Saturday and a Sleepless Friday Night

I don't know exactly what happened last night but I woke up at 1:30 and went to the bathroom and took my meds but was never able to get back to sleep. I finally just got up at 3:00 and went into the living room to read my book. It's 4:40 now and I am still wide awake. I thought perhaps reading would put me back to sleep but it didn't.

Perhaps it was the plumbing stuff or my upcoming flight. I don't know. It's a mystery to me. For one thing I am having trouble sleeping because my right arm often hurts. Also, my back bothers me sometimes. I  probably need a new mattress but I really don't want to spend that kind of money from my small savings. I could live another ten years.

If it didn't rain last night, I will water my flowers.

More later....

I did water my flowers. It is overcast but there is no rain in the forecast for today. I went back to the Dollar General store and bought a birthday card for my granddaughter, Sara. In all the mess with the plumbing, I completely forgot her birthday. I also bought more litter. The big litter box just eats the litter. I would buy a larger box of litter but I'm not supposed to lift more then 15 pounds.

It's 9:00 now and I still don't have a plan for the day.

It was relatively cool this morning so Missy and I went outside for awhile.

Then I had my lunch..the dish Carmen made for me yesterday, and read most of the afternoon.  I even fell asleep over my book. It's nearly 4:00 now and I really haven't done much of anything but read today.  I guess I need a day like that from time to time. I will watch the news at 5:00.

More later.....I am watching the news now. I visited with Nancy on the phone for a hour. She had worked on her yard all afternoon or she would have gone to Sunfest with me in Bartlesville. I decided not to go after all.  It's too late in the day and we are forecast for rain tonight.

I will turn to Amazon Prime and watch some more "Frasier" before I go to bed at 9:00.

Friday and Exercises

I slept well last night for a change and woke up once at 1:30 and went to the bathroom and took my med. Then I got right back to sleep until 5:00, my regular wake up time. I have dressed and gone to the kitchen to brush my teeth. Both Missy and I have had our breakfast. She wants to go out while it's relatively cool but I want to get this blog started and drink my Chai first.

I  will go to exercise class this morning and Deloris' funeral is in Independence at 11:00. I don't know whether I will go or not. I don't generally attend funerals unless I am very close to the person or their family.

I will go water now and make Missy happy. So, more later...

I got all the flowers watered and Missy got to go outside. She was happy and she stayed close by which is all I require.

Now I am watching the CBS news. I will leave in about twenty minutes for exercise class.

I heard from Scott this morning that Alaska is having 50 degree weather.  He wants me to be sure to bring a light jacket as well as my new heavier coat. He says we will need to layer our clothing. I have both a light jacket and a heavier coat so I will pack both. It's just two weeks away now.

More later....

Marilyn and I went to Utopia after exercise class. We saw Darlene there. No one else from exercise class came so it was just we three. I came home after I stopped at the Dollar General store and bought Viva paper towels. I gave my last roll to the plumber yesterday.

I ate the hamburger Leslie sent home with me Monday. Then I had an ice cream bar for dessert.

The plumbers came after lunch.  Today they worked in my bathroom. They cut a hole in the wall under my vanity. From there they were able to clean out the trap and pipe.  They will be back later to put a "Y" in that pipe and patch the hole they cut in the wall. They cleaned up their mess very well.

I read most of the afternoon. Then I went ahead and mopped the floor in the bathroom after awhile. I had not clean the bathroom yesterday because I knew the plumbers would be back today and might make a mess.

Tonight I will watch the Amazon Prime with Missy and watch "Nature" until 7:00 when I will take my bath and put on my PJs.

So,, more later..

And that's what I did. I took my bath and watched TV with Missy through an episode of "Nature" and one episode of "Frasier".  At 9:00, Missy and I went on to bed.

Thursday and Apartment Cleaning Day

I slept very well last night. I woke up at 2:00 and went to the bathroom and took my med and a melatonin tablet. Then I went back to bed and back to sleep.I awoke next at 5:00...my regular arising time.

