The Christmas Star and Other Miracles

Last night just after sundown I stood in the front yard of my little house and gazed at the “great conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter. It was the closest those planets have appeared together in the sky in about 800 years, and it won’t happen again until 2080. I don’t expect to be around to see it then. I didn’t have a telescope strong enough to view it properly, and I snapped a few photos with my iPhone, which proved woefully inadequate. But it was bright and beautiful all the same.

After the year 2020, it was lovely to stand there in the semi-darkness and admire the sparkling light in the clear deep blue sky. Tension released as it hasn’t done since Mom fell two weeks ago.

She’s doing well and is now able to raise herself up from the couch (or bed) with the aid of a walker. She’s still pretty sore, but she’s so much better than she was a week ago.

A couple of days ago, my only remaining aunt (Daddy’s older sister) fell in her living room. She lives alone and is fiercely independent. She absolutely refuses to discuss having anyone come in to help with a little light housework and a bit of cooking. It would not be a financial hardship for her; she’s just hard to please and she knows it. At first, she was certain that the fall did not cause her any great injury. I told her that she would be really sore the next day. Sure enough, yesterday she said she was in a lot of pain.

But, of course, she followed that with the statement that she’d cleaned her kitchen good in case she had to go to the hospital. *eye roll* She said that she didn’t know it until she changed into her pajamas Sunday night, but she’d suffered a skin break when she fell. A retired doctor lives near her and came to bandage her small wound and said it would be fine.

This morning she called to let me know that she’d called and scheduled a doctor’s appointment because she felt much worse. I told her that I thought it was a good idea for her to see her doctor, but that it was very possible that she’s just bruised and sore. At her age, though, it’s a good idea for her doctor to ensure that she hasn’t suffered any fractures. After all, she 89, and better safe than sorry.\

She knows that she shouldn’t be living alone, but refuses to discuss any alternative arrangement. “I’m not ready for that yet.” “I don’t want to hear it.” I’m not even saying that she should go into assisted living; I just think she needs to schedule a service to come in to take care of her housekeeping and cooking.

Believe me, it falls on deaf ears. She knows I’m right, but somehow feels that her independence is in jeopardy. Independence is a two-edged sword.

Frittering Away

I frittered away the entire summer.  Seriously.  I just glanced at my last few posts, and the scarf I was knitting in May is still not completed.  I started two different Christmas projects that are still not completed.  Zero progress has been made on the teeshirt quilt I started ages ago.

Mom’s back and hip have been giving her a lot of trouble in addition to her chronic lung issues, so we haven’t taken any trips this summer.  Just an occasional day trip of a meal and some shopping.

What the heck is wrong with me?  It’s true that my sinuses have given me a real fit this summer, and I had an adverse reaction to my flu shot and both doses of my shingles shot, but I can’t say that I’ve been sick all summer because I haven’t.  Due to my total lack of attention to my diet, my blood sugar got all out of whack.  This resulted in a change of my medication and an admonishment from my doctor that the party is over.  The new medicine and dietary changes caused a rapid drop in my glucose levels, which is good.  However, the drop was accompanied by a drop in my energy level, which is bad.  As my glucose readings are leveling out, though, I find that my energy is gradually increasing.

So, now I think that the next logical thing for me to do is to set some goals.  Today’s goal is to chase the dustbunnies in my bedroom, do my laundry, and work a minimum of 1 hour on one of my Christmas projects (maybe 2….we’ll see how it goes).  Why am I writing such trivial goals in my blog?  To make myself accountable.  Look out, dustbunnies, here I come.

 

Labor Day Musings

This is my first Labor Day as a retiree, so I plan to spend it a bit differently than I used to do when I was still in the workforce.  Labor Day used to be spent doing things that there was never time to do while working.  Today, Labor Day will be used to do…..very little.  🙂

After the big clean-out I did of my yarn closet recently, I got on a closet cleaning binge.  My next attack was on my bedroom closet.  It wasn’t nearly as big a chore as my yarn closet had been, but I was honestly amazed at how much I was able to purge and reorganize.

The apartment that Mom and I share has a small storage closet outdoors, just off our deck.  Ever since we moved in, it’s been a catch-all, home to things we didn’t use but couldn’t quite resign ourselves to getting rid of just yet.  We’d promised ourselves that “as soon as the weather cools off” we would tackle the storage closet and be diligent about turning loose of things we hadn’t used and weren’t apt to use.  Day before yesterday (Saturday) was a cool, drizzly day.  Just perfect for tearing everything out of that closet!

