days_unfolding

Woke up at 6:30 AM.

I had an online seminar at work given by a committee for which I'm a liaison, so that took up at lot of my day. Otherwise, I've been discussing retirement with my dad. (I asked him how he decided when to retire.) My dad also thinks that I should "paper trade" his investment system until I get the money from the trust. I need to write the trust about wanting the money, but I've been dreading the explosion.

I was discussing with my dad things that I want to do in retirement, and learn photography is one of them. I ran across a photography tour of Yosemite, which would check two things off of my list---photography and seeing Yosemite.

My list: Mostly learning things. I wanted to learn how to do Web programming, but the classes at the U of I were too fast-paced, so I want to work on it at my pace, and maybe volunteer to do Web site work for non-profits. Also, work on programming for mobile devices. Learn more about economics. Work on my languages (Italian and French). The big thing that I want to do is spend a year studying Italian in Italy (and possibly French as well). Learn singing (I belong to a chorus), piano, and guitar. Garden. I don't have a plan for a part-time job but am open to one. Basically doing stuff that I'm already doing but with more time to do it. Oh, and start writing again (a mix of non-fiction and poetry). And I want to learn to write songs. I want to write humorous songs about getting older and post them on YouTube. And learn photography. I have a lot of resources about it, but haven't had the time to put into it.

My therapist said that Obamacare gets more expensive as you get older, and COBRA is expensive, so I should wait until I'm eligible for Medicare to retire (2.5 years). I need to learn more about it. I think that Fidelity has a webinar about Medicare that I'll look for.

Got the recycling out, including a ton of plant boxes that were on the porch. I have more boxes inside, but I’ll get them out next week. I strained my knee in taking out the recycling, sigh. I need replacement parts :)

I forgot to mention that I received more plants. The ferns for my shade garden look like happy little plants.

I bought a Baggalini purse because I need to get the zipper pocket fixed on my Italian purse, and I need a purse meanwhile.

Woke up before my alarm at 6 AM, but my stomach was upset. Took Bella out for 45 minutes, but she wouldn’t poop. I brought her in and she promptly pooped on the kitchen floor. Sigh. She gets distracted by the outside world. Bella was being obnoxious this morning: grabbing my clothes, bugging the cats, etc. Meanwhile, my stomach was still upset. I did get a shower, but then I called the car place and told them that I would bring the car in on Monday and emailed work and told them that I would be out this morning. I’m going to lie down.

I checked out Windy City Express (a local fast food place) online because I thought that it had deep-dish pizza. No pizza, but I can get an Italian beef. Maybe I’ll run over later if my stomach settles. Okay, I found a deep-dish place in the area. Maybe I'll order some tomorrow. Hmm, I'm craving pizza now.

Bella tried to eat Oliver’s food and knocked his bowl over. Honestly, I want to put her in time-out.

I woke up at noon. My stomach is a little better, but I have IBS soreness. I’ll work this afternoon. I had some food.

I got my Roam suitcases! I haven't opened the boxes yet. And a ton of books. I need to open the book envelopes and boxes and squirrel them away because Bella likes to shred books. I have investment shelves on my bookcases upstairs.

Here’s the larger of the two suitcases. They roll like a dream.

My boss okayed my time off in August, so I'll book the Sardinia trip this weekend. How exciting!

I'm feeling like crying for no good reason. Oops, I didn't take my meds this morning.

I bought a cooling blanket for the summer. I guess that I won't get my ceiling fan in the bedroom fixed because Bella is scared of ceiling fans. Sigh.

Bella has been eating the dead flowers off of the hibiscus. This is why I buy dog-safe plants. Although technically irises aren't dog-safe, but a dog would have to eat a lot of them to get really sick. So far, she's leaving them alone.

Yay. I fed the beasties, and Bella pooped outside. Some people going for a walk said “Hello” to her and were petting her through the fence. Bella got excited and started running around the yard. Now I get to eat :)

I’m feeling tired. Maybe I’ll start booking the Sardinia trip tonight because that’s something that I can do quietly.

My dad says that he checks his investments daily at market close. That will be a bit of work, but he says that it doesn’t take long.

I listed my old suitcases on Buy Nothing, and some people are interested.

I’m going to go upstairs and start booking my trip! Done! I booked the flights and hotels. The flights are freaking expensive. (Hey,dadi, I'll wave to you because I'm flying through Munich on the way in.) So is the hotel in the Costa Smeralda, but that's the resort area with beach access. The hotel in Cagliari is quite reasonable, but I got a single room with a twin bed. I contacted the Italian school. I still need to book the train from the Costa Smeralda to Cagliari.

I'm going to feed the hordes and go to bed early. I have a lot of planting to do tomorrow plus clean the kitchen.

