Unexpected in Everyday Ramblings

The cat man himself looming over me this morning.

I actually used my birthday 20 lb. weight yesterday doing rows for the Push-Up Club express class.

My birthday was nice, very low key and I had almost three days with no social anxiety inducing events or major obligations. Carlo did hide behind the microwave in spite of being tempted with fresh catnip. Later he staged out to on top of the refrigerator at a safe distance so his tummy could get rubbed but no one was getting ahold of him say… to try to put him in a carrier.

I think I am going to have to drug him to get him into the carrier to get him home to Fred. Not to worry about that though, they found another damaged spot in the kitchen wall and the rebuild is going to take (at a minimum) an extra week.

The joke now is maybe I will get back in in time to start thinking about baking Christmas cookies.

Thinking that this was all taking long enough as it is, I might as well ask about having the 14-year-old carpet replaced I wondered. Turns out they are not replacing carpet anymore. They are using LVT. Luxury Vinyl Tile. Has anybody else had this installed? I am curious about pros and cons. One of my students is thinking about getting it for her condo.

I am slowly getting used to the idea that if we go forward with this, I am basically going to have to pack everything I own up. I was feeling stressed about this yesterday but today I am like…well the kitchen and bathroom are already packed up. It is this huge burst of effort and then I will have new easier to clean floors. What the heck.

Then it would actually be a remodel as well as a displacement for repairs.

What is disconcerting to me though is, um, the aging factor. In another 14 years I will be 83. That is just plain shocking. My plan is to be spry, but one never knows. I want to make the most of the next 10 years. Things start to change at 80. A stiffness and unsteadiness drifts in. That’s what I see.

That said, my ex-husband who is only 72 has osteoporosis and 12 compression fractures in his spine. He is going to have surgery soon and I wish him the best healing possible. He’s a good guy. His current wife is taking excellent care of him, and I am relieved it is not me, honestly. I never was going to be the ideal wife. Interesting yes, but not ideal. And he has a beloved son, he wouldn’t have had with me, so it all worked out.

When I was up on Bainbridge Island after Christmas my niece was working on a big jigsaw puzzle of a shot of outer space. She had just started it. Last night she shared that she finished it on the occasion of my birthday. It is on my oldest sister’s dining room table. I have so many memories of that well used table.

The niece said, “Nebulae remind me of you, so it seemed a good day to finish it off.”

That is a first. I am not sure what is it about me that reminds her of a cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter, but I kind of like it.

Has anyone read A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine? I think my Texicalaan name might be 19 Nebula.

At least they are bright.

Carlo is having a dream, probably chasing mice. The sky is overcast and there is almost no wind. The rain is at least over for now. And the sun should return tomorrow.

Last updated June 20, 2023