days_unfolding

Holy cow. All the check money posted to my account. So I could have gone to the conference, but who knew? It’s going to be a bill-paying night. Plus I want to open a money-market account in which to stash most of the money. I want to order more stuff from Walmart.

Yay. Had a WARM shower. Things are looking up.

Submitted another Walmart order with lots of cat litter. And napkins and oatmeal. Bought some travel guides related to the Orient Express trip (I'll contact the travel agent tonight) and a weed puller. And the security cameras. Paid some bills that were critical.

I'm thinking that it might be time to see my dad, but I'm not sure when I can squeeze it in? Maybe fly out and spend a long weekend? (I can only take a few days of my dad at a time.)

Our presentation at work went well. And now it's over :)

Dozed lightly during lunch.

I'm trying to figure out where I could hide some cash in the house. I found a fake book with a combination lock. Don't worry; I won't stash thousands of dollars like my aunt did. I also want to create a stash of cat and dog food and cat litter.

Bloody hell. The delivery guy for my Walmart order left the gate open, and Bella got out onto the street. I dropped everything and ran after her. She ran up and down the sidewalk a couple of times, threatening to go into the street proper but didn't, and finally she turned and ran into the yard. Whew. Then I realized that I had left the front door open, but Oliver did not come out, thank goodness. Maybe he didn't want to be near the crazy lady yelling for the dog to "Come here!"

I need dog training books, pronto.

Crud. It's going to start raining "for several hours". So much for planting my plants. They're also saying rain late Saturday, so I need to get up early and plant my plants before I go to pick up the plants from the university.

I put a deposit down on the Orient Express trip.

I'm tired. Fed the dog and catlings. I'm not hungry, so I'll eat later. Now I'm going to pay bills. Paid off my credit cards. Opened a money market account. Paid some other bills. Tried to open a checking account only for my student loans, but ran into issues. Okay, opened an account with Ally, and it was easy-peasy.

Ordered Bella a new collar with my phone number on it. She's not thrilled with wearing collars, but she needs to wear this one. And I ordered "Dogs at Play - Please Close the Gate" signs.

Had dinner. I need to go to bed soon. I’m exhausted. Got my Hulu, Netflix, and Sling TV accounts working.

I found the itineraries for the Japan and Orient Express trips. The Orient Express trip still excites me; Japan not as much. They both are long trips, so I can’t take both of them and I should take a shorter trip as a second trip in the spring or summer next year. I'll look for a shorter cruise. Okay, I like this cruise. Or I could go to Bermuda on another cruise line.

One of the little plastic cat ball toys rolled down the stairs, and Bella chewed it into pieces. Once I get the check from the trust, I will subscribe to plastic cat ball toys if I can. They will get used and abused.

Woke up at 8:30 AM.

I got my blood test results, and my vitamin D and B12 levels are normal. That’s not why I’m so tired.

It’s raining lightly. Oh good, the rain will stop in the afternoon.

I’m using the MediSafe app recommended by bill_schubert. I think that it will be helpful. Notifications are off though, and I need to turn them on.

Crap. The doggie day care is full two of the days. Now what? Called and left a message at another place. There also is a third place, but it’s out of town and not convenient. The place that I called wants to do an evaluation on Thursday, so they couldn’t do Wednesday.

I really feel like going back to sleep. I’ll skip going to the library and go on Monday.

Bella already has a small pile of crap that she’s found to play with in the kitchen. I need to get after it with a broom while it’s still small.

Hmm. I’m looking at urns for Mimi, but nothing is saying ”Mimi” to me. Etsy has some that are painted to look like the cat, which I like.

Oliver came over for snuggles, and Bella promptly jumped on my lap. Jealousy….Later, Bella was about to poop on the kitchen floor, and I hussled her butt outside.

Well, took a shower anyway. I’m dragging. I was going to watch a movie, but my Hulu account is on hold because they can’t charge my credit card. I don’t want to use another card because I need to pay for Bella’s doggie day care. Netflix is hosed too. Okay, I’ve already paid for episodes of The Golden Girls. Watched a couple of episodes.

Now I'm going to feed the hordes and crash.

