Flooring update - I'm exasperated.  I had a second location measure.  They indicated that I would need to do glue-down (due to spotting a bowing in the floor in my hallway).  This, of course, reduces the options I have significantly.  It wiped out all but one flooring option I had liked the look of at that location.  The one that remains?  Yep, it's one of their most expensive flooring options.  While I didn't have an idea of a $ amount, I am in complete sticker shock.  It would wipe out my entire slush fund and a bit more.  They offer 0% financing, but I was really hoping to not need to go in such directions.

The first place that measured didn't notice any issue with the floor.  Because I haven't picked something they haven't given me any pricing, which is a bit frustrating.  I've been back and forth from there bringing home samples to look at.  I am just not finding something I like that looks ok (in my opinion) with both my cabinets and counter tops.  Too gray, too beige, too busy, too plain.  I am officially the flooring Goldilocks.

I've been in this house for 8 years (and four days).  Time really flies.  I had this epiphany last night right before bed -- because I realized I hadn't gotten a bill for my home owners insurance (which should have needed to be re-issued on Feb 8).  Now, I did pay off the house, so you're probably thinking "well, you didn't contact them" to which I'll note that I got the pre-bill mailing that says "THIS IS NOT A BILL.  A SEPARATE BILL WILL FOLLOW." -- but it didn't.

Needless to say this stressed me out a bit, but I did manage to leave a message so my insurance office would call me this morning and allowed it to roll off my back enough that I slept ok.  Today they called and noted that a bill wasn't sent out yet and it isn't due until early March (which is odd since my mortgage paid it in February last year, but ok).  They made sure records indicated the bill needed to come to me.  Crisis averted.  Premiums are up yet another $100 this year.  I can't believe I'm going to phrase this in a positive light, but I've heard of people having premiums double, so I'll take it.

I found adapter plugs that eliminate my previous frustration.  Let's be honest, for $4, even w/ a working arm I might have taken this lazy route.  Those should arrive on Thursday, but the replacement detector won't be here until the 20th or so.  I bought a two-pack thinking that I should also swap out the basic smoke detector in the basement (near the furnace) for smoke/carbon monoxide.  In theory it should all work, and if it doesn't or causes too many false positives I can always swap it back out.

Friday I got my registration for the car.  They've raised that price too.  2023 $39.00, 2024 $39.50, 2025 $45.00 - seriously you email me something I have to print myself.  How does that cost another $5.00?  Based on the stories swirling about perhaps it will slush a legal fund for our Governor.

I also had the first individual here to measure as I prepare to replace flooring.  Of course I didn't get any numbers and I need to go back up to their store when I can spend more time looking through the options.  The kick in the nards there is that they don't move certain things -- like adjustable beds (which I have) -- and they have to be fully vacated.  Um... I can barely move that thing to clean behind it.  That might be a deal breaker.

The last of the body tenderness is finally leaving.  I have 10 days until my next massage.  Hopefully we can deal with any lingering tightness then.  There is major flu floating around (several variants).  I'm really hoping my house can escape that mess - I put in my time throughout January.  Reminder to take your vitamins.

I thought I had won my own personal lottery.  The smoke/carbon monoxide detector started beeping a week and a half ago -- but not at 2am.  It was a relatively reasonable hour with the exception that it was the only day I get to lay in bed longer.  By the time I had the dog out and came back upstairs to figure out which one it was it had stopped.  A couple of days later it started again -- this time at 9am on a work day, even better.  I changed out the batteries, counted my blessings that it wasn't beeping in the middle of the night and went about my day.

Here we are on Friday after this started and it's beeping again.  The batteries are good, I know it.  So I look it up.  Every 30 seconds beep means that it is nearing end of life (rather than 1 beep every 60 seconds).  Lesson learned.  But in the mean time, it won't stop beeping - and while I keep plenty of batteries here to avoid this annoyance I do not keep extra smoke detectors.

