days_unfolding

Ow. My teeth are sore. I took some acetaminophen, but I think that I need to go to bed soon.

Hmm. There probably are a couple of spots in the yard where the puppy could wiggle through the fence. I’ll need to take her out on a leash. Or probably a harness rather than a collar because she’ll be wiggly.

Woke up at 4:30 AM but went back to sleep for an hour.

It’s 8:00 AM, and I’ve got myself together. Now I wait for the tree guy.

The tree guy came right on time. He said that it would cost around $4000 to get the tree down (ouch, but I was expecting something like that) and they can do the work at the end of June or early July. He also will take down the saplings that are growing by the fence, which is nice. I approved their quote.

I found instructions on how to lay stepping stones in grass, and it seems doable. I have big plans for the yard. I want to put ornamental grasses in the shade garden and move the Astilbe, Coral Bells (one of which is blooming!), and ferns farther out. But that will be next year. Hmm. Lowe's is sold out of stepping stones in the color that I want. I might have to wait to place the stones until next year too.

Oh awesome. The housekeeper will come by around 8 AM on Friday to do an estimate, and she can start at 3 if we agree. I've decided that I have to use my old pet sitter because I need the time to clean. I guess that I'll have to endure a week of messages about why I suck.

Got my hair cut. One step closer to being ready to leave next week.

Crazy busy at work. I complained politely to my boss, and she said that we'll get through it. She's canceling out on the conference next week because she doesn't think that she can catch up (she was out last week) and then be out again.

My pet sitter said okay to pet sitting next week. So things are falling into place.

I'm tired. I'd nap tonight, but I have a singing lesson. I guess that I'll go to bed early and get up early (after I get the garbage out).

Bella really wants a nap. If I go near the bedroom, she comes running in.

Oh shit. The box that was sitting outside is the new laptop! Luckily, it wasn’t too hot today. I need to clear off the table so that I can set it up.

I had my singing lesson. I started in the spirit of, “Oh hell, one more thing to do,” but I enjoyed it when I got into it. My singing teacher is so nice and helpful. I want to work hard on sight reading this summer to prepare for choir in the fall. Oh, and my Web cam for piano broke, so I ordered a new one.

Okay. I need to get the garbage out (done). Did dishes (recyclables). Started the dishwasher. I’m taking a break, and then I’ll need to put a clean litter box in Zara’s room.

Oh, I have to bring in an Amazon bag that probably has my new envelopes. I want to mail my ticket request for the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra this weekend before I go.

Oh, I need to fill out the forms for boarding Oliver. Too many moving parts.

I’m going to need to go to Costco on Saturday to get more dog food. They say two-day delivery “if you order by noon,” so that won’t work. There is also a big box that probably is dry food that I didn’t order. I don’t know why I got it.

It occurred to me to look for a tour of Lithuania. After finding a bunch that covered all the Baltic States, I finally found one that covered only Lithuania. (I know the other Baltic states are lovely, but Lithuania is my heritage.) I should look for one in Poland because that's the other half of my heritage. Found one!

Forgot to mention that ChatGPT found the maximum luggage dimensions for the train in Sardinia. A medium-sized suitcase would work.

I found a pet sitter who's a vet student and likes cats as well as dogs. I sent him a message. He's not available, so I'll try others.

Okay, I'm going to book the "Orient Express" trip if nothing at the meeting tomorrow dissuades me. I'm looking at a picture of Istanbul and going, "Oh wow". I also asked ChatGPT for "a bookstore tour of Paris".

I'm not taking out the garbage. I'm just going to bed and getting up early.

Got up a little after 7 AM. I got up in time for a shower, but I fell down a Facebook rabbit hole and didn’t have time for a shower.

Oh crud. They're predicting rain all weekend, and I need to get out into the garden to prepare the garden beds for seeds and plants. Beautiful day today. I had to bribe Bella to come in with a Munchie Bone. I’ll be glad when I replace the fence so I’d feel more comfortable leaving her out.

I distracted Oliver and Lily with catnip toys from the KitNipBox. Oliver, typically, wanted Lily's toy when he saw her having fun with it, so they switched toys.

I didn't shower at lunch because I wanted to take a nap. Couldn't sleep though. I'll shower before the Meetup about the trips and run an errand afterward.

I'm thinking that maybe I should get my plane travel clothes at Chico's. They have petite travel pants and some interesting blazers.

I felt a pang because I won't get email from my mom. (I've been emailing my dad about the weather and garden plans.) I have to hand it to Zara though, Of Zara, Mimi, and my mom, I would have expected Zara to pass away first. She's outlived both my mom and Mimi and is doing well. She's a tough old lady!

Received the little plastic cat ball toys. Oliver and Lily have no excuse to be bored. (I'll give Zara one too.)