Woke up around 6:30 AM. It’s looking completely uninviting for raking thus far—gloomy and cold. Fed us all.

It’s predicted to rain today. So much for raking. Maybe in the late afternoon. Napped. It’s seeming dryish out, but I might wait a few hours before raking. I wound up cleaning dog debris from part of the kitchen because I dropped an acetaminophen pill and couldn’t find it. I have a headache, so I’m going to take another nap.

I received my Sardinia book and flipped through part of it. Now I’m thinking of spending the first couple of days at the beginning at the Costa Smeralda (the resort area) and then go to Cagliari. I found a hotel that isn’t ridiculously expensive. I have to figure out how to get from there to Cagliari. Okay, there’s a train. I looked at an airplane, but I’d have to fly through Rome! Going there first will add a pile of money to the airfare though. I think that I still want to go there though. Hmm, luggage on the train may be a problem. I'm trying to find out if I can check luggage, but I'm not getting an answer from Trenitalia's (the train line's) Web site. They just said that I have to be able to handle my luggage and store it on the train. That rules out my big suitcase.

All the sleep seems to have helped.

Oliver is trying to stay away from Bella, who is being bitey. Play-bitey, but still, he doesn’t like it. She doesn’t mess with Lily for some reason, just Oliver.

Showered and put my makeup on, but the cats were hungry and so am I. Oliver has gone inside a tipped-over garbage can, and Bella can’t figure out how to get to him. She’s barking and whining. Okay, fed us all.

Raked the front yard. It’s a start. I’m going to continue to work on it Monday and Tuesday night.

Watched a couple of episodes of The Big Bang Theory for a break. Now I’m yawning. Should I go to sleep early? Oliver is fast asleep on the cat tree. Right, I need to get up early to run over to the car repair place. So, yes, bed.

I had problems falling asleep, so I watched two episodes of The Big Bang Theory. The early episodes were not as good as later episodes, but I suppose that’s to be expected. The objectifying of Penny is not funny. I got up again and ate oatmeal. I finally fell asleep.

Got up at 8:30 AM. So far, it’s not raining. Got us all fed.

I looked at dog toothbrushes and toothpaste. I’ll try it with Bella. I think that Oliver and Lily would take a chomp out of me if I tried to brush their teeth. Well, maybe I’ll try cat toothbrushes and toothpaste with them and see what happens.

Napped. It’s storming. I need to find out what store has poster board and paint stirrer sticks to make my protest signs. I also need to get hot dogs and string cheese as rewards for Bella.

Tornado warning; take shelter now. Bella doesn’t think that she can get down the basement stairs. Sigh. I’m here with Lily. Here’s Oliver. Placed the order for the poster board, etc. from the basement. I wish that I had grabbed my food when I went in the basement. Oh well. What did we do in tornado shelters before we had cell phones? Okay, the warning is over. Apparently, there was some light damage in Savoy, SW of here.

Had lunch. Napped again. Got us all fed. I’m trying to convince myself to take a shower. Looked up cruises to South America. I remember one that took in both Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, but I haven't found it yet. Okay, it was on Oceania. Oliver and Lily were wrestling upstairs.

I’ve got my cleaning person coming right before I have someone come in to let Bella out during the all-hands meeting.

Headache. Lay down. Wound up oversleeping. I want to get up early to get stuff done.

I got a paw print from Mimi in the mail. I'm not sure if her ashes are behind the paw print? Probably yes.

Woke up with my alarm at 6 AM. The Echo Dot alarm did not sound, sigh. The critters think that this is too early to get up.

Ugh. Zara was out roaming around, and Bella lunged for her. I grabbed Bella. Sigh. Zara took off for her room. I took the puppy out. Now I’m thawing and then will gather the recycling.

Got the recycling out. I’m going to thaw for a moment, soak the cat dishes, and let Oliver out of kitty jail. (I’ll never convince him that I do that for his own protection.)

I read online that Neil Gaiman based his Sandman series on Tanith Lee's Tales of a Flat Earth series, so I went looking for the Tanith Lee books. The public library does not have them. The university library does have them, but the first book is checked out. I'm leery of buying it until I see if I like it or not. (I have too many books, so I'm trying to be choosy about what I keep.) And it sucks that Gaiman didn't give her credit and make her books circulate more! Though I'll probably set up a Little Free Library in the Spring, so I could recycle it there if I don't want to keep it. Oh okay, I got it for the Kindle.

