Here we go again.  This year has wizzed by and time shows no sign of slowing down.  Let's get to it, you know the drill :)

Looking back at notes from and wishes for 2021:
- Avery is more awesome every day.  She is smart, funny, and helpful - and I am so proud of her.  It feels weird to not have milestones like what words she says to add here.  It's also crazy to see it's been over a year that she's been 100% out of diapers.
- Not a single cruise... and none on the horizon.  How depressing is that?  With the rules for travel as they are things don't look good for 2022, but a girl can hope.  We did get to visit with my sisters this year, but I only left PA twice - once for work travel and another to pick up Zero.  Avery and I did go to Living Treasures and we got another trip to Idlewild in; all of us went to Splash Lagoon meeting her bestie there.
- Speaking of Zero - we added Zero Francis and Church Noir to our family!  As of Christmas we also have a fish with us... but that's a whole other story.  The fish, a female betta is yet to be named.
- Safyre is well for her age.  Her hearing on the other hand has deteriorated significantly.  It's okay.  She can hear my poor whistle to call her in and she knows the routine.  She's been helping to teach Zero the ropes and setting a good example.  She has started going to the top of the stairs and crying, but not seeming to want to be up there if I allow her up.  Not sure if her mental health is declining or what.
- Health wise for me... there was a procedure under anesthesia to release my frozen shoulder and the subsequent physical therapy.  I also went under for my first ever colonoscopy and caved, getting my first pair of progressive glasses; talk about feeling old.  Otherwise I am well.  I would like to take off more weight, but that's a given.
- Work remains insane.  I'm at least between tasks that I have to lead, but there is no shortage of other activities I need to jump in on.  Taking time off is hard - I have to leave or schedule things in order to actually take those planned days off or I end up hoping on and getting sucked in.
- I hadn't planned anything big at the house for 2021, but was I wrong.  In the spring I ended up prepping an area and putting in a rather large swingset. I also treated myself and put in a hot tub.  I did keep pressing in on the mortgage.  If I can keep going I'm down to 2 more years.  I would be even further if I hadn't snapped and made those two big purchases as I could have dropped a nice chunk on the mortgage.
- I did finish my previous bible in a year plan and joined up with another one that started Jan 1 and finished this morning - I sure love Father Mike Schmitz, so it was easy to keep up.  I did a few other online listening plans and after a break got back on daily rosaries.  I also shifted churches and am back at the Catholic church.  After more than a year of not going to church it is nice to be back every week.

So my wishes for 2022:
- I still wish for normal to return.  Not a "new normal" - that is bs propoganda.  People need to realize they're being lied to and misled.

- I need to keep going on my weight lost journey - let's just put this plaque up as I expect it to be here every year.  I grabbed a water tracking app and am going to try upping my water intake to support this desire.  I never drink enough water, I know this, so it is a good change regardless.
- Nothing is on my mind for the house, but that was dangerous (and expensive) last year... so maybe I should plan something to keep the costs constrained.  The flooring here is all a nightmare.  The carpet is crap and has been since day one (bubbles, something underneath it in the bedroom, pulling up at some edges, and now a few spots damaged by the cat).  The downstairs flooring shifts around under your feet and you can see gaps in some spots, plus where water has laid on it it is bubbling up a bit.  So all of that should be high on the list, but that would defn be expensive and not where I want to dump money.  The windows aren't ideal, but again pretty significant cost.

- I want an actual vacation.  I know someone who is expecting in July.  I pray that things go away so travel opens up fully and people aren't leery of one another -- because I sure would like to go see them after the baby comes.  If that can't happen I do hope at least to find somewhere we can easily drive to and spend a few days; maybe into Ohio or WV.  I have started to think about a Disney trip - maybe for 2023 before Avery starts school but that too depends on how things progress in the next year or so too.

Our long Christmas weekend is coming to a close.  The weather has been mostly agreeable - if I could keep the dogs from digging in the mud thanks to all of the rain.  The gatherings were nice, but always make for tiring days.

Work will definitely be waiting for me tomorrow.  There seems to be some big mayhem getting ready to come down the pike.  Hopefully 2022 doesn't fly by like 2021 did.

I also need to say happy birthday to Zero.  While I am guessing it isn't really his birthday, it is the day they had on his paperwork... so happy 2nd birthday!

My back is finally happy again!

I finally ordered the last two Christmas gifts -- they're shipping direct to the recipient.  Well, not true, I still need one more gift card, but we'll grab that before the family gathering at which we need it.  I still have gifts to wrap, so I am not out of the woods yet.

I didn't get this done over the weekend, nor did I get some cleaning and tidying done as I should have.  I did manage to make two batches of chocolate chip cookies though.  We also went to the laser light show at the church where Avery's daycare is on Friday.  Avery loved it as I expected.  I also got a Sunday afternoon nap w/ a kittie curled up on my lap.  I'll take that weekend over cleaning anyday.

I'm still in pain.  I felt better on Sunday and then yesterday the ache returned, not so much in my neck but deep around my shoulder blade.  It hurts to sneeze, it's hard to sleep.  The heating pad and a pain reliever did nothing.  Getting old sucks.

Hence, I'm starting my morning w/ the back massager.  This tends to make me sore, which seems counter productive, but it does loosen up knots.

I finally got gifts for my sisters families into boxes and ready to take to the post office today.  Well, I still have to order a couple of things to ship direct to the one, but hopefully what I have will arrive on time.  Sunday afternoon was wrapping presents to make this happen.  I still have a majority of the ones for this house to get done.  How am I this far behind on life?

This week was a whirlwind.  Our team had to be prepared for a meeting on Friday, one I had to attend at another office.  Friday was a loooong day.  I was up before 5 and out the door by 5:30 to arrive a bit early for the 10:30 start time.  It ran to 6 and I got home around 11pm after being slowed by some traffic issues and heavy rain on the last legs.  Sitting in the car for so long I am pretty sore today.  My neck and shoulder on the left is so not pleased.  To the hot pad for me tonight.

Today we had my sister Mandy join us.  We had a bit of running to do, so we did to get to shop a little.  We stopped for a late lunch and then we came home and hung out a bit.  We also pulled out the Vitantonio pizzelle maker and cranked a batch out.  I may have paired it with some home made lemoncello.  I'm ready for bed.  Hopefully I can finish recuperating tomorrow.

I did get the tree and many of the decorations out the weekend I brought everything upstairs.  I waited a week to decorate the tree however as I was waiting to see how the cat was going to behave.  Fortunately, he has been content to lay under the tree to this point.

The mayhem seems to be at a hum compared to where we were, but the doggo still has a ways to go.  Every day while I work I also work with him -- in and out of the crate for increasing durations.  The amount of drool has been reduced significantly but is still a factor.  He remains very interested in playing with the cat who acts like a little old man and wants to ignore him.  I do find it funny that Zero forced Church out of the dog bed, much like the he did to Saffy in recent months.  I caught a picture of the indignant look on the cat's face.

School was closed last week for 4 days thanks to a few folks testing positive.  This has left me feeling run ragged.  It was definitely a bad time with regard to work to step away so I was putting in time when I could and plopping the kiddo in front of her shows to keep her occupied.  She did a great job and we did put some learning videos in there, but I remain quite guilty.

We did get to relax over the weekend, going to the town Christmas celebration which is always lovely.  I wish we had gone both days -- there was so much we didn't get to do.  We did however get to see her buddy, whom she missed tremendously all week, and hang out at the parade.

All of the Christmas decorations were hauled upstairs.  That alone had me wanting to sit, but I found my second wind.  The tree itself is up, but not decorated.  I'm giving Church a bit of time to check it out before we commit to the ornaments.  The mantle is decorated and a bit is up in the downstairs bathroom.  There is still a pretty big mish-mash on the kitchen table. With all of this I was so distracted that I didn't put the meat into the slow cooker earlier today -- and I'm not seeing something for carne picada in the instant pot, so that might be tomorrow's grub.

I did get a little time in working with Zero on the crate before church, but not as much as I would have liked.  Back to it after I get home and figure out dinner.  He hates it, but at least he's laying down and not freaking out ATM.  Still so many more increments on the to do list.

We are a day shy of 6 weeks and here is where we're at.  It is also day 4 of the dog being off leash and intermingled with the cat.  I have needed to yell a few times due to him being a little too much and/or chasing the cat (play, but still at his goober level intensity), but I'm very pleased with where we are at present and this is a huge relief.  He and Saffy are playing nicely too, with less nipping at her heels, but their relationship wasn't as tenuous from the get go.

The big remaining issue is the crate/separation issue.  The trainer was here on Monday and laid out a game plan for me.  It is tedious, but we'll see how it goes.  I did opt to hold off until today (Friday) to start working this as it gives me 3 days in a row to work the plan before I have to leave for a while, nevermind the longer Thanksgiving absence.  My reward for going to Tgiving yesterday was poo and a mess to clean, including a gross wall behind the crate.  Best part was his need to pee at 5am.  Too bad I didn't hear him whining; instead I heard the pee hitting the inflatable mattress.  So I got to clean that up at 5am.

Today the crate came downstairs and I am part way through our first session as I type this.  Wish me luck!  It is basically a process that seems 'logical' to me, but way more refined than something I would have figured out on my own.  It was good to hear someone echoing some of the things I was doing right and building on them.

Check in time!  4 week mark.