5:35 PM: Load dishwasher
5:36 PM: Remove cat (Oliver) from dishwasher, sigh

Oliver was rubbing against me right before my shower. Then he was walking on top of the shower stall while I took the shower, meowing. Then he knocked two rolls of toilet paper into the toilet. One stayed dry, thank goodness, but one is toast. I told him that he and Bella are my resident goofballs.

Aargh! I scrambled to take my shower before the Meetup for the international travel, only for them to reschedule it for June. Sigh. Well, that gives me more time to clean. But I was looking forward to finding out more about the trips.

They did have the Meetup. They had just changed it to the next one before the meeting. I logged in a few minutes late, but got my questions answered. The travel agent is going to send me a detailed itinerary of the Japan and Orient Express trips. Both trips are fairly full already, so I'd need to make a decision quickly. Also, you can skip any parts of the tours that you want. They're going to St. Mark's Square in Venice, to which I've already been, so I'd want to do something else. (Murano?)

Ran an errand. Fed the critters. Did dishes and started the dishwasher. Ordered groceries. I'm going to get up early to wash sheets and towels and tidy up for the cleaner on Friday.

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 got one full recycling bin and some boxes out.

Lily snuck upstairs when I went up to post, and there is major kitty drama going on with Mimi. I'll see if Lily will leave with me. I had to pick her up, protesting.

Got clothes in the dryer.

I forgot to mention that I bought two of Judy Collins’ bios to read on the trip.

The trust said that they were in contact with the bank about having the safety deposit box drilled and that I should have the tax document when I come back.

Bella was chewing the leg of the over-toilet shelves. This is why we can't have nice things :) I escorted her out.

Got my groceries in. I think that I bought too much cat litter. That at least is self-correcting.

Got my hair cut. She layered it, but blow-dried it straight, but I hope that the waves will pop up when I wash it. Got money for the pet sitter.

Oliver snuck up here too (bad day for Mimi), but eventually I got him out.

Hmm. I'm going to need to put in some extra time at work to finish a Web page so that it can get reviewed on Monday. Do I do that tonight or tomorrow night? Tomorrow, I was going to pull a all-nighter cleaning because I don't seem to be getting a cleaner. So I guess that means I need to work late tonight. Actually, I finished my Web page except for an outstanding question, so I can do other things tonight. I'm in the mood for packing.

The vet called. Oliver's fecal results were fine, but Bella tested positive for hookworms. I'm going to go by later to get meds for her. They said that boarding her would be okay if I give her the meds. Maybe I should pick up some hot dogs to put the meds in.

Picked up Bella’s meds. Now the desk clerk said that he would have to double check with the practice manager tomorrow morning if they could take Bella without a retest in a month. This is turning into a cliffhanger. A kennel did contact me today saying that they could take them.

I keep having freaking stomach cramps. Sigh.

Gave Bella her meds in her food and promptly washed out her dish because I don't know what the meds would do to the cats.

Trump has taken down the Income Based Repayment form for my student loans that I need to fill out to re-register for it. Trump’s chaos has arrived at my house. I have no idea what to do.

Took Bella for a walk. She did well, except for freaking out a little when we saw another dog. It was a half-hour, not an hour, but it's a start. She's starting to realize that the harness and leash can mean good things. I think that she thought that we were going to see her friend the vet!

Now I think that I'll feed the critters and go to bed. I'll work on packing when I get up. Oh, and I need to soak a litter box before I go to bed.

I got up in time for my Italian lesson. We did some listening exercises that were really hard. She also asked where I liked the culture on my cruise, and I said "Puerto Rico because the people are really nice".

Mimi is still being clingy. I had a nice nap with Zara. She comes trotting up when I lie down on the bed.

I found out how to get a brochure from Oceania Cruises, and they called me. Don't call me if you want to sell a cruise! I also requested a Cunard (QEII, Queen Mary, etc.) brochure. I also found a resort in Puerto Rico that's near the beach and Old San Juan. Expensive though.

I'd like to get icicle Christmas lights for my porch, but I don't have an outdoor outlet. I guess that I'll put lights in my windows then. And ask an electrician to put in an outdoor outlet. No, I found battery-operated lights on Amazon. Hmm. I want to put white lights around my windows, but most of them are 100 lights, and I need a smaller string.

There's a place that advertises on Facebook that has really cozy-looking pajamas. I might splurge for a pair or two for Christmas.

I've been feeling hungry earlier. I just realized that's because of the time change to the cruise. Plus having lots of food at my disposal. Hmm, I have enough money to get a pizza for dinner. Although I really didn't like the way that I looked on the cruise and need to lose weight.

I'm looking forward to the long weekend next week to get stuff done around here. I'm working in the first half of the week. (I drained my vacation days and need to build them up again.)

I want the Skinny Taste Fast and Slow cookbook.

I'm so tired of plowing through my email from when I was gone at work.

