The Writer's Lantern

The cherry trees at the U of I Arboretum are in bloom. I should stop by to see them.

Woke up at 7:30 AM. Got myself together in plenty of time for my appointment. It’s raining.

My physical therapy appointment went well. They’re good; they identified weakness in my hips and glutes as contributing to my knee problems. We did some exercises, and my muscles are twinging. They scheduled me for weekly appointments for six weeks. I need to subscribe to the exercise videos (Lifelong Mobility) that I found as well. Use it or lose it.

Damn, I’m tired. My 1:00 meeting was canceled, so I’ll have time for a nap! Excellent! But the dogs are wrestling, sigh. I’m calling Bella Miss Pushy Dog because she wants pets All The Time. Gracie scratched my face and drew blood 🙁

I received my planters with legs for the vegetable garden. I got the confusion about my login for free mulch straightened out (apparently I signed up twice with different email addresses), but I need to buy a wheelbarrow first. The one that I wanted already sold, so I’ll need to spend more. I need to go get cash to buy one from Facebook Marketplace. But will I be able to lift it? Maybe I’ll have to have one delivered from Home Depot. Ace Hardware had a cheaper one but with a larger delivery fee, so I ordered one from Home Depot plus a “transfer shovel”.

Bella came inside at 3:30 PM. Gracie is still out there. (I let them out late due to my appointment and the delivery of the planters.) Gracie came in at 4:30.

I ordered a (used) book of neck, shoulders, and back stretches/exercises.

I forgot that I need to straighten out some financial stuff with Lessonface before I can take my piano class. But I’m going to take a nap first if the dogs will let me. I have a headache. No, my piano teacher said that I was on the roster, so I attended piano class. I guess they resubmitted the charge.

Ate dinner while watching The Pitt. Looked at some AI instructions for developing hand independence for piano.

The dogs came in on the first try and I fed them. I need to give the cats their crunchies. I’m really tired, so I want to go to bed soon.

Things that you say only if you have dogs: “Gracie, don’t chew the stairs!” I quickly grabbed munchie bones for her and for Bella.

Woke up a little after 7 AM. Went back to sleep, and overslept work by a half-hour. Oops.

The radiology department at the local hospital called me for a CT appointment. Among other things, my phone is working.

Fed the catlings. The dogs don’t want to come in (no surprises there). I’m pondering how I can reseed the front yard when the dogs have trampled the lawn. Maybe I should just put mulch there? Hmm, I saw a grass-and-clover mix intended for lawns with dogs. Maybe I’ll try it and put down mulch if it doesn’t take.

Bella came in at 12 PM. Gracie came in at 1 PM. I put her food bowl under her nose, and she decided that she wanted to eat. Now both dogs are crashed out.

I’m having an IBS flare-up, but I’m hoping that I’ll make it to choir. I really need to be there. I think that I’ll skip dinner to settle my insides.

I picked up Lily and carried her downstairs for food. She clearly said “NO!” when I picked her up, but she ate the food. (It amazes me how creatures without a common vocabulary can communicate so well.) Fed the cats and dogs.

Choir went okay. My choir director wants me to come in with the book sale flyer tomorrow and leave it in the choir room. We’re trying out of solos next week, and there’s a song that I really want. I’ll send it to my singing teacher.

Ate while watching The Pitt. (Luckily, nothing gross happened while I was eating.) Got the dogs back inside and fed them.

Need to get to bed soon. Tomorrow will be a long day.

Gracie woke me up at 7:30 AM. I managed to get a leash on her and went out with the dogs. Bella is still out there, but she’s easier to get in. Fed us all. Nap time. It’s dog wrestling time, apparently. Sigh.

Overslept my nap. I was dreaming about a guy that I used to like.

When I went to volunteer, the leader asked me to go distribute flyers about the book sale. The internet on my phone wasn’t working, so I went to places I knew and distributed only four flyers, but they were far afield. I told the leader that I could do more on Tuesday night. She also asked me if I was going to the sale, and I said that I was working it and helping to tear it down. She said that she was glad that I found the organization.

As for the phone, apparently my payment didn’t go through, so I need to pay my bill (done).

Got a baguette, donut holes, flavored water, and Chef Boyardee spaghetti at the store. I had some bread when I came home (after Bella said “Hi! You’re back!” to me). The cats want to be fed. I want to sit for a while, so I think that I’ll feed the cats and watch an episode of The Pitt (done).

Had the Chef Boyardee spaghetti for dinner. A little nostalgia from when I was a kid. Got the pupsters in and fed.

I’m feeling too tired to get anything done. I think that I’ll watch one more episode of The Pitt and get to bed early.

Woke up at 8 AM. Let the dogs out. Fed myself and the cats. I think that I might have fixed my phone, but I need to log onto my work phone and test it. Yep, it’s working. Yay!

Napped and overslept until a little after 1 PM. Rescued my Costco box (dog food). The delivery person put it on the sidewalk because the dogs were out, but it was still there. Oliver is climbing all over me. I told him that he had breakfast and doesn’t get lunch, but he’s still hopeful. Ate lunch. I’m trying to decide what to do. Usually, I take a nap after lunch, but my first nap ran long. I should work on the bathroom. Maybe I should start on the bathroom and take a nap when I need a break.

Well, Bella came in around 2:30. Gracie is still refusing to come in. Bella wants company, so I guess that I’ll take a nap. Yeah, it’s a real sacrifice :) Bella is one tired pup. Napped. Got Gracie in at 5 PM. I told Bella that she doesn’t need to stay up with me, but she thinks that it’s her duty as The Dog. Fed us all. I had to carry Lily down from upstairs because the dogs are in. She nestled in but also was saying “No” clearly. (She doesn’t like being picked up. Oliver doesn’t mind it as much.)

I think that I’m procrastinating working on the bathroom because I’ll need to stand up. I did start on the bathroom with frequent breaks. Bella came over and yawned at me, and I told her to take a nap. But she thinks that she needs to fulfill watchdog duties.

Watched Season 2, Episode 1 of The Pitt. Fed the dogs and cats their nighttime crunchies. Bed time soon.