days_unfolding

Gracie woke me up at 7:30 AM. I managed to get a leash on her and went out with the dogs. Bella is still out there, but she’s easier to get in. Fed us all. Nap time. It’s dog wrestling time, apparently. Sigh.

Overslept my nap. I was dreaming about a guy that I used to like.

When I went to volunteer, the leader asked me to go distribute flyers about the book sale. The internet on my phone wasn’t working, so I went to places I knew and distributed only four flyers, but they were far afield. I told the leader that I could do more on Tuesday night. She also asked me if I was going to the sale, and I said that I was working it and helping to tear it down. She said that she was glad that I found the organization.

As for the phone, apparently my payment didn’t go through, so I need to pay my bill (done).

Got a baguette, donut holes, flavored water, and Chef Boyardee spaghetti at the store. I had some bread when I came home (after Bella said “Hi! You’re back!” to me). The cats want to be fed. I want to sit for a while, so I think that I’ll feed the cats and watch an episode of The Pitt (done).

Had the Chef Boyardee spaghetti for dinner. A little nostalgia from when I was a kid. Got the pupsters in and fed.

I’m feeling too tired to get anything done. I think that I’ll watch one more episode of The Pitt and get to bed early.

Overslept and got up at 8:30 AM. I’m having stomach cramps.

Overslept my nap at lunchtime. Amazon keeps pushing back a delivery of some stuff (dog food and hose), and I want to let the dogs out but am waiting for the delivery of the package. Sigh.

I screwed up at work and want to retire.

Holy cow. It’s currently 85F/29C. It’s jumped from spring to summer. I have my fan on upstairs.

Oliver walked on both my laptop keyboard and my keyboard plugged into the docking station for extra added bonus points :) Gracie is lying on her back with her belly and front paws in the air.

What the heck. I’m not getting incoming calls on my cell phone. I’ll try to get it fixed this weekend.

Got the dog food and hose. Let the dogs out. It’s starting to rain, so I don’t know how long they’ll stay out. Installed an emergency broadcast app on my phone in case of tornadoes.

Got the Urbana Park District summer catalog. No golf, but they have pickleball, so I need to look for a partner. Maybe I’ll try the AARP group that I belong to first.

Convinced the Dynamic Duo (Bella and Gracie) to come in and eat dinner. Rain helped.

It keeps raining and I’m tired. I was going to run some errands, but I think that I’ll go to bed early and get up early to run them instead. Watched The Pitt. Finished Season 1.

I read an article about where to retire if you don’t have savings, which isn’t me, but I’d like to save money, and it listed Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It’s a very pretty area, and I saw some nice townhomes for sale. Hmm. No health care nearby though, but there is in Hot Springs and Little Rock, and you can hire a car to get there and to go to the airport. It’s a 55+ community with a pool and clubs and other amenities. And a bunch of lakes. There’s a townhouse with a deck overlooking a stream in the forest. If I was free, I’d grab it.

From the web:

Hot Springs Village spans 26,000 acres of the Ouachita Mountain foothills. The largest private, gated community in North America boasts amenities for both adventure and leisure including pickle ball courts, tennis center, and 9 year-round, championship golf courses. Lake-life is also delightful with 11 lakes and 2 beaches for swimming, boating, skiing, kayaking, and relaxing! The Coronado Fitness Center, spa, indoor pool, and 30 miles of scenic hiking and biking nature trails are other HSV “hot” spots. Multiple dining, churches, and over 200 active organizations are perfect for social opportunities. The HSV Police, Fire, and EMT Departments along with two manned security gates provide residents peace of mind! HSV is centrally located and only a 20 minute drive to historic Hot Springs, an hour to Little Rock, and a day trip to many surrounding parks and attractions! Hot Springs Village offers a large variety of home styles. New construction and custom designed home packages are also available– all including your choice of lake or golf front, mountain view, or just nestled in the woods. Come enjoy the affordable HSV good life; the longer you stay, the more you’re going to love us!

Woke up a little after 7 AM. Oliver is dozing on my lap. It’s 30F/-1C out and the crazy dogs don’t want to come in. Gracie finally came in at 11. Bella wanted to stay out, but I grabbed her collar, and she came in.

