days_unfolding

Overslept until 8:15 AM. Gracie was still asleep, and I got myself up. Progress.

Oliver somehow got out of Zara's room (that guy is good at opening doors that haven't quite latched). He and Lily are chasing each other.

Bella came in. Gracie’s still outside.

I wish listed a vibration plate that

one_raido mentioned. That would help with my balance. Actually, I bought a balance board, which is cheaper.

Dozed lightly at lunchtime.

I was outside trying to get Gracie to come in, and a guy walking a dog waved at me. That little shit Oliver wants to eat Zara's food, so I put her food away. I need to close him in a room in order to feed her.

I wishlisted some emergency lights (mentioned by

susandennis). I especially want one for upstairs because it's dark up there and the stairs are treacherous. I need more flashlights too. Storm season is coming. I have a weather radio by my bed. Okay, I bought a couple of rechargeable flashlights. It's a start. I need to keep one by my desk.

Oh! I have more money than I thought! But it's good to not spend money though. Maybe I will subscribe to the exercises though. The few that I've done seem to help.

It's 3:30 PM. Gracie looked like she wanted to come in, but Bella ran out, and Gracie wanted to play with her. I'll try again in a half-hour. I should have shut Bella in the bedroom. Apparently I left the garage open the other night, but there wasn't anything of note in there.

I completely forgot that I had a therapy appointment at 4 PM, so she got to see me with bed head and no makeup. (She said that "She's seen it all, especially with telehealth".) She liked that I'm doing volunteer work. She said that even if the lump in my breast is cancer, breast cancer grows slowly and is easy to cure. She thinks that I should sign up for the yoga class on Saturdays. She was amused by my dogs that refuse to come in.

Gracie finally came in at 6:30 PM. She was out for 10 hours! She was hungry, not surprisingly.

The stupid Amazon delivery person left the package outside the gate and it was stolen. I can’t ask for a replacement until tomorrow. My bidet was in there and cost $$. Maybe I should start using an Amazon locker. Or take Gracie out on a leash during the day. I think that I'll do the Gracie leash bit. She won't be happy, but I'll let her out without a leash at night.

Anyway, the critters are fed. I need to make dinner (done). I’m feeling chilled, so I threw on a robe. I’m trying to decide what to do now. I should work on the bathroom, but am feeling unmotivated. My phone has a low charge too. I’ll go post.

I'm out of soda and almost out of food, so I needed to place a grocery order. Because groceries and gas are so expensive, I'm going to wait until I get paid again to subscribe to the exercises. I should get the book one of these days. I also sold some stocks that are hemorrhaging money.

Another reason to get to bed early is so that I get up on time.

Ordered my knee brace. It'll just barely fit, but that will do.

Gracie finally came in after Bella burst outside another time. I shut Bella in the bedroom before trying to get Gracie to come in.

Oliver went down in the basement earlier today. Lily was hanging out near the door to the basement stairs in the hope that I’d open the door to let Oliver upstairs. I did, and Oliver came up and Lily went down. Oliver is making a fuss over me.

Overslept until 8:30 AM. It's a gray and gloomy day. It's raining out, and the crazy dogs don't want to come in.

Bella came in. I was trying to convince Gracie to come in--she looked wet and miserable--when Bella ran back out. Sigh. This is a battle of wills.

I found a setup that I like for my tomatoes, but it'll cost over $300 (expensive tomatoes!), so I'm hesitating. But I'd have the setup for subsequent years. It was $214, not $300, and I got a payment plan for it, so I ordered it. Home-grown tomatoes are so tasty! I looked at tomato cages at Gardener's Supply, but they were really expensive. I got cheaper ones at Walmart. Now I have a taste for tomato sauce. I know what tomato plants I want from Burpee, but had some trouble ordering from my phone. I’ll order from my laptop later. Ordered tomatoes and herbs. If anyone has a good recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce, I'd love to try it. I found a recipe that uses fresh tomatoes.

The muddy, wet, cold pups came in. Yay. Bella is grooming Gracie. That’s nice.

I opened the warm dryer that just finished, and Oliver went in and rolled around and didn’t let me have my socks. I had another pair of socks drying in the warm bathroom, so I grabbed them. Showered.

I've started looking at mattresses, but I want to wait until Gracie gets older and (I hope) chews less. So about another year.

Oliver squeezed into the one cat bed on my desk, which was occupied by Lily.

They stayed there for a while, but Lily left to go lie on her chair in the front window. Oliver got up and threw up. I don't know why.

I had a sudden thought that my training session at Books for Prisoners was next week, but no, it is tonight.

