days_unfolding

Zara came out of her room. Today is not the day that I wanted her to do that because I need to give her her meds and take her to the vet. I’ll figure something out. Now she's on top of the refrigerator and totally freaked out. I'll have to tell the vet that I can't bring her in today. Now she's on top of the kitchen cabinets. Pretty good jump for an old lady. Ay-yi-yi. Zara is still on top of the cabinets, but she wants food. She looked like she wanted to jump on top of the refrigerator, but Lily was there eating. Gracie was barking at Zara. Sigh.

I'm feeling like crying for no reason. Maybe because I screwed up with Zara.

It looks like my lilac bush arrived too. How exciting!

I’m going to nap for a little while.

Now Zara is in the bathroom, so I put her food with meds in it in there. I might be able to get her to the vet after all. Nope. She didn't eat her food with the meds in it, and she's hiding somewhere (behind the washer?) Yep, she was behind the washer, and went back there when I came in. I rescheduled the appointment.

The powers that are are letting us out of work early today as a thank you.

Hmm. A company called Kikoff said that they could match me with a nutrition/exercise coach, and it would be covered by my insurance. I’m not quite ready because I need to finish the kitchen, but I saved the link.

I picked up Zara and brought her back into her room. That jerk Oliver jumped on my shoulders and jumped into the room. I’ll feed her after I get Oliver out of there. Oliver left, thank goodness. Zara came over to say hello.

Huh. My singing lesson is at 7:30 PM, not 7, so I’m killing time waiting for it. Zara looks much more relaxed in her room. My singing lesson went well, although my teacher was also wondering why it was scheduled for 7:30. Zara fell asleep while I was singing!

Let the dogs out, fed everyone, etc. Now I'm going to watch Harry Potter.

Storage under the stairs might be cheaper if it was an actual cupboard under the stairs à la Harry Potter. I want to use it as a pantry. I need to talk to a carpenter.

Anyway, I watched and enjoyed the movie.

Oooh, I found a condo on the Dalmatian Coast with a sea view for a cost that’s a little more than my house.

Gracie woke me up a little after 8 AM. I successfully got her out and in on her leash.

Hmm. The storms are predicted by 5:30 PM, so I could have some time to do chores outside.

Okay, we’re all fed. I need to take my meds, then nap time.

I had to order a new leash for Gracie because hers has almost been chewed through (done).

Napped. Had lunch. Priced cloth napkins because I’m almost out of paper ones.

Hmm. The forecast says that it’s raining, but I don’t see it. After my shower, I went outside and got the pieces of my workbench-to-be from the box and put them in the garage. It’s still not raining but is thinking about it.

I’m feeling a little cranky. Gracie is taking a lot of the bed, and I’m frustrated. And she scratched me in the face.

Oh, there was a tornado warning. Why didn’t my weather radio go off? Have to look at it. My lights keep flickering. Gracie, typically, does not want to come in even though she’s soaked.

I got my book of strength training for women over 50. I need to dig out some gym clothes.

Gracie came in. All present and accounted for, if wet.

Watched the first episode of The Pitt. It's good. I almost lost it at the same time as when the med student fainted. That was a gruesome injury. Read about the Oscars and looked at red-carpet pictures.

Now I think that it's bed time. I should check the weather to see what's coming up. I had heard snow. "Snow starting in 41 minutes."

Overslept until 8:15 AM. Gracie was still asleep, and I got myself up. Progress.

Oliver somehow got out of Zara's room (that guy is good at opening doors that haven't quite latched). He and Lily are chasing each other.

Bella came in. Gracie’s still outside.

I wish listed a vibration plate that

one_raido mentioned. That would help with my balance. Actually, I bought a balance board, which is cheaper.

Dozed lightly at lunchtime.

I was outside trying to get Gracie to come in, and a guy walking a dog waved at me. That little shit Oliver wants to eat Zara's food, so I put her food away. I need to close him in a room in order to feed her.

I wishlisted some emergency lights (mentioned by

susandennis). I especially want one for upstairs because it's dark up there and the stairs are treacherous. I need more flashlights too. Storm season is coming. I have a weather radio by my bed. Okay, I bought a couple of rechargeable flashlights. It's a start. I need to keep one by my desk.

Oh! I have more money than I thought! But it's good to not spend money though. Maybe I will subscribe to the exercises though. The few that I've done seem to help.

It's 3:30 PM. Gracie looked like she wanted to come in, but Bella ran out, and Gracie wanted to play with her. I'll try again in a half-hour. I should have shut Bella in the bedroom. Apparently I left the garage open the other night, but there wasn't anything of note in there.

I completely forgot that I had a therapy appointment at 4 PM, so she got to see me with bed head and no makeup. (She said that "She's seen it all, especially with telehealth".) She liked that I'm doing volunteer work. She said that even if the lump in my breast is cancer, breast cancer grows slowly and is easy to cure. She thinks that I should sign up for the yoga class on Saturdays. She was amused by my dogs that refuse to come in.

Gracie finally came in at 6:30 PM. She was out for 10 hours! She was hungry, not surprisingly.

The stupid Amazon delivery person left the package outside the gate and it was stolen. I can’t ask for a replacement until tomorrow. My bidet was in there and cost $$. Maybe I should start using an Amazon locker. Or take Gracie out on a leash during the day. I think that I'll do the Gracie leash bit. She won't be happy, but I'll let her out without a leash at night.