We have some dedicated bicyclists for neighbors. I saw two separate people out riding their bikes. And it's cold out (31F/-1C, although that IS balmy compared to the weather that we've been having). Bella was fascinated by the bicyclists. She didn't bark but watched them intently.

I've been redesigning the yard in my head while I'm out with Bella. I want a six-foot-tall white picket fence to replace the current fence. There is a raised bed and trees by the side of where the driveway to the garage-to-be will be. I think that I want to take the trees and raised bed out (they're "junk trees'") and plant redbuds and holly bushes along the side of the driveway. Bark mulch underneath them. And I want a crabapple for the main part of the back yard and roses along the side of the garage. I probably want a path from the back door to the garage, but I'm not sure yet what to put in. I’m thinking a concrete sidewalk because its purpose is a way to unload stuff from the car, not to be pretty.

Bella did not want to come in when I took her outside after our nap. There was a garbage truck! And the outdoor cat went by the neighbor's house! Lots of interesting things to see. And it felt downright warm in the sun! Oh, it WAS warm, 37F/3C.

The doctor's office called to reschedule my appointment for next week.

When I paid my AT&T bill, they had an offer for one month of Hulu free, so I took the deal and added Max to it. I want to watch TV sometimes cuddling with the dog.

I had a nice chat with my neighbor who lives right next door to me. Bella barked at him for some reason, but he didn't seem to mind. I told him that the dog was new, and he said that he had cats, and I said that I had them too! He said that he liked my Harris/Walz yard sign, and we agreed that we weren't looking forward to the next four years. I like living in Urbana.

I'm thinking that I want to get the fish tank and plants set up, but I might wait to get fish until after my trip. I'd hate to get the fish and then leave them to the pet sitter or automatic feeder. I want to know more about how their rhythm is.

I'm also thinking that I should try to meet more people. I was going to wait until I got the house together, but meeting people would provide me with the motivation to get the house together. My therapist thought that was a good idea.

Because it's warmish, and it's supposed to get cold this weekend, I'll get the garbage out tonight. Nope.

Played a fun game of feeding the fur kids. I need to go get Bella out of the bedroom and take her outside. There was a person on a scooter walking two dogs. They stopped in front of the house for the dogs to sniff. Bella barked once and then retreated by my side for me to protect her.

I’m trying to figure out where Bella’s collar went. I have her harness, but I’m not sure where the collar is, but I know that it arrived. And I should get collars for Oliver and Lily. I need to spend this long weekend getting stuff organized. I think that I’ll start in one corner and do a 360-degree thing.

Oliver and Bella seem especially tired today. I wonder what they’ve been up to. They’re both asleep, and I’m kind of stuck here because I don’t want to wake them.

I cleaned off the heater for the fish tank, but it's getting late, so I'll fill the tank tomorrow. Paid bills. Now I think that it's bedtime.

Lily was rubbing against my hand. She’s starting to like me :)

Um, I want to go to sleep, but the Dynamic Duo is in here. I don’t mind Lily, but Oliver isn’t restful. Actually, he slept with me and didn’t bug me. Yay.

Oh man. I got Mimi set up upstairs, although I had to scoop Oliver out of there. The gate is up. Fed the cats. Now I have some time to kill. Maybe I’ll eat breakfast (done). There’s peace and quiet now that the cats are fed.

Hmm. I’ve got to remember to add Oliver (especially him, the Kamikaze Kitty!) and Lily to my pet insurance (done).

Oliver was in the bathroom when I showered, and he was very unhappy that I was doing something with which he wasn't involved. He walked into the shower as soon as I was done.

The gate upstairs is working well, and Mimi is happy that Oliver can't come up here. She's on my lap, purring. She was screaming at him before. I never heard a cat make such a noise, and I thought that I had hurt her.

Oh, I found the long extension cord that I bought for the Christmas lights that I never put up, so I'm going to use it for the aquarium.

