days_unfolding

Gardening is the road to bankruptcy :) Ordered more coral bells and some herbs and tomatoes (although the groundhog likes to eat some of my herbs, so it's a losing battle).

Cool, my Capital One credit card payment has posted.

Ack! The forecasters are predicting rain from 5 AM onwards!

Lily loves cherry turnovers. That’s something that she has in common with Zara, although grumpy old Zara wants nothing to do with Lily.

It is COLD out. The forecast said that the wind chill will be down into the 30s F at 11 PM.

Oliver projectile vomited in the living room. I’ll have to keep an eye on him. Bella licked it up, which was gross but useful.

Got up at 7 AM. I was thinking that it’s Monday, but there is another day of weekend!

It’s raining lightly.

Got what I think are the batteries for the mower.

Lily keeps dropping napkins on the floor. Then Bella grabs them. Sigh.

Fed us all. My plan of action is to nap, eat lunch, shower, and head out to pick up my plants. Hmm, I don’t see the pots for the African daisies. I’ll need to order some.

Ordered more recycled paper products from Who Gives a Crap?

Napped. While I was out with Bella, a guy came by with a pile of Amazon boxes. I got the fake book in which to stash cash, and it really does look like a book. Now I need to get the cash. I got some investing books, collars with a pocket for AirTags for Oliver and Lily, cat food, and some underwear and socks. Oliver has taken over one of the boxes. Oh, and there’s a tall box that I forgot about. I have no idea what it is. It’s the weeder.

Bella has a squeaky ball, and she’s kind of driving me crazy with it, but at least, she’s happy. Oliver got part of my pizza and Lily got part of my donut. I have cats who need to learn manners.

I’m fighting the impulse to go back to sleep. Then I’d lose the plants that I bought. I should get myself together and go.

Just remembered to order vitamin B12. My levels are borderline low.

I’m getting a headache:( Took some acetaminophen and I could lie down for a half-hour.

Went and got the plants. They got my order wrong and left two plants out of it. They found another astilbe of the same color and one of a slightly different color and gave them to me. (That’s fine; my garden won’t be perfect.) They thanked me for shopping the sale. It occurred to me that they probably were volunteers at Allerton, and that sounds like fun to do.

My eye is twitching. Napped but woke up after a half-hour. My eye is still twitching. Fed us all. I’m feeling too tired to clean.

I’m looking for stuff to buy. I need to stop that.

Maybe I’ll read What Color Is Your Parachute in Retirement? for a while.

Bella is having fun playing with the paper from one of the Amazon boxes.

Most of the team will be at the conference tomorrow, so it should be a quiet day. I need to figure out when to take the Honda to the dealer for them to look at. I also need to get my student loans straightened out.

I can get What It’s Like to Live Now on eBay. It’s in a box somewhere, but I really would like to reread it.

Everyone wants my string cheese.

So much for going to bed early. I’ve been reading Meredith Maran’s book about needing to reinvent her life at age 60, and it’s good and what I needed to read.

Woke up at 5:30 AM. Bella had the zoomies after she did her business. She’s full of havoc: barking at Lily and bugging Oliver.

Crap. My Greenworks chargers are not turning on. It’ll cost a fortune to replace the batteries. Lily ran down into the basement. I don’t know what the attraction of the basement is, but she loves it.

I’m going back to bed. Slept until 10.

Oh fuck. They’re having a race today, so I can’t get to the library. I’ll go late in the day.

I’m figuring out how the day should go. I want to wash the clothes that I have on to get a pair of grungy jeans for yard work. I’ll go work on my investment course while it’s washing. Then I’ll shower and go outside. I’ll try to mow, but I’m expecting that the batteries won’t work. Then I’ll weed and clean out garden beds. I’ll change clothes and go to the library and grocery store at 5 PM. Note to self: buy napkins! When I get back, I’ll clean house.

Goofball Oliver was in the microwave (turned off, of course). Lily decided to come up from the basement.

I finished the Meredith Maran book. I’m letting it sink in. She completely rebuilt her life in LA! It’s giving me food for thought.