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.

Hmm. Hibiscus is safe for pets. I’d love a container or two of them. But I’d have to winter it over indoors. I wonder if I could suspend a grow light from the basement ceiling? I’d like bougainvillea also. Hmm, it's mildly toxic to dogs. (I do have to worry because Bella eats plants.) On Lowe's site, I found a long grow light with a fixture to hang it from and a timer. That would work.

Now I’m thinking of a retractable awning for my patio-to-be so that I can grow plants on the patio. But I want it to be rainproof. Hmm.

I think that I cracked the dog code. Bella was refusing to come in the kitchen. I couldn’t figure it out, but then it occurred to me that it might be that the ceiling fan was on? I turned it off, and then she came in.

Got up at 7 AM with my alarm. Took an ice-cold shower, which sucked. I need to clear some stuff off of the basement stairs, and then I'll call Ameren to fix the hot-water heater. Lily, Oliver, and Bella attended my shower. Lily is a climber; she was at the top of the shelves in the laundry area of the bathroom.

It’s another gray and rainy day. I’m looking forward to my lunchtime nap.

I got a little money from my check. Placed a grocery order, including cat food and cat litter, and a Costco order for dog food.

Another thing to do in retirement: make printables in Canva and sell them on etsy.

I attended a webinar about the non-financial aspects of retirement, and the speaker gave a list of thought-provoking questions. It was very interesting. I took tons of notes. He said that people spend a lot of time thinking about money and where to live, but not the other aspects. I requested What Color Is Your Parachute in Retirement? from the library. I was able to get Purposeful Retirement for free with Kindle Unlimited, so I'll read it now.

Holy cow! I received a ton of plants for my garden. One set was the coral bells for my shade garden, but I think that the rest is tickseed? Maybe bee balm?

Tried to nap but couldn’t sleep. I think that the excitement about my garden kept me awake. I need to expand a garden bed, so I need to charge the tiller.

Got my food. Yay. I no longer have to eat Ramen and canned food. (That reminds me that I should replenish my stash though.) And the cats have food and litter. I need to get more litter when I get more money though. (All the boxes need to be changed out, and I have three jugs of litter.)

The Ameren guy came by and turned the pilot light on the water heater back on and told me how to light it myself in case it goes out again. The furnace is working.

Geesh. The rain is coming down in buckets. I don't think that I'll be able to plant my new plants today.

Hmm. There were a series of attempted vehicle thefts on campus that sound a lot like what happened to my car. They are targeting Kia and Hyundai cars.

Took Bella out, but it was pouring, so she noped out onto the porch.

Someone working on the slides for the presentation at work tomorrow told me of a change that I needed to make. I had to wait until he unlocked the file though, so I left work early with the plan that I would log on tonight. Meant to sleep for two hours but slept four.

The dog and cats were hungry and in my face. Fed us all. (I eat last so that they’re more likely to let me be.)

Found a new social group to try: the Illinois Club.

Oh crud. I forgot to buy napkins.

Okay, tweaked my slides and practiced the presentation. Wow, I'm going to be talking a lot!

I think that I'll post, take Bella out one more time, and go back to sleep.

Hell. I feel like going to sleep and getting up early. I need a snack though (done). I DO have to get up early because of my Italian lesson. I didn’t go to the grocery store. Tomorrow.

I’m looking into French lessons as well.

I’m explaining to Oliver and Lily that they are not starving to death. They are not convinced.

It’s hot.

I brought a garbage bag into the bedroom to clean it up. Oliver is reaching under the door and pulling it out. This is a zoo :)

I got my electric bill and need to start turning off the porch light at night. Expensive to leave it on.

I’m pleased with myself. There is a book called No New Things, which I want to read, but I requested it from the library.

I’m having problems falling asleep. Suckage. Finally did. Got up a little after 6 AM.

I'm ready for my Italian lesson. Had the lesson. My teacher was sad about Mimi. We talked about the cruise for a while. Oliver and Lily showed up to say "Hi". We won't have a lesson for another three weeks because I'm gone next week and my teacher is gone the following week.

I'm really stressing about my check. Silence from the trust.

I have to hand it to Ameren. They replaced my gas meter and asked me to call them to have the gas turned back on. (They had been trying to set a time with me, but I kept forgetting to call them.) They had someone come out right away. Hot water for showers!

I have stomach cramps, plus I have to gather garbage, plus I’m tired, so I’m not going to the store tonight. I need to eat up some of the food that I have stashed. I listed my pet ramp that I bought for Bella to get into my car for sale on Facebook. (She didn't need it. She can get into my car perfectly well. She just didn't want to go in there.) I hope that someone will buy it. I'm trying to think of other things to sell.

