The day is really gloomy his morning. Looks like a horrible, very bad day. It’s cold too. And yesterday was really nice. I guess you could say today is winter.
I am sitting at the table with Marika. She came home for a visit. She has a bad cold and just wanted some company. We are discussing dogs and what kind she might one day get. It’s a long, detailed, discussion. There are so many good and bad points to each breed. Then you really have to match personalities with the dog. That’s a tough one. I say just get a Frenchie. Friendly, happy nice doggie. Only a few negative health issues. Like a short life and breathing problems. No one is perfect. She wants small size, like her cocker and not needy like every dog I have ever had. Hey, I said it was tough.
I am also sitting here waiting for my carpet guy. He is coming out today to inspect my garage apartment and give me an opinion on the animal damage to the carpeting. I just called him and he is quite late. Won’t be here till 2. His initial eta was 10am. I do hate waiting on service providers. It’s like the cable company when they say we will be there between 8 and 5. Like I have all day for them.
Emily ran off to the store. Needed some cleaning supplies and a few other things. She’s been gone for an hour. Can’t figure what takes so long but I know if I had been able to go the time would not seem so long. Perspective.
Laundry is going too. It’s sunday. At least I dont have to share the machines with a roommate any more. That’s a little easier. I have all the piles lined up and all I need do is keep the line moving. Since it’s all I really have to do today, that’s not so difficult. Well, not the only thing. I do have more Christmas to put away. But that’s a between laundry loads task.
So I put away the few Christmas boxes. Got all into the pod. Without assistance. I don’t expect any. Marika was surprised I had done it without her while she was taking a bath. But I need something to do while I sit and wait for the carpet guy and wait for Emily to get home.
Marika and I did a house walk through so she could pick out the furniture she wants. We are moving and getting rid of a lot of what we have. My nephew Dennis is so excited, he has already picked out and measured a few pieces. He is coming next Sunday to take his haul.
Carpet guy called, forgot his blacklight, had to go home to get it. We need that so we can ascertain the extent of the damage. He did finally get here around 2. So he scoped all floor areas and lower walls for urine. Did the stairs and stairwell. Even the human bathroom. What did he find? Pee, of course. Which you would expect from a house full of cats. Some dog pee in the front room. Not a huge surprise to anyone. Trisha had said, when she first arrived, that her dog Wally peed everywhere. But, and it’s a big one, the carpet guy said he can clean it all no problem. So no carpet to replace and no drywall to cut out and repair. A win for everyone. Of course, the whole place is filthy and I need to get that done. But still, far less expensive damage than I thought. The pee damage could have been much worse and probably would be if she had stayed longer. All in all, good news.
Tomorrow our real estate agent gets back from a 10 day trip to Hawaii. So we finally get to find out about the offers. This should be exciting. We could be moving in a matter of a month or two. Wow. I am hoping for a full price offer. Then its a done deal. I spoke to one of the agents in her office and she is interested in buying my house. When it rains…
We are sitting and chatting while the cookies cook and the soup stews. I just dispensed some medicinal tequila to Marika for her cold. Emily swears by a shot of tequila to treat the common cold. I say, if you want a drink, have a drink, no need to make an excuse. Some people have a need to justify there behavior. Makes them feel better about themselves. Weak self image I guess. But I feel better. Emily and I had a shot of Rye. And neither of us is sick.
The cookies are a Christmas gift from my daughter. She could not bake them at Christmas because we did not have a working oven. We had a propane problem over the holiday. Our tenant would not let us use hers. Go figure. So no cookies then. But tonight I got two dozen molasses cookies from Marika. And now I can fill my new cookie jar.
While we wait for dinner we decided to watch some trash TV. But, the girls picked the Golden Globes instead. More garbage TV than trash, in my view. The awards seem pointless. How many Movie/TV awards show do you really need? It’s like there are two Super Bowls and different teams can win with the same score. Makes no sense. But I’m stuck watching it.
Next up is dinner. We get the chicken soup Emily made for Marika. Plus cheesy bread balls. And salad. Gotta have the veggies. The soup smells fantastic. Cookies for dessert!
Well dinner was awesome. The soup was very satisfying though Ali had to add salt. I might have put some hot sauce in it too but it did not really need it. Taffy loved the cheese balls but it was too difficult to feed her soup without a big mess. And, the cookie dessert was just as I expected, beyond the best.
We have just finished packing up Marika’s food and supplies. When the kids come home, we load them up with victuals for the coming days. And weeks. She has one of Emilys famous rhubarb cakes, a couple containers of soup from tonight, a new smoke alarm, a few containers of OJ, chips, 
this bucket of food and sundry items, and a few pair of leggings formerly belonging to mom. Oh yeah, and all the cat food that Trisha threw out. Like I said, we load her up. Now I have to load the car.
We have been watching the globes for an hour or more. Had some ice cream, Taffy shared with me. Then we got out the king size Connect Four
and I managed to lose several in a row to the ladies. Which is not a problem. I don’t pay attention and that is deadly in Connect Four. We only play for fun so no matter. We are filling our time with fun and interesting activities.
So the Globes are being shown twice in a row. Why? Who the hell knows. I had a hard enough time watching less than half the show one time. It’s not that entertaining. I switched over to America’s Funniest Videos. Much better. AFV is always funny enough and usually better than what vet else is on. Probably why it’s been on the air over twenty years. It’s innocuous, safe, friendly, and funny. Sometimes riotously funny (not every week) but funny. They always pick the wrong video for the nights winner. I can’t figure that out. And tonight is no exception. Winner not funny. No sense in that.
Marika has to leave tonight. Probably now, she has to be at work at 9am tomorrow. If she spent the night she would have to get up extra early. So she usually leaves late in the evening on days like today. Both Emily and I are getting up early tomorrow so we would have little time for her in the morning. So it makes sense to leave now. Though it is sad when she leaves.
Little girl has gone home. And we are headed to bed. Emilys vacay is over as of tomorrow. That’s really sad.