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Overslept by an hour. Messaged in sick for Italian, and I’m going to go back to sleep. I’ll shower at lunchtime. Overslept my nap too. I'm really tired, and I need to stay up late cleaning tonight.

My neighbor asked me what tree service I was using because he wants his trees looked at too at the same time. I have his phone number now (good to have). Bella was thrilled to say "Hi"' to them. I told them about the puppy-to-be, and they said that the animals will keep me young. I said that they make me feel old because I can't keep up with them! He also said that there's a sewer line that runs near where I want the garage to be. I'll need to get the map of the utilities, but he thought that the sewer might not be on it. I also mentioned that I'll be replacing the fence, and he said that he didn't know who put up the fence on his side. He doesn't seem to have a problem with my replacing it.

I've been feeling dizzy and arthritis-y today. I got my carbonated water delivered, and it seems to be helping. And I took acetaminophen. I'm going to lie down for a little while after work.

Bella says that beds are for petting. I said that that sounded a little outré.

I woke up from my nap dripping sweat and dizzy. I watered the outside plants until I couldn’t see anymore. I’ll water the rest tomorrow, although it’s supposed to rain. I’m feeling a little rain now.

We’re all fed. I’m going to lie down for a little while (I’m still dizzy) and then clean.

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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!

Puppy!!

Jun. 9th, 2025 07:24 pm
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I found a puppy that I like at the place at which I adopted Bella. She's going to be around Bella's size and she's cute. I'm going to sleep on whether to contact them. I wouldn't be able to pick her up next week though.laken.jpg

Oliver is eating Zara’s leftover food. The vet told me to feed Zara as much food as she wants because she has been losing weight, but that means that I feed her more food than she wants.

I bought a lockable fireproof safe that takes file folders plus a laptop because mine keeps running out of space. (I got a 2 TB hard drive. That should keep me for a while.)

Bella is taking the stuff that I’m throwing out and is squirreling it away.

I woke up at 5 AM. I decided that I wanted to go back to sleep for a while but put clothes in the dryer first. Overslept my nap. Soaked a litter box.

The dentist will glue the tooth back on at 4 PM today. Excellent.

I emailed the shelter about the puppy. Either I’ll get her or I won’t. Lily is sleeping in the window.

My Bee Balm is blooming! And the rest of them have buds.
bee_balm.jpg

I’m getting the puppy!!!! They said that they could transport her the following week. I'll pick her up in Bloomington.

I tried to nap at lunch, but I was too excited about the puppy. Bella, on the other hand, is a "five more minutes" kind of gal.

My permanent bridge came in! Things are looking up. The dentist wants me to come in a little earlier, and they'll put it on. I’ve nicknamed the dentist “Dr. Payne” because he keeps doing stuff that hurts (to be fair, my teeth are very sensitive), but it looks great.

Hmm. Feeling dizzy. Must drink water. I get dizzy learning back in dentist's chairs.

Hmm. There's a cruise line that guarantees that you will see the Aurora Borealis during their cruise, or you will get a second cruise for free. I would like to see that. Ooh, I want their astronomy voyage.

I need to get to bed early because the tree guy is coming at 8:30 AM tomorrow.

Hmm, I'm missing a bra that I ordered a few weeks ago. I can live without it, but I wanted to take it with me on my business trip. Anyway, I need to do some maintenance on my "paper trading" account, do some dishes and tidying, and get to bed so that I'll get up really early.

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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.

Thursday

Jun. 6th, 2025 06:04 am
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I overslept. So much for getting my recycling out. So much for my shower too. Put my clothes in the dryer. Fed us all.

I’m working on plans for my funeral for my will. I'm looking for a poem that I wrote many years ago, but no luck so far. Found it on the Wayback Machine for an old Web site! Yay! I think that I'll just say in the will to follow the funeral plans in the "End of Life Ceremonies" folder in the NokBox. Then I can keep modifying it without updating the will. (Actually, planning it is kind of fun. Is that weird?)

The Champaign County Master Gardeners are sponsoring a garden walk. It's the day after I get back from my business trip, but it's from 9 to 4, so I wouldn't have to get up really early? (Though I'll have to pick up Bella and Oliver first.) It sounds nice. I could use some ideas for my garden. It's only $10, so if I decide that day that I just can't, I wouldn't lose a lot of money.

Lily thinks that my leg is a scratching post. Ow.

