days_unfolding

Oh cool. I ordered personalized luggage tags on Amazon. (And yes, I didn't put my address on it but put my email address and phone number. Though it's less important because someone from Chicago is not likely to go down to Urbana to rob my place.) Oh crud. AirTags. I need a couple more AirTags for my luggage.

Lily is in a cranky mood.

Woke up around 7:15 AM.

No nap today because I need to lead a meeting at 1 and don't want to worry about oversleeping. My "new" alarm clock isn't working. I need another one. I'll return this one.

I need to go to my bank to order some Euros. Maybe tomorrow.

Why is it raining every weekend but clear during the week? Mother Nature is playing games with us.

From doing an audit of my finances, I might have to work longer than I thought. I might have to wait for the pension. But I have a good job. And I work from home! The trust is giving me an audit of the trust funds. Now I know enough to fill out the forms from the estate planning lawyer.

My "I want to eat everything" hunger is dying down.

Well, no one had anything to discuss at the 1:00 meeting, so we got back the time. But Gracie and Bella were pleased to spend extra time outside.

Lily still likes to look out the upstairs window into the back yard even though we took the tree down. I'm glad; I felt bad for them not having bird and squirrel watch, but apparently something is still interesting out there.

Got the garbage out. Unpacked my stoneware. Here they are. I'm leaning towards the white one, but would like feedback. I'm too tired to create a poll, so please put your preference in the comments.

Started working on the sheets for the lawyer, but I hit a wall. I need to feed the beasts and get to bed fairly soon.

Note to self: order heartgard for Gracie

Woke up at 6:30 AM and took the dogs out. Went back to sleep for a half-hour. I'm nice and shiny clean.

Okay, I did something a little crazy. I had a favorite stoneware set at Macy's, which I ordered (not the really expensive one) and one at Costco that I liked. So I ordered both, and I'll keep the one that I like best and return the other one.

Well, crud. I had a front tooth crack while I was eating and come out. I have an appointment this afternoon at the dentist to look at it.

I’ve been going back and forth with my primary doctor and my psychiatrist about my fatigue. The primary doctor is out until the end of October. The psychiatrist asked me if I had sleep apnea, and I told her, “Yes, I had gotten a CPAP right around the time that my mom died but couldn’t cope at the time,” and she made a referral to a sleep clinic. Have I said lately that I love my psychiatrist? She also lectured me about how what I eat can have an effect, and I ordered BistroMD as the healthiest stuff that I can eat without cooking. I think that I want to make some Tomato Corn Basil Bake in the meantime. If I get my act together, I could go to the Champaign Farmers’ Market tomorrow night for tomatoes and zucchini (and I think that there’s onions?) (I think that I want to use frozen corn because it’s easier.) I have a basil plant in my backyard. I can work on the kitchen and bathroom while the thing is baking. It’s fairly easy to make.

The dentist recommended an implant. They did a scan of my teeth, and they will put in the implant in 2.5 to 3 weeks. They will put in a temporary tooth called a “flipper” at that time. They know about my trip in the middle of August. Meanwhile, I’m short a tooth. Sigh. Apparently my insurance company is fighting paying for my bridge that was previously put in because one of the teeth was extracted with different insurance. They’re arguing with them.

Now I know why the pets run out of water so quickly; Gracie plays in the water dish and spills it. Not sure how I can get her to stop doing it, but at least it isn’t someone drinking a ton of water. I need to put a separate water dish on the counter for the cats that won’t get spilled by Gracie.

Cool. I got my other lantern. And my MREs (“Meals Ready to Eat,” developed by the US Army. They can be stored at room temperature and have their own special heater.) I had to buy a set, so I don’t know what I got. Hmm, I need to stash some silverware to use. I’m thinking of replacing my silverware too because I’m low on forks (I have no idea where they went), so I can snag some of my current silverware.

Fed us all. Gracie kept on barking at a neighbor (and her barks are piercing), so I dropped the leash and let her and Bella run around the backyard. It worked; she quieted down. It’s in the front yard that I have to worry about her getting out.

Okay, I ordered silverware from Costco.

I read an article about retirees who are into video games. I’m not a gamer. My game time ended with text-adventure games, which shows how long ago THAT was. I asked ChatGPT for some recommendations for someone who likes text adventure games, and it recommended “80 Days,” which is a steampunk version of Around the World in 80 Days. That sounds like fun. It has a few other recommendations that sound interesting. But I’m reluctant to get into any of them because I don’t need a distraction right now.