Looked into golfing lessons, and damn, they are expensive. I found a set of petite women’s golf clubs on Facebook Marketplace. I’ve wanted to learn golf for a long time. I need to find a partner for pickleball lessons too.

Udemy has a bunch of courses that interest me (including pickleball and golf). I need to subscribe to it and take a bunch of courses.

I signed up for the book sale for Books for Prisoners.

Lily is in the cat bed on my desk.

My hands are twinging and I’m getting a headache. Oh, the joys of computer use/getting older/??? I’m not going to make it to choir. I’m feeling really shaky.

Couldn’t sleep. I think that I’ll get up and get ready for bed soon. I should be able to sleep with the lights out.

The dogs are outside. Submitted a grocery order. I’ll watch The Pitt and get the dogs in and get ready for bed.

Slept until almost 11. Holy cow. Fed myself and the cats. I came back from feeding Zara to find Oliver eating Lily’s food. Sigh. She clearly was still hungry, so I fed her more food. Got clothes for volunteering tomorrow in the dryer. The dogs don’t want to come in. Not surprised. Nap time.

I didn’t think that I could fall asleep but I did. Got up and ate lunch. Sent a message to my doctor’s office about my CT scan.

Showered. Planted my little tree. Gracie looked like she wanted to dig it up but I stopped her. Started digging the hole for the lilac bush, but I got hot and dizzy. Gathered up some trash in the yard, and Bella snatched a plastic sheet out of my hands. I told the dogs that they were dorks. Got the mail and came in. The dogs wanted to stay outside, so I brought them some water.

I got a letter from the U of I Alumni Association offering discounted medical and dental insurance. But if I hold out until I get vested in my pension, I will get free medical from the University. Not sure about dental.

Got the ceiling fan on in the kitchen. It’s 80F/27C out. I think that there is something wrong with my air conditioning, so I’ll need to save money for the service call.

Damn, I’m feeling tired. Fed the cats. (Zara: “Mmmrt?” “Food?”)

Ate dinner. I’m waiting for the dogs to want to come in. Watched The Pitt.

The dogs still don’t want to come in. Bella tried to interact with me, but then Gracie jumps on her. Sigh.

I just asked ChatGPT for places to retire that are affordable, college town, near water, and with mild winters. Wilmington, NC was near the top of the list, but hurricanes. Hmm. Athens, GA was at the top of the list, and Gainesville, FL was second. I have some traveling to do. Athens seems to have more condos than Champaign-Urbana does. To get to Athens, I’d need to fly to Atlanta and then hop a bus. About what I figured. It would be good to have an international airport nearby. Hmm, Gainesville is super cheap.

It’s cold (26F) and snowing. Ugh.

I asked Bella if I can pee in peace, and the answer is apparently “No”.

I woke up at 2:30 AM and couldn't fall back asleep for an hour. But I did get up on time and showered.

I received my crabapple tree for the back yard! I'll have to see if I can plant it or will need help.

I got Gracie in by grabbing her collar. Had lunch. I’m thinking that I’ll lie down after my last meeting because my stomach hurts. Slept until a little after 6.

Oliver keeps opening the door to Zara’s room to eat her food. I finally scooped him up and shut him in the bedroom. I’ve now seen how he opens Zara’s door, and he bumps it with his body. I’m going to put the gate up tonight.

I’m feeling shaky, so I’m making food. The dogs still don’t want to come in.

I have to remember to get the recycling out. Done. Go me. Submitted a grocery order. Watched The Pitt. Now I need to finish washing some clothes and go to bed.

Woke up at 8:15 AM. I’m not expecting a delivery, so I let Gracie out without a leash. Bella came in, but Gracie, typically, did not. Gracie came in at 9:30. It's cold out there and snowing.

Can't stop yawning. I'm looking forward to my nap. Napped.

Napped after work too.

Received the Will Harlow book. I think that I’ll take it to bed with me along with tape flags to pick out exercises.

Lily is chowing down on her food. Good.

The dogs came in quickly because it's cold out. Fed us all.

Watched an episode of The Pitt.

Got up a little after 7 AM. Went back to sleep after the dogs came in. Overslept. It's dark and gloomy out. Raining.

