along with the sight-singing and the music that I’ll be learning in choir. Zara crashed out cold. I think that she likes having me in here. But I should take Bella out. I’ll come back later and practice piano.

Ugh. The cold isn’t messing around. It goes through my jeans.

Ugh again. I need a new stepladder, but Lowe’s is charging $79 for delivery. I’ll have to check Home Depot. It was cheaper, yay!

Oliver likes the warm stove. I’m baking pizza. It’s kind of cold in here. I should get to work, which would warm me, but I’m huddling next to the oven.

I should bring in the plastic food containers from the car. I want to set up a pet food center with labels for each food of the critter eating it. I have a label maker upstairs.

I printed off a ton of music for piano. My teacher suggested that I put it in a binder, so I went on Walmart's site to order one plus some other odds and ends. Then they said that there was a deal that if you spent $500 on Walmart+ Travel, you get $100 back. Sounded good to me, so I upgraded my hotel stay in Miami, and it's paid for so I don't have to worry about it. They didn't say that I'll get the $100 (actually, $133) after the stay. But it'll be good to have extra money then.

Mimi is being extra snuggly. It's chilly up here. I’m leaving the space heater on; it has an automatic shutoff if it tips over. I might bring up the large heater.

The pizza is knocking me out, lol. I’m thinking about feeding the critters and going to bed soon.

Got my second wind and started organizing pet stuff. I just spent a ridiculous amount of money on cat food and dog food can organizers. Set up the dry food containers.

Oliver thinks he’s a kitten and jumps onto my leg when I’m standing. Ouch.

Bella did her business rather efficiently, so I guess that she’s feeling the cold. I wore the hood over my hat and it helped. Everyone is fed. I was holding off Bella from eating Lily’s food, and then Oliver tried to eat the food, and Bella got in his face. “If I can’t have it, you can’t have it either.” LOL.

Ten o'clock and I'm going to crash.

Woke up with my alarm at 6 AM. The Echo Dot alarm did not sound, sigh. The critters think that this is too early to get up.

Ugh. Zara was out roaming around, and Bella lunged for her. I grabbed Bella. Sigh. Zara took off for her room. I took the puppy out. Now I’m thawing and then will gather the recycling.

Got the recycling out. I’m going to thaw for a moment, soak the cat dishes, and let Oliver out of kitty jail. (I’ll never convince him that I do that for his own protection.)

I read online that Neil Gaiman based his Sandman series on Tanith Lee's Tales of a Flat Earth series, so I went looking for the Tanith Lee books. The public library does not have them. The university library does have them, but the first book is checked out. I'm leery of buying it until I see if I like it or not. (I have too many books, so I'm trying to be choosy about what I keep.) And it sucks that Gaiman didn't give her credit and make her books circulate more! Though I'll probably set up a Little Free Library in the Spring, so I could recycle it there if I don't want to keep it. Oh okay, I got it for the Kindle.

We have some dedicated bicyclists for neighbors. I saw two separate people out riding their bikes. And it's cold out (31F/-1C, although that IS balmy compared to the weather that we've been having). Bella was fascinated by the bicyclists. She didn't bark but watched them intently.

I've been redesigning the yard in my head while I'm out with Bella. I want a six-foot-tall white picket fence to replace the current fence. There is a raised bed and trees by the side of where the driveway to the garage-to-be will be. I think that I want to take the trees and raised bed out (they're "junk trees'") and plant redbuds and holly bushes along the side of the driveway. Bark mulch underneath them. And I want a crabapple for the main part of the back yard and roses along the side of the garage. I probably want a path from the back door to the garage, but I'm not sure yet what to put in. I’m thinking a concrete sidewalk because its purpose is a way to unload stuff from the car, not to be pretty.

Bella did not want to come in when I took her outside after our nap. There was a garbage truck! And the outdoor cat went by the neighbor's house! Lots of interesting things to see. And it felt downright warm in the sun! Oh, it WAS warm, 37F/3C.

The doctor's office called to reschedule my appointment for next week.

When I paid my AT&T bill, they had an offer for one month of Hulu free, so I took the deal and added Max to it. I want to watch TV sometimes cuddling with the dog.

I had a nice chat with my neighbor who lives right next door to me. Bella barked at him for some reason, but he didn't seem to mind. I told him that the dog was new, and he said that he had cats, and I said that I had them too! He said that he liked my Harris/Walz yard sign, and we agreed that we weren't looking forward to the next four years. I like living in Urbana.