Not sure what to do now. I should start bringing stuff down into the basement, but it’ll be easier after I get the garbage out tomorrow. I’m feeling tired. I could try on some clothes to figure out what dresses to bring to Sardinia. Oh, I need to package up the duvet cover to return tomorrow.

I was wondering if I should get a crate for Gracie, but she likes my bed and doesn’t usually have accidents in the bedroom. But I should have a crate in the basement for my power failure stash because Zara would not like interacting with the other critters. Maybe a collapsible crate? I wishlisted one on Amazon, but need to check if Gracie could fit in there if needs be.

I think that I will just go to bed and do some stuff in the morning.

I went back to sleep this morning. So tired.

I think that Gracie is teaching Bella to bark. She’s small but feisty. I think that she’s the "top dog" of the pack despite her size!

I’m having the antibiotic delivered. I just need to buy some probiotic yogurt.

Gracie had her first vet appointment. She was pronounced healthy and "stinking cute". They think that she might be part beagle; in which case, she might not get much larger than she is now. They think that she's six-to-eight months old because her adult teeth are in. We have an appointment to get her spayed in two weeks. Bella had to give Gracie the once-over :)

I'm wondering if I should get a reMARKable tablet and electronic planner. It would be great to store notes there. It would be great for trips. Maybe I'll check it out at Best Buy tonight. Well, no I'm not going to return the shoes tonight. I'm going to practice dog training stuff with Bella. But Amazon has it on sale with a leather cover for the same price as it's at Best Buy without one, so I'll probably get it. Now I’m looking for a purse that will hold the tablet.

Took a short nap. The dogs are flaked out.

Work is being a pain. Some of my files are now read-only, and I needed to edit them. Sigh. Then Access was being temperamental. I hate Annual Stats time. And people were bugging me about getting things done even though I had computer issues. I was posting my status! Leave me alone!

Bella had a roll of toilet paper that she’s shredding, and Gracie is trying to get it away from her. I don’t approve of shredded toilet paper, but the tug-of-war is kind of funny. Oh, and Bella stole Gracie’s lamb toy.

Hmm. I’m thinking of getting up early to work with Bella on dog training stuff. I’m tired and cranky right now and need my patience. I guess that I’ll feed everyone now (done), get the garbage out (done), and post my data to the Web.

Hmm. The Gracie Project might be backfiring. Bella is trying to play with Oliver as if he was Gracie, and he doesn’t like it.

I’m looking into farm stands here. There’s a place that sells different types of cheeses, and I’m looking at a fresh baguette, cheese, and honey combo. And you can volunteer to feed baby goats! Oh! They have a CSA where you can get fresh bread and cheese weekly! I’m so there! There also is a farmers’ market nearby on Saturdays and a little farther away on Tuesdays. I should stop by.

I ordered a ceiling fan for the bedroom. Oh, and I got the new cool bedding, but I might wait until tomorrow to put it on.

I’m crazy tired, so I’m going to post and go to bed. I should have time on the morning to post my data as well as work with Bella.

Okay, I put the people with whom I'm meeting on Monday as the executors of my will. I can change it if necessary. So I finished my trust document. I also contacted a local bank to possibly serve as a successor trustee and maybe executor?

Damn, my tooth hurts. I hope that they'll fix it tomorrow.

I got Lily to come upstairs, but then Oliver went down in the basement. It’s a zoo here.

Fed us all. My stomach is upset.

Smoke from Canada has arrived here.

Got up at 6:30 AM. My stomach is upset. I need to get into the shower early because I need to put on my makeup for my dental appointment.

Oliver and Lily are being cranky with each other and are doing whappy paws.

Well, hell. This morning I had a dental appointment to get impressions for my permanent bridge. It wound up being surprisingly painful. They numbed me up, but they kept on pressing on a tooth that still hurt. The good news is that they replaced the missing crown with a temporary one, and that tooth feels fine. But I told work that I was taking 1/2 a sick day and was going to lie down, but that I would be in for a team meeting. Ate a little yogurt. Clio mini greek yogurt bars are pure crack. I love them.

It occurred to me that Munchie Bones are kind of like dog currency. Bella was like, “You expect me to come in FOR FREE??” I went and got a Munchie Bone, and she came in. She saves them for a while too.

Nothing from the bank that does trust work so far. I might have to call them this afternoon because I want a choice of who to pick to handle my estate.

Well, hell. The people whom I wanted as executor cannot serve as executor. They suggested that I try another firm. I'll call the bank first. I set up an appointment with the bank for Wednesday afternoon.