Anyway, the critters are fed. I need to make dinner (done). I’m feeling chilled, so I threw on a robe. I’m trying to decide what to do now. I should work on the bathroom, but am feeling unmotivated. My phone has a low charge too. I’ll go post.

I'm out of soda and almost out of food, so I needed to place a grocery order. Because groceries and gas are so expensive, I'm going to wait until I get paid again to subscribe to the exercises. I should get the book one of these days. I also sold some stocks that are hemorrhaging money.

Another reason to get to bed early is so that I get up on time.

Ordered my knee brace. It'll just barely fit, but that will do.

Gracie finally came in after Bella burst outside another time. I shut Bella in the bedroom before trying to get Gracie to come in.

Oliver went down in the basement earlier today. Lily was hanging out near the door to the basement stairs in the hope that I’d open the door to let Oliver upstairs. I did, and Oliver came up and Lily went down. Oliver is making a fuss over me.

Overslept until 8:30 AM. It's a gray and gloomy day. It's raining out, and the crazy dogs don't want to come in.

Bella came in. I was trying to convince Gracie to come in--she looked wet and miserable--when Bella ran back out. Sigh. This is a battle of wills.

I found a setup that I like for my tomatoes, but it'll cost over $300 (expensive tomatoes!), so I'm hesitating. But I'd have the setup for subsequent years. It was $214, not $300, and I got a payment plan for it, so I ordered it. Home-grown tomatoes are so tasty! I looked at tomato cages at Gardener's Supply, but they were really expensive. I got cheaper ones at Walmart. Now I have a taste for tomato sauce. I know what tomato plants I want from Burpee, but had some trouble ordering from my phone. I’ll order from my laptop later. Ordered tomatoes and herbs. If anyone has a good recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce, I'd love to try it. I found a recipe that uses fresh tomatoes.

The muddy, wet, cold pups came in. Yay. Bella is grooming Gracie. That’s nice.

I opened the warm dryer that just finished, and Oliver went in and rolled around and didn’t let me have my socks. I had another pair of socks drying in the warm bathroom, so I grabbed them. Showered.

I've started looking at mattresses, but I want to wait until Gracie gets older and (I hope) chews less. So about another year.

Oliver squeezed into the one cat bed on my desk, which was occupied by Lily.

They stayed there for a while, but Lily left to go lie on her chair in the front window. Oliver got up and threw up. I don't know why.

I had a sudden thought that my training session at Books for Prisoners was next week, but no, it is tonight.

I want to enroll in Will Harlow's program for "lifelong mobility", but I can't quite afford his program right now, so I'll use his YouTube videos for now. (You can pay quarterly instead, so I'll probably do that when I get paid again.) I also bought a book that he wrote. I bought a book with weight training for women over 50 that uses dumbbells, so I'll do that. (I have the beginnings of osteoporosis, so I want to get some weight training in.) I already have dumbbells. And I would be able to not pay for the gym then!

I've been craving a baguette. I'll stop by the grocery order on the way back from my training session, but they might be sold out by then.

Went to the Books for Prisoners orientation. I liked it and liked the volunteer coordinator. I had one easy request and one hard request. I made a list of types of books to donate to the program. And I volunteered to work at their book sale.

The store was out of baguettes, but I bought a garlic chicken sandwich and some focaccia bread. Oh wow, the focaccia bread is delish.

The dogs are out in the yard. Lily wants me to feed her, but not yet. I think that I’ll post. Tomorrow is an at-home day.

The forecasters are predicting storms tomorrow, so I might not be able to get the battery installed tomorrow. I'll get up and see how it looks.

I'm now thinking of getting a gate with a cat door for Zara's room so that Oliver and Lily can go in there when they need a break from the dogs. And Zara could go out at night when the dogs are in bed with me.

I was yawning and Bella French-kissed me. I told her that I’m not into inter-species stuff :)

It’s gotten late and it’s supposed to rain, so I’m going to get up at 7 and do the battery tomorrow.

Overslept and woke up at 8 AM.

Hmm, I’m wondering if I should get a rebounder because I need to work on my balance.

I think that I’m not going to get the car battery installed tomorrow because Oliver knocked it over, so I might need to replace it, and I’m waiting for a credit card payment to post. (Actually, it has posted, but my available credit hasn’t updated yet.) I’ll use Uber to get to my doctor’s appointment.

Meanwhile, I’ll get some stuff done around here.

I’m a little shocked by the arrest of the UK’s Prince Andrew, but I also think that it couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.

I’m thrilled that Alysa Liu won the gold in skating. I’m looking forward to seeing her routine. It was great!!

Oh cool. The Tales of the City books are available in French! I might get that to work on my French vocabulary. (And see if they’re as funny in French:))

Did some investment research. I'm really tired. I want to make it an early night.

I overslept an hour again. Sigh. The dogs don’t want to come inside. Bella came in after two hours and Gracie took 2.5 hours. By the summer, they won't come in at all. Gracie is completely crashed out on the guest room futon. Now she's sleeping with her paws in the air :) Oops, she's up now. And barking.

There is a skating controversy about the scoring of the French judge for the ice dancing. What’s an Olympics without controversy.

It's another crazy day at work, plus I had my French lesson over lunch. The teacher is good and keeps me talking, which is what I need. She complimented me on my vocabulary and pronunciation. (I did throw in a couple of Italian words though. Oops.) She isn't going over what I would call "tourist French" though, but I'll get a Berlitz book and do some studying. I need to drill on verbs too.