Perkins is offering Thanksgiving dinner. I might go there next week.

The pizza was delicious.

We now have tons of cat food (very important!) I also bought a cheaper electric razor because I'm tired of replacing my more expensive one. We'll see how it works.

Got the garbage out. My pet sitter threw out stuff that I needed. Sigh. She keeps on rearranging my stuff. She said that she’s OCD and needs to organize stuff, but she’d understand if I want another pet sitter. I don’t know. She’s really expensive too. I’m planning on getting the place more organized next week and over winter break.

Snuggled with Zara. I’m going to take a nap. Couldn’t sleep. I think that I’ll transfer my coats to the closet in my bedroom. Most of my hanging clothes are in the larger closet in the library room.

Got my bedside lamp set up, but I need an extension cord for it.

Hmm, maybe I could also plug my phone charger into it too. I can’t find my scarf hanger, so I ordered one.

I think that I’ll feed the cats and go to bed soon. I need to figure out what to do with my two carry-on bags. I only need one. And I should repot the trees this weekend because my pots are in my bedroom.

Oh, and I need to throw another load in the wash.

The estate sale guy said that they would work on the accounting for the sale and also clean out my Mom's house this week. My handyman up there called to ask how things were going up there. Apparently he stored a piece of glass on the breezeway and put a key to the house under a rock near the front door. I didn't know this. He said that he would work on the painting on the back side of the house next week.

The cats are completely flaked out.

I got a cleaning caddy bag to help me carry stuff around for cleaning. The cord for the treadmill should come today, but I realized that I should put a mat under it, so I ordered one from Amazon.

There is a house and garden called Allerton the next town over. They have programs there. They're going to have one about Mary Oliver's poetry this summer, but I would miss the first session because I'll be in Italy. I'm trying to email them to find out if I can still do it. They said yes! And Illinois Extension is having an online class about natural lawn care, but that's during the conference that I'm going to. Hmm.

I'm feeling ice cold. It is cold out (currently 33 F). I lay down during lunch, and the comforter and Zara were warm.

I keep having sinus headaches and post-nasal drip. Yuck.

I'm meeting with the pet sitter on Friday.

Yay. I've got the power cord and emergency key for the treadmill. I plugged it in.

I had my usually helpful session with the algorithms TA. Then I had dinner. The cats wanted dinner also. Then I lay down for a nap but couldn’t sleep.

I ordered the venlafaxine on CVS’ site this weekend, but it’s not showing up on the app, so I ordered it yet again. Sigh.

I worked on my program until I got stumped and wrote the TA because there's a fundamental problem. Okay, I fixed the problem, but I think that I want to go to bed now. Crud, I need to put clothes in the dryer. I guess that I'll sleep in less warm pajamas.

I lay down "for a few minutes" before getting ready for bed and slept through until 5 AM.

I've been picking up individual Christmas cards because I only have a few people on my list. It just occurred to me that I need one for my friend Lance. (I did buy one with a flamingo on it saying something about avoiding snow (I don't remember the exact wording), so I might send him that one.

My pet sitter totally rocks! She'll take care of the girls through Thursday. I need to leave another good review for her on Care.com.

I finally got through my backlog of email at work. I had a meeting that was canceled, so I could have DoorDashed a poke bowl, but I already had made oatmeal. (I took a nap during my lunch hour.)

Silence from movers. I bet a lot of them take Thanksgiving week off.

I had the Dare to Dream class tonight, and we talked about failure. I tried to explain that I'm in the middle of a failure situation, but all she wanted to talk about was my Hawaii trip.

Ordered my poke bowl, which also came with miso soup. Oh, it was perfection. (Tuna, pineapple, mango, edamame, rice, with tempura crumbs and sesame seeds.) I need to have it again before I leave. Ironically, I didn't have one while I was in Hawaii.

I'm thinking about going to bed early again. I don't know what's with me.

I was in a panic because I overslept 15 minutes. It was a quarter to 8, and I wanted to log on at 8:30, and I needed to take a shower and get dressed. I was waiting for the hot water to kick in for my shower, when I remembered the time change. I needed to log on at 9:30 local time. So I calmed down.

Mimi was upset because I was in the bathroom with the door closed, and she wanted to come in. Unfair to cats!

The plumber asked me to let him know if the cement was wet, and it looked still wet, so I told him that.

The meeting that I ran went well. So yay. My meeting with the life coach also went well too. We came up with a list of things to do when I get back. I need to book more sessions with her.

I checked on the cement, which didn't appear to have changed, so I touched it, and it felt dry. It's just dark. So I told the plumber that, and he came just as I was about to nap at lunch. He finished up quickly. But I forgot to ask for a receipt so I texted him. Aargh!

