Good Morning Everyone

Since it has rained the last few days it's safe for me to light the burn barrel without causing a wildfire.
It is supposed to rain some more later today and tomorrow too.
Need to get out into the garage to get the space heaters.
I only brought in 2 before and they are not the ones I use to warm whole areas, just take the chill off smaller spaces for the cats.
Have a dental appt. Monday for just a cleaning.
Normally by now I would be stressing out but I'm not. ;)
Want Steven to get the car serviced before Winter.
Oil change, antifreeze, etc. and other maintenance so it's all good to go.
I tell him this is not for me but for him should he be in the hospital in Reno again and I'd need to be driving in blizzards.
Seems he's always hospitalized in the snowy seasons, 3 times now.

Anybody wanting to do an October challenge?
Mine is working on cleaning up my part of the yard, gardening type stuff & general tidying it up and rearranging. ;)

Hello Subclinical :)
Happy you didn't push yourself into over doing swimming.
You have been doing fantastic with your thoughtful acquiring.
You are bringing home a few but very nice things, things of beauty and things that are useful for you. :)
YEA! the bunny's bad haircut is growing out and fleas are all gone!


"Sigh of relief" Tatoulia
Panic attacks are so terrifying.
Very, very happy your Mom is alright, nothing drastic.
YEA! that the "sausagy" smelling man set up the fireplace heater!
Sorry but that had me laughing out loud. ;D
Steven cooks his own food and sometimes he really reeks of garlic for days.
Just keep spraying the Febreeze. (((hug)))

This evening I handed Steven another bag of meat from the fridge freezer to thaw and see if he is brave enough to cook and eat this weekend.
He accepted the bag from me without any negativity.
At this rate we will be through all the 2016 meat by the end of the month.

Good work, SubC. I would love to see your pottery some day. I'm impressed with your swimming!

Mom had chest pain last night and called me. She's generally not scared and she generally calls me after she has had an ambulance called. So it was weird to hear her so upset and struggling to breathe. She wanted me to just talk to her but instead I ran over. The aide was with her when I got there and then I rode in the ambulance to the hospital. She actually was fine. No signs of heart attack, no emboli, just some unexplained pain then a solid panic attack. She hadn't had any sleep the night before which may explain it. She spent the night at the hospital while they did the work-up. I was going to work from home today but just too exhausted to I went to the hospital to be with her, ran some errands, took care of some cleaning at her house. So it's a big relief to have her home. I ordered her dinner for her before I left.

Her doctor arranged for an ambulance to take her home tonight and I thought that was really nice. It took some pressure off of me.

My fireplace installation went very smoothly and it looks very nice. It will give us some nice heat while we work from home this winter. And it runs without heat too so it's very cozy.

Garbage out. Dishwasher running. The guy who did the installation smelled a little sausage-y. And the smell lingers despite my spraying febreeze. Hopefully by AM I won't smell it anymore.

I'm glad bunny is flea-free!

WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANONY AND CM. And everyone else.

Hi Tatoulia,

I don't understand what happened with your mom, but I am glad she is home and hope she feels better.

Bunny is free flea and her fur looks good now (they "groomed" her with scissors)

I brought home a book and a finished piece of pottery to keep today. Dh liked the pottery.

I swam 1400 yards. I wanted to do 1600, but I got tired and reminded myself that I look better not good.;)

Thank you for lifting me up.

Very relieved that she's home and you are home too.
Hope the fireplace installation/assembly goes smoothly and you & Miss Kitty can enjoy the comfort it brings.
Take it easy and don't stay up too late. (((hug)))

Mom home. Was a long day. I'm glad she's home. I took the day off and ran errands and sat with her and now fireplace guy is here.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Tatoulia :)
Been holding you and your mom close to my heart.
(((hugs)))

Very good thinking about the clothing and your changing sizes.
Poor Miss Kitty, life is so unfair ;(

Hi Subclinical :)
So, how is the Bunny doing?
Have all the fleas gone? :)
I still have not ventured out into the garage/carport areas so I don't know if Steven made any visible progress.
But I did see him carry/drag out a large black trash bag to the truck, so "something" has been taken to the dump.

So far so good...
So far the most pain from the injection has been from removing the Band-Aid.
The woman before me had 3 little boys. The two older ones were brave and didn't fuss at all but the littlest one cried.
So when the nurse was putting the Band-Aid on my arm I asked "should I cry now?"
She told me I could cry if I wanted to, it's alright to cry. LOL ;D

Mom still in hospital. Will get back to you later

WTG Tillie!!!! You did it! Glad it was a positive expert! Your arm may hurt tomorrow. One year I got my flu and my tetanus shots in the same day. One in each arm. I carried on like a baby the next day since both arms hurt.