Not much has changed, it remains separation or leash -- and too much periodic lunges on that leash right now for my liking.  He destroyed the door on the old crate.  The door is bent in, which isn't too hard to do with the old plastic crates.  He then ate my ghostie bath and body works plugin *tears*.  I'll tell you -- it's impossible to find a heavy duty crate locally.

To my surprise I spotted a new in box of the make I was looking at on marketplace.  Yep, that went how you'd expect.  *sigh*  It was new, it does appear that it wasn't taken out of the box given the way it was in there, but all of the parts were missing (to screw the top on, to latch the door, and the caster/wheels).  The guy answered once to reiterate he didn't have it out of the box, but that was it - he didn't reply when I asked about him inquiring to obtain the parts.  Fortunately, my sister was here all week and she's way more resourceful than I.  She found the right sized screws to put the top on and created makeshift door locks.

Today while I returned her to the airport, stopped at Target, and went to church that is where he was.  He didn't get out -- but he sure made a mess.  He still drooled like crazy, but since this has openings on the bottom and trays the trays were soaked instead of him.  He also pooped, so that was fun.

He nips at Saffy's legs when playing and she's none too thrilled.  I've been trying to deter his mouthing in general.  I'm tired right now, that's for sure, despite having a bit of help w/ my sister in.

More on that -- we had our other sister and her daughter here early in the week to visit as well.  I am not a fan of the fact that I felt like I shouldn't go anywhere (other than for a walk with him).  It wouldn't be as big of a deal if I saw a light at the end of that tunnel.  We still had a very nice visit.

Progress update:

Zero is still 100% separated and/or on leash around the Church.  I have not dropped the leash yet either.  It's coming up on the 3 week mark, it took Saffy 2 weeks -- so I don't think I should lose hope yet.  Zero does relax a lot more and look away from the cat, so that's significant but I still, obviously, do not trust him to go further.

As a result of this process I have gotten to see Church hopping across the living room in the retro 'scaredy cat' pose.  I also got to take a video of him sitting on the couch swatting at Zero's tail while he wagged it back and forth.

Zero also has some serious separation anxiety.  I was told he did better in a more open crate, so I may order one, but I have not yet (need to get more confidence in my long term income first if you catch my drift).  The big issue is if he would continue drooling at the current level in a more open crate that the carpet would be drenched.  When I say he is soaked in 20 minutes you are not taking me as literally as you should be.

I did reach out to a trainer to see what they might have to say.  The reply indicated 'bad news' that the likelihood of what I am describing being resolved is fairly low.  He is getting better about not getting into things and even had one day where I felt comfortable leaving him out while I ran for Avery without destroying anything.  He is also not immediately scratching at the door or carpet if I put him in my room to eat dinner while I ready Avery for bed, so that's progress too.  The ultimate goal is to not need to crate him, but that might be a long way off.  It is hard to get out for a walk mid-day to tire him out a bit.  If I have a meeting to call into that doesn't require me to be at my computer I am trying to walk during that window of time.

I hate how easily strangers can effect me.  I try to allow school buses out in front of me where I can.  I do it in honor of Mom, who drove a school van, but also in these times they need a little hand and there aren't enough of them to go around, so we gotta be extra nice.

Today the guy behind me laid on the horn and started yelling out his window.  I hate that he ruined my morning.  I hate that he so easily drew me into yelling back at him -- at least I didn't swear.  Just settle down people.

Critter updates:  We now have a woolly bear caterpillar living in Avery's bug catcher container.  He was on a sweatshirt she brought in so I thought we'd try tending to him.  From what I read he just needs clover, grass, and a stick -- we have all of those right here.

Church and Zero (on leash) did spend time in the same room.  Zero's energy is still not quite right for me.  Church still struts around like a confident kittie, so that's good.  We (Church and I) are locking ourselves in the office during the work day.  Zero is starting to learn the rules *knock on wood* and chilling while outside of that room.  I'm hoping to have the energy to try more as the week progresses.

Now if we can just get him to stop turning on the drooly water works when in the crate.  I don't trust him enough to give him freedom while I run to and from getting Avery, so in he goes -- and out he comes a half an hour later soaked.

I spoke too soon on the woolly bears... I am finding 3-5 every day and moving them from the street/driveway to the plants.  Haven't been out yet today thanks to the rain, but with the doggo here, I'm going to need to get strolling soon.  I owe it to him especially today since he spent the longest stint (unfortunately in the crate) without me yet.

I had today off with Avery for some quality time.  I'm really glad on our previous day off (2 weeks ago) we headed out and did something bigger.  I sure didn't want to do be out all day today with the cooler temps and rain, plus... doggo.

We did still go out.  It was her first trip to a movie theatre!  I know I haven't been to a theatre in a while, but dang, it was nice.  Reclining leather seats with lots of leg room and a little table in front of you?  Nice deal.  The Addams Family 2 kept her interest - and mine, but I did have to fight off falling asleep part way though.  From there we hit Big Lots for a few things and picked up a grocery order from Iggle.

While we were gone for almost 4 hours he did ok.  He's drooly in that crate and guzzled/slopped water after coming out, but no accident inside and no bent crate door (I gotta admit, history had me concerned that would happen).  This also gave the cat a window of time to wander the house (outside of overnight) and with Saffy.  He deserved a few hours of normal too.

I saw three woolly bear caterpillars so far today - that's crazy, right?  I see so much in nature here that I never spotted in Jtown, but maybe it's because I have a kid and am simply more attentive to those things now.  Regardless, all three foretell a good sized band of 'orange' later in the season.  *fingers crossed*

I reviewed the tips for integrating dog and cat to refresh my memory.  As such, last night and this morning they had their meals on opposite sides of the bedroom door.  This guy is definitely a bigger challenge than Saffy as he wants to use those paws to scratch and reach, which isn't Saffy's go to.  There is a lot of adjusting he will need to do here in general. I on the other hand need to step up and get him more exercise, which is a good thing for me.

I have been monitoring calories for quite a while now.  I'm down 12lbs since June.  That's not much, but pretty remarkable since I haven't launched into exercise mode.  If I add in two walks a day to keep the dog exercised hopefully that will bolster my progress as well.  I gotta keep reminding myself how much tiring him out can help.

Yes, I have already had the "what did I get myself into" moment, but things will get better and time goes fast, right?  RIGHT?

He is a very lovey boy and enjoys attention.  He seems to be a talker like Satin was and even splays his legs out on the non-carpeted floor like she did.  He is still a bit puppy mouthy, we will work no that too.  It is all about boundaries boundaries boundaries.

Saturday Avery and I hit the road... it's the first time I have left the state in a year.  Our target?  Cross Junction VA to pick up a doggo that came north from Southern Siberian Rescue (my old friends from NC).  His name is presently Oshie and we're working on something else.  I was thinking "Bates Francis" in tribute to one of my favorite hockey players in NC (and also a nice tie to Norman Bates) and my favorite Penguin/Hurricane Ronnie Francis (which was also my Dad's middle name), but my Favorite Egg promptly indicated he was going to call him Master *sigh - boys*

He is a black and white pibald with the most interesting 'eyebrows', super soft fur, looks 'short' to me but I am sure that is due to years of being around non-standard sized siberians.  He is about a year and a half from their guesses and he's a bit wild/clod-like, so we will be working to calm him down.

Nothing like proving I am an unfit mother whilst going to get the new boy-child.  I managed to leave Saffy outside when we left.  There she was, assuredly quite unhappy about the situation for about 7 hours until my Favorite Egg got here *smacks forehead*  I had a neighbor message me too (which I didn't see on FB) asking if I was ok.  The good news is they recognize that leaving her out was uncharacteristic of me.  The bad news is they had to listen to her disgruntled complaints all day.

Saffy and he are agreeable, but she was not in a good mood yesterday.  I am guessing it was due to being tired and maybe even sore from being outside all day on Saturday and unable to lounge in her stacked beds.  She seems to be a bit happier today (her tail was up), but she is not wanting to roughhouse with him -- that might be a good thing if we can break him of that.

I'm glad Avery is bigger that she stands a chance of defending herself, but she isn't used to the dog being crazy and clod-like.  I am sure there will be a few tears, but who has a human brother that wasn't driven to shed a few because "Mommy, he did this".

Church's eyes about bugged out when they caught glimpse of one another.  Oshie was all super psyched.  Unfortunately, Church has been reverted to his room during the day (for now) and given total freedom at night.  We will slowly work forward as I did with Saf and Church, but please do say a prayer for us to help ensure we all become one big happy family.

The first casualty of a new doggo came this morning while I took Avery to school.  I came home to find my radishes on the floor (untampered with at least) and my dish scrubber chomped.  How I see it is that he is taking it easy on me.  He definitely has some anxiety (that was apparent on the drive home, but could also have been 100% from his looooong day on the road moving between vehicles).  Hopefully it will wane quickly as he learns our routine and sees that I will come back every time.

I realized that I ripped Church off.  He wasn't given a middle name.  So, Avery and I set forth throwing names back and forth.  Yesterday while she was at school the perfect name hit me... Noir!  Cat Noir and Ladybug are big with Avery right now so it played in well.  She liked it and agreed, so it is official.  Church Noir.

Happy (20th) antiversary to me.

While a lot of stuff is well and buried and I am very happy where I am today, it does still make me sad that I won't get those milestones.

I'm wiped - and blessed that I have one more day left of my weekend!  I took Friday off to spend a little quality time with the kiddo.  A few weeks back she was moaning about going to school saying she wanted to stay with me.  I took this is a reminder that I was long over due, so I planned two Fridays off here this October since there are so many awesome activities this time of year.