Now I’m thinking of a nap while the clothes are in the wash. Bella has half a tennis ball. (She chewed the other half.) Couldn’t sleep. I’ll go work on my investment class. Bought a new charger for my Apple Watch. I can’t find my case of chargers and the original one is bent.

Got my clothes in the dryer after Oliver got out. Cats!

Have a headache and sore neck.

Checked in for my doctor's appointment on Monday, but I'm not sure where I go. Need to call them on Monday. Worked on my investment class, but I need to spend some time playing with the financials for different sectors in the paper-trading tool. Later today, I think.

Now I'm thinking of skipping the yard work today and just running errands. I have tomorrow to work outside. The race will be over soon.

Found my Econ books and stashed them away out of Bella’s reach. Speaking of which, someone whose name is Bella is pulling toilet paper out of the bathroom and chewing it. Dogs!

I found some books on Audible that I want to get, but I need to wait for the check.

Managed to drag my weary butt into the shower. I’m thinking that I need to eat something because I also need to run to Lowe’s and get keys cut. I’m feeling draggy though and don’t feel like going out. Hmm. The last day that I can pick up the library book is tomorrow. Lowe’s opens at 8 AM tomorrow. The library opens at 1PM tomorrow. I can pick up napkins and 7up Tropical Zero Sugar at Meijer. Yeah, I think that I’ll stay in. Ye gods, I am tired. Actually, I’m low on cat litter (though I have some in the car), so I think that I’ll submit a Meijer’s order (done).

Got us all fed. I want to take a nap but want to be up for the Meijer order, so I’ll email my dad back and look at financial sector charts. Actually, there’s nothing in my order that will spoil so I’ll nap. Meijer canceled my delivery order. Why? Oh, apparently I didn’t have enough money.

Slept until 7:30 PM. Kept Bella from bugging Oliver. (She was not pleased.) Worked on my investment course. I think that I'll feed the beasts and go to bed. I might need to throw some laundry in--I'll check.

Actually, I'll read some of my macroeconomics book before going to sleep.

No one is as happy as a dog with a stick. Bella rolls around on her back with the stick in her mouth. I told her that she’s a goofball with no sense of dignity whatsoever :)

Overslept and got up a little before 8 AM. There’s a freeze warning tonight. I wonder what I did with the drop cloth.

I have a meeting for which I need to be on camera, so I ran downstairs to throw on some clothes and slap on some makeup. Good thing that our meetings are virtual so no one can smell me. It was interesting putting on makeup with a cat (Oliver) on my shoulder.

Things are stacking up at work. I asked a colleague for some tips on handling multiple projects, and he had some good suggestions. I’ve got different to-do lists set up for each project.

The car being fixed (Kia) is ready. I told them that I couldn't come this afternoon (because I hadn't taken a shower), but I would come on Monday morning. I need to order The Club ASAP (done--it'll arrive on Sunday). And the security cameras as soon as I can.

i don't know why the toe that I previously broke and healed is hurting me.

I'm looking for lightweight travel pants for my trip. Someday I'll get my travel clothes totally together. My mom had a set of clothes that she just used for travel. Maybe some gauze pants and a shirt? I'm thinking of going in mid-to-late August, so it's going to be hot. I found a nice, light dress too. I like the blue and white stripes, but they have wrinkle-resistant navy and black styles that might be better for traveling. Actually, I really like this dress in denim blue.

Bella is being a little dickens tonight. First, she dug up one of the plants from my garden. Then she knocked down the box of the cats’ canned food and tried to steal the cans.

Got us all fed with a break for getting cat food cans away from Bella. (She’s no longer running around with one in her mouth, so I guess that I got them all.)

I went around the yard with my plant identifier, and there are a ton of resurrection lilies. I need to move some of them by the street because they’re where the garage is going. I might give some away too. I also need to move the daffodils and want to move the day lilies.

I have a headache, so I’m going to lie down for an hour and then shower to run errands.

Woke up a little before 1 AM. So much for my errands. I’ll go in the morning. Crud, I need to cover the plants.

Overslept. I’m feeling kind of sad. Actually, I’m feeling massively depressed. I don’t know why. Mimi? (And yes, I took my meds and some vitamin D.) I emailed my therapist. I looked for an earlier appointment, but the earliest that I could get one was two days before the one that was already scheduled. I'm debating contacting my psychiatrist.

