days_unfolding

I put a date on my calendar to plant sunflowers, coneflowers, and zinnias. Probably wildflowers too.

Bella had the three-times-daily frustration called “The cats are eating!” I said, “Bella, that’s CAT food. It’s for CATS. You are not a CAT.” She thinks that she still should get their food.

Woke up around 10 AM. Measured my gardens with some help (not!) from Bella.

Got my grocery order. Lily was eating the crumbs from my turnover. Filled Mimi's fountain. Fed us all.

Ordered a boatload of seeds and plants. It's exciting!

I need to figure out what song to work on for singing lessons.

Amazon needs better UX people. When I set an alarm for my Echo Spot, there is a large button at the bottom to delete the alarm and a small link at the top right to save it. I press the damn delete button all the time. I wonder if they did usability studies.

Napped. It just occurred to me that I can’t plant flowers along the fence because I’m replacing the fence. I’ll have to do something else with them. I could plant the zinnias under the tree in the front yard.

I told Oliver that we have our own orange menace, and that would be him :) He did sit nicely on my lap for a couple of minutes, but then he started biting. He is now in the food box and Bella is whining because she can’t reach him.

Hmm. Now I’m wondering if I should board Oliver while I’m gone because he’ll try to get out.

I have to remember to sign Bella up for training. Ugh. Registration starts while I’m gone. I’ll put a reminder on my calendar and hope that I’ll check it. I’ll try a pop-up reminder too.

I have to check-in for my cruise, which means that I need to clear a credit card. I also need to book the bus to O’Hare and my Miami tour.

I have a boatload of things to do today, so I should get into the shower soon. I have my meeting with the life coach. And I need to work on the kitchen. And practice singing and piano. (Zara will like that.) And start packing.

I was wondering when to start shaving my legs for the trip when I remembered that I have a massage next Saturday. I’ll do it before the massage.

Oliver knocked over my donuts and turnovers. I’m now missing a turnover. Bella has it. Chaos central :)

I ordered more blue socks. I have a million black pairs, but the blue ones are MIA. I was looking for a pair of white jeans. I couldn’t find one in my size in Gloria Vanderbilt, but Woman Within has a pair that I’ll try.

I took a shower without “help”. It was very nice. Now I need to feed the critters.

I ordered the white jeans in two different sizes to see which fits better.

I'm now checked into the cruise. Paid my credit cards. Oh, I need to find the first hotel that I booked for Miami and cancel it (done). Booked the bus. I'm trying to book a hotel in Chicago on my trip back, but the Web site is being wonky. I tried another browser and it worked. Booked the Art Deco tour in South Beach.

Had my session with the life coach. She thinks that I should get someone to help me move some of the stuff out of the living room to the storage shed and upstairs, so I'll post on NextDoor to ask if someone has a kid who would like to make some money. I also will put quiet time on my phone during the evenings to keep me from scrolling. (I could go upstairs to log onto the Web, but that takes more effort.)

Now I'll take Bella out, eat dinner, and do some cleaning and practice singing and piano before I go to sleep. Mimi is whining because she doesn't want to get off of my lap.

It’s miserable out—a mix of freezing rain and snow. Even Bella agrees. I’m thawing. I hope that the roads are okay for my errands tomorrow.

The food has knocked me out. I’ve started the nighttime feeding process, although I also soaked a litter box. It would be good to get up early to run errands earlier.

The fountain wasn’t working (wouldn’t turn on). I’ll figure it out in the morning. Got it working but no interest yet.

Woke up a little after 9 AM.

Now Lily is interested in the outside world. Hmm.

I can’t quite get rid of this cough. Kind of annoying.

Oliver was checking out the fountain but Bella bugged him. Got us all fed. I’m charging Mimi’s fountain.

Hmm. I need to run and pick up a prescription before my singing lesson. Napped. But I need to eat lunch, so I probably won’t make it to the pharmacy. Hmm. Maybe I could go over lunch tomorrow? Or maybe I should just have it delivered and wait. I have a vet appointment for Mimi tomorrow at 10 AM. I could drop Mimi off afterwards and run to the pharmacy.

I bought Oliver and Lily a cat toy with balls going around a track. They love it, but Bella is trying to get the balls out!

Bella is drinking from the cat fountain.

Managed to scramble to throw myself together for my singing lesson. And it went great! She had me sing an old song as well as new exercises, and my voice seemed brighter and stronger.

