days_unfolding

I broke down and subscribed to the Wall Street Journal online because they have enough articles that interest me. And their newsletters! I subscribed to around 10 of them. They had a deal for $2 a week for a year. Then it gets expensive, but then I can decide if it's worth the cost.

Overslept until 8 AM. Took a fast shower.

My dental appointment went okay; the implant is healing well. We made an appointment for the impression for the crown after July 1 because that's a new fiscal year for my insurance.

I told Lily not to walk on my computer. Lily: I walk on anything and everything. Because I am a cat! Oliver keeps on sitting on my laptop. The joys of working with pets around.

Napped and overslept. Gracie has been out for three hours and still doesn't want to come in. Sigh.

My dad is saying that it seems likely that there will be a recession or depression this year. (I asked him what evidence he's seeing because I'm me and a lot like him.) I got some books on recessions.

Drat. The flight credit that I used for a trip to New York was today, but I managed to cancel it for a credit. I want to take a trip to New York in December.

Gracie finally decided to come in and everyone's fed.

I think that I want to take another nap after work. Overslept by only 20 minutes. Now I let the dogs out and are feeding myself and the critters. I keep having stomach cramps, ugh. Lily is fussing over me.

I’m thinking of just going to bed after my nighttime tasks and getting up early to do my French homework.

Fed us all. Bella started eating Gracie’s food after eating her own food, but I managed to distract her. Now it’s posting time.

I finally got into my Schwab account. Yes, I took a beating. But I bought more oil-related stocks because my dad says that they work well as a hedge. (They go up when other stocks go down and vice versa,)

I feel like the “ichy, watery eyes” of a cold med commercial.

I woke up at 3:30 AM and used the washroom and checked LJ and DW. I’m going back to sleep. No, I couldn’t for quite a while. I couldn’t breathe through my nose, so I was breathing through my mouth, but that triggered coughing and tears rolling down my face. I kept on changing positions until I found one where I could breathe through my nose. It was after 5 AM at that point. Slept until 8 and I emailed in sick.

Yep, my bank transfers to Schwab are working. My dad said to invest the money in a municipal money fund until I’m ready to invest it for real.

Gracie didn’t want to come inside, not even for a donut. It took a half-hour to get her in here. I was getting annoyed. Bella ran back out a couple of times too.

I need to feed the dogs (done) and myself (done).

Oliver is on the ledge above my bedroom door. Then he slowly made is way towards me, getting attention from the dogs. I tried to get the dogs to leave, but no. Oliver made it over to me, but he wanted to play whappy paws with claws out. I removed him. Then I went to use the washroom. I have been leaking urine when I cough or sneeze, so I got a pad on. The dogs followed me out, so I ran back and shut the door with no dogs or cats. Now I can finally sleep. I started coughing and felt like I was going to throw up but didn’t. I got up and am making some Ramen.

I’m wondering if I should take a shower to break up the congestion. I took a DayQuil and did take a shower. It helped. Now I want to order more NyQuil and DayQuil. I also ordered some cough drops. Got them. I’m going to eat a little and try a nap.

I’ve been getting irritated about all the obits about Scott Adams. He wasn’t a very nice guy. On the other hand, he died relatively young (only five years older than I am now), and I’m probably cranky because I don’t feel well.

I did get a couple hours of sleep. Bella came in with me but napped. Now I let the dogs out. It’s feeding time for the critters (done). Ate dinner. Took NyQuil and my nighttime meds. Bedtime soon.

I need to call the hand doctor’s office tomorrow morning. I don’t think that they want me to come in with a cold.

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.

I filled out a Lost and Found form for my blazer that I left on the ship. I’ll see if I get it back.

I didn’t see Zara and was swamped by the feeling that she had died. But she’s okay. I looked at other older cats on the local Humane Society’s website and did see an older black cat that I liked. But I don’t really need another pet.

Woke up a little before my alarm at 7 AM. It's gloomy out again.

Work has been an absolute zoo. I'm not sure what to pick up first.