I have got myself and Missy ready for the day and stripped my bed. I have the bedding in the laundry already. I don't know how long...or if...the plumber will have the water off so I wanted to at least have the laundry done. I will vacuum after I finish this. Now I need to get that laundry into the dryer.

So. more later...

O.K. The laundry is in the dryer now and Missy is on my bed taking a nap. There's no bedding on it just now but she is sleeping there anyhow. Cats! Who understands them???

I looked at that messy sink as long as I could and finally got out my Bartenders Friend and cleaned it up again. We will see if it backs up again like it did yesterday after my exercise class.

As soon as I finish my cappuccino, I will begin vacuuming. So, more later.

Yesterday's post showed how that sink filled up with filthy gunk again while I was at exercise class yesterday. Ths morning I couodn't stand to look at it any longer so I got my Bartenders Friend, and cleaned it up again. I wonder if it will look like this when he comes this afternoon.

 We will see! So, I need to get on with the cleaning...more later....

I have all of the vacuuming finished and the kitchen floor cleaned and only have the dusting yet to do. I haven't had lunch yet. I have been visiting with Maureen, my neighbor across the way. I took a break. Now I need to eat my lunch because the plumber will be along shortly. It's noon now. After the plumber is finished, I will clean the bathroom thoroughly.

So, more even later....

Well,the plumber came. He ran his snake though my plumbing but couldn't clear it. So he went over to Simmon's and could get more directly into the line from their side. They don't have a vanity in the way. He spent over an hour trying to get that snake to go "down" and through the line to clear it but it just came over to my side and ran through my trap. He made an awful mess of their bathroom because every time he tried to back that snake out it threw that black gummy gunk all over the walls,  the floor, and the shower curtain.  He says that wall on both sides will have to be opened up in order to fix the plumbing. He turned off the water to both our bathroom sinks so we would not use them. I don't know what Betty is going to do.

Anyhow I brushed my teeth in the kitchen sink this morning and I guess I will do that until they can get this mess fixed...whenever that will be. I leave for my cruise in two weeks. I hope it will be finished by then.  If not, I guess I will just have to leave my key with Carmen or Marilyn or even Betty. She has a key and she is the landlady.

There's nothing else I can do.

More later....it's time for the news.

O.K. It is 7:00 and I just finished my bath and have my  PJs on. I will watch "Nature" if I can get Missy to come watch it too. Otherwise, I am going to watch Frazier.  At 9:00, Missy and I will go to bed as usual.

Wednesday and Exercise Class

I slept pretty well last night. Missy and I went to bed at 9:00 and I didn't wake up until 3:00 when I went to the bathroom and emptied Missy's litter box...yes, she had used it again. But at least she didn't miss it....that's something! Then I went back to bed and slept until almost 5:00.

I got myself ready for the day. brushed my teeth and washed my face and, sure enough, even with that small use, the sink was still stopped up. When I attempted to plunge it again, it brought up all that black greasy gunk and it still didn't drain. Hopefully Kyle will be back sometime today to replace the trap...which appears to be deteriorating. That's what he thinks all that black greasy gunk is. I just left it rather then ruin another old dish towel trying to wipe it out. It's always something!

After I had my bath last night, Rick came and picked up his fish. He is going to have a fish fry for his men at work.

If Kyle doesn't call me before exercise class, I will go on to that. Right now, I need to feed Missy and myself.  So, more later...

Missy and I have had our breakfasts and have even gone out on the patio. It had rained last night and Missy wanted to just come back in.  She is in on my bed now. She did use the new litter box again...and so far, has kept it in the litter box. I hope that continues.

The bathroom sink still didn't drain so I took my Bartenders Friend and some paper towels and cleaned up the sink. It looks fine now but if anyone puts water in the sink or even uses it for anything, that greasy black gunk will be back. I will probably just brush my teeth in the kitchen sink if Kyle doesn't get back before morning to put a new trap in it.

I don't have anything planned for today. Since it rained last night I don't even have to water this morning.  So I may get back to my book.