Emailed the trust asking for a contact for my tax forms and what about my money? Radio silence thus far. Maybe I could do the administrative work on my taxes, but that won't take long. And gather my other forms.

Emailed in sick and napped. I had to eject Oliver and his ball. Bella saw some small dogs outside and clearly wanted to play with them. Progress. Forced myself into the shower. Logged into work. My next challenge will be to get myself to go to choir. All I want to do is sleep.

Oliver brought his ball upstairs! Apparently, he loves it.

I emailed out of choir. The struggle will be to feed the pets before I collapse, but I should do it. I need to snap out of this tomorrow because I'm taking a day off to rake. (I think that I will cancel Italian though.)

I contacted Schwab because I’m fed up with the trust.

Headache.

Fed us all. Tried to nap but couldn't sleep, which is a good sign. I received my tax form, so now I can do my taxes. Did most of my taxes. But aaaaaaah, I have a tax issue with the trust. Last year, I was told that my distributions were taxable. This year, I was told that there was "No reportable income" on my Schedule K-1. One of them must be wrong. So no, I can't finish my taxes now.

I'm going to pay some bills and go to bed.

Oliver is snoozing upstairs. I ate a turnover and got Bella’s and Lily’s rapt attention. Lily has a favorite spot in the front window where she can see Bella and I come in.

I know. The pet-sitter-to-be can get water from the quarantine tank for the main aquarium. That would work.

Got up a little after 6 AM. Took Bella out and put the cat dishes on to soak. I’m going back to sleep and will take a shower at lunchtime. Overslept but made it to work.

Oliver and Lily seem to be playing Hide and Go Seek. Now they're wrestling. And galloping around upstairs. I found my work laptop knocked over when I came upstairs. Apparently, they play during the night. I hear them upstairs.

The trust people said that I would have my tax form ready when I got back. Now she says that she doesn't handle taxes, but she can see if the form is ready. They are annoying me.

Headache.

Fed the beasts. Oliver was being a jerk and kept eating Lily's food, even though he had food. The cats have settled down. Lily is looking out Mimi's window. Now she's crashed out cold by the front window.

Showered during lunch, attended by Bella and Oliver. Bella chewed a hole in my sock. Oliver was meowing.

I need to order canned dog food from Costco.

Bella had an appointment for booster shots, and she was a very good girl. She has figured out that when I ask her to go into the car, we're going from place to place, but I'm not giving her away, so she'll jump right in. She peed a little at the vet but otherwise was very good. I told her that after she gets dog training, I'll take her in the car to the dog park. They have a special place for more timid dogs. Also, she seems to like collars better than harnesses. Good to know.

I am not looking forward to explaining what happened with my cruise at choir. Well, some people didn’t know what to say, so I added, “But my other cats and dog were glad to see me “. Rehearsal itself went well. Bella was thrilled that I came home :)

I need to feed the beasties, take Bella out one more time, and crash hard because I have Italian tomorrow morning. I’m not looking forward to explaining what happened to my teacher too :(

Got most of the recycling out. Went and got Mimi’s carrier from the U of I vet; I saved around $70 doing that. And now I have three carriers for three cats.

Got up at 7 AM. It’s cold, wet, and miserable out. Even the dog was less than thrilled.

I need to get someone to clean the gutters.

Bella ate Lily's food. Twice. Aargh. Bella is running around with her squeaky ball. She loves that thing. The pup is tired though. Oliver and Lily got kitty racetrack out of their system, I hope. Oliver is in Mimi's window looking at the birds. Lily is sitting on the rocking chair in the front window. I deem that "Lily's chair". Now Oliver is tunneling under the blanket on the guest room bed. Lily digs her claws in my leg when she goes on my lap. Ouch. Points to Oliver; he doesn't do that. Now Lily is checking out the mattress in the guest room. LOL. Oliver is tunneling under the blanket in the guest room, and Lily is jumping on top of him. Those two keep me entertained. A guy came by with two dogs when I was in the yard with Bella, and she hid behind me. That makes me wonder how she's going to do in the dog training class. The Dynamic Duo managed to 1) knock my soda onto me and 2) unplug my work laptop. Now Lily is on top of the fish tank.

