A Very Good Day Off

I think this is the second year that my job has given us a holiday for Juneteenth, and as it fell on Wednesday this year, I had a really nice break in the middle of the work week. Here's how it went.

I slept late! Well, technically Maggie woke me up at around the regular time to be fed, but I had to go to the bathroom anyway, so I took care of both and went back to bed with the eye mask on to keep the light out. Two more hours of being horizontal was wonderful! Though I did have a very vivid dream (I've been having those lately, not nightmares but kind of unpleasant) where I was at a friend's house, and when I went outside to drive home my car wasn't there, and I couldn't figure out how I got there without my car, but where was it? It felt SO real. Ugh.

Anyway! I had made plans to have lunch with one of the few in my local group of knitting friends who isn't a snowbird. I got this delicious drink:

And was persuaded by this photo to get the blueberry lemon cornbread, which was absolutely delicious. Blueberry and lemon are so amazing together.

The company was even better than the food; she was able to update me on what's been going on with her life (some family drama), so I got caught up and she got to vent a little! It was so nice to sit and talk and knit; we're going to do it again in a few weeks.

From there, I drove to where I found this:

Is it just me, or does he look concerned?

So, I may have told this story before, but starting in college, I gave blood regularly, for more than 10 years, and then the Red Cross decided that anyone who spent so much time in England in a certain time period, as I did when I went to boarding school for a year, was at increased risk of mad cow disease and could no longer donate. (I took it too personally and was rather crabby about it.) 

They have finally relented on that (I mean, I assume new testing methods made it possible, but whatever), and at some point last year (more than once, I think), I looked up where I could go to find a blood drive. Except, they all seemed to be during the weekday? I mean, I work, folks, and I have to flex enough time for actual doctor's appointments. 

However, earlier this week it occurred to me that I would be off on Wednesday, but maybe it wasn't a blood drive holiday? And lo and behold, 10 minutes from where we had lunch was this. No appointment required.

They're so smart, they go to the same place every 8 weeks, which is how often people can give. I bet they get a lot of people onto their schedule that way! Make it automatic.

I took a flower picture in the parking lot while I waited my turn; there wasn't a long line, but a steady stream of donors.

Giving blood on a bus, although different, was fine, and soon I was out and looking at this rather vividly colored wrap. One of my friends suggested perhaps they were trying to match it to my outfit.

So I'm back as a donor! One of the workers there told me the Red Cross lost about half their donor pool when they put that rule into effect, though she added that of course they had to be careful. Which, yes, of course they did, but I hope many of us go back to giving now that we can. Although I'm still going to be looking for a night or weekend drive. Or maybe when I'm taking vacation days at the holidays? They probably have fewer donors then, too. Anyway, food for thought.

My next stop was at a thrift store, as I was looking for a table of some kind to put the litter box on, in hopes that her highness will allow that to happen, making litter box cleanup easier for me (and my stupid back) as well as for my mother when I travel. To fit in the space I have, it would need to be on the narrow side, and while I was looking at tables and rejecting them for size or for cost (too big, too small, that one is pretty but not $59.95 pretty), I saw this cabinet-like thing with a sign on top that said $9.95. I stopped an employee and said, is that really $9.95? And she said yes, they're overstocked with furniture and trying to make room. So here it is, in the garage for now:

It barely fit in the car; I had to fold the back seats down and put the front passenger seat as far forward as it would go. And then I hung a sweatshirt over the edge nearest me so that if I bumped it when I was driving, I wouldn't scrape my arm.

Stuffed right in! Getting it out of the car by myself was a BEAR, and probably not something I should have been doing after giving blood a few hours earlier, but oh well. It's out now, and I will roll it upstairs--oh yes, it's on wheels, thank you!--this weekend, and try out the switcheroo. Before and after pictures to come. I really hope Maggie will go for it, and be willing to jump up to use the box. It would make my life easier, but that's not a concept to appeal to her.

Also, take a look at that storage space! I was thinking to get a table, but a cabinet is even better. It's like trying on clothing and saying hey, it has pockets!