days_unfolding

Woke up at 7 AM. Took Bella out, and she got hold of a pair of scissors that I forgot outside, and I had a hell of a time getting them away from her. And it was raining. Now I’m waiting for my clothes to dry to take a shower.

Emailed in sick this morning because my stomach was upset. Took a nap.

Bella met the groundhog that lives under my storage shed. She barked at it and stared at it, but didn't try to grab it. The silly thing went into its burrow but then came back out, so we had to go through the whole rigamarole again.

I spent part of my day at work editing close-captioned text for one of our recorded webinars. It had a really tough time with this webinar. My favorite was, for Ex Libris (the name of the vendor for our library software), it had "cleavage" :)

The orientation for the dog training is tonight. I’m scrambling to feed the critters and get my makeup put on. Made it to the dog training place. It’s not very far from my house, which is convenient. They showed examples of some of the advanced training that you and your dog can do after the introductory training. (I’ve thought of signing up Bella for nose training because she tracks the steps that an Amazon guy takes to deliver a package.) Then they talked about the introductory training and asked for questions. I said that Bella is very scared of other dogs and strange humans, and they said that the training should help her.

I’m glad that I moved my piano lesson because I got home right before it.

I’m having IBS symptoms, which is probably what my upset stomach of this morning was about. I need to get to bed soon and rest.

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.

Bella was nosing around the bathroom where she previously pooped, so I hastily took her outside. She did need to poop, but she also did zoomies making circles around the house.

Bella ate Lily’s food while I was feeding Zara and Mimi. So I gave Lily more food and guarded it, Bella and Oliver thought that it was unfair that Lily got to eat. Life at the zoo :) I might need to feed Bella wet food because she’s jealous of the cats’ food. Hmm, they don’t seem to have Hill’s wet dog food at Walmart. PetSmart has it. Geesh expensive. Maybe I should look at cheaper food.

Bella finally settled down. I think that it’s bedtime.

Lily snuck in. Bella was in the doggy bed, but saw me petting Lily and jumped on the bed. I was dividing my pets between them. Now they’re both settled.

Woke up with the daily alarm on my iPhone at 7:30 AM. Crazy pets are manic. I got smart and shut Bella in the bedroom while I fed the cats so that she wouldn’t eat the cats’ food. Peace and quiet now that the cats are fed.

Maybe I’ll try Costco for wet dog food.

I’m glad that I have a garbage can in the kitchen with a lid to keep the dog and cats out of it.

Bella and Oliver think that it’s unfair that I get to eat.

I’m slowly learning Bella’s rhythms. She doesn’t do her business when she first gets up, but after breakfast is good.

Sigh. Went with Bella to take a nap, but Oliver is in here. Bella wants to play with Oliver, but he doesn’t understand. Oliver left. Now it’s nap time. Woke up after an hour, but I might go back to sleep. It just occurred to me that I shouldn’t go out with a cold without a mask, but I don’t know where I have one. I should check the car. I seem to be awake. Maybe I’ll lie down after my shower while my hair dries.

The puppy is lying perpendicular in the dog bed with her face dangling outside. Okay.

Found a mask.

Hmm. I need to shower, let my hair dry, use the snow blower, and brush off the cars before I can go to Costco. I might go tomorrow instead. Bella has food; it’s just not wet food. She is out of her “munchie bones,” so I’ll go to Walmart. Though if I get canned dog food there, I could put in a grocery list (done, so I don’t need to go anywhere).

Hmm, if I’m not going anywhere, I’ll just wear sweats after my shower.

Bella doesn’t like me petting the cats. I should pet her! Sigh. She’s gone from being timid to really pushy. Bella the DestructoDog is chewing up a box. This place looks like a nightmare.

Bella was playing kind of rough with Oliver—knocking him over—so I took her outside with her ball to work off some excess energy. The Walmart delivery showed up. The guy wanted extra money for delivering it, but I already paid a tip. Bella now has one of her beloved chew sticks. I do need to get dressed though to try to take Bella for a walk. It might not last long because she hates harnesses and leashes.

I have a headache, so I’m going to take acetaminophen and lie down for a while. Went to lie down and was going to close the door against Oliver when I saw him on the other side of the room. I swear that cat can teleport.