I want to enroll in Will Harlow's program for "lifelong mobility", but I can't quite afford his program right now, so I'll use his YouTube videos for now. (You can pay quarterly instead, so I'll probably do that when I get paid again.) I also bought a book that he wrote. I bought a book with weight training for women over 50 that uses dumbbells, so I'll do that. (I have the beginnings of osteoporosis, so I want to get some weight training in.) I already have dumbbells. And I would be able to not pay for the gym then!

I've been craving a baguette. I'll stop by the grocery order on the way back from my training session, but they might be sold out by then.

Went to the Books for Prisoners orientation. I liked it and liked the volunteer coordinator. I had one easy request and one hard request. I made a list of types of books to donate to the program. And I volunteered to work at their book sale.

The store was out of baguettes, but I bought a garlic chicken sandwich and some focaccia bread. Oh wow, the focaccia bread is delish.

The dogs are out in the yard. Lily wants me to feed her, but not yet. I think that I’ll post. Tomorrow is an at-home day.

Overslept until 8:15 AM. Lily didn't eat her food, but she seems okay. I think that she's holding out for the Birdie and Louie food. Oliver ate her food. Zara polished off her B&L food last night! Great!

The weather forecasters are predicting massive storms tonight, possibly spawning tornadoes. I need to remember to bring the garbage and recycling bins near the house (done and lay them down).

I really want a nap.

I tried using canned food to get the dogs in, but it didn’t work. I let Oliver and Lily in the bedroom because the dogs are outside. I hope that they’ll let me sleep. Oliver is burrowing under the blanket, and Lily is pouncing on the moving lump. I kicked Oliver out because he was clawing my leg. Overslept my nap.

Finally got the dogs in at 3 PM. I forget how I got Bella to come in. I let Gracie eat Bella's canned food until I could grab her collar.

Napped after work. No storms thus far. Gracie is refusing to come in. Lily is being a lovebug. (She ate her food this time.)

Gracie got me up at a little before 9 AM with the time change. Ugh. Oliver apparently was in Zara’s room. He came out and Lily went in. Oliver is being a pain in the butt. He didn’t finish his food but wants Lily’s food. Amazon did not deliver my packages because the dogs were out. Gracie does not want to come in. Sigh. Bella is whining (because Gracie is outside?) Gracie won’t come in no matter what treat I try to give her. I guess that she’ll stay outside during my nap.

Submitted a grocery order. I decided to open packages.

Bella ran out when I went to let Gracie in. Sigh. Finally got them both in because Gracie was hungry. Got my grocery order, including the all-important cat food.

For some reason, I’ve been thinking of my last technical writing job. My mom blamed me for losing it, but I had two major mental health relapses while I was there. I flat-out couldn’t do the job. Not a good time in my life.

I read

shadowkat's entry about, among other things, the ethics of Harry Potter. I guess that watching the movies probably puts some money into Rowling’s pockets, but she has so much money that it probably won’t make a difference anyway. Is that rationalizing? Probably. I think that you can like the work and hate the author. I do think that Rowling is deranged about trans issues. And putting money into LGBT+ causes, which I do, is a good counter-measure. But I get

shadowkat’s points.

Took another nap and had a hell of a time waking up. I’m sitting trying to get the energy to take a shower.

My dad managed to criticize Trump indirectly without criticizing him directly. The direct criticism would be that Trump is creating a volatile and bad environment for business. This makes me wonder if his wife’s kids are Trumpers. Maybe his wife is a Trumper. (My dad is listing reasons why he thinks that there will be a recession.)

Managed to get my lazy butt in the shower and clean clothes. I do feel better.

I’ve got the new cat bed, and I need to set it up before I go to sleep. It has a clamp that goes on a desk, and it is elevated. I also got the new Birdie and Louie food for Zara. We’ll see if she likes it. Hmm, Birdie and Louie also makes dog food. But the girls are stable on what they’re eating, so I don’t need to buy more expensive food. Zara seems to like the new food.

Put a fresh litter box in Zara's room. I saw a knee brace that I want to get, but I couldn't find my measuring tape to see if it'll fit. I ordered measuring tapes and saved the knee brace for later.

I don’t know how it got so late, except for the time change. I should post and start wending my way towards bed.

I did watch the first Harry Potter movie. It’s my least favorite of the books, but they did a good job with it. (Yes, I’ve seen it before, but it’s been years.)

Now to feed the beasties and go to bed.

Woke up a little after 9 AM. Ugh. I’m having a bad IBS flare. Not sure how that will work with the volunteer work. I might have to email in sick. I did.

Yay, Gracie came in. I can wrap up the morning routine and then nap. I was petting Gracie, and Bella pushed her to one side and bonked my hand. You should be petting me, me, me! Okay, we’re all fed. Nap time.

Gracie has mud on her belly. She could use a bath, but I’m afraid that she’ll just get dirty again.

