FullaBella's Journal, 13 January 2014

Edit - GROSS - I just had to deal with a dead mouse. I knew I could smell the faint scent of 'something not right' around that wall in my store room but kept avoiding it. I don't know why. Today I pulled out the cloths I put on the show tables trying to do a rehearsal for the 'less is more Bella plan' and yup - there it was. I have the tablecloths stretched out and soaked with fabric spray - here's hoping. Gah.... I kept telling myself 'the fact that it SMELLS means you don't have to worry about it climbing your leg' but it still made me shudder..


Monday - January 13th - the sun is shining and another day of temperatures in the 60's predicted so I'm very contented. Yesterday was the same except the wind felt as if it was blowing 90 miles an hour. I finally made it to the Lake Town for the 'ash spreading' and thought I was going to end up in the wake zone during my own little private wake.

Afterward I enjoyed a little more retail therapy and dined alone at a little bistro and had a fabulous French Chicken Pot Pie. I ate slowly and mindfully and even tried to dine frugally as, another first, I asked for a to-go box. A last for me as the box leaked; thankfully nothing ruined but just not worth the effort.

Reflecting as I arranged and placed my latest incoming of decorative treasures throughout my home I had a whole 'chicken and the egg' awareness going on. For years I said 'I'm just not a shopper, I prefer to get online, order, and get it over with.' But was that because it was the easier of all methods due to my limited free time? There is something so much more satisfying about picking items in person, feeling the texture and truly being able to assess the size instead of imagining it from an online photo. Much like preparing my own meals compared to ordering something to be shoved at me through the drive thru window of a fast-food joint. There's definitely a connection.

Just as I'd finally settled (poor little Mushy was worn OUT following me back and forth and all around the house putting things in order) and was enjoying my nightly bowl of oatmeal someone phoned that my building up the street was pouring water into the sidewalk, my carpets were soaked, damage, ruin, famine, plague and pestilence. Yep, 10pm I'm pulling on clothes and dashing off to determine if there was anything I could do as I don't have a 'key' to turn the water off (whatever you call that long iron metal re-bar thing). There was water on the sidewalk but the inside of the building was powder dry and damage free. Mushy and I returned this morning and in the light of day determined it's likely run-off from the roof but for the life of me can't recall getting 'that much rain' recently to justify 'this much water'. Nonetheless, have phoned the roofer and no worries on today's bright shiny day. Probably a gutter clogged.

But I did reflect how much different this would have been with Cutty still around. He'd be worked into a lather worrying about damage, suspecting vandals, listing possible culprits and yelling at me that I wasn't taking it all serious enough. Either I'm just calmer in a panic or I'm being delusional. Maybe both.

My phone, my six year old basic no frills run of the mill free with contract renewal phone, is acting odd. The screen will often display as blank white and I have to shut it down to clear the issue. The other night the clock was projecting a time 6 hours ahead but I think that was a tower or satellite issue (regardless of the BCF arguing it was the internal clock on the phone) because it cleared once I left that town.

We'd met for dinner. FINALLY. Yes, these are the people who claimed to be his BEST friends and they finally took me out for dinner nearly six weeks later; quite appropriate as they couldn't be bothered to come visit him when he was sick and dying unless we bought their crappy worthless inventory. They whined at me during the dinner (after breathing cigarette breath all over me and making me very sick to my stomach) about how they are being treated like pariahs by everyone in our business circles. Gee, you think maybe WE aren't the only one's they've been screwing over?

But back to my phone. I think I'll see if I can just port the number over to Cutty's phone as it's newer (and the service is STILL on - so I have to phone THEM again!) and if I can handle that transfer over the phone instead of having to go to the store I'll just have to enter all of my contacts by hand. So I thought about doing that anyway instead of waiting for the phone to die and not resurrect.

Two Hundred and Twenty Five Contacts?!? I don't know that many people. What?!?

As I waded through my phone list and deleted those associated with Cutty's medical care - physicians, surgeons, hospitals, medical equipment, nurses, home health, IV therapists, etc., I removed a hundred and fifty numbers. I need to go back thru it again but isn't that a bit wild? And yes, in retrospect it would have more efficient to use that time entering the contacts I wanted to keep instead of deleting those no longer needed but once I started I was addicted to watching the total of the contact list decline. I guess as my scale isn't moving down it was nice to see something decrease :-)

Tuna, pickles, cheese and mayo for breakfast/lunch. That meal usually holds me all day. Grace and I had plans to dine out last Thursday and she cancelled last minute asking to reschedule this week. She cancelled tonight now too. Hmmmm. Alas, another reminder I need to continue making contacts. After all, I have all that space available in my phone now.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting with me. I'm going to meander out and see what y'all are up to in your journals.

Bella