days_unfolding

Hmm. There is a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 12:45 AM, and it could spawn a tornado. I’m wondering if I should stay up until then. I did, and then overslept until 9:40 AM. Sigh. The CPAP went well. The nose pillows itch though.

Got my groceries. The delivery guy didn’t latch the gate, sigh, but I got there to latch it before Gracie got out. I need to throw clothes in the dryer and soak the cat dishes before feeding them.

There probably will be another storm tonight.

My “good” bra is soaking because it got sweaty. I ordered another bra to come tomorrow so that I can switch them out. I have a bra on which one of the clasps got bent, so I ordered a lingerie bag for washing bras. Hmm, I wonder if I could order clasps (done) and fix the bent bra.

I’m actually feeling a little chilly. It’s a nice change. (I turned the thermostat up last night.) That reminds me to put water out for the dogs outside. Now the temperature in the house is just about perfect. It’s 87F/30C outside.

I decided to nap over lunch because my clothes are still drying. I had Oliver and Lily on the bed with me. Oliver was burrowing under the blanket, and Lily was batting at him. Had a nice nap.

I’m wondering if I should open another money market account to save for the China and Tibet trips. Or maybe for all trips; it’ll be my trip account. Done–It’ll open in a couple of days, and I can edit the name to call it my trips account. Maybe that will keep me from spending it! It’s open now but not funded yet, and I changed the name of it. And I changed the name of the other money market account to “Emergency”.

Hmm, I should save some trip money to spend on my fall trip. If I can’t find things to buy in Paris, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and Istanbul, it’s time to worry about me! I already have some euros to spend on the trip that I got for the Sardinia trip that didn’t happen.

I ordered an exercise planner/tracker, also to come on Friday. I need to grab a pencil for my gym bag too.

Oops. I didn’t put my therapy session on my calendar, but I got an email reminder a few minutes before. She doesn’t think that there is much that I can do about my dad worrying about me, especially because he has memory problems. She’s encouraging me to get to the gym to build up my fitness, especially because of the trip in the fall. (I hadn’t been thinking about that.)

Ugh. The forecasters are saying thunderstorms at 11 PM. I need to get to bed early because I have a physical therapy appointment at 7:45 AM. (Ugh!)

I’ve been thinking about making final arrangements at a cemetery in Urbana because this is as close to being a home as I have. (San Jose is also “home” to me, but I’m not going to ship my ashes there.) I need to check out the cemetery.

I’ve been reading my K2 book, and man, is it depressing. I’m starting to believe the people who say that the mountain doesn’t want to be climbed. Mountaineers call it “The Savage Mountain”. Sure seems so.

I received a message that a “severe” storm is on the way. I tried to get the dogs in, but they won’t come in until they get rained on. I wanted to take a shower, but I think that I should wait after the storm. I should keep moving and feed the cats and post.

The wind looked fierce, so I went to get the dogs inside, and they were surprisingly sensible enough to come inside. Now there’s a tornado warning. I’m down in the basement with Oliver and Lily. I tried to convince Bella to come down, but she doesn’t like the tall top step. I hope that she’ll go under the bed.

I read an article that suggested putting a temporary luggage tag with the address of the hotel at which you’re staying. I bought some cheap luggage tags to use. (I already have a permanent luggage tag with my name, email address, and phone on my bags.)

It’s still storming, so I’m going to post before taking my shower just in case there’s another tornado warning.

Paid my property taxes.

Woke up at 3:30 AM and went back to sleep. Kept on waking up periodically. I made the mistake of rolling onto my back after my alarm went off and the dogs jumped on me.

Emailed in sick and slept. Woke up at 11. My stomach was still upset so I emailed in sick again. Ate lunch. Fed the cats; Oliver whapped Zara on her nose, and then her food was missing, so I think that I dropped it getting Oliver to stop.

Got woken up by someone selling Medicare Advantage. I’m not eligible for Medicare yet, dimwits! Was outside with the dogs and got my new shoes. I now have my outfit for the flight: black yoga pants, a black t-shirt, a summer blazer, and new shoes. I’m feeling shaky, so I’m making some food. Ate. I feel better.

It looks like the trip to my dad’s house is on.

I think that I will lie down for a little while after I check on my packages. Overslept until 7:30. My weed whacker was here. I might not make it to the local grocery store.

Fed the dogs and cats. Now I’m going to shower. No, I’m going to order some food and go to bed.

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."

Ooh, I saw a floor lamp on Marketplace that I like for the library room. And a washable rug. Maybe I’ll go get them this weekend. And a Westminster chime clock (I had thought about a grandfather clock, but that would be a hassle to get here) and a basket for my meditation cushions. And a nail gun. I just bought safety glasses to use with the nail gun.

For some reason, my alarm didn’t go off, and I slept until 8:30 AM.

The dogs don't want to come in. I told them that I have a meeting and they'll be out a long time, but they don't care. They finally came in at lunchtime. Oddly, Gracie was more cooperative, and I had to get Bella by the collar to come in.