I had a mammogram scheduled, but they had to cancel because they didn't get the films from the other hospital.

Oliver was sleeping on me, which was nice until he dug his claws in my leg :) I forgot to mention that the ship's doctor asked about the marks on my leg. Well, that's from my asshole cat....

My piano teacher really wants me to attend class. I told her that my left thumb and index finger was tingling, and she said that maybe playing piano might help. Okay. Zara will be pleased at least. No, I’m feeling dizzy and want to lie down, so I’m skipping class. I’m also skipping taking the recycling out.

Bella has started to cough. Terrific. I’ll ask the vet if they can treat her without my bringing her in. I'm a "frequent flyer," so they tend to be good to me.

The local high school is having their Thanksgiving dinner again, so I’m going to go next week.

I couldn’t decide when to do Dial-A-Carol. I’m not feeling decisive today.

It was a three-ring circus feeding the cats and dogs. I think that I need a canine behaviorist for Gracie because she will not stop chasing and barking at the cats. Oliver will swat her, but Lily just gets upset. I finally put Gracie in time-out in the bedroom. When I yell at Gracie, Bella gets upset and says, “I’m sorry.” I told her that nothing was wrong with her.

Nap time. My throat hurts. Had a nice nap. I think that I’m getting a cold. I’m going to feed the pets, take the dogs out, and go back to sleep.

I ordered some Emergen-C and DayQuil from Walmart. I need to be present for delivery though.

I ordered a knee brace and a cane with a seat.

Woke up with my alarm at 6 AM. I couldn’t remember why I was getting up so early for the longest time. Oh yeah, the in-person meeting. My stomach is upset, but I have to go, so that’s that.

The meeting went okay. My grand boss got a little teary because it’s her last annual meeting, and my glasses fogged up a little too. I did get a major dizzy spell during the morning and had to sit down and put my head down.

I loved the pants that I wore to the meeting, so I ordered a pair in navy.

Another dizzy spell. Sigh. I want to lie down.

Um. I got a like on Coffee Meets Bagel from a guy in Gainesboro, TN. I don’t think that will work geographically.

I stupidly left my Kizik shoes out, and one got chewed. Sigh. I ordered a new pair for my trip.

Napped and slept until 9 PM. Got the garbage out.

The BBC had an article about bacteria on your toothbrush. Ugh. They suggested soaking it in mouthwash.

It’s a zoo here. Gracie is barking at Oliver. Oliver is hissing. Lily has gotten out of the fray and went upstairs. Bella ate Gracie’s food. Fed us all.

Now I need to log on and modify a file for our training exercise tomorrow (done).

I was looking for a straw and found my spare set of Zenni glasses. (My housekeeping style is "There appears to have been a struggle".) Now I need to start laundry because I want to wear the jeans tomorrow that I have on. And go to bed.

I’m thinking of staying out one more day; I’m still having dizzy spells. Yeah, I emailed in sick.

I’ve been thinking about 9/11 for the past few days, probably because of the New York City trip that I had planned. Never forget. It was a very big deal when I lived in California because one of the flights was headed towards the Bay Area. There’s a memorial there that I never saw. I remember my mom leaving a message because I was still asleep: “You will find a lot has happened when you get up.” Hard to believe that it’s been 25 years.

I’m reading Byron Katie’s book Loving What Is. The basic idea is that our thoughts about an event cause suffering, not the event itself. I think that it will help. She has worksheets on her Web site. I want to download them on my tablet and work with them.

I think that Bella is a little annoyed with Gracie’s play fighting. She’s keeping her at bay.

Napped. Woke up a little after 12 PM. Rescheduled my COVID and flu shots for Saturday after my singing lesson. Ate lunch.

I want to lie back down, but the doggos are wrestling.

I need to pick out a song to work on in my singing lesson.

Napped. Threw myself together. Went and picked up my groceries. Made dinner.

Now I need to post and feed the critters one more time. I'm really tired.

I woke up with a really upset stomach that got worse, so I called in sick to my dental appointment and work. I need to feed the critters and go back to bed.

