Just Wow

 Despite a very bad body day, I got a tremendous amount of things done today.  I started off the day at 3 am in crying pain with tears running down my cheeks.  Not the way I prefer to wake up any day.  I took aspirin at 3:30 am with a very eclectic breakfast. Followed by my first nap once the aspirin kicked in.  Then it was up again at 6 am, I was really stiff and had to move , so I started 2 loads of laundry. Then took my second nap of the day.  

I managed to put a few things away.  I organized things in 5 minute chunks followed by resting.  It’s amazing how much I can get done in 5 minutes. Hang a load of laundry. Open an Amazon box and put things away.  Bring stuff from one end of the house to the other end. 

I did do quite a bit of craft hopping today. I plyed 2 skeins of yarn. Then put them up in skeins to get the bobbins back.  Spun 1 1/2 bobbins of yarn.  Added a few more inches to a knitted scarf. Also worked on a Tunisian Crochet baby blanket.  Hopefully it will be finished before the baby arrives.  

My biggest accomplishment of the day was cooking and cleaning up dinner with very little help.  I have not been able to do that since mid February when I got sick.  It was wonderful.  

Just so you know that some things don’t change.  I left a load of dry laundry in the dryer to be folded later.  The laundry might just freak out if I fold it too soon.  

Still Exhausted

 I am so over this recovery period.  The supplies that I thought would last for 2 weeks are almost gone.  I am using my last nasal spray. I have ordered another 6 pack which will arrive on Saturday.  I have lost my appetite and finding it hard to hit 20 grams of protein per meal. Not to mention eating my vegetables.  I am also tired of being exhausted.  

To end on a positive note. I completed one charity hat which is very bright and colorful tonight.  I cast on another hat tonight too.  I am only a few rows into the brim.  I am putting the shawl aside until I feel a little better.   I need quick fun projects so hats do fit the bill.  Also the clothing bank I knit for has promised they will find a head for every hat that I knit.  Today’s hat will show up in  tomorrows blog.  You have been forewarned that it is bright and colorful.  

Just Bragging

 This is a well deserved win for me and my family.  I have been doing the dreaded challenge of finding a new swim suit without any polyester in it.  As a woman I have always found swimsuit shopping very hard.  There are a lot of body image issues involved.  As a child Twiggy was the body ideal.  Even as a child that body ideal was impossible for me to achieve.  Not even Twiggy can safely achieve that image. 

Body image had nothing to do with what my bone structure. I happen to have a larger bone structure. It had everything to do with a families relationship with food. Growing up mine had a lot of starch with moderate amounts of meat and even fewer vegetables and mostly canned fruit and vegetables because it was cheaper.  Mostly classified as a poor Eastern European poor families diet in the 1960’s. An immigrants diet.  

Not to mention that my mom constantly reminded me how fat I was no matter how boney I was.  That nobody liked fat girls.  So a perfect recipe for disaster in my own body image necessary to be comfortable in wearing a swimsuit. 

To my complete surprise today, I found a swimsuit 2 sizes smaller than my last 2 swimsuit purchases. I was totally blown away by the fact.  After going to 2 different stores.  Then trying to find the swimsuits.  I was blown away that they had moved the swimsuits to the clearance section even before summer solstice.  This required 2 walks around the women’s department.  Trying on the swimsuits.  Finally finding one that fit.  I was too tired to even do the happy dance.  I was disappointed that there was not a bench to sit on while waiting to check out.  

I came home and slept solidly for 2 hours.  Waking up too late to make our planned dinner.  We landed up eating scrambled eggs and mixed vegetables with fresh fruit for dessert.  

TTFN

Where did Monday Go?

 Although I am feeling much better. My energy level leaves much to be desired.  After sleeping in and then taking a solo trip to Target for a few things,  it still required a nap after lunch.  I am snailing  my way back to health.  Maybe more like the inch worm  moving very slowly to get to where it is going.  I might now be able to move faster than a snail.