Ice cream! For you, not me. I reached 20 lbs down today. Plus the ten I did (and kept off) over the past year. Tried on more clothes today. Two dresses I bought for fall are already a bit big. But I am not buying any more clothes. When I'm down another ten I'll get more clothes. But not til then. I need to be either down another size or in a completely different season. Since I can't wear wool, I can't really change my clothes from autumn to winter but I can accessorize differently. So it may be spring before I have to buy clothes.

Fireplace assembly tomorrow night! Congratulations to the kitty! She is not getting her bed.

Oh mom just called and she needs an ambit. Ttyl. Say a prayer. She's very, very dear.

Good Evening :D

Hi Subclinical :)
Happy to hear you are looking a little better.
Good luck with the chipping away there. ;D

Hi Tatoulia :)
Miss Kitty is going to love sitting in front of the new heater!


Well, just returned home. 5:25pm
I DID IT!
Driving there it was cloudy overcast.
The wait for the flu shot was less than 15 minutes.
Got outside and it was very dark, raging winds, rain and bolts of lightning lighting up the sky.
Very impressive.
She was very kind and not spooky.
Said it takes about two weeks for full immunity to kick in so until then I will continue my overly obsessive hand washing and breath holding.

Cheering you on, SubC! Believe it or not, you sound better! Good work today! You are helping me to limit packaging and trash!

Guy will put fireplace together tmr night. That's good.

Still trying to get some work finished here. So much to close out the quarter.

I cannot believe that Monday is indigenous peoples day. Time flies.

Kitty is sleeping next to me so naturally I feel peaceful. I still can't believe she's mine. 13 years into it and I still can't believe my good fortune to have a little kitty.

I hope bunny enjoys the autumn weather!

We are expecting some humidity tmr.

Tillie, did you get your shot?

How did the Steven mini clean up turn out btw?

Tatoulia, I hope you get your fireplace together.

I had a good school day. L says I am looking better, but not all better, so don't push it.

I took to school a jar and a plastic syringe to never bring home.
I dropped off a grocery plastic bag of trash.

I brought home deli meat in my reusable container for dh, carrots in a plastic bag, three loose apples, and half a cheese pizza in a cardboard box (also for dh)

The bunny is getting a little fall evening weather in her outdoor run.

I am trying to chip at the backlog of dishes and laundry.

Good work, Tillie! I did some laundry today and I also ran much-needed errands: post office, hardware store, pharmacy and a quick dip into Whole Foods. I really need to get to a regular grocery store.

I'm tired. Trying to find someone to do put my fireplace together.

Good Morning Everyone :)

It is raining this morning!
Been so long since we got rain the cats are all acting nervous and weird. ;P
My plans for today are to putter around until 4:30pm.
Then I will go get the shot since it's offered from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.
I guess after hours so the space is available.
Laundry is all caught up so I don't have any that I can't wash anyways because it's raining.
YEA!!! :D
A few dishes to wash later after I have dirtied a few more.
There are some new movies out on Netflix to check out.

Wishing everyone a happy day. :)

Good Evening

YEA! for cake Tatoulia!
WAY TO GO! for having your home visitor ready with just a little wiping!
So happy you finally have your pillows.
But what about Miss Kitty's bed? Will that ever happen? LOL ;D
Sounds like a soap opera...

Hi Subclinical :)
WAY TO GO!!! for making dinner and washing ALL those dishes!
Glad you have your new calendar, I already got mine too.
Yea! for getting groceries. Hope you have been eating well and enough. (((hugs)))

Thank you both for the encouragement. ;)
Hospitals don't bother me, I was a surgical assistant and worked in both the ER and OR and in our surgical office.
I have spent time over the years here in the ER at this hospital with Steven and neighbors.
I would drive while the neighbor would hold their crying bleeding child.
But the flu shots are being given in "the physicians" building, a place I have never been before and have no idea where I'm going or the best way to escape.
Whenever Steven was hospitalized (3 times) he was always in a hospital in Reno where I used to work so no problem, except I had to drive all the way to Reno where there is a lot of traffic.

With my agoraphobia there are some places that I feel safe.
Some familiar thrift shops, the bank, the grocery store, home.
Other places that are not familiar are hard to go to, they are scary.
I am also afraid to go to some people's houses even though I am not afraid of the person.
I never was this way before until that thing with my son happened.
I never had night terrors until then too.
I'm working on it, I'm much better than I was. :)
Years ago Steven made me my first computer in the hopes that I would start talking to people again.
It worked.

Tomorrow I will be brave and go get my free flu shot! :D

Tillie, you can be brave!

When I was a kid I loved the hospital because I thought it belonged to my grandfather. All the other doctors and all the nurses knew him and knew who I was. When I went to get my tonsils out I was a little celebrity and kept wandering out of my room to find him or some other doctor I knew.

