That dog...

Just when I claimed that the dog never slept on his big pillow beside the bed, he has started sleeping on it and making a liar out of me. The very fact that I mentioned it must have been a trigger for him to start using it. That happens a lot when I mention some sort of behavior of his here on this blog. The minute I do he starts doing it in the exact opposite way I claimed he did. Maybe he secretly turns the computer on when I'm asleep and reads my blog.

That will make world news. It will teach me not to make generalized statements about the dog because they all will prove to be untrue.  When I mentioned the other day that he was completely house broken, he did a neat turd directly by the back door on the linoleum. When I say he's best friends with the cat, he starts bothering her something awful as if he doesn't like her at all. Anything I say about him, he'll prove differently. He's an ornery dog.

Other than that he thinks that every banana I eat is supposed to be shared with him and he looks very disappointed if he only gets one bite. He thinks I go to the toilet just to sit there and rub his belly because he always follows me into the bathroom. The first thing I do every morning is greet him as if he's the most important creature in the world (don't tell anyone but he is). He's an attachment of me just as well as my arm or leg is.

So much for that rotten dog.

I went to the hairdresser this morning and had the great pleasure of having my hair washed and cut. When my hair was washed, I also got a great head massage and I had been secretly hoping for one. I needed it because my muscles were very tight and they loosened up quite a bit.

I got a great haircut and it's very easy to manage. Everybody who works there knows how I want my hair cut and they all do a great job. I do have my personal preference but anyone can do it. It had been something like seven weeks since I had it cut so it was more than time for it to be done. I was amazed at how much hair came off.

I do see a very middle aged woman when I look in the mirror at the hairdresser. It's even worse when my hair is wet and it sticks up in all directions. It's best not to be too critical of yourself then. I purposely don't wear my glasses when I go. I don't have to see every detail.

I look alright once my hair is styled and in place. If I squint it's not too bad and if I run fast you hardly notice how old I really am.

Have a good day.

Ciao,
Irene

Levity and lightness...

I trimmed my own bangs last night because they were too long when as usual I brushed them to the side and fixed them into place with hairspray. I slightly looked like Adolf Hitler. I cut them quite a bit shorter and like this perkier look. Now I look more like a little cute hedgehog. One you may want to cuddle despite her spines. I could easily appear in an animated film. Meryl Streep could do the voice over in a Dutch accent. She's good at accents.

My hair is easier to manage now and it will be easier to wash and dry and get in place too. It gets unruly quickly and always makes me think I need to get a haircut. Now I won't have to go to the hairdresser for a while. Not that I don't enjoy going. I also still need to get the silver shampoo to wash it with. Not that my hair isn't naturally light. I just want it to pick up the highlights so it will look lively. It's got a lot of gray in it, but it looks blond. That's my luck. 

I have to go to the drugstore anyway and pick up some things. I want to see what sort of deodorant is on sale and if I can find a decent perfume for a good price. I have been out of it for quite a while now and I do miss the scent on my clothes. I did have some samples, but they were of expensive perfumes and I won't be buying them. I do wish I believed in Santa Claus and his bottomless bag of goodies. Wouldn't it be nice to be a kid and make a wish list? I think I do need a sugar daddy. 

Since today is Thursday, it means it's a free day and I don't have to get up on time. It does mean that I have to get up whenever the dog needs to go out because I can't neglect him. I'm not concerned about the day ahead and being able to fill it. Things will take care of themselves. I'm going to look on the bookcase for a good novel to read. It's about time that I try out the reading part of my varifocal glasses extensively. Hopefully that will be the pleasure I expect it to be.

I have to go back to bed, much to my regret. It is moving toward morning and I do want to get the rest of my sleep. I've dawdled long enough here. I tell myself to look forward to the remainder of my time in bed, but I'm not convinced yet. I'll have to remind myself of how nice and warm the duvet is. 

I hope you'll all have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora

Moving in ever smaller circles...

For some reason I'm totally indifferent to the fact that today is Friday. Really, any day of the week would be alright with me. I have no preference right now. All the days of the week seem to go by smoothly and one day is not actually that much different than the other. 

Today will have its own interesting elements, but none of these will be earth shattering or mind blowing. My life never does take drastic turns like that and I guess I prefer it that way. I certainly don't want too much excitement. A little bit of that would be more than enough. 

I suppose I would like a few highlights besides taking the dog for brisk walks in the cold autumn air. Those in themselves are a pleasure, of course. The weather is perfect right now and it is a joy to be outside warmly dressed. There's enough sunshine to make me cheerful and the dog gallivants around happily too.

I guess I would like a trip downtown with my sister to pick up my glasses, but the optician hasn't called to tell me they're ready to be picked up yet. I will have to wait patiently. I would also like a visit to the hairdresser, but my next appointment isn't until two weeks from now, so that's something I can't look forward to right now. That's something for later.

