Finally

I took Dad's dog, Lady, to the vet to be put down today. I wouldn't say she was on her last legs but it was close enough for me. She was almost completely deaf and fairly blind. Lately she's been getting more and more stiff. She's been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since I took her in. Today I thought, jeez, what am I waiting for? Her life isn't going to get any better and it sucks for the rest of us having her around. She was aggressive with Charlie and the cats. Whenever I worked outside she'd bug the hell out of me by sneaking up behind me and rubbing her nose against my leg. And that behavior was CONSTANT. No matter how many times you shoo her off, she'd always come back. When I caught her today she kept trying to bite me, which made me feel just fine about my decision to bump her off.

She was an energy suck and I'm glad she's gone.

Ok, no more whining

At least for now. I got myself revved up again.

I have a lot of outdoor projects coming up. Timio (remember him?) is going to have his crew come over and get all medieval on my yard. Vegetation shall be removed, cement will be poured, systems installed. I have this idea for what I'm going to do to my front porch area. I want to pour some cement and make a small patio and surround it with a privacy screen (very mid-cent-mod). At the corner of the house near the driveway I want to make a similar-looking structure that will hide the trash cans. I was outside just now looking at the area where I want to build the trash corral. It should be a pretty simple and inexpensive project and I think I can do it myself. It would involve pouring a small cement pad, sinking some 4x4's and screwing on some horizontal boards that have mitre cuts at the corners. I need to do some careful measuring to make sure both structures end up being the same level.

What I like about this project is I think it'll be a good jump start for the outdoor projects, just like the mosaic chalkboard was the jump start for the indoor stuff. Once the bushes are removed I can get started.

Ooh, I like this.

Gums and mams

I finally went to see a dentist this morning. After a major gagging session to get some xrays, he gave me an interesting mix of observations about my whole oral area. My tissues are in great shape, like a teenager's he says. But I've got some bone deterioration around my back upper molars (read expensive). I've got to see another doctor about that. I don't really have any decay but one of my fillings is starting to fail, one molar looks a little iffy and he wants to fix the chipped lower front tooth to keep it from decaying. Ka-ching! Well, I knew that going in.

After that appointment I went to Kaiser for a mammogram. Always great fun, that. I was supposed to go back in April but you know how time flies when you're avoiding the painful squish. I'm glad I did it. I got two major health maintenance chores out of the way in one day. I also dropped off a carload of stuff at the thrift store. More out than in!

I'm going to put off buying a car for a while. I need to wait and see how things settle out financially.

I'm in a list-making phase right now. Every time I have a little time to kill I make lists. Too much is rattling around in my head. Making lists helps me organize my thoughts and helps me re-assess what's so about my life right now. I had my whole big chalk board covered with lists and I've been merrily erasing the different items as they get handled. Love that.

Lindsay called the other day and announced with delight that she and Kyle have found an apartment. That means their furniture and stuff will be moving out of my house. Yay! They get to start their life together on their own and I get that bedroom. The tile game gets to make a few moves. One of those moves involves buying a treadmill and putting it in that room.

Cooler weather is coming and the show I'm doing with that church downtown will be over Sept. 13th. School will be starting soon. I'm going to try to knock out two classes this semester. Progress!

I bounce back and forth between being happy about my future plans and being dissatisfied and bummed out about the uncertainties that still swirl around in my life. It still boggles my mind that I'm on my own. I still feel like I can't fully trust my decisions. Jim and I always made our major life decisions together. He was almost always too timid and cautious and I was always the one who wanted to take some risks and be more adventurous. I'm sure his caution kept us from making some big mistakes, but I also know that it held us back in some ways and there were times when I resented it. So, ok, now I'm free to go nuts and it doesn't feel all that great. Damn it, I used to be so much happier.

But hey, what do I have to bitch about? I don't have a mortgage and I have a job that still has the potential to turn into something really great. I've got two good legs and a brain that works pretty well most of the time. I've got money in the bank. My girls are doing just fine.

See? Bouncy, bouncy.

Ok, ok...

New post. Sorry for the lull.

I have a lot to write about. I might get to it all, I might not. I went to Missouri. I'll post photos eventually. The Carrozzas are visiting!

I'm almost finished painting my bedroom. I took a break from working on the bathroom because right after I got back from MO the furniture repair guy delivered my bedroom set. Since I don't want to spend the next few months with a living room so full of furniture you can't walk through it I figured I'd dive in and do my bedroom. Right now I have the entire contents of my bedroom (except my big set of shelves and my mattress), plus the new/old walnut bedroom set in the living room. There's no place to sit!

I'm a little unsure about the color I've chosen. I liked the periwinkle color of my bedroom at the farm and I thought it would go well with the warm tones of the wood furniture. But right now it's looking very blue and very dark. I guess I should withhold judgment until I get it all put together.

Yesterday I did a quickie project. I have this vanity chair that's, like, the total classic vanity chair. It's small with a metal frame that has a curlicue design on the back. I got it at a garage sale. Someone had painted it purple, sprinkled glitter all over it and covered the seat with purple contact paper. Butt ugly but it worked well in the room. Yesterday I spray painted the frame silver and covered the seat with new foam, batting and some sage green curtain fabric. I'm quite pleased with the result and the fabric cushion is way more comfortable than sitting on vinyl contact paper.

So, I'll finish painting the room tomorrow and I'll probably move the furniture in in the afternoon. It'll be great to have one room DONE. I'll still need to hang the curtains and finish the closet doors, but at least I can start using it. And I'm going to buy a bed frame! I've had my mattress on the floor for a year and a half. Middle-aged people should not sleep on the floor.

But I'm through for the night. Gonna feed the pets and go to bed, I mean couch.