days_unfolding

Cool. My travel credits on American Airlines will pay for a “main select” ticket to NYC with money left over. I’m thinking of spending another day there and coming back on Sunday. (It'll be a little rough because I'm going to get in late and will need to get up early to pick up Bella, Gracie, and Oliver.) I'm also thinking about staying at the Residence Inn for both ends of the trip because it has a kitchen, and I could buy some milk and cereal and eat breakfast in the hotel.

Overslept an hour, so so much for dropping off Gracie’s sample. I’ll drop it off at lunchtime.

Gracie went over to where Lily was but backed off immediately when Lily moved. I think that Lily has made her feelings known about being bugged. Oliver kind of wants to play with the dogs, but Gracie is too rambunctious for him.

I'm freaking tired, but I need to run errands over lunch, so I'll have to just deal with it. Dropped off Gracie's sample at the vet. Mailed the check for my pet sitter, who charged a cancellation fee.

I'm singing "I want to go to sleeeep" to the tune of "I Want to Hold your Hand" inside my head. I finally lay down for a few minutes and overslept. I'll need to log on this weekend. The person from the tree care stopped by but I was asleep, so she made it possible to pay by credit card.

The vet called, and Gracie still has Giardia, so I need to run over there and pick up new meds (done).

I ordered some books on budgeting from Amazon and the library. Started reading one of them.

I’m looking at the guidebook for NYC, and it’s a good guidebook. I have one day figured out so far.

I don’t have Giardia, so yay.

Ye gods, I want to go to bed. I need to feed the dogs and take them out first (done). The Frisbee was a hit! Bella and Gracie were both trying to get it. Oh, I need to start laundry before I go to sleep.

Overslept an hour. Took the dogs out, only to realize that the tree guys were here. I forgot. Managed to get the dogs back in.

I signed up for Monarch Money last night. I tried to get my main bank accounts linked, but PNC was having issues.

I bought a Powerball ticket just because the jackpot is so high. I figured what the hell.

Gracie is barking at nothing in particular. That girl sure loves to talk. I want to pet her, but she's constantly in motion. Oliver and Bella have been getting along really well. Oliver thinks that Gracie is a terror, and I don't blame him. She barks at him a lot.

Okay, the tree guys are gone, so I can get the dogs out at lunchtime. I also want to take a nap at lunchtime and shower after work.

Taking the train to NYC isn't going to work this time. I'll fly. Unless I take the train back? Found a hotel near the cruise terminal. Restaurant near the hotel: Pershing Square. There's some crabcakes and a lobster roll calling my name :) I need to find a place to pick up some bagels for breakfast.

I think that I will wear jeans and blazers to NYC. (Shorts in Bermuda.) I could use a couple of extra pairs of jeans (ordered). I'm looking on ThredUp for some nice short-sleeved tops (ordered). I have plenty of blazers.

I'm looking into French lessons for my trip next year, although I need to start up my Italian lessons again. I had previously signed up for a language study Web site, and I'm looking into a tutor.

I think that I want a rolling cabinet like the ones that you can use for a microwave as a feeding station for the pets. I want one with doors on the bottom to keep food in (and Bella out!) I found one that I like, but I'm waiting to clean up the kitchen first. It will be stored under the stairs, but I might roll it out into the kitchen.

Note to self: Remember to bring Gracie's sample to the vet on Friday morning.

I got my accounts synced up with Monarch Money. It also provides a budgeting tool that I think will be helpful. (But it says that I spent $60 in coffeeshops? Huh?) It's similar to a tool for which Mom's trust wanted to charge me $100 a month. Much cheaper.

I want to get to bed early to drop Gracie's sample off at the vet (I hope that she will cooperate in providing one) and running some errands.

I need to get outside on Friday after work because it'll cool off. Wait, I'll need to pick up Gracie after her spay. But I could get out afterward.

Wrote myself a note that the cats went into the basement while I was gathering recycling. I need to get a litter box and water dish down there (ordered).

Well, hell. One of the new alarms won’t let me set the hour. I might have to return it. I’m using it as a backup right now. I figured out how to set it. You stop selecting the alarm button. Their instructions are not clear.

The dogs are flaked out on the bed.

