days_unfolding

Overslept until 8:15 AM. I’m feeling groggy. I forgot to scan my music for my lesson, so I’ll need to sneak it in (done). I really need to nap at lunchtime, so I’ll need to jump into the shower right after work.

And now it’s back to cold (34F/1C). Mother Nature is having whiplash.

I think that I want to get a Japanese Maple for the front yard. I found one that I like. And planting trees is a Good Thing. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got two ferns for the side yard. It will be tricky to figure out the right spot without the other ferns though. I’ll work it out. I need to check on the little crabapple tree after the storm. It’s okay.

I’ve perked up a bit, so I’m going to shower at lunchtime. No, I changed my mind again and want a nap (done).

The crazy dogs don’t want to come in even though it’s cold. They finally came in at a quarter to 3. Gracie was busy bugging the cats upstairs, but she seems to have settled down. Right now, she’s lying on her back with her front paws in the air.

Showered after work. My singing lesson went well. We made it through a long song. My teacher said that we should be proud of ourselves.

Fed us all. Ran an errand. Watched Harry Potter. Now I need to give the beasties their crunchies and head 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.

Overslept and woke up at 8:30 AM. Got my groceries. Nice delivery guy. He liked the dogs and said that they must be having a great time due to the weather.

Oliver is in the cat tunnel upstairs, and Lily is batting at the moving lump. They make me smile.

Today is a zoo at work, and the person with whom I primarily work is off sick. So I'm scrambling.

I got Bella in with the aid of a Munchie Bone. Gracie is still outside.

Hmm. I think that I want some marigold seeds to plant with my tomatoes to combat pests.

I want a nap after work. Actually, I perked up so I didn't take one.

The little crabapple tree is really cute! I’ll post a picture of it. I have the root ball soaking in water and will plant it on Saturday. (Note to self: turn on outside water.) The spot where I wanted to plant it has electrical wires running through it, so I’ll need to move it over. Oh, and I want to get a water ring for the little tree to give it the best chance at growing.


Got the pet gate up by Zara’s room, sort of. I don’t like how it fits. Oliver doesn’t like it either. But it’s up.

I came inside after trying to get the dogs in (they’re still outside), only to find that both Oliver and Lily had jumped into Zara’s room (and probably ate her food too). Sigh. I’ll have to feed her again and shut the door.

Now it’s dinner time for me. Then I’ll try to get the dogs in again. They come in more easily at night.

I read a BBC article about “dusking,” sitting outside and watching the sun set and dusk begin. That sounds like a good ritual to start.

The dogs are in and everyone's fed. I'm going to watch The Pitt and then go to sleep. I want to get up on time to shower because I have a vet appointment for Zara tomorrow.

Oh drat. I need to scan music for my singing lesson tomorrow. Almost forgot. (Done.)

I need dry cat food, but need to check if I have a bag by the front door before ordering. Nope, so I need to order (done). Ugh, I found the bag after I ordered. So I'll have dry cat food for a while.

Woke up at 8:30 AM. Took Gracie out on a leash, and it went well. Bella is refusing to come in, but I'll go out and get her in a half-hour. More good news: the Amazon packages were by the side gate and still there. Bella came in docilely at around 9:40.

Got the food portion of my groceries in. I'll get the soda later.

Oliver shut down my work computer while I was in a meeting. Luckily, it was with my boss, who also has cats and was cool with it.

Showered with attendance by Gracie (part of the time) and Lily. Lily had to investigate what I was doing in the shower (from the top of the shower stall).

Tomorrow it's predicted to snow lightly. It should be a good day to do stuff around here. I want to wash warm pajamas so that I'll be cozy. Also, I received a scrubber wand for cleaning.

Got the second Birdie and Louie box. I'm still working on a box of the old food, and Lily is still picking at the old food because she wants the new food. Who will crack first? Lily had got me feeling guilty because she’ll lick every last scrap from the B&L can. Oliver, on the other hand, will eat anything. Hmm, maybe I could feed Lily the B&L and Oliver the old food if I can find enough cat food covers.

I installed Gas Buddy on my phone. Apparently there is a gas station that is 20 cents cheaper than the other ones. But I drive so seldom that a tank of gas lasts me a long time.

Can't stop yawning. At least, I can sleep in tomorrow. Well, if Gracie will let me.

I sent my dad an article about how it looks like the Great Recession of 2008, and he said that it isn't because the cost of oil will go down when the war is over. He said that 2008 happened because of a mismatch between incomes and housing prices.

Hmm. I read an article about the therapeutic effects of knitting on anxiety, etc. There’s a local knitting class coming up in April, but it’s at the same time as the yoga class.

I ordered leaf bags from Home Depot. I want to get out on Sunday and do some cleanup.

