ljravengirl | Reading

I booked the HipCamp. I got the tent site farthest from the road, so it should be quiet.

Got up a little before 9 AM. Manic dog is manic. Ate breakfast and now my stomach hurts. I need to feed the beasties and lie back down.

I’m trying to find the perfect pair of sandals. It’s hard because I have thick ankles.

Nap time. I’m not going to set an alarm because it’s a holiday. Bella is already crashed out. Woke up in the same amount of time that I would have taken had I set an alarm. I’m still feeling tired.

I’m looking at coolers for camping, but sheesh. Expensive.

Had lunch, and now my stomach hurts. I wish that I knew what was causing it. I’m going to lie down for a while.

Threw myself together and now I’m at the orientation for dog training. I feel okay if I don’t eat, just a little dizzy. I forgot to print off Bella’s shot records, but I had them on my phone.

I found a pair of sandals that look promising. They’re wide width by Orthofeet (ordered).

Bella is being manic. “You left! And came back! I’m so happy!”

I’m tired. I’m thinking of getting to bed early.

days_unfolding

Woke up with my alarm at 6 AM. Bella was being annoying this morning. She kept on going back to where I think that she found the possums and barking. If that was the right spot, the mother had moved them. (Now I think that she saw the groundhog.) I kept trying to get her out of there and she kept on going back. I finally, finally convinced her to come in.

At least, I'm clean now.

Dropped my check for the flights and one-half the registration fee off. Now it’s nap time. Oliver was on my lap and he and Bella were squabbling, and I was trying to keep the peace. Then Oliver nipped me, and I escorted him out of the bedroom. Then I realized that I was so spaced out that I didn’t put The Club on the car, so I went out and did so. NOW it’s nap time.

Now a storm is rolling in. It's a big, nasty storm. It's making me nervous. There's a tornado warning northwest of here.

I found out when the Allerton Camp for Adults is taking place this fall (October 9 - 12). But it'll take two vacation days, and I'm using up my vacation days for the Sardinia trip, so I might not be able to do it. But now I know when I can go to Pere Marquette State Park to see the fall leaves. (Note to self: weekend of October 24th) I'll book the HipCamp soon. Hmm, I should try to make a camping meal at home before going camping. I want to do a dry run of everything.

I really want to nap tonight. I'm still having dizzy spells. I'll get the recycling out and lie down.

The tree people wanted to take the tree down tomorrow, but I said that it was a holiday for me, so I'd rather have it done on Monday.

Oh cool. Music of the Baroque is still offering concerts on demand. There are at least three concerts in which I'm interested. I had been chucking their mailings out because I thought that they had ended on demand. (They're in the Chicago area.)

Chico's sent me a coupon, and they have some great dresses, some of which have petites! I usually can't wear maxi dresses because I need petites. I found two dresses that I want: "Rio" dress and Metallic dress.

Got the recycling out. Go me. (They probably won’t pick it up tomorrow because of the holiday but just in case….)

I took Bella out on a leash. She was not happy. She did bounce back enough to pick up a stick, but she did not do her business.

Fed us all. Nap time. Couldn’t sleep. I’ll go post, feed the beasts, take Bella out, and go to bed for the night. Oh, and buy the Chico’s dresses and book the HipCamp for October. Bella is fast asleep though. I hate to disturb her. She jumped on the bed, and I’ve been snuggling with her. Very cozy. I found a petite travel outfit on Magellans that I like.

Okay, I've got the cat food dishes soaking and bought the clothes. I'll wend my way towards bed. Hey, I can sleep in tomorrow!

low_delta

It was occasionally chilly, 55°F or less. Occasionally over 70°. Usually in the 60s. I only remember wearing my raincoat once, though another time a sudden downpour forced my back to the car and I elected not to go back out. We had a couple of days that were partly cloudy all day, and a few more days with short periods of sun, usually in the evening.

Scotland is very far north, and it was June, so the sun was up for a long time. Sunset was around 10:20 and sunrise 4:20. It never got completely dark at night.

It was in the upper 90's in Chicago when I got back. I'm glad my car wasn't parked in the sun.

days_unfolding

I confirmed that Illinois Canyon Trail at Starved Rock doesn't have stairs. It sounds like a nice hike. I need to dig out my hiking boots. Hmm, I need to get a second phone charger battery for camping. There's a limit to how much I'll rough it! I bought a travel dog bed for Bella.

