peterfmccann

The local schools are having a remote day tomorrow. Maybe I'll wait until lunchtime to brush off the cars.

Crud. I forgot to order food. I’ll do so after I get up.

Ugh. -3F/-19C with a low of -7F/-22C. Yep, it’s cold.

Woke up a little after 2 AM. I was going to go back to sleep, but I wondered if I woke up because I needed to pee, so I got up and did so.

Woke up a little after 7 AM. Gracie was trying to get me up, and I was pulling the covers over my head. It’s 0F/-18C, and the dogs came in quickly.

Rob Reiner and his wife were killed. That made me gasp. Horrible. That shook me up.

Ugh. I really want to go back to sleep, but I should shower so that I can brush off the cars at lunchtime. I finally did shower and have my Christmas sweatshirt on.

Gracie: Oliver is on your lap!!! Yes, Gracie, I know. He has a right to be there. Oliver is now walking on my keyboard, knocking stuff down, and being annoying.

I think that I'm going to have to be dug out before I can brush off the cars. I'll contact the snow guy. He said that he'll be there shortly. The dogs got out when the guys were done, but they helped me catch them.

Brushed off the Honda. I didn’t get the Kia because my hands were cold.

Busy day at work. I'm just getting started on the things that I need to get done. Meetings otherwise.

My car got stuck trying to get it out. No caroling today. I took the time to brush off the Kia because I’m sitting waiting for AAA. The guy called by AAA was very helpful and pulled me out. He dug around the car so that I can get it out tomorrow. But I’m dubious about going anywhere tomorrow.

I need to let the dogs out (done). Fed us all. I've just about had it with today. I want to go to sleep soon.

somedayseattle

Happy Gotcha Day to Maxwell Juniper, Your Favorite Mustached Black Cat !!

mtbc

Occasionally I get around to writing here, or doing other things, but not very often apparently. Between work, sleep, chores, errands, etc., for the remaining time I find myself opting to passively and motionlessly consume entertainment. Even after a long sleep, it's often with reluctance that I begin to actually move any muscles. Sometimes I start the day with ambition and enthusiasm but I tire out easily, more mentally than physically.

Still, a small success: this evening I finally got Christmas cards written and ready for posting. I have moved around a lot and mostly lost touch with family and friends, and I suspect posting cards is an increasingly archaic activity anyway. After some omitting people who've not sent me a card for years and may well have moved house, I am now down to sending a whole six cards this year, nearly all to people rather older than I. Nonetheless, I am glad to do a seasonal thing. I shall post the cards on my way into work tomorrow morning.

I am taking some time off from work over Christmas. For the most part, it will be just me and R., and L. our dog. We have a couple of small road trips planned into England, perhaps with sufficiently clement weather for L. to explore parks and beaches and the like. L. remains a fine little fellow. We finally got the breed test done, he turns out to be mostly Shih Tzu with a bit of Lhasa Apso.

susandennis

Last night I started watching a perfectly good show. It met all my criteria, people getting killed, pretty scenery, smart police, interesting outfits... A rich guy gets killed early on. But, does he? And is he really rich? There are all sorts of interesting characters and 3 seasons. And one fatal flaw. The part of the rich guy is played by Alec Baldwin. I have never liked anything he's ever been in. I don't like him. I don't like what I read about him. And I could not gin up the enthusiasm about whether the character he played lived or died or was right or not... simply because it's Alec Baldwin. Ha. My TV standards are weird.

And in other weirdness, I have a flashlight fetish. Especially flashlights that do other things. I own a million. You can hardly be anywhere in my apartment without being in arm's reach of some sort of flashlight. I do not need any more. Does that stop me? Nope.

I bought a pack of motion sensor lights - flashlights for when I walk by a wall. AND another 3 pack of night lights that plug into the wall and can also be motion sensor or not and also can charge up your cellphone and also can be flash lights!! I should take them all back. But, of course, I will not.