Had a therapy session. She thought that my trip in the fall sounded very cool. She agrees that I should get more exercise to build up my energy. Maybe I'll start on the weekends. Maybe instead of a "second nap," I should take one of the dogs for a walk. I need to find my gym clothes too.

Gracie took over an hour to come in tonight. Then I had to shut Bella in the bathroom because she was trying to eat Gracie’s food. Bella had already eaten! Ate dinner.

I want to go to sleep early so that I don’t oversleep tomorrow. I might do a little work on the bathroom, and I need to feed the critters again.

Note to self: Move blood test (done). Book French lesson (done). Crossroads (boarding) for Memorial Day weekend? Check with Dad (done).

I had a hard time getting up this morning. Called Carle and rescheduled my doctor's appointment from today. Told work that I feel better but need a nap. The dogs aren’t letting me sleep. Gracie is going to get evicted from my bedroom in three-two-one. I didn’t evict her, but she wound up snoozing with her head on my leg.

Slept until a little after 11:30 AM. Fed the critters. Ate lunch.

Bella the glove-stealer is busy stealing gloves. Sigh.

The forecasters are predicting light snow.

Work is a zoo right now. Well, I got through my email :) I might have to work a little this weekend. Well, no, a colleague kindly took some work off of me. I work with nice people.

I want to put in a coneflower garden this Spring. Also, I’ll need to order roses for the side of the garage. Hmm. I stopped ordering bare roots plants because Bella dug them up. I wonder if she’ll stop now that we have Gracie? I could put a fence up too. She can knock down the little garden fences that I put in, but she respects them. I ordered some beautiful roses. I’m excited!

Here's the flashiest of the roses:

My dad was telling me to walk to get exercise, and it’s important because I’ll be walking in Europe this fall. (Do I need a cane? I bought an “all-terrain” folding one in purple.) I decided that I would trade off taking Bella and Gracie for walks because the two of them can almost knock me over. And I’ll be walking with a cane.

I wanted to make some frozen burritos for dinner, but they require an air fryer. I need to get it set up this weekend. I also need to find a good recipe to make some from scratch. Found one.

I might need to change my car appointment on Friday to another time because I need to renew the car’s registration. I’ll see if I’m up to getting the registration renewed tomorrow, but I doubt it. I’m planning on going to bed soon though.

I stayed up late reading old LJ entries. I wanted to look up what I wrote when my grandmother died, but then read entries for the rest of my graduate degree through getting my first full-time job. (I updated only a few times a month then.) It was interesting.

Bella ate Gracie’s dry food, but she won’t eat her own.

Woke up a little after 7 AM. After I took the dogs out, I went back to sleep and overslept until 9:30.

It's a gray day. It was raining lightly when I took the dogs out, but I don't know if we'll get more serious rain today. I hope so.

I'm subscribed to Burnalong through my health insurance (or is it through the university?) I went looking for balance exercises and found some. I need a cushion to stand on though. I also found exercises for "tech neck release," which I sorely need. I just need to find the time for them.

I was feeling kind of dizzy so I went to lie down.

The dogs were trying to get me up at 2:30 AM, but I got up at 3:30. Fed the dogs. I mixed wet food with Bella’s crunchies and she ate most of it. I had to shut Gracie in the bathroom because she wanted it. I need to feed the cats and myself. I also need to order groceries. Gracie pooped in the bedroom (I can’t blame her, I slept so long), so I need to clean it up. And I need to start laundry to have something to wear to my hearing aid appointment. Crud, it’s going to be 39F/4C tomorrow night. I need to get the rosemary and thyme in.

Got up at a little before 6 AM to roll the recycling bin out. Went back to sleep. Overslept and woke up at 8:30.

Bella is having diarrhea, but I don't know when I can get her to the vet. Tomorrow is problematic. Well, I have an appointment for her at 11 tomorrow. I'll have to drop her back and then go to my doctor's appointment. I feel like I’m living in a nightmare.

Had a case of the shakes after my shower. Food helped.

I'm trying Chronometer that bill_schubert mentioned. But I know why I've gained weight; eating lots of dessert. I need to get myself to eat fruit for dessert. Okay, I saved some recipes for low-cal desserts. Maybe I should focus on that first, and then the meals.

Man, I'm tired. My sleep consultation isn't until December too. I guess that I'll keep dragging myself along.

Picked up my groceries. Ran in to pick up some of my “cheap” makeup (I wear the cheap stuff for running errands and the expensive stuff when I go out of town, but you could argue that it should be the other way around) and some desserts.

Bought some books about determination because I could use a jump-start.

Brought groceries in. Damn, my back hurts. Ate and fed the critters. Started laundry.

I’m mulling over joining Planet Fitness because it’s nearby. I’m trying to decide on my membership. Do I want access to massage chairs and red-light booth? Yes, I joined, including the massage chair. It would be better to have meetings with a personal trainer, but I don't want the perfect to be the enemy of the good. I'm more likely to drag my butt five minutes away. And it's 24 hours.

My back still hurts. It's kind of pathetic that bringing the groceries in messes me up (see above), but there it is. I need to get the rest of my (non-perishable) groceries off of the back stairs, but I want to lie down and stretch out my back. I'll get up early to clear the stairs.