It proved to be a monumental task (and Mom insisted on keeping a snow shovel that I feel confident will never be used), but a carload of stuff was donated to Goodwill and several large bags of trash went to the dumpster.  Everything we kept was organized, labeled, and neatly shelved.  The biggest task I undertook was to clean and sort several boxes of tools.  Some I’d bought through the years as needed, some had been gifted to me, some were tools that we’d kept from Daddy’s huge collection, and some I’d accumulated through the purchase of put-it-together-yourself furniture (allen wrenches and such).  They are now all sorted and I can actually tell you where to find a wrench if you should need one while visiting us.  🙂

Mom and I were both exhausted after finishing this long-delayed chore, but it certainly felt good to have it done and over!  I commented that I had several things in my hall closet that could be moved out to the storage closet, but that I thought I’d wait awhile before tackling the hall closet.

Yesterday I awoke sore and tired, determined that I was going to do NOTHING that day.  But that stupid hall closet was on my mind.  It contained a mishmash of old computing equipment, extension cords, photographs, craft supplies, and shoes.  After breakfast and reading the Sunday paper over a leisurely cup of coffee, I sighed deeply and started unloading the closet into the hallway.  Mom came down the hall and said, “I thought you were going to wait awhile on that one.”  I answered, “I was, but it’s on my nerves.”

So, by yesterday afternoon I’d pulled three large bags of stuff for the dumpster, moved some of the stuff (neatly, mind you) to the storage closet, and gathered a load of things to go to Goodwill.  I polished my shoes and put them away neatly.

And now I’m finished with all my closets.  I told Mom that if we buy anything new, something old has to go out.  That’ll never happen, but it sounds good.  *LOL*

So, my Labor Day plans primarily consist of recovering from my cleaning binge.  Okay, maybe a little laundry.  Maybe.

Happy Labor Day!

Post-Holiday Update

Hi, everyone, I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  Mine was good, but very busy (as expected)!  I spent most of the day Saturday hanging pictures.  This was a little job that I figured would take an hour, two at the most.  Wrong.  It took me ALL AFTERNOON!  In fact, other than a couple of loads of laundry, all I did Saturday was hang pictures.  While I was working on that, Mom was busily unpacking boxes from her move to the apartment.

We accumulated another load of items for Goodwill, so on Sunday we loaded those into the car and dropped them off on our way to visit my aunt and uncle in Kingsport.  We had lunch with them and had a very nice visit.

On Monday, I reorganized the storage closet out on the deck to make room for more stuff that Mom had unpacked.  It was really warm out there, and I needed a nap afterwards.  (That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.  *LOL*)

I had taken a day of annual leave yesterday to stretch the weekend one more day, and we were busy all day long.  I took the car to have it serviced, then we dropped off yet ANOTHER load of things at Goodwill.  We went to the post office, then to WalMart.  We came back home to unload the WalMart purchases, then went to Kingsport for lunch at Lonestar (yum!).  Then we went to Dollar Tree and Michael’s.  I get in such trouble at Michael’s.  But I justify it by saying that I got good bargains (which I actually did).

We then went to visit friends in Kingsport for a bit, then made our way back home.  We’d had a really big lunch, so we just snacked for supper.

Being out and about so much this weekend had really wreaked havoc with my sinuses (allergies suck), so when I went to bed I took an OTC allergy medication.  It knocked me out like a light!  I didn’t wake up one single time last night until the clock went off this morning.  So, I’m feeling less congested today, but I’m awfully sleepy.  That’s one reason I’m writing a blog post on my lunch break today.  I’m afraid I’ll doze off if I don’t keep busy.  *LOL*

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Things for Which I’m Thankful

It’s been over a month since my last update. It’s been a very busy time; Daddy has really had a rough time in the past few weeks.

On October 28 he had a radiofrequency ablation performed. It seemed to take care of the extreme nerve pain he’d been suffering in his lower back, but the injection sites were very painful and didn’t seem to be improving.

On November 7 I took him to the doctor who treats his rheumatoid arthritis (a regular follow-up for his RA). When Daddy told the doctor that he was still having injection site pain, he asked if Dad was still taking his pain meds as prescribed for his RA. Actually, it had been having such a bad effect on him (drowsy, weak, apathetic) that Mom had weaned him down to half his regular dose. The doctor insisted that he be given the full dose as prescribed.

So, Mom gave him the full dose that day; the following morning he couldn’t even transfer himself from the couch to a wheelchair. He fell in the floor, and Mom and I couldn’t lift him; he was dead weight. We had to call in friends to help us get him back on the couch. What a nightmare!