Scrambled to get myself together for my therapy session because I forgot about it. She thinks that I need to get back to singing as a way to deal with frustration. (I booked some lessons. I also signed up for a Scales and Intervals singing class for the fall.) She thinks that I've had too many things go wrong for too long. I also was worrying about my job because it's detail-oriented and I'm really not, and she suggested looking at other jobs within the university. I don't have to take another job if I don't think that it's a good fit.

I forgot to mention that I got all my bills on automatic payment (except for the sewer, which is manual only) a few days ago. One less thing to worry about.

My new glasses are in, so I need to pick them up on the weekend.

I think that I want a nap after dinner.

Bella is picking up dog debris from the floor and flinging it into the air. I only live here.

Ordered dog food and dog treats from Costco. I noticed that they had a tennis ball launcher for dogs, but my inner voice asked me if I was too lazy to throw a ball for my dog. So no, I didn’t get it.

Took a nap and slept until 5 AM. I think that the pup thought that I was dead because she’s making a fuss over me :)

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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.

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Bella heard something and woke up and barked and growled. I got up and turned on the porch light but didn’t see anyone. The car looks okay.

Woke up at 5 AM. Took Bella out and lay down for a half-hour afterward.

My Italian lesson went well. My teacher said that my brain was working well today. I need to work on pronunciation. Maybe I could read News in Slow Italian and play the audio to check my pronunciation. Am I still subscribed to News in Slow Italian? An article I read about improving foreign language pronunciation said that it’s a good idea. I think that there also was an app that taught foreign languages using songs. That should help too. I downloaded an app called LingoClip. You listen to music and fill in the missing words in the lyrics. I found another site that will play a foreign language song and give you the lyrics in the language and a translation.

I think that I might want to add a small bequest to my Italian teacher in my will. I’ll have to see if there’s an issue with sending money overseas.

They were right about it being really windy today. Something (dust?) was making me sneeze. The sunflowers have been knocked over, but I left them on the ground until the wind dies down.

Great. I overslept my nap and was late to a meeting, I'm having problems with a database, and a crown came out already. I ordered some dental glue from Walgreens because the one that I'm getting from Amazon won't get here until tomorrow.) I just want to scream. This week sucks so far. Okay, a colleague probably figured out the problems with my database. (I'm testing it. It worked.) The glue has been delivered, but I'm going to wait until post-dinner to reglue it.

I still haven’t heard from the vet about Zara. I just said that I wanted to reschedule the appointment for tomorrow, but they are closed now. It’s 7 PM, and they’ve been closed for an hour, so I don’t think that I’ll hear from them tonight.

Fed us all and watered the plants in the garden. Listened to a song in Italian. Got the garbage out. Zara is hiding in the closet. I don’t know if she’s trying to keep cool. I should turn the ceiling fan on for her. Man, I’m boiling hot. Need to sit and cool off. Listened to another (depressing) song in Italian. In English we would call that a torch song.

Got my tooth back on without glue. It then came off. Now I put it on with glue. My tooth is screaming. I turned the ceiling fan on while I sat in the kitchen (I shut Bella in the bedroom because she wouldn’t stop bothering Oliver) and Oliver took off like a bat out of hell out of here. Apparently he’s scared of it as well as Bella. The tooth came out again. I'll wait until I get the better glue from Amazon. Bella is doing well in time-out.

I need to go upstairs and do some more work, although I need to get up on time because I have a 9:00 meeting tomorrow. All's well that ends well with work. My mini-project was successful, and now I'm back on track. So I'll get to bed.

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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. sunflowers.jpg

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I wound up getting my second wind and staying up late. Plan B is to log onto work at the usual time and work an extra 45 minutes in the evening.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Took Bella out but decided that I wanted to get another half-hour of sleep, so I brought her in early.

Crazy cats are crazy and are chasing each other.

I'm looking at adult tricycles to use to run errands. There are stores that are not too far away to which I could bike. I found one that I like, and they sell it at a local bike shop, so they could put it together. Not sure how I'd get it home though. I could take side streets.

I got an email for the Amalfi Coast trip. Apparently you can customize where you stay and at what hotels. I don't need four-star accommodations. It sounds promising.

I've decided to grow snapdragons in my back part-sun garden bed. Lowe's has them. I was going to have them delivered, but that will double the cost of them, so I'll go by Lowe's this weekend. Actually, my eye doctor appointment this afternoon is nearby, so I'll pop in afterward.

