A good day to be a carnivore

I did not sleep well last night despite being tired. I heard Chris roll the garbage out to the curb and then went back to sleep. I think I woke up again before 9. I read e-mail, did my exercises, and used the HappyLight. I posted to my blog for yesterday.  I searched for a quilt magazine article from 2012 requested by a member on Facebook, but I did not have it. I juiced a large cucumber, sprouts, and carrots. After juicing, I made breakfast. I worked out a Swanson's order. Two, actually, since I wanted to take advantage of two offers and there was enough on the list to do that. After breakfast, I took a shower and got dressed. I packed a lunch including nut cheese and a sheet of nori ripped into 4 pieces. Then I had to come up with a project to work on at quilting today. I needed to unpack the project box before I could re-pack it with something new. I decided to work on the Linus quilt started back in June or July. By the time I was ready to leave, it was after noon. The group at the church was small. Joan was there and I gave her the rest of the train track fabric. I was glad to see Lauri doing well, but heard that her back surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. I hope it goes well. Barbara was not there because her doctor sent her to the hospital with pneumonia and dehydration this morning. Cheryl came in later and we all prayed for Barbara. I stayed until 4:30, adding wonky strips to the blocks. I shall never do another one of these again. When I got home, it was dark and Chris had already come home and brought the garbage can in. I brought my project box in, leaving the machine in the car. I never ate my lunch, so the nut cheese went back in the fridge. I noticed it was getting low, so I prepared another batch to soak overnight.  I was going to cook the beef tongue defrosted from yesterday. But Chris had beef roasts in the oven, as well as sweet potatoes. So I had a few bites of kimchi to tide me over 'till it was done. I read my e-mail, and followed a few links. We ate supper in front of our laptops. Chris showed me the shirt he wanted patched. Later we watched the last three episodes of Forever Knight. I looked up Vauchon because the actor looked familiar. Chris went to bed and I stayed up just long enough to blog and tap.

Heading back to normal

My phone alarm went off at 8. I wasn't sure if it was on eastern time or central time. I tried to go back to sleep. Chris got up to take a shower and go to the continental breakfast for fruit. That was at 10. I got up to take my shower and discovered that there were no washcloths. Chris gave me the one he keeps in his laptop case to wipe the dust off of his screen. I hoped the staff would not think we stole the washcloths. Chris checked out at 11 and got a piece of tape from the office to re-splint my finger. On the road, we finished the book on CD (“Rising Storm”?) and started another one called “Utopia”, set in a theme park. When we got home mid afternoon, we sat in the car to listen to the last few minutes of the book. Then we unpacked the car and brought in the mail. Chris fixed himself lunch. I wasn't hungry, so I unpacked my luggage. I made sure to remove everything from each piece, and to open every bag, box, or other type of container so that everything would go back to where it belonged. I also wanted to make sure that all the items we were given for Michele got put in one place, and nothing was left out. We made a list and went to the grocery store. The aloe was replenished, so we got more of that. After we got home, we put groceries away and I remembered the gift cards for Michele. I could not find the i-tunes cards for the longest time and got really worried. But then I found them in my wallet. Phew! I noticed that Bob had replaced the faucet handles in the tub and it was no longer dripping.  Also, the outside lights were working, perhaps too well, because we had trouble turning them off. 

We read e-mail and had supper. I was so tired I could not think straight, but did not want to go to bed early because of the danger of waking up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep.  I drank filtered water and coconut water to make sure I was hydrated. We watched a DVD called Despicable Me 2. It was funny and I enjoyed it. Then I went straight to bed without blogging. That was about 9. I did wake up in the middle of the night, however, unable to sleep for some time. Oh well, at least I'm home now, and life can go back to normal, even if it takes a few days.
*  This is a pic of our motel - Days Inn  *

Leaving Virginia

I got up before 8 to use the bathroom. That is when I heard a thump in the back. I imagined Mom had fallen, but when I got there, Dad had her dressed and was helping her into her wheelchair. He pushed her into the den and I went back to bed for a little while. Then Chris got up and dressed, so I did, too. I fed Mom her breakfast, then made mine. There was green juice from yesterday and we both had some. We also both ingested coconut oil and liposomal vitamin C. Chris put the letters in the mail. I crossed that item off my to-do list. Everything on Dad's list got done except defrosting the freezer. Chris packed all our stuff in the car. We said goodbye to Mom and Dad. Then we hit the road. We finished the book on CD from last weekend. Then we started another. When we got near Bristol, I called the Amish store to see if they had gotten in some raw cheese. Sadly no. Chris took me to the Japanese restaurant that we went to after Thanksgiving, and I got the same raw fish platter. Finally we checked into our hotel, the same one as last weekend. They gave us the same room, too. Big and cold. Chris turned on the heat and I tried to look hot. But I had to wear several coats while dozing and waiting for the room to warm up. When I felt rested, I checked my e-mail, and then we watched 4 episodes of Bones on my laptop using the DVD drive. We shared some of the dried fruit that Chris got for Christmas. I took my splint off to rest my finger, but it felt a little sore. After watching the season ender, I finished my blog post from yesterday and wrote one for today. I had a little trouble getting pics from my tablet to my laptop, so I had to use ones that Faye e-mailed to herself from my Yahoo account. Thanks, Faye. 