It's freaking hot upstairs. I just remembered that I saw a combo air conditioner/heater at Lowe's that seemed to be small enough for the windows upstairs. I need to measure to make sure. Nope, the window is a smidge too small. Ack! Up to 90F/32 C tomorrow. Shorts weather. Maybe I'll shave my legs tonight because I have Italian tomorrow morning. I ordered an air conditioner from Amazon. I’ll deal with heat in the fall. At least you can put more clothes on when it’s cold.

I got my new “Dog in Yard; Please Close the Gate” signs. They’re copper and a little fancy for my lousy fence, but they will look good when I replace the fence. I need to get wire to attach it to the fence. I also got my NokBox (Next of Kin Box).

My dentist was worried about the temporary bridge and crowns coming off, so I bought some filling repair stuff to take with me on my business trip.

I am not feeling great. I think that I’ll go to bed early. The sore tooth hurt a bit when I ate. Submitted a grocery order for tomorrow morning. We’re low on cat food. I bought cloth napkins and placemats as well as food. Oops, I want microfiber cloths too (done).

I brought the NoxBox supplies upstairs, but it's too damn hot to clear off the top of the filing cabinet for it. I'll go to sleep soon and get up early to do stuff up here. But I do have some packages downstairs to open before I got to bed. The downstairs is quite comfortable. Also, I have some Italian homework, but I'll bring it downstairs to do.

I bought bleach because my new towels are white. I'll have to learn how to use it.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I had the impulse to clean house, which is good. But I forgot to take my morning meds yesterday. I need to keep up with them to keep my energy up.

I had gotten Bella a couple of tug-of-war ropes that I had put away because she has no one with whom to play tug. She loves them. She tosses them around.

Woke up a little before 8 AM. Fed us all. Napped and overslept. Had a dream about my mom. We were looking for a particular type of bread for an event, and couldn’t find it, and she was crying. Mom is always upset in my dreams. I don’t know why. Now it’s around 11:30.

I was wondering if I had an appointment with my psychiatrist, and I did make one for next week. I want to stay on my current dose of meds. They’re working.

The “Oliver knocks everything off of the counters and Bella chews it” routine is active.

Got my Lowe’s order, including the garden fencing. I’ll have to put it up this weekend to see if it really keeps Bella out. If it works, I’ll get more.

Ate lunch. Now I’m waiting for my Walmart order.

Hmm. I’m thinking of going back to Michigan to pick up my stuff in the July 4th weekend.

Oliver was on my lap and Bella was trying to bite him. Play bites, but they still hurt. I kept on pushing her away, so she was biting me. This is why I want another dog for her to wrestle and play with.

Got my groceries in. I’m going to sit for a moment because my back hurts. Then I’ll shower. Booked a haircut appointment.

Bella came to see what I was doing. “Oh, you’re being boring [looking at my phone].” My arm was dangling. “Oh, you should be petting me.”

I was looking for a tote bag for my book and notebook, but I didn’t find one. I know that I have a bunch of them somewhere.

Showered and put on my makeup. Brought the garbage and recycling cans by the house. I have a half-hour to kill, and I don’t want to get dirty, so I guess that I’ll read my trust book.

Bella started out gently chewing my hands, but then she got overexcited and started biting down hard. I went “Aaaaah!” very loudly, and she backed off, to my surprise. She ignores when Oliver cries out, but I feed her.

I read an article about self-hypnosis. I want to try an app, but they haven’t sent me my login info yet.

At the nail salon. I read the “Trusts” part of my will and trusts book. I have an idea of what I want. Finding witnesses for the documents will be challenging.

My toenails look nice. My feet are sandal-ready!

Went to Home Depot. They didn’t have pansies; I think that it’s a little late in the year for them. They did have a dill plant and petunias. Gerber daisies might be a substitute for the pansies. They also have sunflowers, but I was planning to put berry plants where I originally wanted to plant sunflowers. They didn’t have coneflowers.

Ate at Steak and Shake, which knocked me out.

Now I’m home and need to feed the critters. Then I want to go to bed. So. Freaking. Tired.

Paid my property taxes. The first installment wasn't due until June, but I might as well get it all over with.

Woke up at 7 AM. Took Bella out and took her for a short walk as sunshine_two recommended. She still pooped inside around ten minutes after we came in. I'll try taking her out for an hour tomorrow and see what happens. At least, it'll be the weekend.