It looks like Bella found another dead possum. Is she killing them? I might need to take her out on a leash at night. I’m calling her “Possum Breath”. Okay, she’s a dog and doesn’t know any better.

I was going to get ready for bed. Cats: not so fast. We didn’t get our second meal! They were right, so I fed them. Now I’m in bed.

Woke up at 8 AM. Emailed in sick. Two of the tickseeds are blooming!

We get Thursday off for Juneteenth, so I plan to do some gardening and cleaning.

Bella was digging in the back garden, so I threw a stick and distracted her. She’s busy chewing it. Now we’re inside. Bella is trying to “play” with Oliver and he gave her a swat. I told her that I speak Cat and he’s annoyed with her.

I need to check whether the lab at the hospital will be open on Thursday (Juneteenth). It would be a good time to get my blood work done.

Fed us all. My stomach hurts. Time to sleep.

Hmm, it’s going to go up to 87F today. I guess that I’ll shave my legs and put on shorts.

Bella is always up for a nap. My bed potato :) Woke up at 1PM.

I received the camping food. I want reusable grocery bags to put them in. I also received a tie-out for Bella, a lantern, and some pots. The tent should arrive on the weekend. Hmm, maybe I should save a box to also put stuff in. I’ll be "car camping".

I’m feeling better but shaky with some stomach cramps. Food should help. It did.

American Airlines flights to Reno are either early in the morning or late at night. I need to take a morning flight to get picked up in Reno by my dad. I’m wondering if I’ll need to overnight in Chicago.

Maybe I’ll take another nap. Bella was already in the bedroom ready to take a nap! Napped and woke up at 6 PM.

I’m feeling dizzy.

It’s predicted to be 93 and 95 F on the weekend. Fuck. Not great for yard work. It looks like an iris that I planted is coming up.

There are ants in my mailbox. It looks like some food spilled in there. I don’t have ant spray. I left the mail outside.

Fed us all. Ordered groceries. I’m trying to get the energy together to gather the garbage for pickup. Woah. I’m feeling dizzy.

The BBC had a video about how Cologne, Germany is sex-positive. It sounds like an interesting city that I’d like to visit.

Bella has a crinkly brown mailer. I can see the appeal. She’s now ripping it up.

I flipped through the destination guide to Greenville, SC, and it looks interesting.

Got most of the garbage out. Hot and dizzy.

I’m looking into Bark Air for when I study in Italy and France. Apparently they do take cats also.

I never did take a shower. I need to get up early to do so because I need to hand off my check to someone at work. It just occurred to me that I need to find out if I need to spell out the name of the consortium or not.

It's oppressively hot upstairs. And Lily wants to snuggle.

days_unfolding

Now I can’t sleep. I got up and took my nighttime meds. Slept a while and overslept. Got up and emailed work. Exchanged emails with my boss. Said that I would be out sick.

Poor Bella is out cold. I told her that she could sleep last night and didn’t need to get up when I was up, but she stayed up late with me.

Slept for a while. It’s dark and slightly rainy out. I had to turn the lights on. Now it’s pouring. Bella and I came in just in time. Fed us all.

I saved an article about ticks because that’s what worries me the most about camping and hiking. I need to buy some "Off". I think that Bella’s flea meds also work on ticks. Ordered a camping lantern.

Good. The people at the conference are in the process of finding a new moderator, so everything is being taken care of. Time to go back to sleep.

I’m looking for a HipCamp near Pere Marquette State Park. I’ve wanted to go there in the fall for a while, but it’s a three-hour drive. I’d like to take Bella. I haven’t found any HipCamps in the area. I found a hotel in the area that someone said was pet-friendly, but their Web site doesn’t say that. I’ll look into it later. Okay, I found a pet-friendly hotel in Missouri that’s nearby and not very expensive. I need to pick a weekend in October because places will fill up with leaf-peepers (like me!) I’m telling Bella about it. Lots of new smells for her! I found a HipCamp that’s one hour away. I might do that. It looks like the closest place in Illinois.

I also found a HipCamp in Missouri that’s is very pretty with creeks and small waterfalls.

I’m feeling a sense of foreboding, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s stress. Went back to sleep.