*  This pic is from a few days ago.  For whatever reason, the click path that I used yesterday to save a photo from e-mail doesn't work that same way today.  So...back to the drawing board.  * 

Second half of Friday

Faye came over with a pineapple casserole at 6. When Kevin arrived, we had supper: pork chops, sauerkraut, sweet potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and the pineapple casserole. For dessert we had fudge and buckeyes. Faye cleaned up after supper. Dad continued to eat for some time. Then we all gathered in the livingroom to watch Chris open his gifts. Faye helped Mom open the package (which turned out to be the shoes Faye ordered for her). Kevin found several Youtube videos of accordion playing for Dad. Then he brought up a Christmas music playlist from Youtube on his new laptop. Mom and I enjoyed listening to it. When he had to leave, he set up my laptop to continue the music. Faye helped Dad and I fold 37 copies of the annual letter he printed out. We stuffed them in envelopes, and labeled and stamped them. Faye arranged them for the post office. Chris had laid down to rest after opening his gifts. I woke him up at midnight to say goodbye to Faye and to help me unfold the sleeper sofa. I was too tired to blog the whole day, so I just completed the notes I had taken earlier and published that.

First half of Friday - Chris arrives from Alabama

Dad got Mom's pills ready so I could feed her Ensure. I juiced all the rest of my vegetables and most of Dad's. It was so handy to have some table space. We drank as much as we could, but there was more. Mom drank 3 cups. The rest went into the fridge. I made two breakfasts, one for today and one for Sunday. I continued cleaning in the livingroom, then took an e-mail break. Chris called to say he'd be in around 5. I continued to clean, rearrange, and toss. I washed the sweet potatoes and coated them with coconut oil, and put them in the oven for 45 minutes. I took the Kirby rug attachment apart to get all the strings off of the beater bar. When I went back to take them out, I had to step over Dad who was sleeping on the floor in the den. Then the doorbell rang. Two young Mormon men wanted to talk to me. I had to beg off to get the potatoes out. Faye called to say she'd be over about 6. Mom wanted yogurt. While I was feeding her, my phone rang. Chris was calling me to say he'd arrived but all the house doors were locked. I let him in and saw there was a package by the door. I finished feeding her and Chris prepared the pork chops and put them in the oven.
*  This is Faye wearing her Merry Christmas shirt  *
pf

Cleaning and finding 'treasure'

I got up before 10.  That was amazing considering how late we went to bed.  Since Kurt was so gung ho about getting Skype on the tablets and his phone, I Skyped him from my tablet in the bedroom, waking him in the living room.  He did not seem to mind.  I quickly washed up and got dressed.  Mom had had her first Ensure, so I made the cruciferous juice for her.  Then, since I had bought so many vegetables for juicing, I made more juice for me and shared it with Dad.  Clean-up was a bear.  The tape on my splint got wet and it fell off.  But the finger was much better so I left it off.  I fed Mom her juice and another Ensure.  Then I ate my own breakfast.  I tried to help Dad write his Christmas /annual letter, but for some reason he wanted to figure out how he did it last year before starting on this year’s.  I could not help him with that.  He decided to take a nap before he started.  While he was sleeping under Mom’s wheelchair, the lady next door came over asking for newspapers.  She was packing up her kitchen.  I gave her the ones I could find.  Then I went back to fixing a pair of jeans.  He slept longer than he intended, and went back to obsessing.  At some point he took a copy of the letter from last year and read it to me with updates.  I typed it into his computer as best I could.  The distance between the keys is different on his laptop so I kept hitting the wrong ones.  He needed lots of time to edit my edits (I guess) so I amused myself in cleaning the diningroom and throwing out stuff that was moldy.  I found a pile of old cards written to Grandma.   I showed them to Dad and he suggested recycling them.  I was proud of him so did as he suggested, even though some part of me wanted to keep them.  I called Faye about a wrapped gift I found on the card table and we got to talking about supper tomorrow night.  Kurt came home from the science museum and packed his car to go home.  I asked him to go to the store for pork and sauerkraut.  He returned with the food and said goodbye to Mom and Dad and drove back to northern Virginia.  I resumed intensive cleaning the dining room, I found stuff I wanted to throw directly into the garbage cans, but could not find the cans.  I called William, and then Faye to find out.  But neither of them returned my call.   With all the cleaning action, my finger started to complain, so I re-splinted it.  Maybe not as well as Faye would have done.  When I finished cleaning and vacuuming the dining room, I started on the livingroom. I had to borrow flashlight from Dad to see in places where the lamps did not shine.  At 10 I put Mom to bed.  Dad did the heavy lifting.  Then he was ready to print out the letter, but I talked him into waiting until morning.  I thought it might go faster and easier then.

I was tempted to continue in the living room, but decided to be nice to my back and wait until morning.

*  This is Kurt's 'selfie' from Christmas Day, one of about 100 photos that he took with MY tablet.  *