There was major dog wrestling. They both tried to get me involved, but I explained to them that I don’t like dog play, and the reason that I got two dogs is so that they’ll play with each other. They seem to have settled down now.

Had a nice long nap. Oliver is snuggling on my lap. Had lunch. Had another nap. Got up a little after 6 PM. The plan is to feed the critters (done) and take a shower. I’m not sure if I’ll eat because my stomach is upset. (I did.) Then I’ll tackle my taxes. Hmm, it’s gotten late, so I’ll take my shower tomorrow morning.

Dear PNC Bank, Please make it easier to find your tax forms. Ally Bank, on the other hand, has a link labeled "Tax Forms" on their menu, Please consider it. Signed, Ms. Crankypants.

I finished my taxes. Go me. I owe a little money, so I'm going to wait until I get paid again to file them. Now I'm going to watch the Harry Potter Movie #2.

I forgot to mention that “Blowing in the Wind” has been playing in my head. Appropriate.

Lily approves of my sweats alternative. 10/10 soft to lie on. I like them too for days that I'm staying home.

Overslept until 8:30 AM.

The radiologists want me to have an ultrasound of my left breast. I’m refusing to worry. Okay, I'm worrying a little.

More recession signs: job loss and issues with private credit.

Lily and Oliver are playing Chase Me! Gracie doesn't want to come in from outside. I can't blame her; it's gorgeous out. Nice and warm and sunny. And the irises are coming up!

Oh crud. The place where I wanted Gracie to be trained wants a certificate saying that the dog is free from Giardia (among other things). Gracie still has a little Giardia in her system. I guess that I need to go somewhere else. I'm looking at Polite Pups individual training, at least for Gracie.

I canceled my French lesson. We aren't studying what I want to study, so why am I spending time and money on it? I shouldn't just go along with things. I found a teacher that said, roughly (in French), that she didn't think that lessons are one size fits all. That's promising.

I grabbed Gracie by the collar and marched her in. That was mean, but I wanted to feed Oliver and Zara, and that depended on her coming in because I wanted Oliver shut away when I open the front door.

I way overslept my nap. I was dreaming about my paternal grandmother, whom I resemble.

Whoa. My printer landed on the floor. I blame you, Oliver. It seems to be working okay.

Hmm. An inflatable two-person hot tub isn't that expensive. It's cheaper than a Jacuzzi. Not right now though.

Hmm. Harry Potter is streaming on Max. It might be worth it to get it for a month or two and watch the movies.

I’m looking at piano scales charts, but nothing on Amazon is exactly what I want. Okay, I found some books that I like.

My singing lesson went well. We worked on “The Times, They Are a Changing”. I don’t like the choral arrangement. My teacher wasn’t familiar with the song, and she said, “Boy, this guy doesn’t like his parents!” Yepper. Hard to believe that the song is almost as old as I am.

My dad is worried about the federal debt. It’s a staggering number (30.8 trillion). That is worrisome. He compared it to Germany in the 1920s. That worries me.

Fed everyone. I’m washing clothes, so I think that I’ll watch the first Harry Potter movie on my computer.

I broke down and subscribed to the Wall Street Journal online because they have enough articles that interest me. And their newsletters! I subscribed to around 10 of them. They had a deal for $2 a week for a year. Then it gets expensive, but then I can decide if it's worth the cost.

Overslept until 8 AM. Took a fast shower.

My dental appointment went okay; the implant is healing well. We made an appointment for the impression for the crown after July 1 because that's a new fiscal year for my insurance.

I told Lily not to walk on my computer. Lily: I walk on anything and everything. Because I am a cat! Oliver keeps on sitting on my laptop. The joys of working with pets around.

Napped and overslept. Gracie has been out for three hours and still doesn't want to come in. Sigh.

My dad is saying that it seems likely that there will be a recession or depression this year. (I asked him what evidence he's seeing because I'm me and a lot like him.) I got some books on recessions.

Drat. The flight credit that I used for a trip to New York was today, but I managed to cancel it for a credit. I want to take a trip to New York in December.

Gracie finally decided to come in and everyone's fed.

I think that I want to take another nap after work. Overslept by only 20 minutes. Now I let the dogs out and are feeding myself and the critters. I keep having stomach cramps, ugh. Lily is fussing over me.

I’m thinking of just going to bed after my nighttime tasks and getting up early to do my French homework.

Fed us all. Bella started eating Gracie’s food after eating her own food, but I managed to distract her. Now it’s posting time.

I finally got into my Schwab account. Yes, I took a beating. But I bought more oil-related stocks because my dad says that they work well as a hedge. (They go up when other stocks go down and vice versa,)

Overslept until a little after 9 AM and was late for work. Sigh.