My singing lesson went well. We got through a new song and went back through an old one.

I’m looking at emergency supplies based on what susandennis has. Though I’m trying to decide whether to get a charging station with a solar charger. We tend to not have long outages. But I need my phone charged!

I subscribed to International Living because I want to read their book about Europe. If I could find a cheap place to live in Europe, I don’t have much to keep me here (except the house).

Gracie doesn’t want to come in. Sigh. I told Bella that I’ll feed her after Gracie comes in.

I’m tired, and I thought that I wanted to go to bed early, but I hand-washed my warm pajamas and they will take a while to dry. So I’ll probably watch Harry Potter #3, my favorite of the movies. But I’ll post first.

I’m trying to figure out where to hide my foam roller because I think that Gracie would love to tear it apart.

Oh! My pajamas are dry, so no Harry Potter. I'll just post and get ready for bed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I had my dental cleaning this morning. They did only one side, and the other will be in a couple of weeks. They also recommended that I get a mouth guard for sleeping. (Yeah, I'll be sexy with the mouth guard and a future CPAP :))

The garage guy is here fixing the gate that he broke. He did a good job and even put the gates on their hinges. I've more or less talked myself into getting a new chain-link fence after the garage is built. It would be a lot cheaper, and the dogs could see out. I'd like it to be powder-coated green though to add a little pizzazz. They probably could use the same posts for part of it, but I want the gap closed up. Maybe they could put an extra post in.

They're going to start the work on the garage on Monday. They say. I called the electrician for the garage because it looks like they are really going to build the garage.

I was right about not seeding the lawn this fall. They're making a mess of the back yard. I'd like to do it next year, but I'll be in Europe at the right time. Maybe I could hire someone to water the lawn while I'm gone?

I think that I want raised beds that sit on the ground because it'll look neater. But I want the dirt elevated to keep critters out of the vegetable and herb gardens. I'll have to see what I can find. I can buy a bunch of dirt from the landscaping recycling place. I'll get a wheelbarrow and fill them myself. Actually, Home Depot has raised beds with feet that aren't really expensive and look nice. I'm wondering about the grass underneath it though.

The "overnight glasses" are done and are about to be shipped. Way to go.

Got my recycling out, including breaking down boxes. Got my perishable groceries in. I’m going to sit and cool off, and then I’ll get the rest of the groceries.

Thinking about susandennis’ comment about how she’s a large woman with small boobs. I’m a large woman with large boobs (DD), so that’s why my back hurts when I bend over a lot. I thought about breast reduction, but mine aren’t large enough for insurance to pay for it (and I feel for those who are eligible for it). So I really need to get on the diet and exercise wagon again, even though I have a bad case of “don’t wanna”.

Got some of the groceries in. I'll get the rest in the morning. Now I need to feed the critters and then go to bed because I'm really tired.

I forgot to mention that I'm thinking about the new fence, which I'll get after the garage is built. I had wanted a tall picket fence, but Gracie can squeeze through very small spaces. If I got a wooden fence with the boards next to each other (a "privacy fence") then the dogs couldn't see what was going on down the street. That would cut down on the barking, but they enjoy seeing what's going on in the world. I guess that I'll sort out my concerns with the fence seller. I saw some privacy fences with windows cut into it with iron bars.

Gracie barks at the cats. I think that she wants to play with them, but they are not interested. I'm getting tired of the barking and they probably are too.

I ordered a plant-based dog chew toy. They don't like the nylon ones.

Aargh. Apparently I didn’t latch the door all the way when I took the dogs out, and Oliver was coming outside. Gracie pinned him, and I grabbed him and put him inside. Lily was in the doorway too. Get with it, Adrienne.

I took Gracie to get her stitches out. I expected to be chewed out because she wouldn't wear the cone collar, but they said that her stitches looked good and they took them out. She has been throwing up a lot, so I made an appointment for her for tomorrow.

I was playing around on Carvana, and found a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander for a great price. Hmm. I can't deal with this until I get back from Italy though.

Well, hell. I waited for a half-hour for the pharmacist, and they wouldn’t give me the COVID shot because the CDC is saying to wait for the new formulation. That was a waste of time. I returned library books, except for one that I think got scooped up when I was cleaning out the Kia. I’ll look for it.

I’m feeding the critters and wiping out. I’m going to put the full recycling bin and some boxes out to make sure that they get picked up, but I’ll get up early to work on the other bin. I fed the critters and am making myself some food. Then I'll get the bin and boxes out.

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.

There was a young possum running across the yard, and Bella grabbed it. Apparently they die of fright when she picks them up. Bella wanted to bring it inside, but I said, “No”. And Bella didn’t get a chance to pee.

Zara was suspicious when I went in her room. I had to open the closet and pull her out, but I got her in the carrier.