I did not vacuum the car. Maybe that's what I'll do tomorrow while the housecleaner cleans.

bill_schubert

Toby is still sick and apparently developed some pneumonia on one side. I do think he'd not feeling well so it makes sense. But, of course they had to take an x-ray so $200 there, plus meds plus doc time. He's now been sick for almost three months.

Beaux is NOT sick but has an occasional cough and sneeze. Texas has year around allergies so I think it is a permanent thing. But he's fine and perky and just as happy about walking and anything else going on as he can be.

Today was pickleball day and it was right around freezing. I'm now an indoor PB player for good, I think. This time last year I'd have been putting on my cycling gear and heavy coat and gloves and playing. That was OK but I was sure happy to be NOT doing all that today. It will be the same in the summer when it it hot at 9AM and we're playing in the AC.

Meanwhile I signed up for a mixed doubles series of matches with the wife of the couple we had dinner with. She'd signed up for this Thursday afternoon not realizing that she was supposed to sign up with a male partner. So she looked at me and said please and what could I do. It will be fun and I will be exhausted on Friday morning for those games. She is late forties, a little order than my eldest son, and has way more energy than I do. But we play well together and she's smiling whether or not she wins. Perfect partner.

Living for long enough is painful at weird times. I keep getting caught off guard.

John Prin's death at the beginning of the Covid epidemic was a gut punch. It still rattles me. I'm not sure why. Lots of others around that age, just ahead of me, have died and I just nod and move on. But his landed.

Rob Reiner is the same. It is going to be a long while before I move past it. He was a mainstay in my life due mostly to All in the Family. Sally Struthers is the remaining member now. Of course Reiner did a lot more than that and there are column inches and hourly podcasts being built right now to honor the works.

The last couple of days have been pretty bad in general. I need to sit with it all.

susandennis

I keep watching waiting for him to crash and burn, but so far, no dice. He just drank a bunch of water and his still peeing. Both he and Julio are gobbling up the new food. I guess they both have gourmet pallets. The Chewy order I placed on Thursday, arrived last night. I got a notice that it was delivered so I grabbed my cart and high tailed it down to security before they had a chance to do anything with it (such as put it in another part of the complex with the, likely, boatload of other deliveries from the weekend). It was a smart move as the box was right there by the door so I don't have to wait until this afternoon or maybe tomorrow afternoon to have it delivered.

He's still looking for his Temptations. I sprinkled about 6 of the new treats over the carpet and he sniffed every one and then walked away. But, not long after that, I noticed they were gone.

My TV streaming consolidation try is over. I killed YouTube.TV and am going back to paying for individual streams. The idea of using Prime to house cheap subscriptions turned out to be a 'get what you pay for' situation. The Max/HBO shows not only have ads, but tons of ads and sliced into places where ads should not go since most of the programming was designed for no ads. PLUS not all of the catalog is available.

So I'll buy annual plans for those I care about and get that Hulo/HBO/Max bundle monthly because they don't offer it annually. And then, probably, do this whole segregation/desegregation thing again next year.

Today is Costco with Bonny. And laundry. And that's about it for plans for the day. Maybe today would be a good day to vacuum the car...

days_unfolding

Got my new sweats. I'm not sure why they delivered it at 9:30 at night, but okay.

The third blanket kept me toasty warm.

Woke up at 7 AM. I was wondering what to do about the dogs and the dangerous wind chill, but both Gracie and Bella peed inside. I’ll let them out in the afternoon. It’s currently-5F/-21C with a wind chill of-11/-23C.

Oliver wants food now! Fed us all.

I’m feeling dubious about Dial-A-Carol later tonight. I guess that I’ll brush off the cars later and go from there.

Gracie was barking at the cats. I told her to shut up. Now she and Bella are wrestling on the bed. Gracie just scratched near my eye. I yelled.

Had a nice nap. The sun is shining on my chair in the kitchen, so it’s warm. I have a dog (Bella) partially in my lap, a cat (Oliver) in my face, and another dog (Gracie) looking at the cat. I’m trying to explain to Oliver that I fed him this morning, and he’s not going to eat right now. He is not convinced.