I had an unexpected $2000 dental bill. It turns out that my insurance is refusing to pay for my bridge because one of the teeth was previously missing. I’m not sure if it’s worth pursuing with the insurance. They have been working with them for a while. Dad said yes, call them.

I changed my Walmart pickup order to tomorrow.

Went back to sleep. Woke up around 2:30 PM. Ate lunch. Lily is telling me that it’s feeding time, but it’s still early. Whoa. I bent over to pick up my glasses, which Lily knocked on the floor, and had a dizzy spell.

Went back to sleep. Woke up a little before 8 PM. It’s humid out.

I’ve been reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s book about her partner, who died of cancer. It’s rough in parts—her partner went back to her addictions before she died—but she had a great love and found her truth. It’s got me thinking how to get more spirit in my life.

Oh crap. There was another shooting. Political discourse in this country has gone down the tubes.

The cats are telling me they missed a meal. They ground me. I’m making dinner and soaking the cats’ dishes. I’m telling Gracie not to chase the cats. The car keys fell out of my pocket and Bella grabbed them. I finally got them away from her. A quiet evening at home :)

I ordered some Bluetooth headphones and resubscribed to Audible to have books to listen to while I’m cleaning. Elizabeth Gilbert mentioned Pema Chodron and Thich Nant Hanh, both of whom I’ve listened to in the past.

Fed us all and took the dogs out. Now it’s time to post and go back to sleep.

Holy cow. A post on Facebook was about how they used ChatGPT to create their itinerary in Italy, so I asked ChatGPT to create a five-day NYC itinerary that included a list of places that I wanted to see. It delivered, including subway stops and walking directions. Wow. Some of them were what I figured (the Lower Manhattan day was what I had already figured), but there were some surprises. And they told me the best nights to see a play! I need to think about the play nights because I want to stick close to the hotel on the day that I get off the cruise ship so that I can check in, but I won't want to see a play that night because it'll be an early day, unless I can grab a nap. Do I want to take pictures with a GoPro of the cruise departure from Manhattan? Or maybe just use my phone with a tripod? Hey actually, I'd like to do the cruise around Manhattan on my first day. ChatGPT said that it would be better on the Greenwich Village/Chelsea day though.

Hmm, maybe I should do the WTC and lower Manhattan on the first day and make it an early night.

Overslept and woke up a little before 8 AM. I thought about napping at lunchtime and taking my shower after work, but I have a therapy session this afternoon (online). So I need to make myself presentable.

I got everything done at work that I wanted to get done before the long weekend. (I'm taking tomorrow off.)

I'm going around in circles with FedEx about the camera. I think that they delivered it to the pickup facility, but I'm not sure.

My stomach is doing flip-flops.

Crud, AAA had my old address in Lincoln, don't ask me why. The card said that it expired on August 15th. I logged on and changed my address, and it said that it actually expires in December. I asked for a new card. I'll have to wait to jump-start the Kia until I get it. Though I think that I can use my phone app as a card?

Okay, good, my retirement contribution went through.

I checked the weather in Bermuda, and it's raining every day, so I ordered a rain poncho. (I have a raincoat, but it's heavier.) I hope that I can have my beach day though.

Had my therapy session. Nothing much to report; I'm doing everything that I need to do. I just need to wait and see what happens with Gracie.

Yay. CVS has the COVID vaccine, and I made an appointment on the 5th. (I'm getting a flu shot as well.)

Fed us all. Opened up some packages. More used clothes. Some photography books. A tripod for my iPhone. My back hurts.

I'm thinking of going to bed soon and getting up early to do stuff. I don't feel like I have the energy to clean now.

Fed us all. It’s starting to get light. I need to clean up some poop in the bedroom. (I can’t blame Gracie because I was asleep for a long time.) Then I’ll go back to sleep for a while. The dogs promptly crashed out.

Woke up at 9 AM with Gracie licking my face. I caught Bella in the act of moving a cat dish around. Me to Oliver: “You got fed earlier.” Oliver to me: “That was then; this is meow.”

