days_unfolding

Now I can’t sleep. I got up and took my nighttime meds. Slept a while and overslept. Got up and emailed work. Exchanged emails with my boss. Said that I would be out sick.

Poor Bella is out cold. I told her that she could sleep last night and didn’t need to get up when I was up, but she stayed up late with me.

Slept for a while. It’s dark and slightly rainy out. I had to turn the lights on. Now it’s pouring. Bella and I came in just in time. Fed us all.

I saved an article about ticks because that’s what worries me the most about camping and hiking. I need to buy some "Off". I think that Bella’s flea meds also work on ticks. Ordered a camping lantern.

Good. The people at the conference are in the process of finding a new moderator, so everything is being taken care of. Time to go back to sleep.

I’m looking for a HipCamp near Pere Marquette State Park. I’ve wanted to go there in the fall for a while, but it’s a three-hour drive. I’d like to take Bella. I haven’t found any HipCamps in the area. I found a hotel in the area that someone said was pet-friendly, but their Web site doesn’t say that. I’ll look into it later. Okay, I found a pet-friendly hotel in Missouri that’s nearby and not very expensive. I need to pick a weekend in October because places will fill up with leaf-peepers (like me!) I’m telling Bella about it. Lots of new smells for her! I found a HipCamp that’s one hour away. I might do that. It looks like the closest place in Illinois.

I also found a HipCamp in Missouri that’s is very pretty with creeks and small waterfalls.

I’m feeling a sense of foreboding, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s stress. Went back to sleep.

Bella was trying to eat a firefly. I told her no, we like fireflies. Oh good, it took off. It must be mating season because there are a ton of them.

I need to reimburse work for my flight, so I’ll need to book a trip within a year. Maybe I’ll fly out of the local airport when I go see my dad to use up the money. Or I could take a cruise, but I’ll use up a lot of my vacation time on the trip a year from this fall.

I need to feed the beasts (done). Bella is being manic. I had a vanilla yogurt with cookie dough crumbles. They are pure crack. Oliver is being snuggly. That’s my boy.

I was going to say that I’ll go to bed early, but it’s already almost 9 PM.

Bella cracks me up. When I feed the cats, she puts her paws on my lap and looks away from the cats because if she looked at them, she might lose control and eat their food. She seems to understand that I don’t want her to eat their food. I fed myself too.

Now I need to email work (done), post, take Bella out again, and go back to sleep.

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!

The Weather Channel keeps telling me that there’s fog out. Thanks, I can see it.

I have an impulse to go back to sleep for a half-hour, but I got a ton of sleep last night. I won’t get the will and trust docs modified this morning though. I’ll do that tonight. Both Bella and Oliver are in here, and the combo of them is not restful. Sigh. Oliver bit my foot, which earned him a trip out of the bedroom. I did sleep.

I have a meeting at 11 and one at 1, so no nap at lunchtime or no errands.

I tripped and fell, and my Apple Watch was concerned. I'm fine. It's good to have the emergency button on my watch though.

I need to clear some space in my living room to park the air conditioner for upstairs. It's been spending time on my porch.

Target Optical is open 9 - 6 tomorrow and Country Arbors Nursery is open 9 - 5. They are opposite directions from each other. If I could get to bed early, that would be good.

Lunchtime. Bella is watching Squirrel TV.

It’s chilly downstairs, but I don’t want to put on a hoodie only to take it off again when I go upstairs to work.

Bella stuck her nose in my carrot cake.

A guy wants to come by to buy the pet ramp that I bought for Bella, but she didn't need it. So I popped in my tooth and got some stuff out of the basement stairs. No response from him yet. He's coming by at 4 (done).

We're having a Munchie Bone emergency. I need to submit a Walmart order that includes them. And order a box of them from Amazon (done).

Urgh, my head is pounding.

There is a part Poodle and part Irish Setter dog that caught my eye. However, she's a senior dog, and I wonder if she could keep up with Bella, who is 1. She's a real cutie and is supposed to be sweet too.

It occurred to me the other day that I could get back into piano by playing what I want. I should look for some "easy piano" books (done).

Fed us all. Bella was annoyingly digging in the front yard. She likes to do that when the ground is wet.

Now I'm working on the will and trust documents. Okay, I sent drafts of the documents to the executor and trust people. I should head towards bed.

Overslept a little. A branch of my tree cracked and is in the neighbor’s yard. I need to call a tree guy. I’ll get him to take down the tree at the same time. Bella grabbed one of my strawberry plants and trashed it. Sigh. Bella tried to get my donut. She’s full of it today.

It’s supposed to storm today.

I need to figure out a way to get my tooth in for my meeting with the bank.

At least the tasks that we’re doing today at work are quick and easy. It’s raining out, and neither Bella nor I was thrilled, so I convinced her to come in early.

