The Road to Recovery

 The road to recovery can be very bumpy.  This morning I was feeling very good. So I packed my car with shopping bags.  My first stop was Walmart where I picked up some Rit dye remover to try to fix one of my husband’s shirt that got some bleed over dye in the wash.  Yes, I had a fully saturated color catcher in the wash.  It is the first time in over a decade that the dye catcher did not pick up all the stray dye in the wash. 

Then it was off to Whole Foods to get some fresh fruit and goat milk yogurt. I got a treat for lunch too.  My husband graciously carried in the heavy bags and put the groceries away.   Then we had lunch.  I had planned to do paperwork and spin after lunch. Instead I spent the next 3 hours resting.  The morning activity had worn me out.  

I still do not have the stamina I had before I got sick in mid February.  Just walking around two stores and the house I managed to get 100 minutes in the Zone of moderate to vigorous exercise.  I have really got to figure out how to get back into shape so it is actually exercise instead of  just walking that causes an exercise heart rate. 

I am getting very tired of not being able to do much.  I am not a happy person right now.  My mind feels that I should be able to do more.  My body says no.  

The Snail Won the Race Today.

 I am not regaining energy as fast as I thought I would.  After just 1 hour sitting and knitting with friends today I was exhausted.  I spent the entire afternoon binge watching television or sleeping. I normally reserve television watching for the evening.  I am following doctor’s advice not to over tax myself. It is harder than I thought. I thought it would be really, really hard.  

My plans after knitting with friends, I would just sit at the computer to type and edit new patterns. Not to taxing, not an energy drain. I did not work on a single pattern. Oh well, there is always a few weeks from now.  

Unintended Cleaning

This morning started off very early with a migraine at 4:00 am.  In order to take the aspirin I had to have breakfast at 4:30 am.  I don’t take aspirin on an empty stomach. Then once the migraine started to go away it was nap time. Most of the day was spent in that post migraine haze. But I managed to have a busy day anyway. Except for numbers.  John tried to run the same numbers over and over again, the numbers did not work for me today. 

Today was a day fill with 3 rounds of unintended cleaning.  First up was the kitchen starting with the microwave oven. Then the stove top which lead to the Keurig coffee maker. Which lead to the toaster oven. Which lead to the countertop. Which lead to the omelette pan that I brushed the crumbs into.  It was almost like the book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.  Except that if you give me a cleaning rag.  Then it was lunch time and then nap time.  

This afternoon I tried to finish dispatching the mess I made by cleaning out my dresser and closet.  The odds and ends that can’t be thrown out, but need a new place to reside. I did make some headway on that front.  

Then after dinner I went on a quest to find my 2 hole punch.  I have not yet found the 2 hole punch, but instead managed to clean out a desk drawer. Fill a tub with items that we no longer need to keep and now needs to be shredded.  Put a huge pile of envelopes for mailing things out into the same drawer.  I also found some stamps that as of right now don’t fit in my stamp drawer.  That will be fixed soon.  

Then it was off to look at new toilet paper holders on line.  In the next few weeks we will be updating one bathroom to make it look like it belongs in this century rather than so the last century.  It was just too difficult for me to envision what they would look like in my house. So I will be going to the hardware store to buy it. Thank goodness I don’t have that problem with yarn.  The yarn always knows what it wants to be. Now if I could just spend more time knitting and weaving everything would be wonderful.  

All’s Well That End’s Well

 All is well that ends well about sums up my day. I woke up to a really bad body day. I was really hungry after breakfast and wanted a sweet roll but had a half a pound of carrots and celery instead. I then crawled  back in to bed for a nap.

Once the aspirin kicked in the day went better. I finished weaving two more holiday gifts. Then warped a small loom for another. I just have to wind the yarn into a ball or cake.

I also found out that if you fill the paper shredder to capacity it automatically shuts off and won’t work anymore until you empty it. My house work today  consisted of emptying the dishwasher and taking out three bags of recycling. I should not forget about the trip to the grocery store. Am I the only one who still wears a mask inside anymore?

It’s Fixed

 I got an emergency dental appointment today. The crown has been reseated. A different method and glue was used. So hopefully it will stay put.  I did manage to crash my blood sugar afterwards. We’ll long story short I have a bad habit of throwing up if I go to the dentist with a full tummy. So I skipped my lunch. After the dental work I could not eat until 3:30. Don’t worry I ate a little before I drove anywhere. I waited until the food kicked in before I even started the car.  Also if you are in need of a dentist in Tucson I have the name and numbers of 2 very good dentist.  

I did manage to get a short walk and 2 thirty minute Cubii2 workouts.  So I am starting to feel better.  I also finished one Grandma’s Bag of Necessity, I will post a picture to Raverly tomorrow, this was knit in wool.  The pattern is also on Raverly.  If for any reason you do not use Raverly just message me and we can figure out away for you to buy the pattern.  