Don't Iike them any more. Deleted the transition.

Tatoulia, I am so glad you have your pillows and they are making you happy.

I made dinner. I think I cleaned more dishes Than I created.

I brought home a new calendar for next year. And groceries.

Yes I ate the wedding cake and it was so tender and so delicious! I danced a lot too so we are even on that.

Tillie I need you to go to the hospital tomorrow and get your shot. You can do this. I am odd. I like the hospital. I really like hospitals. I like the hustle and bustle and everything about them. I spent the night in the hospital the same week as the marathon bombing and I had called BF before the ambulance was called. He met me at the hospital and then came back a few hours later and then came back at around 11:30 PM. By then I was all settled in and he looked at me and said, you are having a blast. And then one of my nurses I knew from all the times I had been at the hospital with my brother. So that was good to catch up with him. So yes, essentially I love being there. So please just go tomorrow night and tell me all about it!!!

That said I don't like emergency room waiting rooms so I'm not completely crazy.

SubC you are battling anemia and you need to treat yourself gently. Congratulations on the weight loss! Two pounds is great! I will weigh myself tomorrow AM. Hoping for some progress!

It was fun only having to do a little wiping up before the pillow lady came. I am so impressed with her work!

Tillie I'm glad you are happy with the garden changes and a giant WTG to get the vacuuming done!

Re: challenges. Sometimes I'm better at them and sometimes I forget all about them. Part of being human.

Hi Subclinical :)
I am relieved that the iron therapy is having a positive effect.

The thing about these challenges is we don't put any stress on doing them every day or even regularly.
We all have good intentions to work diligently on our challenges but accept that life has a way of spoiling all our good intentions. LOL

Good luck with your weight loss goals for 2018.
When I did my "No Sugar" challenge I lost 6 pounds by doing nothing more than avoiding sugar.
Weight loss was not my goal, just want to be healthy and they say sugar does so much more damage than getting us fat.
Now I have been allowing myself to resume eating chocolate daily. ;D



It has been very gently sprinkling, more of a damp misting.
I have been watering trees and when that's done I will water the lilacs.
I vacuumed!
Moved stuff around and got under places too, even the couch.
Did cat chores & swept too.
Evaluated the garden areas I need to undo/redo and it is successfully coming along.
Still waiting for things to finish up and go dormant for Winter.
Already it is so much easier for me to keep up with the little bit of gardening I will be keeping.
"Sigh of relief!"

Tomorrow at 5:00pm is when I can report to the county hospital for a flu shot and so far I intend to do just that.
Strange place, strange people but there is no reason why I can't do this. ;P

Hi,

I'm reading, but i'm Struggling to post. A lot going on and very little of it related to the hoarding (except as it's all related...)

Having more good days now that i've been taking the iron for a week and a half. Working on executive function (good decision making) with mixed success.

Not totally keeping up with the exercise program, but trying to be gentle with myself and holding my two pound weight loss. (If I lose two pounds a month it will be a successful year!)

I like the challenges, they help, but then if no one posts about them for a couple of days I forget them.

Good Morning

Hi Subclinical :)

Hi CriticalMass :)
What a hectic week you have had!
Sincere condolences for the bunny (((HUG)))
It's like life conspires to keep you from having the free time to finish the quilt or do any other enjoyable pastimes.
WAY TO GO! getting things out from under the sink and the back plumbing access!
Wishing you peace and a much less stressful October.

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA!!! HAPPY DANCE!!! :D
So happy she finally showed up and you have the results you had hoped for.
Did you eat wedding cake?
I always do. ;)

Was awake at 3am yesterday and couldn't get back to sleep so I got up.
So of course I was exhausted by 3pm and dozed off to sleep every time I would sit down.
But in the morning I got to watch the sunrise and it was spectacular!
All vivid raspberry and orange and fuchsia.
The sunrise this morning was very pretty too but not as intense.
Weather forecast today says it might rain. No rain yet just cloudy.
Got all laundry done yesterday and watered flowers & grass.
Plan for today is to water trees & lilac hedge.
Today I willvacuum. Yes, I will do that.
So much more needs to be done but at least it will be vacuumed. ;P

Hi I'm back. I still haven't slept. Pillow lady did an incredible job on my pillows and she hung my shade and fixed something else for me too. She did a great job and I'm very, very happy.


Goodnight all.

CM you have had so much going on! You had a lot of hard situations to weather. Good for you to look at the positive side! I would've cried a lot about the bunny, too. Losing a beloved animal dredges up a lot of sadness.

I am so sorry that the new vanity already looks old. That is a pity. I'm so sorry about that.

I am so tired from the wedding reception. And pillow lady comes tonight. I just sent out a feeler but I wish I hadn't. I sent a text asking if she wants to move to tomorrow. I haven't heard from her so now I'm the flake in the relationship.