I shaved my furry legs and have shorts on. They're very comfortable, although the heat won't hit until later in the day. "Thunderstorms possible" late in the afternoon.

I'm trying to figure out where I want to plant blueberry bushes. Maybe in the front once I get rid of the daylilies overgrowing the garden? Yeah, I think that I’m going to grow blueberries and thornless raspberries in the front “sunny-side” garden bed. And strawberries in the back! I'll get some fruit in me! That answers my question of how many coneflowers to order. I'll order a bunch of plants tonight :)

I enrolled in legal benefits through work because I need to write a will.

Hmm. I started an online class through my health insurance about dealing with depression. It recommended doing new things to try to break through the depression and also getting people on my team to help. That suggests that I should join the Unitarian Church sooner rather than later. (This Sunday won't work though because of my flower arranging class.) And I'm looking into volunteer work. I'd enjoy volunteering at the Humane Society, but I'm worried that I would wind up with another cat. I could volunteer at the library, but I'm already a librarian. Maybe the Forest Preserve? I seem to remember a prairie conservation group? Yes. Being a "bat monitor" sounds interesting. And so does their plant sale.

It's humid as hell. And here comes the storm. There also was an emergency alert about dust storms. I'm glad that I'm staying home.

The summer session of the Dog Training Club will start right after I get back from my business trip in June and end right before I go to Italy. Perfect.

Bella took off with one of my strawberry plants. I finally got it away from her. And I’m giving away my tomato plants because I’m afraid that Bella will eat them. Oh well. I’m waiting for a DoorDash of Italian beef.

The critters were highly interested in my Italian beef. Bella grabbed some and Lily was a little out of control. Bella also grabbed a french fry out of my hand. I ate too much.

I bought plants. I'm thinking of going to bed early and getting up early. Oops, I need to submit a Walmart order first.

Crud. It’s forecasted for rain again today.

Overslept and woke up at 8 AM. Bella didn't want to come in, so i did the "stick trick" and she came in.

I'm debating whether to shower or take a nap at lunch. You would think that I've gotten enough sleep. I probably should shower in case that the mower guy comes, although they are predicting rain this afternoon. Now they've stopped predicting rain. Whatever.

Ow. The base of my neck hurts. Good thing that I'm getting a massage this weekend.

Oliver and Lily are playing kitty racetrack with a little wrestling thrown in.

It's storming now. I want to take a nap. Ordered a deep dish pizza. Got my pizza. Bella was crying because she wanted it. Given that it has tomato sauce, that would be a “No”.

Napped. Bella is still asleep. Now she’s up.

Lily ate part of the lemon-blueberry cake that I got from the pizzeria. Bella absconded with the plastic box that the cake was in.

Spent too much time mucking around on Facebook.

I did think of a college town to check out for retirement: Clemson, South Carolina. It ticks all my boxes. I found a senior living community to check out. The place doesn't seem to allow pets, and I'm likely to still have Oliver and Lily when I would move there. So I started to look in Greenville, SC, and found a place that I like that allows pets. It sounds pretty perfect.

Booked a massage. My neck is killing me.

Woke up at 7 AM. Bella was too distracted by the outside world to do her business. She finally peed at least. Bella was being totally manic and she scratched me in the face. I gave her a Munchie Bone and she settled down. I’ve decided to take my shower at lunchtime because my clothes aren’t dry yet. So now I have time to kill.

Cool. I got The Economist's Guide to Investment Strategies for $4 on eBay. I'm going to have quite an investment library. And I received The Economist’s Guide to Analyzing Companies, which I will read first.

The arthritis in my toes is bugging me.

Had my therapy session. I told her that the increased meds were helping somewhat, but that I'm still tired. I looked tired. I asked how to force myself to clean up the kitchen, and we decided that I would make an appointment with a cleaner, and then I would clean up the dog debris in there before the appointment. She recommended that I get the security cameras put up and contact the garage people in the next two weeks.

The new pope is from my hometown of Chicago! There are jokes on Facebook about a deep-dish* Eucharist :)

I watered my plants outside and took the new plants out of their boxes and watered them too. Opened some Amazon boxes and my investment books are coming in. Now I just need time to read them!

My digestive system is roiling. I need to get to bed early anyway because I need to drop the car off to be fixed tomorrow.

I think that I'm going to hire someone to walk Bella because I've been so drained. I found someone who also does cat sitting, which I will need when I go to a conference in June. Also I'm going to hire an organizer to keep me working on decluttering and organizing.