My stomach is upset, so I’m going to lie down. Bella snoozes until the last possible minute before I get up. I told her that she doesn’t have to get up when I get up, but she thinks that it’s her duty as The Dog to follow me around. Gracie is more independent.

I was trying to figure out where to put my new drying rack for clothes. I’d rather put it on the shaded side away from the street. The sunny side is right along the sidewalk. I’ll try it on the shadier side and see what happens. Also, the garage-to-be will clear the clothesline posts in the back yard.

Bella and Gracie were playing tug of war with a stick. Bella won twice. A neighbor said “Hi” to the dogs. Gracie was upset and barking because the guy left, and I told her that the world didn’t revolve around her. She is not convinced. Gracie: “My water dish is empty.” Me: “Your water dish would stay full longer if you didn’t play in the water.” Gracie: “This does not compute.”

Ugh. My stomach is still upset. I would stay in, but have a grocery pickup at Meijer at 4. Hmm, I really need to go to Costco today because I’m planning on staying up late working on the kitchen. But I’ve been feeling dizzy.

I was thinking that I had an easy choice to euthanize Mimi. A brain tumor is serious stuff. I have a feeling that I’ll have a tougher choice with Zara. She keeps losing weight, but her kidney numbers are good so far.

I received my InstaPot. I’m looking forward to learning how to use it.

Lily is fussing over me. I think that she’s hungry.

I took a shower and dressed, but I feel shaky. Ate a BistroMD cookie to try to help the shakes.

Went and got the pickup order. I ran in to get some diet root beer, only to find that they were out of bottles, so I got some cans. I found some good food prep containers and a muffin pan. Came home to find that the new pots and pans are here.

Bought a dog fountain for Bella and Gracie, although Gracie doesn’t like running water. (I read a sob story about a dog who got dehydrated, and that worried me.)

Cats: we’re hungry! Feed us! Nothing subtle about Oliver. He gets in my face when he’s hungry. Fed us all.

The new copper pots look great! I want to clean the stove before taking a picture of them though. I think that I want a copper kettle too (ordered). I need to take apart the boxes that they came in.

I’m feeling dizzy. I was going to stay up all night cleaning, but I think that I need to lie down soon. I really wish that I’d stop being sick. I want to do dishes before I go to sleep though (done). I need to feed the beasts again, but then I'll go to sleep. I'm setting an alarm though.

Gracie woke me up at 5 AM. (I can’t remember when I went to sleep. 11?) I removed her from the bedroom and slept until 7:30. Much better.

My stomach is upset again. I don’t know why. I hope that food will help. Fed us all. Bella is busy stealing napkins.

I bought some reusable produce bags because I’ll need them when I start cooking. I also bought some reusable grocery bags.

I forgot to mention yesterday that the battery on the Kia is dead. I need to call AAA.

I checked, and Mint Mobile has an International Pass. Good.

Napped. I shut Gracie out because she’s more hyper, but Bella is always up for a nap.

Gracie met my neighbor and her friend. Gracie was thrilled by the attention. They pronounced her “cute”. They said that beagles like to run away, so now they know where she lives :)

I should return the stoneware to Costco, but I really want to stay home today and get stuff done. I could take the stoneware to Costco after my COVID shot. Or I could move my COVID shot to Tuesday. I moved my COVID shot to Friday.

My stomach is upset, so I’m going to lie down for a few minutes. Then I’ll shower. I’ll wear shorts because I’m going to be around the house.

Bella and Gracie were chasing Oliver. I told them that they can be little shits, but I was focusing on Bella because she’s teaching Gracie to chase him. I pushed her down and told her “No” repeatedly.

I guess that I feel a little better.

Hmm. I wonder if I’d save money replacing my hot water heater with a tankless one. I asked my dad about it.

I’m about to take a shower. Oliver jumped on my shoulders, claws extended, on his way to the top of the shower stall. I called him an asshole. Now he’s sleeping like a little angel. Not.

I’m getting IBS symptoms, so that’s probably what my upset stomach was about. I’m glad that I’m staying home.

