Musings on a Small Life

I really can't, I'm stumped. This is just an update, miscellaneous items. I had a great long Easter weekend. Could have done with the Monday off too, as shops were closed both Friday and Sunday. I got everything done I had wanted: The priming and painting of the vanity (put three coats on it, looks fresher, now I want a nicer counter top), the guest room closet painting, errands on Saturday, even reading time in. Plus a friend and I went for coffee on Sunday--Starbucks was open of course. He had a good idea as to what to do to give the sides ("arms") of the stairs a more finished look, so when he takes me for paint on May 7th, I'll get the trim too. It's lovely of him to do that, saves me the $50 delivery fee on about $30 of trim. Coffee's on me this time! My Easter Sunday choice of food! Never mind how many additional scoops of topping I added after I took the pic! Mr. Handyman has not been back. He was going to pop over Saturday AM to go over what...

In the midst of such terrible and unimaginable tragedy in Japan, as well as losses closer to home (Mickey, of Mickey's Musings , one of the Blogosphere's beloved cats, has gone to the Bridge, as well as Josie's Bella Mae ), it seems somehow inappropriate to post that I've actually had a nice day, in between the tears. I left at 7:45AM and went to Starbucks for a vanilla, non-fat latté, then made it to Value Village shortly after 9AM. I specifically was looking for a vase for the silk roses I have for Annie and Chumley. I didn't find one, but I did find a large apple green vase, perfect to hold my cooking utensils (on the counter). There isn't drawer space for them, so I've had them in a heavy-duty plastic container. The vase is nicer. I also found some pretty fabric, $3.99 for this swath of it: Make no mistake, I can't sew to save my soul and have no interest in learning, though I have made simple curtains before and hemmed (badly) the occasional ...

I suppose the title of this post sounds rather odd, but I spent Friday after work and a good chunk of Saturday in a frenzy of decluttering. Mostly the kitchen, or what passes for a kitchen in this townhouse. I donated an entire dish set I never use (an old Ikea one, not china), miscellaneous small appliances like coffee makers I also don't use, other dishware, storage containers and so on. Clothes, other items. Some of it is in the garage awaiting pickup (when I get around to calling), but all the breakables were dropped off at Value Village yesterday afternoon (thanks, Mike!). It was "coffee" at Starbucks after that (with Mike), which meant a chai latté for me and -- splurge -- a cranberry bliss bar. Which wasn't as good as they used to be and was smaller too. So I won't be tempted into another, on the next rare occasion I'm in a Starbucks. (Used to go about once a week, but stopped a year or two ago because they are far too pricey.) I had such incredib...

Nothing too exciting, though I did make a run to Value Village. Yay! Actually, I went to Starbucks at Chapters first, for a short chai and a cranberry bliss bar. Mmm, sugar. (Wait till I crash....) Then I popped over to PetSmart to look for a pet fountain. Couldn't find any at all, but did get a cute mouse that squeaks when you touch its back. Nicki went wild for that, by the way. Derry checked it out and then ignored it, completely uninterested. Annie was very intrigued, but didn't know what to do with it. Not so Nicki, who's the hunter in the group. I picked up a few more small items at PetSmart, then took a bus over to Value Village. Found a really nice blazer for $10, pic below. And several long sleeved thick cotton tops in black and grey, for underneath heavy sweaters, plus a cute pair of pyjama or lounge pants (red with candy canes on them). That was it. Nice to see the sunshine today, though it's still pretty cold. Layers help. :-)

Busy, tiring. :-) My paycheque went into the bank--that is, my balance showed the paycheque amount, but the deposit didn't show up. I'm not sure why the account balance indicated that nice amount (included our retro pay), but when I looked on line I'm in overdraft. Well, it'll all come out right on Monday, which is the next business day anyway. So, given that the pay was in my account...sort of...I took the 6:45AM bus up to Chapters/Starbucks, got an Earl Grey chai (wouldn't have one again) and an oatmeal raisin cookie. Then caught the next bus, 15 minutes later, up to Wal-Mart. Yeah, okay, I know it's holiday shopping time. But I still wasn't expecting so many cars in the parking lot at 7:35AM. Good grief! The store didn't seem overly crowded, though. Mind you, it's a mega Wal-Mart, so it's a pretty darned big store. No need to go into detail about all my purchases--it was time to stock up on a number of items, so I left the store $225 poorer. ...

1. Stopping at Starbucks for a short, non-fat chai and a double chocolate chunk cookie. That's just wrong on so many levels: money, calories, sugar content. 2. Going to Value Village because I'm desperate for clothes to wear that I don't feel like a stuffed sausage in or, alternatively, are hanging off me like a potato sack and look like they've had a few owners before me. Which they have, of course. But I did walk up to Starbucks anyway, did get a chai and a cookie, and did catch the bus from there to Value Village. I blame the Value Village run on having watched reruns of "Renovate My Wardrobe" this morning, at 5AM. Most of my pants are too tight because I'm so fat, and most of my few winter tops are pilled to death and stretched out of shape. Not suitable for the office. Spending money on clothes is the last thing I needed to do right now, with tomorrow's big vet bill, but I can't express to you how miserable I feel every single day in my clothe...

I got ambitious early this morning, after doing laundry, and finally got two coats of white paint on the stair risers and sides. The cats were a great "help" while I was doing it, trying my best to keep the laminate floor paint-free. If only I had waited till it wasn't raining outside, the fur crew might have been content to stay outside. *Rolling my eyes* Well, they will have to be outside for the duration when I paint the treads. I have visions of dark brown kitty prints all over my house....and cats sick from licking paint from their paws. No thanks. After that, I took myself up to Starbucks for a short non-fat chai and an oatmeal raisin cookie. That's only the second Starbucks stop this month, if I recall correctly. I don't go often, for the sake of my wallet and the size of my butt. Then I rambled through the nearby cemetery for a while before walking home. So nothing exciting of note for the day, just a few more pics snapped along the way, the usual Sunday ...