This Friday we drove north to the Living Treasures park off of 79 and we both really enjoyed it.  From there we drove over to an Ollie's that was near by (goodness  I miss living hear one of these stores).  Then on the drive home we side tracked to At Home and for dinner.  By the time we got home it was straight to the shower and bed.

Today we were up and moving to get to the Houston Pumpkin Festival's parade.  We hung around after to take things in there.  It remains one of my favorite events around here this time of year.

I was contemplating another stop tomorrow, but I don't know if I have the energy for it.  I really should get other things done here around the house -- we'll see.

I also have something else in the works that may manifest next weekend that could be a bit time consuming.  For sure it proves I am crazy.

This morning we loaded Saffy and Church into the car and took them to church for the blessing of the animals.  Many years ago (I can't find record of it here in my blog) I took Saffy back in Jtown.  She's getting older, time for a 'booster' dose.

There have been consignment sales and all kinds of goodies in the past few weeks - I do love the fall.

Well, it happened.  I know the person wasn't trying to be mean or anything, but it still stings -- and not so much for the 'obvious' reason.

I ran a few errands over lunch, including popping into Walgreens.  I didn't find what I went in for, but I did find some water paints on clearance, so I snagged them.  At checkout the older woman at the register said "buying these for your grandchildren?"

I did reply that they were for my 4 year old daughter, who will love them.  It is only a little that she thinks I look old enough to have grandkids -- because, let's be honest, I am, and my severe need to recolor my hair is the clear message here.  The real reason is that I hated it when I was a kid and people mistook my dad as my grandfather.  I distinctly remember one of the instances:  Wissinger's market out on 31st street.  I remember crying.  I don't know why it bothered me so, but it did.

The good news is Avery wasn't with me.  There's no telling if this would bother her as it did me, 

Two big things in my brain today... first is something that greatly troubles me and I gotta get it out so I can sleep tonight.

Today a presumption I made about what most Christians believe and hold true was shattered.  This is something that is black and white to me, a question of morals, and straight up addressed in the commandments.  It was classified as "too political" for an individual of faith, one in leadership, and they took the 15 foot pole approach.

I don't see it as political, but, let's presume it is -- fine.  Here's the deal:  Jesus got involved in politics.  Let's be honest... he was the ultimate victim of the political cancel culture of his day.  He certainly didn't just stay quiet and allow people to sit comfortably in sin.  I don't know about you, but I'm most ill at ease when things are pointed out to me that I am guilty of.

When I was a teenager I had a Sister (nun) teaching us as I wrapped up my years of catechism classes.  She told us :the stories in the bible aren't true, they're just stories meant to teach you a lesson" - and I'll never forget it, she fractured my faith and belief for years.  This interaction today made me think of that time, but I am definitely not allowing this response to break me - it does make me sad because it highlights how much luke warm water there is around me.  Aside:  I sincerely miss my church in Jtown.

Man is too easily misled and they lead other sheep astray.  Pray friends.  Get your relationship straight with God and ask Him to guide you and correct you.  When we start to say "surely God wouldn't judge me for this" or "I don't think He meant that" what we are doing is creating a god in our image.  Without admitting this error and repenting we earn our wages.

Pay on to Caesar friends what is his, and give God what is His (i.e., everything).

---------

The second is the realization that my ex is probably going to be patient zero for a covey variant.  He was notorious for not getting sick often, but when he did it was a doozy.  Let's say he caught something from me - he'd go down hard - he would then give me something different back.

Oktoberfest!  I love my town. Avery had a blast with two of her school buddies riding rides.  I did have a beer... and fries... and ice cream *ugh*

It's time to record a dream here... I'm not going to lie, I do think that we are seeing the start of the end, so perhaps me having this dream is no surprise.

I was outside, not at my house, not sure where I was - but it felt like it was somewhere here in town outside of someone I knew's place.  We started to notice a rainbow in the sky, then another and another - and we quickly realized the sky was full, just one beside another.  As we looked around we could see the ends of many rainbows converging up high in the sky and we turned our attention to where they met.

Shortly after doing so a bright yellow-white light appeared and quickly manifested into something falling to the ground (like a meteor).  Shocked we ran up the stairs of the house (it felt like the person I knew or was there at a party/celebration).  We got inside and I prayed - I was actually more joyous because I believed God was taking us soon than I was fearful of what I just saw.

It became a little overcast and gray.  I mentioned 3 days of darkness but I saw that cars and people were still moving so I suggested to who seemed to be a friend right there with me that we try to get to my place because I had food and water to get through that.  We headed to the parking lot where my car was and its like there were two bites/rips of metal taken from the front of the car and I knew it wasn't going to run, I didn't even try it.  The rest of the cars were gone from that area.  I was calling for my sister and from the tone and behavior of those asking why I was calling for her I knew that wasn't a safe place for me to be.  So I headed back inside and began locking the doors.

That's about where it ended and I woke up.

This long weekend was extra necessary after 3 days of Avery being home w/ the daycare closed due to another parent testing positive.  Today she returned, along w/ the dictator's rules to wear masks.  I hate this for her.

We did some more Halloween hunting and more decorating.  At this point I have lights up on the front/downstairs windows and a few more things "in place".  The cat was interested in the lights as they went up, so I am keeping fingers crossed he won't find them to be a toy overnight.

We also had a couple of gatherings this weekend.  The first was for a birthday party for Avery's bestie.  The second was for family.  My favorite egg's family gathered to meet his sister's fiance.  Unfortunately he couldn't come with, yup -- he was exposed last week too! -- but Avery and I had a nice time visiting.

I have to admit, I lost my sh*t a bit this morning on someone who didn't deserve it.  The dentist's office brings me anxiety to being with.  When they email and call incessantly to remind me of an appointment it agitates me.  You're in my calendar... I got it.  It's another one of those places that wants you to click links and to call back.  They also threaten to charge you if you don't cancel at least 48 hours in advance.  Why then are you calling me again TODAY, the day before my appointment saying I HAVE TO call you back by 12:30.  SERIOUSLY.  I called, pissed.  I'll be there - stop calling, stop emailing.  If I don't show, bill me your 'fee'.  I don't have time for it.  You shouldn't waste your staff's time making such calls either.

I mustered motivation and brought the Halloween decorations upstairs.  When I got up to start carrying things I thought it was just going to be a carry and done... but I got to work and put out a relatively large portion of items indoors.  It is spooky season, after all, right?  The good news is that despite the number of things I have already purchased this year, I still don't feel over run.

Wednesday morning I woke up to a text that daycare was closed.  Yup, another parent w/ a positive test.  Later that day the call came - daycare is closed for the rest of the week.  We're trying to make the best of it. Avery is old enough that she is almost thoroughly entranced with TV and her tablet if I allow it.  The only challenge is she wants someone to sit with her, so she was coming in to me or asking for my presence.

I reached out on the community FB page and had a teen come on Wednesday afternoon to sit with her and that made her happy.  I wish she had engaged and tried to get her to play etc, but, eh.  That was only an option because the local school district was closed due to the heavy rains and flooding on Wednesday.  Today we ran out for lunch together and picked up a grocery order midday before returning and her Dad coming to entertain her while I worked in the afternoon.  As such, I am not too far behind on hours for the week thus far.

Don't get me wrong, I have the vacation time to use if need be -- but I suspect we'll need it more in coming weeks, so I don't want to burn it if I don't have to. Yes, I think there will be another lockdown and closed schools/daycares.  The beatings will continue until morale improves.

I wanted to get the dining room wall of photos completed this weekend, but I didn't touch it.  This is my precursor to getting the Halloween decorations out, so...I need to get in gear. Instead, today I managed to get a nap - sorry, not sorry. I was up pretty early.  Before Avery got up I went downstairs to tidy the canned goods etc and assess what all I have.  Yes, I firmly believe you need to stock up if you haven't already.

I got some thank you cards written out, so that's something, right?

Saturday was consumed by a trip to meet up with Avery's Nonna at The Friendly Stem in Irwin.  It is ran/owned by friends of hers.  They don't normally allow children, but we went at the end of normal hours as family/friends type guests.  So I have another beautiful bouquet here.  She was also kind enough to allow us to gather from her garden rather than seeing things rot on the vine.  So today we had BLTs with fresh tomatoes and there are other goodies waiting for us to grub.

Tonight's dinner had me searching for ideas.  I found a winner in a lemon butter and sage chicken.  The recipe I found for eggplant was pretty bland.  I need to invest the effort and make the eggplant recipe I found back when I was pregnant and had to take breaks while making it to give my feet a rest.  It was so yummy.

Technical documentation pet peeve:

If you write something like:

An error is recorded indicating "system failure."

Instead of (note placement of period):

An error is recorded indicating "system failure".

The error had better SHOW "system failure." WITH THE PERIOD.  If not, put the friggin period after the quote.  I don't care what idiocy (you think) you were taught in school about moving the punctuation inside the quote.  What goes inside the quotes, if you are using quotes, had better match exactly.

That is all.

Had a great visit with my sister Mandy and her husband yesterday.  We went to B3 (Bacon, Bourbon, and Beer), which is always yummy, but I hadn't been there in quite some time followed by a pass around the outlets to settle our big meal before heading for Sarris ice cream -- the first official Avery birthday celebration.  I snagged the last bath and body works halloween item I wanted (the lanyard bat) and a surprise car scent holder in the bat theme.  Still cruisin Target waiting for Halloween to hit the dollar spot.