Woke up on time. Maybe it was the alarm or Gracie barking at the alarm. Got the recycling out.

I’m showered and dressed and it’s still early for the tree guys. Hmm, I’m wondering if I should lie back down and talk to them later. They sent a message that I don’t need to be home, so yes. I sent a message to make sure that they get all the roots, and I’m going back to bed.

Overslept work by 45 minutes, sigh. I shut off the alarm and lay back down for "5 more minutes". Oops. The tree guys are hard at work.

Oliver was rolling around on the futon and got stuck between it and the wall with his legs in the air! Dignified, not! Now he's flaked out in the window. I don't know why he isn't boiling hot.

I've decided to get acrylic glasses for everyday use, and a set of nice glasses for company. Not that I'm inviting anyone over anytime soon. I bought eight highball glasses with a swirl in them (I got the idea to look at the picture of the glasses next to the plate and those looked best), four "old-fashioned" glasses (probably enough because I don't drink) and the acrylic glasses.

I made a stupid mistake at work. I hate making stupid mistakes. I can't help but think that this is karma because I used to be arrogant as fuck before I got sick. But the annual statistics are done and dusted!

I went down the basement stairs to the landing to see what the tree guys had done. They did a good job. I came back in and Bella made a fuss over me. I told her that she was very brave to do without me for one second :)

Bella is having a sit-down strike over kibble. She wants two cans of wet food like Gracie, who gets it because kibble gives her diarrhea. So Bella doesn’t eat it and Gracie does, which defeats the purpose of this whole enterprise. Bella could afford to lose some weight, so I’m not worried about that aspect of it. I guess that I'll give up on the kibble and give it away.

The doggos didn't let me nap well because they were play-fighting. I'd tell them to stop, and they'd come over and lick my face. Not restful. As a consequence, I'm tired.

I came downstairs because of the heat, and Bella is curled up next to me, groaning because she's tired.

I got my raspberry bushes! I'll need to get out and plant them this weekend.

I bought compression socks for the flight, and added some Grape Nuts Flakes to get overnight delivery. They'll keep.

I had a moment of vertigo sitting down. Maybe I need water.

I was looking at a dog bed on Facebook, but a large is $100. I don't want to spend $100. Someone is selling a humongous dog bed for $50. I might get it. It's not very attractive, but it's just for the stairwell. I found a cheaper dog bed on Amazon. I know that you get what you pay for, but it won't get used much.

I read an article suggesting using Acorns or Stash to squirrel away money for travel. (They save money by rounding up purchases.) I might do that.

Sigh. Bella thinks that the freshly dug and spread dirt where the stump was is for her to dig in. She was not listening to my "no".

I think that maybe I'll work on packing tonight. I have the mother lode of charging cables that I need to organize. Plus some clothes. And I need to set the lock on my suitcase. And find and fill some extra bottles of shampoo and conditioner because I'll be gone long. I'm trying to decide whether to take the solar-powered charger. It would be nice to have at the beach, but on the other hand, I don't want to flash the fact that I have a solar-powered charger at the beach. I found another one that I’ll take. Aargh. I need a paperclip to set the Roam luggage lock, so I just ordered paper clips. I guess that I'll set it tomorrow. Hmm, I need to snag a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to stick in my backpack in case something happens to my luggage, but I'll do that right before I go. Actually, I could stick it in the carry-on bag, along with my sandals. And maybe one of my swimsuits.

I tried a Vanilla Bean Skinny Mix in some water, and wow, is that delicious.

I was going to nap, but I realized that I need to feed Gracie now because she needs to fast for her spay tomorrow. I’ll just sit here for a moment.

Bella is playing scary watchdog. She’s a pushover, but she does sound fierce (and large). Gracie’s yaps, not so much.

The dogs are fed. I’m soaking the cat dishes. Oliver likes to jump on my back with his claws out, and I hissed at him. I told him that I would feed him anyway because I’m nice. I should make some food too. We’re all fed now. Nap time.

Bella stole a can of cat food. She hides under the bed with it because she knows that I’ll take it away from her, comes out and sees me, and goes back under the bed. Goof. I found out where she was getting them from and hid them in a recycling bin. I need a way to stash them in a cabinet. Must rearrange the kitchen.