Christmas Day

I got up while Natalie Morales was on, hosting a talk show  I finished the binding on quilt. When Dad got Mom's pills ready, I gave them to her with Ensure. After 2 bottles of Ensure, I juiced kale, cranberries and a long cucumber. The four of us shared it. I made more juice using celery. I cleaned up the juicer and made my breakfast. Kurt showed me Googlemap stuff he discovered on my tablet. Bet he wouldn't mind having it back. We looked for a skit called “It's Pat” on Youtube but could not find it. Then I checked e-mail while Kurt continued to play with the tablet. He installed the Enterprise klaxon sound. I took Mom to the bathroom while Kurt took a bath. Then he cleared the diningroom table and arranged seating in the livingroom around the tree. Dad got a large piece of plastic from one of the cars. We measured it and folded it in half to cut. I used my square quilting ruler and a twobyfour to mark the line. Faye came over to start supper. Dad and I spent hours dealing with the pile of papers, cards, bags, etc on the kitchen table. Kevin came over to sweep, and water the plants. Dad and I had the table 90 percent cleared when supper was ready. William arrived in time. Faye had the table set. She made a sweet potato casserole, chicken, pineapple casserole and mixed veggies. For dessert we had the fudge and buckeyes from the couple across the street. Faye cleaned up supper. Kurt played Christmas songs on my tablet until all had gathered. Dad came in with his accordion. We opened gifts in front of the table top tree. I gave a gift to Kurt - calendar. He said his gift to Faye was installing an app on her tablet. So then Faye gave me a calendar. For my turn I gave the quilt to William. And so it went, although we did not all get the same amount of gifts so the circle got broken. But we had a good time.  Kurt took LOTS of pics using my tablet.  We tried to Skype Michele but she overslept. But we did get to 'see' Chris. He took us on a virtual tour of my sewing room at home. Then Patrick came over to visit. Dad and I put the plastic on the table and used the Kirby to get up the crumbs by the toaster. Faye and I put Mom to bed. It got really late and I did not notice until 1 am. Kurt installed skype on both tablets and his phone. And now it's 2 am and I am going to bed.
 Ok, so I wrote my blog post and e-mailed one of the pictures from the tablet to my laptop.  While waiting for the pic to arrive, I saw Michele was up so I Skyped her.  The call only lasted 6 minutes because I was falling asleep.  Then the pic came through and I published the post and went to bed.

Christmas Eve

I got up at 9 and found Mom sitting in the den watching TV and waiting for Dad to give her Fosamax. I put a few stitches in the quilt, then decided to start juicing. I did broccoli, cauliflower, and celery. Then I fed Mom the juice and several Ensures and took her to the bathroom. I left her there for a few minutes and when I came back, she had fallen on the boxes between the toilet and the tub. And her bowels had kicked in. I was able to get her back on the toilet. Dad had to come in to stabilize her in a standing position so I could transfer the pile from the boxes to the toilet. In doing do, my splint got messy. So I threw it away. When everything was cleaned up, Mom went back to the den and I filled the tub with hot water. I worked on my own breakfast to let the water cool down while heating the bathroom. After my bath, I ate my breakfast. I needed to buy more veggies, so Dad gave me the keys to the station wagon. I did not want to drive it because of its size, but it was blocking better cars in the driveway. So I went to Fresh Market, and then to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a last minute gift. The traffic was heavy, but I asked my angels to get me through it, and they did. I was able to make a left turn out of the shopping center onto Huguenot. I was home in time to talk to the neighbor across the street who was delivering baked goods from his wife. Then it was Dad's turn to go. Because the station wagon stayed put, I thought Dad hadn't gone. I fed Mom again, and then I got wrapping paper from the attic and we wrapped gifts. Then Dad came home with a few more for me to wrap. They all went under the small tabletop tree. Then I took Mom to the bathroom and changed her shirt to a Christmas sweater. We put on her coat and took her to the car. Dad let me drive to Christmas Eve service. Of course we had to take the station wagon. We got there in time to settle in a pew. There were lots of unfamiliar people who did not know that Mom always sits in the short pew on the right. We had to sit on the left. There was no room for Kurt, who had to sit in the pew in front of us. It was a low-key service based on the lyrics to an old hymn. The last song was sung by candlelight. My candle dropped wax on the hymnal. Maybe that's why the hymn was printed in the bulletin, but I did not have one since I gave mine to Kurt. We were home by 9pm. Kurt and Patrick wanted to drive around looking at lights. Kurt called up the Tacky Light tour on my tablet and tied it to his phone as the hotspot. Then he drove us all over Richmond looking at displays they'd seen before. We stopped at a Walgreens for a planner. When he got lost, he used my tablet as a GPS and a map to the last site.

When we'd seen it, we needed the tablet to go back home. We dropped Patrick off at his house, and then went home. Dad turned on the Christmas tree lights for us. Since my camera is wi-fi capable, Kurt tried to connect my laptop to the camera, but the connection would not hold and there seemed not to be a way to transfer the pics. So we had to resort to using the cord. Then Kurt played with the tablet while I posted to my blog.

Not my usual Monday

I slept in until 10. I guess I was tired. I fed Mom, then juiced kale, carrots, cranberries, and broccoli. The three of us drank it.  Clean-up was a bear. Dad gave me a list of things he would like me to do this week. I am not sure how he thinks I am going to defrost his upright freezer, but I can handle the sewing items. I fixed my breakfast and ate it. I took my supplements with red tea. By then it was almost 1. I read e-mail until Dad said that checks had to be written in an hour for the mailman to take. But the mailman came early. We did three. I worked on the quilt binding until I ran out of black thread. I called Faye for more since she was going to Wal-Mart. Dad and I put laundry in the washer. I insisted we divide it into two loads. I fed Mom one Ensure, and then they left after 5 for the Fitness Center. I ate an egg, and apple, and hummus with raw garlic. I pinned and basted the pant legs of Dad's new jeans. My fingersplint came off, and I had to renew the tape. This is what I call affordable health care.  Thanks, Faye. I watched TV while sewing the new hems. St. Olaf's was singing Christmas music. I checked e-mail and did some tapping. When I saw Mom and Dad drive up, I pulled the second load out of the dryer. I fed Mom an Ensure with her evening pills. Dad fed himself and put some laundry away. I hardboiled 4 eggs. I also whip-stitched the edges of the hems to the inside of the pantlegs. Then I put Mom to bed. I checked e-mail one last time and wrote to my blog, planning on going to bed myself.
*  took this pic on the way up on Saturday.  *