The farmer's market closes at 6 PM. I work until 5:30. That's not going to work. I'm going to try the Harvest Market grocery store in Champaign tomorrow. They make deals with local farmers, so maybe their produce is more fresh?

Overslept a little and got up at 7 AM. Now I'm at work, and Oliver and Lily are wrestling with each other. Gracie is pretty good upstairs and lies quietly.

Yikes. It's halfway through July. Where does the time go?

One of the perils of working from home is cats on my keyboard. One of my cats sent messages to the IT guy with whom I was working. He thought that it was funny.

My mercury retrograde story: we had a big-deal meeting with the people from our libraries on our committees. So, of course, the Zoom link didn’t work, and we started late because of it. Then, when we were in the meeting, it kept on showing the presenter’s view of the slides. Finally someone else did the slides, so it was okay. I volunteered to post the recording, so I hope that I won’t get caught in the technical glitches.

Cool. My recipe calls for whole wheat bread crumbs, but I've never been able to find any. Amazon has them. They were eligible for overnight shipping if you order $25 worth of stuff, plus I had some USBA plugs in my cart, so I went looking for something else to order and found pumpkin chews for dogs that are supposed to help with diarrhea and other digestive problems, which would be good for Gracie. Overnight shipping! I'll get my ingredients tonight and make the Basil Tomato Corn Bake tomorrow night. (I already checked on pans and mixing bowls.) Now I'm second-guessing ordering BistroMD instead of cooking, but I don't need to add regular cooking to my list of to-dos.

After reading dadi's post about her bruising from the implants (I asked my dentist about it, and he said that there shouldn't be any. I'm not sure that I believe him.), I ordered two small bottles of Estee Lauder concealer to take to Sardinia with me. dadi said that the bruising was from sinus work though, but a friend of mine had some bruising from an implant. Oh! I need to check whether I have enough reef-safe sunscreen!

It looks like it's raining a little. I wish that it would pour because it's been so humid. I was coated with sweat when I was out with the dogs a little while ago. 82% humidity. Ick.

Hmm. I was wondering if I should work with a personal trainer at the YMCA to get me to exercise. It's not horribly expensive. Exercise would help my energy levels too. I'd have to start with a "wellness consultation".

Hmm. It's predicted to storm right when I have to go mail my return. The post office opens at 8 AM, so if I could get going early, I could go then. There's a big honking rain cell over Urbana right now. Yeah, I'll do that. It stopped raining, but I should have left already if I was going tonight. I’ll go tomorrow morning.

I bought a carpet cleaner for upstairs. Gracie has peed there a couple of times. The cats have missed the litter box a few times. It would be easier to be able to control the cleaning.

Fed us all. Bella and Gracie chased each other all over the yard despite the heat. Now they’re tired. Adopting Gracie was a great idea. They keep each other amused much of the time.

Oliver was on my lap, and I thought, “Aww. He wants to cuddle.” Then he knocked down my glasses and my phone. Much less cute :)

Got the garbage out. I’m cooling for a few minutes, and then I’ll get packages off of the porch. I couldn’t have gone to the grocery store tonight anyway. If I get up extremely early, I could go in the morning, but it’s doubtful because it’s a 15 minute drive each way.

I bought a six-pack of Sterlite containers for my emergency supplies and camping supplies.

I took my meds early in the hope that I'll go to sleep early.

Crap. I forgot to check my dad’s “stoplight system” for whether to invest or not. (It’s based on some Wall Street Journal stats.) I don’t want to go back upstairs and log on though. I need to put a note on my computer to do that. Hmm, it just occurred to me to note the stoplight readings on my email calendar. That would be a good way to view trends. I did remember to do it tonight. (It's a yellow light - hold.)

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Discovered that my phone didn’t charge and my Apple Watch needed charging too. Got the good charger. Took Bella out, but it was raining pretty hard, and she noped out. I’m going to go back to sleep for a while. Hmm, the Dynamic Duo (Oliver and Lily) are in here now. Good, they just left. Had a nice nap.

At work now. The Dynamic Duo are being very dynamic and are running around.

ChatGPT can be useful. I want a paragraph in my will stating that my friends can take one personal item each to remember me by, and it gave me a nice paragraph in legalese.

Speaking of my will and my trust, the big question is whether I include the house in the trust or not. I want the proceeds of the sale of the house to go into the trust, which makes me think that it should be included in the trust, but I'll probably sell the house before I pass away to go into a retirement community, which makes me think that it should not be in the trust. Dad said in a roundabout way to put the house in the trust because it keeps someone from suing me and getting the house. He said that if I’m the trustee, I can sell it whenever.

I somehow wound up with not one but two doctor's appointments on Friday afternoon (psychiatrist and eye doctor). My boss said that I could take the afternoon as sick time. Have I mentioned lately that I work with great people?

I forgot to feed the critters this morning. I suck.

I put the YMCA's "Gentle Yoga" class on my calendar, starting next week. That'll give me time to find my yoga clothes, mat, etc. Their Pilates classes are at an inconvenient time. And their Aqua Fit evening classes are at the same time as yoga. (I don't do exercise in the morning. If I get up on time and shower, I'm ahead of the game. Though hmm, the Deep Water Total Body Workout on Wednesday mornings sounds like a good class. Maybe I should try it and see if I can get up. They have the class on Fridays and Mondays too.)