I'm looking at grant writing classes. A certificate at Parkland Community College is $2500, which is a lot, but I'll investigate payment plans.

Hmm. I should get a money belt for my trip in the fall because we will be traveling on trains a lot.

We had a mini-crisis at work because the library system that our libraries use went down. We had to scramble to respond. We're moving to a new ticketing system tomorrow, so I guess that was the last hurrah on the old system.

Piano class went well. Oliver and Zara settled down for a snooze while I played.

I’ve been busy canceling subscriptions bit by bit.

I really want to work on the library/music room (“Zara’s room “). I think that I’ll use it as a carrot to get stuff done on the rest of the place; if I spend X amount of time on the rest of the place, I can spend X time on the library room. I’m getting excited about it. Plus, getting that room together will move book boxes out of the rest of the place.

I found a cheaper version of the grant-writing courses. That will work.

There’s a “slippery road” alert due to snow melting and refreezing. Terrific.

Crud. The BBC has gone subscription-only. Do I want to subscribe?

Got the recycling out. Fed us all.

Enrolled in the grant writing classes for $450 instead. Still pricey but much better.

Need to wrap things up and go to bed.

Emailed in sick. It took a while to get the dogs back inside. First Bella came in, and Gracie refused to come in. Then Bella went back out and Gracie came in. I finally got them both in. Fed us all.

Slept until 2 PM. I was dreaming that I was writing a book set in New Zealand and was doing research to get the character right. I have never been to New Zealand but would like to go. (I tend to have vivid dreams when I'm sick.)

My nose is running, and Oliver is sitting on my tissues. Sigh.

I received a message that the home sleep study was “non-diagnostic” and they want to do an in-house sleep study. Also sigh. They called me already but they’re out until April.

Home Depot does closet consultations. I’d like one after I get the library room together and cull my clothes.

Had a bite to eat. Took some DayQuil and Emergen-C. Gracie ran out of the bedroom, which was good because she’s less restful to sleep with than Bella, but I wouldn’t want to kick her out.

Slept until 6:30 PM. I dreamed that I was on a smaller cruise ship and fell for someone who worked there. They weren’t allowed to get involved with guests, so we were trying to work it out. Let the dogs out. I’m trying to decide whether to go to work in the morning. I guess that I’ll decide tomorrow morning.

I’m telling the dogs that they’re my two clowns.

Fed us all. I’m going to go back to bed soon. I seriously need sleep.

I’m looking forward to the Olympic ice skating.

Canceled a bunch of subscriptions on PayPal. I think that all I have left is Netflix, which I want to keep. Oh, and I should resubscribe to Hulu.

I checked into my cruise, but the boarding documents won't be available for a few days. I also bought the Have It All package, which includes WiFi, drinks, and one specialty dining meal.

Bought a ring that looks like hugging arms, and it'll have "Mom" engraved on the inside.

Now I really need to go to bed. I have a boatload (so to speak) of stuff to get done this weekend.

Gracie is trying to play dog play with me on the bed, and I told her to go play with Bella. That’s why I have two dogs. Now she’s snoozing with her head on my leg.

Woke up a little before 6 AM. I explained to the dogs that the cats get fed first. They don’t think that’s fair. Fed us all. My stomach hurts. I’m going back to bed. The dogs are wrestling on the bed and not leaving me any room. The snow has started.

Woke up a little before 11 AM. I’m feeling cold. It’s 15F/-10C out. So yeah, cold. I’ll take a shower in a few minutes. After lunch.

BuddhaStoneShop had a bracelet that I liked for only the shipping cost, so I got it. They also had a ring in the shape of a cat for shipping cost, so I got that too. And a Tree of Life bracelet. And a Yin-Yang necklace. They’re probably getting money from part of the shipping cost, but still, it’s cheap.

Oliver was warming my lap and purring.

I’m IBSing. But I’m staying home today so I guess that it’s okay.

Ate lunch.

Finished the book on James I. I just ordered a book on Charles I to continue my investigation into the Stuarts.

Oliver is knocking stuff down and being annoying.

The Precip app says 3.3 inches of snow so far, to make a total of 6.5. It’s like living in a snow globe. I saw a map on Facebook with the words “Stay home” over our band of snow. Will do.

I think that I’ll have one more nap. Slept for about an hour. I’m feeling cold and trying to warm up before my shower. It seems like the dogs and cats are sleeping. At least, they aren’t in the kitchen.

Opened packages while I and my clothes were warming up. I got the file folder wall holders for sheet music. I need to dig out my drill.

Hmm. UNICEF Market has a lot of rings that I like.

The dogs are barking at who-knows-what.

I think that I’ll have some soup.

Final snow total: 5.7, for a total of 8.4. Now we’re into the cold part of the weekend (currently 0F/-18C). I'm going to pull out another blanket and go to sleep. I hope that Gracie won't chew holes in the blanket. Oh, and I need to set the faucets to dripping.

