days_unfolding

I don’t have the heart to take away Mimi’s chair from upstairs, but I want one in the library. I found a used chair on Facebook Marketplace that I like. The question is whether I could fit it in the car.

I came into the bedroom to see Bella on the new bed!

I’m working on getting Bella to stop bugging Oliver so much. I got her to walk away from him three times. She got pets and a treat. It’s a start.

Bella grabbed a fortune from a fortune cookie off of the table. She makes me laugh.

Woke up at 8:30 AM. It's a pajama day today, although I have a piano lesson tonight, so I'll have to make myself presentable for it.

Oliver got out again this morning, but I grabbed him. I guess that I need to shut him in the bathroom when I go out with Bella.

I decided that I would like plants upstairs, but there isn't a lot of light. I found a folding shelf with grow lights that might work.

My doctor's appointment tomorrow is in Danville, about 30 minutes away from here. I'm taking the morning as sick time because of the extra drive time.

Ugh. Our libraries are discussing how to deal with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents. I hate that this is an issue.

Mimi didn't finish her wet food last night, but she polished off her dry food. If that's what she wants, she can have it. I have a ton of it because I accidentally got two bags of senior formula, thinking that one was adult formula for Oliver and Lily.

I keep forgetting to look for Bella’s ball outside. I looked, but so far, I haven't found it.

I'm mulling over putting a rose garden in at the side of the house. I originally wanted to put my vegetable garden there, but I think that there are gas and power lines underground there. (I'll call to check.) But I could plant roses on either side of the area there, and maybe put in a path? And a bench? Though a wildflower garden would be simpler. Or maybe put in a raised box.

I'm getting a bad sinus headache.

I've been gathering the forms that I need for taxes. Some of them won't be ready until the 31st though, so I guess that I'll write the trust about taxes on the weekend.

I think that I'll get will and trust books/software. I probably will have a professional look it over, but I can take a cut at it and think about the decisions that I'll need to make.

Hmm, I think that I found a niche for a book or garden shop: pet-friendly garden designs. I did find one book (used) on Amazon. Coneflowers are safe for pets, so I might work with them for my side garden. And Western Wheatgrass. Or maybe just wildflowers.

Had my piano lesson. I said that I liked playing songs that I knew how to sing, which led to the song "Danny Boy," which is so pretty. She dug up music for it and I'll work on it.

It got kind of late to get the recycling out, so I'll get up early to gather it. I need to feed the hordes' last meal of the night, and then I'll go to sleep. I have my doctor's appointment in the morning, so I can leave a little later.

Oh hell, there was a midair collision between a passenger jet and helicopter in Washington DC. There are divers looking for the plane in the Potomac River. This doesn't look good.

Overslept a little but made it into the shower. Got the recycling out. I'm so sleepy. Scrambled at lunchtime to put makeup on because I needed to be on camera for a meeting. (I'll have to do so tomorrow too.)

Mimi is giving me the cat pep talk (“Get your shit together and feed me.”)

I’m having IBS symptoms. Not a fun day.

I found a Panama Canal cruise in 2026 that I like. It starts from Panama, transits the Canal, and then goes to the "ABC" islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao). It ends in Miami, which I'd also like to see. Maybe I should book it. Oh, apparently I didn't check the singles rate, and it's going to be too expensive. Maybe I do need to take Celebrity again. Sigh. It is much more reasonable. I'm also looking at Holland America. Oh wow. Holland America has a reduced fare one for March of next year. It's quite reasonable. It also stops in Puerto Vallarta, which I'd like to see. I'd have to skip the St. Lucia trip though. There also is a Bermuda cruise in 2026. It ends in San Juan, so I'd get a chance to see what I missed there. But do I want to book two cruises in one year?

Maybe next year I should go to St. Lucia and Italy? (No, see above.) I asked the St. Lucia guide if there would be time to go shopping in Castries (I think that there is a large market there), and she said, "Yes, there is free time". So I just need to decide whether to book it or not. Hmm. I'm looking at flights to St. Lucia and they have either short connections or very long connections. Chicago to St. Lucia is not a popular route for the airlines :) I’ll sleep on deciding but I think that I’m going to do it.

Okay, now I'm thinking: 2025: Panama Canal cruise and Italy (Amalfi Coast). 2026: St. Lucia and Italy (The Lake District). Or do I want to go to Paris in 2026?

Urgh. I need to get my Christmas cards out.

Some serious snow is coming down. Okay, it stopped with some accumulation, but not enough to have to dig out. Good. I have some errands to run, but I think that I will wait until daylight tomorrow.

I received a really cool-looking and cozy set of pajamas (you could wear them with people over). I can't link to it because it seems to have been taken down off the Web site. Here they are.

