Marilee J. Layman

05:31 pm: Indecency
I got to stay home today, the only day in the week, and apparently I turned off the alarm and slept a couple more hours to celebrate. It's 80F today so I put on my one summer-weight tie-dye top and, well, it's a good thing I'm staying home. The first piece of clothing that made obvious I was losing weight was my coat when I could overlap it four inches. Now I have a light-weight t-shirt with v-neck that shows excessive cleavage and large portions of bra when it's not falling off my shoulders. I think I can adjust the V a little higher so it won't do that, and then it will have a pleat in the front.

Shiva is still wary of me, although he doesn't get any more meds. I hope that will relax. Tomorrow I have to be up early to take the dead VCR to the electronic recycling at the transfer station.

Tags: cats, clothes

03:20 pm: Various Things
Shiva ate dry food last night and then, some time after I gave him the antibiotics this morning, he ate more dry food and snackies. Tomorrow, I feed them first and then give meds! I hope this works.

I took the book I'd started back to the library -- a partial review and explanation of why I didn't finish will come next. Then I had lunch at Tony's and I had one of the specials -- smoked salmon in a light cream sauce on farfalle with a salad and garlic bread. This is the kind of thing I used to cook for myself (without the garlic bread) and I really enjoyed it.

I forgot to say yesterday that all the summer pants I've been wearing have been big, but okay, until the second outfit I wore yesterday. That didn't come from MIB and they were fine in the house but as soon as I took a few steps with wallet in one pocket and phone and keys in the other, they kept sliding down. The problem is that the waist of the pants is about four inches below my waist, so there's not a lot to hold them up. I'm going to see if I can tuck the waist a bit and have the elastic still come over my hips. If not, maybe a drawstring.

Also yesterday, the vet was in a different direction than I usually go and I knew there was a SuperTarget just built, but I stopped in after picking up the food and paying the vet and drove down the line of other stores. None are open, but one is a TJ Maxx. But out in the parking lot? A Red Robin! The manager of the Fair Lakes store was wrong about where it would be. I parked and went in (nice fresh wood smell) and asked if anybody knew when it was opening, and they didn't, but one pointed out a giant RV in the parking lot with a giant sign about hiring for the restaurant. So I drove up, opened the door -- a sign said come right in, but I couldn't do that -- and I yelled hello and then asked for someone to come to the door. I told the woman I didn't want to work, I wanted to eat and when would they open? May 19th. So I may eat there that day. The advantage of having one closer is that I'll probably try something other than the pot roast "burger." The disadvantage is that I'll probably eat there more often.

And finally, a really good Tom Toles editorial cartoon about the housing situation.

Tags: cats, clothes, food, satire

08:27 pm: Shiva's Bloodwork is Perfect!
:::whew::: And he not only pooped last night and today, but he eagerly finished my soup from last night (he likes the creamy versions). The vet called today and apologized for not calling when she said she would, but since his bloodwork is fine, it's just the mouth. I have to continue the med until we run out, and I need to report back to her on Wednesday or Thursday on what his mouth looks like. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to do that. He's stronger than I am and I can either hold him or open his mouth. I could use a gripping hand.

When I opened the living room shades today, we had squirrel acrobatics. One was sitting in the feeder eating, but two were on the porch scavaging. A fourth came and the three on the ground dashed around and made backflips and other fine entertainment.

I went to get groceries today and on the way in, there was a table with two middle-school girls advertising Giant's Triple Winner tickets -- they co-sponsor this with Johns Hopkins' Comprehensive Cancer Center and The Children's Cancer Foundation and usually a ticket is a dollar. The girls had a deal: two tickets, a soda, and a small bag of chips for $2. I told them I didn't want the soda and chips, but I'd give them two dollars -- my last two dollar coins, which they'd never seen before and I had to explain -- and take the tickets. At checkout, I got the cranky cashier (she wears latex gloves so she won't catch anything from the money) and she asked me if I wanted a ticket and I told her I'd already gotten two. She said "Those girls accosted you!" and I said "I read their sign on the way in and went over and gave them money, that's not accosting" and she said "Yes, they accosted you." I wonder what she'd think of the people who walk up to you and ask you to buy stuff.

The mail hadn't come by the time I came home and I didn't see the truck, but I don't think it's a holiday. After I got the groceries put away, I used a key to scrape off the plastic on the tickets. Each ticket has two parts -- one is instant win (money, product coupon, $5K) and the other has three things printed on it and if they're all the same, that's $10K. Both of my Triple Match were wrong and one Instant Win was a coupon for Paul Newman's Dressing (which I don't want), but the other was for $2 Cash, so I donated and didn't lose any money. I'll have to get more tickets next week, since I had really planned to donate.