Happy October - hope it is a good one for all.

SubC, been meaning to say I get it now about your friend. Thanks for explaining. I'm an introvert; that plus the ADD plus possibly being a bit on the autism spectrum though not diagnosable (I'm subclinical, LOL!) - all of the above makes me not want to "people" in real life a lot of the time.

So sometimes I mistakenly attribute bad motives to others, even as I feel really put out if they attribute bad motives to me when they're not there. Lately my friends have all been going through as much stress as I have, so we're all kind of hair-trigger. So much potential for misunderstanding, complications, possibly even drama. Which then adds to stress and potential to snap at people, a vicious circle. Sigh.

Last week is over; it was a doozy as I probably already said. Some of it may spill over into this week.

We had the air conditioner breakdown, the big plumbing job, the replacement of the bathroom vanity, installation of an exhaust vent in the bathroom. My roommate said the guys call them "fart fans." ROTFL!

Would that such things didn't entail all sorts of disruption to prepare for, endure, and put back to rights after the conclusion thereof.

I've probably mentioned some of what happened this past week. About 2 hours after AC repairs were finished (midday Wednesday) was when I discovered the water leak in the bathroom. My roommate had me get all her extra clothes which were stored in her office closet. That's where the door to the crawlspace is located to access the plumbing, and it's also right behind the bathroom plumbing, hence the leak going through the sheetrock.

It was a blessing in disguise though for her, because I pulled ALL the clothes out and discovered that place where the leak had made mold; So I piled the clothes on her bed. The pile went 2/3 of the way to the ceiling. She has been sleeping on the living room sofa.

Many items stored under the vanity were ruined. But I'm secretly glad because I felt like there was a lot of stuff under there that needed to be decluttered! Bathroom items NOT thrown away we each had to stash in our already jam packed cluttered rooms. My things I plan to go through and downsize more too.

We went to Lowe's that evening and she chose a new vanity & sink, which was installed Thursday. Repair guy said we needed an exhaust fan for the bathroom. That was scheduled for Saturday.

On Friday I saw on Facebook where our rabbit club's mascot rabbit, a big Flemish giant we'd only had for five months, had suddenly become ill and was dying. He passed in the late afternoon. At that point I literally stopped sewing and put my head down on the bundle of quilt and let my mind go blank. I cried, but my tears weren't there - just dry sobs. Talk about being on overload. I was struggling spiritually with blaming God vs. trusting that He felt my sadness along with me. And it wasn't just the bunny - friends and family are going through some serious difficulties and I was feeling all that as well.

Life goes on, somehow, though. The exhaust fan got installed Saturday. I had gone to a doll show across town while this was being done. It helped cheer me up. I bought two collectible Barbies at an extremely reasonable price, and was satisfied, not craving to buy many many dolls. And met some nice local ladies who like Barbies. Needed the diversion.

By the time I got home, my roommate had discovered a small puddle of water under the new vanity. Not a lot but we need to get it taken care of. Plus the new vanity got all scratched - don't know if one of the guys put sharp tools on it or what. It made me really sad because it was something shiny, beautiful, and uncluttered - for two days, then it starts to look crappy like everything else.

So we're still kind of in limbo. I keep trying to finish the binding on my quilt, it's getting down to the wire with all the interruptions. I have today free, and hope to make progress. If I could finish the whole thing I would be doing the happy dance.

Thanks for reading and caring.

Tillie I'm being quiet as a mouse. Keep us posted.

I didn't keep up with the September challenge. I do desperately need an October challenge. I'm going to give this some thought.

I am exhausted today. We got home from the wedding at 1:30 AM. I stayed awake during the long car ride home to support BF. He was fine. He had one glass of wine and then I ordered him a coffee before we left but I still like to stay awake to support him. Very nice wedding. The wedding was local and the reception was out of town. Beautiful day and night.

So I'm trying to pull it together right now but I want to go back to sleep. And I have pillows arriving tonight.

Happy October!

October already.
Where has the year gone?

Does anybody want to do a challenge for this month?
I would like to do more outside clean up type work now that it's cooler.
In a month I should be able to get a lot done even though I would be working in short easy strides.

Hello everyone on this lovely very last day of September 2018.

Hi Tatoulia :)
Yeah, some people really seem to work hard to never have any kind of a sense of humor.
That's sort of the reason I am always so terrified of encountering the random unknown human out there.
Seems so many go out of their way to be mean, nasty and argumentative when I have done nothing at all to provoke them.
What they don't realize is how fortunate they have been so far that I haven't gone off on them, yet.

Today I got ALL the litter boxes properly scrubbed out and back in place with fresh scoop-able litter.
Did a few little odds & ends, nothing much.

