Flannel, Sleet and Packing

It's been a real stay at home day in my flannel and sweatshirt with Liesel. When I woke up, the sun was shinning and I had a fleeting thought to get up early, wash the fleece sheets and hang them out. It's good that I decided that I decided to stay in bed as it clouded over and the sleet started. Later in the day, it turned to rain.

I had laundry going most of the day, made an egg custard, put kielbasa in the crock pot and went about gathering everything for Moscow. I've been collecting things for the trip since my daughter and the girls left in August. I was quite organized about it and started putting it all in the open suitcase on her bedroom floor. As the collection grew, the overflow was on the floor by the suitcase. As we got deeper into fall, the pile grew and grew. When things started coming in the mail from my daughter's online shopping, I started another pile in the living room. The past two weeks, there was also stuff in the kitchen among my cards and gift wrap. Early this afternoon, I brought it all into the living room along with the suitcases and a box of sandwich baggies and dug in. About 5 hours later, I have one suitcase just about full, a second full but for my last minute clothes and a neat pile waiting for the third suitcase.

I decided I needed to buy a new large suitcase as the third one here has a zipper that I don't trust and it lost its pulls. Once it's full, I'd never be able to close it so I'll be at TJ Maxx on my way home from work tomorrow. I could have gotten dressed late this afternoon and gone there but it was too much of an effort.

I have everything ready for the carry-on suitcase and will do that tomorrow night too.

I had to keep Liesel out of the living room which she wasn't happy about as she likes to be where I am. She stationed herself at first on the other side of the gate and then gave up and went to the den to console herself on the couch under the down throw. Life is tough for a Dachshund.

I did venture out at 8:00 to drive around the corner to my neighbor's to get 3 of my cranberry orange walnut breads from her freezer to bring into work tomorrow for Xmas gifts. It was treacherous walking as the sleet froze coating everything and now there is a layer of rain on top of it.

If you know anything about Dachshunds, you'd know how they HATE rain. I pushed Liesel out the door several times today and she stood there looking at me with that look that said, "Fat chance if you think I'm venturing out there to tinkle." I certainly did not want to go out and make her walk around so you can guess what I was doing later in the bathroom with paper towels and spray cleanser.

As I type, she's behind me on the couch rolled up in the down throw. I'm soon going to join her as I'm beat.