Bella was trying to eat a firefly. I told her no, we like fireflies. Oh good, it took off. It must be mating season because there are a ton of them.

I need to reimburse work for my flight, so I’ll need to book a trip within a year. Maybe I’ll fly out of the local airport when I go see my dad to use up the money. Or I could take a cruise, but I’ll use up a lot of my vacation time on the trip a year from this fall.

I need to feed the beasts (done). Bella is being manic. I had a vanilla yogurt with cookie dough crumbles. They are pure crack. Oliver is being snuggly. That’s my boy.

I was going to say that I’ll go to bed early, but it’s already almost 9 PM.

Bella cracks me up. When I feed the cats, she puts her paws on my lap and looks away from the cats because if she looked at them, she might lose control and eat their food. She seems to understand that I don’t want her to eat their food. I fed myself too.

Now I need to email work (done), post, take Bella out again, and go back to sleep.

days_unfolding

I bought a tent and a sleeping bag on eBay. I would like to do some camping. I bought a two-person tent, so I could take Bella camping! I looked into some HipCamp sites.

I found a campground that I like. It’s near Starved Rock, so I could take Bella hiking (although she probably wouldn’t like the metal stairs). I wouldn’t take the puppy until she gets older. Though Starved Rock is wall-to-wall people in the summer. The fall would be better. I found the one trail that doesn’t have stairs (Illinois Canyon).

Starved Rock has dog-friendly cabins, but I can’t find out how much they cost.

I should test out the tent and sleeping bag in the back yard.

Got up at 8 AM. Fed us all. Did laundry. (My white towels came out looking good!) Now it’s nap time.

Napped. Moved around some stuff that’s by the front stairs outside. Now I’m boiling. I turned the ceiling fan on in the kitchen, although Bella doesn’t like it.

I’ve been working hard on the kitchen and packing on breaks. I still need to figure out one more outfit for the trip. Hmm, if I hand wash the clothes that I’m wearing on the plane, I’ll be okay.

I kind of want it to be dinner time because I need a break. I’m soaking the dog and cat dishes and am cooling off from being outside. I’m going to take a shower (done) and see if I perk up. It’s been almost 24 hours since I had my brows done.

I have an impulse to say that I can’t go on the business trip, but I should go. Getting ready to go is a hassle.

Started more loads of laundry. Finished packing my suitcase. The linen clothes will be nice and cool. Remembered my swimsuit. (The hotel has two pools.)

Now I’m going to take a SHORT nap. Bella is zonking out.

Ugh. Bella found a dead possum and wouldn’t let it go. I finally got her to come in with a food bribe. I need to go out and get rid of it.

I’ve decided not to go. I just can’t. I’ll tell the people at work I’m sick. Not a lie because my stomach is really upset. I just canceled everything and will email them about it in a few hours.

days_unfolding

zhelana’s post about adult summer camp inspired me to look into them. A lot of them feature drinking, and I don’t drink. However, there is one at Allerton, which is local. It does have a drinking component, but there are other activities and you can stroll the grounds. Also, you can camp there in a tent, which I would like to do. (I’m nervous about camping on my own, but that should be okay.) There’s one in a couple of weeks, which I can’t do, but there also is one in October.

Got up with my alarm at 7:30 AM. I was still tired.

I’m having problems getting in touch with the people at the boarding place. This isn’t good. I’m going to drive by there when I’m done running errands if I don’t hear from them.

Fed us all. Bella is being manic. I have a headache, so I’m going to lie down for a half-hour, then shower. I’m up and feeling a little better.

Got the money for the pet sitter. Got my library books. Went by the dog and cat boarding place, and people who worked there were there, so I guess that it’s open. I hope that they get back to me. Picked up my glasses at Target. Bought some measuring cups and acetaminophen, also at Target. I’m hungry and running early, so I’m at Denny’s getting some French toast.

Picked up the laptop sleeve. Had some extra time to kill, so I went to PetSmart to buy puppy supplies. I bought a few different types of canned food to see what she’ll like, plus dry puppy food. And some bowls and a fuzzy bed like her big sister has. And a stuffed lamb toy.

I finally got in touch with the kennel. Apparently, I said that I would drop them off on Monday. And the dog training people said that it would be okay that I won’t be at orientation.