I told work to load me up with meetings, but it hasn't been too bad.

I'm freaking tired.

I need to close my purse right now. I need to have the house cleaned, but I can do it myself. I'm getting pretty good at picking up the kitchen before I go to bed. Though hmm. The U of I music venue is having the Mozart Requiem on the 29th. I love the Mozart Requiem. Okay, I bought a ticket.

I asked my dad how to keep my energy up, and he said, “Lose weight”. All right then.

I'm looking at flights to San Diego for the Mexico cruise. I might have to go on Christmas Eve because I think that the bus isn't scheduled on Christmas. Or I might have to take the train, but I think that my suitcase might be too big for it? Oh, I can check luggage to Chicago. It would take me about an hour to get to O'Hare from the train station. I need to figure out something to do in San Diego before the cruise. The zoo? They have a great zoo. San Diego city tour? I'll need to find a hotel too. Found a hotel that I like.

My shade garden has shipped. I’ll need to get after the garden that I will put it in this weekend.

Bella: Pet me! Pet me! Pet me! She found a piece of styrofoam somewhere and was shredding it. I guess that I need to get out the broom. Had some Girl Scout cookies. Bella: Aren’t you going to give me some? Me: Nope!

Headache. I’m going to lie down for a little while. But the doggo wanted a belly rub. I’m sharing my bed with a can of tuna that Bella brought in. I only live here :)

Slept until 10:30 PM. I must have needed it.

Oliver knocked over Mimi’s dry food again. Sigh. He and Bella are eating it in a moment of feline-canine cooperation. Oy. I think that I'm going to leave the kitchen a mess, put clothes in the dryer, and go back to bed. Oops, I need to order soda.

I'm yawning, but I need to empty the fish tank. Mimi is going to have to get off of my lap. The problem with the fish tank was that It wasn't seated on the stand properly. So I planted the plants and filled it back up. Well, no, it still is a little off, but I'm not emptying the tank again. It's hard to see that it's off until it's full.

This is what my aquarium looks like today. No fish though until after my trip in March.

Mimi is on my lap again.

Had problems falling asleep again. I emailed in sick for 1/2 day and will lie down. Lily is being a love bug.

Now I’m up. I’m going to email in sick for choir (done).

I walked into a zoo at work. Lots of threads of tasks going on that don't have to do with each other. Got most of it done.

I’m getting a headache. Napped and slept until midnight.

Lily was showing me her belly. Mimi wants attention!

Tried to get the WaterPic working but it’s not working. I’ll mess with it tomorrow. My pajamas were ice cold, so I ran the dryer until they were nice and toasty.

Woke up at 7:30 AM. The critters are restless. Step 1: took Bella out. Step 2: put the cat dishes on to soak. Step 3: fed cats. Step 4: Fed me. Step 5: fed Bella. Step 6: filled the cats’ water dish. Then Bella decided that she wanted to go out again. I gave her her purple ball toy, and it’s a hit!

Hmm. If I got the puppy, I’d need a gate for overnight in the warm bathroom. And a puppy bed. Hmm, I wonder if they’d have a gate at Costco? Speaking of Costco, it’s kind of cold to go today.

And speaking of cold, feeling it. I’m thinking of huddling under the bedroom blanket after lunch. My heater is good, but it’s not quite keeping up.

Saw an airplane. I was wondering if it was coming from the local airport. I usually take the bus to O’Hare because it’s cheaper.

Hmm. I’m wondering if I should bring out my cashmere coat, but it doesn’t have a hood, but it’s long.

Oliver is dozing off, and peace reigned throughout the land. Oops, I knocked over my soda and swore, and it woke him up.

Napped. It was nice and cozy warm. The puppy is still asleep.

I’m trying to avoid any news of the inauguration. At least now I don’t have Mom to call me to tell me what Trump did, but that’s kind of sad.

Jealousy….Bella thinks that the cats can’t settle on my lap. This time, surprisingly, it’s Oliver. He starts off nice but then bites. Snot :)

Someone knocked over one of my plants. Oliver, I’m looking at you, but it could be Bella. Oh for god’s sake. Bella munched on the pot. Luckily, I had another one.