* Deep-dish pizza is a thing in Chicago. It's several inches high and filled with cheese, meat, and other items such as mushrooms. Jon Stewart derisively called it a "casserole," but it's quite good.

Filled litter boxes and put another one on to soak. Started charging the batteries for the mower.

When I asked for handyman recommendations on NextDoor, a bunch of handymen posted but no one gave recommendations. I found someone highly rated on Yelp, so I’ll give him a try.

Got up at 7 AM. Fed us all. Got my groceries. I texted the driver to close the gate and she did. Oliver wants my food.

I was going to go to the bank at lunch, but I had problems falling asleep, so I need to nap at lunch. I'll go in the late afternoon.

I need to find someone to mow my lawn using a handheld mower, not a riding mower, so that they can close the gate. I'll ask on NextDoor.

I'm asking ChatGPT to come up with investment learning plans for me. I need to clear off my desk upstairs to have a good study space. I could use a desk lamp too (ordered).

My glasses are missing. WTF? Ordered a new pair from Zenni. Okay, I found them under my desk chair. It still would be good to have an extra pair.

Got my new debit card. It’s a different number than the old card, so I need to change it in 15 gazillion places. There was a Panera nearby, so I decided to eat there. Well. They took the sandwiches that I liked off of the menu, so I had grilled cheese. They still did have French Onion Soup, which I ordered. The 1/2 a sandwich was smaller than it used to be. But the food was good.

I picked up a library book. Then I went to pick up my prescriptions at a grocery store. I now am the proud owner of a hibiscus plant! They had some outside and I found one that I liked. They were cheaper than at Lowe's.

I had to wait a long time for the prescription and then there was no price on the hibiscus, but eventually I made it out of there. Bella was really excited when I came home. You would think that I had been gone a year! I was singing “I’m So Excited“ to her. Logged onto work for a while.

Oh hell, I forgot to take out the garbage (done and my back hurts).

Ordered two plants for my shade garden to replace the ones that Bella chewed up. I received my new coral bells, so I should be done with it.

I'm beat.

Overslept a half-hour but made it to work on time.

Now I'm mulling over retiring at the end of next year. I'll be 64, which isn't too terribly early to retire. But I won't have Medicare yet. Waiting until the following year would be better.

The good news: I received my check from the trust, finally. The bad news: the money won't post to my account until next week, so I can't pay the pet sitter and go to the conference. I'm in the process of trying to cancel my reservations and get refunds. Now I wait to see the fallout. The people at work have been nice about it though. Okay, I was able to cancel the hotel with no penalty and the conference with a $50 cancellation fee. My train tickets are non-refundable. I told work that I'd pay back any money lost, so I owe them $92. Not bad. They said that I don't have to reimburse them. That was very nice. Have I mentioned lately that I work with great people?

I can't wait until I don't have to deal with the trust anymore.

I've been drinking protein shakes for lunch to keep from spending money. Maybe I'll lose some weight, which will be good.

I'm wiped out with all the stress and drama. I think that it's nap time after work. At least, I don't have to scramble to clean the house before the conference.

Oh. I've gotten distracted. The water in the shower was only lukewarm today, so something is wrong with the pilot light. I'll have to look at it and call Ameren.

Eeek. Someone emailed me directly, asking me to moderate a session at the conference to which I'm going in June. So I said yes, but public speaking nerves!

Hmm. When I retire, it occurred to me that I could work part-time on Web Site accessibility remediation. Though the Title II updates are due next year.

Fed us all. Bella is being a prima donna and wants to be fed in our bedroom. She camps out on the bed. Oliver is being a snot and tries to grab my food while I’m eating. Bella was barking at people who were walking by, which I’m not thrilled about. I told her, “Yeah, you’re a watchdog—NOT!” She also whined when a dog walked by. I’ll send her occasionally to doggy day care when I have the money.

Got the recycling out. This time I got smart and corralled the cats before going in and out. Now it’s nap time.

Huh. I was going to take a nap, but it’s late enough that maybe I should just go to bed? Bella has been happy to hang out with me though.

Some of the garden plants that I ordered are supposed to arrive tomorrow. It’s probably good that I’m not leaving this weekend. I’ll also have to pick up the plants that I bought from the university plant sale. And I can clear garden beds and plant seeds. I think that I’ll wait a little longer to bring out my dahlias though.

I found places to replace the garden plants that Bella chewed up. (Note to self: Lady fern and Japanese forest grass. At least I know that they’re pet safe.)