* I did some more cleaning this weekend, a big part of it was emptying the undersink cabinet (threw a lot of stuff away) and then masking and gloving up to clean out the mouse, uh, "dirt" that was under there (apparently this is a hangout for them). I'll have to check it again before the plumber comes (it was still fine tonight; I did find another small gap that I stuffed steel wool into)
I bought some bleach wipes this afternoon but didn't have the energy to wipe the area down
* and then, after taking some junk out to the trash, and I was in the shower when the call came in, my neighbor across the street (slightly nosy neighbor) called. She had seen me in a mask, was I sick? Did I need something from the grocery when she and her husband went?
No, I explained, I was cleaning up after a mouse and was being cautious. But of course it made me feel weird. I had THOUGHT as was heading out the door "you should take off the mask because if your neighbor sees you in it, she will make Assumptions" and I guess I was right there.
* Later, got a call from my brother. The pretext was for my niece to thank me for the birthday presents, but then my brother asked if I'd been able to get through to our mom, it kept ringing over to voicemail.
I was slightly nervous then (didn't really let on, I think,) but I said I'd look into it.
So I tried calling. Yeah, rang through to voicemail. Tried the cell phone but no answer, but then again it could have been in her car.
So I called the neighbor. By now I was pretty nervous, but she said she'd go check. She and her housemate went over (housemate has a key for emergencies). She almost immediately called back - she's fine, she thinks maybe her upstairs phone got bumped off the cradle and then my mom got on the neighbor's cell phone and told me that when they asked her about her phone, she noticed the downstairs one said "line in use" and then she knew.
And yes, when I called her back that evening, the phone was fine. The problem is, of course - if that happens again I have no easy way (she can't get texts, I don't think, on her cell) to let her know it's not working and I'd just have to hope that if it was a usual time for me to call she'd wonder why I hadn't and check.
But yes, I'm too aware these days there will come a time when my phone never again will ring and have it be her, and I don't like thinking about that.
* I pulled the yellow cabled vest back out but haven't done much on it this evening yet. It's just tiring times at work; I have a couple students who need a lot of help and attention and that wears me down. Also I wrote a whole exam this afternoon.
* I want to try to finish this as some mustard-colored yarn (Ordered from Quixotic Fibers) for a different vest came - I want to make the "professor vest," which is a cardigan vest that has sort of a waffle stitch to it out of this. But I need to finish other things first.
* I did successfully change the bulb in the ceiling fixture in the entryway. It's pretty high up (had to climb up on a step stool and my knee has been hurting a lot because I twisted funny cleaning on Sunday). I was concerned maybe the switch or the fixture was broken - I had to have another switch on the same circuit fixed about six years ago. And it's an older fixture. But a new bulb took care of it. (Tiny successes matter too)
* Becky Chambers has a new book coming out called "As You Wake, Break the Shell." I'm buying it (preordering) on the grounds that I enjoyed her two Monk and Robot books so much, and this one is apparently about a botanist (what's more: it's Botanist! In! Space!) and I want to read it
And anyway it gives me something to look forward to.
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