Slept until 12:30 AM. I'm going to find my new vibrating alarm clock and go back to bed.

Now there’s a heat advisory through Thursday. Ugh. I guess that it gives me a lot of time to work on the house.

Ack! Bella was digging in the cats’ litter box and got litter on the clean floor. I need to dig out my stick vacuum to clean up the floor.

Okay, it’s 7:30 AM. Where are the tree guys? They’re here now.

I contacted some garage builders. I'll call them back tomorrow. I don't feel like talking to them today. So tired....

The guys are still working. I’m lying down during lunch.

I gave up and brought my laptop downstairs after my meeting. It's much more comfortable, but the tree guys are louder. I wonder when they'll be done because I need to take Bella out soon. I took Bella out on a leash, and the tree is gone! Amazing! The tree guys removed the unwanted trees from both sides of the house! That saved me a lot of work.

The yard looks totally different without the tree. It got me wondering if I wanted a small pool to take dips in. I found one on Wayfair that I like, but I’m not doing anything until the garage is built. I also want a crabapple tree, but the white ones are sold out, so I guess that I'll get one next year.

I think that I'm too tired to clean tonight. I can’t stop yawning. I’m going to go to bed after I eat dinner.

Someone knocked on the door trying to sell an alarm system. I don't want an alarm system. They do have better cameras, but it's not worth it. She's coming back on Saturday to give me a quote though. Sigh.

Well, I went to bed, only to feel a cat jump on the bed. Oliver had been hiding. Then Bella jumped on the bed. I turned the light on and removed Oliver.

Woke up at 7:30 AM. Bella is watching Squirrel TV. Aww. Lily grabbed my hand and rubbed her head against it.

My back hurts. Fed us all. Now I’m going to lie down for a little while.

Had my singing lesson. It went well. I’m working on the song “Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac and it’s hard. She thought that it would help me with jumps in sight reading because the song jumps around.

It occurred to me that I haven’t gotten the new web cam for piano, so I need to check on it. Also, my mom’s computer is running Windows 10, so I need to update it. I found the web cam, but I’m missing an Amazon box or bag with the leashes from yesterday. Okay, found them based on the picture that they took. We’re good. Bella is playing with the boxes and packing paper.

Had lunch. I’m going to take a nap because I didn’t have a full one this morning. Couldn’t sleep. It’s actually a little cold in here. I need to turn down the a/c.

It’s going to be an expensive week for me. Monday, the tree guy is coming. Tuesday is Zara’s dental appointment. I’ll have to get up early both days too.

I bought a bunch of compression bags for my Italy trip because I’ll need to get 12 days of clothes in my medium suitcase. I will hand-wash clothes, but still….

Started cleaning. I told Bella her new name was MessMaker. (She pulled a paper napkin off of the table and was shredding it.) Ow. One of my arthritic toes is complaining. It occurred to me to go upstairs to order a white bath mat while the acetaminophen kicked in. Fuuuuuck, it's hot upstairs. It's like a sauna. I bought the mat though and a swimsuit that was on clearance. There was something else that I wanted, but I don't remember what. Oh, I think that it was to transfer money. I can do that down here.

I was wondering where the toilet bowl brush was when Bella trotted by with it in her mouth. It took a bit of a struggle to get it away from her.

Fed us all. Watered the outside plants. My back hurts.

The large bathroom is clean except for scrubbing the floor. I’ll post, pay a bill (done), get ready for bed, start laundry, and scrub the floor so that it can dry overnight. Then I’ll go to bed. Oh, and submit a grocery order (done).

Woke up with my alarm at 6 AM. Bella was being annoying this morning. She kept on going back to where I think that she found the possums and barking. If that was the right spot, the mother had moved them. (Now I think that she saw the groundhog.) I kept trying to get her out of there and she kept on going back. I finally, finally convinced her to come in.

At least, I'm clean now.

Dropped my check for the flights and one-half the registration fee off. Now it’s nap time. Oliver was on my lap and he and Bella were squabbling, and I was trying to keep the peace. Then Oliver nipped me, and I escorted him out of the bedroom. Then I realized that I was so spaced out that I didn’t put The Club on the car, so I went out and did so. NOW it’s nap time.