Now I’m getting my brows done (done). Now I’m back home. I passed the “No Kings” protest on the way home. One of these days, I’ll make it to a protest. Some people were walking in the road though, which was nervewracking. What's the point of stopping traffic?

Napped. I'm still feeling exhausted, so I'm going to feed the critters and go back to bed.

days_unfolding

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.)

days_unfolding

Overslept by an hour. Messaged in sick for Italian, and I’m going to go back to sleep. I’ll shower at lunchtime. Overslept my nap too. I'm really tired, and I need to stay up late cleaning tonight.

My neighbor asked me what tree service I was using because he wants his trees looked at too at the same time. I have his phone number now (good to have). Bella was thrilled to say "Hi"' to them. I told them about the puppy-to-be, and they said that the animals will keep me young. I said that they make me feel old because I can't keep up with them! He also said that there's a sewer line that runs near where I want the garage to be. I'll need to get the map of the utilities, but he thought that the sewer might not be on it. I also mentioned that I'll be replacing the fence, and he said that he didn't know who put up the fence on his side. He doesn't seem to have a problem with my replacing it.

I've been feeling dizzy and arthritis-y today. I got my carbonated water delivered, and it seems to be helping. And I took acetaminophen. I'm going to lie down for a little while after work.

Bella says that beds are for petting. I said that that sounded a little outré.

I woke up from my nap dripping sweat and dizzy. I watered the outside plants until I couldn’t see anymore. I’ll water the rest tomorrow, although it’s supposed to rain. I’m feeling a little rain now.

We’re all fed. I’m going to lie down for a little while (I’m still dizzy) and then clean.

days_unfolding

Woke up at 7 AM. Had an early morning meeting. Now I have a headache.

Oh good. My neighbors got the dangling tree branch down, and it fell into my yard. I told them that I had made an appointment with a tree guy, but it isn’t for a couple of weeks. They said, "Not to worry; it’s all good." I have the nicest neighbors.

Bella says, "This is the biggest stick ever!"

I ordered a small address book, which would be good to have when I start meeting people.

Dozed lightly during lunch. Oliver was in the room and wanted to snuggle, but it took a while for him to settle down.

Work is being frustrating. I keep on finding issues with the statistics that we are computing. There's no way that I'll have everything done before I go out of town next week.

Bella dug up and destroyed one of my coral bells. Sigh. I need to weed and get the fence up.

Got the recycling out. I’m feeling wiped out, so I’m going to go to bed early. I need to rinse out recycling and soak a litter box first (done). Started laundry. Got my groceries in.

Lily is chewing on paper napkins. Don’t ask me why. This is why we can’t have nice things :)

days_unfolding

Ow. My teeth are sore. I took some acetaminophen, but I think that I need to go to bed soon.

Hmm. There probably are a couple of spots in the yard where the puppy could wiggle through the fence. I’ll need to take her out on a leash. Or probably a harness rather than a collar because she’ll be wiggly.

Woke up at 4:30 AM but went back to sleep for an hour.

It’s 8:00 AM, and I’ve got myself together. Now I wait for the tree guy.

The tree guy came right on time. He said that it would cost around $4000 to get the tree down (ouch, but I was expecting something like that) and they can do the work at the end of June or early July. He also will take down the saplings that are growing by the fence, which is nice. I approved their quote.

I found instructions on how to lay stepping stones in grass, and it seems doable. I have big plans for the yard. I want to put ornamental grasses in the shade garden and move the Astilbe, Coral Bells (one of which is blooming!), and ferns farther out. But that will be next year. Hmm. Lowe's is sold out of stepping stones in the color that I want. I might have to wait to place the stones until next year too.

Oh awesome. The housekeeper will come by around 8 AM on Friday to do an estimate, and she can start at 3 if we agree. I've decided that I have to use my old pet sitter because I need the time to clean. I guess that I'll have to endure a week of messages about why I suck.

Got my hair cut. One step closer to being ready to leave next week.

Crazy busy at work. I complained politely to my boss, and she said that we'll get through it. She's canceling out on the conference next week because she doesn't think that she can catch up (she was out last week) and then be out again.

My pet sitter said okay to pet sitting next week. So things are falling into place.

I'm tired. I'd nap tonight, but I have a singing lesson. I guess that I'll go to bed early and get up early (after I get the garbage out).