Church music

I slept on and off during the night. My finger would wake me up if it touched something. Then something started beeping, like an alarm. It went off after 60 seconds but came back on later. The third time I grabbed it (couldn't see it in the dark) and shut it up in the utility room. Either Dad or Chris got up at 7. Chris kissed me and left for Alabama before 7:30. I stayed in bed (on the couch) a little longer, then got up to fix my breakfast. It was too early to eat, so I got Mom up and dressed, then fed her. Finally I had to get myself cleaned up and dressed for church. We hoped to be early so I could practice with the organist, but Mom had an accident at the last minute so we were late. I let Dad drive since I was afraid to drive his behemoth station wagon. However, by the time we got to church his driving had convinced me that anything I did would have been better. He did not fall asleep, but he did eat while driving. We got there as the choir was warming up in the basement. There was no time to practice with the organist and I was an anxious wreck. Faye helped Mom to get settled in the church. Dad ran downstairs, and I unpacked my trombone, which I set up just inside the sanctuary doors. I sat alone in the front pew. During the service I realized that my music was still in my case. I looked through the bulletin to find a good time to run out and get it. I tapped through the readings and hymns to calm myself. During the hymn before the sermon, I got my music. Dad came down from the choir (after a very nice anthem) and sat beside me, dozing off. I woke him several times during the sermon so he would not fall over. But he needed the rest, so I moved to where he was leaning on me and let him sleep. I woke him for the last hymn and then it was my time. I walked up front with my trombone and music, nodding to the organist. She played a few measures of introduction, and then we played two verses of Angels We Have Heard on High. It went well. After the postlude many people came by to show their appreciation. After I packed up, I went into the multipurpose room to fellowship and have some fruit. Faye got to look at my finger and decided it wasn't a hematoma after all. She splinted it with a popsicle stick and some tape to immobilize the joint so it could heal faster. She said she learned how to splint by watching the doctors in surgery. Only they used more expensive stuff. She drove Dad to Subway for their Sunday meal. When they came back, we all went to the mall. I drove the station wagon and followed Faye there. The three of them ate subs and I ate seaweed and fermented nut cheese. Then Dad went walking while we ladies went shopping. First we went to a calendar store for a quilt-themed calendar. They did not have one, but gave me a coupon for free shipping in case I ordered one from their site. Then, at Faye's suggestion, we took Mom shoe-shopping, finding something close at Macy's and ordering it in the correct size and color. We continued to shop at Penney's and found a few gifts there. Then we met up with Dad, and had Mom practice her walking and stretching. It was a lot of work for Faye, but she did it tirelessly. Faye fed Mom another Ensure, and we parted ways. I drove our parents home, in the dark and the rain, but with great faith that we would not hit anything I couldn't see. When we got home, I ate a sweet potato with butter, and kimchi, and hummus with fresh garlic. I finally got my vitamins for the day. Dad made bowls of ice cream and peaches for them. I fed Mom and then worked on the binding of the quilt. It was after 10 when I took Mom back to put her to bed. I put a pair of my eyeshades on her because Dad leaves the light on. Then I skimmed my e-mail while Dad readied the garbage. I plan to go to bed after publishing this post.

Arrival in Richmond

   

I did not sleep well last night. Someone had their TV turned up. Thankfully I had mp3 headphones to drown out the noise. In the middle of the night, I woke up because the room was hot. Chris had so many covers on that I put a hand on him to make sure he wasn't too hot, and it seemed like he wasn't breathing... But then he woke up and I was relieved.

     We got up after 8 EST. He took a shower while I washed out of the sink because my foot still hurts where the splinters were and I didn't want to get the bandaid wet. I put hydrogen peroxide on it afterward, but there was no fizzing so why won't it heal? My stomach felt distended and uncomfortable, probably from eating restaurant food. Chris ate the leftovers from his meal last night, and I ate my prepared breakfast from home. We got on the road about 10. We finished yesterday's book on CD and started another one. The trip to Richmond was fairly uneventful. The GPS tried to take us a different route than usual, and insisted we turn around for what seemed like an hour. Then some one had dropped a drawer in the middle of the road and we had to swerve around it. Our first stop was for kimchi in Chester, and then we went to my parents' house. Dad and Chris went grocery shopping while I fed Mom Ensure, yogurt, cruciferous juice, and half a sub. Then I trimmed the quilt I brought and started sewing the binding. The men came home with more food than seemed necessary. Dad took his time putting it away. I think he gets distracted. Chris read e-mail in the living room. The TV went off. At first we thought it was the breaker, then the outlet. But it was a GFCI in the kitchen. I don't know why the TV outlet is on that circuit. Then Mom got to watch TV for awhile. We missed part of Lawrence Welk's Christmas special. When the next show was over, I took her back to get all washed up for tomorrow. Then I fed her Ensure with pills. Dad and I brushed her teeth and put her in bed. It took 2 hours. Now I'm ready for bed, but Dad isn't. He's still eating, I think. 