I signed up for life coaching every two weeks. I need to get unstuck.

Got the filter and heater working on the fish tank. I got my arm wet adjusting the sand so I had to change my hoodie.

I almost forgot to eat again. I guess that’s good?

Crap. I put a knee through my chair.

Had dinner. Filled Mimi's fountain. I need to get to bed early because I'm taking Mimi to the vet tomorrow morning. So I'll feed the critters and crash. Oh, and bring the cat carrier upstairs. And do laundry.

Hammered. Overslept work a little. Overslept my lunchtime nap too. (Luckily, I said that I was taking a long lunch.) I didn't get my Halloween stuff up, so I'll do it at 5 PM.

I dreamed about the Canadian guy that I liked last night. He’s on Facebook, and I would like to contact him, but I want to wait until I lose weight. (Eating Halloween candy doesn’t help!)

The girls polished off their food this morning. Yay. And Zara is looking for more food! And Mimi wanted some dry food.

I’ve decided to go to Goodwill, Ross, and TJ Maxx on Friday night to look for another dress for the trip. Oh, and I need to mail my returns of the clothes. I might have to do that on Saturday.

Mimi was on my lap, and she gave me an accusing look when I dumped her off to pick up my headphones that had fallen on the floor. Just as well, because I have a meeting soon that I'm leading. She is sneaky too. I was concentrating on some work stuff, and she jumped on my lap, and I didn't even notice until I looked at her! I told her her new name is Sill E. Cat.

The BetterUp people said that I lost the two pre-paid sessions when I canceled, but that they would give me a credit so that I can have a session. Unfortunately, my life coach isn't available until Wednesday, so I guess that I'll work with her on my final list before going on the trip. I could also work on a plan for working on the house after I get back.

There is something that I wanted to get at Meijer, but I can't remember what it is. Also, I need to pick up cat litter tomorrow while I'm out. And some extra cat food. Oh, and I need to go to Aldi this weekend because my therapist said that they have some good Keto munchies. I need something for my hotel/ship room.

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that my therapist asked me what I can do to decrease stress. She mentioned chair yoga. And I think that I want to take a warm bath this weekend. I want to do a pedicure and a facial as well. I bought a really cool pair of sandals on Amazon yesterday because the ones that I have didn't fit. I want my feet to look good! I think that I'll do a manicure right before I go with clear polish only. Then I'll use colored polish on the ship.

I want to make an appointment at Urgent Care to get the ear wax cleaned out of my ears. I want an appointment for Saturday or Sunday, but they let me make an appointment for tomorrow only. I'll try again tomorrow.

Oops, just remembered to order some bug spray wipes.

Got my Halloween decorations up (such as they are). I like the window clings. I might need to buy more next year because I had to use tape on some of them. I just got my first Trick-or-Treaters just now. How exciting!

Oops, this flipped over!

I’ve been doing chores downstairs in order to hear Trick-or-Treaters at the door. (I really need to get a doorbell installed.) I tidied up the kitchen and watered the plants. Now I’ll start on the clothes in the laundry area after resting my back. I’m going to turn the porch light off at 9 PM and go upstairs.

Speaking of which, I was investigating breast reduction surgery because my back aches when I bend over or walk. However, it seems that my breasts aren’t large enough for insurance to pay for it, and it’s expensive without it. Losing weight would help though.

Hmm. I should do 1SE in November because of the trip. (The only time that I remember to do it is when I’m taking a trip.) Maybe I’ll take a picture of my lawn full of leaves tomorrow. I’m leaving them there to feed the lawn over the winter.

Oh! I was working on my clothes and discovered that I still had the pretty purple dresses that I bought from Ross! I’ll try them on, but they should fit. In that case, I’ll return both evening gowns from ThredUp and take the purple ones on the trip. Oh, I’m so happy! I think that I'll wear them with my blue pumps because they don't look bad and they are MUCH more comfortable than my black ones.

I turned the porch light off. I had a sum total of two sets of Trick-or-Treaters. And lots of candy left over. I’m not surprised because there aren’t a lot of kids that live in the neighborhood. Next year, buy less candy :)

Worked for a while to make up my time.

I can return my Land's End clothes at Kohl's. I'll do that tomorrow. I'll need to go to the post office for the ThredUp returns.