I also received a ton of my new diet cookbooks. I just realized that I don't have tape flags to mark recipes, but I have some Post-It notes. Well, I just found tape flags. There are some interesting recipes. I'm kind of looking forward to cooking and "eating clean". There are some dessert-types of food too, such as chia pudding and rice pudding and yogurt with toppings. And the recipes that I've looked at so far emphasize protein. (It's Prevention's 28-Day Get Lean Diet for Women Over 40. The Skinny Taste Cookbook looks less interesting. Oh well, I can sell any cookbooks that I'm not thrilled with.)

I have to go get cash so that I can buy things off of Facebook Marketplace.

Hmm. I didn’t find a sparkly top for caroling, but I found a black top with gold, blue, and purple splotches plus a black velvet blazer that I would wear with black pants. It’ll do.

Lay down and dozed for a few minutes, then woke up. I need to practice piano and work on the kitchen. Now I’m thinking eat something, practice piano, go to bed, and get up early to clean.

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.

I’ve been decorating the library room in my mind. Mimi is not going to be happy because I’ll be bringing the wingback chair downstairs (what’s a library without a wingback chair?) and that’s her sleeping spot now. I brought a lamp with a small table from my mom’s house, but now I’m thinking of getting a good reading light and round end table. Actually, I have a round end table that I brought from my mom’s house, but it's tall. I'm looking on Facebook Marketplace for a table, and found a perfect one, but I'd have to get it this week. Actually, I found a nice table and lamp on Wayfair, and they aren’t even expensive. And I found a gray cover for the chair. (The walls in the room are gray-green.) Hmm. I think that I want a rug in there too. Maybe this rug?

I feel sad that Mom can’t see how I’m decorating with her stuff. It’s her stuff (the wingback chair is hers) but I’m putting my stamp on it.

My goal is to get the library room cleared out by the end of the long weekend (except for boxes of books). Then I'll get the guy in to assemble bookshelves.

There are a lot of Facebook Marketplace people selling cat wheels. I doubt that Zara or Mimi would use one now, though Zara probably would have when she was younger. (She still jumps really well. She did a three-foot jump from the kitchen table to the kitchen counter the other day. Plus she jumps on top of the kitchen cabinets. Not bad for a 15-year-old cat.) I might look into one when I adopt a younger cat.

Stayed up ridiculously late and overslept my shower. That's okay; I'm not going anywhere but need to get dressed and slap on some makeup for my Italian lesson.

I had my Italian lesson at lunch because my teacher was busy during the day. I was trying to explain the Thanksgiving holiday to her--in Italian. She asked why we celebrated it. I told her about the Pilgrims and Native Americans, but then I told her it was a time to give thanks for what we had. (And eat lots of food!)

There is a free Thanksgiving meal for members of the community that I might go to. It's at a local high school.

Hmm. Sunday has a high of 23F/-5C so it’ll be cooold. (Yes, some of you will think that I’m a wimp. And you’re right :) I remember visiting my Mom from California under those conditions and burrowing under my scarf. Mom said, “I do that too, but I do that when it’s really cold!” Bah.) Saturday it might snow. So it looks like Friday will be errand day. I need to call the thrift store to see if they’ll be open on the day after Thanksgiving. Best Buy will certainly be open for Black Friday.

Another way that I can tell that it’s winter is that my eczema is flaring up. The skin on my fingers is peeling. Time for Neutrogena Hand Lotion. And I wonder if I should get some cotton gloves to sleep in.

I want a nap with Zara. Well, we had snuggles, but it’s already 8:30 PM, so I should just go to bed early and get up early to practice piano and singing. And I found some kitchen stuff in the library room that I need to bring into the kitchen.

Okay, I frittered away an hour on Facebook and Quora. Not how to get things done. Put clothes in the dryer and did dishes and fed the cats. Now I really need to go to bed.

Overslept but made it into work.

I'm going to have a boatload of stuff to do this weekend. I need to make up some time for work, work on my two assignments for class, get the bedroom as finished as I can get it without buying more stuff, and working on the library room, especially my clothes. Plus my usual Italian study, and piano and singing practice. I need to call my dad because the uni's life insurance wants a beneficiary. Oh, and weeding.

And I'm tired. And I need to get up early tomorrow to get a replacement registration card for the Honda.

I printed out pictures of the dog and cat that I want to post in the library room as incentive. I need to get the room cleared out and books put away to also clear the living room. The only way out is through.

Had my singing lesson. She mainly helped me work on one of the choir songs, which I sent her. She taught me a method on how to approach it.

I looked at cat trees on eBay because eventually I want to replace the ratty one in my bedroom.

I got my chromatic tuner designed for singers to check my pitches.