I've been weeding a little while I'm out with Bella. Some weeds are going to need the weeding tool, but I've been able to knock off some easy weeds to pull up. I've got the bed for the tickseed cleared, but need to pull up the landscaping cloth underneath before I plant them. I want to order some begonias for the back of the house, which gets part sun and part shade. Hard to find plants for that exposure that are also dog-safe. Pulled up the landscaping cloth and planted tickseeds. I’m wondering if I should leave the sunflowers in their pots. They would require a big hole to plant them. Now I’m thinking about putting them on the patio. Maybe I could plant Black-Eyed Susans where I was going to plant them. Prairie Gardens has them. I also want to go to another big garden shop in the area this weekend. The ASPCA Web site says that begonias are toxic for dogs. The search continues….

Bella played tug of war with the landscaping cloth that I pulled up. I finally gave up on throwing it out. I’ll have to go outside without her to get it. (I got it when I took out the recycling.)

I read an article on places to retire in if you want to travel, but I think that I'm pretty well located. I can hop on a bus (or train) to Chicago and fly out of O'Hare Airport, which has nonstop flights to a lot of places. But Urbana is cheaper to live in than Chicago.

I've decided to replace the living room furniture (loveseat and chair) with new washable pieces. And I'll put my mom’s white chair, which is in good shape, in the library room and buy a cheap footstool for it. Though actually, I have a rattan footstool, I think. And I found a small trunk table on Wayfair to use as an end table. I can put a throw in it for cozy reading. I’ve thought again about getting a grandfather clock for the library room. The trick is finding a nice used one for not a lot of money and getting it over here.

The Swedish Death Cleaning book was talking about “curating” your stuff. That’s an interesting way to look at it.

I’m resting for a moment before taking out the recycling (done). I can’t rest long because I have Italian homework to do and I need to order some fencing from Lowe’s (done) and groceries.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. I was out with Bella when I realized that I hadn’t put my clothes in the dryer. Came in and did so, but it’ll take a while, so I’ll have to take my shower at lunchtime. Decided to go back to sleep for a half hour. It's a rainy, dreary day.

The recycling people didn't take my boxes, probably because it was raining. They left a mess, so I'll need to go out and drag the boxes back into the yard. Bah.

Forgot to mention that I bought a book on Medicare that I need to read. And my trust books.

I've got a paper trading account set up on Schwab, although they don't make it easy to find. I'll start following my dad's system next week.

I had an appointment to take Zara to the vet. When I went in her room, Oliver tried to come in and then Oliver and Bella were fighting outside the door. That freaked Zara out, and she retreated to the closet whenever I went near her. I called the vet, and have a new appointment for next Tuesday. Next time, I'll corral Oliver, Lily, and Bella before I try to get Zara.

I read an article in the BBC about the health benefits of saunas, including reducing the severity of tension headaches, which I get a lot. I’m looking for a sauna in the area but am having no luck. The big gym at the university has one, but I just read a comment about how they don’t keep the gym clean, which doesn’t make me want to go there. The YMCA has one. Maybe when my required membership at the university gym is up, I’ll try there. The membership at the uni gym was a minimum of four months, so it should be over soon if not already. I guess that my next step is to check the date and visit the YMCA to see if I want to switch there. Oh! It has a lap pool! And they have swim lessons! And a "gentle yoga" class! And an indoor walking track! And "learn to play pickleball" in the fall! Okay, I want to join the YMCA (joined). I need to cancel my uni gym membership.

I'm thinking of looking for a part-time job at one of the local public libraries when I retire. It would be fun and bring in a little money.

I've been bouncing back and forth from my work area upstairs to the kitchen. I'm processing videos at work, so I set one off for processing, went downstairs and worked on the kitchen, came back up to process videos, etc. I did get some cleaning done on the kitchen. The boxes are flattened.

Cleaned up the boxes outside. I have a video processing. If it's done after I post, I'll move it to the next step. Otherwise, I'll finish up tomorrow. Okay, I got the second video uploaded. I don't have the energy to start video 3. I'll work on it tomorrow.

I napped again for an hour and a half. Then I took Bella out and fed the beasts. Now I'm at work. Oliver and Lily have been chasing each other and unplugged the docking station for my work computer. Sigh. They love my mom's wingback chair, so I'm looking for a new one for the library. I found a new one, but I would like to get a used one but have found nothing so far. I found a new one that I like with a footstool, but it's $500. Yikes.

Getting both Oliver and Lily was a great idea though. They keep each other entertained.

It might rain both Saturday AND Sunday. Terrific (NOT!)

I never mentioned that the door to the basement and back door is not shutting, I guess because the wood has swelled. It occurred to me to get a hook and eye for each side to close it to keep the cats out. I ordered them from Lowe's and also ordered a cordless drill because the one that I have doesn't have all the pieces. I received the hook and eye packages, but the drill will get here on Saturday. Now the door is working. I only live here.

My glasses fell off of the table, and I stepped on them. Sigh. I need to order another pair of glasses for around the house that are tight for bending over. My other glasses are more fragile and slip. I tried Glasses USA, thinking that they would be cheaper than Zenni, but not really.

Oliver and Lily have finally settled down.

I attended a Webinar about the relationship between physical activity and the immune system. It's inspiring me to get more exercise. I registered for a yoga class this Saturday and will take Bella for a walk.

Bella, Oliver, and Lily were attending my shower. Lily was trying to take a nap with all the chaos swirling around her. She's tough.

