fossilfreak

 

293 recordings of 52 types. 32% clear.

 

August  2 I wasn't going to leave the house at all, but I found some books of McClellan history in Hoarder Central and thought I'd try donating them to the air museum. They were delighted. While I was out I finally took the coffee I've been carrying around to Ann, who takes care of the donations for Sharing God's Bounty.

 

I called Carol to find out how her colonoscopy went. Better than mine, it appears.

 

 

The 3rd was Bonnie's birthday so I called her, which was fun. She was quite amused with Joanna's plans for Boxcar Children camp when SHE is a grandmother!! We discussed falls, too.

 

I was at Bernadette's from 10-1, helping sort through books, old board books out, slightly more grownup children's books to the living room (including some I took over which Padreic enjoyed), Joanna's books to her bookcases, Gareth's books to his. You can sure tell this is a family of readers!

 

Then I took some books to the library. (MY books, not hers, which she wanted to take to Little Free Libraries.)

 

Day 4 of a jigsaw puzzle I was trying to do before I go to Crater Lake. It was going fast, but it was obvious there were lots of pieces of another puzzle, as well. So I had no idea if I had enough pieces of the real puzzle. I would only know by finishing it.

 

I love watching Safari Live, and I also went onto the computer for an extra hour after the tv show was over. I just love it. I really want to go with Benson next year, but Zimbabwe is still roiling, and South Africa is looking a  bit odd too. 

 

On Saturday the 4th I got a free breakfast at the WPAC breakfast, so I left a tip and went out full and flush. One of the ladies had her daughter die of cancer. I feel, sometimes, like i've been dancing between the raindrops.

 

Willie (Bill) is going to be homeless at the end of August so will be coming to live with me for awhile. This will have some advantages... he can clean out the rain gutters which are full of driy leaves and palm seeds, and will be here if I want to take off for an overnight or two. 

 

I was a bit appalled in the morning because Pharaoh ran into the kitchen with his rat-chasing look. Didn't spy any long tails, though, and the dog relaxed. 

 

Sunday the 5th I went to Mass and Father asked us to pray for him. Apparently he's been the subject of some gossip, which isn't true, but he got a "canonical warning" (in other words a wrist slap) by the Bishop.

While in church I had a bad pain in the gall bladder area. I really don't need to add that, do I?  However, it's gone now, so it was probably gas.

 

I kept thinking there was something I wanted to do this afternoon at 2, but of course I didn't remember what till 4:30, so I missed the Knights of Columbus ice cream social.

 

Charles Spinks, my friend whom I never met, the guy who went on the Camino 5 days ahead of me, died. :(

 

So. The doctor told me to come in to his office on the 6th, so I thought maybe I could do an end run around Kayla the unhelpful receptionist by calling the doctor's office directly. Michelle, his receptionist, didn't call back till the afternoon, and told me the doctor is not in his office on Mondays. Why did he tell me this? I will see this through, with the Nurse Practitioner Svetlana, on Monday the 13th, and get my operation, but I am definitely going to deal with some other group next time. I liked Svetlana, I liked the doctor, and the nurses were fine, but I can't take the stress.

 

I was trying to remember who I gave the baby gate to. I guess it was Pagan.

 

On Tuesday the 7th I went to breakfast and updated the ladies on my medical frustrations. First off, though, I listened to Jackie's stories, and it was something like having a MadLibs read to me, without any of the blanks filled in. I had to use a lot of imagination!

 

Then I went down to Elk Grove and read to Padreic and played with him while she worked on Joanna's stuff. She's going to have that room all cleaned up so Joan can trash it.  Apparently J. complains that they don't have a decent guest room (and I've stayed at Joan's, so this is a bit hypocritical.) Anyway, I helped a bit, but mostly by keeping Padreic busy. I took a box of "food" and dishes (tiny Tupperware) to him and he was thrilled. I took the dehydrator to Bernadette. (When I dug it out I found a box, kind of a shelf which used to hold vinyl records, apparently, in the bar area and now it has scrapbooks in it)

 

Because of the smoke, it was possible that Vince would cancel Crater Lake, but now, a few days later, it seems like it'll be OK. I decided I would go anyway.