On the following Friday (November 15), he and Mom had a lab appointment to have their blood work done for an upcoming regular checkup with their primary care physicians. I took them to the lab (and then to another doctor’s appointment for a small skin cancer on Daddy’s nose), then we took him back home. He got back on the couch, exhausted, and said he’d take a nap while Mom and I went to run a few quick errands.

When we returned from our rounds, we ate a Chinese take-out lunch and rested a few moments. I planned to come back the next morning to help Mom with cleaning their dog’s enclosure and such, so I said I’d go on home and do a bit of household drudgery.

As I reached the end of their driveway, I heard Mom shout my name. I stopped the car and she ran up to the window. Dad’s primary care physician had called and said that his lab work showed that he was extremely anemic and to get him to the ER as quickly as possible.

The next three days were a blur of tests and transfusions. We learned that his hemoglobin was down to 7.1 (should be 12). They gave him a total of 3 pints of blood over that weekend. He went through periods of confusion which was really frightening for us all.

Mom stayed at the hospital with him at night; I came home and fell into bed each night then was up and out the door early each morning to go back to the hospital

An EGD revealed that his stomach lining was very irritated (probably from pain meds he’s been taking for the past year), he had a hiatal hernia (which we already knew about), he had a small polyp in the top of his small intestine (which didn’t seem to be an item for concern), and a couple of spider veins in the small intestine that were probably the source of the blood loss. The gastroenterologist said that he wanted to do a colonoscopy as soon as Daddy’s stronger, but that he didn’t want to do it while he was so weak.

On Monday afternoon (November 18), they moved him from the hospital to a rehabilitation center. Because of all the inactivity in the past year due to the back pain, his back, arms, and legs had become so weak that he couldn’t walk properly any more.

For several days he didn’t seem to be making much progress; I feared that he’d simply given up. Then suddenly yesterday was a better day. He’d done well in his physical therapy session and his appetite finally perked up. I’m hopeful that this is the turnaround we’ve been anticipating.

So Thanksgiving is going to be different in my little world this year. Instead of the usual overabundance of home-cooked goodies, Mom and I will go to the rehabilitation center to have turkey and dressing with Daddy there. Even so, there are many things for which I’m thankful. I have a loving family, good friends, good health, and a sometimes-slightly-insane cat to keep me company. I have a comfortable apartment where I feel cozy and safe. I have my knitting to keep me centered and sane. I have a gorgeous grandson in Australia who likes to laugh with me on Skype.

And Daddy’s slowly getting better. Yes, I’m thankful for all these things and a host of other things too numerous to list.

Sometimes life is tough, but there’s always something in our lives that deserves a little gratitude. I hope that you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, and take a moment from the turkey and football to give a bit of thanks!

August Already?

It’s hard to believe how quickly the summer can get away from you! Especially when you start to think about holiday knitting. You see, hen you’re a slow, easily-distracted knitter like myself, you have to start your holiday knitting early. I’ve got some of mine finished, believe it or not. Still have a few things to do, but not many. I stopped on my holiday knitting to make a “Regular Guy Beanie” for a young distant cousin of mine who was fascinated by my knitting during a recent family visit. Since I made a beanie for him, I also had to make one for his younger brother. Which meant that I needed to make something for their sister as well. Both beanies are completed, and I’ve finished about a mitten and a half. I should be able to finish those up this week. Speaking of mittens, have you discovered the Cloisonee pattern by the Yarn Harlot? It works up pretty quickly, and I love that it looks more complicated than it really is. 🙂 I’d started a “Bigger on the Inside” shawl for myself, but laid it aside to get these little “cousin projects” finished. Then I have another UFO that I promised a friend some time ago. I really need to finish that up before going back to my shawl. But I wanna work on my shawl. It has little TARDISes (TARDIi?) On it and is just the thing for a Whovian like myself. So many projects, so little time!

4 Weeks and One Day

Four weeks and one day until Christmas…..oh, boy, I’ve got to get IN GEAR!!  I have a few more knitting projects to finish up and I’m having a terrible time getting it done.

I did finish the diamond brocade scarf and I’ve got another scarf (mistake rib pattern) about halfway completed.  The other projects are relatively small, and I’m hopeful that I can make good progress on those during a business trip this week.  I think I’ll have about 8 hours on the road, and I’m not driving.  Love that kind of travel for knitting purposes!  🙂

I hope you all had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and that you’ve made better progress on your holiday knitting than I have!!

