Monday July 27th 2026

Good morning!

I like modern art but have to rely on the explanation to tell me what it symbolizes.

I'm going to fill out some documents about my will, etc. It's really very simple since I'm not rich. My two siblings will get funds 50/50 and best friend will get the house and be the executor. He's instructed to pay off the mortgage and then give the siblings 50/50 anything left. He doesn't need the money. My house over the years has really become an asset. I'm shocked at what Zillow is saying it's worth and I have my doubts since it needs some work and doesn't have a working sprinkler system. But should make a profit anyway. Anyway, I hope to live to a healthy old age, but best to have it in writing.

I got up at 3AM and decided to feed Waffles so I could go to back sleep and wake up when I wanted without her waking me up. We slept until 7:40 after that which was nice.

Meeting with my retirement advisor in person in Tampa later and hoping she doesn't tell me to cut back my expectations.

Almost 10 AM; I've been awake for a little over an hour. For some reason Tinker quietly barked me awake at 4:30 AM, and again at 6:20 AM. Don't know why, but I suspect it was become someone was stirring on the other side of the house or in the kitchen, maybe.

I'm going to make the second cup of coffee and get dressed, take Tinker out, and who knows what else. I will be riding with S when he takes the dog to their vet, for a 4:30 PM appt, and J wants us to take the black cat, too, to have her previous ear infection checked. It will be the route I take to the audiologist next week, IF I manage to locate my hearing aids, so that's a good thing.

Never did get the thunderstorm yesterday, but it was the usual very hot and humid weather that is SOP for this area, as is predicted again for today. I could sleep some more if I let myself, but enough is enough, y'know? It is funny to always be getting up earlier than I used to, up in NC. It makes the day seem to go by so much more slowly. 🙃 Imogene THAT!

I did my girl-scout good deed for the day. The yard waste bag that was left on the curb for pick up had bursted open and has been sitting there with its spilled leaves etc, for about a week, through all the rains, etc. The pickup guys don't concern themselves with bursted-open bags. Like I have mentioned, both my friends have bad knees and are obese, so they often don't do something, and usually wait for the niece or nieces to come visit, and take care of a few things. They are not impressed by the HOA (and neither am I) but I figured that since I don't have a lot of botheration from the arthritis or fibromyalgia pains today, I would be the "good kid" my mother taught us to try to be, and I got it up, rebagged and put it all back where they hide the stuff to go out next pickup day. I may also get some tougher, bags specifically for yard waste, that won't start decomposing while waiting for pickup.

Now I am taking it easy, which is the thing I do best 😁 and I MAY pickup a few spaces in my room that need to be cleared and kept more orderly, since I seem to be mis-locating things now more than ever! Tinker was laying with her chin resting on my cellphone, so I have moved it lest she get a jolt when the usual Spamming-Cheating-Annoying calls start coming in. Maybe I will go by the cell-providers office soon so they can show me how my old-fashioned flip phone can block the calls that have multiple phone numbers. And if they can't, there is always the "Bling-Sting" to hold up against the speaking holes of the phone. What I need to do is tell the recording to connect me with a real person, and THEN do the Bling-Sting in THEIR ear! It may do nothing, but it makes ME feel better to make the rippling ZING-ZING-ZING noise into the phone.

I sent SiL a message about how ticks are happy to have pine-needles to live in, but they don't like cedar mulch. Of course she answered that they had switched to pine needles because cedar mulch attracted termites. Ms Contrary. Anyway, she told me my niece is pregnant and the nieces dgt and her two step-sisters are all excited, so this will be one happily spoiled baby! Guess it will be a Pisces, maybe? Well I don't care 'cause I will prolly never see any of them again, anyway, but I was just trying to keep the portal open....I don't know exactly why, but I think for now, it's a good idea. For what it is worth.....Ppfftt!

All for now!

I had a lazy weekend but did attempt a couple of new recipes -- including dianah's salad! I might try adding some feta cheese to it, just because I like cheese. But it is good.

I'm on the hunt for easy weeknight meals that will keep everyone more or less happy. Don't know if I told you about the zucchini "boats" I made last week but they were tasty, stuffed with an egg and cheese mixture.

Finished the book I was reading and tried to start reading The Sound and the Fury. I had never read Faulkner and decided to try so a couple of weeks ago I read As I Lay Dying and eventually got used to his stream-of-consciousness style and made it through the book but I'm sure there are things I simply did not get out of it that others might. I don't know if I have the patience to continue with this one or not.

The cousin that Hubs has been helping refurbish his old car gave Hubs a 10-inch (?) telescope and Hubs has been playing around with that. The "deals" he finds usually end up costing us money. And the boys bought a pretty good telescope when they went to Black Mesa for their 30th birthday.

The ASHRM conference is in Phoenix in early October, and afterward I plan to spend a couple of days with my college bestie. She and her husband have entertained me a couple of times and we've visited the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, a cliff dwelling, the big meteor crater. Plus Hubs and I went to the Musical Instrument Museum. She says to pick something I want to see/do so I need to do some research, I guess.

Where did the weekend go? I did some volunteer work at the demo garden on Saturday. I came home for a PB&J sandwich on multigrain bread, which was scrumptious after restricting seeds and nuts for a week. I have a massive bruise and possibly chemical phlebitis at my IV site. It really burned when the anesthetist pushed the propofol. I picked up Dh from the farmers market, navigating through tons of traffic: cars, bikes and scooters and oblivious pedestrians. Came home to do a little in our yard. Dh grilled steaks and I went to bed early

Sunday was rainy and warm, which is unusual for this time of year. We went to a matinee of the Odyssey. It was good, but very long. I need to refresh my self on the story. I was a little lost during the movie, partly because that director skips around in time during the movie.

I took MiL to her chiropractor today, cleaned out a cupboard and got a facial. It's warm and humid.