This morning I was surprised (though of course thrilled!) 

to discover that I'd logged a good night's sleep!!!  

Tom had found a (new?) butterfly puzzle in the cabinet 

so we started working on that last evening.

Around 10:00 I realized that I actually felt sleepy (despite my considerably lengthy nap yesterday afternoon) so I went to bed, though I did take a zolpidem to start off with.  

Not only was it after 5 when I woke up this morning, but (quite amazingly) I don't think I even got up during the night!  The number of times that happens in any given year can be counted on the fingers of one hand!

I'm expecting the tree crew this morning, and thus hope I'm back from the gym before Pokey decides to venture out of her crate for a bite to eat.  She'll need to be relegated to the garage since I certainly  don't want her getting in their way (especially as they're wielding chain saws!), escaping out into the world through one of the open gates, or getting hurt by a limb crashing down on her shell.  

Brownie will be easier to corral; I can just close off his dog door!

I haven't worked on the wedding quilt for several days so I don't expect to be making a trip with it over to Cindy's before next week.  Obviously the pressure is mounting to get that done.

When I got home from the chiropractor my nap was put on hold when it turned out that there were plans to meet Lily, Logan, and Chas for lunch at a Poke halfway between here and Chas's house.  (Because of his severe allergies it's not possible for him to visit here now that we have added Brownie to the family.)  It was nice to get together again, and I even managed not to fall asleep into my meal.

When we got home I did watch some more of the quilting program on PBS that I recently recorded, but my eyes kept wanting to close so I still haven't finished it.  Instead I got in part of a nap before the timer went off at 3:00 for Brownie's 'dinner', a second part to my nap before Alex called to see how the sleep experiment went last night (he had a great day boarding in Vegas), and then managed a third segment, sleeping through the late afternoon.

Hope I can still sleep tonight...

Sleep Test Report:  

It was quite the production, with wires attached everywhere (to my scalp, face & jaw, body, and legs), a monitor in my nostrils to check my breathing, and clamp on my finger for oxygen saturation.  I thought I'd taken a 'selfie' in the bathroom mirror last evening, but apparently it didn't work.  (Maybe that's for the best? <g>) 

The hardest part of the test was trying to fall asleep on my back.  After an hour of lying there awake I was allowed to roll onto my side (still not my preferred position.) and did manage to drift off, but Belinda had to awaken me a little after midnight to reattach some of the leads on my legs.  As long as I was awake I used the bathroom, and then again I spent a long time on my back before Belinda said she felt sorry for me and let me roll onto my side again.

She had advised me at the start last evening that she wouldn't be able to give me any of the results.  (I already do have a follow-up appointment with the doctor scheduled for mid-January to learn what the test showed.)  When I was checking out this morning she did imply that I might need to return for a rerun of the test when she mentioned that I had had 'some episodes' - but hadn't slept enough for that number to reach the "critical" point, which apparently is a total number for the night and not just x/hour.)

I was asleep at 5:00 when she woke me (I'd finally taken a zolpidem at 2:15) and called a cab. (Tom had offered to come pick me up this morning, but I didn't think having him get up that early made much sense.)  The dispatcher said it could be an hour, and when Linda arrived in the waiting room to wait for her husband to collect her we started talking.  They live in Moon Valley, in the same direction not far past us, and were willing to give me a ride - for which I was very grateful.  (If not I might still be sitting there waiting for a cab!)  Brownie was happy to see me, and I was happy that  he didn't bark when I let myself in at 6:00.

Post "op" directions were to stand under a hot shower to dissolve the big balls of wax in my hair before applying any shampoo.  Happily the stuff melted out much more easily than I had expected from Belinda's description, which was a plus.

I still have several hours before I need to head off to the chiropractor, but don't expect to do much this morning except veg on the computer, and then possibly grab a nap in the afternoon once I return home.

It was really cold last night - got down into the 30s! and I ended up having to add another quilt to the bed.  My new sweatshirt was perfect for today.

This morning one of my chores was filling in my 2020 calendar from post it notes and appointment notices, and naturally I found some conflicts that I'll have to resolve later this week.

Ran some errands with Brownie riding shotgun: Target (though forgot to get a jigsaw puzzle since that wasn't on my list), PetSmart (Brownie always enjoys shopping there), the library (which wasn't open yet so Brownie got to practice his "stay" when I left the door wide open while I returned a book to the chute; he passed with flying colors), and finally the gas station.  

Leftover tom yum gai soup was perfect for lunch (it was still quite chilly) so I was amazed when

Pokey actually emerged from her crate around noon.  

I bundled up after lunch and did some yard work.  Brownie was good and stayed each time I left the backyard gate open to dump buckets of debris into the can out front. Once I switched to the front yard, however, he earned himself a major demerit.  

He behaved fine supervising my sweeping of leaves from the porch and driveway - at least at first, until a woman walked by with her chihuahua. I didn’t notice him race across the street (I haven't really had to keep an eye on him in a long time since he seemed to have learned where I 'drew the line') but of course I discovered him gone once I heard all the barking.  He ignored my calls to return and I had to go collect him, at which point he got relegated to the backyard - this time with the gate closed.  Good thing no cars had been driving by!

Then I made a trip to Costco to return Alex’s microwave (it turned out to be too small for the opening) which went amazingly smoothly, taking a lot less time than I expected.  Once home I filled out pages of paperwork and questionnaires for tonight’s testing.

After that I took a shower and washed my hair, skipping the conditioner as directed for tonight 

since the leads work best on clean hair sans conditioner.

Alex came over for the final candle lighting (receiving his remaining gift from me plus the ones that Lisa and Logan had brought over yesterday) and afterward we went out to dinner at Valle Luna.  Tom and I shared a Mexican pizza (which I'd noticed at the next table) and I really liked it; he found it so-so.