Shhhhhh....
Steven has been doing stuff out there.
I do not want to jinx it but it looks a lot like some sort of decluttering.
He has brought out a lot of small (I think empty)containers from the garage and is sifting through the carport stuff too.
The door to get into the garage can now be opened instead of just a small slit to squeeze through.
Shhhhhh.....

Just channel someone you admire. Don't call yourself names like silly idiot! Channel someone you admire and just watch from a distance.

You can do this!!!! I believe in you! Generally I make a joke where I ask the nurse not to scream. And it breaks the ice. Except for the time the nurse coldly said, why would I scream. Okey doke

Good Morning Everyone :)
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia :)

Have fun at the wedding and wedding cake has no calories so eat a piece. ;)
AM or PM she had just better show up with your pillows!
Sounds like you had a lovely day yesterday.
Miss Kitty is such a loyal friend to those she valiantly protects.
This is why I cover the couch, I can wash the cover in the machine but the whole couch is too big to stuff in a washer. ;P

Looks like it will be another lovely day here today.
Thinking I will dump out and wash & sanitize all the litter boxes today.
That task really makes my back hurt so if I do that I probably won't do much else.
Around 11:00am the cats are usually all napping and won't be wanting their boxes until around 3:00pm so I have two hours until I can safely do them.

Still need help not chickening out Wednesday at 5:00pm when it will be time to get that flu shot.
I want the protection against the flu but I am scared of the whole going someplace alien to me and having to talk to alien humans.
I keep repeating to myself "be strong, be grown up, get over it you silly idiot".

And then I will have to do this all over again the next Monday when I have a dental appointment.
It's all too much! "whimper, whimper, whine.

We have a wedding today. Beautiful fall sunny day.

I'm washing my couch cover right now because someone vomited on it last night. Cat hasn't mentioned it. Not sure whom she's protecting.

I'm going to change my sheets now. I didn't do yesterday.

I have a lot to do. Let's see if I do any of it. I did change kitty's box last night. Pillow lady says she's coming tomorrow at 7:30 PM but I'm wondering if she meant AM. Time will tell.

Hello Tillie! JazzFest was a lot of fun. Great weather for it. I generally don't eat anything at these fairs but I picked up some meatballs and pasta and went to mom's to eat with her. Then I ran to the pharmacy and from there I went back to mom's then home then nails. I went for the deluxe pedicure version and it was lovely.

Wedding is early tomorrow so I'll hop to bed soon.

I have to do kitty's box. My schedule is all thrown off.

Good late afternoon/early evening.
Not yet 5pm here.

Did those other things on my list except vacuuming.
Can smell burning weeds on the breeze. :(
Been just sorta hanging out watching trees very slowly change color.
One chrysanthemum plant has dozens of white blooms.
I am allergic to chrysanthemums.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
WTG! for putting things away after using them!
Yes, seems like a small thing but this small thing really makes a HUGE difference.
Great that recycling can get out at any time.
Have a wonderful time at Jazz Fest!

Another lovely day.
But another day of wildfire warnings, from noon to midnight the winds will be blowing.
My burn barrel is so full since I haven't been able to burn almost all Summer long.
But the forecast says rain by Wednesday, I will believe that when I see it.
Yesterday my leg started hurting again so I spent most of my time laying down with it elevated.
Hoping today I will be up to doing things.
Need to wash some dishes and as always, cat related tasks.
But I should also vacuum and sweep.

Good afternoon everyone! I spent part of the morning packaging up some small gifts for people to take to the post office. It is JazzFest so I'll go to that and do a few other errands. I need to get a manicure for a wedding tmr.

I'm not sure of my plans tonight. I had invited a neighbor to dinner tonight and we left it tentative. She is the woman who uses my car to take her son to and from school. She works overnight shift so we left it tentative. She's not working tonight but she's in the police department so I'm not sure if she'll be called to work JazzFest. I'll just go looking for her and take it from there.


I've been working on putting things away. So after packaging things I put the scissors and tape away. Seems small but it looms large. I also had saved two bubble envelopes and cut them down for my purposes.

I have a lot of recycling to take out. I'm glad I can put it in our bins anytime. I missed garbage yesterday and I'm stuck with it til Monday. That's ok. I'm not used to being home on Fridays.

What are you doing today?

Hi Tatoulia :)
Very glad you had it out with her and spoke your mind.
Fingers crossed it goes smoothly and as promised now.
Poor Miss Kitty without her fancy bed. :(

Hey I just deleted my post! By mistake!

Hello hello. I'm not caught up but WTG Tillie for the shopping and finding the dollar bill. YES get your flu shot! I get one every year and only got the flu once since I started getting them. I hope you are feeling better. I am so worried about you.