Bella really wants a nap. If I go near the bedroom, she comes running in.

Oh shit. The box that was sitting outside is the new laptop! Luckily, it wasn’t too hot today. I need to clear off the table so that I can set it up.

I had my singing lesson. I started in the spirit of, “Oh hell, one more thing to do,” but I enjoyed it when I got into it. My singing teacher is so nice and helpful. I want to work hard on sight reading this summer to prepare for choir in the fall. Oh, and my Web cam for piano broke, so I ordered a new one.

Okay. I need to get the garbage out (done). Did dishes (recyclables). Started the dishwasher. I’m taking a break, and then I’ll need to put a clean litter box in Zara’s room.

Oh, I have to bring in an Amazon bag that probably has my new envelopes. I want to mail my ticket request for the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra this weekend before I go.

Oh, I need to fill out the forms for boarding Oliver. Too many moving parts.

I’m going to need to go to Costco on Saturday to get more dog food. They say two-day delivery “if you order by noon,” so that won’t work. There is also a big box that probably is dry food that I didn’t order. I don’t know why I got it.

It occurred to me to look for a tour of Lithuania. After finding a bunch that covered all the Baltic States, I finally found one that covered only Lithuania. (I know the other Baltic states are lovely, but Lithuania is my heritage.) I should look for one in Poland because that's the other half of my heritage. Found one!

days_unfolding

I found a puppy that I like at the place at which I adopted Bella. She's going to be around Bella's size and she's cute. I'm going to sleep on whether to contact them. I wouldn't be able to pick her up next week though.

Oliver is eating Zara’s leftover food. The vet told me to feed Zara as much food as she wants because she has been losing weight, but that means that I feed her more food than she wants.

I bought a lockable fireproof safe that takes file folders plus a laptop because mine keeps running out of space. (I got a 2 TB hard drive. That should keep me for a while.)

Bella is taking the stuff that I’m throwing out and is squirreling it away.

I woke up at 5 AM. I decided that I wanted to go back to sleep for a while but put clothes in the dryer first. Overslept my nap. Soaked a litter box.

The dentist will glue the tooth back on at 4 PM today. Excellent.

I emailed the shelter about the puppy. Either I’ll get her or I won’t. Lily is sleeping in the window.

My Bee Balm is blooming! And the rest of them have buds.

I’m getting the puppy!!!! They said that they could transport her the following week. I'll pick her up in Bloomington.

I tried to nap at lunch, but I was too excited about the puppy. Bella, on the other hand, is a "five more minutes" kind of gal.

My permanent bridge came in! Things are looking up. The dentist wants me to come in a little earlier, and they'll put it on. I’ve nicknamed the dentist “Dr. Payne” because he keeps doing stuff that hurts (to be fair, my teeth are very sensitive), but it looks great.

Hmm. Feeling dizzy. Must drink water. I get dizzy learning back in dentist's chairs.

Hmm. There's a cruise line that guarantees that you will see the Aurora Borealis during their cruise, or you will get a second cruise for free. I would like to see that. Ooh, I want their astronomy voyage.

I need to get to bed early because the tree guy is coming at 8:30 AM tomorrow.

Hmm, I'm missing a bra that I ordered a few weeks ago. I can live without it, but I wanted to take it with me on my business trip. Anyway, I need to do some maintenance on my "paper trading" account, do some dishes and tidying, and get to bed so that I'll get up really early.

days_unfolding

Out with Bella. My shade plants are growing like crazy. My herbs are doing well too. And a couple of the tickseed plants have tiny blossoms!

Cats: About time that you came back in and fed us. Ack! Oliver ran into Zara’s room again. I finally got him out by going into the room and waiting for him to make a tactical error. He went into the bedroom but left of his own volition. Lily is in here. That’s okay; she’ll leave me alone. Nap time!

Hmm, the shelter from where I adopted Bella has a husky who likes cats and other dogs (and humans—he’s like Velcro), but he’s BIG. I was looking for a dog that’s a comparable size to Bella. I’m weakening on getting a puppy. Would Bella get along better with a puppy? But the next transport is the Friday that I’m flying back from the conference, so that won’t work. I found a four-month-old puppy that caught my eye.

I kind of want a path with pavers and solar lamps, but that would cost $$$.

Aargh. Bella got into my cleaning rags and is ripping them apart.