Took a nap and overslept.

I need to get to bed because I want to go to the DMV tomorrow morning to get the replacement registration card for the Honda.

I got up to go upstairs. Mimi, who didn’t finish her food, decided that now was the moment to finish it. Cats!

Quizzed myself on the Itaiian imperfect tense.

I better renew my driver's license in October to have it for my flight to San Juan. Speaking of which, I might book it myself instead of going through the travel agent because it'll be cheaper. There's a United flight that I like, but I'd have to go down on the Thursday before the cruise departure on Saturday to have time touring San Juan on Friday. I found some hotels that look promising and probably would be cheaper than what I'd get from the travel agent.

I stayed up late playing with flights to and hotels in San Juan. I got up at 11 after a dream about my mom. She never is happy in my dreams. I wonder why.

I dropped a pill in the kitchen, so I swept the floor looking for it so that the cats don’t get it. I still didn’t find it, but the floor is swept. I need to wash it on my hands and knees because it’s too dirty to mop only. I’ll wash it tonight.

I’ve been stuck on a weight plateau, but I have lost inches. I’m acquiring a waist! Yay!

Yes!!!!! I finally figured out how to turn on the outside water (and turn it off in the winter)! Now I can have the grass reseeded. I need a longer hose though. I think that I’ll hook up the hose that I bought and water my garden! I booked the weed treatment and aeration and overseeding for the lawn.

I put a dual-voltage curling iron on my wish list for my next Italy trip. I should add a dual-voltage hair dryer too; I found one for curly hair that looks good. I found both on eBay, but I don't want to spend money on them right now. I did get them for much less than retail and put them on a credit card.

I just fell in love with a medium-sized poodle on Petfinder, but I'm not really ready for a dog right now.

Got rid of the boxes in my bedroom, except for the box containing my nightstand. I put two feet on it with two more to go, but my back hurt, so I went upstairs to post my Pacsafe backpack on eBay.

I kind of want to go to bed. I'll put the other feet on the nightstand and get it out of the box. I'll take a picture of it to post tomorrow. And then I'll go to sleep. Hmm, I need to study Italian first though.

Oh crap. I lost my entire entry that I wrote in Google Keep. I can re-create the parts that I also posted to Facebook. I'll see what else I remember.

I think that I want to get a shoe bench with a top that flips up for storing hats, gloves, and scarves. I like this one.

My Web programming class went well. I'm really enjoying it.

Had a therapy session. We talked about motivation, and she suggested that I set natural deadlines for things. I commented that my singing and piano lessons will take place in the library room (I almost called it the "room that no one talks about," which was my mom's name for a room that she was using for storage) so that provides incentive to get those boxes out of there. She thinks that I should just hire someone to mow the lawn, so I'll look into it. I booked a lawn care appointment. They also treat the lawn and do aeration and overseeding, so I'm considering having that done too. I was going to do that myself, but it might be good to get help with it. I also booked a cleaner. I can spend the long weekend decluttering!

My therapist also was encouraging to take a trip over winter break. (I want to take a trip because I used to get together with my mom over the holidays.) Road Scholar has a trip to Costa Rica that I was eyeing, but it's kind of pricey. I previously had been thinking of a trip (not with Road Scholar) to New York City, which would be a little cheaper. I'd like to take the train to New York. Both depend on selling my mom's house, so we'll see.

I was the only student at yoga again today. My instructor seemed to enjoy having only one student and tried a bunch of new things and ran over time. I’m getting more limber, which is exciting. I’m still way less limber than the teacher, but still, progress. Next week is the beginning of the fall class, and I hope that she gets more students though.

Because I’m going to travel a lot, I bought a yearly travel insurance policy for cheaper than Road Scholar’s insurance, and it will cover my non-Road Scholar trips too. It’s probably better insurance too; people have complained about Road Scholar’s insurance. (Road Scholar trips are good though.)

Studied Italian.

I got up almost on time.

It's freaking hot. And the connection to my keyboard and trackball is malfunctioning. Oh, stupid me. It unplugged itself.

I got sleep turned on on my Apple Watch. I thought that it saved sleep data automatically.

I need a notebook for class tomorrow, so I submitted a Meijer order. I don't plan to go out today.

Oh. If I get the whitewashed mango shelf for my hats, gloves, and scarves, I can save $100 over the "natural" one. I'm wondering if I should get it. It'll be jacket weather before we know it.

I want this windbreaker for fall travel. A neutral shade like beige or black makes the most sense, but I kind of like the pastel pink and purple colors. Hmm.

I got another carry-on bag that is part garment bag and part duffle bag. I'll see how it works on the trip to Michigan.

I have my stuff packed up for class tomorrow.