Now a storm is rolling in. It's a big, nasty storm. It's making me nervous. There's a tornado warning northwest of here.

I found out when the Allerton Camp for Adults is taking place this fall (October 9 - 12). But it'll take two vacation days, and I'm using up my vacation days for the Sardinia trip, so I might not be able to do it. But now I know when I can go to Pere Marquette State Park to see the fall leaves. (Note to self: weekend of October 24th) I'll book the HipCamp soon. Hmm, I should try to make a camping meal at home before going camping. I want to do a dry run of everything.

I really want to nap tonight. I'm still having dizzy spells. I'll get the recycling out and lie down.

The tree people wanted to take the tree down tomorrow, but I said that it was a holiday for me, so I'd rather have it done on Monday.

Oh cool. Music of the Baroque is still offering concerts on demand. There are at least three concerts in which I'm interested. I had been chucking their mailings out because I thought that they had ended on demand. (They're in the Chicago area.)

Chico's sent me a coupon, and they have some great dresses, some of which have petites! I usually can't wear maxi dresses because I need petites. I found two dresses that I want: "Rio" dress and Metallic dress.

Got the recycling out. Go me. (They probably won’t pick it up tomorrow because of the holiday but just in case….)

I took Bella out on a leash. She was not happy. She did bounce back enough to pick up a stick, but she did not do her business.

Fed us all. Nap time. Couldn’t sleep. I’ll go post, feed the beasts, take Bella out, and go to bed for the night. Oh, and buy the Chico’s dresses and book the HipCamp for October. Bella is fast asleep though. I hate to disturb her. She jumped on the bed, and I’ve been snuggling with her. Very cozy. I found a petite travel outfit on Magellans that I like.

Okay, I've got the cat food dishes soaking and bought the clothes. I'll wend my way towards bed. Hey, I can sleep in tomorrow!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Lily smacked Oliver. Cranky cats.

I was feeling very sleepy but drank some water, which helped. I need to get to bed. Ordered some ear wax removal drops and a bike helmet.

According to my dad’s system, now is a good time to buy stocks. I’ll “paper trade” some tomorrow.

Good. The tree people got back to me and they can come by on Tuesday morning “to assess my situation.”

I was eyeing a Lincoln plug-in hybrid car yesterday, but need to compare prices with other ones. The price was less than I expected. I wouldn’t want to buy a car until after I get the garage built. The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid is more expensive. The Toyota RAV4 plug-in is comparable, so it’s all about which car that I like best. Also Consumer Reports, which says to get the RAV4. It doesn't have a report for the Lincoln though. Actually, I really like the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, but it's more expensive. (Consumer Reports says no on it though.) Actually, the CX-70 is more my size. Most dealers do not carry plug-in hybrids, so how can I test drive them?

Placed a grocery order to get Munchie Bones, lots of cat food, and some food for me.

Came in with Bella after an hour. She tried to grab my donut. Bad Bella! Urgh. I brought food into Zara’s room and noticed that she needed water. I went to get her water dish and Oliver busted in. Zara hissed and hid. I went to get Oliver out, and Bella ate Zara’s food. Sigh. What a zoo. I’ve got it sorted now.

I’m leaning more towards “Freckles” for a dog companion. If she’s still available after I get back from my business trip, I’ll look into her. Unless I go for “Rita”, but I don’t know if they will adopt across state lines. She looks like a real sweetie though. I saw the most adorable puppy at the place where I adopted Bella, but I don’t want a puppy. She sure is cute though. Look at that face!

I almost forgot to feed Bella with the brouhaha about Zara’s food. I filled her dish and sat on the stairs to the upstairs. I felt cat feet on my head and knew who it was (Oliver) without looking.

Napped. When I got up, I had Bella with her paws on my chest, licking my face, and Oliver on my back shoulders. Got my groceries in. Ate lunch and read The Washington Post. Started opening packages. Found the “good” dental glue. I’m having a dizzy spell, so I’m sitting down and chilling carbonated water in the freezer. I need to clear a spot for the air conditioner, and then I’ll be done. Got the air conditioner in. (My next step will be to get someone to install the air conditioner.)

