days_unfolding

Hmm. I have a $100 ship's credit. Some of it can go towards the manicure. But maybe I could get a Holland America bag for free? Yay. I asked at Guest Services if we could take the bags in our room, and she said, “Yes”. So I get the bag that I want and don’t need to feel guilty for taking it.

I'm going to bed ridiculously early. It's 9:00 PM, but we turn the clocks backward an hour tonight.

Woke up at 6 AM. I was checking the weather in Urbana, and it currently is 23F/-5C. Ugh. That'll be a rude awakening.

Had a big breakfast. Now I’m waiting for my room to be made up. It’s a little chilly on the Lido Deck. Foggy.

Cool. My retirement countdown is under 5 years now!

Took a nap. Had lunch (chicken tenders, great fries, and a delicious pineapple soft-serve cone).

I've been trying to reach someone at my aunt's life insurance about her policy. They called me on the 23rd, when I was running around trying to leave. I've tried to reach them several times since then, but she seems to be out for the holidays. The forms need to be in the office by the 5th, so this is a cliffhanger.

The Housekeeping guy kicked me out of the room so that he could make it up. Well, he was more polite about it, but the message was clear. Now I wait until my massage. There weren’t enough tables outside, so I sat with a woman. She asked me if I gambled, and she said that she paid $4000 to the casino. I don’t remember what I said, but “Holy shit” seems to apply.

The relaxation started before the massage. They had me sit in a “Relaxation Room,” in which they had comfortable chairs, soft music, and picture windows in which you could watch the ocean glide by. Then she gave me an exceptional massage. I felt like I was floating on the massage table. I gave her an extra tip.

It is downright cold on the Lido deck. I think that I’ll go inside soon. Maybe I’ll change clothes (done).

Had dinner (barbecued salmon, peas, mashed potatoes and two desserts :) It’s my last night.

I read an article on the BBC’s site about people using AI for personal training. I told it about my knee issues and it came up with a program. I also will see the doctor next week, and will ask for PT.

I’m toasting the end of the trip with a “Bahama Mama" (rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and grenadine). It’s pretty good. When I’m done, I’ll go downstairs and pack. I was able to check into my flight while sipping a Bahama Mama. I love technology.

I'm slightly buzzed but back in my cabin. I'll post and then pack. I'll need to shower tonight because I need to pack my toiletries. Then I'll need to put my suitcase in the hall to get picked up. They'll deliver it off of the ship. Must remember to take my puffy coat (got it out of the closet now and threw it near my backpack).

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.

Got my new sweats. I'm not sure why they delivered it at 9:30 at night, but okay.

The third blanket kept me toasty warm.

Woke up at 7 AM. I was wondering what to do about the dogs and the dangerous wind chill, but both Gracie and Bella peed inside. I’ll let them out in the afternoon. It’s currently-5F/-21C with a wind chill of-11/-23C.

Oliver wants food now! Fed us all.

I’m feeling dubious about Dial-A-Carol later tonight. I guess that I’ll brush off the cars later and go from there.

Gracie was barking at the cats. I told her to shut up. Now she and Bella are wrestling on the bed. Gracie just scratched near my eye. I yelled.

Had a nice nap. The sun is shining on my chair in the kitchen, so it’s warm. I have a dog (Bella) partially in my lap, a cat (Oliver) in my face, and another dog (Gracie) looking at the cat. I’m trying to explain to Oliver that I fed him this morning, and he’s not going to eat right now. He is not convinced.

Now they’re having a severe weather advisory going all day. I’m going to change my Dial-A-Carol signup. I don’t want to go out tonight. I removed my signup for tonight. I didn’t see a time to sign up for later. I’m going to brush off my car tomorrow.

I want to let the dogs out, but I’m worried about my Amazon order arriving while they’re out. Maybe I should stand out with them, but it’s cold. I’ll go put my boots on. Maybe I should start brushing off the car while I’m out with them. Or not. I’d rather stay on my porch. I stayed just inside the door, and tried to bring them back inside in about 15 minutes. Bella came in, but Gracie did not. I waited a few more minutes inside, and then Gracie was on the porch saying that it’s cold outside (Me: No, really?) and came in. Whew.

I’m thawing a little, and then I’ll take my shower. I’ll wear my new sweats because I’m not going out.

I bought a blue topaz ring that says “Fuck it and begin again” on the inside. A good sentiment.