More even later...

I went to exercise class this morning and then afterward on to Walmart to get some groceries.  Kyle called while I was there and he said he would be here this afternoon to work on the sink in the bathroom. While I was gone, the greasy black gunk came back up into the sink.  I didn't deal with it again. I will give him the red bucket and when he takes the trap out, it can pour into that bucket. I do need to get the stuff out from under the sink before he comes and I need to eat lunch too.

 
The mess I found in the bathroom sink after I had cleaned it out! Disgusting!

Scott called this morning and we texted back and forth for awhile. He is trying to take care of last minute stuff before our cruise.  He is giving me some spending money. Strange...for years, I gave him spending money...now I guess he feels it is payback time. :) That's neat of him!

I'd better get that stuff out from under the sink.  More later...

Kyle came while I was eating my soup. And after he discovered it was a mess again, I gave him my last old dish towel to clean up the mess it made. 

Kyle took the trap off but he discovered it was a lot more serious then he had the expertise to handle. I took him out to check the outside drain and had him flush the toilet to see if the water would come up into it...it did not.  He had me call Betty and tell her she was going to have to get a plumber.  Besides that, Carmen, my neighbor, came over and she has the exact same problem in her bathroom sink. There is greasy black gunk in her sink too and even when she cleans it out, it comes back up...just like mine does. Betty called her plumber and he will be here tomorrow afternoon. Carmen works tomorrow afternoon and so I will need to be here with her key too to let him in her apartment.

They are buying a house and moving into it July1st. I will miss them. I hope they will continue to come on to church. They have been so faithful. They are such neat kids. Carmen even sent me home with a casserole dish for my lunch tomorrow.

Scott texted me this afternoon and Keith called. I really appreciate the way the boys stay in touch with me almost every week.

That's fine. Tomorrow is house cleaning day and I will be cleaning and doing laundry all day. I strip my bed this week and wash sheets. I will try to get that done in the morning before the plumber comes..

So far, Missy has not missed the new litter box at all. So I won't have the mats to wash unless she misses it tonight. I will wash my sheets, towels and wash cloths as well as my PJs tomorrow morning in case the plumber has to turn off the water.  It's almost 7:00 PM now and I have just had my bath and taken my Mira Lax. I will see if Missy wants to watch some more "Nature" with me. She loves "Nature". Then we will go to bed at 9:00 if all goes according to plan..

Tuesday and Cakes and Great China Lunch

I slept pretty well last night although I did get up at 4:45. Missy and I had our breakfasts and afterward we went out to water flowers. It was fairly nice out at that time. Later, at 8:10, I picked up Bob and we went to Independence to deliver our cakes.Then I took him to his sister, Betty's, for his visit.

After I had my hair done,  I dropped over to Juanita's to see how her stitches were doing. I hoped I wouldn't see any sign of infection and sure enough, she had done a good job of washing it with peroxide and putting antibiotic ointment on it twice a day. I was pleased. Next Tuesday I take her to have the stitches taken out there at her clinic in Independence. Soon the lab results will be back and we will see if they got it all.

Then I went to get Bob and we went to Great China for lunch.

After that I took him over to Joanne's.

I read awhile and then cleaned up Missy's litter box. So far she has done well. She is using the larger litter box. She's not wild about it but she has no other options. So far...so good.

I came home and worked on that drain for about an hour...trying to get it cleaned out so it would drain. It didn't work at all.

The drain in that bathroom sink is totally plugged up. Nothing is moving that mess up or down in that drain. The young man she sent to check it out ran a snake into it but it turned out the trap was iron and that mess was what was made when it was deteriorating.  He will get a wrench and a new trap and come back to repair it with something that isn't going to pieces. It is draining a little now. Maybe I can at least brush my teeth in the morning.

I am watching the CBS news now. After the channel 6 news, at 7:00, I will take my bath  and put my PJs on and watch another episode of "Frazier." At 9:00 or so Missy and I will go to bed.