I spent some time trying to figure out how to get my to-do list on my phone's Lock Screen. It didn’t work, but I think that I can create a graphic that says “Work on the House “ in Canva and use it as my Lock Screen. I’ll try it anyway. I got my Lock Screen to say “Work on the house!” with a link to my to-do list. Awesome.

I have a goal to save up the six months of money that you’re supposed to have in your emergency fund (a year would be better because I’m moving towards retirement). I have $1700 and I’m not touching it. Let’s hear it for automatic savings. It comes directly from my paycheck.

I’m getting back to the point that I look at things and say that they’re too expensive. This is good.

Oliver has another new annoying habit in that he’ll eat half his food, then abandon it to eat Lily’s food. I watch them eat though, so I tell him to stop it and move his food near him. (Don’t get me wrong; I love him, but I can love him AND think that he’s annoying.)

I'm still not feeling great, so I decided to open up some Amazon boxes (I got some Mason jars to prep salads or soups) and then I tackled my travel backpack. I got my charging cords organized, except for some usba to usbc cords that the dogs got into. (Now I'll have everything in my backpack and will zip it closed, so they can't get into anything.) I ordered the cords and a couple more US-to-Europe adapters. I had bought some Beats headphones (this was before my austerity kick), so I'm charging them. And I have a dongle to plug into the airplane seat's electronics to broadcast Bluetooth. I have no excuse to get bored on the plane.

I want to get up early in the hope that I'll feel better, so I need to go to sleep soon. I want to find my boombox first though (and feed the beasts).

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.

The lawn is shaggy and I need to mow this weekend. And I should seed the bare spots. And plant my seeds. And clean the house. Busy, busy. Actually, I should wait to plant things until after the conference to which I'm going in early May. Speaking of which, I emailed a plant store, asking if they could ship my plants a week later due to the conference to which I'm going, but I haven't heard back. I need to check my spam filter. Okay, they did email me and they're shipping it a week later. Yay.

Woke up at 7 AM. Today is a work from home day, which is nice. Lily went into the shower and Bella was barking at her.

i keep forgetting about AARP discounts for travel. I should compare their price when I book hotels for my trips.

The Medisafe app is working well for medication reminders. I always remember the nighttime doses, but in the morning, I get distracted.

The May 1st protest will be in the evening, so I can go. I need to make my sign this weekend.

I had to turn my fan on upstairs. Spring tends to go from cold directly to hot in Central Illinois.

Silence from the trust about my check. I'm getting annoyed.

Had a therapy session. My therapist thinks that I should get a lawyer to deal with the trust. She also is concerned that I'm still having depressive symptoms and wants me to talk to my psychiatrist. I went online to contact the psychiatrist, only to find that I have an appointment on Monday. That'll work.

I don’t know what to do. I should go pick up a library book, but I’m crazy tired. I’m dropping the Kia off to be fixed tomorrow and don’t know if I’ll have it on the weekend. I did get new wrenches though, so I should be able to connect the battery in the Honda though. Ugh. My stomach is upset.

Slept until 11 PM. Started laundry. I figured out what I'm going to wear tomorrow. I have another offsite meeting. My colleague is going to pick me up at the car repair place.

Oliver, get off of the keyboard!

Lily is really coming into her own. It’ll be interesting to see how things go when Oliver gets here.

I need to order cat food, but I’ll do so tomorrow.

Oops, I need to set up weekly pet waste cleanup.

Woke up at 6 AM. Lily is here and said, “Hi”.

I’m trying to decide whether to work or not. I have this week off, but in general, I’d like to save my vacation time for travel.

Ordered a new pair of Kiziks because Bella did something with my old ones. Ordered cat food and human food.

Zara is warily watching Lily, who is ignoring her. Fed Lily and Zara. Did dishes.

Hmm. I really want to go back to sleep. I decided to take today off and go back to work tomorrow. I sent a message to work telling them what happened and that I’m back. Called the vet where Oliver and Bella is being boarded and said that I would be by in the early afternoon to pick them up.