I haven’t seen Lily this morning. Where is she? She might be in Zara's room, but Gracie is still outside, so I haven't opened the door yet. Gracie is still refusing to come in and it's been 3.5 hours and counting. Oh, I just remembered that Lily and Oliver ran into the bedroom, and I shut the door to keep Oliver from running outside. Gracie was out for almost 6 hours. She was refusing to come in the last time even though it was raining, when I started to go back in and she suddenly came in. I'm wondering if I should put a doghouse out there in case that it rains, though they could go under the porch. They could stay on the porch, but they aren't smart enough to do that.

Gracie is completely crashed out after her long exercise session.

I'm looking into training classes for Gracie that are not in PetSmart because she is so hyper. There's a place that should have classes in April, but they aren't up yet.

I received my clock! I haven't opened the box yet.

Piano class went well. One of the songs that she gave us was hard, but I was getting there. I still have problems when both hands are doing independent stuff that’s harder than chords and the like, so I asked for extra practice. Also, we did a little work with improv, which was fun. Note to self: Etude two hands two brains 162

My psychiatrist told me to take a double dose of vitamin D, and it seems to be working. I actually have energy to do stuff.

Got the recycling out. Fed the critters. I’m making myself some food. I decided to hand wash underwear, socks, and a t-shirt, and rewear my jeans and hoodie to go to the dentist tomorrow. I need to get to bed at a decent hour because I have a 9:00 webinar.

I’m telling Bella that she’s a little self-centered. All food belongs to her; all pets belong to her; all things are her toys.

I did oversleep until 7:45 AM. I’m going to have to skip my lunchtime meeting and shower instead. No, I just took lunch really early.

It’s raining out, and Bella looked dubious about going out.

I made a bonehead mistake at work, and I want to retire right now. But I can't.

I attended a "Finding Your Why [for Volunteering]" webinar at lunchtime. At first, I didn't think that I was learning much (I know what my skills are), but I wound up realizing that I want to volunteer in the arts, an area in which I haven't volunteered. I asked if the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on campus took community volunteers, and they do! I filled out a volunteer form. And I might be able to attend concerts for free! That excites me!

The Urbana Park District got back to me about volunteering. I'm going to be a part of the tear down/cleanup crew for the Read Across America event on Saturday. (I told them that I wasn't a morning person :))

The mammogram went okay. The technician was good. I'm slightly annoyed that I had to pay a dollar for parking, but at least it was only a dollar.

Oliver is being a pain and is walking on my computer.

My arthritis is bugging me.

We’re having the first thunderstorm of the season.

I need to bug the garage guy to get the gravel out of my backyard because I need to plant grass from mid-March to mid-April. I so hate dealing with him.

Gracie was jumping up and down barking at Oliver. Bella groomed Gracie, and Gracie settled down. Good job, Bella.

Everyone, including me, has been fed. Now I’m waiting for my Walmart order. Maybe I should start gathering garbage (done). Crud. They’re predicting rain the rest of the night. I guess I’ll be okay to take out the garbage in my all-weather jacket and mud shoes. No, it’s going to keep storming. I think that I’ll put the garbage bags by the back door and call it good. No, I got the garbage out while waiting for my grocery order. And I got most of the groceries in. (I'll get the rest of the soda tomorrow morning.) Got my clothes laid out for tomorrow.

I can't get the login code for two-factor authentication for Schwab, so I don't know what happened with my stocks. Something is down.

Now to bed soon.

It occurred to me to get a nail gun and Westminster Chiming Clock on eBay, and I ordered both. And they’ll arrive at my door!

Facebook was showing clips of the Harry Potter movies, and I have an urge to watch them again.

It looks more like rain than snow out, or at least the snow is melting when it hits the ground.

Got up at 7:30 AM. There was a very light dusting of snow. Lay down again for 15 minutes. It was nice to snuggle under the blanket. The dogs came in on the first try.

Huh. I expected the stock market to go down due to the war in Iran, but my stocks look pretty good, except for financial services stocks.

I asked my boss if it was okay to skip the annual conference for the software that we manage (it's in LA this year), and she was cool with it. Excellent. I need to get more organized before going to another one.

I ordered a hook-and-eye fastener for the upstairs door because Oliver knows how to open it when it's closed. It comes in a two-pack, which is what I need so that I can hook it from the inside or outside. Free delivery from Home Depot.

Lily is being a dickens today. She walked on my computer twice and shut it down once, and jumped on my lap and dug her claws in. Sheesh.

Finished a project at work.

Choir went well. It was our piano player’s birthday so we had pound cake and berries. We’re singing another song that I might like for my memorial service, “Let the Life I’ve Lived Speak for Me”. Maybe the choir could sing it if it’s still around.

Submitted a Walmart order for way late because tomorrow is going to be a zoo. I have meetings most of the day up to my mammogram mid-afternoon. The order took a long time because this has been a glitch-ridden day.