Studied Italian. I need to go to bed early because I have my Italian lesson before work.

Woke up at 5 AM. Went back to sleep. Woke up at 7 AM. This time, I got up.

Hmm. It just occurred to me that I don’t know where my carry-on bag is for the flight. I guess that I’ll look for it today, and if I don’t find it, order one. I was looking at one that matches the bag that I took to Italy, but sheesh, expensive.

Now I’m telling Zara, who is being totally manic, that she’s goofy.

Had a nice nap.

Hmm. Corded dethatchers are much cheaper than cordless. I suppose that I could run a cord from the basement. I’d need a long extension cord or maybe two cords to get to the other side of the house. Hmm, maybe I should bite the bullet and get a cordless one. I want to do fall maintenance on the lawn, and it has to happen in the next few weeks. I bought one on eBay that was missing a battery, and bought the batteries and charger from Amazon. It still was cheaper than the Greenworks one.

The cats are restless because they want food early.

I got the hanging planters for the spider plants. I guess that I’ll hang them tomorrow.

My back has been bothering me, so I put a chair in the library room and got to work. Made some good progress. Found my swim bag and ordered a lock for it. Then I’ll keep it in the car. Found my Clorox scrubber now that I ordered a new scrubber. I hope that it will make quick work of the bathrooms.

A pair of my glasses are missing. I need to order more.

I have way too many clothes and need to Marie Kondo them though.

I bought a used Hartmann carry-on bag for less than half the cost of a new one. It doesn’t match my big suitcase, but that’s okay. Have I said lately that I love eBay?

Put some items on Buy Nothing to get picked up.

Took a nap and really zonked out. The cats want to be fed. Mimi is telling me that woe is her. Zara is staring at me.

I want to post my extra Pacsafe backpack on eBay, but I need a padded mailer for it (ordered). I need one for the boots too.

I started studying Italian using the reword app. I had planned to study 20 words a day, but these words are much harder than the words that I’ve been studying. They cover more complex concepts. I’m trying to write sentences with them, but it’s hard.

Got the garbage from the library room bagged up. The upshot is two bags of garbage plus the stuff that I’m donating or selling.

Had some Avocado Ranch salad. It was quite good. Meanwhile, Mimi has been complaining, so I gave her some dry food.

I ordered a new pair of glasses from Zenni. And I got 10 percent off because I'm a student!

I'm eyeing this cabinet from Target, but it has no reviews yet. It's on sale though. I really like this one too, but it's more expensive.

Walmart gave me a heart attack. I ordered the bookcases from them. I created a Pinterest board with the accent cabinets, the cabinet for my winter hats, scarves, and gloves, and the bookcases. When I looked at the order for the bookcases, it said, “Actual color: Green”. I freaked and opened one of the boxes enough to see the color. It’s the color that I thought. Whew. Now I’m leaning towards the brown cabinet to closer match the bookcases and entertainment center. And the brown shelf for the hats, scarves, and gloves. (The votes for the different cabinets were fairly evenly divided. You see my problem :))

I overslept this morning. Ack! Mimi has been hanging out on my lap, making it tough to type.

I bought the tire inflation thingy for Mom's car. And an over-the-toilet storage rack for the guest bathroom.

The local Buy Nothing group is working well for decluttering. I offer stuff, put it on the porch, and it disappears!

My Apple Watch arrived! It's charging. I hope to have it set up before I leave for yoga. I've got it set up. Pretty slick, Apple. I'll leave it charging until I get ready to go.

I sent a message to the TV repair place last night but didn't get an answer. I might have to call them. I decided to bring my paperwork for the gym in tomorrow afternoon, and I'd like to drop off the TV then too.

No response from the exercise coach yet. Just heard from her.

Called Jenny Craig. My order was on the wrong debit card. It will be processed and on its way.

Okay, I signed up for Zumba and Flow Yoga next week to try them out. I'll drop off my paperwork to join the gym when I go there for Zumba.

I ordered lawn and leaf bags from Target as long as I have to go there anyway to get my cube organizer. They canceled the order. But it turns out they didn’t need them because my neighbor got rid of my lawn bags! That was very nice of her.

Went to yoga. I wasn’t into it today, and my back muscles are spasming. Oh well. Then someone on my local plant group was giving away baby spider plants, so I drove there to pick them up. They’re cute! Went to Target and got the cube organizer. Stopped at the grocery store, but they didn’t have any droopy orchids on sale. Oh, I was starving, so I had a cheat meal at Steak and Shake. And I left my book in Steak and Shake!

Planted the spider plants in temporary pots. I need to buy hanging pots for them. No exercise because of my back. I should get some rub for sore muscles.

I’m feeling really exhausted. I’ll go to bed soon.