I read somewhere that dogs wag to the right for something they like and left if they’re nervous. Bella looks at me and wags to the right. I guess that’s good. Speaking of dogs, the one that I was interested in got adopted. The shelter asked me if there were other dogs that they had that interested me. I saw one that’s a “maybe”. He’s shy and Bella’s shy, so maybe they’d be in sync.

I gingerly got my tooth in. It just has to hold on through my meeting with the bank. Which reminds me that I need to list questions for them (done).

More weird stuff going on at work (technical stuff, not people stuff).

Talked to the vet. Zara's kidneys are stable, and they think that she'd do okay under anesthesia. We made a dental appointment for the week after I get back from my business trip. (I don't want her to be alone, even with a pet sitter, after recent surgery.) So that's settled.

I talked to a rep from Midlands State Bank about the will and trust. They can be the executor of the will and successor trustee and also can manage my money if I become incapacitated. They are a national bank and have a lot of trust and investment assets, but are small enough "to provide good customer service". I'm going to send them the drafts that I have of my will and trust documents for them to look at. Success, I think! I liked them and what they had to say.

I really want to take a nap. After I feed the critters. And myself.

The rain is coming down in sheets. Bella noped out. I stayed on the porch with her a while in case she needed to dash out and poop. It was kind of nice being on the porch in the rain. Bella went out a little later and walked around in the rain.

Took a nap. Slept until 12:30 AM. I’m gathering the recycling and my back hurts. Got the recycling in the bin. I need to get up really early to roll the bin and take the boxes to the street, but I’ll probably go back to sleep for a while afterwards. Fed us all. My tooth popped back out.

I need to figure out what to do with any cash left over in my bank accounts for my will. Maybe donate to a food bank? Note to self: Eastern Illinois Food Bank

Bella did need to go out. It can be hard to tell with her.

Ow, there’s a pain pulse in my knee.

Woke up at 8 AM. Went back to sleep and woke up at 10:30. I kind of want to stay home today and weed and plant stuff. I can go to the garden shops tomorrow. Fed us all except for Bella, whom I will feed after I get up from my nap so that I can get her outside right away.

Woke up early from my nap. Bella is still asleep.

Now I was thinking that I should go to the garden shop after all, but they close at 5 PM and it’s now almost 3 and I need to eat and shower. I don’t feel up to planting though. Maybe I should work on my will (and I need to make up time for work).

Got my weary butt into the shower. Now I'm working. Done with work. Fed us all. Bella was yawning and making me yawn, so I’m going to lie down for a little while. Napped and slept until 10 PM.

Took Bella out. Now I'm working on my will. Hmm, it won't let me assign specific assets to people, only a percentage. I guess that I'll divide my assets between the Humane Society and a food bank. Okay, I'm stuck on the executor. I contacted a firm to serve as the executor and have a meeting with them on Monday. I discovered that I have a dental appointment on Monday!

I think that I'll pack it in for tonight. I need to feed the critters and have a snack and go to sleep.

I keep forgetting to post a picture of my sunflowers. They make me smile.

I had my Italian lesson today. It went well. We spent half of the time talking about my Sardinia trip. My teacher wants me to go to Sicily!

I made a stupid mistake at work. And I keep making stupid mistakes today. With it, I'm not. I didn't get a lot of sleep. I installed a "countdown to retirement" app on my phone. Currently 2 years, 7 months, and 2 days (assuming that I retire December 31, 2027) :)

Hmm. I found an Amalfi Coast and Tuscany tour that's more what I had in mind. I want to go to Ravello though. On the day in Florence, I could go to the Uffizi Gallery that I missed when I was sick in Florence. I emailed them for more info.

I have a boatload of stuff to do this weekend. I want to go to the garden shops. Plant plants in the garden. Tidy and clean the kitchen and bathrooms. Work on my will and trust documents. (Maybe I should work on them after work because I'll have limited energy.) Oh, and tidy up the upstairs so that I can get someone to clean the carpet. Set up my security cameras.

I’m about to take a nap and am sharing my bed with a dog and a Munchie Bone. I pretended to eat the Munchie Bone, but Bella was unfazed. She knows that they’re for dogs. Had a short nap, but I'm going to be tired tonight. I need to make it an early night, especially because I need to log onto work early to get my half-day in the morning and still leave for my doctor's appointment on time.

I almost got scammed by the best phishing email yet. The login looked believable, but then it asked for my credit card number, and I said, "Wait a minute," closed the Web page, and used Xfinity's Web site to check. I did not owe any money. I should change my password on the site (done, but it has two-factor identification also). I also changed my email password out of an abundance of caution.