I had written about the ongoing saga of getting my pillows. I fired her last night and she was professional and said she'd bring my fabric and $ and then she begged me to let her do them for free. (No, I will pay for the work). So we left off where she would do my two bolsters and I would pay for them and then we'd take it from there as the what would happen. She sent me pictures today and they are beautiful and I told her to go ahead and finish the job. She can't do the cat bed because of various reasons but she still will do for me later if I want. I am paying for everything and she's going to hang my Roman shade for me. So it worked out. I had started to get a little hostile with her and pulled back, saying, you are a really nice lady and I enjoyed meeting you and I just want us to part as friends. Women need to support each other but I just cannot go on with your delays and bad communication. And that's when she said she wanted to do for me as a gift, which opened it up for, do my bolsters and we take it from there. I am happy with the solution.

I am home today. I have to make contact with the person who'll be putting my fireplace together for me. Baby steps. Trying to get so much finished here before friend arrives.

I love you all dearly. I'll grt caught up on your posts soon.

Good Afternoon Anybody

Been having a nice day.
The weather is lovely.
Did a bunch of laundry, things that don't get washed all the time like some curtains & tablecloths.
Cats are happy and have all their needs taken care of.

Handed Steven a bag of assorted frozen meats from the fridge freezer last night and asked him to see if there was anything there he wanted to eat this weekend.
The stuff all smelled very strongly of that old/been in the freezer too long a time smell.
The smell got on my hands and was terribly strong.
I told him that that food probably wouldn't taste very good and it was all freezer burned.
But, that bags worth is no longer in the fridge freezer, YEA!
Plan to keep doing this every week until the freezer is empty or he starts fussing too much.

Good Evening

This morning I could have done some chores around here.
Decided that I did not want to so I went into town.
Was at the hospital auxiliary thrift shop and discovered that I can get a FREE flu shot.
Just need to go to the county hospital on Wednesday between 5pm to 8pm.
The shots are donated by the hospital auxiliary.

I will be 65 in December. I have never had a flu shot because they have always been too expensive.

Will you all please badger and yell and cajole and remind me NOT to chicken out and to go get a flu shot?

Today I also found a whole dollar bill just laying in the road.
Went to the food bank thrift shop and had a nice visit and bought a tiny cat quilt and a pair of garnet earrings.
Then since I am almost out of laundry detergent I went to the store, got cat snax too.

Came back home and did a bunch of chores.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Subclinical :)
I appreciate a person who answers honestly when asked a question rather than one who pussyfoots around the subject.
Many people consider my bluntness/honesty as being rude but I consider their problem is their own and not mine. ;)
I do not consider you being in the wrong for answering honestly and wonder what their true motives were for asking you in the first place if they did not want to hear the answer.

Many people have appreciated and many people have been very upset when they have asked my opinion about what they are wearing cause I tell it like it is.
So, if they can't handle the truth then they should not ask me. ;P

But I do understand what you are saying about the ridiculous social games that people feel they must play and it's frustrating trying to figure out their rules of play. (((hug)))


Last night the skunk must have just sprayed a dog because when she came around here it was so heavy it woke me up gagging.
I remembered Jack's kibble bowl on the back porch had food in it and was able to bring it in before Miss Stinky discovered it.
I like the skunks but don't want them getting used to eating on my porch.
The intense pain in my spine and the sick headache are much better today and I was able to sleep last night without tossing & turning trying to get comfortable.
Anyways, I now know that I can no longer prune or move branches thicker than just a couple of inches thick.

Oh, and that "Is it ok if I sit here?" Thing - just saying "no." Because it isn't ok and the reason is because I don't like you or find you annoying, but it would be rude to say that - that is really not ok.

I learned "go ahead." And then I leave as quickly as possible.

Tillie, i'm Glad you have made friends with the kitty.
And i'm Sorry about the branches.

CM, I hope the plumber was able to help you and that all is fixed quickly!

There are a lot of lies people tell that don't really make them "liars". People pretend they want to go to social events and can't when they don't want to go. They say they will miss you when they won't. They say they don't care about stuff that they care about. There are many rituals and assumptions around lying to each other in society that for most people make the world better.

Here is an example:
"Do you want the last donut?" (Might mean "can I have the last donut?" or might mean "I want to wash the plate." Or might mean "I am trying not to eat this donut." Or might mean "I want appreciation for giving you the donut" or "I ate more donuts than you did and I will feel better about myself if you eat one.")

"No, you can have it." (Might mean "I want the donut but realize you just asked for it and don't want to seem rude." Or "the donuts are bad." Or "can we share this donut", or even "I actually don't want the donut.")

90% of the time I say "sure, thanks." And eat the donut. Or "no." And stick with it in the face of continuing pressure to which I respond with increasing annoyance. And then later a family member explains what I did wrong.

"Want to go get a drink after work?" "No."

"Are you busy?" "Yes."

"What do you think of this shirt?" "It's a little tight."