Mimi is on my lap and making it hard for me to package up the returns, so I'll post first. Cats rule; humans drool :)

Well, I got a good night’s sleep anyway. The TA popped up at 7:30 AM, this morning, but I went back to sleep. Mimi Complaint Department is complaining. She wanted lap time. Now she's snoozing in a sunbeam.

Apparently there was a frost last night, but I didn't bring the plants in. I hope that they're okay. (I checked, and the dill looks okay.) I forgot to mention yesterday that I ordered an electric weed wacker to come on Friday. My compost bin is probably "lost in the mail" (How do you lose a compost bin? It should be big), so I'll have to cancel the order and order a new one (done).

Had my meeting with the life coach, and we discussed what I need to get done over the weekend.

I didn't do great on the algorithms (math) test, but at least it's over.

I had my appointment with the therapist. I said that I was feeling fatalistic about my classes, but she said that she thought that I was being realistic about them.

Yeah, I bombed out on the test. Sigh. Now my grade in the algorithms (math) class is lower than my grade in the programming class.

I got my spireas. They’re huge!

Tried to nap but couldn’t sleep.

Mimi has been clinging to me today. She amused my life coach, who said that she was beautiful. She wants a lot of lap time, maybe to make up the time that I missed when I was at the meetings.

Placed a grocery order for tomorrow morning.

Finished a project for work. I'll be happy when I won't have to make up time in the evenings. Started laundry.

I think that I'll do dishes and scoop cat boxes. etc., and go to bed early.

Oh cool. I found a place that sells custom frames (for my maps) that isn't too terribly expensive.

I had my appointment with the physician's assistant. She took a thorough medical history. She's going to submit the prescriptions for my meds, but she wants me to see a psychiatrist to manage my meds. She wants me to have a fasting blood test tomorrow morning. I'll get called to set up a mammogram and something else that I've forgotten. She's giving me a referral to a dermatologist about some of my moles. She'll do a pap smear during my appointment in September. She wants me to make an appointment with an eye doctor, which is on my list. It was a lot :) I just booked an eye doctor appointment for after I get back from Michigan. The hospital called to set a time for the mammogram.

Ugh, there is some sort of delay for the prescription I need. I hope that it gets straightened out soon.

yshaloo gave me a taste for chili. I found a slow cooker recipe that I'd like to try. Maybe I'll cook it this weekend. I should stop by Aldi. I have a bunch of money from my Amazon returns, so I’ll get spices there. (The organizers threw out a bunch of expired spices.)

I now know why the cats love the window in the guest room; there's a cardinal who lives in the tree there!

I received the rake. Wow, it’s humongous! Maybe I’ll start raking tonight on my dinner break.

I had my meeting with the life coach and discussed my plan for this weekend into next week.

My flaming headache is back. I think that I’ll watch the class recording and lie down (done).

I raked the NE corner of my front yard. It’s a start. I’m thinking of planting wildflowers between my fence and the sidewalk.

My meds are finally ready, but CVS is closed. And it opens at 9 AM, but I have a meeting at 9. Bother. I guess that I'll go at lunchtime.

I have a meeting at 9 AM tomorrow, so I'll have the fasting blood test done on Monday.

I did as much of the homework as I was able to do. I was stumped by a few problems. I have a lot of studying to do this weekend.

Zara slept on the bed with me last night! It’s nice to have her with me. The cats are getting back into their routines. Zara jumps on my lap at my work desk when she wants to be fed. Zara is a little off her feed, and I’m a little worried. She seems fine otherwise though. She asked me for food later.

Had my meeting with the life coach. We worked out a plan for the next week, including what I'm going to work on when with the organizers.

I was feeling really tired, so I skipped class (I'll watch the recording later) and slept.

The trash guys picked up my recycling, but the garbage guys still haven't come.

I got my test back. 75/100, ugh. I think that this semester might be the end of my grad school dreams.

I had my first therapy session in a long time. I had forgotten how good my therapist is. She was pleased that I got help from the life coach and organizer. She said that a lot of people have problems asking for help. She thinks that some of my resistance to doing tasks ("adulting") might have to do with when I'm doing them. I'll see.

Booked a massage for a week from Sunday. My life coach pointed out that there was no point in getting one until after I work with the organizers.

Had a nice nap. Ran out to pick up a few things at Meijer. I need to get to bed because the repair guy is coming tomorrow morning.