Got the garbage out. I’m going to have some Ramen noodles and go to bed.

The lawn is shaggy and I need to mow this weekend. And I should seed the bare spots. And plant my seeds. And clean the house. Busy, busy. Actually, I should wait to plant things until after the conference to which I'm going in early May. Speaking of which, I emailed a plant store, asking if they could ship my plants a week later due to the conference to which I'm going, but I haven't heard back. I need to check my spam filter. Okay, they did email me and they're shipping it a week later. Yay.

Woke up at 7 AM. Today is a work from home day, which is nice. Lily went into the shower and Bella was barking at her.

i keep forgetting about AARP discounts for travel. I should compare their price when I book hotels for my trips.

The Medisafe app is working well for medication reminders. I always remember the nighttime doses, but in the morning, I get distracted.

The May 1st protest will be in the evening, so I can go. I need to make my sign this weekend.

I had to turn my fan on upstairs. Spring tends to go from cold directly to hot in Central Illinois.

Silence from the trust about my check. I'm getting annoyed.

Had a therapy session. My therapist thinks that I should get a lawyer to deal with the trust. She also is concerned that I'm still having depressive symptoms and wants me to talk to my psychiatrist. I went online to contact the psychiatrist, only to find that I have an appointment on Monday. That'll work.

I don’t know what to do. I should go pick up a library book, but I’m crazy tired. I’m dropping the Kia off to be fixed tomorrow and don’t know if I’ll have it on the weekend. I did get new wrenches though, so I should be able to connect the battery in the Honda though. Ugh. My stomach is upset.

Slept until 11 PM. Started laundry. I figured out what I'm going to wear tomorrow. I have another offsite meeting. My colleague is going to pick me up at the car repair place.

Oliver, get off of the keyboard!

I overslept, so I need to jam. I got everything done except the bedroom. I'll clean it myself.

Lily was playing with a ball, so I gave Oliver one. So Lily started playing with the one that I gave to Oliver. Cats!

My cleaner is here. Yay! She likes the new-to-her kitties and dog. She found a leak in the toilet, sigh. It probably needs replacing. I need to get a plumber in here also because the faucet in that bathroom is dripping. She says that she gets endorphins from cleaning. I'm the exact opposite. I'm able to walk right by a mess and not "see" it. When I'm cleaning, my back starts hurting and I'm done. She recommended Mrs. Meyers for non-toxic cleaning.

This is great though. Because it's going to rain, I'll get the bedroom and upstairs done and mop the living room floor. Then I'll need to get a carpet cleaner in for the upstairs, but that might have to wait until after my conference trip.

I’m telling Bella that the house looks nicer without shredded toilet paper and paper towels, but she stole the napkin on my lap while I was eating dinner, so I think that she’s not convinced. Now Bella is chewing a stick and getting wood splinters all over the nice clean floor. But I’d rather that she chew that instead of my stuff.

The trust said that they thought that the check would be ready on Tuesday.

Got the forms in for doggie day care.

Okay. Quince has an outfit that I want for the flight. A linen tank top, pants, and blazer in "driftwood" (ecruish). I could wear it to church too when I start going.

At the doctor’s office. I got a blood test that I had been putting off beforehand. The doctor is running really late. And I have stomach cramps. I finally saw the doctor, and she asked me why I was there, and I said, "Because you had me set up a follow-up appointment!" We did talk about my impacted ear wax, and she told me to use Debrox and come back, and they'll have a nurse irrigate my ear.

I’m completely wiped out. I’m thinking of going to bed extremely early. I need to run to the library tomorrow along with planting the bare root ferns.

I discovered where Oliver likes to nap—on one of the chairs in the kitchen. When the chair is pushed in, I can’t see him.

Got us all fed. Noodled around on the Internet. I'm going to feed the beasties and crash.

Woke up at 8 AM. Fed us all.

dame_grise was talking about providing temporary shelter to trans people from less supportive states. I’d have a lot of cleanup to do before I could do that, but I’m thinking about it. And it would have to be someone who likes pets.

Overslept my nap by a half-hour.

Bella is being kind of a jerk today. Oliver wanted on my lap and she started play-biting him. He bailed out.

Silence from the trust. God, I’m sick of those people.

Economists say that Trump’s tariffs will cause a recession. Just what we need :(

Schwab hasn’t called me back thus far.

I really want to go on another cruise. They are so relaxing. Not until December. Though Norwegian Cruise Lines has a cruise to Bermuda in August. That would be cheap.

I’m still feeling kind of draggy, but better than yesterday. I’m telling myself that accomplishing anything is better than nothing. My therapist wrote back and she thought that I was feeling grief. But the depression got worse after I wrote her.

