1. What item would you be embarrassed for people to know you own? I have some pretty hideous underwear hidden in a drawer LOL, it definitely wasn't pretty like I thought it was going to be :P
2. What is something you splurged on just for you? The first edition (2 vols.) of The Worst Journey in the World
3. What is something that you own with no real world value that is priceless to you? My bus ticket to Wheathampstead, one of the best days of my life
4. Do you collect anything? Sure, postcards of four-poster beds, books, shirts from places I travel to, etc
5. What item belonging to a friend/family member do you covet? I really like the curtains in mom's room, even though I like my own curtains haha..one time I wrapped up in them and watched the Northern Lights from her deck haha!

Yesterday I was reading in bed and heard something fall onto a decorative plate I had in the living room..I jumped up and walked over, hoping it wasn't broken, and saw this:

I about melted from his cuteness and told him to stay so I could get a picture haha (Abby would get up on top of the cabinets too before she got old lol). I told mom he was surveying his kingdom :P (thankfully the plate was fine too)

Our sign at work is finally up!!

Yay!! Yesterday the store made over a thousand dollars, so people have definitely noticed! I was worried by the days that were like $200 something, but people just had to find us first. Busy days make me really happy, I love selling books!

Mom and I saw How to Train Your Dragon this week, and Hiccup's connection with animals made me SO happy. <3 I loved the scene where Hiccup and Astrid were riding Toothless and the Northern Lights were out! Such a great live-action remake, I can't wait for the sequel!

Ughhh it's been so hot this week..my coworker said her arms were sticking to her desk! In the afternoon storm clouds build up over the hills to the north of town (air mass thunderstorms, not associated with a cold front and they dissipate quickly from lack of energy. I love mom's weather knowledge!), and yesterday they looked CRAZY and intense! A volunteer at work lives out that way and she said her plants got pummeled by hail. Of course the lightning caused a bunch of forest fires (I could smell the smoke last night), and people are being told to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice..yikes. When mom was driving me to her house earlier I saw a smoke plume from one of the fires (Vicki's firefighter boyfriend is Sam is off work because he had surgery, but I'm sure he's following everything closely too). Thankfully on Monday some storm clouds associated with a cold front will come through, and on Tuesday it's supposed to be 69 degrees!! That'll feel amazing haha, it's gross sweating so much while trying to work :P

( june 17-20 )

1. What’s going to be special about this weekend? My birthday's on Sunday! Vicki and her boyfriend Sam are coming over to my parents' house and going to dinner with us! Both of us are very excited lol
2. When did you last order the special when dining out? Hmmm..not sure, it's been awhile..
3. What’s especially memorable about this past week? Mom came home from Florida, yay! (Funny how this Friday five is asking things I already wanted to talk about haha.) She said grandpa gets tired easy, like he can only mow part of his lawn at a time, but considering he's 91 it's impressive he can do it at all lol
4. When did you last consult with a specialist of some kind? Maybe a couple months ago? Time goes by so fast it can all blur together lol
5. What have you done recently to make someone else feel special? I told Vicki the last two years with her as manager has been some of the best times I've ever had working at the bookstore. Tomorrow's her last day (*sniff*), but she'll stop in to buy books and we definitely want to stay close friends!

Since Sunday's my birthday, we had milkshakes at our staff meeting at work to celebrate! I love that they do things like that for people's birthdays. One of the other bookstore staff members resigned this week (the job was too physical for her), so it'll just be me and Bill next week until they hire new people (Lucie or Shelby will probably come to check on us too). We will be strong and keep things running!

This weekend, an "anomalously cold airmass" is supposed to come and it could get in the 30s!! Ummm..Alaska, it's June?? Luckily by next week it'll be in the 60s and 70s again (I love that the word they used to describe the cold front is "anomalously"..hard to say, but still cool haha)

Sleepy Curti is so cute!!

One of the most spoiled kitties in America. :P His tail has gotten super fluffy!

( june 2-6 )

1. What could use a good shining? My bathroom sink, probably..it gets dirty so fast!
2. When have you recently had to stand in a slow-moving line? Hmm..I've stood in lines recently while traveling and stuff, but they weren't super slow, so I'm not sure lol
3. What was your favorite childhood counting-out game to determine who was it? Probably something like Eeeny Meeny Mini Moe or Rock Paper Scissors
4. Is anything feeling thinner these days? The air in Santa Fe did haha
5. What do you know about Maine? The capital is Augusta, the fall colors are really pretty, lobster is popular there, etc