"Is it ok if I sit here?" Is a different question. "No. I want to sit by myself." Is not an acceptable response.

I get myself in trouble a lot.

Hello

Hi CriticalMass :)
Iced tea "CLINK!"
WAY TO GO!!! getting the AC repaired and the heater all serviced and ready for Winter!!!
Very happy you have the plumber there right now.
Hoping that it is an easy fix and not too much damage has been done.
It may just be ugly old common dark mold and not the extremely dangerous "black mold".
If the subfloor is not damaged you can easily coat it with a product that will seal in the spores and help keep it more water resistant too.
Please apologize to girl kitty for thinking it was her since she is innocent and would never do anything like that. ;D


Hi Subclinical :)
I do not believe it is really lying when you misdirect peoples expectations to keep a happy fun secret.

On my personal list of people I dislike, liars come in right after people who hurt animals, children or nice people.
You can never really trust a liar.

Yeah, I just say "fine, and you?" any more except with people I have known for a while and am on more friendly terms with and then we have an honest exchange.


This morning Jack
(who's not my little black kitty living on my porch)
was standing patiently by the bowl as I poured his cereal.
I held out my hand to him and he did not flinch or show any signs of nervousness so I gave him a good head rubbing, first time I have attempted to touch him.
He enjoyed it.
When I stopped he looked at the bowl and I said "OK, go ahead and eat your breakfast", so he did, just like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
It takes patience for these kitties to get to trust and now Jack trusts me.

Oh no CM, her manners are fine. She's a lovely woman, really. She is very caring and puts people at ease. But she knows me, and she has made an effort to do that.

I was talking to another person today and I told her "i'm Still pretty tired. I ran into L at the end of the day yesterday and she told me I looked like crap." And the person I was talking to gets it - her immediate reaction was "that's how you know somebody is a real friend."

I don't lie. Maybe about stuff like where I hid your birthday present or what we're going to do after dinner - for a fun trick or a surprise, but basically, I don't lie. And I have a really hard time with people who lie to me. And I understand that there are all kinds of socially acceptable reasons people lie to each other that make life easier and more pleasant. But they just make me confused and insecure. "Hi-how-are-you" is actually a huge social pitfall for me. I forget to say it all the time. And sometimes I actually forget and answer it. Which is very awkward. I have to remind myself it is not a question and answer, it is a social ritual in which "hi-how-are-you?" Means "I see you." And "fine-how-are-you?" Means "I see you too."

SubC, I would have a hard time biting my tongue and refraining from telling that woman her manners are crap!

Tillie good job on the trees. Sorry about the wood chipper. Your telling of Steven's road to hell paved with good intentions is making me do some more soul searching. Definitely rest that aching bod. Iced tea clinks!

Okay, this is one for the #YoureNotGonnaBelieveThis category: The AC was fixed this morning and the furnace readied for winter. But we were thinking girl kitty had been peeing on the bathroom rug. I later noticed it was sopping wet, and there was a musty smell in the bathroom.

Long story short, there has been a drip beneath the sink for an indeterminate period of time. There's black mold; we'll have to replace the vanity and maybe boards and whatnot beneath. Aaaand I gotta go, plumber is here.

Good Morning :)

Hi Subclinical :)
So true, most people say "hi-how-are-you"
never really wanting or caring to know.
Hope you are soon feeling better. (((HUGS)))
Here, we truly do care how you are doing and are cutting you lots of slack on doing anything until you are well again. ;)


Have been suffering since cutting down those tree branches yesterday.
They were large and heavy.
Had asked Steven to do this several years ago for me and I waited too long before giving up on him and doing it myself.
Cancelling all my plans for today, except the usual daily cat related tasks.

Several years ago he paid over 200.00 for a used wood chipper at the thrift store.
He turned it on once to test it out.
Since then it has been sitting out in the yard hoard rusting away while the yard has filled higher and higher with branches I have trimmed or that have broken off and fallen down. :(

CM, thank you fir your nice long note!

I'm glad you seem to be feeling better. Enjoy the quilting and good luck on the sorting out!

Tillie, you got a lot done today.

I can't really think about what I want to do right now.

I'm really tired tonight. A coworker friend has been out really sick for over a week and was back today. I ran into her after school and she said "you look like crap. What's wrong with you?" And I said "i'm anemic, thanks for noticing." And she said " well, you look it. Your color is bad and you have big hollows under your eyes."

This is why she is my friend. Most people say "hi-how-are-you?" And don't actually look at you or want to know. Also, it kind of made me feel better to know that I actually look like crap. I feel like I am whining when I say I am too tired for things, but if I look like I feel, then that's ok.

Good Afternoon Everyone :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA! for weighing in today. LOL ;D
Sorry (((HUG))) I know how all that crazy stuff drives sane people insane.