Oh man. I have hit the wall with 1.5 hours of work to go. I was going to try to stay up tonight until an early bedtime, but I might need to take a nap. Or go to bed REALLY REALLY early.

I've decided not to go to the island La Maddalena on my Sardinia trip because 1) the cab fare to the ferry is really, really expensive and 2) I will be jet-lagged, so two days at the beach sounds about right. Maybe next time, I could stay closer to the ferry.

I’m redesigning the area next to the garage-to-be. I had thought red buds, soft holly, and lavender. But now I’m thinking red buds, willow shrubs, and creeping thyme. Realistically, I won’t be able to landscape the area until next spring, which will give me a lot of time to clean it up.

sunshine_two, I hope that the fires in Manitoba aren’t near you.

Swapped a clean litter box for one to soak. Started laundry.

Intuit sucks. I used part of my tax refund to get Will and Trust Maker, but I never got a login for it. I called Intuit customer service, and it gave me a bunch of info about my tax refund and hung up on me. Will and Trust Maker doesn't seem to have a customer service number. So I'm screwed.

I guess that I'll use the free Will and Trust tool. I started working on my will, but realized that I need to add all my bank accounts, and I'm too annoyed to have the patience for it. I think that I'll go to bed early and work on it tomorrow. Actually, I might be in the right mood to work on the kitchen. Cleaning is always better when you're pissed off.

I checked into the premiums for Obamacare if I retired before I'm eligible for Medicare, and holy cow. Expensive. I think that my proposed retirement date is solid.

Got up a little after 6:30 AM. Took Bella out, but I decided that I wanted to go back to sleep for a while. Whoa, Bella had a hard fall off of the bed, but she seems to be okay.

I got into a wrangle with the software that we use for expense reports, and I wanted to cry. I hate expense reports. Note to self: stop traveling for work.

I think that I need a NokBox (Next of Kin box) so that I can include the will and trust documents in it. I bought a fireproof one. I also got a book on Swedish Death Cleaning for Americans on Kindle Unlimited. I also got The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly.

I was able to get Zara in the carrier this time. She’s not happy, but that’s to be expected.

Aargh. I got Zara in the car, and then realized that I forgot my phone. I decided to go in the front door because it was easier—and Bella dashed out. She refused to come in, not even for a Munchie Bone, so I had to leave her in the yard. I’m stressing over her. Zara, on the other hand, is being surprisingly good at the vet. They told me to feed her a little more food, which she'll like. They want me to bring Zara in for a dental appointment, which we made, but they need to check the bloodwork first. Bella was waiting for me when we got back and went inside without protest.

Man, I'm tired. And there's more expense report fun and games. Sigh.

Fed us all. I’m feeling like just going to bed and not gathering the trash to take out, but it’s a little early (7:15 PM) to go to bed. I need to just do it. I got the trash from the wastebaskets and was working on scooping the cat boxes when my back started to hurt. I decided to post and rest my back.

Woke up at 7 AM. I want to go back to sleep, but I need to take Bella out. Fed us all. It’s gray and gloomy and raining lightly.

I think that I want to go back to Home Depot and get the sunflowers. I have a spot for them. And I found a place online that has pansies. Now I’m thinking of gerber daisies because they’d go better with the sunflowers. Either Home Depot or Lowe’s had peonies, which I want for the front yard, but you couldn’t tell what color they were except when they were blooming. I need to expand the front garden bed for them. Breck’s has some nice ones. Also, one of the places had some dahlias that I liked, but I’d need more pots for them.

I think that I want to nap for another hour while my meds kick in.

I’m thinking that I want to stay home and plant things. I can go to the garden shops tomorrow (although I don’t know if Prairie Gardens will be open for the holiday?) Or maybe I’ll go to Home Depot and Lowe’s. I need to wake up so that I can shower. Maybe I’ll read about wills for a little while.

I didn’t get an answer whether Prairie Gardens is open tomorrow, but probably, given that they were open on New Year’s Day. Lowe’s and Home Depot will be open. Bella thinks that I shouldn’t read but do something useful like petting her!

I’m trying to figure out what I want for estate planning. I think that I’ll have a local lawyer draw up the paperwork after I do my research. I want a revocable living trust. I need a trustee to step in if I’m incapacitated, and I can get one from Schwab. I want my money to go to charity when I pass away, so I need to look back into that. My dad has someone who will pay the bills if he’s incapacitated, and I want that, so I need to ask him who he got and what their role is.

The good news: I found a rubber mallet to put together my new strawberry pot. The bad news: Oliver and Lily went down in the basement.

I still feel like going back to sleep, probably because it’s gloomy out, but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I take a nap.