I'm thinking that I want to get the fish tank and plants set up, but I might wait to get fish until after my trip. I'd hate to get the fish and then leave them to the pet sitter or automatic feeder. I want to know more about how their rhythm is.

I'm also thinking that I should try to meet more people. I was going to wait until I got the house together, but meeting people would provide me with the motivation to get the house together. My therapist thought that was a good idea.

Because it's warmish, and it's supposed to get cold this weekend, I'll get the garbage out tonight. Nope.

Played a fun game of feeding the fur kids. I need to go get Bella out of the bedroom and take her outside. There was a person on a scooter walking two dogs. They stopped in front of the house for the dogs to sniff. Bella barked once and then retreated by my side for me to protect her.

I’m trying to figure out where Bella’s collar went. I have her harness, but I’m not sure where the collar is, but I know that it arrived. And I should get collars for Oliver and Lily. I need to spend this long weekend getting stuff organized. I think that I’ll start in one corner and do a 360-degree thing.

Oliver and Bella seem especially tired today. I wonder what they’ve been up to. They’re both asleep, and I’m kind of stuck here because I don’t want to wake them.

I cleaned off the heater for the fish tank, but it's getting late, so I'll fill the tank tomorrow. Paid bills. Now I think that it's bedtime.

I’m losing my voice and am wondering if I should call in sick. Yeah, I did. It feels like someone rubbed my throat with steel wool.

The puppy is licking everything that she can reach :) Oliver (I’m assuming) knocked over the orchids. I gave Bella her ball. I’m not sure what she did with it. Fed the beasties. Bella is a “half-a-lap” dog.

I’m getting more money from the sale of Mom’s house than I thought, so I’m wondering if I should go solar. I found a solar calculator, but I need to find out how much energy I’m using. Okay, solar costs less than I thought. I might do it. It would cost me the equivalent of $1000 a year while I'm in the house. I'll have to check, but I think that's cheaper than my current energy bill. Yeah, it is. I also requested a quote on a heat pump. Why can't places email me quotes? Why do they have to call me? I'm not answering my phone. I DON'T LIKE PHONE CALLS!

Watched President Carter’s funeral until CNN’s feed started flaking out. Slept until 1 PM. Freaked out when I woke up because I forgot that I called in sick.

I need to remember to take the ball when I take Bella outside to play fetch with her.

The shelter from which I adopted Bella has a labradoodle who is deaf. He interests me, but I wonder how hard it would be to work with his deafness. And I have to wait until I get more money before adopting another pup. Actually, I did find an Australian cattle dog/blue heeler dog that sounds great, but the same applies. And they want a “family reference”. My dad is not going to help me get a dog, so I don’t know whom I would use.

Bella was ripping up the paper towels. In front of me! I rescued them.

Ack! They’re predicting more snow tonight. 3 to 4 inches. Must remember to charge the snow blower.

Bella and I played outside with the ball. She was having a blast. She was trotting around with it in her mouth. A passerby with a dog said that she was a pretty dog :) Bella was shy with the dog. She now has the ball with her in bed.

I looked up dog daycare per one_raido’s comment and also dog groomers because I could picture Bella getting muddy in the Spring.

Oh lord, she is squeaking the ball.

I was petting Bella and I stopped, so she got up off the bed and flumped into the dog bed. My little drama queen :)

Tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t sleep.

It occurred to me that I should get the TV in the bedroom set up after Bella wakes up. And I should move the pictures.

Cool. Bella’s collar shipped.

The puppy was whining because she wanted on my lap, but Lily is there. Life is tough.

Bella pooped in the bathroom while I was upstairs. I got it cleaned up and put the bag outside so that it doesn’t stink up the place. Then I took her outside, but she didn’t need to do anything. I gave her her ball, and she’s currently squeaking it. She really wants to eat the dry cat food. I told her that she has her own food, but it isn’t as tasty as forbidden fruit. Well, she had finished her food so mea culpa. I fed her.

I want to make some Ramen to soothe my throat (done and eaten). Had frozen yogurt for dessert and Lily wanted it.

I've got the cat dishes soaking. Zara and Oliver went nose to nose. Then Zara hissed, but still, progress. Oliver got upstairs in Mimi's lair, and that didn't go so well. I've since dumped him out. He's getting smarter about how I was keeping him out, using the gate itself to corral him.

I think that I want to go back to bed soon.