Overslept my nap. Gave Bella some wet food, and she loved it. Fed the cats. It’s going to be a little late to get the sidewalks cleared tonight, so I’ll wait until tomorrow. I’ll make some pizza. Had some quality time with a purring Lily.

I’m feeling better but still have a cough. I think that it’ll be an early night tonight.

The kitchen chairs have macrame covers with tassels. Both the cats and Bella have gone after the tassels, so I might have to take them off.

The pizza was good. Lily was stalking it but I kept it away from her.

Took Bella out for zoomies and to play with the ball. Oliver got out momentarily when we came in. I grabbed him.

I’m feeling like taking a nap, so I should just go to bed early. I need to scoop the litter boxes, feed Bella and the cats, and then go to bed.

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.

I was posting when I got a message about my Italian lesson. Oops. I logged onto it. For some reason, I was reading Italian out loud better. Because of the extra sleep?

Cats: Yes, Mommy, I am VERY HUNGRY! Fed them and myself.

Yet another rainy, dreary day. I'm blaming the weather for oversleeping last night.

I'm busy being anxious about the election, but I know that we won't hear anything substantive until tonight.

I need to check and see what travel toiletries I need before I go out tonight.

Headache, so I’m going to lie down for a little while.

Upset stomach, so I emailed in sick and am lying down. Slept until 5 PM. Hung out for a while. Fed the cats. Staples is open until 8 PM, so I better get in the shower.

I’m looking for a laundry tub to give myself a pedicure, but I haven’t found it.

Ran to return my Land’s End stuff. Picked up some munchies at Walmart. Today is comfort food all the way.

I’m glued to CNN, but I should clean. The CNN stream is having issues. Maybe that’s a sign. I should put on my cleaning clothes. I think that I’ll pack my backpack first (done). I should get my meds together (done).

It's not looking good for Kamala Harris. Fuck. This is so depressing. I'm going to go scrub my tub (done-one bathroom done). I'm going to go to bed now.

I got a nice and audible purr from Zara when she snuggled next to me. Aww. She usually has a subvocal purr. Love my girl.

Woke up at 7 AM, went back to sleep, and woke up at 10. Started tidying the kitchen while my breakfast was cooking.

Still feeling a little shaky, so I’m going to lie down for a while after breakfast. I do need to mow though.

Zara likes to make a nest in the puffy comforter. I managed to slide in without disturbing her. I’m always leery of disturbing Zara’s sleep. When she was a lot younger, she was sleeping with me, and I was having a restless night, tossing and turning. She reached over and smacked me! Her claws were in, but still, I was told. She hasn’t done that since, but I haven’t forgotten it.

Woke up with a headache and a backache. I’m a mess. Sigh.

I ordered some needle-nose pliers from Walmart, but they are delayed. Home Depot has them apparently, so I might run over there later. I found a pair of needle-nosed pliers and I was finally able to get my new backpack open. Sheesh. Well, now I know that if you lock it, it stays locked!

Checked my label maker, and you can plug it in. Got the weed wacker out and am charging its battery.

Zara wants food. I told her that someone bringing me food and then sleeping sounds like a good life to me. They think it’s their rightful due.

Started a load of laundry. Figured out what to wear tomorrow. Showered.

Got the lawn mower assembled after some hassles. The postal carrier asked if I needed help with the lawn, and I said that my mower broke. Mowed until the batteries died, with frequent breaks because that mower is heavy! And also, I was still feeling shaky. It does a good job though. Got my new herb and tomato plants outside and watered them. I’ll repot them after I get back from my trip.

Now I’m cooling off. Mimi wants food. I’ll rest a minute and feed them and run to the bank for money for the pet sitter (done). My nose is running because there’s something outside that I’m allergic to.

Hmm. sweetmeow’s entry got me thinking about senior living places in the area with memory care because I might want to stay in the area. I like Carriage Crossing of Champaign, but I have a feeling that it’s expensive. I’ll do some research. I wouldn’t move in before I turn 80. Also Autumn Leaves of Savoy.