 

The 8th I apparently lost my Tac glasses, no idea how or where. Early in the morning, I removed some trumpet vine from the side yard. 

 

Then I walked over to see the doctor. I was waiting in the room and he tapped on the door and opened it and said "sorry!" and backed out! That was puzzling. When he finally got back I teased him about being afraid of me and we had a good laugh. What had happened was he wasn't quite through with the other patient and just opened the wrong door. 

 

He also took his time with me. He updated my shot records (though I'll have to correct one next time. I told him I'd had an injection for Typhoid but it was actually Yellow Fever.) He checked on the colonoscopy stuff and I told him how frustrated they are making me. He listened to my heart and lungs and felt my neck for lumps and, woe, looked at my feet. The prescription is to put Vicks Vapo-Rub on my toenails three times a day for one or two years! OK then. He said I was mildly depressed and I argued the point. It's because I don't sleep well.

 

Still, it was a satisfactory visit.

 

Once I got home again I went to the commissary for a big re-stocking (and of course, I already have two more items on the next list (oatmeal and RealLime)). It was over $220, so I'm sure glad I don't do this monthly. In fact, the last BIG one was in September, with a medium one in March, and I go pick up this and that approximately once a month. For the big ones, I go through the checkout and tip the baggers ($10 this time. Rich would have a cow.)

When I was putting the food away I heard the back toilet gurgling. Has that been happening since the cleaners were here?  And if so, why didn't I hear it when I was putting papers in the back? 


The temperature was back at triple digits.

 

 

On the 9th, I slept 9:30-2:40 and then went right back to sleep till 4:30.

 

I watched Gordon Ramsay's new show. He's doing a Sacto Restaurant next week. The post-show reviews don't look good. I believe I'll skip it.

 

I took the car in for its 122+K mile check-up. All it needed was a tune up and a replaced third brake light. (I hadn't even known I HAD a third brake light!) I took a long shuttle ride home, through downtown and East Sacramento, but that's nothing, he was in Rancho Cordova when I called him back so it took more than an hour. It's OK, though. At least I got to spend some time at home.

 

And THAT was interesting. Because it's Thursday, I took the dog poop bag out to the trash. While I was puttering back there, I decided to lop some of the lowest branches on the mulberry, so I opened the shed door to get the pole lopper. Like a flash, Pharaoh jumped into the shed and trapped and killed a squirrel right before my eyes. He was so proud of himself!  He strutted out of the shed (thank goodness. I really didn't want to try to get the corpse with all the junk all over the floor and shelves) and brought his trophy to the porch, where I was waiting with a plastic bag. Then, as I took it to the trash, in front, I could hear him back in the shed. He then presented me with a dead young rat. So back into the house I went for another plastic bag (AFTER shutting the shed door!) and took THAT body to the trash! At least it's trash night!

 

And yes, I lopped the branches, and when I put the pole lopper away, I had the dog shut in the house.

 

I got new TacGlasses when I drove home. I see Sprouts has come into the grocery store that used to be SaveMart! If my food storage wasn't so chock-a-block full, I'd have checked it out, but maybe in a week or two.

 

That night, Pharaoh was still full of himself and wouldn't come in when I called him. I got the flashlight, which is usually the magic tool, and he still wouldn't come in. So I got a newspaper and whapped him when he came in. The next day again he didn't come in and I left him out for a couple of hours. Since then he's remembered to come when I tell him. (Which was something I taught him after Rich died. He needed to know who was boss, and it isn't him.)

 

The 10th, I was weeding the zinnia garden, one foot in my garden, one in the neighbor's yard, and I tripped over my little wire fence. Fortunately I didn't fall, but I sure got a big, painful, bruise.