I'm staying up late to wash clothes for tomorrow because I'll need to go to my mammogram.

Oliver and Lily are being manic.

Oops, forgot to mention that I got my vegetable seeds. Now I just need the planters.

Lily's affection is a little self-serving. She is very lovey-dovey when she wants food. Oliver, on the other hand, likes snuggles.

Woke up at 9:30 AM.

I bought a Black and Decker drill on Amazon plus screwdriver bits. I also signed up for an Udemy course on using a drill. Might as well learn to use it right!

The dogs don’t want to come in. Sigh. I really want to take a nap.

I’ve decided that I want “Time to Say Goodbye” played at my memorial service. (I’ve been planning it and will put instructions in my NokBox.) That song has been haunting me since the Olympics. And it has Italian in it!

Finally got the dogs in and fed us all. Nap time. Gracie: Bark bark bark bark. (Cat cat cat cat!) Me: Gracie, yes I know. Shut up!

Bella likes the larger Milkbones. I was leaving the box open for her to get them at will, but she’s eating too many of them. I need to stash them away. Somewhere. It’s a big box.

Hmm. I’m looking at Grand Prairie Friends for volunteering. But I need to wait and see if I hear back from the Humane Society and Park District before applying for something else.

Ate lunch. AccuWeather says that rain will start in two minutes. I want another nap. Overslept my nap.

I’m in shock over the strikes on Iran. We’ve messed with Iran before, and that didn’t go well, so let’s do it again! Plus, what happened with consulting with Congress? We already know that Trump thinks that he can do whatever whenever, but this is the most serious thing yet. (I had to dig for my outrage though because I mostly feel numb. My mom would be screaming though.)

Fed us all. Daily life meanders on. I want to go to bed early.

I applied to volunteer for Special Events for the Humane Society (fits better with my schedule, and I'm less likely to wind up with another pet) and an organization that provides books to prisoners, which is right up my alley. The books for prisoners people emailed me back right away.

Overslept until 7:45 AM. Today is a pajama day for me.

At work, the conversion to the new ticketing system seems to be going well.

The dogs wouldn’t come in until 11:15 AM.

I way overslept my nap at lunchtime.

The cats like the bed that I bought for the top of my desk upstairs. And I haven't even plugged it in yet! I need to rearrange stuff.

I need to log back on tonight to make up my nap time.

The lamp that I liked is pending sale, but I found another one that's similar. I need to figure out how much cash to get so that I can buy furniture this weekend. $185. I’ll need to break some bills. Oh, plus $15 for end table?

I got my new ergonomic keyboard. I need to set it up.

I screwed up and forgot to soak the cat dishes. Did so and fed Lily. Submitted a grocery list for tomorrow. Fed the rest of us.

Note to self: Scan music (done) and do French homework tonight. It turns out that I don't have French tomorrow, so while I started the homework, I'll finish it on the weekend.

Ooh, I saw a floor lamp on Marketplace that I like for the library room. And a washable rug. Maybe I’ll go get them this weekend. And a Westminster chime clock (I had thought about a grandfather clock, but that would be a hassle to get here) and a basket for my meditation cushions. And a nail gun. I just bought safety glasses to use with the nail gun.

For some reason, my alarm didn’t go off, and I slept until 8:30 AM.

The dogs don't want to come in. I told them that I have a meeting and they'll be out a long time, but they don't care. They finally came in at lunchtime. Oddly, Gracie was more cooperative, and I had to get Bella by the collar to come in.

I'm looking at grant writing classes. A certificate at Parkland Community College is $2500, which is a lot, but I'll investigate payment plans.

Hmm. I should get a money belt for my trip in the fall because we will be traveling on trains a lot.

We had a mini-crisis at work because the library system that our libraries use went down. We had to scramble to respond. We're moving to a new ticketing system tomorrow, so I guess that was the last hurrah on the old system.

Piano class went well. Oliver and Zara settled down for a snooze while I played.

I’ve been busy canceling subscriptions bit by bit.

I really want to work on the library/music room (“Zara’s room “). I think that I’ll use it as a carrot to get stuff done on the rest of the place; if I spend X amount of time on the rest of the place, I can spend X time on the library room. I’m getting excited about it. Plus, getting that room together will move book boxes out of the rest of the place.

I found a cheaper version of the grant-writing courses. That will work.

There’s a “slippery road” alert due to snow melting and refreezing. Terrific.

Crud. The BBC has gone subscription-only. Do I want to subscribe?

Got the recycling out. Fed us all.

Enrolled in the grant writing classes for $450 instead. Still pricey but much better.

Need to wrap things up and go to bed.