*  from Thursday night  *

  

Northward Bound

We got up after 8. I vaguely remember breakfast and packing. There was a lot to do and I was afraid of forgetting things. We got on the road about 11. We listened to a Janet Evanovich book on CD. I kept the second knuckle of my hurt finger against the window because it was cold. We stopped at a Hardee's for Chris to buy lunch. Around 4 CST (5 Eastern) we rolled into Bristol, Tn, to buy cheese at the Amish store. They were all out of raw cheese. Then we went to a Day's Inn in Bristol, Va. We were given a large room. With a little rearranging you could fit another kingsize bed. But the heat had been completely off so it was just as cold as outside. We turned the heat up and went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. I got shrimp and Chris got chicken and chorizo. When he was done with his ice water, I stuck my finger in it to numb the pain. He said it looks like it is healing, but it doesn't feel that way. When we got back to the room, it was warmer, but still chilly. We watched 3 episodes of Bones on my computer, then checked IMDB for characters that looked familiar. We went to bed about 10:30 EST. 

*  This pic is from show-n-tell last night  *

Busy Day

I woke up at 7:25, which was good since I had a lot to do. I checked e-mail, listened to the tapping part of an audio, and exercised. I juiced most of the vegetables that were left in the refrigerator. I took the recyclables out to the road. I raked in the front yard, then took a shower. I placed a bucket under the faucet to catch the drips. I got dressed, then took splinters out of my foot with a highpowered magnifying glass. Chris came home to get me for lunch. I played the hymn for Sunday on my trombone while he was in the bathroom. Chris drove us to Conners for lunch with his boss and coworker and their wives. On the way back we stopped at the onpost library for books on CD. As I paused to go in the bathroom, he said “I'll meet you at the books.” I knew what he meant, but it sounded funny in a library. We got 4 books, then went to the church to pick up the gift Jennifer left for me. I did not unwrap it, but it feels like a paperback book. When we got home, I checked the bucket and it was overflowing. Chris had been saying my finger was infected and should be re-opened and cleaned out. So I said let's do it now. He poked and prodded at it and decided it was healing ok on it's own. I checked my e-mail again. Then I fixed 3 breakfasts and packed the remainder of each item in the food box for next week. I ate one of the breakfasts and put the other two in the icebox. Then I made a salad from the remaining greens and sprouts. I put on my name tag and went to the guild meeting. I turned in a canned item for a raffle ticket, and my bag of strips to the strip swap. Mirna brought my quilt, and I wrote her a check for quilting it. I was tempted to take and post a pic, but then it won't be a surprise for the recipient. At least 3 Stitch-It ladies told me they missed me today at the Thursday group. I was touched since I haven't been going there all that long. After a short business meeting, (including the revelation of the challenge theme - Summer) and show-n-tell, we lined up to eat desserts. Lucky for me there was a fruit platter at the end of the dessert tables. For our program we made cards for the veterans home. We were given markers, glue sticks, and assorted little gems. Mirna and I made a card, and I am sorry I did not think to take a picture of it. Then they raffled off the jars in the middle of the table. That took longer than one would expect. I left at 9. When I got home, we watched one episode of Bones. Then I helped Chris replace light bulbs in the den and in the computer room. I remembered to eat a raw garlic clove mixed with hummus, and drink a glass of vit C water. Then I wrote to my blog as best I could remember and went to bed.

Getting stuff done

t was 8:13 when I got up to read e-mail with my HappyLight. I exercised, juiced, and made breakfast. Then I remember to put the package on the porch for the mailman to pick up. I played the piano to hear a little bit of Christmas music. I went out to rake leaves and there came the postman. I gave him the package and he commented on my bare feet. I told him that the ground was warmer than the air. After raking leaves and pinestraw, I went inside to cut yellow strips for tomorrow night. Then I digitized the names of Chris' coworker and her husband. I embroidered them on a piece of Christmas fabric. I gathered some flat lace, and sewed it to two edges of the fabric. (I should have used the ruffler - it would have been faster)  Then I wrapped it around a cardboard tube and whip-stitched it on, tying the ends with green ribbon. I called the rental agent to report a dripping faucet and the outside lights not fixed. She promised both would be taken care of either tomorrow or Friday. Knowing her husband would be coming by, I cleaned up in kitchen and den and bathroom. I also cleaned up water on the floor in the masterbath. We cannot figure out where it came from. I made up bottles of supplements for the days I will be gone for Christmas. I read e-mail, listening to audios until Chris came home an hour late. We ate supper. I pulled splinters from my left foot. I started watching a TQS show, and when I knew he was ready, we watched 2 episodes of Bones. Then he went to bed while I finished the show, and my blog post.

Picking up the pieces now that the rush of activity is over

My day started at 8:20. I put the quilt in a USPS box. I had to reboot my computer last night and wondered if I could get all my open windows back. No. Microsoft: I reject your OS and reserve the right to substitute my own.

  I used my laptop to schedule a pickup from the post office since I did not want to stand in line. Then I used the desktop to pay the postage and print out the label. I affixed it to the box. While playing a CD Chris gave me of AMC music, I put stuff away. It seems like I have been running from one engagement to the next without cleaning up or putting back. I read e-mail, but did not exercise. I used my HappyLight because it might be working. I swept the kitchen floor and unstacked and re-stacked the dishwasher. A few dishes had to be washed by hand. Before breakfast the sun was shining so brightly that I went outside to rake in the rays. My back gave me warning signals from time to time so instead of carrying the leaves to the back yard, I raked them onto the sidewalk and left them there. After juicing and breakfast, I folded 2 baskets of laundry. I took some time to meditate and tap. I went to the fish market for raw wild salmon. I was worried about making the left turn to get back home, but the nice lady there pointed out the access to a gas station which allowed me to get back onto Bailey Cove/Carl T. Jones making a right turn. I was so happy. When I got home, I tore into the fish. It was as good as I remembered. I raked more leaves in the last of the sunlight. Then I washed the kitchen floor and dried it with an old towel so it wouldn't be wet when Chris came home, which he did soon after I finished. He fixed his supper and I ate the salad from yesterday, along with my special mixture of hummus, raw garlic, and fermented cod liver oil. Chris looked at my finger and said he thought it was infected and that it should be re-opened and cleaned out.  Ouch!  I hope he's wrong.  Then we watched several episodes of Bones. He went to bed, and I stayed up to blog, but not for long. Oh, and last night I did make the fermented nut cheese before I went to bed.
*  This is the steering wheel cover that Cheryl  gave me  *