I'm quietly writing documentation for our new ticketing system at work. I like writing documentation because I used to do that as a living!

The snow is off of the roof of the garage!

I'm trying to decide whether to wear my Christmas sweatshirt and jeans for the flight out. Or for the Christmas Eve Loop expedition.

I don't know what to do about my snow boots for the trip. The snow will have melted before I leave, but I don't know about when I get back. I might have some ankle boots with a good tread on them.

For some reason, Oliver and Lily are picking at their food. They’re young, so I’m not so worried, but am wondering what’s going on. The dogs ate their food. Bella and Gracie are now fighting over the duck toy :) Hmm, I have new dish detergent, and I'm wondering if that's why Oliver and Lily aren't eating. It doesn't smell right?

I think that I’m going to give up on getting Christmas lights up and save them for next year. Too much is going on.

I'm wondering if I should try BritBox when I get back. On the other hand, I don't watch TV much and haven't made it through all of The Big Bang Theory yet. Maybe I should wait to catch up on my TV watching.

I need to figure out how to get from Michigan Avenue to the Loop in Chicago. I guess take it over the river and then head west? I'm got my Chicago friends on Facebook working on it.

Hmm. The weather forecasters are saying a "wintry mix". I wonder if I should skip the post office tonight. Yeah, it does look like a "wintry mix". Ugh.

Had a good session with my therapist. She thinks that I should contact a lawyer NOW to deal with the trust. I'm going to go through the info tonight and figure out how much money is missing between the last account balance I got and now. Spoiler alert: it's a lot. I'm going to contact some estate planning attorneys to whom I've talk to see if they know someone who would take my case. (She asked me if there was anything else, but I said, "Isn't that enough?" She laughed.)

Scrambled to get the stuff ready to mail. I'm still iffy about the weather, but I'll go out and see how it is.

Oliver must have seen my entry about wanting a lap cat because he's curled up on my lap right now.

I think that I will go to the Post Office on Saturday instead. I’m tired and hungry. And the beasts are hungry too. Fed us all. I think that I was right about the dish soap because I rinsed the cat dishes without soap, and Oliver and Lily chowed down. I need to get different dish soap for them. Preferably without a smell. Or let the dogs “clean” the dishes. They do a good job.

Zara is lying on the heat vent, so I need to get her new heated bed set up. It's getting warmer, but it also has memory foam in it. (I got the top of the line for my girl!)

I’ve got the new travel laptop open. It’s a rose-gold color and pretty. (It was the cheapest color, so I guess that others didn’t like it.) I’m cleaning the kitchen while it’s doing its update. I've got it set up. Did I say that it's a really, really nice laptop?

I was creating a grocery list while I waited for the laptop to finish updating, when I realized in a panic that I didn't get any wrapping paper for the gift exchange at work tomorrow. So I added a gift bag and tissue paper to the Walmart order, and expedited the order. BUT I FORGOT TO GET SODA! I'll have to submit another order.

Anyway, I'm going to post. (I'm still on the new laptop.) I'll go to sleep after the Walmart order gets here.

Added: I was wrong about the amount of money in the trust. It matched the last valuation. Good because I don't want to deal with it right now.

Left a message at the boarding place. They aren't great about returning their messages though, so I might need to call back again later. I also sent an email.

I am just sitting here, staring out into space. I should get moving.

Everything that I read on Google says that to not board dogs with active Giardia infections. I’m wondering if the rest of my critters should be tested for it.

I already posted that the boarding place won't take Gracie, so I can't go to Sardinia. I'm trying to figure out what my next move will be after everyone is treated. I really would like some beach time somewhere. I'm eying a cruise to Bermuda that leaves from New York City, so I could add some time in New York also. It's fairly inexpensive, even with a single supplement. It's on a cruise line that I've never been on (Norwegian). Another possibility would be to go to St. Lucia.

I need to cancel my bookings, but I'll wait until after my nap. I need to let this sink in. Napped.

Gracie rolled in the grass for the first time. She liked it!

Oliver was cuddling on my lap, and Bella and Gracie jumped on my lap and bugged him. He smacked Bella. They make me laugh.

Okay, I canceled everything. The airplane ticket was not refundable "although I should be able to get the taxes back". One hotel was not refundable. The other one was. So I'm out of pocket for a lot. Sigh.