The Sjogren’s flare up is still kicking me in to naps.  I woke up did a little work and slept for 2 hours even though I set a 20 minute timer and reset it once.  When my body needs sleep it does not matter what I have to do it wins every time.  That is the down side of giving up high sugar energy drinks.  Well there is always tomorrow.   

Trying to get in sync

 I have spent a lot of time since my last post not being in total agreement with my body.  Unfortunately my body won, so I rested Whether I liked it or not. Except for an afternoon nap I think I’m back on track. But then again naps are kind of my thing. 

I did finish my 25th scarf and 89th project of 2021.  Maybe I should try to finish all my UFO’s by the end of the year.  We all know the odds are stacked against me because I love starting new projects.  My knitting needles hate being empty, they get cold. Well wish me luck.  

Still More Recovery Time

 I went to the doctors yesterday.  The bottom line is that it will be about the end of May or early June before I am totally recovered.  Apparently I am very good at hiding how awful I feel.  In my defense I did have almost 30 years of practice.  With Eric unless I was to sick to move, I had to keep going with that wonderful mommy smile. Who knew it would backfire on me.  

On the bright side I am cleared to start driving again. However with the COVID19 numbers in Pima county so high we are staying home.  This in turn will give me more nap and rest time. Isn’t it great how things like this work out?

Today was a prime example.  By the time I got my knitting project set up, I was too tired to move and took a 2 hour nap. I was to tired to concentrate on a pattern so I worked on the hat I started yesterday while we watched television tonight.  I only added 5 inches of knitting. I am Decreasing the crown right now. It should be finished in a few days. I don’t think I’m up to knitting  hat a day right now.

Me Time

I am not quite sure why but lately me time involves a 2 to 3 hour nap.  Which in turn messes up my plans for the day.  Although I have to admit that I feel a whole lot better after the nap.  I still did manage to get to 2 grocery stores and get most of the house restocked.  I even managed to find a turkey breast to cook for dinner.  The leftovers will be tomorrow nights dinner.  A turkey salad with pecans, celery and cherries served over a nice salad.

I did not manage to catch up on the laundry. My prediction for this weekend will be knee high.

I even managed to finish knitting a hat and cast on the next.  For the bonus points I emptied a knitting bag.  Tinked two half finished wash cloths. I do not need any more wash cloths, I have a few dozen in a storage tub if anyone needs some.  The yarn went into the hat bag. The extra knitting bag now very empty went into my closet.  The knitting needles will be put away tomorrow.

John and I started binge watching Highlander tonight.  We got through season 1 episodes 1 & 2.  So far it is fabulous.  I am wondering if some of the actors were also in The Game Of Thrones?   The  scenery is wonderful too.  I like all the costumes.

Eric spent most of his day sleeping.  That about sums up today with the exception of steps. I got over 12,000 today.  I am trying to  exercise away the stress.

Exhaustion

Exhaustion has set in. Eric is almost over P, but to do that we have a medicine that is given every 6 hours. That with extra suctioning and laundry on top of being sick and getting over a very bad cold.  Yes, the one that gave Eric P.  Today I slept through knitting with friends. I layed down for 20 minutes and woke up 2 1/2/hours later.

To unwind tonight,I spent 2 hours spinning. I finished a small bobbin for teaching plying. Then there was a 4 ounce blend of silk and mohair, it is in the sink ready to be washed. I also got the second plying spin on some lace weight yarn that I was given to make hats with.  In my very humble opinion it turned out gorgeous. If I can leave Eric’s room tonight, I will take a picture. See below., the lace weight was first Z plyed and finished off with an S ply.  Next it will get a hot bath to set the twist.

Now I am just waiting for Eric to settle in for the night. I have already filled the suction machine a 1/3 of the way up.  John emptied it before he went to sleep.  At this rate it will need to be emptied soon. Also the later I stay up, I get hungry.

New Years Day 2016

Today was another early day with Eric.  He had created 3 loads of laundry long before dawn. Since John and I managed to stay awake until midnight , the 3 hours of sleep was not enough. So today was spent napping instead of getting the display organized for the downtown Libaray. My first nap was from 4:30 am to 7 am.  The second nap happened when I fell asleep during the Rose Parade. So after that nap I found the Rose Parade on another channel and took another nap. Then of course I fell asleep when I put my eye drops in. 

So my take away from this is to pray that Eric sleeps through the night. Hope against all odds that he will not make 3 loads of laundry made in the wee hours of the morning.  Yes I know that in this house 4 loads of laundry in one day is not too bad.  Remember to TiVo the Rose Parade next year. I think even with the naps a solid night of sleep might be better. 