 

I went back to Bernadette's, and again helped mostly by letting Padreic show me stuff. "Look!" every little thing he does. That and he starts every sentence with "no." "Are you going to put that in the dollhouse?" "No, I'm putting it in the dollhouse."  Bernadette says he inherited it from Rich, who was very contradictory. "Why do you contradict everything?" "I don't contradict all the time!" he would say, contradicting me.

 

I finished the puzzle, 9 days, 995 pieces. There were 5 missing, but they didn't really ruin the picture.  There were 31(!) pieces that didn't belong to this puzzle. No, I didn't pack them up with the puzzle!

 

My driver's license renewal came. I can't get an appointment until I know when my surgery will be. This is so frustrating. I did spend some time looking for my social security card, which I'm sure I used when I got my TSA pre-check number. Oh, well. I did find a piece of paper in my tax papers with the full number in it. And today I talked to Joan M. who didn't have an appointment but went at 0630 in the morning and got it taken care of and home by 9. So I'll do that.

 

I was invited to the Sharing God's Bounty board meeting, which was at a pizza place. I was amazed at how this ministry has grown. When it came time for me to speak I talked about the start, 35 years ago, and how Rich and I were in on the planning. How he did security/parking for something like 20 years. How I don't do much since he died except provide coffee.  (Ann said there was more, but I didn't want to brag up my donations in his name.) I sat with Peter Mithin and talked to Bill Durborough.

 

I really pigged out on the pizza. And on the way home, my jaw hurt. I'm thinking imminent heart attack (no, if I get a heart attack, I want to do it in Svetlana's office!) It stopped when I got home, though I had it happen a little the next morning.

 

I was too late to see most of Safari Live live on the TV, but I managed to get to it overtime on the computer while I was finishing the puzzle. And it was exciting. There was a leopard (Hosana) stalking prey (and not getting it) and a hyena baby!

 

The next morning was the second Saturday breakfast, and I saw many of my friends. Mostly I talked to Marty.

Afterwards I went to Raley's for my prescription, and to Lazy Boy to look around (lots of pretty stuff, but I actually don't want any more overstuffed furniture in my living room. Something more like Bernadette's gliding chair which was initially Roni's.  I don't like the new covers Joan put on that chair and stool so I've told her I don't want it. I got 4 glasses. 

 

291 recordings of 53 types (most of them individual NCIS episodes), 23% clear.

 

The 19th of July, the day after the long San Jose trip, I sat on the edge of the bed for a long time talking myself into digging. I did it, finally, though not for long.

 

Ann G., from Sharing God's Bounty, called to invite me to the board dinner in August. I've been on the mailing list forever but the only time I actually went to one was back when it was a couple of blocks from Music Circus the same night as a play we were seeing. Rich went every year, since he was in charge of security. My current contribution is giving them coffee every so often, though at the moment the coffee has been riding around in the back of my car for a couple of months.  Ann doesn't go to Mass at St. Philomene's as often as she used to, as she has issues with Father Martin. (After the really bad start when he shut SGB down, I thought he'd calmed down.)

 

I finally buckled down and finished reading Little Women.

 

The 20th was Moonwalk Day. I remember when North Highlands had a parade every year. 

 

Bernadette and the kids came over. They leave a terrible mess. Joanna in particular... "here, put these blocks away" and she puts one in the bin and gets distracted. They built a nice tower, though, which I left up. 

I showed Gareth how to log onto The Tech to scan his TechTag.

 

Bernadette weighs 20# more than I do! It's not lack of exercise, that's for sure.

 

Saturday I was awake from 1:30 to 4:00, possible because I was nervous about the colonoscopy.

 

Kimberly Guilfoyle is gone from Fox. Darn.

 

I trimmed back some of the mulberry, which is taking off again. It's getting low enough to touch the mandarin and my head, and going towards the peach tree. I'll need a tree guy again, but my old one blew it last year and I'm not having him again.

