days_unfolding

Woke up at 5:30 AM. I took Bella out for an hour and it worked. She pooped outside. I guess that I need to get up earlier during the week. Fed us all. Now it’s nap time. Bella is flaked out already.

Had a nice nap. Ate some granola for lunch. I think that I want another short nap. And to charge my Apple Watch.

Napped well. Submitted a Walmart order, including a vase for the flowers that I’ll arrange tomorrow.

I was making my leisurely way to my shower, when suddenly I remembered that I had a massage appointment. I jammed through my shower, slapped on some makeup, and left. I made it with 10 minutes to spare. My massage therapist has six dogs and two cats! I told her that I was thinking of getting another dog, and she suggested fostering one. She fosters for Hospice Hearts. The massage was a little painful. I guess that I’m stressed.

Because I’m low on food, I ordered (DoorDash) a couple of hot dogs and fries from Windy City Express. Wow, it got here fast. Bella ate a few French fries and even Oliver ate one!

Now I’m waiting for my Walmart order. Did some cleanup in the kitchen. Got my groceries in.

I'm wondering if I should order my Marriott mattress and box spring yet. AI says 4 - 5 weeks, which would put it at my business trip. I'll order it afterward.

I'm going to go to sleep now.

Hmm. It occurred to me that I could plan a quieter, gentler trip to Italy. Maybe I could go to Sardinia, stay in Cagliari, poke around, and go to the beach. I’m doing some research. I found a hotel that I like. Maybe I could do Italian language lessons? I think that there is a language school there? Language school I'm trying to find out how I'd get there. It looks like I'd need to fly to Rome and then take another flight to Sardinia. Excellent. The language school is a 10 minute bus ride from the hotel. I found a guidebook to Sardinia too. The weather is still good in Sardinia in September. I found a good flight too. (Apparently the more direct route is to fly to another European city, in this case Munich, and then get a flight from that city to Sardinia. I saw another route that had four flights! No!) I found a store that sells linen clothes that I’d like to check out.

Got up at 6:30 AM. The Kia is still here, so I need to stay up. Maybe I’ll start work early.

I found a place that sells astilbe (the bare-root plants that Bella has been digging up) in pots. Not cheap though.

I rescheduled my massage appointment to later this month. My membership renewal is upcoming, so I didn’t know if the massage would be paid for. Plus, I can just come home after the protest. I need to figure out where I can park for the protest. Okay, I have a plan.

They picked up the Kia. Apparently, I was supposed to leave the keys in the car, but they didn't tell me that.

I talked to the people who have Mimi's ashes, and I made arrangements to take 1/2 a vacation day on Wednesday to go get them in Bloomington (about an hour from here).

Got my food delivered.

Overslept my nap. I am so freaking tired.

Here comes a storm. Urgh, the weather will be lousy for the protest tomorrow.

Hmm. Holland America wants to "help" me book my flights. I wonder if they would book it earlier than the cruise starts.

I took Bella outside, and she wanted to come in right away after she peed. I told her that she wouldn’t like it out! It’s pouring now. And there’s thunder and lightning.

Someone on Facebook posted a protest sign, “You know things are bad when librarians start protesting”. Totally stealing that.

Apparently, the car repair place called for me to come sign an authorization. I didn’t get the message until after they closed though, so I’ll go on Monday morning.

Napped and woke up at 11:30 PM. Oliver had snuck in and was biting my leg. He was hungry. All right then. Bella was playing in the mud outside. :(

I’m too groggy to make my protest sign now, so I’ll get up early to do it.

Ugh. Bella got a big smear of mud on my jeans. And I want to wash them to wear tomorrow.

I like this Holland America Japan and China cruise, but I was thinking of 2027 for a Japan cruise, not 2026. I'll have to see if they could cut me a deal because I'm on one of their cruises now. The cruise itself isn't that expensive, but the airfare would be (around $1700).