The cold bathroom is COLD. I felt like an icicle before I got the hot water on. Now I’m cozy in sweats and wool socks. I’m making soup to make my insides as warm as my outsides.

Oliver: maybe if I get in Mom’s face, she’ll feed me early. Dream on, cat.

Oh crap. My Christmas cards are now arriving on Tuesday. They’re going to be late.

Had my soup. I got dizzy when I took it out of the microwave and spilled some of it. The dogs were happy about that. I think that I’m going to lie down for a little while.

Had a nice nap. The dogs came in on the first try. Cold out there, isn’t it. Fed us all. I need to go measure the laptop and order a sleeve for it while I’m thinking of it (done and ordered).

Oh crap. The laptop that I was going to take with me on the trip is not turning on. I’ll have to take the “new” laptop. The sleeve that I just ordered will fit it though. Heck. I’m wondering if I should order another small travel laptop. I saw one for $265 that would get here on time. What to do. Okay, I got it. I travel enough that it’s worth it. I need to get rid of the old one.

It's a nice night for some tea (steeping). I think that I'll go to bed early because I want to get up early and brush the snow off of the cars.

Gracie got manic a little before 7 AM, so I got up. The roads are not plowed yet. The dogs are bounding through the snow.

I should check into my cruise. I need to do that tonight.

Got the dogs in without a hassle. But someone knocked down the cat food, and Bella has a can. Sigh.

I'm cozy in my sweats. Got my makeup on because there's a meeting with the new grandboss this morning, only to find that my primary colleague is out and I need to host a conflicting meeting. Oh well.

No nap today. I have a meeting at 11 and one at 1, so not enough time for a nap. (I worry about oversleeping.) Oh! My 11:00 got moved! I dozed a little but started coughing. Gracie was resting in the crook of my legs and wasn't happy when I got up.

I'm reading some documents linked from my meeting about "vocational awe," the idea that librarianship is not just a job, but a "calling". Apparently librarianship was originally associated with churches. There is a strong belief that librarians will do whatever is needed no matter what. And that's not fair.

Ordered some new-to-me hats, scarves, and gloves from Poshmark. Cozy is the theme right now.

There was someone standing in front of my mailbox. I went outside to see what was going on, but the guy had left by then. That makes me a little nervous.

I'm exchanging emails with the vet at which I'm boarding the cats. They said that they got them in. Good.

Petalura had a cotton top with stars on it that I like, but it’s $100. As it turns out, it’s out of stock. I did ask them to email me when it’s back in stock, but still, that’s one way to keep me from spending money. (Very pretty top though.)

I definitely have a pop singer’s type of voice. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was a lot easier than my choir songs, even if Mariah Carey’s notes jump all over the place. I seem to have had a breakthrough with high notes too. Cool!

Fed the beasts. I’m making myself some Greek soup (eaten).

I saw a Facebook ad for becoming an LGBTQ+ coach. I don’t think that I’m together enough to do that, but it’s a nice goal.

Rain alert? Accuweather says a snow shower in the morning. A third site said a wintry mix. I hope that there isn’t ice in the morning.

Tuesday Night Wrestling (dogs) on the bed.

Overslept and woke up a little before 7 AM. I’ll take the fecal samples at lunchtime.

Hmm. I want to take a nap, but it’s early to get the dogs to come in. Got them in, but I had a piece of donut out for Gracie, and Bella snatched it. I then gave Gracie a donut hole, and Bella tried to snatch that too.

Hmm. A long time ago, I wanted to do indexing work (creating indexes for books or documents) freelance. Maybe I should do that when I retire. I've had indexing experience but want to get certified.

And now we have cat wrestling (Oliver and Lily).

There will be a high of 4F/-16C on Sunday. Yikes! It'll be a good weekend to stay home and snuggle in sweats. Speaking of weather, it's gray and gloomy and I want to go back to sleep. But I can't.

Dropped off the fecal samples at the vet. Go me. (Go cats!) The fecal tests came back negative, and they emailed the place where I want to board them with the results.

I'm sooooo tired. I'm thinking of skipping the Symphony holiday concert tonight and napping. It's dark, cold, and yucky. (Most of the snow has melted though. Just in time to get more tomorrow.) Ugh, I fell asleep during a meeting.

Maybe I bought too much over Black Friday/Cyber Week. I'm getting a package from Land's End, and I was wondering, what the heck is that? (Oh yeah, the second pair of sweats.)

I perked up a little at 5 PM as per usual, but I’m still tired and don’t feel like going out. I still think that a nap is in order.