The Exfactor and the domestic help are going to be here today, so that's going to put some restrictions on my movements. They will both be here for good causes, so I shouldn't complain about it. And I wasn't about to. I guess the nice thing about Friday is that some necessary things do get done and that gets me ready for the weekend. 

I'm starting to yawn and I'll have to go back to bed. First I'll take my medicines because it's almost morning. I like for them to already work when I get up again. It makes the waking up process easier. I also don't have to worry about what time I get up. 

I hope you'll all have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora

Bedtime stories...

I'm perfectly content right now and want to savor the moment. Or should I say, the long moments that I will be content because I know it's going to last a while. It's not over until the fat lady sings and there's no fat lady around here anywhere, nor is there likely to be one in the middle of the night. At least not within my hearing distance. There will be no sudden opera arias sung. I will fall out of my chair with surprise if there are.

I always say this, but I'm drinking a very good cup of coffee and doubtlessly that has put me in a good mood. Caffeine is one of my preferred choices of chemical addictions, after all. It and nicotine are my crutches as befits a writer. I should write crime fiction on a portable Remington and live in the 50's when everyone was oblivious.

I'm sitting here with a new haircut which I got yesterday. My very own hairdresser cut my hair and she did a fabulous job, but that's for me to claim and for you to believe. It's very short and I love to run my fingers through it. It's indestructible hair. 

Everybody else and their sister had been cutting my hair lately, except for my very own hairdresser, and they all had done a decent job, but not as good as she has done now. We were trying to remember yesterday how long she has been cutting my hair and could not think of the number of years it had been exactly, but it has been a long time. 

My hair always lightens up after it has been cut. It must be that the gray hair shows up more, but I like the look of it and walk down the street proudly afterwards. I'm not the least bit vain, of course. My hairdresser fixes my hair with gel, something I'm never able to do well myself, and for the rest of the day I have a cute hairdo until I sleep on it. I'll have to wash it in the morning to get it to look decent again. 

Today is going to be a cool day with rain and drizzle, so I'll have to wear completely different clothes than I did yesterday when it was so warm. A low pressure system from France has come over us. For a change our weather is not coming from England. It's moving north toward Scandinavia and then turning around and moving over us again causing a double whammy. 

I have a day off without any appointments. I actually wish I did have some because I'm more in the mood to have some action in my life at the moment. I have to try and amuse myself in the best possible way without getting into any trouble and without getting wet. And without spending money. That's very restrictive, isn't it? 

I think I will go look for something interesting to do now because I'm not nearly ready to go back to bed. The fat lady isn't singing yet. 

Ciao,

Nora

New hair...

I got up early this morning, which turned out to be much too early, and I had to go beck to bed for just a little while before I went to the hairdresser. I wouldn't have made it otherwise, because I would have fallen asleep in the chair there while she cut my hair. 

I dozed in bed for an hour and a half and then got up and had a cup of coffee. That was enough to return me to the living and I got dressed as soon as it was possible. It only takes me five minutes to walk to the hairdresser, maybe less, and when I got there, I was attended to immediately. 

The woman who cut my hair has cut it often and she does not need me to tell her what she needs to do. She knows enough about my funny hair to know what to do with it. How on one side it always wants to stick out and how that needs to be thinned out extra well so it will lie down flat. 

She cut off an amazing amount of hair, because it had really grown a lot since I had been there last. It had only been about six weeks ago, but my hair grows fast. I saw myself emerging as she cut it. That's my favorite part: watching her cut my hair with the different scissors.

As she cut my hair and it dried up, it got lighter and by the time she was done I had very blond hair again. I don't know why that is, but it always happens. It had gotten a bit darker during the winter and it was a joy to see it brightened up. It matches my face and eyebrows better. 

I now have very easy to manage hair and it will be a breeze to take care of it. Washing it will be so easy and it will not be any effort to style it, because all I will have to do is rub it dry with a towel. I've got a spunky hairdo. I had picked the clothes to match my hair beforehand, so I looked good when it was done. 

I'm one of the few women I know who doesn't completely redo her hair when she's been to the hairdresser. Or maybe there are more of you who don't and the story that there are is just a myth. 

Tyke smelled my hair when I got home. He must have thought that it was just a bit of an unfamiliar scent. He laid down submissively and I scratched his belly. Gandhi just wanted a bowl of milk. She didn't care one way or the other. Cats are uninterested in those things.

I'm now waiting for the Exfactor to get here. I never know when he'll show up. I can start doing my chores in the meantime. I'm still a little bit tired and I think I'll have to take a nap this afternoon. At least my hair will be in place when I get up. 

Have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora

Some of everything...

There was icy rain last night when I went to bed, but it has since turned to snow and there's a new layer of it on top of what was left of the old one. It's going to snow today and tonight and tomorrow too, so we will have a white Christmas. That doesn't happen very often, so I guess we should be happy about that, because of that song that says that we're always dreaming of it. Just like the ones we used to know. Even back then people were nostalgic for white Christmases. Well, we are having one, so that takes care of that.