I got a really nice manicure in a chichi place in a chichi suburb a couple of town over. I wanted a neutral manicure, so I got a pale pink, but I don't think that's my color. I'll go for a rose color next time. But it looks nice and a lot better than any job that I would do. I also got money for the pet sitter (which reminds me that I left it in the car) and my prescription.

The cats reminded me when I got home that I was feeding them late! Unfair to cats! I'm feeding me late too.

There's a night market in Kauai (Lihue) one Saturday a month, and I'll be there for it! I guess that will be my Lihue day.

I'm drop-dead tired. I need to do laundry and pack some remaining clothes and do dishes, but then I think that I'll crash and get up really early. Oh, and I need to check into the flight.

I completely forgot about 1SE. I'll try to do better next month. I should have some interesting pictures from my trip.

The clothes are packed. The laundry is in the washer. I'll put it in the dryer in the morning. I'm not packing those clothes. Mostly I want to see that the washer is still working after all the work that the plumber did. Not that I know what I'd do if it isn't working because I'm leaving. I did the dishes with rubber gloves on to protect my manicure, and it does make it more pleasant, although I managed to soak my pajamas. I still need to pack my laptop and wallet, but I'll do it in the morning. Oh, and I checked in for my flight. And printed my boarding pass so they don't charge me to print it.

I got an email from the water company in Urbana saying that the meter had a zero reading twice in a row, so they think that something's wrong with the meter, and I have to let them in to look at it. I need to call them tomorrow.

And it's snowing. It snowed overnight and is still snowing. I feel like Nanook of the North. They're saying snow for the next few hours.

My pet sitter said that the 20th is the latest that she can do because she is having surgery on the 21st. The walls are closing in on me.

Life is sucking like a giant vacuum cleaner.

Mom was complaining that I wasn't putting her first. And she thinks that I'm not getting enough done. I'm too upset to get homework done, that's for sure. I was going to get up early to go to Mom's bank, but none of the branches are open on Saturday. She also asked what I'm going to do if she can't be alone, and I said that I'd call the Home Instead people on Monday.

I feel like I have an impossible task.

I was thinking that maybe I should take out my frustrations on the bathroom, but the sweatshirt to my cleaning sweats arrived, but not the pants. I have to track them down. "Arriving tomorrow". I guess that means that I should just go to bed.

Bingo. I found a yoga studio in my mom's area that takes drop-ins. Most of the classes are on Zoom, which I might not be able to do because there's no room in my mom's house, but there's an onsite candlelight yoga on Sundays which sounds restorative.

I found a house cleaner. She'll do every two weeks on Wednesdays. She's kind of pricey, but gets great reviews. We'll see how this works. And I found a cleaner to help me clean the old place. Facebook to the rescue.

I've decided that I'll get a chair that converts to a bed for Mom to sleep on when she's here. It might be easier for her than a couch.

Today was the fun task of taking the cats to the new vet in Urbana. Zara noticed that I was hanging around when I fed her, and went "uh no" and ran. I had to chase her a little and drop a towel over her to get her in the carrier. Mimi hid in the bedroom, which was one of the better rooms for her to be in, and I got her. The new vets were fabulous in handling Zara (handling both of them, but Zara is the problem child). They clearly like cats and were very patient. Zara was the calmest that I've seen her at the vet, which isn't very calm, but she wasn't lashing out. I got senior blood tests on the both of them, so the bill was high, but it's worth it if they can handle Zara. I have a dental appointment for Zara after I get back from Michigan and California.

Cool. The Urbana post office is near Walmart. I hope that they have the postage machines that you can use after hours so that I can mail the passport renewal form tomorrow. Now I'm thinking if I don't pull off Hong Kong, I might take my London trip to see the museums in the fall.

Oh bloody hell. Mom called, and she apparently fell the other day and was on the floor for seven hours while her friend Kate was doing some work elsewhere. Kate convinced her to order one of those emergency buttons, which is good. But Mom wants me to figure out how she will get care all the time, and isn't happy that I'm going to California. She finally said that she would see what she could do for respite care, but she wants me to make all the arrangements for her, and I can't. She asked me what I thought that I would do when things got to this point, and I said that I figured that I would move out there and bring the cats. We went back and forth on the cats a little bit. She doesn't like the fact that I'd have to work from there, and I told her that I couldn't afford to take family leave, which is unpaid. She hopes that she'll die soon "and that will solve everyone's problems". Sigh.

I'm wondering when my next therapy appointment is. Next week, I think.

I need to do some homework and get the recycling out, but then I think that I'll nap for a while. Okay, I contacted the pet sitter. Got the recycling out. Did my homework. I need to eat something and then nap time. Exchanged text messages with Mom's friend Kate. She's going to try to get someone to look in on Mom after she leaves.

It's gotten late, so instead of napping, I'm just going to go to bed and get up early. I gave the girls their nighttime treat, which is similar to the treat that I gave them before I took them to the vet, and they both vanished :)