Took a shower. Damn, that bathroom is cold. Got the WaterPik working. Ugh, it feels too cold to do anything. I’d break out the electric blanket, but with Bella’s chewing habit, probably not a good idea.

I decided to cuddle under the blanket in the bedroom. Bella approves. It’s supposed to be cold through tomorrow and then warm up to more usual temperatures. Ooh, standing on the heat vent is nice.

Zara was very happy that I’m in the library room and is being cuddly. She misses me! I need to spend more time in here.

Had a good piano lesson. Zara showed up and my teacher took a picture of her :)

Ate dinner. Ouch, my left wrist is hurting. Did I do something wacky to it playing piano?

I have a lot of work to do picking up the stuff that Bella shredded. But I think that I’ll do it in the morning.

I was thinking that Bella was jerking my chain because I’ll take her out if she goes into the bathroom and whines. But she did need to pee. I’m reversing the morning routine. Bella is fed and so am I. I’m working on the cats.

I keep calling Lily “Bella”. She could be a Bella. She’s a very pretty little cat.

Everyone’s fed. Scooped litter boxes. Soaked Zara’s box. I’m getting a headache. Figured out how the shower works in the warm bathroom. Took meds.

Oliver was licking out one of the cat food cans. It fell in Lily’s dish. Bella swooped in and grabbed the can. I just about died laughing.

Now I’ll post and go to bed.

Bella peed outside!!!! Apparently she didn’t like being on the leash when I took her outside previously. I was doing that because I didn’t know how else to get her off of the bed. I had to lift her this time.

This morning, she told me that she wanted to go out, and she pooped. Good girl! She’s getting settled. She knew that she was a good girl too. That was a little before 7 AM. Now she’s going back to sleep.

The snow has started but it’s only a light dusting so far.

Because I’m up, I’ll feed the cats and eat breakfast. Fed the cats. Zara was sleeping in but got up to eat. Ate breakfast. Now I’m going back to sleep with Bella.

Bella is the perfect dog for us. I can see why the shelter person said that my application was the best for her. She’s very laid-back. And she’s good with cats. She lay down in the dog bed! Then she jumped back on the people bed.

I’ve been petting Bella. She likes having her stomach scratched. I’m learning her language. I already spoke cat, but not dog.

Napped. Woke up a little after 11. Bella is eating breakfast.

Hmm, I need to get heartworm meds for her. I need to get her to the vet for her first checkup.

It’s snowing larger flakes now.

I moved my Italian lesson to next week because I have the vet appointment for Oliver and Lily at the same time. Oops.

I’m getting a headache, so I think that I need to eat lunch. Lily smelled the food and wanted it. I told her that I get to eat too. Bella wanted to go out. She did some sniffing and running around (she likes the snow) but needed to do her business again.

My car key is missing. Crap. I think that my spare is in my purse.

I heard a funny noise and went to investigate. Bella was in the cold bathroom. She was crawling along because she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to be there. I told her that it’s her house and she can go wherever she wants. Oliver went nose to nose with her! Now she’s with me in the kitchen.

I’m trying to get my energy up to shower. I’m tired. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been taking my vitamin D in the mornings. Which reminds me that I need to take my meds.

Bella is finding all the scattered cat food and eating it. The canine vacuum cleaner. I told her that she had food in the bedroom! And she had a pee accident in the kitchen. That’s okay. At least it was in the kitchen. I need to wash the floor anyway. I took her outside but she wasn’t interested. She went back up to the door, and I didn’t need to speak dog to interpret that! Bella likes her “bone” chews. I’ll have to get more. I’ll put in a grocery order next week and get some more. I also want to get her some rawhide bones because she’s a chewer.

Bella needed to go out again, and this time I got her cue. I missed it last time. She whined, but I thought that was because she was in the bathroom. She also likes bounding through the snow.

Had my singing lesson. Oliver had been walking on the digital piano keys, so I shut it off. He also lay on the laptop and minimized all the windows. I shut Bella in the bedroom because Zara knows how to deal with Oliver, but I don’t know how she’d feel about having Bella in her room. We practiced sight singing again. Then she asked me to pick a song to practice, so I chose “The Carol Of the Bells”. I told her about Dial-A-Carol.