Monday and an Almost Sleepless Night

I went to bed at 9:00PM  last night and slept fine until 2:00AM when I got up to go to the bathroom and take my med. I thought it was strange that Missy still had not used the new litter box but thought I would would put the largest bathmat under it anyhow.  That bathmat had finished drying hanging on the shower rail after I washed the three of them again last evening. When I lifted the litter box up to slip it under it, I realized that she had used the floor behind it at least twice. There was quite a pool of urine there. I got an old rag and an old kitchen towel I no longer use in the kitchen, wet them, and mopped it all up. I will re-mop it in the morning with my wet swifter.

After that, there was to be no more sleep. I lay in bed trying to get back to sleep until 3:30AM  when I finally just gave up and got up. I had even taken a melatonin tablet when I got up at 2:00AM ...hoping that would help me get back to sleep. I have kept the old litter box and if she still refuses to use the new one, I will bring it back in and put it in the bathroom. At least part of the time, she did use it instead of the floor. What a mess! I will be leaving for my cruise in a couple of weeks and will just have to go off and leave this mess for Bob A. to take care of. Lord only knows what he will find when he comes in morning and evening to clean up after her and feed her her treats and cat food and water. I don't know what else I can do except have her put down but after 15 years I hate to even think about having to do that.

What a quandary.

Well, more later. It's nearly 4:00AM now and I may as well go fix my coffee.

I hope to be up to exercise class this morning. Kay is going to open the senior center at 9:00 as usual even though it is a holiday. She wants to do that rather then just stay home. Bob told me yesterday that Deloris, who manages the senior center, has died and that the chairman of the board "fired" Sheilah, who had been manning the office while Deloris was in the hospital. Sheilah does not want the job and neither does Kay, who leads the exercise classes but the chairman of the board says his daughter is interested in it. It sounds like he has made a way for that to happen....possibly. I don't know if he actually had the authority to fire Sheilah but Bob thought he would ask Cindy, the city clerk who usually knows everything that is going on in the city and all about the regulations, etc.. The commission is in charge of choosing the board of the the senior center even though the county bought the building this year and pays the manager. Enough about that.

I guess I will go make my coffee. I will need to make my cake today too. We deliver cakes to the First Christian Church in Independence tomorrow.  Bob will go with me this time to help deliver them. He wants to go visit his sister, Betty, and have lunch at Great China. Joanne, his girlfriend, doesn't care for Chinese food so it's been awhile since he has had any.

More later...

Well, I hope I have resolved my latest crisis.  I tried and tried to get Missy to use her new litter box. She absolutely refused. Twice I picked her up and carried her up the hall and put her in the box and encouraged her to use it. She hissed and spit at me all the way up the hall.. Finally I coaxed her into the bathroom and sat on the closed commode myself and just coaxed her to come use the litter box. First she cautiously used it to pee but then she wanted right out but I knew she also needed to poo. So once again I coaxed her back into the litter box and encouraged her to poo...which she finally did. I guess she needed to go so badly that she couldn't hold out any longer. I gave her some more treats and told her what a good kitty she was.  At least I won the second round. It will be interesting (to say the least) to see what she will do while I am at exercise class. I must get this resolved before I leave on the cruise next month.

More later....

I did go to exercise class. There were 11 of us there instead of 22 but today is a holiday and that explains it.. I believe I will go over to Caney to the Memorial Service. Rudy Taylor, an old friend, is doing the service there.  Then my daughter just called and invited me out to their house for hamburgers and chips. I am to bring ice cream. I will pick that up at Brahms in Independence or the one here just before I go out there at 5:00. I believe I will also take the strawberries Vic brought me.

So more later....

I did go to the memorial service and Rudy did an excellent job. I had an opportunity to visit with a woman I worked with at the dental office there in the70's. Ila was her first name but she lost her last husband whose last name was Bartusick and I believe she has remarried.  I did not catch her present name. She will be 80 in September and looks to be about 60. She always was pretty and she still is. Her daughter, Tammie, was there too and she looks very good too.