Because it's been too long since I've had my hair cut, I get to go to the hairdresser this morning. I can't wait to go and get a decent haircut. It's more than high time. I called for an appointment yesterday afternoon and they were kind enough to squeeze me in, even though they were pretty much booked full. I think it helped that I've been a steady customer for such a long time. Cutting my hair doesn't take such a long time, so it can be done somewhat easily in between everything else. I do appreciate that. 

You all know that I love going to the hairdresser and getting my hair washed and fussed over. I like nothing better than sitting there and watching the girl shape my hair with the scissors. I'm never in any fear of it being ruined, as long as she follows my instructions. You must never be afraid to speak up. That's what's so good about always going to the same hairdresser. You aren't shy when you want to put your two cents worth in. 

Yesterday, I received a large box with a Christmas care package in it. There were all sorts of wonderful and practical foods in it. I found out that I had gotten it from the Green Cross through the mediation of my Wednesday personal helper. She got to pick out some clients who she thought were deserving of a useful surprise and had picked me amongst them. It was a true cornucopia. 

The Exfactor was here when it arrived and we looked through it together, which gave me the opportunity to give him the things that were made of meat, such as the large salami. I would never eat that. I saved the can of knackwursts for Tyke. There were enough foods in there that I can use, though, including a big piece of cheese and a package of coffee. I can't tell you how happy I was with it. It really was a big surprise. 

Last night, I left my mobile phone sitting on the small table next to my armchair and you can all guess what Tyke did with it, right? He chewed on it to the point that it isn't working anymore. Now nobody can call me, because I don't have my land line anymore. Luckily, the Exfactor has another mobile phone that he can let me use and he is going to bring it by on Friday. I will be able to stick my memory card in it and have it work, hopefully. Unless it is ruined also. That darn dog! And the Exfactor had just bought him new rawhide bones and he had one available that he had been chewing on. Grrr...

It's going to be colder for the next several days and I think I'm going to need to wear a warmer cardigan than the one I've been wearing. It will be a great opportunity to wear my red one, which is my favorite one. All my clothes are starting to smell like the new perfume I'm wearing and it is very pleasant, until I wash them. My scarves all have that scent. I've just found out that this discount store where the Exfactor bought it, also sells Gloria Vanderbilt perfume very cheaply, so I may want to get a bottle of that and alternate scents on different days. 

Well, it's been a mixed bag of news. Some good and some not so good, the former outweighing the latter.  I think I'll get dressed now and get ready for the rest of the day. I've got to find a battery for my alarm clock. It's stopped working and continually points to 5 o'clock. 

Have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora 

Home on the range...

There is a mixture of snow and rain falling and it's turning into slush on the ground that will turn into ice tonight when it freezes. That's not a very happy prospect, although my boots seem to work well on slippery surfaces. Still, it's going to be a mess and people are going to have to be careful in traffic and walking around. I would just like to get a good ordinary layer of snow instead of all this slush and ice that we're getting now. That would be proper winter weather. 

The day is going by quickly despite the fact that I worried about it being an empty day with not much to do. Because I woke up early this morning, and decided I was not ready for the day to start just then, I went back to bed and slept a couple of more hours. I was much more refreshed and ready when I woke up the second time and I had two cups of coffee in my armchair before I took Tyke out for a walk. 

He was behaving much better than yesterday when he had been all over the place and I had to keep him on a short leash. It was cold outside, though, and there was a chilly wind blowing from the north. I didn't have my snow hat on and my head got cold, even though I have a lot of hair right now and I need to go to the hairdresser. The wind whipped it around.

After I took Tyke home, I went to check on my neighbor lady who had become unwell yesterday and who I'd had to pick up from the bathroom floor and carry to the sofa in her living room. She's just a wispy little thing and had blacked out. Her husband was quite worried about her, but a doctor was called and he said she had very low blood pressure and that she needed to drink bouillon to get more salt in her system. Her regular doctor is coming by today to give her a check up and talk to her. It was good to see her back on her feet, as I had been quite worried about her too.

I am getting to know my neighbors better all the time, aren't I, although it isn't necessarily under the best of circumstances. They did invite me to come by for a cup of coffee any time for the company in case I was ever lonely. I did say that sometimes that was my problem and the neighbor said that he had figured as much. 

The animals were happy when I got home again and they both wanted to climb on me when I sat down in my armchair to watch the news. There's only room for one at the time, so whoever is the most stubborn wins. Tyke likes to sit on top of the back rest, half on top of my shoulders. He thinks he has the best view then and togetherness at the same time. Gandhi just likes to lie in my lap. 

I've been eating whole wheat rusk toast as it healthy and easy to chew very fine. My gastric band can handle two pieces and then I'm full. I needed more fiber in my diet. I have vegetables in the freezer compartment, but I haven't fixed them yet. It is too much of a bother. I don't yet know how big a portion to fix, because I don't know how much I can eat. I'll just have to guess. Maybe I'll fix some tonight. They would be good for roughage. 