The aftermath of the move this week has been..hard. It felt like no one wanted to help us (we were told to build a shelf, which none of the three of us knew how to do), we couldn't shelve until today because the shelves had to be bolted down (I miss shelving books!), and Vicki announced she's stepping down as Bookstore Manager, for lots of reasons (she wants to not be so tired and sick so often, she wants a family, she feels depressed when she goes home, she's in too many meetings and managing too many people..she misses the books, etc). A job opened up at her church that she feels like she'd be better suited for. I have been..very sad since she said that. We get along SO well together and she's so caring, funny, and good with people. Of course I supported her decision, but it still made me cry. She said she still wants to volunteer or even have a small paying position, if Lucie thinks that's alright. We will always be great friends though..she said I mean the world to her, and I feel the same about her..it's hard to find a true friendship like that! I'm always nervous about working with a new person, but LCA somehow just finds the right people. Now Vicki will have time to come over to me or my parents' house, and vice versa..I still haven't met her cat, but I hope to soon. Thankfully we had more help in the bookstore today, so next week will probably be better..it definitely won't all get done when we open next Thursday, but with time it'll look great! A bunch of customers have driven up, only to see we're not open yet, which is a good sign people still want to shop there. Hopefully they'll like the new place!

Today was work's first staff meeting in the other programs' new building, which I hadn't been in yet..Vicki showed me around, and on seeing Lucie's office, exclaimed, "you have curtains!!!" Of course I got a picture with them!

Lucie was like "I should have told you!," but I didn't mind being surprised haha. Hopefully there will be a good spot somewhere in the bookstore for my cat curtain :P

Here is the picture we took to commemorate our old building:

Yay! Now it's weird driving by the building, knowing it belongs to someone else lol

( may 20-23 )

1. Have you ever gone skinny-dipping? In the pool I had in Texas, when I was a kid. Dad even took a video LOL
2. When you're home alone, do you strip down to get comfortable? Do you ever go out without underwear (bra and/or panties) because it's more comfortable? I get into my PJs in the evening when I'm at home alone, but I definitely don't go without the other two in public, my boobs are way too big for that haha!
3. Have you ever/Do you use the bathroom with the door open? Are you comfortable using public facilities? Ooof, this Friday five is making me super uncomfortable LOL (I'm a little famous at work for not liking bathroom talk LOL). Only when I'm home in my apartment. I really don't like public bathrooms, but sometimes there just isn't another choice, so I cringe and get done as soon as possible haha
4. When getting intimate with your significant other, lights on or off? I'm single
5. How comfortable are you with body exposure/nudity of others? Group shower rooms?, topless/nude beaches?, breastfeeding in public? Being asexual, I'd rather not see excessive nudity..I feel like it should be private, shared with a significant other (Vicki is not asexual, but she told me she feels the same way). I don't know how actors/actresses can film nude scenes in movies, I'd be horrified! I don't mind breastfeeding though, of course your baby has to eat!

This week at the bookstore everyone's been busy, selling books (everything was 50% off this week), packing up books, etc. We've been open til 8, and all of us have said that during our turn working late that it was pretty much dead after 5:30, our normal closing time..seemed kinda pointless to be open that late then! We definitely sold a lot, but there are still SO many books left! Today was supposed to be the store's last sale day in its current spot, but Shelby texted everyone this morning, saying not to come in because something came up. I was imagining awful things, like a break in or murder! Later Lucie texted me and my other coworker (Bill), saying she wanted us to go to the new building and sort books. Mom was in town, so I was able to get a ride from her. When both of us arrived, Lucie said someone moved a shelf and found a silverfish infestation, so she had to call an exterminator before the movers would move anything. Phew, I'm glad it wasn't anything worse! Bill and I set up tables and sorted books (fiction, nonfiction, kids) for about 3-4 hours (those books had been in our storage unit for years because we didn't have enough space at the store). There were some cool books I'd never seen before! After 3 1/2 hours the tables were getting super overloaded and I was getting tired, and luckily Lucie stopped by again to check on us, who said we could go home and she'd still pay us for another hour..cool! I'm definitely tired of this move and being exhausted when I go home, I'm so glad I'm going to Santa Fe next week! Just two more workdays left lol (Lucie said a lot of customers kept showing up, wanting to get last-minute deals, and were sad to be turned away..awww :(). Lucie took this picture of me and Bill:

Lots of books!! We need more tables until the shelves are set up lol

Curti can now jump up on the counter..I'd rather not have paws up there that have been in the litterbox lol, but he doesn't want to take "no" for an answer. :P Dad had been out of town since I got Curti until last weekend, and of course dad loves him and likes to take him outside with him. He's a spoiled kitty hehe

( may 3-9 )

1. When did you most recently follow a recipe? Uhhh..a long time ago haha
2. When did you most recently give or receive directions to some location? I've been telling lots of customers where the bookstore is moving to since we announced it..I'm bad at giving directions, but I tell them what restaurant it's across from and they're like "oh yeah!" lol (taking down my curtains was sad! Hopefully there's a good spot at the new building for them)
3. When did you most recently follow instructions for assembling something? Probably sometime in the last few years..
4. When did you most recently complete a form? Does an Excel spreadsheet count? If so, yesterday
5. When did you most recently have your routine disrupted? I've been working every Saturday now (Vicki asked me if I wanted a steady schedule, and I was like "umm YES" haha), so I've changed when I do laundry and stuff (it's weird..working Tuesday-Saturday feels longer than Monday-Friday, even though the amount of days are the same..I wonder why lol)

Today is work's annual Biz Bee fundraiser..hopefully we'll do well!

