escapades of the elusive kat

I ordered some peonies also. I should be done with buying stuff for the garden. Wait, no, I want to buy blueberry and raspberry bushes. And I’d like strawberries, but the birds eat them. Hmm. Okay, I bought the blueberries and raspberries with bird netting. I’m not sure how many strawberries to get. I have a big strawberry pot, but don’t remember how many pockets it has. Ordered a new lilac bush, and I’ll put chicken wire around it.

Gracie was biting me because I was trying to disentangle the blanket. Then she rolled over to have her belly scratched. Dog logic. Young dog logic. Bella wanted her belly rubbed too, but at least she wasn’t biting me to begin with.

Got up a little after 7 AM. I’m charging my cordless drill. Showered, and it feels good to be clean. I really want a nap.

The Japanese Maple should arrive today. Arrived. I have lots of planting to do. Oh, and the chicken wire top for the raised bed for the tomatoes arrived yesterday.

Got the registration renewed for the Honda. Yay. And I hope that they will email me a reminder in the future.

Napped. I’m feeling groggy. My work computer crashed but came back up. Someone was running around here and unplugged two devices.

Received the cane with a seat and the small stepper.

Hmm. Someone in a Facebook group online starts extra plants and sells the seedings. I was looking into that for next year (I want to get a setup for starting seeds next year), but apparently I’d need a couple of licenses to do that. Might not be worth it. My other plan for next year is to get a third planter with legs for herbs (I’m growing herbs in pots this year) and to clean out the area behind the garage and put down mulch. Eventually, I’ll want to take down the trees there and plant redbuds, some pink grass with a name that I’ve forgotten, and lavender. Maybe have stepping stones that lead to the back.

Had my therapy session. She told me that there are straw “blankets” for grass seed, so what I’m going to do is get the “dog-safe” seed and buy those blankets. Excellent. I need to remember to bring the measuring tape out when I go outside after work. Ordered the “dog-safe” grass seed.

Garage guy called me back. He’s coming over on Sunday (note to self–3ish) to rake up the gravel and talk to me about what I want for the driveway. Things are taking shape.

I planted the three roses and four ferns. Watered the side garden, roses, and crabapple tree. The Japanese Maple is soaking in a bucket. (This sounds so simple, but it was a lot of work.) My small Craftsman shovel worked better than my big shovel, so I’m wondering if I should order a big Craftsman shovel. And I need a rake to loosen the dirt for the grass seed.

Oh, I also got my Astilbe in, so I’ll need to plant it on Sunday.

I’m beat. Bella came in but Gracie did not. I need to sit for a minute and then I’ll feed the cats. Fed the cats and dogs. Ate dinner while watching the latest episode of The Pitt.

Ordered the grass blanket, stakes, and a rake.

I was doing my PT exercises, and Gracie and Oliver had to get in the middle of what I was doing. The hazards of doing exercises at home.

Someone on a frugal living Facebook group suggested getting shoes on Poshmark. That never occurred to me, and they have some nice shoes in my size. Also, I have some boots that I want to sell, so I’ll try selling them there.

Woke up before my alarm a little before 7 AM. Let the dogs out. Went back to sleep. Got up a little before 9. The dogs must have gotten good exercise because Gracie is totally crashed out. (Bella probably is too, but she’s downstairs.)

Called about rescheduling Zara’s appointment at the vet. Apparently the vet with whom we were scheduled is out sick. The new appointment is a little over a week out.

Overslept my nap a little. I’m getting caught up on my sleep.

Made some phone calls. Started to call the Secretary of State for the registration number and PIN for online renewal, but the Web site said that it should be on the prior registration card. Left a message for the garage guy about getting the gravel out of my yard.

There’s a lively conversation on one of the listservs at work about whether the new Obama Presidential Library would join our consortium. That would be pretty cool. I’d like to see it when it opens. (The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield is a member of our consortium, and I’ve been to the museum.) I’m wondering if we could get a group of people from high school to go together.