I'm feeling like crying for no good reason. I'm feeling overwhelmed. I think that I'm having a delayed reaction over how the trip worked out. Plus I have a dental appointment this afternoon, and I almost forgot about it.

I'm using my new Holland America glass for soda. Now I can wash the other one!

Note to self: check supply of 9-volt batteries

The dental appointment went well. I got two fillings and a CT scan of my mouth. They were very efficient. I'm hungry but I'm waiting for the numbness to wear off. I’m taking advantage of the wait by making pizza.

I have been bringing out recycling when I take Bella out, so all I have to do is roll the bin and flatten cardboard boxes and take the boxes out (done).

The pizza is knocking me out, so I'm going to go to bed and get up early to walk Bella.

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.

The Room Service meal got there quickly and was very good. It’s an option if I get tired of the cafeteria. This is a two-week trip!

My pet sitter is back to asking about the garbage cans. This is good. She did say that Mimi wasn’t eating, but I think that she’s stressed from the vet visit.

Another reason not to do the shore excursion today is that we start the transit of the Panama Canal at 6:30 AM tomorrow, and I want to be up. It’s the main reason that I booked this trip!

I do like the looks of Cartagena though. I looked it up and the Internet says that it’s dangerous, so not a retirement spot. Plus I’m pretty dug in in Urbana.

I’m planning my day, such as it is. I want to wash some shorts and a t-shirt in the sink. I want to gather the laundry that I want them to wash (jeans and pants). I probably will stop by the Future Cruises desk. I want to zero out my cruise tab. (They make it too easy to charge stuff to your room.) And I want to try the pool.

Laundry taken care of. Now I want to take a nap, but they’re having a crew safety drill with a lot of announcements. I abandoned my nap until things settle down. The laundry fairies whisked away my laundry. I’m a little nervous that I won’t see it again, but the workers here seem to have their act together.

Paid my tab. Future Cruises wasn’t open yet. Le sigh. Now I’m killing some time before lunch.

Lunch was good. The Sweet Shop guy asked what my name was :)

I need to figure out what exercises to do because I don’t want to become a hunched-over Little Old Lady. Pilates? Yoga? Posture exercises?

I was wondering how many days we’ve been on the cruise. Their app says Day 5. They have a mat in the elevators telling which day of the week that it is (Tuesday). Easy to lose track!

Nap time, finally. Wow, I zonked out.

It just occurred to me that I haven’t called to check on Bella (dog) and Oliver (cat). (They’re being boarded at a vet.) I’ll do so Thursday or Friday. I’m sure that they’re fine. Oliver is probably running the place!

I talked with the Future Cruises person. The price that she quoted was higher, but she said that she could send the booking to Vacations to Go for their discount. So win win. I get both discounts from Holland America and Vacations to Go.

Oh Christ. Mimi has deteriorated. The pet sitter thinks that she needs to be put down. The vet says that it looks like cancer but we could have her transferred to the U of I, which is what I asked for. If the scan shows cancer, I will have no issues with euthanasia, but she deteriorated so fast that I’d like to know what’s going on. The pet sitter totally disagrees with me.

I feel like crying.

She’s at the U of I now. I gave them my debit card number. I might even have a drink.

Needless to say, I don’t feel like going swimming tonight. I do need to eat something though, although I’m not very hungry. Pizza. I want pizza.

The U of I vet called. I agreed to have her hospitalized until they can do a scan. They said that it might be a bad ear infection or it might be cancer. They said that she would need nursing care, so I need to call Good Friends (where Bella and Oliver are being boarded). It’s a vet hospital. Only time will tell what’s right, but I’d hate to euthanize her over a bad ear infection.

No pizza, so I’m having pasta as the next best thing. And pineapple sorbet for dessert, which was awesome.

The guy at the bar where I get soda remembered my name :) He asked where I was from. I just tell people “Chicago” because most people have heard of Chicago. He asked if I was traveling by myself.

I need to get to bed early because I want to get up at 4 for the Panama Canal transit.

I came back to my room to find my laundry on my bed. The service here has been top-notch.

I’m in the stateroom with a cup of tea, waiting for the vet to open. I thought that they opened at 7AM, but it’s at 7:30. The tea is good. Love Earl Grey.

The pet sitter found Lily! I called the vet about Mimi and left a message. Now the pet sitter is saying “Don’t come back.” She’ll get Mimi to the vet. Talked to the vet and they said to bring her in.

Ye gods, I am tired.

Excellent French Toast for breakfast. I bought the Holland America jacket (it isn’t a hoodie) and it looks very nice (as well it should for what I paid for it). I also bought a plastic glass and metal water bottle.

I napped for a half-hour. Then I went to a burger and hot dog “stand” near one of the pools. The food was good, but I didn’t realize that it didn’t have a bun! I might try their hot dogs another day.

I’m trying to figure out what to do now. There is a library area mid-ship, and it might be a nice place to sit and read. Though I don’t know how thrilled the people there would be with my getting a phone call. Maybe I’ll read in my stateroom.

The sea is kind of choppy today, but I must be getting used to it. Walking in the cafeteria was kind of interesting.

Read a little. Dozed a little. My kind of day.

Connected with the vet after some phone issues. Mimi has a bad ear infection which *might* be causing her balance issues, so they are going to treat it. They’re also worried about a possible neurological issue, so if treating the ear infection doesn’t work, they want to transfer her to the U of I for them to take a look with their MRI machine.