 

I went to Bernadette's to have a last day with the grandchildren till the end of August, as they are off to Joan's. Joanna and I showed Mommy the sticks and rocks game. We tried to get Gareth's real tech tag up but apparently they'll only take one a day, so we're stuck with my experiment. Oh, well. Next year we'll get it right. Then I read a couple more Grimm tales (in both senses of the word) to them and said goodbye. Sniff!

 

On the 22nd, I didn't sleep that well. I've been spending far too much money on the Mirrors of Albion game, so I've cut back enormously (since I won't get any of the special temporary prizes anyway).

 

You would think the last regular poop before a day of liquid would be normal but apparently my body knows what's coming.

 

I've missed two VIP weekends at LazyBoy, darn it. I hope they don't take me off the list. I never buy anything but it's fun to look and I get nice prizes.

 

Steve has started paying me!

 

I called Pittsburgh and had a nice long talk with both Frank and Carol (who is having her colonoscopy next week). I thanked Frank again for his good cooking and said I'd picked up some ideas.  We discussed our innards quite a bit.

 

I finally caught entirely up with Chicago Police Department. My next project should be to get last season of SVU done. I can use On Demand for the episodes I haven't taped. Meanwhile, I'm still in season 2 of NCIS and as I remembered, Tony is a real dick..

 

I figured out how to set the alarm on my Timex. I was concerned that I would have to figure out how to unset it, because I don't want to get up at 3 AM forever.  (I usually DO, actually, but I wouldn't mind sleeping longer!)

 

And I woke up on my own on the 23rd, so I went online and learned how to unset it. The yucky drink worked (and stayed down) so I was ready. Bernadette, worried about traffic, actually got here at 7 so we were a few minutes early for my appointment.  

 

And then they didn't take me back for a half hour or more and didn't start the procedure till 40 minutes late. The doctor seems nice. I felt the cold in my vein as she put the sedative in, then woke up as he reached the end of the trail, where there is a big polyp growing in my appendix tube that he couldn't remove. I jerked a bit when I woke up but then just lay there enjoying the movie of my insides.

 

This big polyp will need surgery and he said he wanted to see me on the 6th. This has proven to be a lot more difficult than you'd think, and I'm still (the 30th) waiting for a call back on it. The nurses sent a "thank you" card(!) but I'd much more appreciate someone being able to set up an appointment.  I still don't know if I can go to Crater Lake and Ashland, as I've been planning for months! Roni has said she can help (as long as it's not over Labor Day) and I think I would need her for three nights. But nothing is going to happen IF THEY NEVER CALL BACK ABOUT AN APPOINTMENT!!

 

 

On the 24th, I learned Lexi, again, is an All-American cheerleader and this year she'll be going to Rome!

 

Jackhammer noise all day, as the neighbors in back, the ones who took care of Pharaoh, took their pool out.

 

I went to breakfast with the ladies. Afterwards I went to the neighbors to get painter recommendations, but it's been too hot to call anyone.  Because of the hassle of my surgery, I've decided to put the painters off Yet Another Year. This is when I started trying to get hold of the doctor's office to make an appointment.

 

I had the first peach off my tree. The squirrels were quicker, so in the week I only got 3, but they were good while they lasted.

 

And I finished Pere Goriot. Im not surprised that Balzac was on the Index. Not that we ever followed the Index, but the "morals" of this book were really grim and depressing.

 

And Vince called.

 

 

On the 25th I took Spooky in for checkup. The woman who took my call apparently forgot that part after she told me he needed two shots, so I was quite surprised when the tech came out for the carrier with the cat inside it and was starting to take him away. We got the checkup anyway.  Next time I'll have the blood workup, though he's in fine health at the moment. 13#! 

 

 I called Road Scholar to beg for no more neck wallets. I already have seven!

 

On Thursday the 26th I went to Mass at the Retreat House, and then to the State Fair with Bernadette and Padreic.  He wasn't very interested in most of the kiddie things, but loved the corner of the Counties building (only 18 counties? Shameful!) where they have a little store with play food. It was well over 100 degrees and very very tiring.