One of the books that I requested from the university library is in. I want to wait for the rest of them, though, before I trek over there.

Ordered a ton of fall bulbs from Breck’s. This time, I will stash the bulbs in my garage until I’m ready to plant them. (My last set got stolen.) I still need to order peonies for the front garden.

I’m waiting for my piano class and talking to Zara. I told her that she’s one tough kitty. Of the older contingent of my mom, Mimi, and Zara, I wouldn’t have thought that Zara would be the last one alive. (I think that she’s 17 now.) Piano went okay. I was working on a pretty piece (simplified Gurlitt Andante? I’m not near the music.)

I shut Oliver in the bedroom so that he won’t eat Zara’s food. Also, I need him in there when I get the recycling out.

Got the recycling out. I didn’t get the boxes on the porch, but I did put out some boxes from inside. Got the registration card for the Honda, and it did NOT have the registration number and PIN, so I need to call them tomorrow. I also discovered that the battery on the Honda is dead. Sigh.

Filed my taxes. It was more expensive than I thought because I had to pay for TurboTax as well as pay the taxes. Life is expensive right now (says the person who spent a pile of money on bulbs). I forgot to mention that the refrigerator isn’t working properly, so I need to get it fixed or replace it after I finish the kitchen.

Anyway, I should wrap things up and head to bed.

Woke up at 8 AM. The catlings want FOOD! NOW!

Hmm, I really want to nap at lunch, but I need to take a shower. Can I shower after work? I have choir. Oh! I have physical therapy today, so I need to shower at lunch.

The dogs came in early. Because it’s cold?

I forgot to mention yesterday that because of the sun pattern, I’m going to move the raised beds over against the fence in my yard. I plan to assemble them next weekend. Oh, I have the book sale next weekend. It’s going to be hectic.

Physical therapy went okay. The physical therapist worked me really hard. I’m looking at some tools that she had me use on Amazon. She gave me an exercise band.

I think that I want to learn how to can. I should have extra tomatoes.

Choir went well. I should get a solo part. The question is which one?

Went to the local grocery store and picked up a few things. Lily really wanted my chicken sandwich and took a bite out of it. Somehow she makes that charming. I’m putty in her paws :) I also submitted a Walmart order.

I couldn’t get the door to the basement stairs open from the outside, so I stashed the roses under the porch. That should keep frost off of them. Speaking of garden plants, Breck’s has a great catalog for fall. Sale prices are until early May though. I need to figure out what I want.

The dogs came in on the first try. They’re easier to get in at night.

No TV tonight. I need to get to bed.

I ordered the Japanese Maple because the plant nursery was having a sale. I also ordered some fertilizer for the trees and the roses.

Woke up at 8:30 AM. Had a lively conversation with Zara when I went to get her dish. The dogs, surprisingly, came in after an hour. It’s 40F/4C, so that’s probably why. Everyone is fed. Nap time. Oliver is on the shelf over the bedroom door. Sneaky little dickens. Woke up after an hour. I’m not sure if I woke up spontaneously or Gracie woke me up.

Hmm. I saw an ad for grass seed that you just roll out in sheets. That might work with the dogs.

Napped again for an hour.

Crud. There’s a freeze watch on early Tuesday morning. Should I plant the roses or not? Three out of four are bare roots. I’m thinking of doing the tilling, but waiting until Tuesday to plant them. I need to check if they need water.

There was gravel where I want to plant the roses, so I used the transfer shovel to scrape off the gravel. It worked pretty well and there was dirt underneath, so I didn’t need to till. I got the cedar beds with legs in the garage, piece by piece because it was too heavy to drag over there. I need to print off the assembly instructions online. I watered the roses (they sent three out of four). The roses came with plastic wrap that I can put over them in case of frost.

I forgot today was Easter and the local grocery store was closed, so I picked up some munchies at Circle K. Watched The Pitt during dinner. The dogs are in and fed.

I’m doing some laundry, but then I’ll go to bed.