Hmm. Should I get a ticket for Stars on Ice in Chicago? It's on a Friday though, so I'd have to leave work early or take the day off. I'd enjoy it though. I'd also have to overnight in Chicago.

Overslept and got up at 7:30 AM. I’m feeling sad. I don’t know why.

At work now, explaining to Gracie that the cats don't want to play with her. She can't seem to grasp that.

I had a brief telehealth session with the sleep doctor, but because I haven't had my sleep study yet, there wasn't much to discuss. The telehealth session worked well though. I'll have to keep it in mind.

Gracie is flaked out cold in the guest room. I want to join her. It's gray and gloomy. Overslept my nap (in the bedroom).

My boss okayed my participating in a program sponsored by the university that teaches you about how to be a better volunteer in the community, the role of non-profits, fundraising, etc. I've been thinking about what I'll do when I retire, and this will help! I also am thinking about volunteering at a cat shelter.

Bella is whining because I'm not downstairs yet. I told her "two minutes".

I ordered the pet gate for Zara’s room with the coupon.

I checked into how to replace my Global Entry card. I want it for my trip this fall. Ordered.

Gracie is being difficult and not coming in. She almost did but changed her mind. Everyone’s now inside and fed except for me. I’m nuking food.

I got the prairie seeds.

Hmm. I read an article about heated drying racks, and wonder if I should get one. It might be a big help and save money. I need to get the large bathroom cleared out though. Ordered.

Time to post and crash.

I'm so freaking tired. The cats are being manic.

Bella and Gracie were chewing on my hand brace. Dogs :)

I woke up around 6:30 AM, but I didn’t want to get up before my alarm. So I overslept it by a half hour. At least I can run a little later because I’m going to Physical Therapy at 9:50.

I rescheduled my PT appointment. I forgot to turn on the dryer and Gracie is refusing to come in and this morning is a mess. Well, Gracie came in. That’s a start. I'm learning that "self-care" often involves not scrambling. I went to get Oliver to feed him, but he gave me a sleepy look, so I guess not. He really likes it in Zara's room.

Hmm, I think that I want to wear my hand brace to work. I tend to curl that hand up when I'm not typing.

I can't stop yawning. And today is my long day because of choir rehearsal.

Gracie is going nuts over something out the window. She has no idea that she's a smaller dog. She thinks that she's tough.

Lily is giving my hand brace the onceover. Oliver decided that it was time to eat. He was a "lover boy" over lunch and attended my shower. He thinks that it's curious that I stick myself under water though.

My prairie seeds are on their way. Cool. I'm wondering if I should get some woodland seeds for the side of the garage, but I think that I'm getting too ambitious. Plus, I need to clean out that area and mulch it. Plus, I'll need to plant the lilac and crabapple and set up the vegetable planters. I'm looking for cheap dirt for the planters.

Ack about the temperature tonight, but at least I have a car with a heater. Sometimes it's the little things.

I tried to get a bit of fuzz off of Lily's fur, but she got annoyed and left. I just told Oliver that I don't want feline-managed acupuncture.

Huh. It was a bad day for the stock market but my stocks are up, except for Eli Lilly, which I'm considering dumping for Novartis.

Lily cautiously started to go into Zara's room, but she turned around as I went to leave. I want to get that gate (a gate to keep the dogs out with a cat door) soon.

The window in the guest room has a million dog nose prints in it. I just bought some great glass cleaner, so I should use it!

Ran around like crazy getting ready to leave for choir: letting the dogs out, feeding everyone, putting my makeup on, and grabbing my music. I managed to get there way early, which is what I had planned to have time to organize my music. It’s all together now. I was clearly missed while I was gone by the critters. Oliver is curled up on my lap. The little thief Bella stole a sock and grudgingly brought it to me. I explained that I need socks. She is not convinced.

My dad said that it sounds like I’m doing something right with my stocks and to “keep it up”. My big problem is finding time for research.

I’m kind of attracted to a young black cat who’s been in foster care for two years. Apparently, he doesn’t go up to new people, but that’s okay. But I’m a little worried about shaking up the status quo.

Sold some stocks and bought some stocks. I have time to do that only at night and weekends.

I should go to sleep soon so that I don't oversleep.

Hmm. Chewy sent me a coupon for $15 off an order of $49 or more. The gate that I want for Zara’s room is $45. Maybe I’ll get it plus some toys. Oliver and Zara were snoozing near each other during my singing lesson. I wonder if I should get a cat tree for there to make it a kitty playground. Hmm. Maybe I should wait until they send another coupon.

I forgot to put the brace on last night. I was already in bed when I remembered, but I just rolled over and went to sleep. I need to put it in my bedroom.

Slept until 11:30 AM. Holy cow. Oliver is on my lap and closed the news that I was looking at on my phone. Pay attention to meeeee!