I’m trying to figure out what’s on the docket for today. I have a massage at 3:30 PM and a facial at 8. I want to give myself a pedicure in case I want to go swimming tomorrow. Maybe I’ll talk to the future cruise person about the Japan-China cruise. I should find out what Vacations to Go’s price would be, though, because they are usually cheaper. Got a speedy quote from them ($3667, not including airfare). Now to see if Holland America would do better.

One thing that I like about the staterooms is that they have clotheslines in the bathrooms. I have some shorts and a t-shirt soaking in the sink.

I burned the roof of my mouth on hot pizza in Miami, and it still hurts when I eat.

I think that it’s nap time.

The toilet in my room isn't working. Called, and they said that they were having "a tech problem".

I left my purse at breakfast. As I was leaving the room, a guy working on the ship said for me to go to Guest Services. It was there and everything was in it. Bless the honesty of my fellow passengers and the crew.

I looked at the cruise-line branded stuff and am trying to decide what I want. They have a coffee mug that I like, but I’m afraid that it would break. A water bottle? I forgot mine. They have a nice zip-up hoodie, but do I need another hoodie? I could wear it on the plane flight from California though.

Yeah, I think that I like this cruise. It feels less crowded than the other one, and the Aging Frat Boy Quotient seems lower. I go on a cruise to relax, not party, although there are some folks drinking their breakfast. Cruises are very relaxing, and the sights come to us (or so it seems).

Took a bunch of debit and credit cards out of my wallet and put them in the safe in my room. I don't need them here.

Well, hell. Went to take off the old nail polish off of my toes, only to find that the nail polish wipes that I bought don't have nail polish remover on them. I have no choice but to get a pedicure now.

I went down to the future cruises desk. It wasn’t open. It will be open later in the cruise. I gather that I can get a shipboard credit if I book with them, but I’m dubious about the price.

I’m at the spa now. I made an appointment for tomorrow for a manicure and pedicure. It’s at 5PM, which is later than I would like, but that’s what I get booking at the last minute.

My pet sitter is very worried about Mimi. And she can’t find Lily. She wants me to come back, but I explained that I’m on a cruise ship. I’ll look into ways to get back, but I’m not hopeful. There is a flight from Cartagena, Columbia in two days. But I want to talk to the vet first. I don’t know what to do.

(She also managed to blame me and the dog (?) for Mimi being sick. Never mind that I took Mimi to the vet a couple of weeks ago.)

Had my massage. My brain was whirring, so I wasn’t in a receptive mood. But she upsold me to a hot stone massage. I guess that it helped my tight muscles. She said that it did. She also asked me what I did for my tight muscles between massages, and I said ”…nothing?” She thinks that I should get one of those massaging shower heads, which is do-able. (I really should start up yoga again.) And she sold me some body oil because my skin is dry (it is) and some foot cream. My neck does feel loose now.

Okay, I found a reputable service to get me from the cruise terminal to the airport in Columbia. Now I see how things play out.

I think that facials are largely the placebo effect, but the glop that she was putting on my skin must have hydrated it some. I got a new moisturizer to try. And she told me to drink more water.

I was thinking that I needed to have laundry done if I take the flight from Cartagena. But they want 24 hours, which is cutting it a little close. But I have some clean jeans. I could wear jeans, a t-shirt, and buy the Holland America hoodie and be presentable enough. It’s no worse than what other people wear on planes. If I wind up staying, then I will have laundry done.

I want some late-night nosh.

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 shelter is mailing me Bella’s shot info along with her rabies tag, so I’ll need to wait to make an appointment at the vet until I get it.

I can’t find Oliver anywhere. I thought that I heard him meow, but it might have been Lily. I’ve looked all over. The only place that I went was outside with Bella, but I didn’t see him out there. Maybe I’ll go back outside. I didn’t see him outside. He’s usually in the middle of everything though. I suppose that I should go to bed but I’m worried.

I forgot to mention that Bella was running around with a pair of my underwear in her mouth :) This weekend, I need to empty my hamper so that I can put clothes in it instead of in a laundry basket. The lid is loose, so I might have to replace it though. Actually, Walmart had a nicer looking one with a lid, so I bought it.