I was sitting on the toilet and Bella was knocking my hand with her snout because she wanted to be petted. (After all, I was just sitting there….) I told her that she was being ruuuuuuuuude. She goes nuts over long vowels and started licking my face. I have a weird dog ;) That reminded me of when I was a kid and my dad used to imitate an air-raid siren to freak the dog out.

I should do a load of laundry. I have the gathering at my grandboss’ house tomorrow night.

Napped and slept until almost 1 AM after a dream in which I got back together with Erik. That ship has long since sailed. They’re saying up to four inches of snow tomorrow night, which makes me uncertain if I can get to my grandboss’ house.

Fed us all. I think that I’ll sleep in and take my shower at lunchtime.

I need to start a load of laundry before I go back to sleep.

shadowkat mentioned Merlino wool socks, which I looked at because I'd like to keep my feet warm this winter. But they're pricey, and I'm trying to shut down the spending money spigot. I'll think about it. (I found some cute ones though.) Hmm, they have two pairs of knee-high socks for cheaper. I could save them for times that I'm tramping through the snow.

Hmm. I should find the package with the Christmas cards. Oh no, Amazon says that the delivery "is running late".

All the pets are flaked out. Gracie is lying on the floor with her head on the stairs. How is that comfortable?

I’ve been feeding Oliver and Lily some dry food late at night to use up some dry food that I have. (Waste not, want not, etc.) Zara won’t eat it.

Bella says, “Why are you reading when you should be petting your dog? Clearly your priorities are messed up.”

Woke up at 7 AM.

I’ve been getting tickets for a parking violation on the Kia, so I need to brush it off and get it jump-started today. Hmm, tomorrow would be better.

Ugh. Wintry mix tonight.

Oliver almost got out. He stopped when he realized Gracie was in the doorway. Sigh.

Fed us all. Nap time. Oliver was in here but he left. Good. His interaction with the dogs is not restful. Napped. I feed like I need another nap but I need to eat lunch first.

I think that I’ll turn on music when I work on the kitchen.

Up from my nap. Feeling shaky.

Now they’re saying snow and flurries tomorrow morning. Sigh.

Things to do:

— Shower and put on new sweats (done)
— Put new laptop upstairs. Measure old laptop and buy sleeve for it
— Open packages. Find lights for tomorrow. (Done).
— Work on kitchen (a little)
— Wash clothes from cruise (in progress) and put them back in the suitcase. Fill toiletries bottles.

I started opening packages while I wake up. I got my Elemis travel set to put in my suitcase. Got the dash cam, which is actually worth some $$$.

Hum. I’m waiting for the package with the knee scooter. Nothing yet. I want to wait to let the dogs out until after it comes. Maybe I should take a shower.

The Medicare Web site says that I don’t have to sign up for Medicare until after I retire, but they suggested asking my job to make sure. I still have two years to go anyway.

My Christmas sweatshirt is now supposed to arrive tonight. Maybe I’ll wear it tomorrow while I put up lights. Oh drat, I didn’t get light clips. Maybe Walmart has them? Ace Hardware does. I’ll run over there tomorrow. Actually, I’m trying to order some from Walmart, but it says “low stock”. We’ll see if I get them.

The Christmas sweatshirt is cute.


I’m trying Olay moisturizers because they’re cheaper. I got an eye cream first because the dogs stole mine :(

The sweats are cozy and warm. They look better than average sweats. I’m tempted to look for more. I don’t need to spend the money, but I could wear them to work on days that I don’t go out. I ordered a pair of “peach sorbet” sweats, marked down for Cyber Week. I will be cozy this winter.

I’m hungry. Made some food. Oliver says to feed him “Right Meow“. Fed us all. Gracie hasn’t eaten her food yet.

I need to stay up until the stuff from Walmart arrives and possibly the knee scooter. I think that I’ll wash my clothes from the cruise next. And do some dishes (done and done and my swimsuit and coverup are soaking in the sink).

I’m trying Hup. You put a Web cam in your home and it tells you what cleaning to do.

I guess that I’ll post while waiting for the Walmart order. Oops, I need to bring the laptop upstairs too.

Hmm. I've been mulling over adopting another older cat. There is one at the local Humane Society who is four years old, 18 pounds (!), and a lap cat. And he's lived with dogs. I kind of miss having a lap cat. Mimi was one, but Oliver, Lily, and Zara are not. But I wouldn't adopt one until after my trip if at all. NO MORE DOGS!!! I have my hands full with the two of them!