My boss could not have been kinder. She said that if I needed time to recover from the sad end to my trip, to take it, and that sick days cover mental health too. But I’m okay except for dreaming that I had a stroke.

My vet left a message with her condolences.

Got our groceries. Lily thinks that my food is her food, or at least, she hopes so.

Yeah, I needed a quiet day. In a few minutes, I’ll hop into the shower and then go pick up Oliver and Bella.

I’ve gotten set with the pet waste people.

Holy cow. I forgot a bottle of soda in the freezer. I took it out to thaw. It just exploded all over my cabinets and stand mixer. I wiped them down but need to go over them with spray cleaner. The bottle is now in the sink where I should have put it in the first place.

Lily was trying to catch the waterdrops on the shower. And she had to go in when I got out.

Bella and Oliver are home. There was an issue with my credit card, but we got it straightened out. Bella’s tail is on max wag. However, she ate (and pooped out) her collar. They gave her an x-ray and she’s okay. Don’t know what I’m going to do with that crazy dog though. Oliver and Bella were faves at the boarding place though. And Bella jumped into the car and gave me a kiss!

Uh-oh. Oliver and Lily had a little squabble. And Bella needs lots of reassurance, not surprisingly. So much for taking Bella for a nice long walk. (I’m not going to choir tonight. Actually there is no choir because of Spring Break.) She needs a collar or harness. I ordered both from Amazon.

The pupster is settling down.

My stomach hurts. I’m going to lie down. Slept with Bella and slept so deeply that I wasn’t sure if it was morning or night. The pup is still asleep. Oops, she just woke up. She just rolled over.

Took Bella out. She needs to sniff every square inch of the yard. I need to get someone to rake leaves. Fed Bella and the catlings are in process (done). Ordered cat food covers because I now have an odd number of cats. But Bella ate the extra food :)

Oliver and Lily are playing "Catch Me If You Can!" upstairs. I'm going to take Bella out one more time and then go to bed early. I'm still tired.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh lord, she is squeaking the ball.

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

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

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

Cool. Bella’s collar shipped.

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

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

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

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

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

Hmm. I would like a cruise to Bermuda too. But I’ll wait and see how this cruise goes.

Oh, what a day.

Ugh. I've been constipated, and I had a GYN appointment today, so I took laxatives. So I wound up with both constipation and diarrhea. I went to my appointment and talked to the nurse about it, and she talked to the doctor, and they rescheduled it. Yay. I was worried about making a mess.

Then I had my haircut, and the hairdresser did her usual excellent job. She kept trying to upsell me though, and I kept on saying "No" politely.

Then I had a therapy appointment, which was good timing because I was feeling overwhelmed and almost in tears. She agreed that I should try to book an appointment with my former life coach to sort through all that I need to do. She also recommended that I do chair yoga. I'm also thinking about taking a hot bath this weekend.

Then I had a piano lesson. I told my teacher that I didn't get much time to practice (although I scrambled to do some practice today) and she said, "Okay, let's do a practice session." I really like her. She's good at finding pieces that stretch me. She also told me how to find a drum on my digital piano, and suggested that I practice to it. She also said that people who play piano are less likely to get dementia because of the mental workout, which is good news for me.

Then I got the recycling out. I reserved Ubers for San Juan after discovering that airport shuttles were too damn expensive. I wrote my pet sitter about the trip.

Now I'm going to crash. I'll put up my Halloween decorations at lunchtime tomorrow.

There's a big honking rain storm heading our way, so yes, I'm staying in today. Yikes, it's getting really dark. And here comes the storm. Mimi doesn't like the thunder.

Forgot to mention that the rosemary is very happy that it's outside now and is putting out shoots like crazy.

Had a nice long nap. Hmm. Now it's saying no more rain until 10 PM, so maybe I could go to the storage place. Oh hell, I need to do laundry first. I still could make it.

My back hurts. Maybe from standing at the party? And I have stomach cramps. Now I'm thinking that I'll go get the bicycle before I go to Springfield tomorrow.