Now they’re having a severe weather advisory going all day. I’m going to change my Dial-A-Carol signup. I don’t want to go out tonight. I removed my signup for tonight. I didn’t see a time to sign up for later. I’m going to brush off my car tomorrow.

I want to let the dogs out, but I’m worried about my Amazon order arriving while they’re out. Maybe I should stand out with them, but it’s cold. I’ll go put my boots on. Maybe I should start brushing off the car while I’m out with them. Or not. I’d rather stay on my porch. I stayed just inside the door, and tried to bring them back inside in about 15 minutes. Bella came in, but Gracie did not. I waited a few more minutes inside, and then Gracie was on the porch saying that it’s cold outside (Me: No, really?) and came in. Whew.

I’m thawing a little, and then I’ll take my shower. I’ll wear my new sweats because I’m not going out.

I bought a blue topaz ring that says “Fuck it and begin again” on the inside. A good sentiment.

The cold bathroom is COLD. I felt like an icicle before I got the hot water on. Now I’m cozy in sweats and wool socks. I’m making soup to make my insides as warm as my outsides.

Oliver: maybe if I get in Mom’s face, she’ll feed me early. Dream on, cat.

Oh crap. My Christmas cards are now arriving on Tuesday. They’re going to be late.

Had my soup. I got dizzy when I took it out of the microwave and spilled some of it. The dogs were happy about that. I think that I’m going to lie down for a little while.

Had a nice nap. The dogs came in on the first try. Cold out there, isn’t it. Fed us all. I need to go measure the laptop and order a sleeve for it while I’m thinking of it (done and ordered).

Oh crap. The laptop that I was going to take with me on the trip is not turning on. I’ll have to take the “new” laptop. The sleeve that I just ordered will fit it though. Heck. I’m wondering if I should order another small travel laptop. I saw one for $265 that would get here on time. What to do. Okay, I got it. I travel enough that it’s worth it. I need to get rid of the old one.

It's a nice night for some tea (steeping). I think that I'll go to bed early because I want to get up early and brush the snow off of the cars.

bill_schubert

Pickleball strikes again. We're fairly reclusive. Dana has her few friends, women of a certain age, she goes out with for meals once a month or so. I've got my three networking friends I have lunch with nearly every month. And that's about it. No chummy neighbors, no meets downtown for coffee or, heaven forbid, at our house. We do have a couple or three leftovers from the company that we see now and again but it is never really much more than a lunch two or three times a year.

So going out for an evening with a couple is VERY rare, almost unheard of. But, pickleball. One of the many really nice women in the group we play with three times a week asked if maybe we wanted to get together for dinner one night. I think she was actually trying to get her husband out and social much like Dana tries to do with me but regardless she is a very sweet and positive person and I thought it would be fun. And it was.

We went to a place in downtown Georgetown (GT is very festive this time of year):

We ended up having to wait for over an hour for a table but it was really lovely weather and we sat outside and talked. Turned out we are all in tune and the whole thing was really fun. One of those kismet kind of things. They are a generation behind us having kids in college and us having, nearly, grandkids in college but it was more like talking to contemporaries (who have a bit more energy than we do).

So we ended up being there until about 10 and didn't get home until 10:30. Turns out we live less than 2 miles from them. And we have a ton of other things in common. It was an interesting evening and really weird to be with people and not end up feeling exhausted. And, of course, I see Amy at pickleball two or three times a week and we end up playing together and talking between games so the relationship will have a natural pace and we'll end up hanging out with them again, I'm sure. Weird.

Meanwhile we are having winter today. Down below freezing by tonight. By Thursday it will be back to above 75 degrees, sunny, and time for shorts again.

Today is a good nap day, I think.

susandennis

Picture 6 cat treats sprinkled on the carpet and two cats sniffing and then going to to their naps. That's zero star review of the approved cat treats. Julio ate one yesterday. Biggie did, too. This morning, Biggie did his usual begging for treats so I sprinkled the 6 out on the carpet. He sniffed at them and then gave me the stink eye and wandered off.