Saturday was Avery's last swim lesson.  That went quite well except she didn't want to jump in.  I can't believe the summer is all but over.  I really want to get to the pool one more time.  They cut back their hours later this week.  Maybe I'll cut lose from work today or tomorrow early and take her to swim.

I have been sleeping well as of late, which made it all the more notable that I woke around 4 last night and struggled to get back to sleep.  I felt like there was a lot on my mind but yet, there wasn't anything there specific that I was swirling on.  Hoping to shake whatever that was off.

Finances aren't really the world's business, but I am excited.  Today the payment going to the mortgage brings my number down into 5 figures.  I'm excited to log into the servicing website to see that number once it processes.  I have been pushing hard on this, so I have to celebrate the progress.  I'd like to get it done before Avery goes to school (that is if I make her wait until 2023 to go) but that is a big push.

Last night I did my first volunteer activities with Merlin's Safe Haven Cat Rescue (where Church came from).  Digging to find information on people is kind of fun for me, so it's a good fit and it helps out.  It feels good to be participating with a rescue again, even if it is awkward that it is a cat rescue rather than a dog rescue.

Rule of thumb:  if you schedule a meeting to discuss a task you have indicated you have been working on for weeks and then you don't show up for your meeting... pound sand, and don't expect others to make up for your lack of action or capability.

The la-z-boy is officially in the living room.  It was bought over 4 years ago with this intent, but I employed it to rock with a baby Avery and to read books with a toddler Avery.  With her getting a big girl bed there simply isn't room or need so it has come downstairs and the old wedding gift from my coworkers papasan chair is to the curb.

What am I going to tell you that others haven't already said about colonoscopy prep?  Probably nothing.  Admittedly, the liquid wasn't as gross as I had psyched myself up to expecting, but it was pretty frigging nasty.  I found their advice to mix and refrigerate ahead of time helpful, same with drinking through a straw -- it helped me chug and get it down in around 5 minutes.

I'm not a big water drinker.  I need to get better about it, but it is what it is.  The prep I went with required less fluids than some of the others, but I still pushed up against the deadline to finish this morning.  The good news is all of this water had me not feeling hungry last night or this morning.

My experience last night had me ask my Favorite Egg to stay and tend to Avery's school drop off this morning.  What follows is TMI for many, but I post it because I was searching for this information and couldn't find it.  I get that it is likely different for everyone, but...

Guzzled my gross fluid in 5 min a few minutes before 6pm last night.  Immediately started into the first 16 oz of water chaser.  I was in the bathroom by 6:20pm.  Those that remark "stay close to the bathroom" are liars.  Nope. Just set up shop.  Bring your readers, a good book, a phone, maybe a charger... I also pulled out the toiletries I had post-partem (moist wipes, spray bottle, and witch hazel with cotton balls).  After an hour I started venturing out to lay down in the bed and cover up.  I was FREEZING!  I haven't said that in a long time with all of the hot flashes I have.  I even put on a sweatshirt in between future visits to the facility.  Things slowed down by 8pm, so I helped give Avery her bath and got to read and cuddle with her.  Just a few more quick trips after that.  Fortunately, nothing overnight, so I had a pleasant night's sleep.

This morning I did another 5 minute gulp of prep around 6:40am.  It was consistent - about 25 minutes later things started to happen.  Now I just let things settle down as I try to work this morning.

The anticipation is making me anxious.  Tomorrow is clear liquids only... getting ready for my first colonoscopy on Thursday.  Sounds fun, huh?  Two trips under anesthesia in one year.  That alone makes me anxious.  I'm not too concerned about the procedure itself since I'll be out and, presuming all goes well, I shouldn't have any issues from the procedure -- just the complications of the prep.

I guess I should make myself a batch of jello tonight, so I will have something to "chew".  What is truly remarkable is how good my diet normally is.  Yes, I like junk food, but I eat a rather high fiber diet, which is abundantly clear from the few things left on the 'allowed to eat' list for the past week.  Basically I could have meat and junk food, sounds like a dream, right?  Not so easy when you're trying to limit your calorie intake and you're in the part of of summer with all of the goodies like fresh corn, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, and the like.

I opened the box of prep to look at things today.  They advise mixing it and refrigerating it -- great advice for someone like me who doesn't like warm water.  At least the stuff you mix with water isn't thick.  But even looking had my mouth watering, and I don't mean in that salivating because something looks or smells so good, I mean in that gosh, am I going to up-chuck way.

I'm also wondering how I am going to pull off the prep on time and still meet my other obligations.  I was warned, so I was smart enough to decline their offer for a 9am appointment.  I'm scheduled for 12:30pm.  Why is that?  Because you start the second dose of prep 7 hours before the appointment.  Sorry, but starting bowel spasms to sh*t out a lung at 2am doesn't sound fun.  I'd rather try to sleep the night before.  Of course, 7 hours before 12:30pm is 5:30am.  Not crazy early, but I have to get the kiddo to daycare by 7:30ish.  It isn't a long drive, but... you can see where I am going with this, right?

I sent the check to finalize Church's adoption.  I can say Church now, right?  He is so bold - even walking up to try and steal from Saffy's bowl while she eats.  She grumbled at him but handled it pretty well - she knows I will protect her chow for her.  Plastic bags are still on the counters and he keeps pressing past them.

This weekend we had a visit from Avery's Nonno and Nonna, who delivered a bed from their spare room (they are downsizing) thus giving Avery a big girl bed.  We also went to the Alleyway Saturday event on our main street (Pike) and had a nice little evening out.

I was pretty lazy on Sunday but got a burst of energy and got some of the growth behind the fence addressed and to the curb.  The problem is it is hot as all get out lately and I am on instant sweat/overheat mode.  The evenings are cooling down and the sounds of fall are creeping in.  I'm not wishing summer away so I can complain about winter weather - I just want 100% spring and fall, please.

We had a visit from my sister and niece earlier this week.  I enjoyed taking a couple more days away from the drudgery.  It also afforded me enough time that we had a significant breakthrough with "C" and Saffy.  Saffy is now chill, enough so that I have a picture of "C" sleeping in her bed in my office whilst she slept beside it today.  Ok so the cat and the dog can get along... the last thing to get through is adjusting me to a cat.

Leaps and strides have been made for everyone's bonding... but I know I still have a long road to haul if he is going to stay.  I'm happy that Avery is happy and super excited that the dog and cat are peaceful at this point.  This means the cat is now out and wandering about.

This also means that I have plastic bags lining the kitchen counters and table to convince him that these are not suitable places to jump up. I have stuffed plastic bags around the dirt on plants to keep him from digging in the pots.  I just discovered carpet snagged up under the door to the spare room where he's been staying at night -- so not pleased about that.  I am trying to wear him out and feed him amply for bed time in the hopes he will crash, but dude, you are going to land in a giant dog crate if you don't cut that quick.  I know, I know, I should give him the same treatment dogs get and he should get to sleep in my room, right?  But you and I both know that the cat isn't going to sleep through and I am going to want to strangle him, right?

The good news is that when the kid rolls over after being awakened she smiles when she realizes it is the kittie standing there and not just me.

This morning I sat in the office working w/ Saffy on leash and allowed "C" to wander.  He eventually came into the office and we had successful very close encounters.  Saffy and I followed "C" into the living room for a bit more sniffing and eyeballing one another which went well.  Once again Saffy started to get a little too excited, especially when a little kitty-spazing occurred and we ended the interaction.

The other nice thing about "C"'s time downstairs is that he was content down low.  I know it won't last.

"C" visited the vet yesterday for a sore at the corner of his mouth.  I just gave him day 2 of the medicine.  Color me surprised that putting the pill in his mouth and blowing on his nose, like I do for dogs, worked and he swallowed them.

We have had a few 'meetings' with Saffy on a leash.  She starts out pretty chill but then gets excited as "C" moves around more and more.  At that point I end the interaction.  Saffy did get to sniff her rear and "C" sniffed at Saffy's side.  No lunging on Saffy's part, which bolsters my hope, but I am still too nervous.

Saffy managed to make a mess with a ("treat"-free) litter box that I got to vacuum up.  Here's hoping that intrigue dissipates.  "C" goes to the vet later today for the little bump at the corner of his mouth.  He is starting to get bolder about trying to get into things and jumping up on items I would prefer he wouldn't.  I know he's a cat, but I am going to try and keep some things out of bounds.  I'm hoping early and consistent persistence pays off.

What an awesome birthday surprise!  Someone posted in a spooky FB group I am in that Cracker Barrel had some of the ghost statues available online... I managed to get one ordered for me AND one for my niece before they were out.

I also used my free starbucks treat to try a secret menu item.  They had to modify due to shortages (they didn't have the pumps of raspberry) but the 'strawberry cold brew' I had this morning was delightful (and not crazy sweet).  I also indulged in chinese for lunch.  I need to settle back down on the intake next week - we've been working on the ice cream cake I asked for the past two days.

Also, a beautiful bouquet of flowers just came from one of my sisters.  Yay.  It is a good day :)

Today's progress:  I brought Church to my office and closed the doors.  Saffy tried to gently paw at the door a couple of times and there was one hiss, but it went reasonably well.

This has also been a great start of telling kittie "no" with regard to getting up on my desks.  I know I won't be able to keep him off of everything, but I will be working to keep some things out of bounds, especially my kitchen counters.  It does of course mean I need to provide some high things for him in lieu of the no no areas.