Zara seems to have bounced back from Mimi beating up on her and is eating again. Good.

I ordered a book called The Art of Happy Moving from the library. I stumbled upon it in an article.

I was reading about plasma donation, and they recommend drinking protein shakes (and also eating spinach), so I'll get some at Walmart tomorrow. So I won't go donate tomorrow. I found a recipe for Spinach Apple Salad, so I'll eat that for lunch.

Talked to Mom. She didn't realize that it was Saturday and wasn't answering her phone, but when I kept calling, she was concerned that someone was really trying to get in touch with her and checked the number. I was starting to panic, but all's well that ends well. She saw her cardiologist, who told her that she was accumulating fluid in her legs because she isn't eating enough protein. Her primary care physician wants her to see a pulmonologist for her cough, but she complained that she would be seeing a doctor every day of the week. Oh, and they also want to give her another blood transfusion because her hemoglobin is low. Getting older can be the pits :(

I'm feeling kind of tired, so I think that I'll go to bed early and get up early.

Still having some digestive issues and headaches, but not as bad as it was this weekend.

I found a bill from my optician for my glasses this weekend, which should have been paid by my FSA account. I spent a long time on chat with the people who administer my FSA, only to find that they didn't like the receipt that I uploaded. Did they tell me that? That would be a "no". Sigh. I'll go over there tomorrow and get a new receipt.

Talked to Mom. She's in a little more pain than she was, and she didn't remember that we had talked for over an hour on Saturday! She's still not sure when she'll get out of the hospital, but it looks like she'll be going to rehab for two weeks, but she wants to doublecheck with her insurance company that it'll be covered. If she's going for two weeks, that will put us in Thanksgiving week, so I might not be going there that week. We'll see. She said that it was okay to tell my dad about her surgery, so I did.

Yay. I got my programming assignment done. And I didn't have to plead "stress" due to my mom's surgery.

I have a lot that I should be doing, but I'm really tired. I think that I'm going to go to bed early and get up early.

Oh man. The Great Courses has a guide to Essential Italy on sale that I really want to get, but I'm going to need to pay for the pet sitter and gas to get to my mom's house. I wonder if I could squeeze the money out. Oh holy cow. The Great Courses has a subscription service that I just signed up for. They have a whole bunch of courses that I'd like to view. Far out.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/1209175.html

Zara cracks me up. She eats on the counter, and when I feed them, she'll jump down and jump back up multiple times to make the food appear. And hey, it "works"! She also asked for more food during lunch, and I gave her some. I'm wondering if I should call the vet about it, but I'll wait this weekend (it's hard to get weekend appointments anyway) and see how things go. She seems fine otherwise.

Now my WiFi adapter on my desktop is working now that I ordered a new one. Well, I guess that it's good to have a spare. That at least answers how I'm going to do my homework this weekend.

Had an upset stomach this afternoon, but I took some antacid tablets, and it seems to have settled down. Headache too. I might just crash after my shots, though I was planning to watch TV.

My new "oracle" cards are in my mailbox. Awesome. I'll pick them up after my shots. Also the new band for my Fitbit Charge 4 is here too. I'm glad that I picked a tracker for which you can change bands. (I originally had a Garmin and the band broke and that was that.)

The new USB headphones have been flaky and I need to return them. I threw out the packaging though. I wonder if Amazon will still take them back.

Just remembered to pay my Italian teacher.

Hmm. My mom doesn't want to get one of those emergency buttons for older people, but I wonder if she would be willing to get a Web cam or two. I'd have to set it up for her. Then if I don't see her, I could call a friend to check up on her. I'm looking into a Nest cam. Maybe I could go over to Best Buy while I'm there.

HBO Max has been sending me non-stop emails since I subscribed. It's getting a little annoying. I'll have to see if I can unsubscribe to the emails (done).

Hmm. I looked into online therapy, but it will cost me more than in-person therapy, although maybe they're more flexible on hours? Note to self: I looked into doTherapy. I was planning to look in to therapy after the first of the year. I tried another one (Better Help) and it also was more expensive. I have good insurance (finally!)