 

On Friday I was SO TIRED* but went down to Elk Grove to babysit so Bernadette could go to Camp Winton for their final campfire. I took some P.D. Eastman books to the boy (I've been helping to rearrange the books, and Bernadette got rid of a lot of the not-so-popular board books so the other preschool books could leave Joanna's room for the living room. So more of HER books could be shelved (though most of them end up on Gareth's floor anyway.)

*because I changed the bed, did laundry, finished digging, evened out the dirt, added compost and new garden dirt, and planted zinnias.

 

I got home about 5 to calls from the doctor's assistant (argh) and Road Scholar, all of which had to wait till this week to deal with.

 

 

In between I read Old Goriot by Balzac!

 

348 recordings of 48 types, 0 old SVU, 69 old CPD, 48 Last Man Standing. 24% clear.

 

I didn't mention on Thursday that I'd also done more on the jigsaw puzzle, day 8 so far, and I'd scratched off North America on the map Vince and Niki gave me. I slipped and got a tish of North Dakota, the upper peninsula of Michigan (I decided Detroit airport didn't count) and some of Nova Scotia, so obviously I have to go to those places to make it right.

 

Yesterday I had more errands. I reconfigured the car and took Joanna's car seat inside, to wait for when Padreic is big enough for it. I took stuff to St. Vincent de Paul, stopped at the church to request a Mass for Rich on February 4, and took a bag of books (mostly Nero Wolfes) to the library. I came back with an Aunt Dimity book I hadn't read. I just told Bernadette that I was sick of cosies, but hey.

 

I got back to work on the "books read" spreadsheet, and behold, I was two off last year, actually read 108 books!

 

Today I took the dog with me in the morning in the car. I was early for breakfast so walked him around the parking lot of the strip mall. He actually behaved well. Maybe I can take him for walks again, which I haven't done for over a year.  Of course, I would still have to worry about other dogs, but it might work out.  A pleasant breakfast, 32 people or so, and I had a steak skewer skillet.  (For lunch I used my new griddle to make a proper grilled cheese sandwich. The way Rich used to make them. Yum.)

 

Then I went geocaching a bit: the first one I tried for the third time (2009 and 2013) and found it. I dunno how I missed it before. I also had spied a man with a Gonzaga sweatshirt so I commented... his son had gone to Jesuit and Gonzaga but quite a while after my kids. Then the second one was at a place I'd tried last year with Richard without luck, and again I had no luck today. Oh, well.

 

At home I started watching the current season of SVU, though I think I'm missing an episode. (Still 2 missing in season 18, too.) And I'm slowly getting through the madness of Big Cat Week and of my Christmas movie binge on TCM. 

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 1 p. 547
153.9 miles
mild

371 recordings of 51 types, 75 old SVU. 17% clear.

Saturday, September 2, I went to the WPAC breakfast. It's at a new place, so I got there a lot quicker than I used to. So I sat in the corner and talked to a couple of guys, and wasn't that happy when Ralph came along, but it turns out he's interesting. Also, he makes model ships so I need to talk to him.

The cat got locked in the pantry, and this time he urinated copiously. Grumble.

In church I said hi to a number of people. It was the 50th wedding anniversary for one couple who I talked to about Renaissance and the Camino (they may walk part of it next year.)  I'm happy for them, but envious as well. 

I gave the last of the Betsy-Tacy books to Gerrie, who called later to thank me.

My Canadian friends, Nancy and Doug, invited me to stay. So I'm serious now about driving to Ottowa from Pittsburgh next spring. This is the one thing that was Rich's job, hiring rental cars, that I haven't yet done.

I sorted through the SVU episodes and there were a number I had already seen, so that's why that number is lower.

On Labor Day I started the Trip Advisor reviews. I only did three, and have so many more to do. My current goal is to finish them all by the end of September. 

I finished crumbling up dipping chips at the bottom of the bag, and used it to crust a chicken breast before I fried it. YUMMY.