I found Oliver. There’s a roll-out cabinet in which I keep the dog treats. I went in there last night to get Bella one of her chew sticks. Lily was standing above it this morning, and I decided to roll it out, and there Oliver was. Sigh of relief.

Rain is predicted tonight turning into snow in the morning. More rain tomorrow. I'll need to get out in the yard to clean up dog poop on Sunday. The joys of dog ownership :)

I pulled out the sliding cabinet again to get Bella one of her chew sticks, and Oliver tried to climb in again! He doesn't learn very well! At least, I was waiting for him to do that.

Ugh, I am so sleepy.

The Amazon guy came when I was outside with Bella. I said that my dog will like the package because it contains toys for her. He said that he had two of his own at home. I like "pet talk".

I subscribed to the BullyMake dog box. They say that if a dog destroys one of their toys, they'll replace it for free. Because Bella is fairly destructive, that sounded good to me. I also signed up for the KitNipBox cat box.

Hmm. I have a massage scheduled tomorrow. I tried to reschedule it because I had been sick, but it was less than 24 hours before the appointment, so I couldn't reschedule. I'm feeling pretty well though.

Took a nap. Shut my alarm off and woke up at 10 PM.

It’s been several days since the puppy last had an accident in the house, so what we’re doing is working.

I shut the puppy in the bedroom while the cats are eating. Bad enough that the cats try to eat each other’s food without adding Bella to the mix. Bella is suspicious of me when I go to the bedroom though :)

That little snot Oliver was eating Mimi's food though the gate. I need to bring her up some dry food.

I'm feeling too tired to start a new project now. I'm going to go back to bed.

I’m flagging a bunch of meals in my Meal Prep book. Yum!

I overslept, but it’s okay. It just means that I can’t take a nap after breakfast.

Will wonders never cease! Zara and Mimi went nose to nose with no hissing!

I booked the walk in the cloud forest in Costa Rica. I plan to go back to Costa Rica, so maybe I can see sloths then. Though hmm, Road Scholar’s trips do not include sloths, so maybe I should switch. Yeah, okay, I switched.

I need to go get cash to tip the massage person before I go to the memorial service.

Yeah, it looks like the Urbana Park District isn’t continuing the yoga program that I like. Champaign has one on Thursdays that I could do. I tried to register but was having issues on my phone. I need to go upstairs. Though hmm, the one at the yoga center is closer. I need to think about this. I enrolled in Pilates in Urbana. Oh, but the class that I want at the yoga center is online. I think that I need a face-to-face class. I'll enroll in Champaign's class (done). I'm going to have to leave early to get there. I’m not sure about Zumba (in Urbana). I think that they let you try the first class for free?

I chugged down a protein shake because I won’t have time for lunch.

I wonder when they’re going to send the Dial-A-Carol instructions. It starts tomorrow.

I got to the Funeral Home for the memorial service early. We (the choir) wound up sitting in the back. Our first song went well. The second song was a singalong to “Amazing Grace,” and everyone got lost at the beginning of the third verse. However, I thought the memorial service was an hour, but they were still going strong at 1.5 hours, so I left. I think that I stepped on someone’s foot on the way out though :( Then when I parked the car, I pulled in too close and scratched my mom’s car. What a sucky day.

The massage was pretty good, not awesome. I wound up leaving a fairly large tip because I didn’t have change.

I thought about going to Lowe’s to get extra keys made and a lockbox, but the rain is COLD (39F/4C) and yucky. I think that I’ll feed the cats and myself and take a nap.

Sucky day is continuing to suck. I had a Walmart order delivered, and over half the order was missing. And they left the stuff that I did get out in the rain. They're giving me a refund for the missing items, but meanwhile, I need the missing items. I'm going to try Meijer later. Well, maybe I should do it now and then go to sleep so that I'll get up early. I have a singing lesson at 11 AM tomorrow. And the recital at 5 PM. And Dial-A-Carol at 8. (I need to go to one of the dorms for Dial-A-Carol. It's going to be kind of a pain.)