Lay down for a little while but couldn't sleep. I decided to go upstairs and do my stuff for work and pack my backpack. Logged onto work to post a video of our presentation on Thursday. I'm waiting until the transcription process is done (it's pretty slick) before shutting down my work computer (done).

Got my files transferred to my travel laptop. Got my toiletries in the little bottles. I'm waiting for my clothes to finish drying, and then I'll finish packing and go to sleep.

Despite my 13 hours of sleep, I'm really, really tired. And I have a sore throat.

I'm going to have to hand in my program late because losing last night messed me up. (And losing Sunday to the drive.) C'est la vie. And I'm busy at work.

Maybe my math (algorithms) grade can pull up my programming grade because I got an A on the last test.

I talked to the pet sitter and the hotel, and I'm going to come back on Sunday, not Monday. That'll give me more time at my mom's house to go through stuff. I'll need to go there and do laundry tomorrow or Thursday.

I'm going to get up early to work on my program. It occurred to me that I could take my laptop over to my mom's house while I do laundry.

I'm feeling a little better today. I enjoyed some of my meetings at work and talked a lot. Maybe I'm coming out of the med withdrawal symptoms, but I go to the doctor tomorrow.

Oh! One of the Aerogarden plugs has a tiny sprout! No, there's two sprouts! No, there's even more!

I've been looking at reprints of vintage travel posters for the upstairs. One said "Paris is always a good idea". I have to get that. And I was looking for a picture to go up near the ceiling where I want to put the standing desk, and found a picture of Hana, Maui, Hawaii, which is one of my favorite spots on earth. I wishlisted a new version of my map of Italy because my old one got crumpled in the move. Ooh, and I also want a Paris Metro map. And the London Underground.

Mimi has discovered the futon mattress (and now Zara too). Anyone who stays with me better not be allergic to cats because I doubt that I'll keep the futon completely free of cat fur and cat dander. One of the mattress-cleaning articles that I read suggested a Bissell Little Green Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner, and I also need to clean Mom's rugs, so I'll get one (done). I ordered the enzyme cleaner for the mattress and some file folders to finish my filing system setup.

I'm figuring out what books I want upstairs and what books downstairs in the living room and music room. Some are obvious: computer programming books upstairs, travel books and garden books in the living room, and music books in the music room.

I ordered an electric cordless Worx lawn mower that comes with two batteries. It has good reviews on Amazon. Lawn mowing soon! And it's starting to need mowing soon.

I'm setting priorities on what spend money on. I obviously had to get the lawn mower. I suppose that I could have waited to get the carpet cleaner, but I really want to get the futon mattress cleaned and folded up. I've decided that I'll wait on getting the garden put in until after my mom's house sells. Buying bookshelves is more important so that I can get the house organized. I need to stash some money from the estate sale for spending money for my Italy trip. And I need to stash money for property taxes. And I need to pay for the cruise in November. And I need to take the cats to the vet. Also, I think that I'll get two posters a month until I get all the posters that I want. Oh, and I have to get the tree in the back taken down.

Now I'm thinking that I won't go to New York City for Christmas this year because I'd like to spend Christmas in my new house. I might even put lights up! And my "Charlie Brown" tree. And staying home is cheaper :)

I submitted an enormous Walmart order, including food, cleaning fluid for the power mop and carpet cleaner, and a rake and yard waste bags. And I also ordered some really cute bins for the cube organizer to go into the guest room.

Hmm. I should get a composting bin, but probably not until after Mom's house sells.

Hmm. I want to put my white board over the work desk for to-do lists. The only thing is that in order to be able to reach it, when I get the standing desk, it'll not be available when the desk is at standing height. (I want to get one that goes up and down.) But I still want to put it up now. It might be a long while before I get the standing desk.

I dropped off my returns at the UPS store. I tried to ship the CPAP, but it was over $100 and didn’t go through. I think that I’ll have to drive it to Springfield and eat the three-hour round trip. Sigh.

I'm looking at ground cover (now that I bought a lawn mower!) and like microclover. But I doubt that I'll switch over the lawn this year. Actually they say to do it in the fall. I just bought the book Groundcover Revolution. (My Amazon return money is going into gardening books!) I also consulted with a friend from high school who is into "natural" gardening.