Napped. Apparently Oliver was in here, but he snuggled up next to me.

Worked on the kitchen. Filled out the order form for the Symphony. However, my envelopes aren’t sticking well, so I ordered more from Amazon.

Showered. I’m trying to glue the tooth back. I can’t get the glue to work. I’ll need to call the dentist tomorrow and see if they can squeeze me in to reglue it.

I've been working on the kitchen, but have a headache, so I went upstairs to try to contact a housekeeper (I found someone who also does pet sitting and organizing! I hope that she's interested!) and post. I'm wondering if I should go to sleep early, but I should make more progress on the kitchen. Bella is not happy that I'm cleaning off the floor. I think that I'll take my nighttime meds and work while I'm waiting for them to kick in.

( Plants )

days_unfolding

Lily smacked Oliver. Cranky cats.

I was feeling very sleepy but drank some water, which helped. I need to get to bed. Ordered some ear wax removal drops and a bike helmet.

According to my dad’s system, now is a good time to buy stocks. I’ll “paper trade” some tomorrow.

Good. The tree people got back to me and they can come by on Tuesday morning “to assess my situation.”

I was eyeing a Lincoln plug-in hybrid car yesterday, but need to compare prices with other ones. The price was less than I expected. I wouldn’t want to buy a car until after I get the garage built. The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid is more expensive. The Toyota RAV4 plug-in is comparable, so it’s all about which car that I like best. Also Consumer Reports, which says to get the RAV4. It doesn't have a report for the Lincoln though. Actually, I really like the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, but it's more expensive. (Consumer Reports says no on it though.) Actually, the CX-70 is more my size. Most dealers do not carry plug-in hybrids, so how can I test drive them?

Placed a grocery order to get Munchie Bones, lots of cat food, and some food for me.

Came in with Bella after an hour. She tried to grab my donut. Bad Bella! Urgh. I brought food into Zara’s room and noticed that she needed water. I went to get her water dish and Oliver busted in. Zara hissed and hid. I went to get Oliver out, and Bella ate Zara’s food. Sigh. What a zoo. I’ve got it sorted now.

I’m leaning more towards “Freckles” for a dog companion. If she’s still available after I get back from my business trip, I’ll look into her. Unless I go for “Rita”, but I don’t know if they will adopt across state lines. She looks like a real sweetie though. I saw the most adorable puppy at the place where I adopted Bella, but I don’t want a puppy. She sure is cute though. Look at that face!

I almost forgot to feed Bella with the brouhaha about Zara’s food. I filled her dish and sat on the stairs to the upstairs. I felt cat feet on my head and knew who it was (Oliver) without looking.

Napped. When I got up, I had Bella with her paws on my chest, licking my face, and Oliver on my back shoulders. Got my groceries in. Ate lunch and read The Washington Post. Started opening packages. Found the “good” dental glue. I’m having a dizzy spell, so I’m sitting down and chilling carbonated water in the freezer. I need to clear a spot for the air conditioner, and then I’ll be done. Got the air conditioner in. (My next step will be to get someone to install the air conditioner.)

I started doing my “things that I need for my business trip” shopping.

I’m being poked with a Munchie Bone :) Finished my water.

Ugh, I don’t feel like going out. I should take my shower and fix my tooth though. I certainly have a lot of stuff to do here. Glued the tooth back in and it's setting. It came out when I took my partial out. I guess that I didn't let it set enough.

Took a shower. Bella was pulling stuff out of the garbage and strewing them on the floor. I told her that she was creating a dog mess. I need a trash can with a cover (ordered). I just remembered that I need to sign Bella up for obedience training.

It’s raining. Bella is noping out. I love my raincoat. I never use umbrellas anymore.

Do I want to subscribe to the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra? Most of their upcoming concerts sound interesting. They have a "pick 4" deal that I'm going to get. No online sales though; you need to send the order form in or call.

I can’t stop yawning. I need to make it an early night.

days_unfolding

The Weather Channel keeps telling me that there’s fog out. Thanks, I can see it.

I have an impulse to go back to sleep for a half-hour, but I got a ton of sleep last night. I won’t get the will and trust docs modified this morning though. I’ll do that tonight. Both Bella and Oliver are in here, and the combo of them is not restful. Sigh. Oliver bit my foot, which earned him a trip out of the bedroom. I did sleep.