Ow. Oliver jumped, claws outstretched, and cut my lip. I had no qualms kicking him out of the bedroom.

Woke up at 7 AM. I’m still feeling like crap, so I emailed in sick. I’ll go back to bed after I feed the critters. Okay, we’re all fed. Gracie is eating all the dry food. Nap time. I shut Oliver out because I want to rest.

I gave up and turned on the heat. It was 54F/12C in here. The auto setting doesn’t appear to be working. Another reason to turn the heat on is the freeze tonight. Had lunch. I think that I’ll go back to bed for an hour and then take my shower. I have a therapy appointment in the afternoon.

The heat is helping. It feels a lot nicer in here.

Lily is attending my shower, lying down looking serene. Showered.

I forgot to mention the other day that I got the bulbs that I ordered, so I need to find time to plant them this weekend. And charge my tiller.

Therapy went okay. She’s thrilled that things are working out and that I got my bulbs. (She loves gardening.) She thinks that I should talk to my doctor about my dizzy spells though.

Lay down after my appointment and slept until almost 10 PM. Had a dream about my former friend Deirdre being in rehab.

The auto heat seems to be working.

Fed us all. Now I need to start laundry and go back to bed.

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.

I forgot to mention that I got my camping mattress from REI. My sleeping bag should arrive on Monday. Then I'll have to test them out. I second-guessed my choice of sleeping bag, but it has an outer polyester shell and a removable inner down bag. So I could take the down bag out for summer camping.

Lily is lying flat on the floor upstairs, stretched out. I don’t know why she is up here when it’s cooler downstairs. Hmm, Oliver was upstairs too. Keeping an eye on me?

Crud. I forgot to put clothes in the dryer, including my summer pajamas. I dug out some shorts and an “A Woman’s Place Is in the White House“ t-shirt (so much for that) to sleep in, which I can also wear for cleaning tomorrow.

Hmm. A CNN article about beating the heat suggested sleeping in the basement. Maybe I should test my camping mattress down there.

Oliver discovered the package of little cat ball toys, and he’s trying to open it.

I’m in bed, and Bella is zonked out cold in her bed.

Woke up at 8 AM. It’s already 80F/27C out. Sigh. Fed us all. Now it’s nap time. Napped, and now I feel groggy. Had lunch. A box of donuts fell down and Bella snatched one.

91F/32C now.

I’m going to nap for an hour and then get cleaning. Boy, did I zonk out. I dreamed that I was looking for a place to be buried in Urbana. Hmm. Bella is still asleep.

Oh fuck. I forgot about the garden walk today. Oh well. But it’s too hot anyway.

It is oppressively hot out (94F/34C). Crazy Bella wanted to lie in the sun. I convinced her to come in quickly though.

I’ve got the sleeping bag and the tent! The sleeping bag seems nice and cushy. I’m assuming that next weekend will be cooler so that I can practice pitching the tent. (The forecasters are predicting the high 80sF.) Maybe I’ll test the camping mattress and sleeping bag later. Oh, and I got the cooler. Bella is playing with the box that the sleeping bag came in. Now she’s bugging Oliver.

Okay, I’ve cooled off. I should get cracking on cleaning the house. I was petting Lily, and Bella was jealous. Critters :) Oliver is trying to tell me something, but I’m not sure what.

Oliver was climbing in the dishwasher. Fun with cleaning with pets. Got the clothes in the dryer.

I’m feeling shaky, so I’m making something to eat.

Hmm. Sling is advertising Queer As Folk for Pride. I always meant to see that, so maybe I’ll watch later if it’s on demand.

Bella is playing with a tug-of-war rope. She’s twirling it around.

I asked ChatGPT for women’s hiking sandals with wide widths. It recommended hiking sandals without wide widths. Sigh. Okay, the last one that they had did have a wide width, so I bought it.

Hmm. The BBC had an article about a "death cafe" in Bangkok, which asks, “Who would you talk to if it was your last night?” I don’t know the answer to that. I need to make more friends.

I have a headache. I need to feed the critters , but then I’ll lie down for a little while. Watered the outside plants while I was out with Bella. It occurred to me that I need to pull out the stake from the camping supplies because I’ll need to stake the puppy out while I work in the yard. I could put the dog pool out for her. Bella is flaked out on the kitchen floor. I’ll feed the cats and start cleaning the bathroom. Then I think that I’ll shower before bed.

I found a pair of waterproof Columbia hiking boots on sale. I checked, and I don’t have hiking boots, so I bought them. I need a taller shoe rack (ordered).

I’m feeling headachy and tired. I think that I’ll take my nighttime meds, post, and go to bed. I can clean in the morning when it’s cooler. Wow, it's hot upstairs. Work is going to suck on Monday. Maybe I'll bring my work laptop downstairs, where it's cooler. I need to get a workman to install my new air conditioner.

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.