I have a hard time doing homework late at night. I'm waiting for my enormous Walmart order, but then I think that I'll go to bed and get up early. I need to get up early anyway because I have my doctor's appointment at 9 AM, and I want to allow enough time to get lost because I haven't been there before.

Zara says, "Food is love!"

Oooh, I saw an ad for this purple smoke tree on Facebook, and it would look cool in the back yard.

I’m going to cancel my massage. I’m low on funds, plus I want to talk to the estate sale person. They’ll probably charge a cancellation fee, but so be it.

Huh. Took a nap and woke up before my alarm, but I feel like going back to bed.

I canceled the appointment. They said that if they can’t fill that appointment, they will charge one-half the service cost. Fair. The funny thing is that I do have a sore throat. I think that I’ll have some Ramen. And hmm, I forgot to get more frozen yogurt yesterday. I’m dehydrated and getting a headache. I’m going to lie down with Zara for a little while. Couldn’t sleep.

I’m having IBS symptoms, and I don’t want to be stuck at the storage unit without a bathroom, so I’m going to stay home. I have plenty to do around here.

Showered. Hung up the “Do not let the cats out” sign. Found a spot for cleaning supplies and light bulbs. Got my cube-shaped acrylic organizers, and things do look neater in there. I think that I want to replace my plastic baskets with acrylic when I have the money.

Went through another bag of clothes. I think that I’m going to wind up with too many clothes and will need to take another pass at them.

I started working on homework. Now I’m waiting for the estate sale person to call. She seems to call later and later each day. Call. I really want to lie down.

That was weird. Her call went directly to voicemail. Okay. They did over $4500 today. There still is a lot of stuff left. Jake, the guy with whom I was working to set up the sale, will be in touch Monday or Tuesday.

Lay down. Couldn’t sleep. Back to homework. Made an arrangement with a TA to discuss some things from class during his Office Hours tomorrow. I think that's as far as I'll get with my algorithms homework tonight, and I want to work on the program tomorrow morning when I'm fresh. Plus Zara wants food. So I think that I'll go through another bag of clothes.

Sigh. I’m trying to explain to Zara that I won’t feed her on the bed. She needs to come down to the floor. I don’t want food crumbs on the bed. She is being stubborn. And Mimi wants attention.

I soaked the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Emailed the pet sitter. I'm going to finish the dishes and scoop the litter boxes and get ready for bed.

Zara woke me up meowing. I turned on a light for her and soaked the cat dishes. Z isn’t coming down for food, but I don’t want to feed her upstairs. Mimi is eating. She seems happy and talkative. Zara is peering at me from the top of the stairs. I had a bite to eat.

I’m going to leave a light on in the kitchen and on the stairs for Zara and go back to bed.

Woke up with my alarm at 4 AM, and decided to go back to sleep for an hour. Good to see Zara downstairs. She even came into the bedroom! Mimi is busy grooming herself. Zara is patrolling like a shark.

I showered and put on my makeup and feel a little more coherent.

Oh great. They’re predicting rain. My boxes will get soaked.

Got the cats shut away. Zara hissed at me. Now I wait for the movers. Silence from the movers. Come on, you guys.

The movers have come and gone. The move was less than I remembered, so I have money for the guy to take the old mattress away. I let the cats out. I noticed that Zara ate her food :)

A neighbor introduced herself without an ulterior motive. She said that it was a nice neighborhood.

My throat feels like it was scraped with steel wool.

I took a nap and the girls napped too. As soon as I got up, they asked for food. Fed them and got the garbage out.

I’m tempted to blow off homework and go back to sleep, but I need to try the new-to-me washer and dryer (done). The front-loading washer seems to hold less stuff than a top-loading one.

Because my throat hurts, I ordered some frozen yogurt and ramen. But it won't get here until tomorrow.

Woo-hoo! I added my first local event (a plant sale) to my calendar!

I'm going to bed as soon as the laundry goes into the dryer. I got an error code. It turns out that someone turned off the water to the washer. Now it seems to be filling. I'm thinking of going to bed and getting up early to put the clothes in the dryer.