Sheesh. If I don’t go to bed when Mimi wants, she comes and meows at me. My life is run by cats:)

Had my session with the life coach. We decided that I need a weekly planning session and a paper planner to block out my time and to-do lists for the week. I just ordered the planner.

Talked to the handyman for my mom's house, who called me. He said that we should order the new garage door, so he'll send me an invoice, which I'll forward to the trust. He wants to replace the back door to the garage (you used to be able to drive through it), but I'm getting tired of spending money on the house.

Classes are going well and I've been participating more than last year. I told one of my professors that I have been enjoying the classes more this year without the extreme stress of last year. I emailed the other professor the same thing, and she said some nice things about me.

I took a nap after work and overslept until 11 PM. I've been doing triage on what I need to get done. I need to start laundry, do a few things for work (I'll make up the rest of the time on Saturday), and get the counters cleared and boxes out for the cleaner tomorrow. I won't get the kitchen table, but oh well. Okay, work is done. I got the counters cleared in and the boxes out of the kitchen and the laundry in the dryer. Now I'm going back to sleep.

I found some hanging trays for bird feeders, so I guess that I’ll take Mom’s bird feeder. It would be great entertainment for the cats. There are some birds with a nest on the roof above my bedroom, and Mimi goes nuts watching them.

Ack! They're predicting eight inches of snow on Tuesday! I need to make sure that I have money for the lawn care/snow removal guy (done).

The insurance person at the trust wants to go over the quote for the home insurance on Monday. So I'm not going down to Urbana this weekend.

The dumpster is gone. Yay!

Ugh. I'm sitting here waiting for the TaskRabbit guy, who hasn't come yet. I have a meeting with my life coach in 25 minutes. He never showed or messaged.

Had my meeting with the life coach. We developed a plan for packing my stuff up here for the movers. She suggested getting painters tape (ordered) and putting it on stuff to move. I also want to make a list of stuff to move, so that I can check it off the list item by item.

I received the Laugh In DVDs. Sock it to me! I might watch one tonight after work. I also received the plant stands.

I submitted a Kroger order. I don't think that I'm getting BistroMD this week because of issues with my card, so I'm laying in supplies.

Hmm. I was mulling over the problems that I have with handling paper (which I will discuss with the organizers), and I decided that I need a basket with a handle to put mail in and carry it upstairs in my new house to pay bills and file. Mom had the perfect basket, so I put it with the stuff to take. I'll also need a wastebasket to use for mail to recycle. I also would like a larger basket for stuff going upstairs, and Mom had a good basket for that too, but it has stuff in it. I'll have to empty it. I also need a magazine rack for my bedroom. I found one that I like, and I put it on my "Urbana" wish list. (And I'll need to set "clearing" dates for the rack.) I found a book on managing paper, and I also got The Home Edit (which I had checked out of the library previously and it's good) and The Complete Book of Home Organization in printed versions for the pictures. I need a basket for computer headphones and USB drives. Also photography paraphernalia (bought on eBay--I'll pack stuff in the basket and then pack the basket). Oh, and Mom has a thing with little drawers in it that I'd like to take as well.

Now I'm wondering if I should take Mom's pots and pans. I want a rack to hang pots and pans, but mine have seen better days. Mom's are better (probably because she didn't cook much!) Eventually, I'd like a set of copper pots and pans, but I'll have lots of stuff to spend money on and need to delay some purchases.

I've decided that a little room upstairs will be the guest room. As I'm not expecting any guests, I don't need to make a big effort on it. I'll put the futon in there, a coffee table and end table, and some pictures. Maybe I could hang a curtain as a door, although there are two doors upstairs off their hinges, and I'm not sure where they go.

I got my Kroger order. And I forgot frozen yogurt bars! Aargh! I'll wait until tomorrow and put in another order with everything that I forgot. That's the downside of having groceries delivered; you don't get a visual prompt of stuff you might have forgotten.

I read an article today about emergency supplies to keep on hand. Thinking of the snow storm, I filled up my car with gas. My errand took me near a Kroger, and I picked up some drinking water for me and the cats in case the pipes freeze as well as the items that I forgot.

I got a horrendous water bill from the time that the water was flowing from the sprinkler system. That was an expensive mistake.