Tyke wants to go for a walk, so I better go take him. It's nearly dark outside and it has stopped raining/snowing. 

Have a good evening.

Ciao,

Nora

In the early evening.

I just took poor Jesker to the vet. He was doing so poorly, I just couldn't stand it any more. Luckily, the vet lives close by, so we very slowly walked over there. Jesker almost didn't make it. It's a good thing I went, because it turned out that he was running a high fever and that he has a stomach infection. The vet gave him two shots of antibiotics and some pills to take home too. The vet says because Jesker's getting so old that he's susceptible to these kinds of things. His immune system is weakened. According to the vet's records, Jesker is going to be 14 in May, so I don't know who's got it right now. I'm going to have to look it up. I thought he was going to be 13. Somebody had the wrong date.

My hairdresser appointment this morning went well. I was the first and only customer there and that's just the way I like it. I have to do that more often, go early in the morning like that. It gets the day started just right. The girl cut my hair well too. I said for her to just cut it short with a fringe and that's exactly what she did. It is perfect now. I have "no bother hair" again, thank goodness. Why do I always forget to go to the hairdresser on time? I should know better by now, instead of wondering why I can't do a thing with my hair.

My doctor's appointment was inconclusive so far. He listened carefully to me and wrote down what he heard in the computer and examined me and then ordered a bunch of blood tests. So I have to go back there tomorrow morning at nine and donate some blood. He's looking at several different things which I didn't all catch, but some of them are my hemoglobin and my liver function and my thyroid. Whoopee! I will know the results in about a week.

Now I have to go and eat and watch the news, because I've been up forever and a day and I'm hungry and tired and I want to go to bed as soon as I can.

Ciao,
Nora

Of thoughts and other things...

When I was asleep this morning, the doorbell rang and I went to answer it with my sleepy head, hair sticking up, in my pajamas. It was the maintenance man from the housing corporation who came to check the apartment for any repairs it might need. I was incoherent and he asked me if it was a bad time. I said, yes, it was, and asked him to come back later and he said he would come back in the afternoon and I went back to bed and slept another hour. I'm as cool as a cucumber, aren't I? Then I thought I had better get up and drink a slew of coffee so that I would be properly awake when he came back, because I also had to get dressed, of course, and walk the dog. I downed two cups of coffee and smoked a bunch of cigarettes and then I was ready to get the show on the road.

The dog and I made our longer walk, which is going to be our normal walk from now on, as it seems to be just the right distance for him to be able to handle with his old legs. He likes it very much, because there are very many interesting spots to sniff, many hedges and trees and bushes and walls. You do have to do an old dog a favor at his age. He has to lay claim to as much of the neighborhood as he can.

Just as we got back to the apartment, the Exfactor got there and came to have a cup of coffee, and right after he showed up, the maintenance man returned and put a new faucet over the kitchen sink. He said the one I had was leaking and I hadn't even noticed it. Maintenance men have special talents for these defects, they spot them quicker than the average housewife.

I discussed my growing nodules with the Exfactor and decided right then and there to call my GP and make an appointment. I'm going to see him Thursday afternoon. After I had done that and discussed it with the Exfactor, I became very anxious and worried, because it has been easier to ignore the problem and acknowledging it causes stress.

After the Exfactor left, I tried to call my hairdresser, but got a busy signal. An hour later I still got a busy signal, so I decided to walk over there and make an appointment. It turned out that someone there had not put the phone down properly and that's why I kept getting the busy signal. I made an appointment for Thursday morning. My hair will be very happy.

When I got home, my psychiatrist called and we made an appointment for me to see him next week. He is also sending a prescription for some new medication to the pharmacy. He has a very soft voice over the telephone, so I'm constantly saying, "Pardon?" I do have to point that out to him when I see him next.

I am now in the process of trying to get a hold of the woman who trims and bathes the dog, but I'm unsuccessful so far. I have two numbers for her, but I get no answer. The dog really needs a haircut and he really needs a bath.

So, it's been a crazy day, a very unsettled day, I guess, and I don't know what to make of it. I am ready for it to come to an end, I think, but it's awfully early still and not yet time to go to bed. I will get something to eat in a little while and watch the news and slowly start winding down, as I feel just a bit hyper at the moment and I feel that I have to relax and unwind. Here I'm going from almost no activity, to a lot of activity and it's taking its toll on me. I do feel physically tired, though, so that is good. I mean, I don't feel like changing the furniture around or changing my blog template. I'm too wiped out for that.

I have walked the dog, twice in an hour. The second time I don't know what was going on, but he insisted that he had to go out, although he walked very slowly and stumbled once. We did our little round and maybe he just wanted to go by his old spots.

Alright then, food it is and my pajamas on. Have a good evening, everyone.

Ciao,
Nora

Where's my energy?