The birthday gift that might be done for Christmas

It was 9:15 when I got up. I followed a pretty normal routine. I got an e-mail from Gabriella asking what hymn I would like to play on Sunday. So I picked up my trombone and played a few hymns. I e-mailed her back. Then I used broccoli, a really long cucumber and some carrots for a quick juice. I fixed breakfast next. I change my bandaid, wondering why it was made so sticky that removing it threatens to re-open the wound. I touched the sticky ends of the new bandaid to the sheet to make it less sticky. I packed a lunch, and gathered a months-old project to work on. I went to the church. I passed out the remaining tissue covers, first to those who were not here last week, and then to whomever wanted one. My first task was to audition borders to the small center I had made previously. I really obsessed, which made Maryann feel better. Normally I do my obsessing at home and only bring preplanned work to quilt days. Finally I made a decision, leaving out some strips that seemed important to include but were not long enough to go all the way around. I pinned the first border to the sides, then set up my machine. While looking for thread, I found my lunch so I ate it. Then I sewed the first set of strips on. Then the next set. In fact, it was going so well, I thought that with a little luck it could be done in time for Christmas. I finished it about 5:30.  Mirna agreed to quilt it for me, so I packed up all my stuff and went home to find a backing. In my stash of wide fabrics I found a black that would work. All I had to do was rip off enough for the length and square it up. I laid it out on the pingpong table with the quilt top on top to make sure it would fit. Then I drove back to the church to give it to Mirna. When I got home, I put on the steering wheel cover that Cheryl gave me today. It is pieced and so cute. My car was running low on gas, so we took it to the cheap gas station and filled it up. When we got back, I made a large salad and hummus. The salad was way too large to eat (why do I always make so much?) so I saved most of it for tomorrow. Barbara e-mailed me a pic of her quilt top. I wanted to download it from her message, but we could not find a way in Yahoo to do it. So I sent it to my gmail account. In gmail there was a way to do it, but it did not work. I had to forward it to Chris, who put it on a thumbdrive to transfer it to my computer. Neither one of us had anything nice to say about Yahoo and their recent changes. Or Microsoft. Then we watched 2 episodes of Bones. Chris checked his e-mail one last time, and helped me put some aloe on my finger. Then he went to bed while I posted to my blog and contemplated making fermented nut cheese before going to bed. 

*  This is Barbara's quilt top  *

The children's Christmas musical

I got up before 8 to check on the tu-tus. The glue had dried, but stuck to the paper underneath. I rubbed the paper with spit to get it off. I put the tu-tus on hangers and took them upstairs. I fixed breakfast and ate it with e-mail. I took a shower after Chris did. Then I got dressed and headed out the door for church. When I got there, the first service was still in session. I went to the garden room where the costumes were laid out. As the kids came in, I dressed them. I shone my flashlight on the new star, but it did nothing in the daylight. Kurt hung it anyway. At 9:28 we herded all the kids into the sanctuary for their Christmas musical. The pews were packed and the kids were fabulous! I'll admit I was worried. I must have chewed my tongue because it was sore for the rest of the day. When it was over, Kurt presented bouquets of flowers to Shannon, myself, Jennifer the piano player, and Jennifer the director. We were all surprised. While the congregation and the kids ate cookies in the fellowship hall, I gathered and folded the costumes and put them in the room they were stored in. I told the 'stars' that they could keep their tu-tus. Chris did not come to church because he was still sick, so I worshipped without him. During the passing of the peace, one man gave me a very firm handshake and my cut finger protested vociferously. I gave four-fingered handshakes after that. There were plenty of people to talk to after church, and I picked up all the things that belonged to me. When I got home, Chris had started the laundry. I ate lunch and procrastinated going to the grocery store alone. But the temp was dropping so I went before 2. I got what was on the list, and a few things that were not, like a leaf of aloe. It looked like it was left over from last week. I hoped it would become a regular item. The clerk asked me how I eat it and I told her. When I got home, Chris helped me put the food away. I hooped Barbara's quilt and put it in a bag. I drove to the storage facility where we meet once a month. One lady was addressing her Christmas cards and the others were looking at magazines. It was all about the conversation. I finished replacing a seam in Kurt's coat, which I wore to the meeting. It was a little big, but surprisingly warm. Then I worked on Barbara's quilt. At 5 we packed up to leave. It was dark and cold. When I got home, I ate supper, and put some nuts and seeds in a jar of water to soak overnight.  While Chris and I watched multiple episodes of Bones, we could hear a critter scratching around between the floors.

Then Chris went to bed and I stayed up to blog.