I printed out two listings for chiropractors. Too bad that I won't be able to see them before I go to Italy. My back is killing me. I thought about getting a massage, but I really need the money for the trip. I wonder if I should get a back brace for the trip. I read an article that said, "No".

I think that I'm going to live in shorts this summer.

My groceries have been delivered. I need to go put them away.

Hmm. I think that I need a small wallet and small credit card case to put in different pockets of my travel vest (ordered-got RFID blocking ones). My therapist suggested a money belt, so I'm wondering about it.

Oh good. I can study more than one language in the AI language app. Excellent. I'll sign up.

Talked to the handyman at my mom's house. We talked about the flooding in the basement (which I know about--he's not making it up) but he said that it would cost thousands of dollars to fix. Then he talked about getting rid of the refrigerator and stove. Someone please get this house out of my life!

I’m lying down for my nap, and Zara is cuddling. She’s alarmed by the people picking up the recycling though.

Had my session with my therapist. I asked her how to tell the difference between self-care and being indulgent by skipping tai chi and yoga this week, and she thought that I was doing self-care. That conference last week really took it out of me. She also told me to stick to my guns about my boundaries with the real estate agent.

There was a knock at the door. It turned out to be my neighbor across the street. She got some more iris bulbs donated to her and she gave me some. She's really nice and easy to talk to. We were talking about the critters that live in the neighborhood (no deer, thankfully).

I’m thinking that I’ll repot the herbs tomorrow. It’s supposed to rain, but I can do it on my porch.

Hmm. I was wondering if I could get a massage in Venice. I should have more money then because I'll get paid again. Need to think about this. I found a place with Thai massage, but I need to see how far it is from my hotel. The prices are reasonable.

I’m working on getting my American Airlines app set up. It looks like I didn’t get air miles for my Hawaii trip, which is disappointing.

Lay down for a nap but couldn’t sleep. Decided that I was hungry. Went out and planted the new irises that my neighbor gave me and some of the herbs. I thought that I bought more pots though, but I can’t find them. I ordered more pots. I want the herbs in larger pots so that they’ll stay moist while I’m gone. I already lost a thyme plant that shriveled up.

I’m dripping sweat. Ate dinner. What now? I guess that I’ll tackle the list from yesterday. Though Mimi wants food. And I’m thinking of going to bed early and getting up early. Fed the cats. Yeah, I'm going to scoop the litter boxes and go to bed. Got my flight up on American's app. Mimi has been walking on the laptop. Sigh. Chaos Central :)

I was looking into massage therapy places near my mom's house. I should schedule a massage for mid-December.

I fell asleep with my clothes on again. So tired. Woke up at 5 AM.

I bought a new scale because my old one was giving wacky readings. I also bought a "sweater blazer" that I had been eyeing at Land's End for 50% off. Can't have too many blazers!

I took a nap and woke up again at 7:30 and got up. Now I'm working, but cool, they're letting us leave at 2 today.

Mom is on my mind today. It will be my first Thanksgiving without her, but we usually didn't spend Thanksgiving together anyway. Christmas will be harder. I had thought of watching Home for the Holidays, which takes place during Thanksgiving, when I get back to Michigan, but I'm sure that's one of the DVDs I chose to keep. Mom loved that movie. When the two sisters are fighting, it reminded her so much of her fighting with her sister that she kept on hitting my arm :)

The zipper on the Jeans That I Hate broke. Given that I hate them, no big loss, but I was going to wear them while I did laundry.

I almost forgot that I have a session with the life coach. I don't know what we'll talk about, but she usually thinks of something. We talked about setting dates for my move of my stuff from storage and the move of Mom's stuff that I'm keeping. All the other dates cascade from that. We also discussed my list of people to contact with changed dates.

I DoorDashed a poke bowl and a hot Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar. The tea was quite good. Actually, I'm craving another one. But I just convinced myself not to get one.

The office of my therapist sent me a zillion forms to fill out, which I did. I couldn’t remember Dad’s cell phone number (we usually email), but it was on my phone. I also emailed the therapist and told her that my date for being back in Urbana has moved two to three weeks forward.