I also finished and cast on another hat today. My total rows knit in the last 4 days was 326. I am also approaching the 50,000 rows knit. I have 18 hats ready to donate to the Flowing Wells Cloths Bank, but would like to knit 6 more before I bring them in so I can give them 2 dozen hats. I just have this quirk that I like to donate even dozens when hats and scarfs go in.  

If One Nap is Good then....

Today started out very busy with 2 errands before Knitting Guild.  We had a lovely yarn tasting with Vicky Konecky from Grandma's Spinning Wheel here in Tucson. I so wanted to break my yarn diet and head over to Grandma's after the meeting, but I was so tired that I headed home instead.

I took some homemade chicken soup out of the freezer for lunch. John cut up some fresh carrots and celery to add to the soup. Before it had finished thawing and was warm enough to eat I had fallen asleep. Two hours later, I did not have time to eat the soup, but instead went and picked up Eric at his program. I did manage to cover a person's desk in yarn, knitting needles and knitting books before I left the building. I do love to do a good yarn bombing every once in a while.

We were not home for 30 minutes before I fell asleep again for another long nap. It is my hope that these naps today will help my body heal from both the cold, which is still lingering but also the arthritis flare up that it has caused. John served the soup for dinner along with some fresh bread.

After dinner I packed up some more charity to leave the house tomorrow. This time hats, scarfs and special needs bibs. They will head over to the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank.

Eric's Staycation

This was the second day in a row that Eric got up at a very early hour. Yesterday it was 4:25 am and today it was 5 am.  I am really getting tired of the early wake up calls. I think tomorrow I will let John get up with him.  We did manage to get out of the house for a walk and knitting today.  Eric and I got annoyed at the same person as we were trying to take our walk. She was whining about how bad my life was, because of Eric in her opinion , which was so uncalled for. Eric and I were enjoying a very nice walk, and I did my best to ditch her and go on with our walk.  Really if you don't have anything nice to say, just don't say anything at all. 

Eric was asleep before I finished lunch, so I took a nap too.  It was not the most productive day that I have had recently.  Eric only has 2 more days off before his summer vacation is over.  I think I am more than ready.  It has been a very long week. I am beginning to feel my age creep up on me.  Now I just have to unwind enough to get some sleep.  

So it's time to run the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. 

A Tired Day

I was very tired today.  Eric is feeling better and I started him on a trial of formula at 5:30 this morning.  It went well.  By 8:30 we were both ready for a nap.  I think the nap was a better choice than a lot of caffeine.  By 11 we were ready to get a haircut for Eric. That was enough to wipe me out.  

My body has been tired all day.  I found it hard to pull the first batt off the carder this afternoon.  So on the the other 3 batts, I did not pack them as full which made it easier to take off.  I only spun 1 skein of yarn today, with nothing washed.  

I am hoping for more energy tomorrow.  

Exhaustion

Exhaustion and pain hit hard and fast today.  Thank goodness Eric was in a nap mood today. 2 naps latter and all I can say is my pain level is down. I am not sure why exhaustion and pain seem to go hand in hand for me.  I am hoping for a better day tomorrow.  My semi grand to do list was only half way done. As John says there is always tomorrow. 

Something Diffrent

This week when Eric got sick, I tried something different. I tried it without as much caffeine as normal. This was something I have never ever tried before. I'm not sure if it worked or not. Today I landed up taking a couple of naps instead of grabbing a couple of sodas or highly caffeinated tea. I guess that this was better for my body but, the house did not get as clean as I had wanted. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

I did the very basics of housework. Then spent some time relaxing by weaving part of a scarf, spinning some new yarn, and working on a new baby blanket. I am much more relaxed but much more tired.

It will take a few more days for me to figure out if this experiment really worked or not. Yes, Eric is feeling better and with any luck he will be out the door Monday morning to his program. I am looking forward to a real day off.

Hump Day

It has been a long but productive day around here dispite everything that the day threw at us. At 4 am I woke up with a headache. By the time I had breakfast and medicine at 4:30 am Eric started the wild eyrping.  At 10:30 am the crew came to install the new pool pump and filter. I was also ready for lunch.  By 11:00 am Eric decided a fever should be part of our day. Then his asthma kicked in too. 

So while all of this was going on, John printed some cards for me. I bagged and priced all the earrings I made Sunday.  I sorted out a pound of glass beads. Finished 2 dog pillows. Repaired 1 shirt and reinforced a few seams. Started to assemble the supplies to 6 toddler bibs. Worked on 2 different knitting projects, I keep 1 in Eric's room and 1 in the den. Did 5 loads of laundry and all but the load that is drying now are put away. 