New Orleans handled Katrina so badly, and continued whining afterwards, and Nagel was re-elected and talked about a "Chocolate City." I decided then and there that I never wanted to go back to that place.  The way the people have handled Hurricane Harvey in Houston (how alliterative!) has made me interested in seeing it after a few years. So I looked up things to see... oh, yes, the Johnson Space Center!  Vince, of course, knew this!

Tuesday I cut fur mats off Spooky. I haven't had a cat mat up since long-hair Smokey, before I met Rich.  Spooky is short-hair, but sheds a LOT and is not the most fastidious cat.

I went over to the Tuesday morning breakfast. Afterwards I mailed the book to Sue from Ashland. It was too hot to go to the board meeting in the afternoon.

Fires and smoke everywhere!

Sometime that afternoon the squirrels took off with the two tiny pumpkin starts! AND the squash, and I have no idea how they got that (it was huge and I was going to have it that night)! This may have been my last chance for pumpkins (no, I have one more female flower and I'm going to net it the second it has flowered and been visited by a bee!)

Vince called. The boys started school this day. And there was a harvest moon.

Wednesday was my mammogram, then down to Elk Grove. I started Pinocchio with the kids.

Jeo, one of the first geocachers I ever knew, died! He'd been in the hospital a few years back and I thought he would die then, but he came out and seemed to be pretty much back to normal. I'm so sad.

I try to sponsor kids who are fundraising for local schools, so when this teen turned up on my porch selling cookie dough for El Camino's water polo team, I bought one. I talked to him a few minutes, then brought him the money... he said "how do you spell Yarnot?" and I asked "how do you know my name?" and it turned out he's a neighbor!  From the house where they have the Hallowe'en parties! Oops.

Thursday I went into Hoarder central and moved stuff so as to get to the windows. I  started sweeping there, too.

Outside there was a truck vacuuming out the storm sewers.  Then it broke down and this ENORMOUS tow truck came to get it.  Never a dull moment in this neighborhood!

I had a nice but small fish tv dinner. I wanted to add one more fish fillet, so I put it in the microwave at the same instructions as the dinner. No. You can't do that... smoke started pouring out of the microwave and it took quite some time to clear it out of the kitchen.

When I went to water the peanut plant, I startled up this HUGE black widow. Lesson learned, when I clear the junk and the cacti away from the back windows, I must be sure to wear gloves!

Friday I did clean the back by the high windows, wearing gloves of course. There was so much dirt and leaves under the boards Rich had there as shelves, that my dustpan broke.

Then it was Renaissance. The morning seminar was about the theater scene in Sacramento. I mostly went so I could tell about Patience, the play Bernadette is in.  Someone else did that, anyway, so I didn't have to.

The time travel movie was "Somewhere in Time." Schmaltzy, but fun. Chip (the teacher) says the watch is an "ontological paradox" (because there is no origin.) This gave me a great pun, (what is a "phylogenical paradox"? To recapitulate) which no one understands. I had a hard time seeing this movie because Mr. Big Head came in late and sat right in front of me. Every time I almost could see, he'd move his head. He even had his cell phone on and it rang.) I believe the people behind me could see my occasional "choking hands" reaching for his neck. In the end, though, I was even polite to the creep.

On the way home I bought a Power Curve power strip (the 15 foot cord is of the most interest, because that would mean I could move the TV in front of the fireplace without rewiring one outlet) and a Spin Broom. As seen on TV. Unfortunately, that doesn't work as nicely as the tv would have one believe.

Then I was making cookies for tomorrow's memorial meeting, and put three pans into the oven at once. Because I messed up the preheating, the cookies were in too long and the kitchen filled with smoke, again. This time I apparently started burning the cookie pans, aluminum, because I accidentally had a whiff of it and couldn't breathe at all. Since then my persistent cough is persisting even more, and I'm a bit worried about shortness of breath. This time I locked the cat away and opened all the doors and waved the smoke out.  I did eventually make some cookies, but maybe I should just stay away from the kitchen.