I have a meeting at 11 and one at 1, so no nap at lunchtime or no errands.

I tripped and fell, and my Apple Watch was concerned. I'm fine. It's good to have the emergency button on my watch though.

I need to clear some space in my living room to park the air conditioner for upstairs. It's been spending time on my porch.

Target Optical is open 9 - 6 tomorrow and Country Arbors Nursery is open 9 - 5. They are opposite directions from each other. If I could get to bed early, that would be good.

Lunchtime. Bella is watching Squirrel TV.

It’s chilly downstairs, but I don’t want to put on a hoodie only to take it off again when I go upstairs to work.

Bella stuck her nose in my carrot cake.

A guy wants to come by to buy the pet ramp that I bought for Bella, but she didn't need it. So I popped in my tooth and got some stuff out of the basement stairs. No response from him yet. He's coming by at 4 (done).

We're having a Munchie Bone emergency. I need to submit a Walmart order that includes them. And order a box of them from Amazon (done).

Urgh, my head is pounding.

There is a part Poodle and part Irish Setter dog that caught my eye. However, she's a senior dog, and I wonder if she could keep up with Bella, who is 1. She's a real cutie and is supposed to be sweet too.

It occurred to me the other day that I could get back into piano by playing what I want. I should look for some "easy piano" books (done).

Fed us all. Bella was annoyingly digging in the front yard. She likes to do that when the ground is wet.

Now I'm working on the will and trust documents. Okay, I sent drafts of the documents to the executor and trust people. I should head towards bed.

days_unfolding

For some reason, the poem isn't showing up now, so here it is.

Adrift

Who knows when the rope began to fray?
With one strong tug, a strand just snapped,
Increasing the strain on its sibling strands,
Until they all failed, and he drifted off.

The shockwaves pulse from wire to wire,
Farther and farther from where he went adrift,
Until we all gather, arms entwined,
To make a whole of the fragments left.

The ocean wonders why we suffer so,
What's done is done, and done before;
We believe we failed to hold him here.
We were not strong enough, but if more--

And him--he was captain as well as ship,
How could he head where we are not?
(Forgetting how often we find ourselves
Landing far from our chosen port.)

And we disperse to our separate ports,
To anchor, hammer, tie our lives down.
We light candles for the long night's watch.
But instead of him, the sun appears,
And we blow our candles out.

days_unfolding

I overslept. So much for getting my recycling out. So much for my shower too. Put my clothes in the dryer. Fed us all.

I’m working on plans for my funeral for my will. I'm looking for a poem that I wrote many years ago, but no luck so far. Found it on the Wayback Machine for an old Web site! Yay! I think that I'll just say in the will to follow the funeral plans in the "End of Life Ceremonies" folder in the NokBox. Then I can keep modifying it without updating the will. (Actually, planning it is kind of fun. Is that weird?)

The Champaign County Master Gardeners are sponsoring a garden walk. It's the day after I get back from my business trip, but it's from 9 to 4, so I wouldn't have to get up really early? (Though I'll have to pick up Bella and Oliver first.) It sounds nice. I could use some ideas for my garden. It's only $10, so if I decide that day that I just can't, I wouldn't lose a lot of money.

Lily thinks that my leg is a scratching post. Ow.

Scrambled to get myself together for my therapy session because I forgot about it. She thinks that I need to get back to singing as a way to deal with frustration. (I booked some lessons. I also signed up for a Scales and Intervals singing class for the fall.) She thinks that I've had too many things go wrong for too long. I also was worrying about my job because it's detail-oriented and I'm really not, and she suggested looking at other jobs within the university. I don't have to take another job if I don't think that it's a good fit.

I forgot to mention that I got all my bills on automatic payment (except for the sewer, which is manual only) a few days ago. One less thing to worry about.

My new glasses are in, so I need to pick them up on the weekend.

I think that I want a nap after dinner.

Bella is picking up dog debris from the floor and flinging it into the air. I only live here.

Ordered dog food and dog treats from Costco. I noticed that they had a tennis ball launcher for dogs, but my inner voice asked me if I was too lazy to throw a ball for my dog. So no, I didn’t get it.

Took a nap and slept until 5 AM. I think that the pup thought that I was dead because she’s making a fuss over me :)

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