Walked yesterday despite the heat. Seems that I'm capable of using heat, cold, rain, or sun as an excuse when I'm undermotivated, LOL.
The news of importance is that blueberries might be getting scarce - my favorite grocery store was out. I was able to find a full pound container at Costco, so we're set for a while. I suffer through this at the end of each season.
Blueberries galore here too! I've been eating lots of cherries as their season is short.
Are you going anywhere for your vacation, Dagmar?
How's Trixie doing?
I leave Wednesday for Tokyo. Starting to get anxious that I'll forget something important. Got lists aplenty going....
I'm meeting someone this morning to sell some of my dads coin collection. I'm always cautious about meeting strangers so we are meeting at Starbucks. Hope he shows.
I'm also going to breakfast with a friend at a favorite restaurant of ours that is closing after 32 years in business.
I'm getting huge containers of blueberries at Trader Joe's for half the price of a smaller container at the grocery store. And the berries are bigger than those from the grocery store. Sorry you're not finding them there, Bill.
Have a great time in Japan, Michele. How long will you be gone?
My cat is back to his usual antics of peeing in sinks rather than the litter box (yet he still poops in there). I've "taken away" the ability to pee in three (closed the door to DS's bathroom, placed a bowl in the cat bathroom and a big vase in the sink on our kitchen island). Now I have to come up with something large, yet easily movable (for my convenience) for the double kitchen sink. I'm thinking a couple sheets of crumpled aluminum foil. Despite this, he's acting just fine. He's just obstinate.
And my dog decided to eat all the cat food last night while we were out. He's been so good lately that I got lax and didn't block the door to the cat room. And he was stealthy--he only ate the cat food in there and didn't touch the cat food in the kitchen where it'd be immediately known.
The pint of blueberries that I bought yesterday said "Canada" on the label.
I'm drinking a huge decaffeinated iced coffee, having just ordered a car to the airport for next Monday. I'll spend a week in San Diego at an annual offsite corporate planning meeting. If past years are any guide to what to expect, I will see very little of San Diego during the week but a lot of awful patterned ballroom carpeting, flipcharts, stage presentations and table exercises.
I am ready to head Upstate for a week in August to go to an outdoor antique show and possibly sit around on my mother's back deck, nodding off over reading matter and feeling stunned by the sun.
Have a great time in Japan, Michele. How long will you be gone?
And my dog decided to eat all the cat food last night while we were out. He's been so good lately that I got lax and didn't block the door to the cat room. And he was stealthy--he only ate the cat food in there and didn't touch the cat food in the kitchen where it'd be immediately known.
I'm just gone for a week. Hoping jet lag isn't too bad on either end.
Allison, it seems to me that there are far far worse places for a cat to urinate than in a sink. I don't have a cat at the moment, but when I did I used to fantasize about teaching her to pee in the toilet so I wouldn't have to clean the litter box as often. This seems almost as good; just run the water and you're done.
Dagmar, I feel like I got a crash course in Buddhism during my month in China. We saw so many Buddhist shrines, pagodas, temples and monasteries that my kids started claiming that they had developed "World Heritage Site" allergies. The religion is quite interesting, though I was more than a bit turned off by the endless giant gold Buddha statues, which felt like the antithesis of the spiritual enlightenment that Buddhism claims to be about.
Can someone talk me down from the ledge?
I'm super anxious about my trip. Not entirely sure why as I've flown by myself before. But... I've never flown internationally by myself, and I feel extra responsible to make sure I do everything before I leave. I can't forget anything regarding the pets care, or important things to pack..... I keep thinking of more stuff to do. Sigh....I know it will all work out. Dh is currently in China and he's going to fly to Japan, hopefully arriving at almost the same time as me. Unless one of our flights is delayed... So, for someone prone to anxiety, you can see why I'm losing it?! My friend is picking me up at 7:30 am so I need to do most things tonight. I hope I get some sleep.
Not sure I'll be able to check in while I'm gone, but hopefully I will as the hotel does have wifi.
Michelle - It's easy to understand the angst with such a rendezvous. When I visited Japan, I was struck that I could have arrived naked and survived - naked with a credit card, of course.
Sending you my best supportive thoughts to get it all together.
Michelle - It's easy to understand the angst with such a rendezvous. When I visited Japan, I was struck that I could have arrived naked and survived - naked with a credit card, of course.
Sending you my best supportive thoughts to get it all together.
Michele~your trip will go smoothly. Think of this story: my parents took a Princess cruise one year that started in Japan. They arrived at the SLC International airport to check into their flight and the ticket agent somehow put two and two together and told them they were a day late--that all the other passengers left the day before. They called their travel agent and the travel agent realized his mistake and tried (in vain) to get them to their cruise. They ended up in Japan, with instructions to get on a train to the next city to meet with the cruise two days late. They don't speak Japanese and obviously had a hard time. Finally, a young student recognized their confusion and helped them find the right train and buy they tickets. We didn't hear about any of this until they arrived home because this was well before the days of cell phones.
Andrea~while I agree that sinks are the least problematic place for a cat to pee, it isn't quite as simple as running the water down the drain. That stuff stinks to high he!!. I have to really douse it with bleach to kill the smell (and germs). I've been putting a partially crumpled sheet of aluminum in each kitchen sink and that has kept him out. And this morning, I've closed the doors to all the bathrooms and the laundry room (as he's been known to also pee on the washing machine).
Michele~your trip will go smoothly. Think of this story: my parents took a Princess cruise one year that started in Japan. They arrived at the SLC International airport to check into their flight and the ticket agent somehow put two and two together and told them they were a day late--that all the other passengers left the day before. They called their travel agent and the travel agent realized his mistake and tried (in vain) to get them to their cruise. They ended up in Japan, with instructions to get on a train to the next city to meet with the cruise two days late. They don't speak Japanese and obviously had a hard time. Finally, a young student recognized their confusion and helped them find the right train and buy they tickets. We didn't hear about any of this until they arrived home because this was well before the days of cell phones.
Andrea~while I agree that sinks are the least problematic place for a cat to pee, it isn't quite as simple as running the water down the drain. That stuff stinks to high he!!. I have to really douse it with bleach to kill the smell (and germs). I've been putting a partially crumpled sheet of aluminum in each kitchen sink and that has kept him out. And this morning, I've closed the doors to all the bathrooms and the laundry room (as he's been known to also pee on the washing machine).
I have a client who had a "stealth pee-er" cat. He went on and in all sorts of places (I got a free suitcase and shoes from his efforts). She was away for two weeks once and, when she came back, realized her hubby hadn't used the stove those two weeks. There was cat pee inside the burners and on the inside top plate of the stove - dried and going moldy in spots.
I have a client who had a "stealth pee-er" cat. He went on and in all sorts of places (I got a free suitcase and shoes from his efforts). She was away for two weeks once and, when she came back, realized her hubby hadn't used the stove those two weeks. There was cat pee inside the burners and on the inside top plate of the stove - dried and going moldy in spots.
Dagmar
Stealth is one thing but I do know the minute I enter a room if there is errant pee somewhere. It is SO SMELLY! I go into search mode the moment I smell it and get it cleaned up. Even dried up it has a stench. Thankfully, he's getting better and isn't doing this as much as he was. I am starting to think his main issue is our cat furniture (we had some special cabinets made that house the litter boxes). While he seems content to use it to poop, he doesn't like them for peeing. I may have to put out a permanent "open air" box (which I prefer not doing because that becomes the box that everyone uses and I have to clean it twice a day).
Maintainers Weekly Chat July 18 - July 24