I don't want to run errands today. In fact, I want to take another nap. There also is a heat advisory today (95F/35C). So I'll stay in. Napped.

I’m feeling kind of depressed, which is not surprising because I was looking forward to the trip. I’m feeling like watching TV after I feed all of us.

Oh fuck. I knew that the bedroom TV had fallen, but I hadn’t turned it on. It’s ruined. I need to doublecheck the dates for the electronics recycling.

I have had it with today. I think that I’ll just order a new TV and go to bed.

I forgot to mention that I got my camping mattress from REI. My sleeping bag should arrive on Monday. Then I'll have to test them out. I second-guessed my choice of sleeping bag, but it has an outer polyester shell and a removable inner down bag. So I could take the down bag out for summer camping.

Lily is lying flat on the floor upstairs, stretched out. I don’t know why she is up here when it’s cooler downstairs. Hmm, Oliver was upstairs too. Keeping an eye on me?

Crud. I forgot to put clothes in the dryer, including my summer pajamas. I dug out some shorts and an “A Woman’s Place Is in the White House“ t-shirt (so much for that) to sleep in, which I can also wear for cleaning tomorrow.

Hmm. A CNN article about beating the heat suggested sleeping in the basement. Maybe I should test my camping mattress down there.

Oliver discovered the package of little cat ball toys, and he’s trying to open it.

I’m in bed, and Bella is zonked out cold in her bed.

Woke up at 8 AM. It’s already 80F/27C out. Sigh. Fed us all. Now it’s nap time. Napped, and now I feel groggy. Had lunch. A box of donuts fell down and Bella snatched one.

91F/32C now.

I’m going to nap for an hour and then get cleaning. Boy, did I zonk out. I dreamed that I was looking for a place to be buried in Urbana. Hmm. Bella is still asleep.

Oh fuck. I forgot about the garden walk today. Oh well. But it’s too hot anyway.

It is oppressively hot out (94F/34C). Crazy Bella wanted to lie in the sun. I convinced her to come in quickly though.

I’ve got the sleeping bag and the tent! The sleeping bag seems nice and cushy. I’m assuming that next weekend will be cooler so that I can practice pitching the tent. (The forecasters are predicting the high 80sF.) Maybe I’ll test the camping mattress and sleeping bag later. Oh, and I got the cooler. Bella is playing with the box that the sleeping bag came in. Now she’s bugging Oliver.

Okay, I’ve cooled off. I should get cracking on cleaning the house. I was petting Lily, and Bella was jealous. Critters :) Oliver is trying to tell me something, but I’m not sure what.

Oliver was climbing in the dishwasher. Fun with cleaning with pets. Got the clothes in the dryer.

I’m feeling shaky, so I’m making something to eat.

Hmm. Sling is advertising Queer As Folk for Pride. I always meant to see that, so maybe I’ll watch later if it’s on demand.

Bella is playing with a tug-of-war rope. She’s twirling it around.

I asked ChatGPT for women’s hiking sandals with wide widths. It recommended hiking sandals without wide widths. Sigh. Okay, the last one that they had did have a wide width, so I bought it.

Hmm. The BBC had an article about a "death cafe" in Bangkok, which asks, “Who would you talk to if it was your last night?” I don’t know the answer to that. I need to make more friends.

I have a headache. I need to feed the critters , but then I’ll lie down for a little while. Watered the outside plants while I was out with Bella. It occurred to me that I need to pull out the stake from the camping supplies because I’ll need to stake the puppy out while I work in the yard. I could put the dog pool out for her. Bella is flaked out on the kitchen floor. I’ll feed the cats and start cleaning the bathroom. Then I think that I’ll shower before bed.

I found a pair of waterproof Columbia hiking boots on sale. I checked, and I don’t have hiking boots, so I bought them. I need a taller shoe rack (ordered).

I’m feeling headachy and tired. I think that I’ll take my nighttime meds, post, and go to bed. I can clean in the morning when it’s cooler. Wow, it's hot upstairs. Work is going to suck on Monday. Maybe I'll bring my work laptop downstairs, where it's cooler. I need to get a workman to install my new air conditioner.

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.