I’ve been raking and my back hurts. Damn big chest. Bella is not being a help. She dug up another of my plants.

I’ve got a flaming headache that won’t go away, so I’m going to lie down. That’s the end of my raking. Crud, Oliver went under the bed. Got him. Couldn’t sleep, but my headache went away. Felt like crying though. Watched a couple of episodes of The Big Bang Theory. Fed us all. My headache is coming back.

Got the garbage out. Did dishes. Cut up some hot dogs and string cheese (with Oliver's help--NOT!) for Bella for dog training tomorrow night.

Panama Canal Lock Closing

Someone (Oliver, I’m looking at you) dumped Mimi’s dry food all over the kitchen floor. Little pig :) That’s going to be a bitch to clean up. He is not feeling guilty though. Bella is eating it.

Lily and Oliver are chasing each other upstairs.

I'm pondering working part-time as a travel agent when I retire. The question is where I would get leads. It would be fun though.

Thunderstorms tonight, which will play havoc with my taking Bella out for a walk. Maybe they'll be over quickly.

I’m trying to decide whether to rake leaves this weekend. Arguably, I should hire someone because I’m the only person who can declutter, but Mimi’s hospitalization and the hotel and flying back were very expensive. Maybe if I get up early, I can do both. At least, I called and the U of I vet hospital has Mimi's carrier, so I won't have to buy a new one for Lily. I'll stop by later or tomorrow to pick it up depending on the weather. There's a tornado watch until 9, so I will go afterward. Though I need to get the recycling out too.

Lily likes the front window upstairs (as well as the fish tank). I had put a rocking chair in the window, thinking that a cat would like to sit in it, but no one has until now.

Urgh, I have a stiff neck already, probably from stress. I need to make an appointment for a massage.

My daffodils are coming up and also those daylilies that Bella didn't dig up. I want to transplant them near the street but I'll let them bloom first.

I'm pricing carpet cleaners.

Here come the storms. They stayed in the distance. There was a tornado miles away. Okay, now it seems to be storming.

Fed everyone except me. Now I ate too. Bella wanted my frozen yogurt bar, but I ate it.

Did dishes and brought down recycling. Maybe I’ll post while I’m waiting for the storms to clear up. Now the forecast is saying that the rain should stop in three minutes. I could get the recycling out. No, I’ll wait until 9 PM when the watches and alerts end.

Bought some collapsible walking sticks to take on the trip. There are some walking tours, so they might help. (And yes, it's before the boycott starting at midnight, but if I think of something that I absolutely need to have for the trip, I might have to break the boycott.)

Overslept but got up in plenty of time for my shower. Oliver was walking on top of the shower, peering in and meowing :)

Yay. The vet will take Bella for boarding. Sigh of relief.

Now I'm thinking of waiting post-Trump to have solar installed. There is more likely to be tax credits.

We have a Friday "watercooler" Zoom call. Were were talking about Little Sleepies pajamas, among other things, and they have an "around the world'" one that I'd like to get for spring. But I'll wait until I get back.

The pet waste people cleaned up the yard and did a good job. Now I need to pick up after Bella until I board her. It's kind of tough at night. Maybe I'll take my phone and note where she pooped so that I can clean it up in the daylight. Oh, the joys of dog ownership: so much revolves around poop.

I think that I'm going to be too tired to pull an all-nighter to clean, so I'll go to Plan B and get up at 5 AM to clean. Music is a must! Tonight, maybe I could open some boxes and enter info for the pets' microchips and pack and other low-key stuff. Oh, and scan my music for my singing lesson.

Hmm. I should get some protein bars for my flight. I'm probably going to DoorDash when I get to Miami, but the flight is three-and-a-half hours. And I need something to eat in the morning.

It's kind of quiet and peaceful upstairs in the afternoon sun, listening to the burble of the aquarium.

My dad said to hold off on construction because if there is a recession, you should be able to get good deals. I hadn't thought of that aspect of it. He thinks that we should know if there will be a recession by the end of the summer. But I really want the fence replaced, which requires the garage to be finished so that I know where to end the fence. Hmm.

Oh! I can get Google's User Interface design course for free from the University. All I need is the time, which I don't have. Maybe a little later down the road.

I'm getting involved in new and interesting areas at work (involving with different areas of the system on which we work). That is making me happy.

I was feeling like I perked up a little but now I'm yawning.

Yeah, I need to get to bed early. My patience with the critters is fraying. (Bella ate Lily’s food. I gave Lily more food, but Oliver, who had had a full bowl of food, tried to eat it. Meanwhile, Bella was looking for a chance to eat more of the food. And I was getting cranky.) I think that I need sleep.