( april 19-20 )

1. If you could retroactively erase one TV show from the history of entertainment, which one would you choose? Arrested Development..ugh, SO annoying :/
2. Are you more like your mother or your father? Hmm..maybe mom, but I'm probably a mix of both
3. If you could take a year-long vacation, what would you do? Go to Antarctica, Iceland, etc
4. Can you think of a reason not to answer this question? It's not about cats :P
5. What's the nicest thing you've ever done for someone? Been there when they've needed it most (she literally became more confident and changed right before my eyes! It was cool to see lol), given food to a homeless person on the street in Puerto Rico, taken mom to dinner, etc

A couple days ago I thought "hmm, I haven't looked for "new" pictures of Cherry in awhile!," so I did, and found this!

This picture is in a copy of Worst Journey someone is selling (for thousands of dollars, of course). I hate that it's so small here, but in the bigger version I could tell he was wearing his glasses (super rare! He almost always took them off for pictures) and smiling! He looks peaceful and content, which makes me happy lol..he had a hard life after Antarctica. I definitely need to meet his uncle someday lol

After Abby died I saw on Facebook something called Cuddle Clones, where a company makes stuffed animals (and things like PJs) that look like a pet you've had. I thought it might be weird and creepy, but decided to do it anyway (other peoples' designs looked a lot like their pet!). I got mine this week and...it is 100% completely creepy. O_o It has some of Abby's features, but its face with giant eyes is SO creepy and just not that well made. How disappointing! I had to put it on the windowsill facing away from me because it weirds me out too much. They definitely could have done a better job :(

( april 10-11 )

1. How often do you typically shower/bath? Every two or three days
2. Do you prefer showering or taking a bath? Showering
3. What's the longest you've ever gone without a shower/bath? When my depression was bad it was like four or five days..no energy for that!
4. What's your favorite personal hygiene product? Nice smelling body wash and things like that are cool..I like smelling clean and fancy LOL
5. Do you shave your legs and/or beard? If so, how often? Every 2-3 days..my legs get super uncomfortable and itchy if I don't

We got a rough schedule today at work for moving..the other programs will be moving in April. The bookstore will be having a lot of sales in April and May so we don't have so many books to move, and the last day of business at our current location will be May 24th. The 27th the bookstore will open in the new building, and in June we'll have a grand opening celebration. It'll be a crazy two months, but hopefully it'll all go well!

( march 27-28 )

1. When did you memorably have a lightbulb moment? When Paulette taught me how to count change back..math is hard, so it's exciting when I actually understand it haha
2. When did you recently have a moment of weakness? I've cried myself to sleep more than once since Abby died..it was so lonely sleeping without her!
3. When have you ever had a magic moment? Going to Wheathampstead and Cherry's grave..I'm honored he said hi through my phone!
4. When have you recently offered help in someone else's moment of decision? Maybe for something at work..
5. What has been the defining moment of March 2025 so far? Losing Abby, which was devastating, and then adopting Curti, who is such a sweet kitty!

And how is Curti doing?

SHOULDER KITTY!! Omg he's so cute and amazing LOL

And here's my terrible pic of last night's eclipse:

Coool!

Lucie finally revealed where the Literacy Council and bookstore are moving! The other programs will be in the Food Bank and the bookstore will be at what is now the Food Bank Clubhouse. I looked on Google and it's 1.6 miles from my apartment. I suppose that is walkable, but I'll see if the bus or something goes by there too. I'm glad it's still close by! Lucie showed us pictures and there's lots of windows and a nice wooden floor! The moving details still need to be worked out, but we'll have lots of help. Hopefully the community won't panic when we tell them we're moving lol

( 14. Things you always did with your mom when you were little )

1. Would you rather have a fun job that doesn't pay well or a boring job that does? A fun job..my job doesn't pay super high, but I'm not doing it for the money (though it is nice lol). Except for counting change, I love pretty much everything I do. It's not worth getting paid a lot but being miserable at a place I hate
2. Would you sacrifice your morals for a job? No. A customer wanted me to lie yesterday (he hid the person he was with's books and told me to tell him someone already bought them), but when he came to the register and was like "where are my books??" I looked at the other guy and said "you'll have to ask him!" Yeahh I'm a terrible liar and I just can't do that :P
3. Would you ever take a job that requires you to be in costume? Maybe if it's just for things like Halloween or something
4. What is your fantasy job? I really like working at the bookstore I'm at..it's fun, everyone supports each other and are so friendly..we're pretty much a family. Plus you never know what book will come in next, and I love that! It's like Christmas every day haha
5. Would you like fries with that? Sureee haha