Best Buy will recycle my bad monitor if I pay them $30. It might be worth it to get it out of the kitchen.

I ordered a yearly planner for next year that I can start on my birthday and work on at my mom's house. (I was thinking of on the train but I forgot that I'm driving.)

I need to go pick up Zara's meds tomorrow.

Okay. I got my shots (COVID booster and flu). They weren't too bad. (I'm a little needle-shy.) I thought about going to get Zara's meds but decided to go straight home. What I really want to do is a Tarot reading, but I'm not sure what I did with my cards. I wanted a "classic" Tarot deck so I ordered one. Now I'm done with birthday presents! I can give myself an Oracle card reading anyway because I received the cards.

I love the Oracle cards (Queen of the Moon Oracle). They're attractive and speak to me. I drew cards for November and December. November was Assessing (appropriate for a birthday month) and December is Attraction. I'm interpreting them as time to take stock and clean house and set goals and get out of living in the whirlwind and make space for the new. And I will put the cards where I won't lose them!!

Hmm, I'm yawning and am a little headachy, so I think that I'll just go to bed early.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/1206550.html

I stayed up late reading Harry Potter. But I needed some relaxation after doing tons of homework.

Hmm. My oatmeal tasted okay with water instead of milk. That certainly is easier.

I'm thinking about what I need to do today. I need to pick up some meds and milk. I need to make my veggie bake for dinner. And I need to study for my midterm, which I'm planning to take tomorrow. And study Italian. But first, a nap.

Had a nice nap but overslept. I won't make it to pick up my meds. I'll go tomorrow after Italian. Had a bite to eat with Zara asking for food. I told her that it was still early to feed them. Made a grocery list.

Upset stomach. I think that I'll wait until tomorrow to go the store. I'm going to lie down again.

Talked to Mom. We talked about whether I should come out in November. We decided that I should drive rather than taking the train so that I could go at the last minute. We talked about my working while I was there, but the limiting factor is how long I could leave the cats alone, being checked by the pet sitter. (Mom doesn't want me to bring them with me.)

I decided to eat one of the frozen dinners that I bought to eat at work instead of making veggie bake. I need to study for my midterm and for Italian.

I went to find the sheet with the past tense on it for Italian, only to find that my teacher never sent it. Bah. I'll look in my grammar book.

Studied a little Greek. It's hard. Greek Pod 101 has a Premium Plus thing that includes working with a teacher. Maybe.

Looked online for chicken cat food for the girls, but all the stuff on Amazon will take a while to ship. Chewy to the rescue.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/1201838.html

Urgh. Upset stomach this morning. But I just need to make it through Italian and then I can take a nap.

All three students showed up for Italian and we had class. It went well. We're learning verbs such as the Italian verbs for "to want," "to be able to," etc. Useful.

Zara showed interest in my lunch, which I'm glad to see. I worry about her.

Had a nice nap. Went and got the mail. I got only one potato bag instead of four, so I wrote the seller. Sigh. I checked my potato planting instructions, and it said to cut up the potatoes three days before planting. So I'm off to do that. And my carrots are coming up!

I was going to go to the gym later, but they're predicting rain. Yes, I'm being a wuss. But it's supposed to be clear tomorrow night. I'll use the exercise bike instead. And maybe do some Pilates? Got the garbage out. Soaked a litter box. And here comes the rain.

Used the exercise bike. I'm working with Think Confident Be Confident. What I found out so far as that I'm quasi-confident, neither bad nor good. But work is where my anxiety comes out. I started to follow a Pilates video, but discovered 1) my laptop isn't running on battery and 2) when I plug in the laptop, I can't see it to follow along. However, I had a Pilates book, so I did a couple of exercises.

Ouch. I was turning around in my desk chair and had a sharp pain in my knee. I'll go to the doctor if I have to, but I want to try exercise first. (Losing weight would also help.)

I'm feeling tired, so I think that I'll just go to bed.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/1185643.html

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