Hi CriticalMass :)
Maybe boy kitty will learn a few manners in the family room where RABBITS RULE! ;D
So happy to read that girl kitty is playing with her toys again.
That is always a good sign.
I have discovered that once you get a cat to relax, settle down, chill out
they seem to continue being calm since they no longer feel like they are in danger and can now think more rationally, as rationally as a cat can think anyways.
WAY TO GO!!! working on the quilt! YEA! :D
Wonderful the AC waited for much cooler weather before going on the fritz.
Thank you for the names of the cat psych books. ;)


Been doing stuff all day...
Watering my 6 trees.
Pruned branches off rogue trees that I do not like or want. Their branches were interfering with my ash trees and one grew to be right over my burn barrel, making it dangerous to burn anything.
Brewed some more herbal ice tea.
Did cat stuff.
When the trees are finished watering I will wash my hair.
Tomorrow I will do laundry since I can not run water outside and inside at the same time.
Later today or tomorrow I will water the lilac hedge.
So nice that everything is not demanding watering constantly day after day since it's cooled down nicely here.

Addendum - I meant to share the kitty books we've been reading, just in case anyone needs to know about them. Tatoulia especially in case you do have to introduce two cats at some point.

Cat vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett

and

The Cat Whisperer: Why Cats Do What They Do - and How to Get Them to Do What You Want by Mieshelle Nagelschneider

A little update

After church on Sunday I went to the parish picnic - I wasn't crying anymore, thankfully! I ate a hamburger, chips, watermelon, probably too much dessert (LOL) but it was good. Didn't stay for the activities; sometimes as a single person I can find a family I know to sort of hang out with to watch the goings on, and not feel lonely. But after the drama in the middle of the night I realized the meal and the conversation with the people I sat with were enough.

So I came home and had a nice nap. :)

SubC having had anemia myself around the time of my hysterectomy 10 years ago, I can tell you it's normal to feel weak as a kitten, maybe a little depressed - and that you shouldn't feel guilty or hopeless about it because it's perfectly normal. Your strength will return. So spend the current strength wisely until it does.

Coconut bread - yum, I like coconut. Tillie I'm with you on the Mexican coconut candy, and other Mexican sweets! Good stuff! Where I used to live was really close to what's probably the best Mexican bakery in town. I still go there once in awhile.

Your linen closet sounds like it works great for you. Too bad Steven didn't want to take that medicine - and not because of side effects even. I know I don't like having to take any psych meds and I take the lowest dose I can, but that's because of the desire to avoid side effects. And a person shouldn't take anything that would make them feel high, since that'd possibly lead to addiction. So I guess that can happen, that a person feels no different and decides to quit.

Since this household can't seem to go more than two days without some drama, the latest is the air conditioner. Roommate said it was making a loud buzzing and overheating. But the repairman thinks it will be a fix and not a new AC unit, thankfully.

I had been at the church yesterday - got started on the last phase of hand sewing the binding on my quilt. So when I found out I'd need to be here to wait for the AC repair, I drove back and brought the quilt home from the church - realized there's a clean sheet on the sofa with no dog hair so I can sit here and stitch on it. I'm about 5 ft. along but it's a queen size so I've got a ways to go! Can't wait to be done!

Kitties are doing not too bad on their rehabilitation programme! Boy kitty has accepted being back in the family room and has stopped meowing. He has the rabbits to keep him company. My two are large rabbits (who aren't bonded yet - we're working on it). I let one of mine out in the morning, swap in late afternoon, and then roommate's two smaller rabbits have their playtimes in the evening. My big bunnies aren't intimidated by kitty's nonsense, and if he tries to stick a paw in through the pen wires to bat at them, they merely give him the stink eye and hop away like "Seriously, dude?"

And girl kitty up front has been playing with some of her original toys (hunting play is part of the therapy for both kitties). It's like you can see the light go on in her mind, the memory of when she used to play those games with those toys. Her anti-anxiety meds will be prepared by a compounding pharmacy. She may not even need them that much.

We are fortunate that the weather is reasonably cool enough to be able to leave windows open and ceiling fans going, so being without AC hasn't been bad at all, really. I had slept on the living room sofa Saturday and Sunday evenings due to the crisis with kitty and not having had the chance to get items off my bed, but last night I cleared it off and slept there. Roommate may or may not need the sofa to sleep more propped up due to allergies. Though with the AC off she chose to sleep in her room. Either way, we're prepared.

So basically my goal is #1 to finish the quilt, and #2 to keep working on decluttering. When I can, I'll take things to the storage unit and begin sorting there. I also want to do some fun things and creative goal things, of course. I want to sew doll clothes, and at some point reassess where I left off with my writing (that has been SO neglected). And artwork - doodling for relaxation, and dare I hope, some more focused and serious efforts later on.