The Scarf Continues

I’m still knitting the fairly mindless Diamond Brocade Scarf and am beginning to look forward to finishing it so I can move on to the next Christmas gift scarf.

I had a doctor’s appointment Monday and it dawned on me then that I had a LOT of UFOs (UnFinished Objects) from which to choose my “waiting room knitting”.  Hmmmm.  Maybe I need to take a little time to get my UFOs organized and get them finished up.

…..after my Christmas knitting is finished.  *LOL*

It really is a little nutsy when I think about how many partially-completed pairs of socks I have on needles.  Right now ALL my sets of sock needles are tied up with socks of various styles and colors.

I guess I have the dreaded “startitis”…..I love starting new things.  Okay, I hereby resolve to organize my UFOs and get them finished up, one at a time.

Which reminds me that I have one set of circular needles tied up with partially completed dishcloths I’m making for Christmas.  Sheesh!

Okay, maybe my FIRST task should be to make a list so that I can prioritize what needs to be finished first.  I have a nifty little notebook right in my knitting bag beside my recliner that should be ideal for that.  Then I can mark them off as they’re completed.

I’ve been a bit lackadaisical about knitting after work, and the truth is that I feel better when I knit for an hour or so each night after a hard day at the office.  I’m just out of the habit for some strange reason.

So, that will be one of my goals for the upcoming weekend.  I’m going to organize my knitting projects, make myself a prioritized list of UFOs, and get down to business.

After all, it’s only 2 months, 4 weeks and 1 day until Christmas!!

Knit, Frog, Knit

Well, after finishing my sweater last Saturday, I decided to cast on a scarf (one of my Christmas knitting projects).  Because I wanted to do something new, I pulled out my stitch dictionary and found a lovely stitch called “Cells” and cast on.

The fabric that was produced by this stitch was lovely, sort of a honeycomb effect.  Due to the slipped stitches in the pattern, it worked up as a double-thick fabric.  After about 15 inches of knitting, I decided that even though it was lovely, it would probably prove to be too thick to be comfortable to wear as a scarf.  This morning I bit my lip and ripped it back out to start over with a new stitch.

Back to the stitch dictionary.  I found another stitch I liked called Diamond Brocade.  I started the household gadgetry (washer, dishwasher, and Roomba), then settled onto the deck with a cup of coffee and my freshly frogged yarn and cast on again.

I’ve only knit one pattern repeat, but I can already tell that it will be more suited to wearability.  I just hope that it’s as easy to memorize as Cells was!  I still like Cells, and I think I’ll find myself some thicker yarn and use larger needles to knit myself some new rugs for the bathrooms.  I think that stitch would be just perfect for that.

So, back to my Diamond Brocade….have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, Knitsters!

3 Days of Work, 5 Days Off

Monday through Wednesday of this week was a mixed bag of assorted frustrating nonsense at the office, and I was exceedingly happy to see the end of it!  Yesterday I did some much-needed housework (the dustbunnies had taken over!) and was pretty worn down at the end of the day.  This morning I did a bit more household drudgery but let the gadgetry do most of the work this time.

I tossed a load of laundry in the washer, then started the dishwasher, then turned Roomba loose to do the vacuuming.  While the gadgets worked away, I treated myself to a half-hour on the deck with a cup of coffee and my knitting.  Such a treat!

I’d been knitting a scarf based on a stitch I found in my stitch dictionary (“Cells”, it was called) which was working up into a lovely, honeycomb-like pattern.  Unfortunately, it was working up in a double-thick fabric which was lovely but probably too thick to be comfortable as a scarf.  So, I ripped it out and have now started a different stitch called Diamond Brocade.  We’ll see if that works out better.  I hope.

Currently, I’m waiting for a call from the Salvation Army.  They’re sending a truck sometime today to pick up a large (27″) portable television set I’m donating.  It’s still a good set, but I’ve replaced it with a much lighter flatscreen.

I’m actually more excited about the flatscreen than I expected.  I love having all my usual stuff (DVD/VCR combo, TiVo, and Nintendo Wii) PLUS my computer hooked up to the television set.  Very convenient!

I hope the Salvation Army calls soon….I had a very filling lunch (red beans and rice) and I find that I’m getting unbelievably sleepy.  I’m sure if I doze off for a nap, they’ll call just about the time I fall asleep.  Or maybe not.  The phone will wake me, so maybe I’ll just give up and snooze a bit.  🙂

Have a safe and restful Labor Day Weekend, everyone!