Day 3 - Governor Newsom rescinds restrictions - Outdoor dining reinstated!

“Rattlesnake”…

The “catio” at the Cat Cafe…

1/27/21. Wednesday.

8:45 – I set my alarm for 9:00 again, but lie in bed and listen to The Daily.

9:00 – 10:15 - Downstairs and the dog is still asleep. I rub her tummy and say good morning, then we head outside. No accidents today.  She goes potty and back inside we go – cheese for her; coffee for me. I head upstairs and read Dancing with the Octopus.  I started reading it last month, but set it aside for some of the other books I’ve recently read. After resuming the book, it’s unclear why I put it down. Great read thus far and highly recommend.

10:15-10:30 – I check my DE course to see what the Anonymous Grader thinks of my course matrix re-submission.  No response – nothing, thus far.  I’m highly disappointed and would like to move out of Module 3…

10:30-11:00 – Dress in Covid-19 uniform. Wash face. Brush teeth. Hair in pony tail.

11:00 – 11:45 - L. and I leave for the Cat Café!!

11:45 – 1:00 - Arrive at the Cat Café. 

This is a non-profit organization for rescue cats who are found on the street, in the desert, abandoned, etc.  They are brought to the Cat Café for love, care, and vet visits while they wait for an owner to purchase them.

Picture 10+ cats roaming the premises in a giant cat house created just for them with toys, pillows, holes to go through, places to climb.  It’s like a big, indoor playhouse.  L. and I booked an hour with the cats.  It’s just us and a really nice employee who provides a brief history of some of the cats and the organization. 

In the ‘Before Times’, coffee was served to the customers while they played with the cats, but that’s over now. L. and I spend most of our time on the “catio”, a covered outdoor space, painted entirely blue, with ramps, stairs, and more places to play.  There are fake vines covering most of the catio, complete with little twinkling lights woven through the mesh screen. There is a mesh ceiling, too, and miniature garden lights strung across the beams.  I absolutely love it!  It makes me realize how much I miss my cat – a hairless sphinx that I had for two years, but had to return to the breeder after L. was born.  Yes, it was 19 years ago but I still think and talk about her often.

-L. said the last time she and R. were at the Cat Café, he “cat-called” one of the kittens by saying, “Hello, gorgeous. What’s your name?”  L. said the cat jumped off his lap and walked away.

-One of the kittens – a rescue cat from a litter of kittens born in the desert – climbs onto my lap and falls asleep.  His name is “Rattlesnake” and he’s featured in the picture at the top of this post.  His brother’s name is “Yucca.” Cat Café has another location in Santa Barbara called Cat Therapy, so L. made a reservation for her and R. on Saturday.  I asked the staff member if they have volunteers and she said they do.  I’m seriously considering volunteering at the Santa Barbara location – I know it’s far, but it would be a nice drive and SB is a pretty community with good eats.  At this point, it’s just an idea.

1:00 – 3:00 - Back in town and L. wants to stop at Whole Foods because they’ve re-opened their “hot buffet.”  Instead of customers putting their hands all over the utensils, Whole Food’s employees now ladle it out. L. selects saffron rice and an Indian curry dish and I go with good old American comfort food – mac and cheese. Although I don’t need any, I pick up a couple 4-packs of prosecco-in-a-can since I’m here.

I assumed L. and I would be out-and-about, so I ask L. if we could ‘batch task’ some items (L.’s driving).  She’s not having it, but relents when she sees Kohls is in the same parking lot.  We park in the “curb-side pick-up spot”, call Kohls, and say we’re here for a pick up order.  In five minutes, the employee delivers my yoga pants to the car.  A Covid-19 perk.

I ask L. if we can do the same thing at the library.  The book referred by Monday’s student arrived and is ready for pick-up.  L. is irritated, but agrees, and we do the same thing at the library.  An employee comes out and places the book on a table – then I get out of the car and pick up the book.  Another Covid-19 perk.

Although L. is giving me grief about my “batch tasking” and has been complaining the entire time that she wants to go home so she can take a nap before work, she announces that we are now going to Starbucks. This is so funny!  I guess she caught her second wind. She buys me a peppermint hot chocolate.

3:00 – 3:30 - Home and I take the dog for a walk. It’s been raining off and on so there is nothing to do in the yard today.

3:30 – 4:30 – I eat my macaroni and cheese and read a Money Diary.

-L. leaves for a 1 hr/30 minute class at the art studio.  This is her only shift today and I don’t know why they schedule her like this.  What a waste of time.

4:30-6:00 – I take a nap.

-L. returns – it’s raining heavily.

6:00 – 6:15 – I check my DE class to see if my re-submission was graded.  Still nothing.

6:15-8:00 – I check my voice mail and wade through recorded messages from solicitors.  There’s also a voice mail from a school district that I subbed for in the “Before Times” asking that I fill out an emergency card online. I guess HR has called 5 other times previously about this.  Is anyone truly subbing anymore?  How does that even work?

-Blog post.

8:00 – 8:30 - I have more of L.’s dim sum noodles from several days ago. Another Money Diary.

8:45-10:30 – I talk to B. He dropped his bike off at the repair shop.  It will probably cost around $300 for a new ??something?? and tires.

10:30-11:00 – I make reservations for B. and I. for an undisclosed location.  Stay tuned!

11:00-11:45 – Kitchen duty.  I also purge items from the refrigerator and pantry.

11:45-2:00 – L. and I watch The Vow  and scream at the TV.

2:30 – 3:30 – I listen to What a Day. Night time routine. Bed.

-No exercise today.  I’m still stiff as hell from yesterday’s bike ride.