He peed a little - a very little this morning but then hopped out of the litter box and spent five minutes actively playing with Julio. He sure does not seem in pain or even uncomfortable. Just annoyed about the treat situation.

Nothing much going on today at least that I know of. I plan to go for a swim after I finish this. And then watch my usual Sunday morning TV and maybe some puzzling.

days_unfolding

Canceled a bunch of subscriptions on PayPal. I think that all I have left is Netflix, which I want to keep. Oh, and I should resubscribe to Hulu.

I checked into my cruise, but the boarding documents won't be available for a few days. I also bought the Have It All package, which includes WiFi, drinks, and one specialty dining meal.

Bought a ring that looks like hugging arms, and it'll have "Mom" engraved on the inside.

Now I really need to go to bed. I have a boatload (so to speak) of stuff to get done this weekend.

Gracie is trying to play dog play with me on the bed, and I told her to go play with Bella. That’s why I have two dogs. Now she’s snoozing with her head on my leg.

Woke up a little before 6 AM. I explained to the dogs that the cats get fed first. They don’t think that’s fair. Fed us all. My stomach hurts. I’m going back to bed. The dogs are wrestling on the bed and not leaving me any room. The snow has started.

Woke up a little before 11 AM. I’m feeling cold. It’s 15F/-10C out. So yeah, cold. I’ll take a shower in a few minutes. After lunch.

BuddhaStoneShop had a bracelet that I liked for only the shipping cost, so I got it. They also had a ring in the shape of a cat for shipping cost, so I got that too. And a Tree of Life bracelet. And a Yin-Yang necklace. They’re probably getting money from part of the shipping cost, but still, it’s cheap.

Oliver was warming my lap and purring.

I’m IBSing. But I’m staying home today so I guess that it’s okay.

Ate lunch.

Finished the book on James I. I just ordered a book on Charles I to continue my investigation into the Stuarts.

Oliver is knocking stuff down and being annoying.

The Precip app says 3.3 inches of snow so far, to make a total of 6.5. It’s like living in a snow globe. I saw a map on Facebook with the words “Stay home” over our band of snow. Will do.

I think that I’ll have one more nap. Slept for about an hour. I’m feeling cold and trying to warm up before my shower. It seems like the dogs and cats are sleeping. At least, they aren’t in the kitchen.

Opened packages while I and my clothes were warming up. I got the file folder wall holders for sheet music. I need to dig out my drill.

Hmm. UNICEF Market has a lot of rings that I like.

The dogs are barking at who-knows-what.

I think that I’ll have some soup.

Final snow total: 5.7, for a total of 8.4. Now we’re into the cold part of the weekend (currently 0F/-18C). I'm going to pull out another blanket and go to sleep. I hope that Gracie won't chew holes in the blanket. Oh, and I need to set the faucets to dripping.

susandennis

According to the vet, Biggie should be writhing in pain, not eating, not peeing. Biggie, shockingly, is not following the script. I think he's basically miffed about the lack of Temptations. But, he's also not wild about the new food. He'll eat it but he's kind of like 'where's the good stuff, woman??!!' And he's not writing, just crawling all over me so I'll get up and get him some treats.

I broke my rule and volunteered to go to Safeway and get Joan some bananas. It is the very last time. I am not doing that any more. But my mouth did not get the memo so I went and got the bananas because I told her I would. The last time.

I figured out the wifi repeater issue and my signal is really strong and I think I know how to keep it that way.

Oh and Fitbit told me I'd been over doing it and should consider a rest day - hahahaha Oh Fitbit, your algorithm is not made for old fat people but it's sweet that you try.

Now for an evening of TV and knitting.

somedayseattle

The high temp in International Falls, MN today is -3. Th wind chill factor is -37 degrees. Unless you are there, be grateful to be where you are.

susandennis

Volleyball this morning. There were a lot of people and I play on the edge so balls don't get to me frequently which is fine. Today, I spent all of my non-ball time doing various water aerobics. It was great. I did a lot of in place high knee kick marching and twisting and stretching. Made the whole thing more fun.

