A Small Catch-Up

Refreshingly spring-like outside the past few days.  

Wonderful breathable degrees.  

Oh, how I am dreading the encroaching summertime!  

This week there will be a couple of days near 90°. 

It's way too soon for that kind of heat - April should not be that hot.  
And there's absolutely no rain forecast in the forseeable future.  Where are the April showers?

I hope it isn't a preview of an extreme heat summertime.
With impending long heat- and sun-filled days, my mood is likely going to plummet.

Because of the nightmare stressful winter we had, I forgot all about needing to have my hair trimmed (as you can see from the left picture below).

Confession: I haven't had a professional haircut in years.  

I used to go to someone for many years and she knew not to ever take off too much or I would beat her up.

She seriously knew that one inch meant one actual inch, not how many hair stylists think one inch equals four inches ("but your hair needed that much off!").  

I trusted my girl completely which was rare and wonderful. Sadly, she got sick and retired and that was that for me and haircuts.  I have very long, one length hair so, in truth, there's no real need for "real" haircuts at a salon.  
Instead I go outside to the deck or, as I did yesterday, to the garage (because it was windy out which makes cutting long hair very difficult when one is outside).
There, my very talented husband trims my hair to perfection.

Here's the proof (don't judge the left pic; it's been a traumatic few months):

We've been talking about taking quick trips here and there. I'm a serious homebody but I'm aware that I have to step out of my comfort zone + I miss going new places.
But there are a couple of problems (of course).

For one, hotels skeeve me. Massive phobia of bedbugs and other bugs. Sleeping in beds that countless others have slept in.  You get the drift.
I am, however, aware that zillions of other people stay in hotels and so I'm mentally working on getting over my fears and ick.
The second problem is the bigger hurdle to a life filled with adventures that require a hotel stay:

we would have to take Luna with us because we don't have anyone to watch her currently and we don't board her or trust her with strangers like dog sitters. 

 
Traveling with her is really not a big deal, although it would hinder activities like being able to dine in restaurants, swim in pools, shop together in stores. 
Traveling with Luna means that we would need to secure a pet friendly hotel which isn't a real problem because there are many pet friendly hotels (even though they charge crazy pet fees).  

The giant problem - or conundrum - is that I am allergic to dogs that are not deemed hypoallergenic*. 
The last time we booked a pet friendly hotel was a few months back. Kevin had just had his car accident, Sherb was home alone and dealing with him being in ICU, and a massive snowstorm was about to hit.  We didn't want her to be alone with all of that going on so we booked a hotel room near her apartment in NJ.  Within 15 minutes of being in the room I started to not be able to breathe very well, my eyes went crazy with tearing and that sandpaper feeling, and my voice went completely raspy.  It was obvious that I couldn't stay there so I wound up on Sherb's couch and JP wound up staying in the hotel.  
You can see the problem here.  We have to book pet-friendly hotel rooms because we're traveling with a dog but I will run the risk of having an allergic/asthmatic reaction to the room and not being able to stay in it.  

I guess we'll just stick with day trips.

*I am aware that no dog is truly hypoallergenic and that dogs with that label are just less likely to cause problems for allergy sufferers. You do not have to come at me to tell me this.