Planted my dill and Japanese Spirea. Ordered pots for the two hibiscuses I bought. (The first one died. Apparently there was standing water in the container.) Planted petunias in my small strawberry pot. Planted ferns. Bella had a great time playing with the pots that they came in. While I was planting ferns, Bella was following along digging them up and destroying them. That earned her a trip indoors. Planted the remaining ferns. Weeded one of the iris beds, planted two new irises, and put up the fence. We’ll see how Bella interacts with it. Watered the plants.

The mower guy is planning to come tomorrow.

Bella completely ignored the garden bed with the fence. Exactly what I want her to do. If she keeps ignoring it, I'll buy more fencing.

Fed us all. I'm really tired. I'm going to email my dad, scoop cat boxes, and then go to bed.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. I was out with Bella when I realized that I hadn’t put my clothes in the dryer. Came in and did so, but it’ll take a while, so I’ll have to take my shower at lunchtime. Decided to go back to sleep for a half hour. It's a rainy, dreary day.

The recycling people didn't take my boxes, probably because it was raining. They left a mess, so I'll need to go out and drag the boxes back into the yard. Bah.

Forgot to mention that I bought a book on Medicare that I need to read. And my trust books.

I've got a paper trading account set up on Schwab, although they don't make it easy to find. I'll start following my dad's system next week.

I had an appointment to take Zara to the vet. When I went in her room, Oliver tried to come in and then Oliver and Bella were fighting outside the door. That freaked Zara out, and she retreated to the closet whenever I went near her. I called the vet, and have a new appointment for next Tuesday. Next time, I'll corral Oliver, Lily, and Bella before I try to get Zara.

I read an article in the BBC about the health benefits of saunas, including reducing the severity of tension headaches, which I get a lot. I’m looking for a sauna in the area but am having no luck. The big gym at the university has one, but I just read a comment about how they don’t keep the gym clean, which doesn’t make me want to go there. The YMCA has one. Maybe when my required membership at the university gym is up, I’ll try there. The membership at the uni gym was a minimum of four months, so it should be over soon if not already. I guess that my next step is to check the date and visit the YMCA to see if I want to switch there. Oh! It has a lap pool! And they have swim lessons! And a "gentle yoga" class! And an indoor walking track! And "learn to play pickleball" in the fall! Okay, I want to join the YMCA (joined). I need to cancel my uni gym membership.

I'm thinking of looking for a part-time job at one of the local public libraries when I retire. It would be fun and bring in a little money.

I've been bouncing back and forth from my work area upstairs to the kitchen. I'm processing videos at work, so I set one off for processing, went downstairs and worked on the kitchen, came back up to process videos, etc. I did get some cleaning done on the kitchen. The boxes are flattened.

Cleaned up the boxes outside. I have a video processing. If it's done after I post, I'll move it to the next step. Otherwise, I'll finish up tomorrow. Okay, I got the second video uploaded. I don't have the energy to start video 3. I'll work on it tomorrow.

Oliver is asleep on top of the fish tank.

Fed us all and took Bella out for the last call of the night. She had a perfect day for doing her business outside. Yay. She’s currently zonked out on the bed.

Home Depot has a basil plant and a dill plant, so I need to stop by. They’re open only until 8 PM though.

I need to copy my dad’s investment emails into a Word document to which I can refer (done).

Woke up a little before my alarm at 6:30 AM.

I want to plant annuals in a bed that has a pipe in it. If someone needs to fix the pipe, well, they’re just annuals, so I wouldn’t be too upset if they were trampled on. I should go to Prairie Gardens this coming weekend.

I'm feeling like crying for no good reason again. I had been feeling better though. Maybe it's because of a dental appointment that I'm not happy about.

I'm lucky to have two cats who are BFFs (Oliver and Lily). I'm so glad that I adopted Lily.

Ow, my mouth hurts. The dentist did a good job though, making the temporary teeth look good. I have an appointment in two weeks to order the permanent teeth. Ow. Fuck. Ow. I'm wondering if I should go plant shopping tonight to take my mind off of it. But I'm tired, so I'm thinking of a nap. (I didn't get my lunchtime nap.) Walmart's Garden Center is open until 11, so maybe I can do both.

The Italian school in Sardinia responded to me. So yay.

My first set of linen tank top, pants, and blazer has arrived, but I haven't tried it on yet.

Overslept my nap. Crud, and I need to do Italian homework.

I was cutting up a donut so that I could eat it, and Bella grabbed it. Sigh.

I’m going to tell my Italian teacher that my mouth hurts (true—I had an extraction, although the tooth that they drilled the fuck out of hurts more), and that I need to skip this lesson.

I wonder if the hotel that we’ll be at for the conference does laundry. Probably. I want to wear my linen clothes the first day of the conference, when I’m moderating.

I wonder if I can order plants from Walmart. Maybe I want to pick them out though. I want to get pansies.