I'm the only person at work. Everyone else took the week off. I need to save up on vacation time though. I'm assigning support tickets to different queues for different areas of the system. It's been fairly steady. I had to help someone whose account had expired.

There was an ad for a good French course on Facebook, which I saved, but I don't have time for it right now. Just studying Italian is enough for now.

Lily thinks that whenever I go in the kitchen, I'm going to feed her.

Submitted a grocery order, including extra cat food. We should be good for this weekend's snow (currently 8 -12 inches predicted). Though actually, I should add some frozen food (done).

Mimi is asleep somewhere, but I don't know where. Now she's on the chair. She seems to be realizing that Oliver can't come in here. And she's happy.

I’m lying down for my nap, with two inquisitive cats with me. I hope that they let me sleep. Oliver jumped on the bed but did let me sleep. Good kitty.

Ugh. My knee and elbow are hurting. I don't know why.

Went downstairs to soak the cat dishes. Oliver is playing with the box with the remaining balls in it. Whatever distracts him works for me. I received the TV for my bedroom, an aquarium thing, and The Dog Encyclopedia.

Fed the cats. Zara was hanging around waiting to be fed too. Got my food. Yay.

Lily, not Oliver, was waiting outside the gate upstairs when I got off of work.

Lay down after work. Lily climbed all over me and asked for pets. Then she lay down on top of me and slept. I think that I’ve been adopted :) Oliver is snoozing with me too.

Zara came in here with Lily and Oliver in here. She growled and Lily backed off, but she seems to be calming down. I’m kind of glad that she’s trying to come into the bedroom.

I’m thinking of going to bed and getting up early to get stuff ready for the dog, but I don’t want to leave with Zara in here. I did, and she came into the kitchen!

I’m microwaving a frozen salmon meal. Lily wants it. I told her, “No way. It’s mine.” I’ll feed them before I eat. Fed the cats. I have an assembly line going in which I soak their dishes, rinse and dry them, fill them with food, and dole them out.

Hum. I’m getting a headache, probably because I’m hungry.

The weather says that there is a snow shower, but the big weather news is the storm on Sunday. I hope that Bella will go out during it.

Did dishes and watered plants. Oliver tried to “help”. I need to empty the dryer and put more clothes in (done).

Now it’s bed time. Oops, Mimi just jumped on my lap.

Got up at 7 AM. Zara was doing her feline mind-meld trick: FEED ME! Mimi doesn’t show up until I open the can of food. Got to make it worth her while.

Napped. Had lunch. Folded towels. I’m trying to figure out what to do with rags. I think that I’ll put them in a laundry basket and put them in the basement. Put clothes in the dryer.

I’ve been impatiently waiting for my Costco card, but it’s been only five days. Okay.

I forgot to mention that I signed up for sewer and water line insurance. I know that my mom had to spend a fortune when one of her trees grew into the sewer line.

I was waylaid on my way to the shower by Mimi, who wanted pets and lap time. Okay. I exist to serve :)

What could I do with a pressure cooker? Do I need one?

Had my piano lesson. She said, “Okay, you got it” to what I was working on, “but try THIS” and THIS was driving me crazy. That’s actually a compliment. She knows how to push me.

Ran errands. Got the windshield wipers replaced on the Honda. I had some trouble understanding the wiper guy though. Need to go to Costco and get hearing aids. He was asking if I wanted the top-of-the-line wipers. Hell yeah. If I might be driving in rain and snow up to Michigan, you bet that I want the best wipers. I just need to get the car washed before I go. Oh, and there is a TPMS light on. I meant to grab the manual and check what that meant. Tire pressure? Also, the CD player is asking for a code. I’ll bring the car to the Honda dealer.

Got vinegar to wash the fish tank. Got eyeliner and threw in some mascara as long as I was there. Oh, and a can of ice melt for the car.

Realized on my way to Best Buy that I wanted to stop at Lowe’s. Turned around. Got keys made and bought a lockbox. Also bought some windshield wiper fluid and a bucket to use for aquarium water.

Went to Best Buy and picked up the TV. On my way out, I saw a Steak and Shake, and that sounded good. I was thinking that I should DoorDash it when I told myself, “Don’t be stupid; go through the drive-thru.” Turned around again and got the food.