Hmm. Something interesting. I’m not getting headaches on this cruise (although I bought some Tylenol just in case). Less time on a computer? Something else?

Crud. I didn’t bring my swim goggles. I have to limit my eyes’ time in the pool.

I’m debating going on the shore excursion tomorrow. I have no real interest in Cartagena. And I’m enjoying my laziness. The places that I really want to go to are later in the trip: Costa Rica, Puerto Vallarta…and of course, transiting the Panama Canal. I always wondered why people took those long trips with many days at sea. Now I get it. It’s like staying at a luxury resort.

Maybe I could go to the fitness center tomorrow. Though walking the track (where’s the track?) would be good too. There doesn’t appear to be a track.

My feet are now sandal-ready. The manicure/pedicure technician took a lot of time working on my feet, and they have never looked better. I need to have a pedicure periodically because I have trouble getting my toenails short enough. I also got a manicure because as long as I was there, I might as well. The only down side is that most of their nail polish was for gel manicures. I’ve tried to get a gel manicure off and no. That was a nightmare.

I thought that dinner was until 9 PM, but it was until 8. So I just ordered room service. They told me that my Coke Zero wasn't covered under the drinks package--Fine, fine, just give me the food. I get testy when I get hungry.

So now I wait (and post).

Got the flannel sheets and flannel duvet cover on the bed. They’re so soft! Zara came in partway through but decided that she didn’t like what was going on. Later, I came in to go to bed, and she was happily curled up on top of the comforter with the flannel cover. Now she's glued to it except when she wants food :)

I had problems falling asleep. I got up once because I realized that I scheduled my piano lesson at the same time as Dial-A-Carol. I ate oatmeal and finally fell asleep. And overslept, sigh. I have to find the box with the "Sonic Boom" alarm.

Yeah, I think that staying home over Winter Break is a good idea. Hard to believe that I work Monday, and then I'll be off!

Very quiet at work. My boss told me to "feel better" when I went out sick yesterday, which was nice.

I'm about done with Walmart delivery. They dumped my groceries by the gate, and I had to go across my lawn with slippers on. How hard is it to put them on my porch?

I just emailed the real estate guy about the closing date on Mom's house. He said "sometime this week".

Ugh. My back and shoulder hurt. I shouldn’t be this sore shortly after a massage. Showered, so at least I'm clean.

Went down to get the mail and found a Jenny Craig order. I need to cancel them, but at least I'll have a stash. I'm now thinking of doing a bunch of cooking and freezing stuff next week, when I'll have time. I'm getting a bunch of emails from Costco, but no card yet. I plan to bring the cars up to Costco for gas because, why not? And maybe I could get new windshield wipers for the Honda there. And investigate moving my prescriptions, although it's convenient having them down the street. Maybe not.

I think that getting a used aquarium is the right idea. I priced new ones and geesh. Expensive. And I'm getting only a 20-gallon tank! Though I also want a 55-gallon tank for the library room. Actually, I found a used 50-gallon tank that I like, but I'd need movers to move it. And I need someone to check that the floor is stressed for it.

I've decided that I don't like the prescription face cream that I've been using. (It was making my skin flake.) I'm trying something new from Dermstore, and we'll see how I like it. But the shipment is delayed.

I forgot to say that I'm proud of myself. I had been having problems with the sound on the laptop that I had on the digital piano. I bought two computer speakers to try to fix it, but they didn't help. Eventually, I got rid of the laptop and swapped in my mom's laptop. So I still had the speakers, but didn't need them, so I gave them away on Buy Nothing! It's a drop in the bucket, but still, I'm pleased with myself.

Hmm. I had been thinking of getting a used grandfather clock for the library room, but now I'm thinking that I should move the Buddha in there and put a wall clock (with chimes) above it. Also cheaper. Though I wanted a "Namaste" hanging above the Buddha. And maybe, above the aquarium-to-be, I want one of those maps where you can rub off the paper on the country if you have visited it.

I got my Beaches calendar for by my computer. December is Maui. Excellent. I just need a nail with which to hang it. I need to make a list of things to get done over break.

I was eyeing the treadmill. I think that the first errand on my list is to get the small Smart TV for in front of my treadmill. I'll watch The Golden Girls and The Big Bang Theory while exercising!

I found the “Sonic Boom” clock! Good because I need to get up early tomorrow because the house cleaner is coming tomorrow morning. I also found my hatchet, which should go in the basement.

Now I’m eating dinner and putting the Jenny Craig meals away (done).

Hmm. Holland America is trying to upsell me on dining. They have a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant. I need to think about it.

I'm back from Dial-A-Carol. This apparently was Pros night. There was a group that was singing in four-part harmony and sounded fantastic! (One of looked embarrassed when she saw me listening, but I don't know why.) And there was a young woman who must have been a singing major. (In fact, I think that she might have been at the carols concert?) I was somewhere in the middle. I'm usually on tune if I know the song, but I don't sound as polished. I just bought the sheet music and a couple of CDs of "traditional" Christmas music. I'll work on them during break. Driving home, I felt full of love for Champaign-Urbana because there are so many fun things to do here.

I'm sitting for a moment with Mimi, and then I need to tidy up the kitchen and bathrooms for the house cleaner. Oh, I think that I'll post because I'm here. No one needs the blow-by-blow of my tidying :)

17F when I went to sleep. Ack it’s cold, especially in the cold bathroom.