We have a routine. I go in Zara’s room to get her food dish, and Oliver goes in. I leave him there when I get the dogs in so that he doesn’t run outside. Apparently, I left the piano on last night. Lily is happy to be an only cat for a few minutes. She is showing me her belly. “It’s empty, Mommy. Fill it!”

I got Bella in, but Gracie doesn’t want to come in. Gracie was barking at Oliver, who was lounging in the window in Zara’s room.

Ugh. The grocery delivery guy came while Gracie was still out, so I took the items over the fence. I was bringing groceries in when Bella ran out. Shit. I got a new fresh donut for them and Bella snatched a bite of it. They decided to come back inside to get more. Whew. I’m going to leave the rest of the soda out there until later. I don’t want them to run back out. I fed them and need to feed Oliver and Zara after I rest for a few minutes. Okay, everyone’s inside and fed. Nap time after I take my meds.

Okay, I bought the grass seed and some wildflower seeds. And a book on growing plants from seed.

Now it’s apparently dog wrestling time on the bed. I’m telling them that they had been running around and should be tired. Take a nap! They finally did.

Napped. Patched the hole that Gracie made in the mattress with duct tape and put the new “bed in a bag” on the bed. It’s not bad. We’ll see how long it takes Gracie to destroy it. (I had to hustle to get it done while the dogs were outside. Lily was on the bed, however, and got in the way.) Fed the hordes and am making food for myself.

My dad said to figure out why I'm getting carpal tunnel. I think that I need to move the two-monitor setup for work closer to the center of the desk, but that means that I have to clean off the desk first. I also need to move the power strip under the desk.

Hmm. There is a sale on cedar planters with legs. That would be cheaper than the ones at which I was looking, for which I’d need a fence.

I need to get up early to go get the car's battery fixed. So I need to get to bed soon.

Gardener’s Supply has a fence with a gate. That would work well for the raised beds. And maybe I could grow tomatoes in one of them? I've decided not to get plants for the area by the parking spaces (though maybe I could get some seeds?) and put my money in the raised beds.

They also have nice grow shelves to start seeds, but that will be next year.

Overslept and got up at 8:15 AM.

My money has posted. Yay. I'll get the battery done this weekend.

I canceled my French lesson because it was pushing up against the time that I need to leave for the doctor's appointment. Plus, I didn't get up early to do my homework. Today is a zoo.

I figured out where I want to plant seeds while I was waiting for the Uber. The doctor said that I have mild carpal tunnel syndrome. She gave me a brace to wear while sleeping, which I hope will do the trick (it feels good), but if not, I might need surgery and that will mess everything up. Here's hoping that things will go well.

Work is over. I’m opening packages while I wait for my singing lesson. (I’ll feed the hordes afterwards.) I got my “French for travelers” books. And the battery to jump-start cars. (I’ll have AAA jump-start it this time though. I’ll ask Advance Auto Parts where to put the connections for jump-starting.) And I got A Queer History of the United States. And the t-shirt with classical composers' faces on it and the caption, “I listen to dead people“. And my Chinese and Japanese cookbooks. I have to find my rice cooker.

I bought the French version of the first book of Tales of the City. The French title translates to Tales of San Francisco, which makes sense because only people who have lived in the area would be familiar with “The City” as San Francisco. I thought that was really pretentious when I first moved to the Bay Area. Then I wound up using it.

I had been thinking about buying vegetable seeds, and I got a catalog from a family-owned seed business. That’s timely.

My singing lesson went well. We were working on the hardest song for choir (“Awake the harp” from The Creation). It took us a lesson and a half to go through it the first time. Then we went through it again in half the time. I need to work on it this weekend.

Let the dogs out and fed us all. Submitted an order for more stocks. I need to submit a grocery order. Then I'll go to bed.

The forecasters are predicting storms tomorrow, so I might not be able to get the battery installed tomorrow. I'll get up and see how it looks.

I'm now thinking of getting a gate with a cat door for Zara's room so that Oliver and Lily can go in there when they need a break from the dogs. And Zara could go out at night when the dogs are in bed with me.

I was yawning and Bella French-kissed me. I told her that I’m not into inter-species stuff :)

It’s gotten late and it’s supposed to rain, so I’m going to get up at 7 and do the battery tomorrow.

Overslept and woke up at 8 AM.

Hmm, I’m wondering if I should get a rebounder because I need to work on my balance.

I think that I’m not going to get the car battery installed tomorrow because Oliver knocked it over, so I might need to replace it, and I’m waiting for a credit card payment to post. (Actually, it has posted, but my available credit hasn’t updated yet.) I’ll use Uber to get to my doctor’s appointment.

Meanwhile, I’ll get some stuff done around here.