I've run into a snag. My therapist is changing practices. She wants a LOCAL Emergency Contact Person, and I don't have one. I emailed her asking what to do. I really need to meet more people here. She said that she'll put a note to contact the local EMS if needed.

I'm mulling over volunteering at the local Humane Society. The good news is that I love working with cats; the bad news is that I love cats and don't want to end up with another one. Oliver and Lily get along so well that I don't want to rock the boat. Also, I have volunteered to take my dad and Sue's cat if they no longer can take care of him. He's a real cutie. (BTW, I'm adding the local Humane Society to my will. The proceeds from the sale of my car or cars will go to them. That should buy a lot of cat food.)

The appointment with the psychiatrist went quickly. She’s going to keep me on the increased meds and will see me in three months.

Bella is excited that I left and came back! She is happy! Silly pooch :)

I was wondering if the NokBox has a lock, and apparently there's a spot for a small combination lock. I want to put the logins for my bank accounts in it, but I don't want them available if someone breaks in. So I'll work on my list.

Created my list of bank accounts. It wasn't as bad as I thought last night. And almost finished my list of credit cards. But I need to get myself together for the eye doctor appointment.

The eye doctor appointment ran long. We were waiting a long time for the (virtual) doctor. My prescription didn’t change much and I have it in hand. Bought an expensive pair of glasses.

Went to Lowe’s and cleaned them out of snapdragons. Also bought a fern.

Bella is fussing over me again. So is Oliver, but he wants food.

Fed us all. Took a nap and slept until 1 AM.

Lousy Day

May. 29th, 2025 08:31 pm
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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.

[personal profile] 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.

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Crap. I forgot to check my dad’s “stoplight system” for whether to invest or not. (It’s based on some Wall Street Journal stats.) I don’t want to go back upstairs and log on though. I need to put a note on my computer to do that. Hmm, it just occurred to me to note the stoplight readings on my email calendar. That would be a good way to view trends. I did remember to do it tonight. (It's a yellow light - hold.)

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Discovered that my phone didn’t charge and my Apple Watch needed charging too. Got the good charger. Took Bella out, but it was raining pretty hard, and she noped out. I’m going to go back to sleep for a while. Hmm, the Dynamic Duo (Oliver and Lily) are in here now. Good, they just left. Had a nice nap.

At work now. The Dynamic Duo are being very dynamic and are running around.

ChatGPT can be useful. I want a paragraph in my will stating that my friends can take one personal item each to remember me by, and it gave me a nice paragraph in legalese.

Speaking of my will and my trust, the big question is whether I include the house in the trust or not. I want the proceeds of the sale of the house to go into the trust, which makes me think that it should be included in the trust, but I'll probably sell the house before I pass away to go into a retirement community, which makes me think that it should not be in the trust. Dad said in a roundabout way to put the house in the trust because it keeps someone from suing me and getting the house. He said that if I’m the trustee, I can sell it whenever.

I somehow wound up with not one but two doctor's appointments on Friday afternoon (psychiatrist and eye doctor). My boss said that I could take the afternoon as sick time. Have I mentioned lately that I work with great people?

I forgot to feed the critters this morning. I suck.

I put the YMCA's "Gentle Yoga" class on my calendar, starting next week. That'll give me time to find my yoga clothes, mat, etc. Their Pilates classes are at an inconvenient time. And their Aqua Fit evening classes are at the same time as yoga. (I don't do exercise in the morning. If I get up on time and shower, I'm ahead of the game. Though hmm, the Deep Water Total Body Workout on Wednesday mornings sounds like a good class. Maybe I should try it and see if I can get up. They have the class on Fridays and Mondays too.)

I've been weeding a little while I'm out with Bella. Some weeds are going to need the weeding tool, but I've been able to knock off some easy weeds to pull up. I've got the bed for the tickseed cleared, but need to pull up the landscaping cloth underneath before I plant them. I want to order some begonias for the back of the house, which gets part sun and part shade. Hard to find plants for that exposure that are also dog-safe. Pulled up the landscaping cloth and planted tickseeds. I’m wondering if I should leave the sunflowers in their pots. They would require a big hole to plant them. Now I’m thinking about putting them on the patio. Maybe I could plant Black-Eyed Susans where I was going to plant them. Prairie Gardens has them. I also want to go to another big garden shop in the area this weekend. The ASPCA Web site says that begonias are toxic for dogs. The search continues….