The last practice

I woke up at 8:30. Chris was still asleep, so I quietly got up to read e-mail, exercise, etc. I juiced all the remaining veggies except what I needed for a salad tonight. I picked some kale, too. I was listening to an audio and that kept me chained to the dining room because I was using headphones so I wouldn't wake up Chris. While I was fixing breakfast, he got up and took a shower., then made coffee. I worked on a wallhanging in my sewing room until 1:40. Then I gathered my stuff and went to church. Iwatched the play practice, helping where needed. I saw the two lame tu-tus fraying, caught on the wands. At one point, all the kids point to a hanging star, but it does not stand out. The man who moved the table with the nativity scene so the kids wouldn't break it, wobbled on the way back and the angel fell off and hit the carpet and shattered. Afterward, I went to Pier One, Party City, Marshalls, and Hobby Lobby looking for a pre-lit star and an angel. I found mirrored star at Marshalls but it was broken. I bought a reflective star at Hobby Lobby and a flameless tealight to go inside. But when I got it home, the tea light would not fit inside and it was too yellow anyway. The best option was a powerful flashlight. I plan to bring a regular one which is all I have. I took the tu-tus to the basement to put a line of glue around the edges to slow down the fraying. I made a salad for supper. Chris was up for just a little bit, long enough for us to change the sheets. Then he laid down again. I went down to work on Kurt's jacket. I wonder if he knows that the rip in the back is not the only problem. I fixed it as best I could. Then I worked on the sleeve. When I came up, it was after 9. I checked a few e-mails and did some tapping, mostly for my finger which is trying to heal, but keeps bumping against things. I put a piece of aloe on it, and a bandaid to hold that on. I called it quits at 11 and decided to blog and go to bed.

*  The 'stars' of our play  *

Life after tu-tus

I woke up before 7:30. I sat down to read e-mail with my HappyLight. Maybe if I start it early, it will help me get to sleep sooner. I took breaks to exercise and meditate. I forgot to clean the juicer yesterday, so I had to clean it before and after juicing today. After breakfast I raked leaves in the side yard. I carried the tablet in my jury-rigger backpack for something to listen to. The laptop would have been warmer. I finished the tu-tus by machine-stitching over the hand-stitching, then clipping all the threads. I put them on small hangers and hung them in the car for tomorrow. Chris came home quite early and said he would not be going to play Battletech tonight. For a bit I was kind of lost without tu-tus to work on. Did I think this day would never come? I cleaned up all the pieces of leftover tulle and shiny fabrics. I folded the laundry from last weekend while listening to the tablet until the battery ran down. I unpacked the basket from yesterday. I noticed that the neighbor next door was home, so we delivered the wreath of bread. Then I folded leftover sri yantra fabrics and the leftover strips. I picked up tiny scraps from the floor and rugs. I worked on an old project to get it out of my sewing room because now I was on a roll. Chris made ground beef with tomatoes for supper. I made a large salad to go with it. I read e-mail waiting for Chris to watch TV. I did not realize he had gone to bed early. I played solitaire until I reached my 3400th and decided to find out what was keeping him. When I saw him in bed, I went down to finish the old project. He came down a little later to watch one episode of Bones. Then he read a bit of e-mail and went back to bed. I finished my project, and wrote my blog post for today. It is not yet 10 so I might work on another unfinished project.
ps - this is not the old project.

The Fourth Party - with Elves!

I got up about 8:30.  The sun was shining so brightly it must be warm, but the thermometer disagreed.  So I stayed in to read e-mail with my HappyLight.  I did take out the recyclables and the cold reminded me of Korea.  Since the Thursday group normally starts at 10, and I was bringing the game, I figured I should be on time, or close to it.  So I had time to juice or have breakfast, but not both.  I juiced: broccoli, celery, and a very long, narrow cucumber.  That made a lot of juice.  Yesterday I used some kale from outside, but skipped that today.  After drinking the juice, I cut up meat and cheese on a plate, and grabbed my basket of fat quarters and some tu-tus to work on.  I got to the church about 10:30.  Everyone was sewing, so I did, too.  I ripped the 6 tulle layers from the band of the new tu-tu, then repositioned it to 3 longer layers and basted them back together.  Several people passed out gifts.  I wished I could too, but there wasn't time to make anything.  Around noon we ate potluck.  Later we played the trading game.  16 people stood around the pingpong table and threw fat quarters in the center.  I threw in 4 from the basket.  I would have thrown in more if I had known we'd only play it once.  After everyone had had one chance to roll the dice, there were two fq's left.  Rather than go part way around, they gave them to me since I did not play (figuring there ought to be an even number of players).  Then they thanked me and went back to sewing and chatting.  They really seemed to like the game and one lady tried to find out where she could buy a set of such dice.  When I finished all I could do by hand, I packed up and went home.  I fixed and ate my usual breakfast, and checked e-mail.  I started watching "Anatomy of an Illness" which is about Norman Cousins healing himself of ankylosing spondilitis with intravenous vitamin C, and funny movies.  I took the third bread wreath out of the freezer to thaw.  I went out to enjoy the sunlight by raking leaves.  By 4 it was hard to find the sun.  When I came in, I watched some more of the movie, and then meditated.  It was fully dark and Chris was not home.  I warmed the oven to rise the bread and finished the movie.  He came home about 6:30.  We discussed interviews and referral lists and our possible futures.  Then he changed his clothes and ate supper. I baked the bread and then we watched one episode of Bones. It was funny because she was considering running for president.  Then Chris went to bed, not feeling 100%.  I put hydrogen peroxide in my ears to keep myself at 100%.  I watched one last video and wrote my blog in Microsoft Word.  I was about to post it when the screen went crazy and scrolled to the bottom and became completely unresponsive. I could not get my blog post back.  Finally I had to recreate it in Blogger.