This morning I heard meowing at 8 am.  I can't believe the kid slept long enough for the kittie to wake me.  We have been doing the play/visit/nap cycle.  Today I gave a bit of moist food to both the cat and the dog on opposite sides of the door.  While I was outside the door and didn't see it first hand, I'm told the cat hissed at first.  Yep, slow and steady is going to be necessary.

A bit later Saffy went outside for a while and I allowed "C" to explore a bit.  First thing in my bedroom he was making biscuits on Saffy's bed.  First thing in Avery's room he climbed under the bed.  We came downstairs and he wandered a bit here as well, even spotted Saffy standing on the deck.  No hissing this time, but the body language was obvious including a flicking tail.  He didn't freak though, so we'll keep doing the same and see how things progress.

Even headed out for a little while today - late lunch to grab my free birthday burger from Red Robin!

After much frustration and as insane as it is... we have a cat at our house today!  After our last swimming lesson for this session we headed north to pick him up.  Aside:  We do have 5 private swim lessons scheduled at this point.

His name from foster is Carter.  He is black, but you can see dark brown-red banding in sunlight.  He has a few white hairs on his chest and one white whisker.  He talked to us the whole way home and came right out of his carrier when we opened it up.  He will spend a couple of days in the workout room, which Avery and I prepared yesterday.  After he and Saffy have absorbed each other's scent a bit we'll take a step towards introducing them.

While we were upstairs with him "C" explored the covered bed, litter box, toys, and cat tower.  He found a cozy spot in the hidey house on the tower and got comfy.  He was playing with me and leaning in for head scratches and butt scratches.  I think the humans and "C" will get along well.  I am looking forward to him being ready to snuggle with me as he did with his foster Mom.

I am leaning towards the name Church in honor of Pet Sematary.  It has always been my 'vision' for a black cat name, but we'll see how things proceed.

I did take a kids claritin this morning as I was already stuffy from vacuuming and kicking up dust last night.  I figure it didn't hurt to be preventative so I could focus on giving attention and not worrying if I would have any issue resulting from the extra petting.

The weekend to cap off the week off... Saturday had us at swimming lessons and doing some running.  We came home to eat and then went to the pool for a quick visit (the water was pretty cold).  Sunday we went to a humane society event, Woofstock, at Mingo Park.  Killer hot and sticky, some decent vendors and food trucks, not as busy as I would have expected.  We also went to a egg-side family picnic.

I got my approval from the rescue on Thursday.  They then changed up who was communicating with me to someone who wanted me to call instead of emailing.  Ok.  One voicemail and 4 attempted additional calls (voice mailbox) full with follow up emails, including one at a time that individual requested, and I haven't talked to that person yet.  This is it.  If this doesn't pan out I need to be done with it.  I am tired of applying places and being set up for disappointment. I see places posting how desperate they are for adopters and I am ready to call bs.

Day five of my week off... today we shopped a bit trying to spot some Halloween goodies in the wild.  Didn't buy much, but I did manage to sneak in purchasing two items for Avery's birthday.  I would have maybe pressed to get back and to the pool if it weren't for the spotty showers and grumbling skies.  We did get some successful time out back, Avery on her swing set and I in the hot tub.

I'm so glad I still have a weekend to enjoy before returning to my desk.  I really needed this step away.  It has been delightful.  I feel like I had a successful staycation.

Day four of my week off... we had an appointment to submit for Avery's passport today, so we drove to the general area of the post office and hit a few shops there as well.  Other than that we've been home.  It was pretty rainy, but it cleared up - I thought we might go out to the swingset, but instead we opted for some popcorn and a movie.  Yay for couch cuddles.

I am being kept in the loop from another rescue on my application progress.  If/when approved I am hoping to meet a few other kitties in the near term.

I also hopped online long enough to complete a status document, accept meeting requests, and clean out my inbox, but that's it.  I'm proud of me.

Day three of my week off... Avery and I met her Aunt Susanne at Idlewild!  We spent some time in Soakzone too, which I have never been in before.  The day went fast and we didn't hit everything, but we had a blast.  It was pretty darn hot, so the sweat rolled, despite the ample shade.

I also have to give Saffy some kudos.  Being gone for a looong day I expected a mess to clean up when I got home, but she is a trooper and the house was accident free.

Day two of my week off... Avery didn't make me get out of bed until 9am, and I even put her down on time (9pm) last night.  We headed to return one item and to get some lunch before we headed to the pool for the afternoon.  We bumped into another of Avery's classmates which means she had a crazy good time and didn't want to leave.

We did however depart in order to hit the farmer's market.  We've been heading there every Tuesday to grab some veggies and some dinner from the food carts.  I ate, she was part way through hers, we had not yet gotten veggies and a nosebleed set in so I rushed us out of there and home, no fresh veggies in hand for the week.

I am on day 4 or 5 of a headache too.  I am sure I am dehydrated right now, which doesn't help.  I would swear someone is slipping me decaf, but I made my own batch of cold brew and it is not decaf so I don't know what the problem is.  I did check my blood pressure after getting home given the headache combined with the nose bleed.  It is up a little, but not much.

Day one of my week off... I wanted to go to Triple B farms, but changed plans at the last minute to go to Simmons Farm.  Triple B's fun stuff is weekend only and it was a long drive for berry picking.  Instead at Simmons we picked flowers and make a quick visit in the animal petting area.  We also made a quick grocery run into Aldi and stopped for a water check on the hot tub.

A very infrequent opening of Netflix allowed me to see that season 17 of Grey's Anatomy is available, so I am probably going to power through that this week rather than watching YouTube or Little House on the Prairie.

We met kitties today!  The longer story that goes with this is below.  We did not come home with a cat.  I'll leave it at saying that Avery didn't like the one we met and she was ready to leave.  So odd for her and she wasn't falling asleep on the drive to or from there, so it wasn't a sleepy issue.

This was an individual who runs a rescue from their home.  This particular group had a female black cat that had come back as a double-check mark match on Petfinder, but I hadn't previously contacted them because I was more focused on males.  This group did not have an application or checks, so we were "in" pretty quick and were offered to come visit, but immediately the focus was shifted to two other cats that they thought would be good matches for us. Despite being there, we didn't even get to see the first/original cat, which kind of sits odd with me, especially since we didn't have an amazing connection with the two cats we were introduced to.  The black male was friendly, etc, but the kicker is Avery was ready to go.  On the drive home she told me that cat was mean.  Note that he did nothing negative while we were there.  Ok, I guess.  I am kind of hoping we have a moment where she says "can we take this one home with us"?

The good news is the garage door opener works even when the power is out! The bad news is the power is out. Not a great start to a work day the week before a deadline.

In other news, I filled out the foster application for my local shelter. They already rented indicating that they presently have no need but that my application looks good.   Perhaps if they get a Sibe I would have the first opportunity to be a failed foster if it the right dog - or cat...I indicated willingness on a cat too.

My birthday gift to myself this year... I am buying the bat house and pole to mount it.  With the neighboring house selling (and from what I understand they will be moving in July) I have a window of opportunity to put it in without a neighbor having much to say thanks to the transition period.

I may have also bought a few halloween themed items.  I got a little taste of code orange at At Home and I want MORE!

Literally. every. day.

I finally heard back.  It seems a message setting the time and address never got to me?  Long story short - yep, he's adopted now too.

I'm getting tired of seeing posts from rescues saying they're desperate for adopters. #disbelieve I've now had tears over two dogs and two cats - none of which did I even get to meet.

I'm just going to sit here in the AC (car read 96 degrees while we stopped at the farmer's market today), cry a little, and feel sh*tty.  I might need a mojito.

 Avery got the first ripe cherry tomato yesterday.  There are a few more that are a day or two away from perfection, a couple of fistfuls worth of green ones growing, and a ton of blooms.  Avery insisted on gathering seeds from the yellow cherry tomatoes she was eating this evening (purchased last week at the farmer's market) -- she and her dad planted them in the pot where a previous planting didn't make it.  The peppers are still only about 8" high - expectations remain very low there.  Two strawberries are ripening and the mint continues to go gang busters.  Same for the weeds, they're having a hell of a good time out there and it's too friggin hot for me to want to go weed.

Another day another disappointment on critters... I spotted a blind senior gal that checked a lot of the boxes for me.  A conversation had ensued... and now tonight word comes that the foster mom has decided to keep her.  Great news for the kittie and foster mom, sadness for me.  Still nothing from the folks I was to meet with over the weekend either.

I have been in communications with a foster-based group that has a cat that I am drawn to... I had filled out their application and after being asked if I could come to meet him tonight I had bought a few basic supplies because I didn't want to be completely unprepared if things went swimmingly.  After all, it won't break me, and even if I never adopt I can always make a donation somewhere, right?

I indicated we could do it Thursday morning.  When I didn't hear anything by noonish I followed up with an email asking a few questions to see what their expectations were, see how much he weighed, what he is presently eating, etc... radio silence.

I had decided it was a good nudge to take Friday afternoon off to use a few hours that are use or loose.  I decided to hit At Home (code orange!) and could easily head the rest of the way there.  I even decided to go to a cat cafe type place in the burgh.  Since I didn't hear back, I didn't get to meet that cat, but we did do the rest of the things I had planned.  No perfect match identified at the cafe, which is prb good since they have no clue regarding dogs for any of them.

I wrapped up the two projects I was leading earlier this week, so for once I feel like I can breathe.  Not feeling the need to get online after kiddo is in bed -- or this weekend for that matter -- feels weird, but good.  Gotta relax before the next dumpster fire gets lit.