Bella played tug of war with the landscaping cloth that I pulled up. I finally gave up on throwing it out. I’ll have to go outside without her to get it. (I got it when I took out the recycling.)

I read an article on places to retire in if you want to travel, but I think that I'm pretty well located. I can hop on a bus (or train) to Chicago and fly out of O'Hare Airport, which has nonstop flights to a lot of places. But Urbana is cheaper to live in than Chicago.

I've decided to replace the living room furniture (loveseat and chair) with new washable pieces. And I'll put my mom’s white chair, which is in good shape, in the library room and buy a cheap footstool for it. Though actually, I have a rattan footstool, I think. And I found a small trunk table on Wayfair to use as an end table. I can put a throw in it for cozy reading. I’ve thought again about getting a grandfather clock for the library room. The trick is finding a nice used one for not a lot of money and getting it over here.

The Swedish Death Cleaning book was talking about “curating” your stuff. That’s an interesting way to look at it.

I’m resting for a moment before taking out the recycling (done). I can’t rest long because I have Italian homework to do and I need to order some fencing from Lowe’s (done) and groceries.

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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.

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I looked for some shaggy white bath mats to go with the towels and found some. The trick will be to corral the cat litter in the room.

Woke up at 7 AM. Fed us all. Oliver came over to me, and I was petting him, and Bella jumped on me. Jealousy….Lay down for a nap. Bella was barking at the bedroom door for reasons known only to her. I got up to take my meds, and she ate her food and settled down.

Had a nice nap. Oliver was on my lap loving me up, but Bella wanted to “play” with him, which involves pinning him down and biting him. Oliver does not like it. He bites Bella’s ears, but she doesn’t seem to care. Ate lunch. I’m going to lie down for another SHORT nap because I want to make it to Prairie Gardens.

Success. I made it to Prairie Gardens. I wasn’t thrilled with their selection, but I still left with coneflowers, coral bells, and dahlias. Then I went to Home Depot and bought sunflowers and Gerber Daisies. Then I had a gyro at Windy City Express.

Bella gave me her Munchie Bone. I’m honored :) I’m feeding the hordes. I really want to go to sleep soon.

Aargh. I forgot to get twine and metal stakes to mark out the expansion of the front garden. I’ll order it for delivery from Lowe’s.

Bella is fascinated by the sunflowers. I told her that she better watch out because they’re bigger than she is.

I love sitting outside at twilight. It’s so pretty and peaceful. But Bella attacked one of the Gerber Daisies, sigh. It was the only yellow one that they had. I was not pleased and marched her inside the house.

I started on my list of bills for my end-of-life notebook. I told Dad that I was going to make one and to make sure my bills were on automatic payment. Not that I'm planning to drop dead any time soon, but it's good to get things organized.

Garden Day

May. 25th, 2025 09:15 pm
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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.

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Woke up at 6:30. Took Bella out, showered, and fed us all. Bella was whining while I was in the shower, but then she fell asleep while I was getting dressed.

I've decided that I should read my trust books before telling the trust that I want to manage the money myself. So I need to make time for reading this long weekend. (It's the Memorial Day holiday on Monday in the US.)

I was wondering if I should replace my personal laptop (it's several years old), but I shouldn't spend money just because I can. I did find one that I like though. Hmm.

Oliver and Lily are looking out the upstairs window, twitching their tails in unison :)

I went with Bella to take a nap, but Oliver was lying on the bed. I removed him because he and Bella will squabble. Bad Mommy! Bella was barking at the door for no apparent reason. I finally let her out. Then she was quiet.

I got contacted about a fraudulent transaction on my Capital One debit card. Sigh. I don't know how someone got the card number.

I'm mulling over my ethics in investing. There is an ETF that invests in data centers, more of which will be built for AI. But that's a negative environmental impact. Should I make money from damaging the environment?

They let us leave work early due to the holiday. I had just finished the task that I was working on, so that worked out well. I took Bella out, and apparently I missed throwing out one of the plastic pots that the plants came in, and Bella was having a great time playing with it. I didn’t have the heart to throw it out.

[personal profile] zhelana mentioned that she bought her dog a small pool for hot summer days, and that sounded like a good idea, so I got Bella one. I hope that she likes it.