Woke up a little before 7 AM. I want to go back to sleep, but I have to wait until the dogs come in. The dogs came in earlier than I expected, although Gracie stood near the doorway for a while with the warm air coming out, so I’ll get an hour nap. I had a Munchie Bone out to try to get Gracie to come in, and Bella snatched it!

Overslept my nap a little.

My grandboss is having an Open House on Thursday, so I won't go to the Wind concert. The question is whether I go to the choral concert on Sunday.

I need to get my new heater set up in my home office. It's supposed to be a high of 18F/-8C tomorrow!

I gave Bella and Gracie some old food that Bella was refusing to eat because I'm low on the puppy food that they've been eating. (Bella has gained weight, so I need to get her on other food.) Gracie started to eat it, so Bella pushed her way in and started eating it! Jealousy!

Cranky cats. Oliver and Lily are squabbling.

I really want to take a nap, but I have 1) piano class, 2) litter box cleaning so that I can get a stool sample from the cats, and 3) getting the recycling out. And my sleep doctor told me not to take naps in the evening, but to go to bed early instead. And I do need to get up early to get the stool samples. Oh, and 4) get the clothes together for the Open House tomorrow.

Piano went well. My fingers are getting used to the keys again. I worried about Zara because she wasn’t checking out what I was doing, only to find that she was sleeping behind me while I was playing! She came over at the end of the class.

I got my Land’s End sweats (hmm, I could wear them until I change for the Open House tomorrow) and Zara’s heated bed.

I need to figure out how I can get the recycling bin out because I’ll have to drag it through 10 inches of snow. And the pickup people want us to shovel a spot for the bins. Ugh. I don’t know how I can dig out a spot for the recycling in the dark, so I’m going to give up for tonight. I can dig out a path and spot on the weekend when I can get out during the day.

OY. I let Bella and Gracie out, and Gracie was barking non-stop at a recycling bin (or at least, that was my only guess as to what she was barking at. So I got Bella in, and started trying to bribe Gracie with a hot dog so that I could grab her. She was too wily. I kept at it for a long time, but eventually went in and ate dinner. Then I opened the door, and she was almost ready to come in, and Bella burst out! I got Bella in with a hot dog (she'll do anything for a hot dog), and tempted Gracie with a donut. She was interested, and I got her to come on the porch. I opened the door and threw the donut in. It worked; Gracie came in. Whew. (Some neighbors across the street go to bed at 9 PM, and it was almost 9, so I was really stressing.)

Other people on the street got their recycling bin out, so I could have done so, but I was busy chasing Gracie.

Then I looked for the bag with the fecal sample vials, only to find that they fell out of the pocket of my purse, and the dogs did something with them. I was about ready to cry at this point. But then it occurred to me that I could use plastic baggies for the samples. Bella had left a nice sample outside, so I went out with a baggie, got hers, and put it in the refrigerator (ick). Now all I need to do is clean litter boxes to make it easy to get samples from the cats. I decided to sit and post and calm down a little first. Oh, and I need to sort out clothes for the shindig tomorrow.

Oh, the new pajamas are wonderful. Very soft (they’re fleece). Cute too. That was a good buy.

I ordered Italia magazine and Hawaii magazine. Articles about my two favorite places.

I’m telling Gracie to go bug Bella and stop chewing on me. And stop chewing on my new pajamas!

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella came in from outside fairly quickly, but Gracie is still out nosing around. She finally decided to come in.

Now the weather people are saying black ice from the rain yesterday. I hope that things get cleared up before rehearsal tomorrow. The side streets haven’t been plowed yet. I’m going to have to trudge out to my car and brush it off sometime today.

The little shit Oliver got into Zara’s room. I’ll try to get him out in a few minutes. Started laundry.

Texted with the snow removal guy, and he said that he would be here in an hour and a half. I said that was fine; I just need it done before tomorrow.

Put the clothes in the dryer. I have to wait to take my shower because the snow guy will be here soon. I’ll take it after he leaves. Had lunch. Got Oliver out of Zara’s room. Gracie tried to bug him, so I picked him up and put him on top of some things.

Hmm. I was looking at a Facebook ad for maps of your home. I kind would like one for my condo in California (“My First Home”) and my current home.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I bought a floodlight for the garage last night at Home Depot. It will be delivered on Tuesday.