Elbow coffee was a small crowd. John and Hazel are getting older very quickly. They keep getting locked out of their apartment - forgetting or losing keys. Bonny took them down on Wednesday and they got two new keys. Yesterday morning, when I got back from the pool they were in the hallway waiting for security to let them in because they had forgotten their keys. Today they missed elbow coffee because they had a conference call - their credit union, their son and them. Because they say, the credit union keeps scamming them. The good news is that they are here and not out there on their own.

Biggie does NOT like the new treats. Not one bit. But they both like both the wet food and the dry.

I have a dead wifi spot in my bedroom and I have a wifi extender. I can see that the extender is improving the signal very much but I can't convince my phone to use the extended signal. This will be my project this aft.

Bonny's out of vodka so 'you want to make a Costco run on Monday?' Sure, says I. I'm very low on coffee.

And that's about it for the hot news here. We are, today, a dry day between rains. Still really grateful to live on a hill.

days_unfolding

Gracie got manic a little before 7 AM, so I got up. The roads are not plowed yet. The dogs are bounding through the snow.

I should check into my cruise. I need to do that tonight.

Got the dogs in without a hassle. But someone knocked down the cat food, and Bella has a can. Sigh.

I'm cozy in my sweats. Got my makeup on because there's a meeting with the new grandboss this morning, only to find that my primary colleague is out and I need to host a conflicting meeting. Oh well.

No nap today. I have a meeting at 11 and one at 1, so not enough time for a nap. (I worry about oversleeping.) Oh! My 11:00 got moved! I dozed a little but started coughing. Gracie was resting in the crook of my legs and wasn't happy when I got up.

I'm reading some documents linked from my meeting about "vocational awe," the idea that librarianship is not just a job, but a "calling". Apparently librarianship was originally associated with churches. There is a strong belief that librarians will do whatever is needed no matter what. And that's not fair.

Ordered some new-to-me hats, scarves, and gloves from Poshmark. Cozy is the theme right now.

There was someone standing in front of my mailbox. I went outside to see what was going on, but the guy had left by then. That makes me a little nervous.

I'm exchanging emails with the vet at which I'm boarding the cats. They said that they got them in. Good.

Petalura had a cotton top with stars on it that I like, but it’s $100. As it turns out, it’s out of stock. I did ask them to email me when it’s back in stock, but still, that’s one way to keep me from spending money. (Very pretty top though.)

I definitely have a pop singer’s type of voice. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was a lot easier than my choir songs, even if Mariah Carey’s notes jump all over the place. I seem to have had a breakthrough with high notes too. Cool!

Fed the beasts. I’m making myself some Greek soup (eaten).

I saw a Facebook ad for becoming an LGBTQ+ coach. I don’t think that I’m together enough to do that, but it’s a nice goal.

somedayseattle

At Old Lady Bingo yesterday a woman walks past our table. She nods and says hello to Stephanie, a sassy old broad sitting across from me. She does not respond. The woman takes another step and issues another hello. Nothing from Stephanie. As the woman is past the table, Stephanie waves her hand dismissively. "Damn, dude. That was rude" says I. Without missing a beat or looking up at me she says "Nobody disturbs me during bingo!"

Living here is truly a different world.

susandennis

I just got a link about our floods that actually does mention Issaquah from my friend Scott in New Zealand. He was quite amazed as am I.

I did pop into the vet and, turns out, they do carry the smaller bags of kibble and they had plenty and they had treats which are not Temptations but Biggie won't turn 'em down. Chewy is really dragging its feet over this order which is very non-Chewy like. But, I have enough for the weekend and I'll just go back on Monday and pick up some cans if I need to. The vet is very quick and easy to get to with very easy parking.

Timber Ridge does this Christmas Gala thing every year which is lovely if that's your cuppa. They open up all the dining rooms and spread out with all kinds of food and drink and it's a big party. If all you want is dinner, you are kind of SOL. I went the first year with a bunch of people and it was fine. Last year I just wanted food and it was a PIA. So this year, I'm just pretending all the dining opportunities are closed. My freezer is packed to the gills and I will not starve.