I talked with the foster family that had the puppy.  Long story short, my heart is broken, I cried a lot and had a hard time sending the message - but I waved meeting him.  It just isn't the right time to consider a puppy.  His name popping back up on adoption sites has me sad again.  I did get more photos of him.  He is just gorgeous.

Shortly after my last dog-related post I spotted, of all things, a puppy available.  Because I am absolutely insane I put in an application.  I knew that the listing was associated with a post that indicated they were looking for the owner.  The listing disappeared as quickly and quietly as it appeared on the rescue site, so I presumed the owner was found or an adoption happened.

I continued looking around and started to fall for a kittie.  But you know, any relationship on the internet is misleading.  I had reached out to learn more about the cat, I am to talk to them today.

So, surprise -- the rescue with the puppy contacted me today!  Sounds like I am second choice to another family (not butt hurt about that.)  Now my brain isn't sure what to do.  I guess I meet and see how we all feel about one another, right?  If my prayers have been that God leads me to the right option for our family I need to follow through and let Him tell me, right?

PSA:  If you have a tension headache up the back of your neck, don't go to 2 hours of physical therapy for your shoulder.  Frell me sideways with a chainsaw.  I thought back spasms sucked, neck spasms are way worse.

The good news is that I had gone a month and a half without troubling pain -- and this should fade.  If it doesn't lighten up over night I think I need to call the chiropractor to make sure I didn't jack myself out of alignment somehow.

Another critter has been on my mind for a while now.  Last year I was a big advocate that "if you were thinking about a pet the pandemic was a great time to do it".  Having just lost Dani last year and Avery being as young as she is, I wasn't ready.  Maybe Avery is still too young and it is better to wait.  Maybe that's what the universe is trying to tell me - instead, I have to admit instead it is making me feel unworthy.

The first dog I reached out to learn more about was met with a "sorry, already adopted" message.  Ok, that's good news.  The second and third I filled out an adoption application and reached out concurrently indicating that I filled out the application to be respectful and to demonstrate I was serious, but that I had a few questions about the dog and the rescue.  Neither answered until I messaged again.  The second was effectively another "already adopted" message and the third really hurt my feelings (even after I looked into the rescue further online and saw that the person running it seems to be nasty with and judgmental of everyone that applies).  The response, if you care, was indicating that my training methods were "out of date" and that hence they wouldn't be proceeding with my application.  As I responded to them - it has been 12 years since I welcomed a new pet into my house.  Ultimately, you shouldn't be working rescue if you're not willing to have a dialog with people.  If you had talked with me you would have seen that I was open to recommendations and maybe you would have had a different view.  The extra crappy thing is - this dog was spot on to what I was looking for in several ways.

It's been a few weeks.  I've been thinking.  Avery wants a cat - I mean, as much as any almost 4 year old has a clue what they want.  I have had allergy issues in the past and I've never lived with a cat.  I can't deal with things being knocked over and walking on the counters etc, so maybe it isn't an option at all, but I admit I have looked around and pondered if I could live with a cat.  Bigger question - can Saffy live with a cat?  I know Dani couldn't have.  How I determine if Saffy would be okay with it is beyond me.

I'm not trying to rush and I do believe in finding the right pet.  So this past weekend I thought Avery and I would stop after swim practice at a local rescue that has both dogs and cats to meet a few that piqued my interest, to see how they interacted with Avery (and vice versa), and to talk to them a bit.  Adoring rescue groups I went with a few things to donate.  Note that their website was updated to indicate as of June 1 their hours are 9am-3pm Sat and Sunday.  It also indicates that the adoption process is to 1 come visit the facility, 2 complete an application, ... etc.

Yeah, that didn't go well.  A woman outside of the dog building indicated they were too busy and wouldn't have anything suitable for a young child anyhow.  Uh, ok.  Sinking feeling.  The woman bringing things into the cat building was more accommodating and at least allowed us in to see a few of the cats in their cages.  She was also willing to have a dialog with me, but the whole thing just left me a bit in the dumps about the whole thing.

I may need/want for the local shelter to have a Siberian and apply.  They expect you to note which dog you're applying for and the best family will be selected.  I have a funny feeling everyone will say 'no kids' on a Siberian, so maybe the decision is made for me.

--------------------------------

Ok, on to something less depressing... the swing set is here - being put together as I type.  I can't wait to see her face.

I snagged another basil plant.  I need to get it into a pot.  Maybe I'll just leave it inside on the counter.  Two of the from seed tomato plants look like they are going to go for it.  Given that it is June they are pretty far behind for all the bigger they are, so we'll see how it goes.  The pepper plants aren't dead, but they haven't changed size much either.

The baby mourning doves have left, but I think one of the parents is fixing up the nest.  The internet tells me they have 2-3 broods a year, so I suspect they intend to stick around and didn't mind me gawking at them.

The would-be in-law came yesterday to work on the back yard.  He's had a lot on his plate this year, so I greatly appreciate the support.  It's nice to have someone who does landscaping professionally in the family.  My discontentment with the situation out there has been greatly reduced.  We still have to figure out what to do with the sharp drop off to the fence, but getting a border in with rubber mulch for the swing set and top soil with seed in around that makes it look NOT a mud pit.

I heard something that gave me great anxiety a week ago.  I haven't been talking with most anyone about it, hoping my anxiety on the scenario would pass naturally, but it still has my hackles up and fills me with questions that are none of my business.  It really shouldn't end up effecting me one way or the other... gotta let it slide out of my brain.  Don't get me wrong, I am glad that I was given this information.

Garden update:  The mint continues to go crazy (I need to drink more mojitos).  Pretty sure the basil is doomed.  The two purchased tomato plants are growing nicely - blossoms on both and I even spotted one tomato yesterday.  The grown from seed ones... well, three of them are still alive, but still only about 3" tall.  The pepper plants are not only alive but look happy, even though they too are only a couple of inches tall.

Rest of the yard update:  I'm glad I got moving and mowed last night as it is raining again today.  Hopefully I can finish the weed eating this weekend (the battery didn't last long enough to finish it all last night).  The swing set is set for delivery on June 7th, so I fully expect it to continue raining until then.

One of the mourning doves has fledged.  The other, as I read online is typical, is being stubborn and hasn't left the nest yet.  I was blessed to see the first guy down in the grass a few days ago.

I was correct that the pest company would simply dust the holes for the eff'n carpenter bees.  So far I haven't spotted others flying around, but I remain on watch.

Shoulder update:  On Monday the ortho/doctor indicated I could drop off to 1 or 2 times a week with physical therapy, so I cancelled my Wednesday appointment.  We'll see how this afternoon goes with 4 days between visits.

Eff'n carpenter bees.  They're back and gnawing at the underside of the roof over my deck.  I've killed two females so far and am presently waiting for a third to feel comfortable enough to come back so I can make another attempt at her life.  My pest control company, which was here a few weeks ago is to return tomorrow, not that I see them doing more than dusting in the holes.  Big whoop.

The company that put the roof on assured me they never had issues with carpenter bees coming after it.  The internet assured me if we varnished that wood it would keep them away.  Nope.

Still waiting for the swing set to get scheduled.  I haven't done anything with regard to the mud pit either.

Back on April 9th I planted some tomato seeds.  On March 7th I had planted pepper seeds.  Both are still pretty small, despite being under a grow light for a few weeks, but I moved them into bigger pots today.  Hopefully something survives. I've never had luck from seeds.  After a week of disappointing odds and ends I just want some small victory.

Of the larger items purchased form the hardware store and potted in larger containers a few weeks ago they still seem to be growing roots as they haven't shot up just yet.  I noticed today that I have little bugs with larger wings all over the tomato plants - time to do some research. The basil isn't looking great, but the mint seems to be quite pleased.

The strawberries from last year have greened up nicely.  It didn't produce too many strawberries last year, but it is a pleasant surprise that it survived the winter since the pots were outside.  The pot of potatoes are also looking quite good.

My eyes often open somewhere between 5:30 and 6:20am.  My alarm is set for 6:40am, so typically I am excited at rolling over and trying to close my eyes again.  Today, when I woke at 6am I decided I had time if I got up to get in the hot tub whilest I listened to a daily podcast (Bible in a Day, thank you Father Mike) and shower off quickly before getting Avery up.  So - at last I finally had my first soak that wasn't in the dark.

Last night while we were out back I dug two full bricks out of the pressed down dirt.  Now I know where the big pile of bricks in the garage came from.  I guess they used this lot to dump things.  Yay.  We picked some of the larger surface rocks and tossed them into the rocked area beside the concrete slab and I moved her existing play toys to the now dry mud pit.  Did you watch Parks and Rec?  I can't help but think of "the pit".  I also reached the swing set place - he basically pushed me off indicating he would call me when he's ready to schedule me.  *sigh*  Next time I won't be nice and postpone due to rain and mud.

Today the asphalt guy was here to re-seal the driveway, so that is at least checked off of the household to do list.  If anything would have the swing set guy call right away to deliver immediately it would be having a driveway that I shouldn't use for 48 hours, right?

There was 4 eggs in the robin nest.  They were getting big and I was concerned as they didn't seem super reactive, but I have seen the adults coming to the nest and I heard them making plenty of noise.  Then tonight I found one down below on the concrete and he is no longer with us.  This hurts my heart so much.

It doesn't seem like the mourning dove ever moves from that nest.  I learned that they swap out, so I just am not there at the right time. Since there is a feathery bum on the nest all the time I haven't been able to peek through the deck to look for eggs there.