I just scrubbed the kitchen counter with scouring powder and dusted two tables and I'm completely worn out. I was planning on doing more jobs, but I don't have the energy. I have to sit down for a while until I move onto the next job and it can't be a big one, because I won't last that long. I'll water the plants next and hang up the laundry. I'm really tired, though. It feels as if I've done a lot of work. I'm not that old, for God's sake. I feel like I'm coming down with something and my body won't co-operate. I'll have to do my work in little chunks and stop when I can't do anymore. I'm not even going to try to vacuum, I'll sweep instead. It's such a bother to drag that vacuum cleaner around and sweeping doesn't require as much energy. So I tell myself.

I was supposed to have gone grocery shopping with my sister today, but when she called I was still in my pajamas and not yet in a frame of mind to go out, so I will go on Wednesday, as I think I can make my supplies last that long. I just have to be careful that I make the milk last, as I don't like the artificial creamer in my coffee. It has a...well, artificial taste. Still, it's better than drinking my coffee black.

I've just watered the plants and it was high time too, as some of them were quite dry and I hope they forgive me and don't decide to die on me. I can't hang up the laundry yet, because the washing machine isn't done. It fakes me out, because I think I don't hear anything, but it's just sitting there between movements, humming quietly to itself. I don't think I'm going to be able to hang the laundry outside. It would take forever to get dry. As it is, I have three loads to do and only one rack to dry them on and one load fits on the rack exactly and takes at least a day to dry. I'll be doing laundry for the rest of the week, unless I can figure out a way to get it dry quicker. I could turn up the heat higher, but that's a wasteful way to get the laundry dry. It's too bad that I don't have a wood stove to heat the apartment with. I could get it real warm in here.

My dog thinks he's all done going out for the day and has settled down on his blanket like he is never going to move again. He wanted to go out at 4 o'clock, so I took him for a walk, but I think he's confused and thinks that's it. He's going to have to go out one more time, though. I'll have to convince him to go go with me later in the evening. He's down to eating 400 grams of food and that is enough for him. I have been buying him the Bonzo meals and he likes them very much. He never dawdles when he eats those. Now that the snow and ice are gone, we will be able to take longer walks and I think he will enjoy that. As long as it's not too cold I don't mind being out there.

I have to go to the hairdresser, because I can't do a thing with my hair. All it wants to do is stick up in the wrong direction and it is too long to get it to lay down flat in the right way. It is a pain in the neck and needs to be cut short. I don't realize how quickly my hair grows and how long it has been since I've been to have it cut and before I know it, it has lost its shape and it doesn't look like anything at all. I will call tomorrow and make an appointment. I also have to call the doctor to make an appointment about those nodules on my throat. I think I had better not postpone that anymore now, because I has been several months and they are getting bigger. I also have to take Toby to the vet, because he's sneezing again and he needs a shot of antibiotics. Oh, ho hum. Just what I like to do. Going out...

I have hung up the laundry and put the next load in the machine. I have also put the dishes in the sink to soak and will wash those as soon as I am done writing this. There weren't really that many, especially not after I washed and dried the porridge bowls separately. There are mostly coffee cups and juice glasses and teaspoons. I need to wash the dog's bowls separately, but they need a good soak and a scrub.

Ah, the dog's come back to life. Maybe he will want to go out now. He's doing an awful lot of stretching and yawning. First I need to do the dishes and then I'll take him out. A little bit of fresh air will do me good as well, especially now that I don't have to worry about breaking my neck. I realize now that I really felt like a prisoner with all that snow and ice. It's like being let out of jail now that it's all gone. I sure didn't appreciate that. I hope no more comes our way. I wouldn't like it one bit. I would curse it and move to a warmer climate.

Have a nice evening.

Ciao,
Nora

This morning...

I'm feeling less like a hypochondriac this morning and more like a regular person who probably just is fighting a little infection. All of your comments have shaken some common sense into me and it is what I needed. I do have an imagination that will go on the run with me, which is fine when you are writing works of fiction or creating art, but in real life it doesn't do you much good. It is much better to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground and stay in the moment and not imagine all sorts of far fetched scenarios.

Now, as you can see, I'm not at the grocery store, but still sitting here in my pajamas and having my coffee and cigarettes. It's awfully tough to get dressed in the morning when there is no one here to shout at you that you ought to get the show on the road. Actually, I will have to get that show on the road in about an hour, because I have an appointment with the hairdresser. I decided yesterday that I couldn't do a thing with my hair that looked halfway good and that it needed to be cut shorter. So, in a while I get to have the pleasure of someone washing my hair and fiddling with it, which I always very much enjoy. I do like going to the hairdresser. I would go once a week, if my hair grew that fast.

In the meantime, I'm taking advantage of my spare time between getting up and going there by answering my emails and directing the animals to the correct bowls of food. The cats are trying to eat the dog's food and he is letting them and no amount of interference on my part is making any difference. I chase them away and they keep coming back and the dog does nothing. He just lies there and watches them do it. He has no sense of ownership this morning. It has completely deserted him. Luckily, the cats have little stomachs and are quickly filled up and there's more than enough left for the dog.