I certainly hope that the same brand still uses the same connectors and should be an easy swap, but until I see it I'm not going to expect it.  My first thought was, should one just replace all of them at once?  I mean they're all 10 years old.  Then I saw the price of one.  Ouch.  It's discontinued hence the high price.  The replacement they point you to?  It has a different connection, so I'd need to swap out the connector to the hardwires.  Keep in mind I still have one arm that doesn't go up, hence I haven't change the light fixture over the sink in the basement yet.  Good times.

95%.  Still just a wee bit.  My whole chest cavity remains sore, the feeling like after you had an extreme workout when out of shape.  I'm pulling out the massager today to try and loosen things up.

Since my last post I have stopped in to several more flooring places including another that seems on the 'higher' end, the place that did my upstairs bathrooms/laundry room a year ago, and home depot to review what they carry.  I'm still not blown away by anything.  There really is very little variety out there in carpet colors, just gradients or beige or gray, or beige and gray.

I feel like I'm doomed to pick something that "will do" rather than finding something that I immediately fall in love with if I want to do this relatively near term.  Heck, the quotes may come in so outrageous that doing this near term isn't even an option -- and that's based in part on my guestimates.  Here's my guess based on some of the numbers I've seen - carpet w/ the upgraded padding 8-9k; lvp 6-7k or ceramic around 10k.  If that's where things start to land that definitely doesn't leave me wanting to do everything all at once and it nixes some of the other upgrades that I'd want to do at the same time.  Dear lottery (or wealthy benefactors on their deathbed that I am not aware of), a girl could use a hand.  Thanks.

I'm at 90% - periodic coughs, particularly when I over extend myself.  I'll take it.  I truly lost the whole month of January.  Yesterday I finally took the really large bin of Christmas stuff back to the basement and only suffered a minor coughing fit.

Saturday was brisk but the sun was out, so Avery and I spent most of the day outside with her neighbor friends.  I needed the fresh air and companionship.  I came in a bit windburned and frozen to the core which had me taking a super hot shower and sitting on the couch in layers of clothes and blankets.  Maybe that's what dislodged the last bit of ick?  I'm left with just a little bit of rib cage soreness.

Friday I popped into one flooring store that I expect to be a bit overpriced.  They didn't quite have what I'm looking for instore, and didn't have some of the options I saw on the website.  While the lady that helped me mentally took me back to my youth, and not for a good reason, I still have her coming to measure and give me general estimates.  I figure it will give me the higher number so I can start to figure out my path forward.

I say take me back to my youth because... when I started looking at one section of carpet she tried to nudge me away from it to the other side of the store and basically told me that carpet was the very expensive/high end stuff.  Granted, I went in there dressed a bit like a bum... but even I learned when I was 16 waiting tables to not take a look at someone and make a financial assessment.  I remember this happening to me distinctly once when I was younger and it was a running joke w/ the ex and I.  I went to ?Market Basket in Johnstown, we had friends coming (one of which I know reads this blog).  I wanted to buy filet mignon and asked to have 4 cut to whatever thickness (I don't remember).  The butcher said "you know this is X $ a lb, right?"  The ex had bought me jewelry periodically.  He was good like that.  Looking as he (we) did, he would go into a store and he (we) would get ignored.  The place could have been empty and they would ignore the young 20-somethings in the dark clothes.  Eventually he found the gal that was our go to for jewelry shopping because she treated him like anyone else.  I'm sure her coworkers were pretty pissed about the commissions they lost.

In past visits to the doctor for a cough I've been told both that it was sinus related and that it was reflux related.  I want to note that I have only ever had a brief issue with heartburn when I was very pregnant, so I've always been skeptical of that diagnosis.  Here recently with this cough I've found myself (gross warning) tasting what I last ate a bit more often (still no burning), so I figured I should give this a little more consideration - especially given how overweight I am at the moment, which could cause or exacerbate this issue too.  I've taken a few antacids in the past few days and I even slept on the couch the past two nights, hoping the more upright posture would prevent reflux-related issues.  Last night I also pulled out the neti-pot, even though my head/sinuses have been remarkably clear ever since the allergy fit on New Years day.  May as well tackle both suspect concerns.