I noticed this morning that the inside of my car is disgustingly filthy. Well, not quite that bad but still it needs some love. I thought to myself I should be sure and get it cleaned up before my brother comes in a month. Then I thought hmmmmm I could put this on his Todo list!! hahaha nah. We have a very excellent strong vacuum system just around the corner from my parking space. I just need to roll it over there and do the deed. It's a very small car - so a very small job.

Now it is 1 pm and I have not even watched Jeopardy yet. I hate to get behind schedule!

susandennis

Timber Ridge - the place where I live - is in a small kind of bedroom community of Seattle called Issaquah. Issaquah has a population of about 40,000. It's been raining here in the Pacific Northwest. A lot. But, Timber Ridge is on a hill. And, yesterday, I went to the vet's and back and only saw large puddles.

But, last night, I was watching the national news on ABC when all of a sudden they were showing a national news guy standing in water reporting that Issaquah Creek (which runs through the town) had overflowed its banks and folks downtown had been asked to evacuate! Then I saw several photos of places very nearby that I know well that had replaced their parking lots with deep rushing water.

So wild to be so close and so surprised. I do feel isolated here in the cult but I thought that was my imagination. Turns out, nope.

Thinking back yesterday, the vet did ask me if I had had trouble getting there and I just kind of brushed it off as weird. Sorry, Dr. Vet.

So now I'm high and dry as usual but also way grateful.

Biggie seems fine. Normal. Yesterday morning when I got up, I gave him gabapentin which the vet techs really appreciate as he is not very fond of stuff they do to him. Usually, it just makes him a giant stuffy after about 2 hours and he stays that way for the rest of the day. Yesterday, he never really settled down. He was staggering when he walked so I know he had it in his system but he was feisty as ever and the tech did report he was not happy with their working on him. Last night all he wanted was to sit on my lap which is not handy or usual but fine. This morning he seems back to usual. And is still peeing just fine. And eating fine and now waiting for his morning Temptations. Sorry, buddy.

Chewy is being a little slow to fill the order for his new food and it's beginning to piss me off. They need approval from the vet which they got yesterday. And I uploaded again this morning. And still the order says 'pending approval'. Even if they ship it today and it arrives this weekend, it will still be Monday or Tuesday before it gets up here. Maybe I'll go back to the vets and buy some there to tide over. The problem is they only sell 7 lb bags of the kibble. I don't want to store that much. Plus I have 4 pounds being delivered from Chewy. Ok. am in chat with Chewy now...

Hazel stopped by last night. She had somehow gotten her tablet into safe mode. Easy fix. She plays solitaire on it a lot. It's one of the few things left that she can see enough to do. Then she asked me if I'd come help John with his computer. I used to do this quite a bit BUT then their son took over and I was happy to relinquish. I do not know where son is now but Hazel said they had gotten scammed by BECU and gotten it all fixed but then it happened again yesterday. The way she was saying it did not make sense but that's Hazel for you. I told her that no, I would not be able to help. I learned my lesson with Myrna's computer and Myrna's son. She assured me that this was different. But, touching someone's banking on a computer leads to nothing good. I told her to contact Brandon or Michael (our two IT guys) and they would help him. She was ok with that and I was so relieved.

Someone (son?, Timber Ridge?) tried to talk Hazel to moving into Assisted Living. John is still living in the nursing wing. She refused. But she really needs it. She keeps locking herself out of her apartment - multiple times a day. Now they apparently are having banking issues.

While I have sympathy, their problems are not mine to fix. And my trying will only make things worse. I learned my lesson the hard way. But, at least I learned it.

Ok Chewy was able to remove the 4 lb bag from my order so I'll go to the vet's today and buy some there.

But, after I swim. My leg does not hurt today so I need to get back to walking. Walking to the pool counts.

days_unfolding

Woke up at 7:45 AM.

Read about the flooding in Washington state. I hope that

man_of_snows is okay.

Gracie doesn’t want to come in. Sigh. Now Bella ran back out.