Tonight we're back to freezing temps, so I once again brought everything back inside *sigh* I am so over this.  I guess I should shut up, at least the sun was out today instead of rain, right?  I haven't been able to get ahold of the swing set people yesterday or today.

I still don't know what I'm going to do out there.  I called a place right up the road.  They do have top soil and the rocks, but they only deliver and dump, they don't provide the services to spread.  Not having time to breathe as is, the tire on the wheelbarrow being flat every friggin time I need to touch the thing, and my recent endeavors with my shoulder tell me that wouldn't have worked out very well.  Even if I could do that part of the work I don't have the tools or the strength to tamp the areas that are a complete mess.  I HATE how steep the back and side is going towards the fence.  I'm not happy with the current results, but I'm in too far at this point.  F this.

Yup. Mud.  Lots of mud.  Swing set delivery postponed.  I am to contact them when it seems reasonable... uh... so, maybe sometime this year we'll see the swing set.

I did get the other landscape guy here today.  His price tag is as high as the guy who flattened everything out.  Ouch.  Not sure right now what to do. I punted and said I'd be back in touch after the swing set is in.

Physical therapy continues.  Two more works of that scheduled. Shoulder still hurts in some directions.  I need to keep this thing moving.  I need more hours in the day, please.

The delivery/stand up of the swingset is set for Thursday (providing the weather doesn't create a complete mud pit by then).

I took my first soak in the hot tub last night and I head to my follow up appointment with the ortho dr today.  Busy busy busy - good stuff.

A little bit of new stuff:  we were up bright and shiny yesterday.  It was Avery's first swim lesson in a series.  Technically she has had a few other lessons when she was teeny, but this is different.  Mommy is not in the water and she works with an instructor.  It ended up being 3 little girls (they indicated on the website it would be a ratio of 4:1).  She did really well, even jumping in (with a little bit of a crouch) to the teacher at the end of the lesson.  They're short lessons, but it's something and I can watch to see how I can try to break things down and reinforce this summer.  My goal is to have her actually swimming.

Update to my updates:

The second electric estimate was even higher.  *facepalm*  Delivery was set up for yesterday, so I called the first place back.  The great thing is the electrician arrived about 5 minutes after the delivery team, so they were ready to get that entire project complete yesterday.  It hurt to write the check, but it's done!  The hot tub is full, I put the initial treatment in, I will check the ph tonight and hopefully will get to wash away some of the other anxieties that continue to linger.

The landscaping guy also came yesterday.  I'm going to freely admit, this one chalks up to not being crystal clear between the two of us.  My anxiety is a bit higher as a result.  So he flattened a 28'x35' area.  Technically that is probably what they indicate for the set given that they say to have 5' all around it as play space, but I'm sorry, that's excessive.  The good news is I have a very big flat space.  The bad news is two-fold, this means a dip down closer to the top of the yard now and a much steeper dip at the back -- which is WAY to close to the fence for my liking.  It feels like a launch pad for a future dog.  The other bad news is I am back to a mud pit that needs a lot of grass seeding and all of that expense.  I need to take a minute and think about what feels like the best path forward now.  Another piece of good news is that I can call the swing set folks to set delivery to said mud pit.

In the middle of this crazy packed day I ran my sister back to the airport.  Traffic and closed lanes made this a two-hour ordeal.  *shakes head*  But she is home safe and sound.

Physical therapy still hurts on the directions where I have some restrictions.  I need to really work things today.  I have a follow up tomorrow at the ortho.

I'm not dead.  Time to spill my drama and catch you up on things.  I say drama only because if you have anxiety issues even good stuff can all tumble together and wreak havoc on you.

Still waiting for my phone case to arrive... yay, Chyyyna.  So far the service has been good for me. I like the phone, I'm finding my way around and getting nestled in nicely.

Hot tub:  It was supposed to come in July.  On Friday I got a call - they can't order the one I wanted, it is no longer available -- but good news!  The one that was on the floor, which was marked sold is available / the people changed their mind.  Great!  It isn't the color I wanted inside, but it works.  That means I can set up for delivery like whenever.  Ok,... but I thought I had more time, so I only had one quote for wiring (the guy they recommended) and I had sticker shock.  I got the guy I typically use for electric to come today and look.  I should get his estimate in the next couple of days.

Swing set:  Family was going to help do the landscaping leveling, but a death in the family had that nixed - or so I thought/was told on the 17th.  I then started scrambling to find people to come give me quotes to do the work.  I agreed to the second quote I received there... and yes, of course it was way more than I wanted or expected to spend, but ... what other option do I have.  Now the family has reached out asking to schedule a time. Uh.  No, please don't stress me out like this.  I was told early May.  Well, guess who called today... and I had to tell them I wasn't ready.  I was also warned if you aren't ready you can get back burnered and delays result.  So, great.  Now that's f'd for now too.

Either way, now my emergency slush fund is feeling a bit raw, because I never fathomed how expensive one wire and digging would be.  Admittedly my wallet hurts a little extra right now as I finish spending out my high deductible health plan.

My shoulder manipulation took place last Wednesday.  I can't believe it's been a week already.  I was nervous.  Had to be there at 5:45 am for a 7:45 am procedure.  I was leaving after fully waking a good bit before 10 am.  The procedure itself took like 5 minutes.  I am pretty surprised that I don't hurt more.  I have full range of motion in the up and down if I push through, but I need to regain the strength to do it and the muscles need to adjust.  The chicken wing type motions are not full range of motion and are much more painful -- especially at physical therapy.  I gotta press through.  It's so nice to put that arm up behind my head or to shave my armpit.  I can almost put my hand up on my hip.  #goals

Since I need to use some vacation time, my sister is in to help me through this (since I couldn't drive to leave the surgical center or when I take the pain meds), and sitting at the desk for 8 hours a day again immediately was not feasible ... we drove to see my other sister in Lock Haven this past weekend.  It was a nice little get away.  Gosh I need a real vacation.

Over the weekend I went to Xfinity, with whom I already have home internet service, and I ordered a new cell phone.  It's official - I am kicking AT&T to the curb.  I've been with AT&T since the 90's.  I saw the shift to Cingular, the shift back to AT&T, the merger with DirecTV... and right there - the merger w/ DirecTV is where they became a real pain in the rear (at least 6 years ago).  The latest with my voicemail disappearing and a reminder of how often my password (and now passcode) just suddenly don't work was the final straw.  Fortunately, I was due for a new phone.

I looked back.  I got this phone 3 years and a month ago.  The one prior lasted 3 1/2 years, so I am reasonably on pace.  I am a Samsung girl, but I am not spending $1100 on a new phone.  So I am rolling with the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G.  Admittedly it was kind of annoying that with their antitheft devices in store I couldn't even pick the thing up to hold it in my hand or look at the back of it.

Long story short I was paying $65 a month (after repeatedly working with AT&T to get that bill down as far as I could) for a couple of GB of data a month, I will now be paying $68 a month for unlimited data and a new phone (for 2 years).

But that's not all.  Ya'll know I was itching for a hot tub out back.  Well that's happening too!  Is it wrong that it's less expensive than the kid's swingset that was ordered?  I went with the Marquise Rendezvous Discovery.  It's triangular (smaller) so it won't take up as much space and should be a little less costly overall.  I now have to get an electrician in and get the line ran.

I put a few stakes in the ground tonight and feel better about the size of the swing set as a result.  It's big, but not as bad as I was fearing if my measurements are right.  I managed to get some tomato seeds into soil this past week too - finally.  My teeny tiny pepper plants that sprouted are now under a grow light for a few hours each day.

I managed to get two days in a row going for 2 15 minute walks.  Today I kind of blew it walking only once, but more like 25 minutes.  I really need to get back in gear.  Must get rona-weight back off.  On another note - I slept pretty well last night.  The pain in my shoulder has subsided substantially.  It's still very limited in motion and if I try to use it the wrong way it hurts, but I was finally able to get comfortable in bed a little longer - that's a huge win.  Maybe going for a couple walks is helping in that area too.

I know there is no get skinny fast solution, it is always an obscene amount of work for slow gain that is easily lost the second I don't maintain complete discipline.  I gotta get there though -- once again.

Aw... c'mon man.  The diagnostic center called, one of the vials from my blood draw needs to be redone.  Seriously.  Why does this happen to me so often?  I only have until the 7th to get this done and they don't have hours today (even though the Web site says they are open Saturday mornings).  I certainly hope they're open on Monday.  I'm off work, but I will have the kiddo with me.

I have wanted to get a hot tub for our back since I moved here.  It's why when I put the concrete in under the deck I did 4" instead of 3".  I made my first visit to a local hot tub/pool store and learned some basics about maintenance and other nuances.  I also learned how friggin expensive they are. There is a really sweet looking triangular one that wouldn't hog up a lot of space, but even that is a pretty hefty investment.  So yeah, safe to say back burner for right now.

Instead I went and spent an obscene amount of money on a playset.  My yard isn't very large, this thing will take up a good chunk of the top part.  There will be two slides, swings, bars, a tire swing under the deck, and even a Mommy seat.  If we lock down again this summer we will still be golden.  I suspect even if we're not Avery will want to go outside a lot.  That's a good thing.  If nothing else good came of the past year, spending a lot more time outside with her last year was definitely top notch.

Time for an update on the shoulder and related issues.  My appointment with the ortho doc yesterday was hands off - mostly informational in preparation for my procedure, which is scheduled for later this month.  I had to get an EKG and blood work at least 2 weeks prior so I ran to check that off of my list first thing this morning. I will need to get a covid test 4 days prior to the procedure too.  After I will have lots of PT in my future.  I pray this works.  By works I do mean returns range of motion, but, equally as important is eliminating the discomfort and returning good sleep to me.