I’m not sure what to do now. Maybe work on the kitchen table. Oliver was on my lap, slipped, and dug his claws in my leg. I yelled. Then he knocked over the cat food. Bella grabbed a can. I am not happy with him.

I found a bunch of stuff at Sharper Image, a sweater at Coldwater Creek, and a T-Shirt at LL Bean. I can’t get all of it, so I need to think about it. Add a Christmas t-shirt from Crazy Shirts that says “Mele Kalikimaka” (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian) with some ornaments.

The weather is supposed to warm up on the 13th, so I’ll tell the garage guy that tomorrow. I hope that we can squeeze in getting my driveway done.

I think that the snow guy is here. The dogs are going nuts.

The Crazy shirts t-shirt in my size is sold out. LL Bean didn’t have the t-shirt also. That’s one way to get me not to spend money. Same with the Coldwater Creek sweater. I’m debating the weighted heated throw on Sharper Image. I’d like it, but I’m afraid that Gracie would chew on it. Maybe not. I want the dual-view dash cam, but I’m afraid someone would break into the car and steal it. I could save it until I have the garage ready, but there are other places that I park. I did order the cam. I really want a backup camera.

Paid the snow guy. He did a great job. He said that he could put up my security cameras too. I’ll definitely use him for more snow removal.

I want to take another nap. Napped.

Oops, the snow guy forgot to get the side sidewalk. That’s okay. I’ll see if I can get it tomorrow.

I think that Bella really wants a crate. Not only does she lie under the bed, but she also likes to lie in the litter boxes, which are Bella-sized. I’ll see what I can do after I get the bedroom organized. Okay, I found a crate on Chewy for her. It isn’t on sale for Cyber Monday, so I can get it anytime. Now I need to work on the bedroom. I found a crate that was a Cyber Monday deal on Amazon, so I ordered it.

I was leaking pee after I slept for the night and after my naps. I now have period panties on and am washing my pajamas. Sigh. I hope that this works.

I’m close to the end of my book on Katherine Parr. I chose a book on James I to read next. I know very little about him.

Fed us all. I’m thinking of going to bed early because I need to brush the snow off of my car before work. I also think that I’ll sleep in my clothes so that I can pull boots on and go do so.

I think that I’ll throw my clothes from the cruise in the wash before going to bed.

Finished my book about Katherine Parr. A good time to wrap things up now. I'd like to stay at Sudeley Castle sometimes, where Katherine Parr lived at the end of her life and was buried. It's at the edge of the Cotswolds, so it should be pretty.

Submitted a grocery order for tomorrow. Ordered more dry dog food. Ordered a new all-season jacket, this time in 2X to give me plenty of room to put a hoodie underneath. I'll give the other one away. Hmm, I wonder if there's a women's shelter that would take it? None of them want clothes, so I'll give it to Salt and Light, a thrift store that specializes in helping the poor.

I think that I'll sleep in my clothes so that I can jump outside and put the lights up. But oops, I need to find the lights!

Land’s End has a ton of clothes that I like. I need to think about this. Their clothes are half-off for Black Friday, so I need to think fast.

Found the lights (I’ll probably need more), bows (I’ll wait until after the storm to put them up) and Munchie Bones.

Took the dogs out and they didn’t want to come in, but I was freezing. Gracie is wily. I finally got her to come close with a Munchie Bone and grabbed her collar and got her in. (Yes, I gave her the Munchie Bone.)

Turned the outside water off and set faucets to dripping. It’s currently 25F/-4C and dropping. Ordered more lights. Hmm, do I want to put the lights up when they’ll get covered with snow? I need to think about this.

Woke up at 6 AM to pee. The dogs rightly decided that I’m not getting up for the morning and stayed in bed. Gracie decided that I needed to get up at 7:30.

Gracie is refusing to come in, not even for a hot dog. I’m going to warm up and try again. She was ready to come in, and I opened the door, and Bella ran out! Sheesh. They finally decided to come in. Whew.

Great. They’re predicting “heart-attack snow” (wet snow). That’s going to be a bitch to shovel, even with my power shovel. I need to charge the power shovel.

Fed us all. Nap time. Bella is under the bed. Gracie wants to play with her, but she’s growling. Gracie barked. These are the conditions in which I have to nap :) I did nap.

Everyone seems to be having a Black Friday sale, but I’m trying to ignore most of them. I just need to figure out Land’s End. I’m glad that I’m not in the stores today.

I’ve decided not to put up the lights before the storm. I’ll just work on the house.