Took Bella out, but she turned around and went back up the stairs. It’s getting kind of miserable out.

Oy. Fed the cats, but Lily is a slow eater. Oliver kept on coming after her food, and I kept pushing him away. Then Bella swooped in and ate it.

Tried to nap with Bella but I was cold. I thought about bringing out my electric blanket, but Bella likes to chew. I have a weighted blanket that I could try. I also haven’t put up the thermal curtains yet also. I put the weighted blanket and a velour blanket on the bed. I have them resting on my knee and it seems warmer.

I’m trying to convince myself to cook. Okay, I made Sage Brown Butter Chicken Piccata, after corralling Oliver in the bathroom. He doesn’t have the sense to stay off a hot stove. It was good. Lily and Bella were highly interested in the chicken, but Lily tried to get it only while I was eating it. (I thwarted her.)

Now I think that I’ll finish cleaning up, take Bella out, post, feed the cats and the dog, and go to bed. I’ll get up early to work on the kitchen. Oh no, I need to get up early to use the snow blower.

Bella was eating the dry cat food. I said, “No” and gave her her food. She didn’t want HER food. Then she wanted to go out. Now she’s eating her food. Oliver, on the other hand, wants to eat her food. It’s a zoo around here. Like herding cats and a dog.

I checked Costco and Vacations to Go on the price for the Cunard Panama Canal cruise. Vacations to Go has the better price, but it's awfully expensive. I should look at other cruise lines. Oceania is a little more expensive. Maybe I should put up with Celebrity for a Panama Canal cruise. Yeah, it's a lot cheaper. Actually, Azamara has a good price on Vacations to Go for a Panama Canal cruise. Its reviews are pretty good. And it's a small ship, which I'd like to try (500-600 guests).

I’m looking for some sort of stick vacuum for my floors. It needs to pick up cat litter. The Dyson is the best but is megabucks. I checked Mercari and eBay and can’t save much over Amazon’s current price. I need to think about it. (I'm going to wait until I have the house organized to get a robot vacuum. Maybe I'll wait until Black Friday next year to see if they'll have a sale.)

I overslept but made it to my Italian lesson. She thinks that I need to make up sentences to practice. She gave me a bunch of homework :)

I asked Mimi if she wanted some cheese with her whine. ("Mommy, I'm not on your lap! This is bad!") Finally, she went to take a nap on the guest futon.

I figured out how to have the alarm wake me up: put the mechanical alarm in bed with me. It shakes the bed when it goes off. I also ordered a "Sonic Boom" alarm with a bed shaker for times when I absolutely have to wake up.

Got the Christmas items for the children's home. I can't drop them off tomorrow because I have a ton of meetings, including before and after a short lunch. I'll drop them off at lunchtime on Friday.

I went to book a massage, but Massage Envy is booked up until January 24! I'll have to look elsewhere. Another place is booked too. Hmm. I'm taking NOT being booked up as an indication that I don't want to go there. Meanwhile, my neck, shoulders, and back hurt. Yoga should help when I start going again. Crud, yoga for January isn't listed yet. I hope that it isn't canceled. I found another possibility at a local yoga studio, but I really like the teacher for the Urbana Park District. Though hmm, if there is no yoga on Tuesdays, I could do Pilates.

Gathered up my remaining recycling. I’ll just pop it outside tonight or tomorrow morning. I have a crashing headache. I took some acetaminophen and hope that it will go away before I go to the concert tonight. Hmm, the headache is not going away. It feels like a sinus headache. Ugh. I’m wondering if I should skip the concert and lie down. Having music beating at my aching head does not sound pleasant. (This is an orchestral concert along with a choir.) Yeah, I’m lying down. Zara is warming my feet. Had a nice nap and my headache is gone.

I bought the Dyson stick vacuum cleaner. I found a "like new" one on eBay for a really good price.

I think that I’m going to go back to bed and get up early to get the recycling out and clean the kitchen.

The cats want fooood. NOW! Mimi is complaining.

My headache came back. Sigh.

I booked a massage for Saturday after singing at the memorial service. Now I need to post, do dishes, scoop litter boxes, and go back to sleep.