I promised Mimi that I would go up and snuggle with her when I got back, so I need to go do that. Mimi was asleep and was completely befuddled when I came up. She even didn’t want to be petted or climb on me!

I priced an induction cooktop/convection oven because eventually I’ll want to get rid of the stove in the new house, but it won’t happen any time soon. I found some wall coat hooks on Wayfair that I will get because I want to turn the area by the back door into a mudroom. Oh, and I need a boot tray. Hmm. I don’t know where my cordless drill is, so I need to get another one unless Mom had one. And a level device.

I read most of the evening. I need to get to bed soon.

I just remembered to check if I could get AT&T Fiber at the new place. I can. I still don't know what the owner of my rental did with my Comcast router.

The move is finished! Everything (just barely) fit in my storage space! And the cost was less than half of the money that I had put aside. Oh, and I found the Comcast router. I asked the guys if they would do my move into the new house, and they said, "Sure. Call the office."

I was feeling flush, so I treated myself to a late lunch at Panera. Then I went to the bank and deposited all the cash that I was carrying around. Then I dropped off some box pieces at the recycling place.

If I had a beer, I would drink it, but I don't, so I think that I'll take a nap. Actually, I wound up reading for a couple of hours. Paid some bills. I'm not sure what to do with Comcast because I don't need it for a couple of months. Ack! My life coach just quit Better Up!?! I'm trying to track her down. Her Web site is down too. I hope that she's okay.

Ack! It's only 7 PM. It's a little too early to go to sleep. Did some packing up. It's still early :) Read the Washington Post.

Now I can't stop yawning. I was going to do the dishes, but I'll do them in the morning. I'll just go to sleep.

Got my French homework printed off and stashed in my backpack. Got my clothes together for both days of flights. I'm getting my second wind, but I still think that I'll pack my clothes in the AM.

Intel is going to be providing foundry services to NVIDIA. I'm trying to scrape together cash to invest. Okay, transferred some money. Bought shares.

Getting up before dawn sucks. I ate breakfast and fed the cats, but I decided to go back to sleep and pack tonight. I’ll go swimming in Kauai.

The handyman came to put up the screens right after I woke up. I had a new frontier of weirdness; I took a shower while he was in the house. I trust him though. He spent the rest of the morning changing some door locks. He said that the cost of the aluminum framing on the roof will be about $4500. Sigh.

I really like my new Hawaiian hoodie. It’s a coral reef and very nice-looking. So of course, I got some food on it. Aargh.

I found out how to use the fabric AirTag holders, so now they’re securely fastened in my suitcase and small carryon bag. I’m missing a couple of them, but I have one for the backpack. They aren’t expensive, so I can order more.

It’s really cold out. I think that I’ll wear the wool trench coat tomorrow because I’ll be waiting outside for the shuttle car.

I have hot and cold running meetings, so I'm going to go to the UPS Store tomorrow before work.

I talked to the life coach, and she was her usual helpful self. I now have a list of things to do when I get back, but the TaskRabbit ones, I can do from Hawaii. We also talked about my getting a spa treatment, and I found a place that I like. I need to figure out when to go there.

Talked to my weight-loss coach, who is still like nails on a chalkboard. She wants to turn everything into an end goal, and I'm more about the process. And I have been losing weight, so I wish that she'd back off.

Mover guy called me back. He asked if the move could be later if I need it delivered later, and I said no. He said that he’d look into a “container move” and will get back to me tomorrow morning.

I got everything done that I wanted to get done for work. The pet sitter stopped by and got the key. I dashed off some things for my goal-setting class.

Had my Dare to Dream class. Put my stuff for the UPS Store in the car for tomorrow morning. I’m freezing cold so I went upstairs. Packed my main suitcase. Now I'm boiling hot, so I came downstairs to print stuff off. I just need to pack my little "jump bag," and I'll be ready to go.

Checked in and printed off my boarding pass. Printed off maps. The spa is just a short distance away from my hotel. The only thing is that with the time change, I won't be able to call them from here tomorrow morning. The time that I'd need to call them is the time that I'm being picked up. I might be able to call from my hotel in Chicago. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until I get there. Okay, my travel documents are printed off. Printed off cat instructions.

The landlord leaving stuff at my rental house can't get into the garage. I didn't know what to tell him.

I'm going to go finish off packing my little jump bag, pack my meds, clear off the mail on the table, and then go to sleep. I should get a decent night's rest.