Sitting still I feel ok and start to think maybe I'm doing better - but when I have to move around too much, do the stairs, or head out into the brisk air the cough takes over.  Nothing like loosing all of January to this.

In a desperate attempt to do some of the things I am behind on (read:  cleaning) last night I dusted the cat room (prb not great for a cough) and scrubbed down my bathroom sink (chemicals also prb not great).  So at least I ran the netipot after doing those things.

I look around at my mess and can't fathom how on earth I can have someone come here to replace floors, there is too much crap - where do you put it and how do you move it from room to room fast enough as they complete each space?

I'm seriously considering a very dark colored carpet upstairs.  I had a near black carpet in the bedroom at my old place - it wasn't as awful w/ fur as you might expect.  The bigger worry right now might be reducing the visibility of two black cats at night.  I also love the look of slate for downstairs - but hate the thought of that maintenance.  There are vinyl options, but I wish they would come up with a better name as vinyl instantly makes me think cheap.  Tile maybe?  I really need to get out and look at things, but I have to admit there are some really nice looking items on Home Depot's website.  I do need to do more research to make sure I am checking my boxes (scratch resistant and water proof, low maintenance).  At least I have a nice long window to do the research while I gather funds.

I've gotten my first tax bills post mortgage - ouch and ouch - and I'm waiting for the home owners insurance bill to come too.  It would be really nice to think I had a tax refund coming to cover those things, but knowing it's dumb to give the govt an interest free loan I have tried to cut those numbers tighter in recent years.  I guess the lottery is the only other option.  Last week I did get a fortune cookie last Thursday that told me "A financial breakthrough awaits you this Wednesday"... so lemme see it universe.

Monday will be (a combined) 25 years with my employer.  How does that even happen?  Obviously, my body reminds me daily that this time has definitely passed even if my mind isn't there.

While I don't want to give up my today, I miss the early days.  I miss the people around me then.  I miss Thursday wing nights.

One thing about a massage is, sometimes, it can leave you more sore the next day... but then you tend to feel way better the second day after.  That's where I'm at today.  I ached rolling out of bed this morning and I had a tinge of a headache.  Feels great to cough like that, let me tell you.

Girl got up and so it began.  Each day she fights back a bit more doing the school work that needs to be completed.  Today she literally took all day and only completed the packet from school - after countless visits with me to check things and to help her with the things she wasn't sure how to do.  Somehow from 6:30a-4:45p I managed to get 7 hours worth of work in and lunch reheated.  We headed to Jujitsu because even more on her days off she needs that exercise.

Then it's make dinner, with that started run her through her high frequency words, spelling words, bible verse, and the like - then, prepare a packed lunch and snack for tomorrow, empty the dishwasher, wash the dishes from earlier in the day, and eat.  Then wash more dishes and her milk/water bottle.

I'm emotionally done today.  My entire rib cage aches.  I cried.  I haven't done that in a while.  I need to vacuum - I just don't have it in me.  The heavy bin of Christmas crap is still in my kitchen waiting to go downstairs - I just don't have it in me.  My cold water on my bathroom sink still doesn't work - I just don't have it in me.  To be honest, right now I am not sure I have it in me to get up off of this couch so I can walk up stairs and shower.  The alarm goes off in 7.5 hours.  I hope I can get a good night's sleep.  Go away cough, go away.

So help me if I have a voice mail saying school is out again when I wake up I might lose my mind.