Left most of the stuff in the car so that I could eat before the food gets cold(er). The cats are restless. Ate, fed the cats, and brought the stuff in.

Crap. The new keys don’t work. In an old purse of mine, I found some old keys that were cut, and THEY work.

Amazon has a 55 gallon tank for slightly over $300? Is that for real? Is it any good? PetSmart has $800.

I’m snuggling with Zara, so all’s right with my world. I was going to take a nap, but it’s already 8 PM, so I should just go to sleep soon. After I make an appointment for the Honda.

I’m thinking of staying in my pajamas tomorrow. I have to work, but they probably will let us out early for the holiday.

I've got an appointment for the Honda on Friday.

I'm going to New York City next year! I got a discount hotel offer on Facebook for four nights at a good hotel. They made me call and tried to upsell me, of course, but I stuck to the original offer. I just need to book the train and flight as well as the hotel. Amtrak runs on Christmas, so I might leave on Christmas Eve.

Got up early. Go me. Cats: We want food, etc.

Forgot to mention that no one picked up the recycling. Suckage.

I’m eyeing a smart TV for the bedroom (on Facebook Marketplace). Though it's nice to have the bedroom a peaceful place. Need to think about that.

Out of the shower. I like my new eye cream. It seems to do a good job hydrating.

Did dishes and got the garbage out. It’s snowing. Hmm, I was going to return library books tonight, but maybe not with the snow. It’s a good day to stay home.

The house cleaner/organizer is here. She's working on the kitchen right now. She's great, by the way. I explained everything that was going on, including the guy coming to look at the garbage disposal, and she's working around it. She did a fantastic job organizing my kitchen! And she got a lot of my clothes put away!

At work, we "queue" up tickets in different areas. The guy who's "on call" to do that needed to be out for an appointment this morning, but I logged on early, so it all worked out!

Green Chef had a 50% off plus free salad deal, so I ordered it.

I'm trying to decide whether to get a parlor palm through easyplant. My other parlor palm dried up quickly. The easyplant comes with a self-watering planter, though I could get a cheaper plant and a self-watering planter. Yeah, I should do that.

I looked at the adoption application for a dog, and they prefer a fenced-in yard of at least four feet, and my fence is 42 inches. Bother, but I knew that it was short. They also want three personal references.

The garbage disposal guy came here and it took him about two minutes to unclog the disposal. He recommended that I get some cleaning tablets for it, so I ordered some from Lowe's for delivery (plus washer cleaner and dishwasher cleaner).

Sigh. The arthritic toe is bugging me. And I'm really tired. Just one more half-hour because I logged on early and took only 20 minutes for lunch.

The cleaner finished and the place looks great! I’m about ready to be alone though. Just ate. I need to feed the cats and take a nap. Mimi is not happy.

I made an appointment to see the fish tank tomorrow. I also contacted the person with the small TV, but haven’t heard back yet.

Napped. Zara kept me company. The cats are really tired. They didn’t get their naps today.

Huh. PetSmart is having sales on their aquariums. Their 20-gallon one is cheaper than the one that I’m looking at tomorrow, but it doesn’t include a stand.

I contacted Home Depot about a fence, and they want a document about the house that I don’t have.

Put the towels in the dryer and started a load of clothes. Watered some of the new plants.

Amazon is saying that my aquarium book should still arrive today. Um, it’s 11 PM.

Ordered some pet-friendly sidewalk salt because winter.

17F when I went to sleep. Ack it’s cold, especially in the cold bathroom.

I’m getting hooked on The Big Bang Theory. Facebook decided that I would like it and showed me videos, which I watched, so it showed me more videos, etc. I’ll have to start actually watching episodes instead of highlights.

Stayed up way too late (Note to self: Stop that!) and overslept. I've stayed in pajamas (or what I call pajamas, yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt) all day, and I'm not going to get dressed after work. I'll just throw on shoes to get the garbage out.

Had a busy morning at work meeting with a library to tweak the rules that they have for lending items.