I got my new Brooklinen towels, and oh, are they soft and luxurious. I’m tempted to get another set while the Memorial Day sale is still on (done).

Celebrated the holiday weekend with a nap. Overslept and slept until 8 PM. Ow, my knee hurts.

Fed us all. The can of Bella’s food that I opened had liquefied food, and Bella wouldn’t eat it, so I gave her a new can of it.

I’m thinking of going back to sleep. I want to get outside tomorrow before my pedicure appointment. I need to submit a Walmart order and Lowe’s order first though (done).

Note to self: Pedicure Saturday at 5 PM. Bring trust book.

Y-M-C-A

May. 22nd, 2025 10:46 pm
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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.

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Woke up at 6:30 AM.

I had an online seminar at work given by a committee for which I'm a liaison, so that took up at lot of my day. Otherwise, I've been discussing retirement with my dad. (I asked him how he decided when to retire.) My dad also thinks that I should "paper trade" his investment system until I get the money from the trust. I need to write the trust about wanting the money, but I've been dreading the explosion.

I was discussing with my dad things that I want to do in retirement, and learn photography is one of them. I ran across a photography tour of Yosemite, which would check two things off of my list---photography and seeing Yosemite.

My list: Mostly learning things. I wanted to learn how to do Web programming, but the classes at the U of I were too fast-paced, so I want to work on it at my pace, and maybe volunteer to do Web site work for non-profits. Also, work on programming for mobile devices. Learn more about economics. Work on my languages (Italian and French). The big thing that I want to do is spend a year studying Italian in Italy (and possibly French as well). Learn singing (I belong to a chorus), piano, and guitar. Garden. I don't have a plan for a part-time job but am open to one. Basically doing stuff that I'm already doing but with more time to do it. Oh, and start writing again (a mix of non-fiction and poetry). And I want to learn to write songs. I want to write humorous songs about getting older and post them on YouTube. And learn photography. I have a lot of resources about it, but haven't had the time to put into it.

My therapist said that Obamacare gets more expensive as you get older, and COBRA is expensive, so I should wait until I'm eligible for Medicare to retire (2.5 years). I need to learn more about it. I think that Fidelity has a webinar about Medicare that I'll look for.

Got the recycling out, including a ton of plant boxes that were on the porch. I have more boxes inside, but I’ll get them out next week. I strained my knee in taking out the recycling, sigh. I need replacement parts :)

I forgot to mention that I received more plants. The ferns for my shade garden look like happy little plants.

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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.

Garden Fun

May. 18th, 2025 07:58 pm
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Speaking of dogs, I sent an inquiry about a poodle mix. We'll see what happens. He's a real cutie.

Woke up a little before my alarm at 8 AM. Bella pooped outside again, so I cracked the code.

I’m really not feeling the trip to Allerton for flower arranging. I want to stay home with my dog and cats and plant plants in the garden. Anyway, I need to feed the critters (done) and take a shower. If I’m not going to Allerton, I think that I’ll take a nap.

Put my tomato plants outside for the Buy Nothing person. It sucks that I can’t grow tomatoes, but I don’t trust Bella. Maybe when I have a high raised bed, I could grow some.

Had a nice nap. Overslept a little. Ate lunch.

Now I’m out in the yard. I tried my new weeding tools and one of them, Grandpa’s weeding tool, works. The big weeds need multiple tries though. Bella is having a great time playing with the pots that the plants came in. I’ve planted some herbs, but I think that I’ll need more dirt to plant strawberries. That little snot Bella grabbed one of my basils and tore it apart. I guess that I need a new basil. Sigh. She also dug up a coral bell that I planted. Hmm. Basil online comes in multipacks. I’ll have to go to Walmart or Lowe’s or Home Depot. Well, I had a little problem. My strawberries didn’t fit in the strawberry pot. I planted two in there, four in another pot, and four in a small pot. Now I’m trying to plant some irises, and Bella keeps on stealing them.

Now I need to clean up and water the plants (done, but I forgot to water the tickseed). I have only the tickseed and Japanese Spirea left to plant.

Fed us all. Bella “said” she wanted to go outside afterwards, but so far, she hasn’t done her business.

I'm beat. I made an appointment to bring the Honda in to be looked at. That will be Friday because I'm going to have a busy week.

I'm going to go to bed soon. Oh, I need to send an email to the Italian school because they haven't responded to me.

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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.

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