I’m a little shocked by the arrest of the UK’s Prince Andrew, but I also think that it couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.

I’m thrilled that Alysa Liu won the gold in skating. I’m looking forward to seeing her routine. It was great!!

Oh cool. The Tales of the City books are available in French! I might get that to work on my French vocabulary. (And see if they’re as funny in French:))

Did some investment research. I'm really tired. I want to make it an early night.

I forgot to mention that Zara's getting used to Oliver because he jumps into her room so often. She'll give him a warning hiss, but he's not very interested in her, so she does her own thing while he's there. She even fell asleep while I was having my singing lesson and he was in there! Maybe eventually I'll be able to just put up a gate in the doorway to keep the dogs out.

Bella really really wanted Oliver’s dry food. I told her to eat her own food. But Oliver was eating something that she wasn’t!

Woke up around 8:15 AM.

I solved someone's problem at work, so that made me feel good.

Hmm. I want to nap at lunchtime, but I have piano tonight. Maybe I could just throw some clothes on in the afternoon and slap on some makeup.

The dogs came in on the first try. Yay.

Napped hard and overslept.

I checked when the World Figure Skating Championship is, and it's right after the Olympics. I should put a note on my calendar to find out when it will be broadcast each year.

I'm trying to figure out what prairie plants to add to the garden. I marked almost every page of my catalog, but I can't afford to buy it all. Maybe I'll get coneflower seeds and grow a patch near the fence in front. They also have "eco grass" that you can grow in spring and is drought resistant. But the jerky garage guy needs to get the gravel out of the back yard! I also want raised garden beds, but I can't afford to add them all this year either. Maybe I'll get one with legs and one low to the ground for root crops. I can grow herbs in pots this year.

I asked my dad about investing in foreign markets.

When did we start a war with Iran?!?

I’m looking at a raised bed with a “critter guard”. That’s what I need because there’s a groundhog and rabbit that used to live in the yard, although I haven’t seen them lately. (Probably afraid of the dogs.) Plus I want to keep the dogs out of the vegetable garden. I think that I want two of them. I need the garage guy to get the gravel out quickly because I want to set up the raised beds and grow lettuce and spinach, which are early crops. And peas. Hmm, I need a bed with legs for tomatoes though, but that can wait a while.

Piano class went okay. I had the urge to start private lessons, but I can't afford it right now.

Somehow it got late, and I want to get up early to jump-start the car and get the battery installed.

I don’t think that I’ll get the battery done in the morning. I need to sleep. And I have a 9:00 meeting.

Got up 7:15ish. Bella came in for a donut, but Gracie is still outside. Bella snatched Gracie's donut when Gracie came in. I told Bella that she was a cheeky little brat :)

I really want a nap.

Oliver is on my lap being cuddly and getting full benefit of the space heater. Bella and Gracie are barking at something. A quiet morning at home. Now Lily has taken over Oliver's spot. Lily has unusual markings. She's a calico, but her colors are more of a dilute tortie (gray and buff) rather than those of a more usual calico.

Crud. I can't nap because I have meetings before and after lunch. Actually, my singing lesson is later in the evening than I thought, so I'm going to try for a quick nap and shower after work. My 11:00 meeting ended early, so I went for it. And overslept. Sigh.

Hmm. People are telling me to get the dogs trained and they're right. I'm now thinking of having Bella and Gracie trained at the same time, so I can work with the both of them. There's a class on Thursday night and one on Saturday. The question is which on which day. I'd want Gracie on a quieter day because she's so hyper.

The way that the barking works: Bella sees something, usually out of the side window. Gracie comes tearing out of the guest room to see what Bella is barking at. Much barking ensues.

I'm wondering what happened to my Schwab debit card. I added some money to my checking account with them, which is supposed to trigger them sending the card, but I didn't get it. I want to subscribe to an investment newsletter, but want to use money from my account. I guess that I could transfer funds from my account.

PNC fraud prevention called me, but they were legit transactions. I don't know why the automated system called Allivet a "liquor store" though. Weird.

Had my bonus singing lesson. We tackled a tough song for choir.

I’m not going to get up early for the car because it’s already so late and the dogs are still out. And I need to eat dinner.

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Entries tagged with sleep

Gracie Spent the Whole Day Outside

Books for Prisoners

Sleepy Day

Ethics of Harry Potter?

Tax Day

The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind

Recession?

A Little More Energy Despite the Rain

Mammogram. Ugh.

“Let the Life I’ve Lived Speak for Me”. I'm Afraid What It Would Say Right Now.

Daily Life Meanders On

Banner Day at Work

Grant Writing Classes

Stars on Ice?

Choir Night

Watching for Stuff on Sale

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Bella French-Kissed Me!

Raised Beds and Eco Grass

Quiet Day