My grandboss was cool about the fact that I won't make it to her place tonight.

Finally got the dogs in. I ordered more donuts--for the dogs. My life is getting terminally weird :)

Well that sucks. One of our member libraries laid people off right before Christmas. And it's a Catholic school too!

Why am I tired again? I got a ton of sleep last night! (It's dark and gloomy again though.)

Nap time for Gracie. The futon in the guest bedroom is now hers. (It's next to my home office, so she can also keep an eye on what I'm doing.) This house is secretly run by dogs, much to the cats' chagrin.

I took myself off of Dial-A-Carol for Saturday because snow. I'm not sure what to do about Sunday. It'll be really cold, but I do have a warm coat. And it's big so I can layer a sweater. Nylons under my pants? Do I have long underwear? Need to check. I think so.

I'm seeing ads on Facebook for thermal pants and leggings, and none of them are for petites. Sigh. Found some on Amazon. Got some in navy blue to go with the "Snow Day" sweater. I should wear the sweater on Saturday!

I have a taste for a steak and mashed potatoes (and a vegetable. Brussels sprouts?) Maybe order them tomorrow? I hate to make someone go out in the snow tonight. I'd have to get three or four steaks, but I could freeze the rest. I'll get extra mashed potatoes (instant) and veggies so that I can have a steak when the spirit moves me. That makes me think of my mom because she liked to make steak.

Bella is tired too. We’re the Sleepy Family. And yes, it’s very gray out. Had a nice nap with the dogs snuggled up to me.

Got my groceries, including the all-important dog bribe of donuts.

Need to wash my cardigan. The jeans, black-and-white striped top, and cardigan are a nice "I want to look decent but not fancy" outfit.

Got my wool socks. They would be good for the cold on Sunday.

My mom's trust contacted me about the final distribution of the funds. Hello, I don't want a check coming when I'm out of town. It'll be a big check. God, I hate those people. Their communication skills are abysmal.

I saw Chanel Coco body oil. I love the scent of Coco, and checked the price. $136. No. Anyone know where I could get cheaper body oil? I’ll check Amazon. I found one much cheaper with a rose, jasmine, and sandalwood scent. That sounds lovely. They also had a sandalwood and vanilla one that I also ordered. I love that combination.

Got the dogs back in. The snow is coming down at a good clip.

I clipped a recipe for lentil meatloaf that I want to try. You can make it ahead of time too and freeze it. I’m in the mood for cooking. Which means that I need to clean the kitchen.

I want to find the music for “All I Want for Christmas Is You” because that’s a common request for Dial-A-Carol. I’ll send it to my singing teacher for my lesson tomorrow (done).

Yeah, they’re saying a -28F/-33C wind chill at 7 AM on Sunday. Hmm, that’s when the dogs go out. I don’t want “pupsicles”.

I want to get into bed early and read. I'm still reading the bio of James I of the UK.

bill_schubert

I've had right much pain in my right hand mostly when I play pickleball and it usually goes away in a day or so, but sometimes it is extremely painful. And it is always a little bit painful. So I made an appointment with the hand doctor long time ago and it finally came up today. Turns out he's a pickleball player too so he understands. My thought was that I just had arthritis and there wasn't much I could do about it. But he is tracked down to what he thinks it might be more likely which is the ulnar nerve in my elbow. So he gave me a shot. If the shot works then we've identified what the issue is and if not we've also identified what the issue is. So my right hand and my right arm from my oboe down is almost useless. I'm dictating this on my phone because I tried to type it in my right end. Fingers just do not operate correctly.

The doctor was a great one and we had good conversation and among other things he said oh you have a little bit of arthritis. But turns out I don't have all that much. Interesting.

Other things going on. I got it in email from Jennifer Alex's, new wife and she asked if we wanted to have the two granddaughters, Lillian and Laurana(AKA Juliette) to come out to Texas to visit us in April. So they're going to come out and we got a few things in order to make that happen. Dana has what will be their bedroom completely full of Dana stuff as in in the floor is completely covered and there is no way to walk into the room. So she has a ton of work to do before we can get a bed to go in there. And then we need to find a suitable bed. They're only going to be here for 3 days I guess four nights so it's not a huge commitment but it should be really fun.

