laramie

It's chilly and gray, though not quite freezing, which is good because I forgot to take in the planters from the front steps.

I also forgot to set the clock back last night for daylight savings time; I was up, washed, dressed and readying my coffee when I heard the time announced on the television and discovered that I was an hour ahead of schedule, with time to spare before catching my bus. I took the time to go back upstairs and do a chakra meditation and some stretching, then came back to the kitchen and washed up a load of dishes. I sat with Tigger for a little while, petting him and trying to reassure him, hoping to expand his comfort zone to include the living room as well as the kitchen.

It was a busy weekend. On Saturday Bryan was back, working on the porch roof/balcony; he succeeded in making it weather tight while the day grew increasingly colder. I got my usual Saturday chores done and went with Bryan to Roof Depot for some additional materials. (An expense that might have been spared if he had been more specific in noting the dimensions of the rubber sheeting he needed on his original list). (On the plus side, he confirmed that, since I've lived in the house more than five years, any profit I make on the sale won't count as Capital Gains, and I won't owe income tax on it. That's a relief, since I'd been thinking to lose out on that score.)

In the Evening I went to a sing-along in honor of the Wellstones. It was at the home of Karen R, the usual hostess of the Second Sunday Rise Up Singing circle. We sang a lot of Peace and Protest songs, songs of Hope and Freedom. A couple people making a documentary about World Music Day came in and videotaped us for a while. The music was all fun, but I left after the break, around 9:30. I was feeling cranky and aggravated. The woman on my left had a voice too similar to mine and it was too much work, trying to distinguish my own voice beside hers; the guy to my right seemed to be trying to strike up conversation with me while I was trying to follow what was going on in the larger group. A chip broke out of the post of my music stand, where one of the legs attaches, and I was worried that the whole thing would fall over at any point. (As it nearly did.) (I examined it at home, put some glue on a crack and am hoping it will remain serviceable.) At home I made myself snug and did some reading in Murder Must Advertise.

Sunday I got a call from Carolyn – we'd been interrupted when she called on Saturday. I was glad she persisted; she's busy studying right now for upcoming tests, but had gone to the zoo on Saturday with Tom and Thorin. I hadn't been able to come along, given my own schedule. We talked about Chemistry, (I've become interested as it pertains to Mineralogy; she's thinking Forensics) and some mysteries we've been reading. I suggested Patricia Cornwall's Kay Scarpetta as a role model if she's interested in forensics and I told her about the Dorothy Sayers books I've been reading lately; she told me about a writer who sets his crimes in Minnesota. It was nice to hear from her even if we haven't been able to get together lately.

I got to Powderhorn Park on Sunday morning. It was a chill, gray day, but I still enjoyed the walk. I fed the ducks and geese. It was the closest look I've had lately at the Canadian Goose family I watched growing up this summer. I was saddened to see that there were only seven where there had been eight originally.

At home I spent a good hour on chakra meditations, stretching and dance movement. Afterward I went online and ordered a set of NIA videotapes I've been planning to get. I can't afford to pay any of my bills, but I figure that they will be good for my general health, and that's important to consider, too. Especially considering that I have no health insurance.

I then went through all my bills and made out checks to put at least a little money toward each of the vital utilities and my Target account. I figured out what I owe on the tickets I've gotten for driving without current tabs or proof of insurance; it amounts to nearly $500. The cop who stopped me on Thursday told me that the $280 fine on the latter rap will be waived if I go in and show proof of insurance within the next three weeks. (As of Thursday.) I'm hoping against all likelihood that the house will sell and I can establish insurance within that time frame. Meanwhile I'm at risk of having my license revoked.

Other missions accomplished:

• Resume submitted for web design position (via Monster.com)


• Sorting out a mess of sewing and mending,


• Sweeping up fallen leaves under Ficus


• Making a list of other small sorting and pre-packing tasks I can tackle at odd times


• Canceling host for LifeTimesOnline site, which is no longer active,


• Checking out info for switching hosts for the KEEY site