I love my child.  I want her around.  But I also need my child to go back to school.  As noted previously, they had a 2 hour delay last Wednesday, they were off on Thursday.  Monday was a school holiday (I still had to work), today they're remote, and... tomorrow they're remote.  Because it's _cold_.  *sigh*  Where is my 3 days of teacher salary on top of trying to get our one product testing finished and released at the same time.  I'm tired, the cough persists, and I'm getting cranky.  Thank goodness for my massage today - and even more gratitude for my massage therapist that doesn't mind Avery sitting in the room playing on her Switch.

I stuffed up w/ an allergic fit on New Years day something fierce.  That rolled down my throat (as it does) and caught in my upper airways.  I've since been coughing - and I'm to the big annoying ones that sometimes make me wretch.  I'm kind of making a note here because I looked back to my old posts to see when I last had this - and it was December 2023.  I definitely seem to get this once a year. At least this go round isn't a sore throat.  I also haven't thrown out a rib as I did last time, but I am a bit sore from the coughs.

This state slows me down a bit as I am trying to avoid coughing fits.  There is still the one big/heavy container of Christmas stuff upstairs that I haven't carried to the basement.  Let's be honest, as behind as I am in cleaning, I can't afford to be slowed further.  I also miss being able to participate in the wine at communion.

Yesterday I took to a task that involved me sitting at the table - I managed to ready Avery's Valentine box.  This year they had "homework" to make whatever box they wanted.  Well, the girl is all about the Minecraft game that she spent her Christmas money on, so we made a creeper head w/a red heart on the top.  It turned out decent.  It might also pass as something she made.  Hey, I never said I was crafty.  I also managed a pretty decent nap.  That's the one blessing about being "sick",  I feel way less guilty about this type of lazy.

Yesterday was a 2 hour delay, today is a day off.  I'm so jealous of my kid it isn't ok.  I did change my alarm and got an extra hour this morning since they cancelled before I went to bed last night.  Admittedly on Tuesday it was pretty gross in the afternoon.  There wasn't a lot of snow, but they didn't seem to have touched it.  We had made our attempt to go to Muay Thai but when I saw how backed up the highway was in both directions we turned around and came back to the house.

Today being cancelled means that voice lessons are cancelled.... again.  I at least waited to place my Giant Eagle order and was able to place it as a delivery instead.  How on the first day of their weekly sale (at 10am) do they not have the main thing I was ordering from them to obtain?  Shenanigans.  At least they had packs of ground beef at a good price.  I'll be bagging that up and putting it into the freezer given the spotty availability and ever increasing prices.  I wanted to get more boneless chicken thighs than I did but the price wasn't right.

To those having their babies today - take advantage of store pickup and delivery.  What a game changer.

Aside:  I have not seen the crows since my last post.  But we have tons of beautiful birds coming to the feeders on the back porch and the cats, especially Barnabas, are loving it.

Back in Johnstown I suddenly had crows bringing bones to the bird bath on my deck.  I'm all for a token of affection, but can you not bring something my dogs will eat and get sick from?  Focus on shiny things, thanks.  I don't recall doing anything to gain their affections, but I know that's a thing - they have a great memory.

I have often watched the two big crows that live nearby here.  They keep to the front of the house, leaving the bird bath and feeders on my deck alone (at least so far).  Today I made a grocery run after getting Avery on the bus as the snow was starting to fly again - yes, I bought milk and bread.  No eggs.  No one can afford those these days.  Regardless... when I returned I saw the two crows making a mess of the trash across the street.

I figured this was my opportunity to try and make friends.  At the cost of 2 hot dog buns I got to watch them trying to figure out how to pick up more than one piece of bread at the same time and monitored as they flew the bread up to the roof of the neighbor across the street.  As I watched I was waiting to see them drop the bread and it roll off the snow covered roof.  Clearly, I underestimated them.  They put the bread into the gutter and plucked pieces off from there.  While they eventually flew off with a few wads of bread and I was successful distracting them from making a mess of a neighbor's trash, they also left some behind.  I hope they return so I'm not left with the guilt of being the root cause of my neighbor's gutters being crammed with bread.