So it turns out that part of the delay here is because at some point my voice mail ceased to exist.  When the doctor pointed out that they had tried to call numerous times and were unable to leave a message it hit me... it's been quite some time since I had a voice mail.

First I tried dialing my voice mail and I couldn't get in.  So I contacted AT&T.  They told me I didn't have a mailbox set up.  Really?  Cause I've been a customer of yours for over 20 years, switching to Cingular and back from the mergers.  It just disappeared at some point.  So they set up a new mailbox, I set a pin.  Then I struggled to figure out how to get my phone to actually send missed calls there.  I figured that out... but now it doesn't give me a notification if I have a voicemail.  Seriously.  Why did old ass technology become so difficult?

My favorite egg and Rex both asked why I didn't have a voicemail app - I never knew something like that existed for one.  I tried downloading AT&Ts low-rated voicemail app.  Sophos was pissed about it being on my phone, but that's okay - it didn't last long as it wouldn't work either and crashed pretty quick.

I guess if I miss a call I need to remember to check my voicemail.  I wish there were more viable options -- I'd consider changing my plan elsewhere, but I am still not in any hurry to ever give Verizon another penny.

I have actually slept well enough to get a dream here and there.  With the infrequency I find it odd that, in recent weeks, I had a reoccurring one.  It involved a classmate from elementary up through high school.  He was a good looking guy.  It was clear in the dream he was trying to gain my interest.  In both cases he was telling me about the money he had saved and how well he was doing.  I told him both times that money wasn't the most important thing.  I seemed a little frustrated that he wasn't getting what I was telling him.

I have lived here long enough that I am replacing batteries in the smoke detectors (as they die) for the second time.  Of course, they die in the middle of the night.  4am to be precise.  It's extra fun to balance on a step stool and try to change the battery when one arm doesn't want to go up that high but you need both arms to unclip the detector from the wiring.  Why on earth you can't open the battery compartment without removing it from the wiring I don't know, but it's pretty annoying.

Speaking of my shoulder... did I comment that the MRI was around $3100?  I was wrong.  They billed the xray used to place the dye separately, so that's another $515.  I finally got kind of a straight answer.  The doctor had left a message pretty fast saying the MRI was negative as I mentioned previously.  But he also indicated he would call me back in the next couple of days, which he did not.  I called over the last two weeks leaving messages on the doctor's group's line to no avail.  I finally employed the woman in scheduling by playing stupid.  The doctor called (again) after hours and (again) left a message saying all was negative and that I could get on the schedule for that procedure.  I guess I need to call scheduling for real now.

The good news is I will quickly be over the first hurdle on my insurance and only paying 10% of the bill until the second hurdle.

I just saw one of the bald eagles... again... flying out in front of my house!  Hide your little doggos people!

Saffy got her hair did too.  I was concerned because she has had skin issues recently, but the mobile groomer did have sensitive products.  The groomer was able to clean away the dried and crusty spot on her back that I was afraid to mess with after opening the wound back up previously.  All seems to be totally healed there, thank goodness.  She also got the last bit of rough, dry, crust that was on her nose off.  I have been using olive oil on her nose for the past 5 days or so and we had notable improvement.  I'm going to keep putting it on there until we're totally healed up.

When she returned to the house Saffy had a lovely flower on her collar which scared the heck out of me at first.  It is a deep, dark red.  When it first caught my eye it looked like a big patch of blood right at her neck.  Heart attack averted.

This weekend Avery got a hair cut!  I didn't cry.  I'm kind of surprised.  She opted to have it styled straight, so it should be interesting to see how it looks after her hair get washed tonight.  From there we did our grocery shopping.  I decided to try recipes for Texas Roadhouse rolls and honey butter yesterday.  The butter is decent but the rolls aren't close enough.  They're tasty, but not quite the same.

Today we did a little more shopping.  I bought a few shirts and comfy pants to get me through while I remain at this obscene weight with an arm that doesn't want to work properly.  After I got a few things repotted and cleaned up a little more outside.  I put some potatoes into soil (fingers crossed) and put some pepper seeds in soil.  I have tried to do things from seed many times and failed -- I am not expecting much.  We'll see.

Also, I found Jesus!  Did I post here about loosing Jesus from our one manger scene?  Yeah, before Christmas Avery took him to school for show and tell.  She carried him to the car and then poof.  I found him in the plastic bags that I was gathering to take for bag recycling.  He must have dropped into them at the garage door on our way in the house.

Almost as exciting as finding Jesus (ha ha) was, finally, spotting one of the bald eagles flying above rt 19!  Hoping to be able to go sit and watch by the lake when the weather starts getting nicer.

At least I feel like I did something useful this weekend.

As I like to do...

I saw my first robin today!  It looked like a she.  She was in my back yard popping back and forth along the fence line.  Yay!

The doctor did call and leave a brief message on Monday evening (work number so I didn't hear it ring).  He indicated that the test was negative (meaning no other issues were uncovered) and that he would call me back in the next couple of days to talk one on one.  I would presume we will proceed with a manual adjustment.

Even without physical therapy the pain and stiffness hasn't dissipated enough to give me a good night's sleep.  If the pain would end I would just say screw it and wait out the thawing.  The pain is mostly in my neck and bicep which are tight.  I have a massage today, I am hoping for some relief.  The other big pain comes when I bump the arm or move the arm abruptly in a direction it doesn't like.  For example, this morning the cuff of my sleeve caught on the knob on the front of the stove as I moved in front of it.  This left me doubled over roaring and chain swearing for a minute.  I am ready to be done needing to complain about this.

I dropped off my tax papers yesterday, another good thing that has come from COVID (in addition to the surge in curbside offerings).  Money moved to bolster my Roth IRA for last year and this year.  Money went to procure some other savings materials that will be held here (I really need to buy a bigger safe).  I think I'll (finally) be opening a 529 for Avery.  I am also itching to buy some type of mini pool or inflatable thing for our entertainment this summer.  It seems like a reasonable investment since I can't justify a hot tub just yet.

You'll note in my last post that I commented about MRIs not hurting. This is true.  The placement of the dye however, well that is most definitely painful as frell.

The MRI itself was snug, my left side rubbed as I slid in and out, which they warned me would happen since they needed to center my right shoulder in the tunnel.  They do give put a washcloth over your eyes, so that mitigated that - and headphones to listen to the music of your choice.  I had a wonderful staff member explaining things to me and he was kind enough to offer his hand before the doctor proceeded to put the dye into my shoulder.  The process is kind of neat - they use an xray while placing the needle to make sure they're in the right place.

It was unpleasant to have the needle go down into the joint, but dealable.  When they started to inject the dye however, that hurt pretty good.  My entire arm felt like a lead brick after the injection.  The rest was butter.  I did have a slight reaction to the surgical adhesive on the bandage placed over the hole they poked in me.  I had pretty bad contact dermatitis from the tape/adhesive that held my IV in when I was in the hospital having Avery.  This one seemed to heal up faster, but I still have a pretty solid bruise there.

Didn't hear back from the doctor today.  I left a message later in the afternoon.  I hope to hear more tomorrow.

My anxiety about the MRI is ratcheting up this morning.  An MRI isn't painful and it's just diagnostic tool, but I know it leads to the adjustment, that is probably what is setting me off.  I also keep thinking about the woman who scheduled me asking if I had claustrophobia.  I am not claustrophobic per se, but I do have "moments" when in an area that is snug.  This made me look up how big the opening is on an MRI.  60cm.  That's 23.6".  Ok, now I am officially feeling claustrophobic.  I don't think that's even enough space to relax my arms at my side.

I had an interesting time trying to bend my tragus earrings so I can get them out today too.  I think this is the first time I've opened them up since before I moved here - and that's been 4 years already!

My headache went away but it my neck continues to be tender.  Last night it was even spasming.  I returned to the orthopedist today and he reported that of my own free ability to move he sees no progress. *sigh*  He also indicated that in some of the movements it is a hard stop rather than having some play.  He is sending me for an MRI with dye to make sure there isn't something else going on on top of things, but because the encapsulation is as it is -- it sounds like he might put me under light anesthetic to manipulate it.

This is something the physical therapists warned me about.  It doesn't sound like fun to me - at all.

Yes, we've done weekends away (last fall) but finally we had a longer weekend that wasn't to visit family.  We packed up on Thursday morning and headed north to Splash Lagoon in Erie.  Avery's bestie and his family invited us to go.  I am certainly glad they did.  The hotel was nice; I took advantage of the jacuzzi tub in our room.  We could have gone to the water park all three days but only did so on Thursday and Friday.  The kids loved the wave pool and lazy river.  Mixed reviews from Avery on the raft based slides.  It was super weird to not have a mask on.  I hate that it felt weird.  The wearing of masks is what is weird.

On Saturday before heading home we went to the Children's Museum where the kids had a blast running around and checking things out.

I struggled sleeping on the flat bed.  When I finally got the shoulder comfortable my lower back roared.  Friday night I had a hell of a booming headache.  I thought perhaps the breakfast area had decaffed me on Friday morning.  I managed to get rid of about 90% of the headache and the rest remains today.  My neck is also pretty tender and sore right now, so I guess it wasn't decaf but instead tension causing things.

I'm complaining too much.  It was good.  I enjoyed getting to spend time with the Mr and Mrs as well, they're good people.