I had a big scare with Abby this week..she was sneezing, hardly eating anything (when I tried giving her a Greenie, she'd try to chew it and spit it out), barely moving from the bed (and walking slowly and shakily when she did move), and just had this miserable look in her eyes..I could tell she wasn't feeling well at all. She had become super bony too. I was hoping she'd get better on her own, but I knew I had to call the vet when she wasn't getting better. I can't watch slow suffering like that, it's awful. I was very upset last night, shedding some tears and gently petting Abby. I thought for sure that this was the end, and that today I'd have to put her to sleep. I took off work and got an appointment at the vet. Both my parents came over to love on Abby, in case it was her last few hours alive. After I called Vicki, I put my head on Abby's and cried. I took her to the vet, and she lost her mind when she saw the clinic's cat, Glitter (who is super friendly and loving). She was growling and hissing all over the place. The vet said they'd do bloodwork, but the technician was at another clinic and she'd be in in an hour, and I think the bloodwork takes 45 minutes, so we left Abby there and went home, going crazy with anxiety. A couple hours later, the vet called and said Abby has hyperthyroidism (she had lost two pounds, which was probably from that. She said surgery can remove the benign tumor that's there, but Abby's far too old) and now stage 3 kidney failure. She gave Abby subcutaneous fluids and a couple meds (one to stimulate her appetite and I think the other one was anti-nausea meds). She got a dropper thing with food and squirted it in Abby's mouth, then gave her a bowl of food, which she devoured. She said that had Abby still not wanted to eat, then we probably would have had to put her to sleep. She ate right before we left too, yay! We all thought this was going to be a far different outcome, and we were all relieved. She ate when she got back home too, yay! No one is sure how long she has left, but hopefully the meds and special food will help her be comfortable. She seemed somewhat better when she got back home, less haunted looking, and is taking a well-deserved nap. I will cherish every day I still have with her, she's an amazing kitty. <3 I'm absolutely drained and had to take a Clonazepam so I'd stop freaking out lol. I'm so glad I get more time with her. I'm working tomorrow since I took today off, and since Vicki's sick. Saturday is usually pretty busy, so the day usually goes by fast lol

A couple days ago was my 7-year anniversary of going to Cherry's grave, which Facebook reminded me of (I knew it was coming up though, of course), so I reposted it and said "That was 7 years ago?!? Where does the time go? Definitely one of the best days of my life, I felt butterflies all the way to my toes when I saw the first sign for Wheathampstead. ❤" The next morning, I got this message from Cherry's uncle, Hugh: "Hi Heather, your "That was 7 years ago" post really touched me. It is lovely that getting close to Cherry meant so much to you. I know you are based a long way from here, but if and when you next find yourself in eastern England, do get in touch. I would love to show you what I have of Cherry's library and watercolours - we also live very close to Oates's village and would happily take you there"

OMG NO WAY?!?? Oh my goodness, that is SO nice of him, and glad he's not creeped out by my admiration of Cherry lol. I'm sure Hugh is in his 70s or 80s, so I'd have to see him sooner rather than later. That would be amazing, sitting together over tea or whatever, talking about Cherry, looking at his collection..wow. I'd like to ask him if there's any recording of his voice, I've been dying to hear it all these years. That was definitely a nice thing to wake up to <3

( feb 22-28 )

1. Do you like your birth name? Why? Sure, it's fine lol..being named after nature is cool :P
2. If you could change your name to anything else, what would it be? Morgan..I've loved it ever since I was a kid
3. What names would you consider giving your children? I don't want kids, but if I did, maybe Morgan or Freya or something like that
4) If you had a band, what would you name it, and why? Glacier Kitty, because that's the best nickname I've thought of for myself..too perfect!
5) Is there a name that you completely hate? Why? Bertha..it just doesn't sound nice to me. I also had a bully named "Kenneth/Kenny," so I'm not fond of that one either

I don't usually talk about politics, but.."Red, White and Blueland"?? Are you kidding me?! I can't believe that is an ACTUAL bill and not a joke..pretty much the most ridiculous bill ever. Ugh! Glad to see his priority is renaming everything :/ (and the Oval Office curtains are still hideous D:)

Mom is going to Mexico with Cindy and Gina tomorrow! They're going to do food stuff, like cooking and touring some factory, I think. Hopefully they'll have nice weather and good food! (I hope there are no plane crashes too..that's freaking me out this year O_o)

( feb 2-7 )