Now it's time to head out for my pajama party.  Details "likely" tomorrow.  :-)

Lily and Logan spent the day here yesterday.  The early part of their visit was a flurry of gift opening, and everyone seemed happy with their haul.  I know I was!  The Cajun alphabet book (in English and French, with creative illustrations) that they found for me during their recent trip to New Orleans is a wonderful addition to my collection, 

I look forward to wearing the Read & Resist heavy tee/light sweatshirt (maybe today!), and I know I will enjoy this year's calendar on a daily basis as I turn over a new leaf each morning.

Logan, now 15, has matured in the two years since we saw him last, and is doing much better than when we first met him (when he had only been with her a couple of months.)

Their plan/hope for 2020 is to transition from Fostering to Legal Guardianship (different than adoption.)  That would make for far fewer bureaucratic hoops for them to jump through - though on the flip side it would also mean she would have to take the hit for any unpopular decisions and not be able to "blame" them on the court/foster system. 

Brownie was decreed "adorable" and got lots of attention throughout the day (which naturally he loved) but cracked them up by his obvious devotion to me - which pretty much trumps everyone else.

In the afternoon we snuggled under quilts (she admired my Disappearing 4-patch, and highly approved of the wedding quilt, but I realized later that I forgot to show her the quilt I'll be entering in the show in February) and watched one of their favorite movies, Pop Star, which was quite the parody.  While I admit I no doubt missed some of the 'in' jokes it was entertaining for its genre, with LOTS of cameos!

After an early dinner at Touch of Thai (once again disappointing for Tom so it's been crossed off of his list, though I of course enjoyed my soup) we lit Night 7 candles, did a last bit of visiting, and then drove them back to Scottsdale.  It had been a busy day at that end, moving Grandma Jane (who has Alzheimer's) into an Assisted Living house.  She was reportedly okay with the move as long as she could bring her yarn with her and continue knitting her squares.

    

Alex appeared briefly in the evening, pretty exhausted from his snowboarding trip.   After watching Instagram clips I was not not at all surprised to hear that a tree "came out of nowhere" and met up with his hip.   

Of course we already knew it would be quite cold up there (which he confirmed big time) and he was soon gone to soak and then crash.  Today is his day to get organized and pack so he'll be around at some point.  

There's a chance that we might rendezvous with Lily & Logan today (the MIM is a possible item on their agenda) but otherwise my plan is to work on the wedding quilt and also get organized for tonight's pajama party.

I’ve gotten better at sizing my blocks, having figured out a system that seems to be working well for me - and the extra clips I picked up today have been a definite help.  Column 5 is now ready to be attached tomorrow morning, at which point the top will be more than halfway complete!

The rain continued throughout the afternoon, but instead of tapering off it just came down harder and harder as the day wore on.  Then on the weather segment of tonight's news they announced that Glendale got hit the hardest of any place in the Valley.

Today was leg day at the gym, and once again my knee was "talking" to me.  Guess I should count myself lucky that that joint has waited this long to annoy me... 

Of course all of this wet cold weather is probably not helping the issue.  On my drive home in the rain (after a stop to get a box of quilt clips) the radio announced the current temp as 47 degrees, which was exactly what my car thermometer was registering.  

Nobody here voted for WINTER!

Before heading to the gym I had sewed until the very last second, pulling pins out as I cruised along, only to discover when I got to the end that <sigh> I'd been "sewing" without a bobbin for most of that lengthy seam.  So not only didn't I get column 4 attached but now I get to re-pin all the intersections.

Guess there are worse ways to spend a cold slimy afternoon...

I did (finally!) remember to clip one of the recalcitrant blocks last night.  Looks like I need more clips, so I will be stopping in at TOQS on my way home from the gym later. Now that the block is dry this morning I can unclip it, when I assume it will keep its shape and not spring back to its original dimensions.

*****

It did behave itself, and my other assumption 

(that it would look even better once I pressed it) was also correct.

Eventually column 4 was pieced together -

And after I snapped the above proof of progress I pinned it to the first three 

though at this point it is still waiting to actually be sewed on. 

We had yet more rain last evening/night <sigh> and my hopes are fading 

for a non-soggy yard on Tuesday for the landscape crew.  

Once it got light out this morning I snuck out for a  soak in the hot tub.  While everything is beyond wet (I even got misted on while I was in the tub) at least I didn't need to find a boat and row over...

While soaking I chatted with Terry at the hot springs.  They've had a fair share of snow already, but she says it 'hasn't been too bad'.  Hilda is enjoying her new rooms and has settled in nicely.  Naturally she's thrilled not to have to navigate all those stairs at the beginning and end of each day, and also finally (after more than a year) having her things out of storage and with her again.  Tatum's tumors have shrunk since treatment started, and (on days that she feels up to it) she is allowed to go to school (always wearing a mask.) Terry reports that Neil 'seems about the same', though of course she is with him all the time so changes are not as apparent to her as they will be to me on my visit next summer. 

Also chatted with Mom during my soak, but it was somewhat difficult because the captions on her phone weren't being very cooperative - even though I make it a point to speak slowly to help the technology any way I can.  She's been keeping me up-to-date on the flu situation: Ed came down with it in time for Christmas (and if Emily succumbs the kids could be in big trouble!), sounds like 2yo Maggie also caught it, Harry is sick with "something", and Gordon remains down for the count.  Sierra has recovered, and no word on Charlie's status or the baby.

As soon as I finish breakfast and get dressed for the gym I expect to still have a little time 

which I should use wisely and attach column 4.  

Some of the column 5 blocks got sized yesterday, and this afternoon 

I really hope to get closer to finishing that column.