Things to do

Yesterday did not go the way I thought but isn't that true of most days...

All my luggage arrived including the suitcase I'd sent up from the Tokyo airport by truck and the box I had to send airmail from the States. I had hoped to get some of that unpacked but fell asleep as soon as I wrote my blog entry yesterday. At 5:00 I was awakened by a telephone call from Tetsu asking me to pull myself together and hurry over to his mother's. She'd taken ill and the neighbors were debating whether to call an ambulance or not and had called him. I hurriedly drove over to her apartment (about 30 minutes away) being careful to keep my wits about me and not start driving on the wrong side of the road (Japan and America drive on different sides of the street. It takes me a day or two to reorient myself). Actually, Tetsu asked to leave the office and he met me at his mother's but no one was there so we headed to the hospital. Yep. She was just being admitted (Japan's heatwave and her high blood pressure contributing to her symptoms) and we spent about three hours at the hospital with her. This is actually good news in a strange way. She and Tetsu had had a falling out and hadn't seen each other for the past two months. I think because of yesterday's emergency they can get back to the loving relationship they had before. Thank you, Lord! We finally got home around 10:30 last night.

I really need to get my act together today. I've got a list of things I need to do before I crash again from jet lag

1) Buy groceries--The month of non-cooking was wonderful but not for my waistline. I am thankful again that the Japanese diet is wonderfully healthy. We're going to be eating brown rice and soybeans for awhile! (There will be more of course but I haven't thought that out yet.)

2) Buy cat food and dog food--The dog food is easy, just go to the local pet supply. Cat food I'll have to go into the next town and get it at the vet's. Two cats are on special food for their urinary tract problems.

3) Get unpacked--I have two big suitcases, the craft box, a backpack and junked stuffed in my purse that I need to put away.

4) Clean the house--This is a biggie and just thinking about it makes me want to go back to bed. Tetsu did a great job but the cats have sprayed and there is a smell... I'm going to have to get down on my hands and knees with rags and cleanser. Then try to figure out where to use the Feliway spray I bought (for cat problems). There is the dust to contend with which layers everything but worse than the cats and the dust, there is the mold!!!! Yes, the walls, the dishes, the refrigerator, the shoes, the furniture, everything is covered in mold. Japan is a very damp country in the summer and with the house closed up during the day while Tetsu was at work, the mold just grew. I spend a week every year conquering the mold that greets me when I come back from the States. Yuck!

5) Exercise--Even though I walked everyday that I was in California I still feel like I've come back to Japan just a big blob. I need to go step on the scale today but that is a scary thought. Like New Year's Day, I want to make resolutions to get a daily exercise routine going on top of the walking but the heat and the mugginess saps at my energy.

6) Get my pictures into the computer and get them sorted so that I can make prints--I usually do this online so I've got to decide what to delete and what is worth printing out, what pictures I should make copies of etc.

7) Sewing--Can you believe that I went a whole month without once doing anything creative? (Actually Idid tie that fleece blanket for my mother-in-law. I also sewed a rip in my niece's jeans while I was in California.) I have to sort out what projects I'm actually in the middle of... I've got a Feathered Star quilt that I need to get back to. The bazaar quilt is at somebody's house and I've got to take another turn at the quilting. I've got that 365 Challenge quilt that I did one week of before I left for the States. I took all the fabric to work on and... gave up after the first two days. I did keep a running journal so I hope today I can transcribe some of those entries onto fabric and get back to this project.

I guess I'd better stop blogging and get to it. 15 minutes a project for the rest of the day!