Too much tu-tu

I tapped before I went to bed last night so it was late when I turned in.  I woke up at 9:30 with the thought that now I can devote my full time and attention to finishing the tu-tus.  But of course I had to read my e-mail, and the normal morning line-up.  And the sunshine outside was so inviting.  I did lay out the blue netting to be cut on the dining room table.  But even with the lights on, and a 200 watt lamp and the HappyLight, I still had trouble seeing the layers of netting because they are so sheer.  After exercising, I took a shower.  I noticed that the cut on my pinky finger (which was fine all night) kept bumping into things while doing normal activities around the house.  Breakfast was late, and then I went outside to rake leaves and listen to an audio on the tablet.  When I came in, I devoted my full attention to the tu-tus.  I finished cutting out the blue tulle.  I hand-basted the layers together.  Downstairs, I sewed the ends together and machine-gathered it.  I put gathering stitches in the blue sparkly circle.  I did the same for the silver lame.  I serged the silver lame, but it did not turn out any better than the gold lame did.  I took a break to cut up a sweet potato and melt some coconut oil.  I pinned and stitched the lame and gathered white tulle to the silver band.  I started pinning the blue, but there wasn’t time to finish.  I poured the oil on the potato and ate it.  Then I gathered all the tu-tus and left for church.  I kept chanting “Calmly, quietly, quickly” so I could relax and not be late.  When I got there, April was there with the tu-tu she had made.  But the tulle was not fluffy like the others.  She had to leave for work.  Inside, practice had started.  I examined her tu-tu and surmised that I had not properly explained to her how to sew the six circles into 3 layers.  There wasn’t much gathering so it did not fluff.  During practice, I finished the blue tu-tu.  The girl who was supposed to wear it did not come.  Then I gathered up one of the layers of tulle under the new tu-tu, like a bubble skirt, to help  it fluff.  When practice was over, Jennifer and I went through the costumes to make sure we had everything we needed, and we did.  I promised to add volume to the new tu-tu.  She gave me a pointsettia, and I just love pointsettias.  When I got home, Chris was ready to watch TV.  But I wanted to give a gift to the nice neighbor next door.  I wrapped up a bread wreath and took it over. I rang the doorbell and knocked, but no one answered.  I guess he put the lights on and left.  Chris and I watched one episode of Bones, and he went to bed.  He is not feeling well.  I will put hydrogen peroxide in my ears to ward off whatever he’s got.

*  This is Jen's quilt from show-n-tell last night.  I think she called it Quilt on Crack.  *

Two more parties

I got up at 8:40, later than I intended.  It seemed like I was awake most of the night, listening to the rain.  The only good thing about it was that it wasn’t snow.  The HappyLight did not help me get to sleep after all.  I read some e-mail and finished an audio from last night.  I read about epsilon wave entrainment and tried one on Youtube.  I juiced celery, zucchini, baby kale and cranberries.  Chris left the bread machine out, so I took the hint and filled it with the usual ingredients and turned it on.  I ate breakfast.  I took the toy and went to see the Tuesday group at University Baptist.  I was greeted by lots of ladies.  It was heartwarming and I wish I could remember their names.   Sadly, there were too many ‘late riser’ comments.  I don’t know if they are being insensitive or if I am being too sensitive.  I left when they lined up to eat their pot luck, having just finished breakfast.  I stopped on the way home for tissue packs.  I measured the different choices and none matched the covers that I had.  I ate kimchi, and liver when I got home.  I read e-mail next to the HappyLight, and took my supplements.  I sewed 17 tissue covers, and filled them with packs of tissues. I made an ornament like I saw Rebecca do, and I made another bag like the one I made on Sunday (but forgot to take a pic of).  It is just a folded 16 inch square.  I found a basket to put the tissue covers in.  (I think it was Michele’s Easter basket).   I put a new rotary blade in the bag and wrapped it in a fat quarter.   I attached a bow and the ornament.  Chris was home by then and asked me if I needed him to do anything.  He offered to cube the ham and cheese.  He put the cubes on a plate and covered it with plastic wrap.  I grabbed my stuffed tree for show-and-tell.   Then I drove over to UAH for the guild meeting and party.  I saw Elaine and her mother there.  She looked so familiar but I did not recognize her until she mentioned doing the HQH meeting last month. I walked around with the basket, inviting the ladies to choose a tissue pack they liked.  It was such a little thing, but they seemed touched.  Deb opened the meeting with show and tell, future dates for meetings and Sewing Saturdays. After the meeting we ate from the food table.  Lisa had brought brownies made with almond flour, and no sugar, so I tried one and it was good.  For our gift exchange, Elaine was asked to draw names from the basket to pick or steal a gift.  I chose my own gift since there would be no chance of someone else getting it and being disappointed.  If someone really liked it, they could steal it.  Logical, yes?  No one stole it, so it was a good plan.  Then we broke into small groups, chatting, and packing up.  On the way home I stopped at the Asian grocery store for kimbap, but they were sold out.  He gave me a calendar with their number so I could call ahead next time.  When I got home, Chris was ready to watch TV.  I crushed a garlic clove into some hummus and mixed it with fermented cod liver oil.  Then we saw the first 2 episodes of Bones Season 8.  It seems like I had been waiting for a long time to find out what happened after she drove off with her baby.  Now I hear that the next BBC Sherlock episode will air on January 1^st.  I have been waiting even longer to find out how he faked his death.