I started doing my “things that I need for my business trip” shopping.

I’m being poked with a Munchie Bone :) Finished my water.

Ugh, I don’t feel like going out. I should take my shower and fix my tooth though. I certainly have a lot of stuff to do here. Glued the tooth back in and it's setting. It came out when I took my partial out. I guess that I didn't let it set enough.

Took a shower. Bella was pulling stuff out of the garbage and strewing them on the floor. I told her that she was creating a dog mess. I need a trash can with a cover (ordered). I just remembered that I need to sign Bella up for obedience training.

It’s raining. Bella is noping out. I love my raincoat. I never use umbrellas anymore.

Do I want to subscribe to the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra? Most of their upcoming concerts sound interesting. They have a "pick 4" deal that I'm going to get. No online sales though; you need to send the order form in or call.

I can’t stop yawning. I need to make it an early night.

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

It’s supposed to storm today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'm looking for a suitcase that's more durable than mine. I'm looking at Roam suitcases but sheesh, expensive. I'll shop around. I like this suitcase. It's a soft side, but maybe soft-sided suitcases last longer?

Zara’s food dish is missing. I walked all over, but couldn’t find it. What do they do with them?

I woke up before my alarm, but I'm so sleepy this morning. The drive takes it out of me. I snuck off to lie on the futon for a few minutes.

Mimi is lying in a sunbeam :)

Allerton has a peony garden that I'd like to check out.

I'm looking at pear trees. I wonder if the birds eat pears? Or maybe an apple tree?

I’m getting head bonks from Zara. I believe that I was missed.

Shit. I can't find my car keys. I had them last night.

More crap. I owe taxes on the trust distributions for Mom's house.

Found my car keys. They were in the bunched up sleeve of my coat. And I took my spare key off of the key chain. (Yes, I know keeping the key and the spare key in the same place isn't smart.)

It's hot upstairs. I need to buy a fan (done).

I’m napping again after work. I way overslept my nap. I'm going to go back to bed and get up early to do homework.

Zara is now enamored of the futon mattress. I think that she's fed up with sleeping with me. I move around too much!

I'm battling depression this morning. I'm planning to run pick up my meds at lunch and then lie down for a little while.

I didn't get my money transfer yet, so I'm not driving to Springfield today. Which means that I'll go on next Friday because of review sessions for my exams next week.

I got my meds and took the one that I ran out of. My stomach is upset though, and I'm wondering if it's because of the med. I'm making some Ramen to settle my stomach now.

Brought the file folders upstairs and discovered that one set was legal size, which I didn't want. I ordered a letter-sized set. Back to the UPS Store again to return the legal files this weekend. (At least I need to drop off some stuff at Goodwill, which is nearby, as well.)

I've decided that the house would look better with a white picket fence, but that isn't happening any time soon.

Hmm. Dogwood trees grow best a little south of me. I'm looking at crabapple trees, which I know grow up here. There's a mysterious plant growing all over the back yard. I need to install an app to identify it.

Dozed for 45 minutes. I’m wondering what to do now. Clean the bathrooms? I also need to dig out my books for studying (done and I studied for a while). I'm going to sleep early.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zara says, "Food is love!"

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

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Too Damn Tired
Trip Planning and Money Tool
Bella, "No" Means No
If You Can't Stand the Heat...Get Out of Central Illinois
Still Hot
Back to Work
Dizzy, Achy, and Tired
Things Are Getting Kind of Hectic
Puppy!!
New Car?
Estate Problems Solved?
Tired Day
Meds Finally!
A Little Better

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1: ChatGPT, Travel Planner
2: Trip Planning and Money Tool
3: "Otrovert"?
4: Trial Singing Lesson
5: Bouncing Back a Little
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Entries tagged with tree

Too Damn Tired

Trip Planning and Money Tool

Bella, "No" Means No

If You Can't Stand the Heat...Get Out of Central Illinois

Still Hot

Back to Work

Dizzy, Achy, and Tired

Things Are Getting Kind of Hectic

Puppy!!

New Car?

Estate Problems Solved?

Tired Day

Meds Finally!

A Little Better