I’m getting hooked on The Big Bang Theory. Facebook decided that I would like it and showed me videos, which I watched, so it showed me more videos, etc. I’ll have to start actually watching episodes instead of highlights.

Stayed up way too late (Note to self: Stop that!) and overslept. I've stayed in pajamas (or what I call pajamas, yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt) all day, and I'm not going to get dressed after work. I'll just throw on shoes to get the garbage out.

Had a busy morning at work meeting with a library to tweak the rules that they have for lending items.

My piano teacher is stressing about the recital and was asking when I'll have more lessons (after I get more money on Wednesday) and to practice the recital piece a lot. But actually, I picked a piece that I used to know well and it's going well. (But I will practice. Done.)

Hmm, the person with the table that I want hasn't responded yet. I also want to get the smart TV for upstairs from Facebook Marketplace. Luckily, that one is more local. And I found a lamp on Marketplace that I would like for the library. (Note to self: Get $75 total for all three.) Now I’m looking for a washable rug.

My dance card keeps filling up. I have an appointment with the orthopedist tomorrow along with an X-Ray, and therapy on Thursday.

It just occurred to me that I could use the exercise bike (if it's unburied in the library room) if I don't want to put a lot of weight on my bad foot. I should see if I can do that tonight and ease into exercise (done).

I checked into how much protein I should be eating and crap, I’m not eating nearly enough protein. When I put in a grocery order, I’ll get some protein shakes and protein powder. I should look into smoothies with fruit in them. I have the fancy Ninja blender that a friend gave my mom, so I should use it! I found some peanut butter protein powder on Amazon that I could mix with berries and soy milk. I think that I’ll start with building up protein and then get back to cooking. Maybe I should make salads too. Oooh, I found a recipe for an apple salad with raisins and walnuts and yogurt dressing. That sounds good and healthy. I also want to make gluten-free Snickerdoodles for a tasty treat to stop eating donuts.

I need to take the trash out, so I guess that I should comb my hair, though it’s dark out. Got the garbage out and now I’m thawing.

Went upstairs to print off my piano practice instructions and a missing music page, but now Mimi is settled on my lap! She, of course, wants me to stay upstairs at my computer. Okay, she finally jumped off.

I need to check whether there is an electrical outlet near the front door. (Nope.) Otherwise, I'll have to get battery-operated lights for outside.

Tried to reset the garbage disposal, but it didn’t work. I need to call a plumber.

My credit card went though finally. Yay. I bought tickets for the two concerts to which I wanted to go at the uni. And I bought a ton of food. I bought the ingredients for the Snickerdoodles and salad, plus some protein shakes and powder. And Christmas lights. I booked piano lessons, so my teacher should be happy.

Now I need to crash ASAP because I really need to get up on time tomorrow to take a shower. I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow.

It's looking like Florida largely dodged a bullet, though for those who did lose relatives, it still is a tragedy.

The app that the State of Illinois wants me to use wants me to log my weight. Well, my scale is broken so no dice. I ordered a new one from Amazon using my Flexible Spending Account (an account that uses pre-tax dollars for medical expenses) funds. I didn't want one from the FSA store because 1) it's expensive, and 2) that's the one that broke.

It's kind of been a zoo of a day at work. Lots of meetings.

Ran out to drop off my paperwork to join the University gym.

Got some recycling out. (I didn't get it picked up yesterday because I was asleep.)

Did some work that I meant to do last night.

Ow, my neck hurts. I'm feeling the effects of no yoga. I need to do chair yoga.

I canceled my renter's insurance from the old place. I'm going through my automatic payments and canceling a lot of them.

I want to lie down and stretch out my neck. Plus, I'm yawning (although I don't know why because I got a ton of sleep last night).

Woke up with my alarm. The cats are restless.

Went to my swimming lesson. My crawl stroke was much better, although I still have issues with kicking. One of the instructors asked me if I could do a breaststroke and backstroke, and I reeled them off, and she said that they looked good. So the question is did I need swim lessons? It’s good to have dedicated time for swimming though. I continued to work on my crawl stroke because that’s my weakest point, and another instructor said that I was wiggling my hips when I kicked, and I should just move my legs. So I worked on that. Apparently there is open swim at the pool 8-9:30 PM weekdays, so I’m going to join the gym-industrial complex at the University and build up my strength.

And I was ridiculously happy in the pool. My shadow person, Miss Don’t Wanna, told me that going swimming was a pain, but I went anyway and enjoyed it.

Weeded and planted a bunch of daylilies. I have a few more to go, but I’m up to an area that is covered with weeds. (Next up, I’ll keep up with them more.) It seemed like a good stopping point.

Took a nap.

I really like the (smaller) gym in which I swim. It also has all the equipment that I’d be likely to use once my foot is healed. And hey, they have a walking track, which would be good for winter!

Went to Walmart to get soda.

I’m feeling really tired and my foot hurts. I think that I’ll just go to bed and get up early.

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Entries tagged with exercise

Oh, Zara

Storm Day

Gracie Spent the Whole Day Outside

Books for Prisoners

Bella French-Kissed Me!

French Lesson

Back to Work

Tuesday

Crap. So to Speak.

Halfway Through July

Will and Weeding

Y-M-C-A

The Kittyapolis 500

Tuesday

Mimi Is Worse

I'm Staying on the Trip

Cozy in Flannel

Pajama Day

Odds and Ends

Swimming Day