My piano teacher is stressing about the recital and was asking when I'll have more lessons (after I get more money on Wednesday) and to practice the recital piece a lot. But actually, I picked a piece that I used to know well and it's going well. (But I will practice. Done.)

Hmm, the person with the table that I want hasn't responded yet. I also want to get the smart TV for upstairs from Facebook Marketplace. Luckily, that one is more local. And I found a lamp on Marketplace that I would like for the library. (Note to self: Get $75 total for all three.) Now I’m looking for a washable rug.

My dance card keeps filling up. I have an appointment with the orthopedist tomorrow along with an X-Ray, and therapy on Thursday.

It just occurred to me that I could use the exercise bike (if it's unburied in the library room) if I don't want to put a lot of weight on my bad foot. I should see if I can do that tonight and ease into exercise (done).

I checked into how much protein I should be eating and crap, I’m not eating nearly enough protein. When I put in a grocery order, I’ll get some protein shakes and protein powder. I should look into smoothies with fruit in them. I have the fancy Ninja blender that a friend gave my mom, so I should use it! I found some peanut butter protein powder on Amazon that I could mix with berries and soy milk. I think that I’ll start with building up protein and then get back to cooking. Maybe I should make salads too. Oooh, I found a recipe for an apple salad with raisins and walnuts and yogurt dressing. That sounds good and healthy. I also want to make gluten-free Snickerdoodles for a tasty treat to stop eating donuts.

I need to take the trash out, so I guess that I should comb my hair, though it’s dark out. Got the garbage out and now I’m thawing.

Went upstairs to print off my piano practice instructions and a missing music page, but now Mimi is settled on my lap! She, of course, wants me to stay upstairs at my computer. Okay, she finally jumped off.

I need to check whether there is an electrical outlet near the front door. (Nope.) Otherwise, I'll have to get battery-operated lights for outside.

Tried to reset the garbage disposal, but it didn’t work. I need to call a plumber.

My credit card went though finally. Yay. I bought tickets for the two concerts to which I wanted to go at the uni. And I bought a ton of food. I bought the ingredients for the Snickerdoodles and salad, plus some protein shakes and powder. And Christmas lights. I booked piano lessons, so my teacher should be happy.

Now I need to crash ASAP because I really need to get up on time tomorrow to take a shower. I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow.

I don’t know how it got to be Friday already. I need to tidy up for the cleaner tonight. She’s coming tomorrow. Started tidying up the kitchen.

Mimi is complaining loudly that she's not on my lap. I'm not stopping her from jumping up. Silly cat :) And I forgot to mention that Zara gave me a little kiss last night when I lay down to get rid of my headache. Aww. From her it means something. She is a one-person (me) cat. Mimi ingratiates herself with whatever human is around (but she likes me best).

Hmm, the Walker Book Club is tomorrow, but I have my broken toe. Plus, I need to get ready for the cleaner.

I met with the advisor and she’s going to submit my withdrawal form. She suggested that I call financial aid about my tuition waiver.

I got my new Full Focus planner. It starts on Monday, but I can write some goals down this weekend. My plan is to organize and clean the upstairs while the cleaner is cleaning the downstairs.

I rescheduled my RSV vaccine for the weekend of the 26th. I should be here because our annual meeting and in-person staff meeting at work is that week. I need to go up to Michigan sometime this month.

I had said that the arthritis in my toe wasn't bothering me, but that isn't quite true. I had been wondering if I was getting gout because it twinged occasionally, but it's not bad. But I'm wondering if I'm getting a touch of arthritis in my hands. Sigh.

I need to start walking after my toe heals. I'm missing the nice fall weather! And apparently people walk in the mall down the street from me in the winter.

I watched Anthony Bourdain’s last interview from a Facebook link. How could someone who sounded so together wind up killing himself? The Bourdain worshipers on the Facebook group trouble me, however. I keep wondering what he would think about them. I have a feeling that he wouldn’t be impressed.

The kitchen is ready for the cleaner except that I need to do dishes (done). Right now, I’m watering my “tree” plants because I do so in the tub (done and draining overnight) and I want the cleaner to clean the tub.

Brought stuff upstairs for the organizing and cleaning tomorrow. I'm feeling tired, so I'm going to go to bed soon.