I'm actually not too worried about doing the groceries, because I will be wearing my new boots and sporting a new haircut when I go and somehow that gives me courage. Isn't that funny? As if I will be a smarter and better person because of that. It's all in the image, people. I suppose I think it's what I show on the outside what counts. I'm sure I judge people the same way myself, although I'm not consciously aware of it. I must make all sorts of assumptions about how someone looks. It's very middle class of me. I told you before, I think, that I'm a little bit bourgeois, it runs in the family and it has for generations. That song of Jacques Brell would be very appropriate for my ancestors.

It's only 3C outside so it's actually a bit on the cold side. I don't know how much I like that, because it's also supposed to rain today. Most likely the wind will blow also and that will mean that it will be the kind of weather I like least of all. At least I will have the proper hairdo for it, indestructible. It's the only kind of hair to have in this climate, either very short or long in a pony tail. You can't have a Grace Kelly hairdo.

I've got to get dressed and walk the dog. He is patiently waiting for me. I will finish this when I get back from the hairdresser...



...I'm back from the hairdresser with a very good haircut. A new girl cut my hair, so it was a bit nerve wrecking in that I didn't know if she would follow my instructions well, but she did and cut it just the way I told her to and she did a very good job. So I am satisfied. Now I am exhausted and feel like taking a nap, as if going to the hairdresser has been a major job that I took on, when really it was nothing at all. Still, I feel very sleepy and I think I need to go lie down for a nap. I will have to do the groceries later after I wake up.

I did a food test on a vitamin website the other day and it analyzed my food intake and what vitamins and minerals I was short on. I was short on vitamins B and D and on iron. A special food supplement providing these elements is on its way to me now and I'm expecting it today. With my luck it will get here just as I'm sound asleep on the sofa and it won't fit through the mailbox slot. That will mean that somebody will ring the doorbell. Oh no!

I'm going to sleep now. Have a good day.

Ciao,
Nora

Out of the blue...

I was at my Wednesday morning creative therapy class and had a hunkering to paint a canvas there as well, but I didn't know if it was possible, because it is in a different room with a different therapist than the Monday and Friday one, and I had never seen anyone there work on a canvas, but I asked the question anyway and the therapist said she would look if she could track one down for me. A while later, she came back with the same size canvas that I work on in the other creative space, so I was mighty happy and proceeded to draw the picture I had drawn at home of the cow beneath the starstruck sky in the meadow with the pond and the fish in it. So, just out of the blue I was doing that painting and I've already started to paint the sky and the weeds in the pond. I had a mighty fine time and I was very impatient for the coffee break to be over, and the morning went by to quickly as usual.

Then, as I was riding my bike home, I decided to go and get my hair cut decently and rode my bike to the hairdresser where you don't need to make an appointment and had my hair washed and cut and blow dried for the low price of 15 Euros. It was a complete spur of the moment thing and I needed to get it done, because my own cut was not that terrific. I had the woman cut it real short on the sides and in the back and nothing from the top where it is already short enough. She put some gel in my hair for a spunky look and I felt like a million bucks when I walked out of there.

To top it all of, I opened a charge account on line with a store I like and ordered a skimpy dress and a funky cardigan and they will be delivered tomorrow. I suddenly felt like indulging myself and thought it was about time that I did something nice for myself. So, there's a new painting, a new haircut, and new clothes, and to celebrate it all, I'm going to have a nice cup of coffee and some cookies that the Exfactor brought with him when he was here the other day. No, I don't know why he always brings me cookies, unless he just wants to make me happy, because I don't buy them for myself. Perhaps he likes to see me round and chunky.

The woman at the hairdresser kept saying to me, "You have to sit up straight, Ma'am." I kept leaning over to the left, which I think I haven't done in a while. It's a puzzlement why I did it today. Maybe I do it lots of times and just don't realize it.

Now, from all the excitement, I have to go lie down on the sofa and rest my eyes for a while. I am suddenly very tired.

Have a good rest of the day!

Ciao,
Nora

A new haircut...

I just got my hair cut and I suppose it's okay, but it's shorter that it was the last time and I have to get used to it, and to the way it is fixed, and I dare not look into the mirror for fear that I will not like it. I've avoided both the bathroom mirror and the hallway mirror so far and I'm planning on avoiding the closet mirror too for a while longer, anyway, and then I have to decide which one I am going to look in first. Of course, the one that's most flattering, and I think that's the bathroom mirror. I will carefully sneak up on it and take it by surprise and look into it when it least expects it.

I've been feeling a bit anxious all day and in the morning my eczema was acting up quite a bit and I had to scratch a lot. I get that often when I'm nervous. I did nonsense things that didn't do anybody any good at all on the computer and basically wasted my time and at 1 pm I realized that I forgot to take my medicines in the morning, so I took them all then and sat down by the dining table to wait for them to work.