Laurana is going to college next year. Not sure where she's going. We've actually never had too much of a relationship with him because neither of us talk on the phone. Either Dana or I don't much on the phone and it's pretty hard to establish any kind of relationship by texting. So this is a real opportunity to create a relationship with both of them. And it's very nice of Jennifer to think of doing that. But there's lots of things to think about. We do not normally do things like that. We are so sedentary and set in our ways but it should be interesting and it is after all only 3 days.

Other than that, things are fairly quiet here. Beaux is entirely well and Toby is nearly well. They have both been sick for nearly 2 months now. Coughing and sneezing and trying to clear their post nasal drip out. It's actually been fairly dramatic but I think they are both nearly over all of it and back to just being normal dogs. It's very nice. Beaux is just as perky as he could be. It's hilarious. And we have a great time going on walks. He loves his walks.

Dana is doing fairly well and I have not yet killed her cardiologist. There is still potential for that. He still thinks he should be running the world and it would be easy if it was just me, but of course Dana wants to let him do more than I think he should be doing so if I get overly involved, I'm really being too controlling. The whole thing is just very difficult. He wants to run all kinds of tests and put her on drugs and I think less is better. But I can't direct it. I have to form a coalition and that does not appear to be happening very well so I just have to stand by and pick up the pieces later on. That part is more than a little frustrating, but at least at the moment she's doing well.

susandennis

Yep, that's Biggie's Latest Adventure. The vet did an ultra sound and you can see one big one. She was surprised that Biggie didn't have any symptoms. It should be painful but while he considered it an indignity and annoyance to go the vet, he's not showing any signs of pain. But taking him off the medicine and back on to Very Expensive Prescription Food turned out to be the best option. We go back in 4 weeks and do another ultra sound. Unless he shows distress or can't pee and then we go back immediately. And, even if all goes smoothly for 4 weeks, if the rock is still there, probably surgery. Again.

Both Biggie and Julio like the expensive food, very much. so there's that. Do not tell Biggie, tho. but Temptations are a thing of the past. As are lickables. I bagged up the food and treats. I'll take them to the cat food bank.

The vet gave me some food samples. And I stashed some cans away when I switched them last year. So I've got enough on hand til the Chewy order gets here. I hope. All I've got now is canned stuff. No kibble, no treats but, hopefully, the Chewy order will be here soon.

Why in the heck did I not remember to get some grated parmesan when I went to the store to get the grated cheddar??

Also today I have a pain in the leg. It's in the middle of the thigh of my left leg. The right leg is usually the one that hurts. And this is a very weird pain plus a fair amount of weakness. The chairs at the vets are all really low to the ground and I was not sure I'd ever be able to get out of them once I sat down. It feels like if someone were to massage my thigh really hard, it would fix it. Hopefully it will fix itself today. I can at least walk around the halls here safely as they all have nice railings.

I was downstairs yesterday before the festivities but they had already lined up all the chairs. It was a weird sight.

It looked very different and couple of hours later. It was really fun to watch the parade. The employees dressed up either in costume or in really nice non-work clothes and they merrily high 5'd the old people. And, according to accounts, had a marvelous time. Very fun.

The Timber Ridge dog park is like a dog pond today but the rain has kind of stopped a little. All around us there are massive floods. The interstate is closed just north of here due to a giant mudslide. We're breaking water records all around.

I need to get a load of laundry started.

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peterfmccann

December 2025

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Page generated 16 December 2025 11:13

Reading

Stuck Car Day

set the timer for 15 minutes

A small seasonal success

I'm a weirdo

And another $415 later

Biggie watch

COLD Day

Social butterflies that we are

Sunday

Another Snow Day

Cat Attitude

i smile when i feel like crying

Saturday

Vocational Awe

unintended benefits

Issaquah made the NZ news!

Famously wet

Let It Snow?

Phoning it in

Bladder Rocks

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December 2025

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