On my way back from Caney, I stopped at Tyro and bought an Amish made coconut cream pie at their little highway store. I am supposed to pick up some ice cream too. I will get some over at Brahms about 4:20...before I leave for John and Leslie's.

Missy had used her new litter box while I was gone. With any kind of luck, the large size of the new litter box may keep her from peeing on the old bathmat. I can only hope.

I will try to remember to take some photos this evening at their dinner.
 
 They sure dress up my server!

More even later...This is my daughter and John, my son in law following their cruise.  I didn't get any photos at their cookout dinner this evening.I got home about 6:45. It is 7:20 now and I will get my bath over and get my PJs on . At 9:00 Missy and I will go on to bed,

Sunday and Church

I slept pretty well last night. I woke at 2:00 and went to the bathroom and again at 4:00 when Missy began kneading on my back. I told her to stop it TWICE. Darn Cat! I finally just got up at 4:00 and dressed and got myself ready for church. I fed Missy and myself but, wouldn't you know, she peed on the clean bathmat AGAIN.  I may buy a larger litter box and try that. I get so tired of doing her mat laundry every two or three days.

She's back on my bed again now. ...sleeping.

I went out and watered the flowers this morning. It was very hot yesterday and I figured they needed to be watered.

Bob will drive today. He has his banana nut bread in the oven. Phyllis is back in Kansas City with her family this weekend. We will probably have another small congregation again because of the holiday.

I am taking another book for the adult class to discuss if they want to study. Today we take up the last study in the church's study material. This is another of Brian McLaren's books called "A Search for What Makes Sense". His books always make us think. It's never wise to just accept theology the church (any church)  presents. We have to learn to think for ourselves and decide what we can accept since today's world is very different from the one in the early medieval world when these scriptures were canonized.

I learned years ago that much of the teachings of Jesus and the scriptures were metaphorical...meant to teach an unlearned citizenry a lesson....not to be taken literally. I have also personally discarded the concept of the Trinity....it is not to be found in scripture. It was fourth century theology. I believe in God and that Jesus was the son of God...just as we are the daughters and sons of God. I also believe in the spirit of God ...that still small voice that tries to lead us in the best way by persuasion,,,not coercion.   I believe we have our free will...free to choose our own way or the way of the still small voice of God. I agree with Crossan on this.


 

But that's just me. We all have to use our brains to decide what we can accept. After all, God gave us our brain too. So much for my personal theology. :)

More later...

Sure enough, it was a holiday weekend and the congregation was smaller. Afterward Rick and Carmen went to "Just Us" with Bob and me. We had a nice lunch.

After that, I came home and did my congregational newsletters!

My second cousin called while I was working on those and said she and her dad, my cousin's widower, were in the area decorating graves and wanted to drop by to visit after they finished. I will be glad to see them again. They come once a year to decorate graves and they usually drop by here.

I will get back to this later...

Everett and Tricia came pretty quick and I called Bob A to come visit with them too.

They left after thirty or forty five minutes. They had a ways to go to get back to Everett's sister's home. Tuesday they will leave for Houston. Everett's house was caught in last year's hurricane and
flood.  He is waiting for the county to buy his house.He had no flood insurance. It was good to see them every year.

I went out to Walmart and bought what few things I needed and I bought Missy a larger litter box. Maybe that will help keep the mats and floor clean. I am hopeful but I kept the old litter box...just in case.



It's almost 6:00 PM now. I want to watch 60 Minutes this evening.  I did take Missy out back for a while but it is 90 degrees this evening and I brought her back in after fifteen or twenty minutes. She is lying here at my feet resting right now.

After 60 Minutes, I will take my bath and get my PJs on and watch Amazon Prime until 9:00 PM. Then I will go to bed.

Guess what I discovered on Prime TV! All of the old Frasier shows. I just watched episode One. I haven't laughed so much in a year! It used to be my Bob and my favorite comedy show. It was a spinoff of "Cheers" and we never missed it,  I will enjoy watching an episode every evening..

So..good night  all! It's almost 9:00.