After about half an hour I made a shopping list and went to the supermarket, where I spend a cool 15 minutes inside getting the things I needed. Outside it was warm and humid and it made me sweat something awful. After I had loaded up all my bags, I went to the tobacconist, who's little shop was stifling hot and where I luckily only had to be about 3 minutes before I bicycled home.

When I got there, and hauled my bike inside, the dog barked at me while I unloaded the groceries. I don't know why, it is a new thing he does, as if he is telling me a story about how happy he is to see me home again and what the cats did while I was gone. He didn't want to eat, I tried that, and he went to sleep as soon as I sat down to drink a glass of juice.

I ate some Camembert, but had to stop and save the rest, because it was too much for me to finish. It did taste delicious, though, and then my sister called me and told me, in the course of the conversation, that her least favorite cheeses were Brie and Camembert. Isn't that funny? Those are the ones I like so much. Actually, I like all cheese. I don't think there's one I say no to. Is there? I'll even eat processed cheese on a hamburger, when I still ate those, and macaroni and cheese from a box.

Anyway, I was feeling a bit anxious and I keep having that feeling and I wonder if it is finally from having quit taking the tranquilizers. I've tried to talk myself out of it, but find it impossible to do, as if I'm not quite in control of it, though when I'm really occupied, I don't feel it so much and it is practically gone. I find that I can really focus when I'm behind the computer typing and doing mundane things such as making lists and inventories of my books. Things that require dogged concentration and ability and stick-with-it-ness. I reality I'm a very dull person who likes dull jobs.

I'm supposed to walk the dog one more time, but he's very merrily snoring at my feet and I'm waiting for it to cool off a bit before I go outside. Itś so muggy and it wouldn't surprise me if there were rain coming, but I don't have my little forecast bar anymore. I don't know where it went. It disappeared into the ether. Just like single socks. To the dimension where multiplying clothes hangers come from. You lose some and you receive some.

I have an unending supply (it seems) of plastic clothes hangers on the bottom of my closet and when I try to pull one out, they all grab each other by the neck and become a tangled mess, just like their wire relatives. I don't know how I got to be in possession of so many, but I think they are mating in the dark, and sometimes when the door creaks open, I know it's from the ruckus of the mating hangers. There's no other explanation.

Every once in a while I put up my hands to feel my hair. I know I will love it in the morning when I get up and I won't have to do a thing to it. The hairdresser put wax in it and spray on it that both smell like candy or strawberry jam, whichever you prefer it. It smells very good and she says she never gets tired of it.

There was a woman after me, who had come to get her hair cut, who had washed her own hair at home. Isn't that silly? For me that's part of the treat, having your hair washed by somebody else. The hairdresser does it so gently and thoroughly and the water is always the right temperature, I just love it. She washes all that awful wax and hairspray out that I've put in and on, in an effort to get my hair to stay in place, because it really was too long to fix it properly anymore. And that day sneaks up on you before you know it. One day your hair is fine and the next day it is not and nothing will help it. How lovely it is to go to the hair dresser.

I should be a walking advertisement for cheese and hairdressers and...well, for what else? For the local dog pound where I got Jesker. And for the supermarket and for the tobacconist and for bicycle repairmen. I should have ads put on my bike. Rent A Space!

The church bells are ringing and it is 7:15 pm. I just want to call your attention to it. Why are they ringing at this time on a Thursday?

Okay, that's all I wrote. I have to wake my snoring dog now and walk him.

Have a good evening!

Ciao...

Groceries...

This morning I got up before the alarm clock even had a chance to go off. I had slept a lot on the sofa last night while attempting to watch TV. I tried to watch several programs, but spent nearly the whole evening in a sound slumber and when I woke up from it, I took my medicines and went straight to bed. My wonderful bed that I can't get enough of in my cozy, as yet unpainted, bedroom.

Luckily, although I was somewhat comatose when I woke up, I did have the wherewithal to get on the bathroom scale and weigh myself, which I always do first thing in the morning before I've had my coffee, and with my lightweight pajamas on. I weighed 92.6 kilos, so now I've lost more than 7 kilos. A big congratulations to myself is in order here, because now I'm at the halfway mark and have 7 kilos left to lose.

After that, I'm going to pretty much keep eating the way I am now, so we'll see what happens. I may add something like low fat yogurt or cottage cheese with pine apple or some other treat. I'll see. The thing is to keep eating nutritious and responsible and not eat empty calories or calories that are packed with sugars or fat.

The reason I got up early, was to get to the supermarket on time, so after I was awake sufficiently, I got dressed and walked Jesker and then made a shopping list, which pretty much looks the same every week, give or take a few items. Mentally, I walk through the store and make my list accordingly, so one item will follow the other in the right order.

I got on my extremely funky bike, which now sounds as if it will fall apart any minute, and rode it on the quiet streets to the store, where it was uncrowded, and got a trolley and started shopping. The only thing I had to stop and think about was the lunch meat and which kind to get. I finally settled on salami, which I think will make my open faced sandwiches very appealing this week. I try to pick a different lunch meat every week to keep things a bit exciting in my otherwise very unexciting menu.