I want to have lunch, but I’m waiting for my Walmart order. Got it. Ate lunch. I think that I want another nap.

I was looking at used Land’s End down coats on eBay, but I checked back on the sale, and I was able to get a new coat for the same price. I bought a lavender one to make me visible in traffic. They were sold out of the sweats that I wanted, but I got a sweater that says “Snow Day” and a ribbed sweater-blazer.

Crud. I forgot to get toilet paper. I ordered some from Walmart for delivery along with paper towels and garbage bags.

NOW I want a nap!

The vet didn’t have room for boarding. I called another place, but they won’t take Gracie if she at all tests positive for Giardia. I have another place to call on Monday. This is not looking good. I called another place, and they can’t take big dogs. I left a message at a dog boarding place.

I guess that I’m up. I’ll take a shower in a few minutes.

Alleluia! I found a place that will take the dogs. I'll call the vet back about the cats in a minute. I emailed them the shot records and made an appointment to have Oliver and Lily's shots renewed and fecal tests for them and Zara. Whew. This looks like it might work out after all.

Snow forecast: Snow begins falling between 3-6 AM Saturday morning and falls though the day on Saturday becoming heavy at times. Strong winds out of the south 15-25 mph, gusting to 35 mph will lead to blowing and drifting snow and reduced visibility/hazardous travel especially in rural areas. Snow may mix with or change over to rain at times on Saturday evening before changing back over to snow Saturday night. Snow will taper off early Sunday morning. (Andrew Pritchard, Facebook) What a mess.

I just texted a guy about snow removal. He’s interested in doing so for me.

I was petting Gracie and Bella came running over. Jealousy! I told her that I can pet Gracie if I want, but she doesn’t think that is the case. Dogs!

Showered. I had Lily, Bella, Gracie, and Oliver watching me put on my makeup. I told Lily that she was “Up above the world so high/Like a fuzzbutt in the sky”.

I bought a new pair of snow boots.

I told Zara that her new bed will be “Kitty Nirvana”. Had my singing lesson. My voice gave out a few times, but otherwise, it was a good lesson.

Fed the critters. Brought in the groceries. Gracie did not want to come in from outside. I think that I’ll take her out on a leash next time to get her in in a timely manner.

Brought the recycling bins and garbage cans near the back door, and brought one recycling bin inside. Ate dinner finally. I really want to go to bed soon.

Got up a little after 7. Took the dogs out, and the fence guys were already there waiting to start. I think that I’ll put my clothes in the dryer and go back to sleep for a little while. Ugh, Bella is barking. Maybe not.

Shit. I dropped a DayQuil. I cleaned the floor off and still haven’t found it.

The dogs are calmer. I guess that they’ve decided that the guys working on the fence are okay. Oops, Bella just barked.

I looked for King Charles' watercolors because I like them. He sells reproductions on Highgrove's Web site, but too expensive for me! I could afford some note cards.

Norwegian didn't find my blazer. Suckage. I'll order a new-to-me one on eBay (done). I also ordered a gray cowl-neck top to wear with my gray pants.

I forgot to mention that when Gracie was at the vet the other day, the vet was really taken with her. He said, "Oh! Her ears." (She does have cute ears.) Then he asked me how I was able to get anything done with her around. I said that I didn't!

Do I want to see the Illinois Wind Symphony in December? I like the sound of woodwinds. It's only $10.

I have a call out about boarding the pets. Fingers crossed. I haven't gotten the drinks-WiFi package yet for the Mexico cruise (late December), but I'll wait until I'm sure that I have a place for the pets. The drinks-WiFi package is expensive, but I want it. I might even have one alcoholic drink. I have a taste for a Mai Tai. (But no, I won't drink my way through the cruise.)

I also called the electrician about the garage.

I think that I night have to do some work for work this weekend. I need to get farther on what I'm working on.

Holy cow. 5 - 6 inches of snow on Saturday?!? A good time to stay home.

Had my makeup voice lesson. I still am congested, but we got some practice done, but ended early. I’m getting a handle on my solo. I’m a little worried about Zara because she didn’t come over to say “Hi” and seems a little lethargic. But she’s been eating. She came out when I fed her.

Fed us all. Bella peed on the bathroom floor, sigh. I'll be glad when the fence is up and things can get back to normal.

I usually get some toys for a local children's home. They had an Amazon list, so I ordered some things to be delivered to them. But doing it that way kind of loses something.

It's a little late to gather garbage. I'm just going to go to sleep soon. The fence guys will be here early again.