I really need new winter pants. Part of the problem is that I've lost weight, although if that was the only problem, I'd just keep hiking them up. The big problem is that I've had most of them for about 10 years and they're splitting at all the edges -- hem, waist, pockets -- and I'm beginning to look grubby. (Some people assume all fat people are grubby regardless of their attire, but I'd rather have intact clothing anyway.) I found a local tailor who makes pants and I figured before I went and committed, I'd look through Stef's Supersize Clothing list again. I already buy most of my clothes from MIB, and I can keep buying tops there, but the new owner only makes pants in boring colors. I went through possibles and really didn't see much (a couple of tops I liked and marked, but I don't really need new tops) so I guess I'll be seeing the tailor in a month or so. It's a long list and hard to keep up, so I sent Stef a couple of changes from the pages I looked at. I spent way too much time on this, so I'll be up late tonight, but I don't have to go out tomorrow and I'll hook up the new DVD/VCR tomorrow, too.

Tags: cats, clothes, errands

06:51 pm: Mending
Giorgio's eye is open most of the time, although he resented having more ointment put in last night and this morning. Fortunately, he's not a fighting cat -- he turns ragdoll when I pick him up.

I replaced the buttons on my new coat last night plus mended the pocket of one pair of pants and the hem of another.

To be mended: When I showered this morning, the pressure of the hot was less again (the hot water line had been repaired and the first time this happened, the guy who came to fix it said the repair guy had left stuff in the line and it got stuck in the mixer) plus even with the handle all the way to hot, the water was only lukewarm. So My Plumber is scheduled for Monday. I'll get groceries on Tuesday.

Tags: cats, clothes, repair

07:45 pm: Busy Day
I slept in a bit and wondered why it was so dark. It was supposed to be cloudy today, but it was raining, too, not sleet, but hard rain bits. I got the trash and recycling out, the crocheting in the package mailed, my check (which came Monday when the credit union was closed) deposited, gas in the van, snackies for the kitties, and dinner at Chili's (cheesesteak -- too much protein, but I didn't eat enough yesterday).

On the way to the post office, the traffic was backed up and that seemed odd because the fire engine's lights were on the other side of the street and cars were coming from there. Then two tow trucks came from the other side ahead and turned onto the cross street and then we were able to go forward. The reason our side was backed up was because a couple of rubberneckers had run into each other. The fire guys were checking the cars, as was a police officer.

At Chili's the top button came off my new coat when I started to unbutton it. The coat isn't tight, and particularly not at the top, so I wondered, but just put the button in my pocket. When I got home, I found the thread hadn't broken, it was the knot that hadn't held. I'm going to get new buttons anyway, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow or Friday. I have other things to mend.

When I tried to sign onto my credit union account so I could pay some bills (now that the check is deposited), I had the same problem I had last Tuesday. No help as late as I was trying, so I'll try again tomorrow, early enough to call and find out what's up.

My right ear keeps stabbing me, but my temp's only 99.3. It's not necessarily an ear infection -- that eustachian tube is apparently permanently swollen shut and sometimes complains about the weather.

Tags: clothes, errands, health

07:10 pm: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Lucilla stopped by today to say that when she was bathing Jesus last week, his right leg looked dead so she took him to the pediatrician who had x-rays taken and his hip is dislocated. He has spina bifida so he's numb (and paralyzed) below the waist, and didn't feel the pain of the dislocation. Their doc got them an appointment Tuesday in DC at Children's Hospital, so did I want to have cleaning on Monday or really really early on Tuesday? As you can imagine, I went with Monday.

A while after she left, I remembered I don't have enough money to pay her. I usually go to the ATM on Mondays and get money for the week -- with extra every other week to pay her -- but I wouldn't be able to drive as early as I get up for the regular cleaning time. I put on my shoes and my coat (which is now about six inches too big around*) and headed off to the ATM. It's cold and rainy and dark. The decorations in Old Town were nice, though. In the same way that before I got glasses, I thought everybody saw trees as green blobs, until my mid-30s when an optician mentioned I had astigmatism, I assumed everybody saw lights at night as stars. They're a little more starry in the rain.

When I got home, I microwaved the rest of the stromboli. Usually I heat things like that up in the toaster oven so the crust is crisp, but I felt like I needed something warm inside.

*I've been looking for a new coat, still in a very large size, since they came on the market this year, and have been having a lot of trouble finding one that meets my requirements: zipper with snaps, no/removable hood, lightweight, and no faux fur. Yesterday, I looked something up on Making Light and noticed the Google ads on the page were all for coats, so I skimmed through the ads. I found a coat that meets the requirements, and I think will fit, and ordered it. We'll see next week.

Tags: clothes, weather