When you see John tell him you heard how wonderful he was today. He made lunch and dinner.  He also found some nap time for me. 

For some reason which is beyond me I did not find the time to do the cleaning or making earrings with Eric's friends that I had planned to do.  Yet here it is 10 pm I know I had a full day, but did not accomplish much. 

All Tinked

The Shawl is all tinked and I will cast it on again tomorrow.  I feel sad that it had to be tinked, but there were just so many errors and some were quite visible. As I started taking the stitches out one by one all of a sudden I had 2 strands of yarn and then 3. I had found places where I had turned in mid row by mistake. This time I will go a little slower and pay a little more attention when I pick up the knitting after a break. Since this will be the 3rd time knitting the same pattern I am sure that it will come out just right. I am also quite certain that Teri and John would have never made the silly mistakes that I made in knitting this shawl the first 2 times.

I had made some plans for fun things for Eric and I to do today. Eric had other plans. Eric was up and down almost all of last night and into this morning. He finally settled in at around 4:30 am. He slept until 7:30 and was up for a whole 2 hours before he decided to go back to bed for the day. So needless to say we were at home all day. I was too tired to accomplish much and managed to grab a nap when Eric took one. I will have to wait and see what my dear darling son wants to do tomorrow. I hope we get out for at least a little while.

A Very Slow Day

Today was not the most productive day. In fact it was a 2 nap day. The only things I accomplished were doing the finishing work on 2 bags full of knitting while Eric did his afternoon breathing treatment. Knit 6 rows on my new shawl. In my defense it is a top down shawl wider at the top.  I only managed to walk 3.5 miles today, I think the cold weather did me in. The 50's is a little cold for me to be outside excersizeing even if I am bundled up. 

I even managed to sleep through my afternoon spinning group.  So no spinning got done today. 

The picture is of the knitting that got cleaned up today. I will update the row counter tommrow.  I am much to tired to write more. 

A Wirlwind of a Week.

It has been a long time since I have written a blog. First off I have been very busy getting caught up around here. Some real progress was made. Projects were actually getting finished in the craft room. You know the kind, with just a few minutes of work and then the project is done. I cleared a bunch of them.

Saturday I got to go see the Pinatas that I had been working on get smashed. It left me with some design changes to mull over for next year. The first will be to add more layers of paper ma'che and maybe even a few pieces of well placed duct tape. The second would be to come up with a different hanging mechanism. Something a little more sturdy. I want to make it a little harder to get to the goodies inside. Eric had a good time at the party, but it left him a little tired.

Sunday was an all around rest day around the house. Everyone took a 3 hour afternoon nap. That did not stop Eric from having a bad night. The wild eyrping started at around 3:30 am Monday morning. By 5;30 am I had hoisted the virtual white flag of surrender. Eric did manage to give me a 20 hour work day. We also discovered how to ramp down a little bit on eyrpy laundry. When Eric was getting ready to eyrp we just powered up his suction machine and got it very close to his mouth. Then when it started, we just suctioned all the eyrp we could. I think it may have been easier on Eric too, as he did not have to work as hard to get everything out.

As bad as the eyrping was the dry heaves were much harder on him. He did not want me to leave his room. Mommy just had to be there for him. So what else was there to do but knit. That lasted a good 12 hours. He is still feeling miserable today, but not as bad as yesterday. Yes, he had to be close by today. Eric was also a little miffed at me for not making him all better. I am hoping to get him back on formula sometime Wednesday. John was so wonderful through this all, he even manage to get me 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep this morning.

As strange as it may seem, during all of this I got my knitting and design mojo back. I am in the middle of one design. I am making the middle size as a sample, this is just by a random act of casting on.  I think I might ask the test knitters to knit up the small and large sized ones. So if you have a pair of US sized 13 knitting needles and a very full scrap basket of odd sized balls of yarn let me know. I also sketched out the next pattern idea in the middle of my hair cut today. I think I should add a small sketch book to my already over heavy purse.

We are hoping for a very good night where everyone gets to sleep. Wish us luck.

Power Issues

I woke up this morning to find a solid yellow light on the computer.  As per my in house engineering fellow aka my husband, we have a power supply problem.  We have ordered the part and it will be installed upon delivery of the part. So until then all my blog post and anything computer related will happen from my Ipod.  Since I have not figured out how to share this on Facebook my simple request is that you share this on Facebook and tag me in the post so I can share with everyone else.  

I am also have a low energy day.  Too bad I can not be fixed with a new power supply.  Two naps later and I am begining to feel better. I don't expect to get more than dinner cooked and a little knitting done today.  

So basically nothing much is happening here today. Also I am including a picture of the sick computer.  The power supply is on the lower left I think.  It's the shiny part.