Talked to the diet coach. I’m trying to find something to DoorDash that has vegetables but am having no luck.

Took a nap. Ate the rest of my poke bowl.

Ran to Best Buy and picked up an SD card reader. It hit me that I can modify the new house any way that I want, so I looked at Nest thermostats, doorbells, and cams and Ring doorbells and cams. I'm going to have a lot of fun fixing up the place the way that I want it. I need to find a handyman to help me with fixing the place up.

Went to Meijer and picked up soda, oatmeal, and some frozen Shrimp Scampi for later. I'm telling myself that it has spinach and tomatoes in it, so it must be okay :)

Now I'm resting for a minute and then will start laundry. I poked around an interior design site and it said that I liked a "classic" style with clean lines and minimal clutter. The "minimal clutter" will be the hard part!

I just ordered a ton of Kindle books. I ordered Barbra Streisand's autobiography (thank you, shadowkat), and the "you might also like" led me to Anderson Cooper's book about the Astors, which led me to Anderson Cooper's book about the Vanderbilts and a historical novel about one of the Astors. I won't lack for reading material.

Hmm. I can't stop yawning, but I wanted to do laundry tonight, so I started it. (I'm leaving tomorrow.) I suppose that I could start packing my stuff up too.

Hmm. I'm looking at January 8th for moving my stuff from storage to the new house. But when will I have it painted? Should I stay in a hotel in Urbana for the first week of January? And I'm looking at January 15th (if the movers don't have a holiday) for the movers to take my stuff from Michigan. I'd be out of the house by the end of the week. Then the estate sale can happen.

Now I'm wondering if the living room in the new place should be sage green. I have some time to think about it. I'm mulling over slipcovers for my mom's Pottery Barn loveseat and chair. I found one in gray with a kind of greenish tinge that I kind of like. I need to order swatches.

The clothes are in the dryer. The really nice guy who works the front desk in the evening asked me if I wanted some coffee before he put it away. I said "No," but thanked him for asking. He wished me a Happy Thanksgiving, and I told him that I would be driving, and he said that he hoped that I'd get a chance to rest.

Waffle House is on my list for tomorrow. My life coach and I were discussing Waffle House. She lives in Florida, and she said that if Waffle House closes during a hurricane, it's time to worry.

I woke up a little after 7 AM. Bah. I'm on vacation! I'm going to have a little cake (I brought carrot cake) and go back to sleep for a while. The bed is very comfortable.

Got my groceries. Now I'm thinking of going back to sleep again. Couldn't sleep. I lay there for an hour and then got up.

The new beachy shoes are quite comfortable.

The garden in the hotel has a metal wind spinner that I like. So I'm looking at ones on Wayfair and found a copper one that I like. Also, I'd want a stone path to the gazebo and solar lights lighting the way to it.

The spa has a sign saying that it supports Harbor Pride. Awesome. I looked into housing prices here and yikes. Pricey. I looked at Michigan City, which despite the name is in Indiana on the lake, and housing prices are more reasonable, but it's in Indiana. Sigh.

I feel refreshed by my shower. I'm moving oh-so-slowly but it feels good.

I had my spa day. First, there was the aromatherapy bath. I thought okay, it smells nice, but then she turned on the Jacuzzi. Holy cow. I thought that I couldn't relax in that bath because the Jacuzzi was producing waves and pummeling me, but eventually I did relax. Then I had the massage. She found every sore spot in my body. She said that my neck and jaw were tight and didn't want to relax. Then I had the facial. My skin looks brighter and dewier. The esthetician used a brand called NuSkin, so I looked online for it and ordered a set of products. I really should take better care of my skin.

I'm not sure what to do now. Originally, I had thought to take a nap, but I'm not feeling sleepy. I could go to the beach to see the sunset, but I don't want to put makeup on my nice clean skin. I could order pizza to be delivered (done). The pizza was good. Now I'm going to take a nap. I had a nice nap. Paid some bills.

I found some exercises to relieve jaw tension. I wonder if it has to do with my headaches.