I’m hungry, but I’m going to have a fasting blood test done after I drop Zara off for her dental appointment. (I had to get up early anyway….) Dropping her off took longer than I expected, given that I got there right when they opened. Got gas for the car and got my blood test done.

Tired, tired, tired.

I did find one white crabapple tree for sale, but it has to wait until the garage is built. Almost everything in the yard needs to wait until the garage is built.

It's feeling hot upstairs already, so I need to bring the laptop downstairs for the afternoon.

There are some abnormal results on my blood test and urine test. Some of it was dehydration, so I'm trying to remember to drink water (which I don't like). Hmm, I wonder if there's a way to get my Apple Watch to remind me to drink. I installed a reminder app on my phone, and it also installed it on my watch. I'm concerned about a reading that said that my platelets were small. My mother had multiple myeloma. But my platelet count was okay. The statin seems to be working; my cholesterol was within normal ranges.

Zara came through her dental procedure well, with a lot of extractions. I'll pick her up at 5:30. Picked her up with two pages of post-op instructions. She was glad to see me but got grumpy when the vet tech showed me how to give her the pain meds and ear meds. (She also has an ear infection.) The bill was almost exactly what I guessed. It was a lot but not shocking.

The plus side of getting up early is being able to feel accomplished before I even start work. But it’s 7:30 and I’m collapsing. I was going to go to the store to get hot dogs and string cheese to cut up as rewards for Bella (the training class is tomorrow night), but I just can’t. I’m going to go to bed early and get up early. The grocery store opens at 6 AM.

Got the garbage out. I still need to swap out Zara’s litter box for a clean one.

I’m resisting going upstairs to post because it’s as hot as hell today. I should bring my laptop downstairs or set up the new one. But not tonight.

The water reminder seems to be a bust. I need something that is as aggressive as my meds reminder to remind me to do it now.

I woke up at 2 AM to clean. Told the housecleaner that I was sick, and went back to sleep until 8:30 AM. I'm still having IBS issues.

I'm going to be super busy this weekend because I'll need to clean and pack. I'm going to try to get the house cleaned by Saturday night. I need to go get money for the pet sitter tonight. The forecasters are predicting rain at 5 PM. Note to self: go to the library to pick up books on Saturday. And my brow appointment is at 4:20 PM at Ulta.

I could get a pallet of white stepping stones from Home Depot, but I need to figure out how many I'd need.

Oh, I made a major screwup at work. I'm ready to retire now. Sigh. I'm feeling at the end of my rope.

I talked to the trust person in the bank. They said that all my assets outside of the trust, including the car, must be under $100,000 to avoid probate. Otherwise, all assets must be in the name of the trust. I will need to file a trustee's deed for the house. She recommended that I consult with an attorney.

I'm stymied at work because the statistics that I've been posting to the Web pages have errors. I'm glad that I don't have to fix the errors.

I keep forgetting to mention that I want a sprinkler system put in outside because I want to overseed the whole lawn in the fall, and that will be a lot of watering.

I received my blueberry bushes!

Just remembered that I need a laptop sleeve for my work computer because I'm going to try to bring it with me as well as my personal laptop. (My backpack will be heavy, but oh well.) It's too late to order from Amazon before my trip, so I placed an order with Best Buy for pickup. It's ready for pickup, but I'll go tomorrow because my appointment at Ulta is nearby.

I feel like crying, but I think that I forgot to take my meds this morning. Sigh.

It's freaking humid out. I wish that it would rain and clear the air. Oh, the forecasters say that it's raining, but it isn't raining hard.

Now it’s pouring. We ran into a neighbor. She said that someone else also lives with the neighbor whom I talked to yesterday, but I’ve never seen her. She asked when I’m getting the puppy. Bella noped out over the rain. I put the plants on the porch outside to benefit from the rain. I’m going to put them out back this weekend so that they can benefit from any rain next week.

I don’t really feel like running errands in the heavy rain, so plan B is to go to bed really early and get up early to go to the bank tomorrow before it closes.

I need to feed the cats and myself (done). I fed Bella before I took her outside.

Bella is very wet.

I was going to work on the kitchen a little until it got a little later to go to sleep, but my stomach is upset. I did find out how to add bleach to my washer for the white towels, but I want to wait until I'm nude after a shower to add bleach in case it splashes. (I don't particularly want bleach on me, but I could wash it off.) I need a measuring cup for the bleach though, so I'll order one from Walmart along with more pads for my spin mopper (done).

Now I'm going to post and go to bed.

Added: The orientation for the dog training class is next week, while I'll be out of town. I just emailed the registrar about it. I'm getting the feeling that my taking the class is jinxed. (I had to drop out of the one in the spring because my car was broken into.)