I was home a little after 9 am and unpacked the groceries under Jesker's watchful eyes and fed him some good Bonzo chicken with vegetables. He made short shrift of that and licked his jowls afterwards. Then he ran around the living room a couple of times, which seems to be mandatory after he's eaten well, and then he collapsed in a heap and slept, no doubt to aid his digestion.

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I'm so happy with my haircut, that I keep looking in the mirror to admire it. I think, after all, that I'm happier with it than when I have it cut at the walk in Chinese on the market square. This should be a lesson for me that I mustn't forget. And, of course, there is also the ambiance of which there isn't any at the Chinese and lots of it at the shop around the corner. And there is the fact that they know me well there, because I've been coming there for years, so I was being awfully disloyal by going to the Chinese who doesn't know me from Adam and who could not care less, really, about my hair.

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Today is plant watering day again and I have to tell you that, except for the hardy fern, which needs to be repotted, all the plants are doing well and none of them are dropping leaves anymore, That means I've stopped killing them with kindness and in a little while, I'm going to look for a bigger pot to put the fern in. I would like some more plants, but I really don't have any space to put them, unless I find some that really like dark corners.

The fig plant is turning into a monstrosity and really should be in a bigger pot, but I don't have one as yet, so it has to be patient for just a little while. It is standing on a somewhat fragile plant stand which really can't take a bigger pot, so I will have to stand it on the ground and hope the cats leave it alone. Actually, I just realized that I have a big pot outside to put it in. Aha, what a good idea. Well, you all know what I'm going to be doing next.

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Jesker just moves his exhausted body from one place in the living room to the next. Now he's laying under the desk, so I have to make sure that I don't stretch out my legs and kick him. You can tell he's an old dog by the amount of sleeping that he does and his contentment by his gentle snoring. Or so I interpret it. I like the sound. It would irritate me if a human being would snore like that, but coming from Jesker I find it soothing. I have no desire to pinch his nose.

Well, I'm off to rescue plants from their too small pots. Wish me luck and a green thumb or two.

Have a nice day, you all.

Ciao...

What you do...

I woke up at 6 am, full of good intentions, but as I sat there with my coffee and my cigarettes, all my good intentions flew out the window and at 7 am I called in sick for creative therapy. Then I went back to sleep for a few hours thinking it would cheer me up.

Well, it was nice to sleep some more, but it didn't really cheer me up and it felt like a bear was sitting on my chest preventing me from breathing deeply and causing me pain there. This was more than melancholy, this was depression, but you're not supposed to call it that if you've only had it for such a short time. So we'll just simply call it a depressed mood.

I was supposed to see Von this afternoon, but the thought of riding my bike downtown and making cheerful conversation was too much for me to contemplate and I canceled our date.

Then I sat and thought about what I really wanted to do and I thought I really wanted to go to the cozy hairdresser around the corner and have my hair washed and cut, so that is what I did. The girls there are so nice and always talk to you and smile at you and get you a coffee and I love to have someone mess with my hair. It is the ultimate luxury to me. It's a treat and I needed one.

I had my hair cut real short on the sides and in the back and just a little bit off the top. The girl fixed it very well with wax and hairspray and in a little while, if I have the energy, I will take a picture of myself and stick it in my profile.

If I had any nails to speak off, I would have a manicure and a pedicure and while I'm at it, I would also have a whole body massage with herbal oils, but that is too dear for me. I just want to be pampered. Wouldn't it be nice if those services were included in the mental health package? People who don't get touched enough need those things.

It's very hot outside, too hot for my liking, and you can hardly wear any clothes. Sun dresses are about it, but I feel so naked in only a sun dress. I want to wear something to cover my arms, or at least my shoulders and upper arms.

It's going to be hot tomorrow, but we are supposed to have some rain and I do hope it materializes to cool things off a little bit, it would be so nice.

I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow and I'm undecided how I feel about that. I like being in the store picking out things to eat, but I don't like the wobbly trip home with the full bags. I do like the feeling of satisfaction I have when it is done and all the groceries are put away. Maybe it would help if I went early when there is little traffic, but that would mean getting my act together quickly in the morning. I may try that. I make no promises, but I'll try...

Jesker is laying here on the cool floor. The apartment is still cooler than it is outside. The bedrooms are in the shade most of the day and stay cool. The sun shines through the livingroom windows all afternoon and I have the shades two thirds shut, but not completely as this makes me feel claustrophobic. I do want to be able to look outside. I'm drinking diet lemonade to stay cool. It's delicious.

Now you see? That little outing to the hairdresser did me so much good. That was the right thing to do for me. When in emotional need, pamper yourself, that's the lesson. Don't try to be all things for all people. Just try to be good for yourself.

That's all I have to share for now. My mood has climbed back up, I am glad. I have to take advantage of it while I can.

Have a good rest of the day and be good for yourself.

Ciao...