On the spinning front I should be able to get about 8 ounces of spun roving on the bobbin.  That will give me about 2 skeins of art yarn.  The art yarn will then be used to make holiday presents for the kids who use the clothing bank I support. Mostly handwoven scarfs because they go so fast, especially with bulky yarn. Don’t worry I have plenty of roving and novelty yarn to use up.   

TTFN

Slowly Getting Thins Done

 Today I managed to fix a whole lot of broken jewelry. My hands are finally feeling better. I changed out earring wires to something more this century for a few pairs that I bought in the 1970’s and 80’s.  New wires just gave them a slightly more modern look.  I fixed a couple of chains, to fix a couple of necklaces.  I am even good enough now to manage the smallest jump rings.  I also unknotted 2 out of 3 chains.  Unknotting chains is a lot like untangling yarn, who would have guessed that.  

Tomorrow energy permitting I will start on a small pile of stitch markers for me.  I have some earring singles, charms and beads to turn into stitch markers.  Not that I need anymore stitch markers.  If I lose a stitch marker a day it would be at least a year before I would run out of stitch markers.  But I like to try new things and make my knitting pretty.  I think of stitch markers as jewelry for knitting.   

I managed to make 3 out of 4 post hospital doctor’s appointments / calls before breakfast.  The last call was put in after lunch.  I got very tired just sitting at the computer looking things up.  The hospital worker said I should start to have more energy by Wednesday. I also binged watched 3 hours of The Crown on Netflix while adding 2 inches to a pounder scarf.  

Below is a picture of the jewelry repairs that I made today.  

My Personal Roller Coaster

 Today had a lot of highs and lows.  I will skip over most of the lows like not having enough energy to do stress cleaning.  I wove 20+ random ends in, on a scrappy scarf. That was a chore and a half.  It looks great.  Pictures will come later.  

The highlight of the day was a doctor telling me his services were no longer needed because I lost so much weight and am too healthy to need his services anymore.  Yeah me. 

I am lining up a few projects that will be just for me. I am going to make a few one of a kind items just for me after I finish the holiday gifts for the kids clothing bank.  I have yarns piled up around my knitting table.  

Over Done

 Today I tackled some deep cleaning, tossing and redoing a bathroom to make it less cluttered.  Gone is the magazine rack that held magazines and wash cloths.  I used to go through about 50 wash clothes a week with Eric, now that I am only using them to dry my hands I don’t need that many out anymore.  All the wash cloths are either in a drawer or have been reassigned to other uses.  The counter is far nicer to look at. 

At lunch I was able to open a fresh jar of peanut butter for the first time since January. I am not sure how much of that is contributing to my current level of hand pain. 

I had so much recycling going to the bin that I asked John to carry it all out. By the way he was more than happy to help carry it out.  I wanted to do more cleaning and tossing. My body said it was nap time. My hand said “what did you do to me?” Yep, I might have been too gung-ho on the cleaning front today.  

We also went dryer shopping today.  We tried to shop local first, they said it would be about 10 months to get a gas dryer I wanted.  Then we went to a big box store and got the same dryer to be delivered this week.  Guess which store we bought from?

I also filled one box for Goodwill for good measure.  

A Mixed Day

 I had a lot of energy this morning when I started 2 loads of laundry and went grocery shopping, by the time I got home and put everything away  I was tired   I did finish the laundry   I was to tired to knit or do anything else this afternoon and evening. So goes my life   

Just Exhausted

 I found out something new about me this weekend.  I can actually be too tired to knit.  Yes, I have been known to fall asleep while knitting.  But I have been too tired to pick up any knitting needles.  I will put it solely upon the Sjogren’s flare that snuck up on me.  No I have not been sick. I have just been really, really tired.  

The rest of the really expensive Elon for nails package came today.  Yes, it included a note to send a thank you note to my husband.  I am not sure what he thinks about that.  However, I just don’t feel the need to thank my husband for a tube of nail cream, cuticle oil and nail files.  If it was something really big like…..

I have got to get my energy together to plan the yarn destash sale.  I am thinking a 4 or 5 hour window on a Sunday so as not to be in direct competition with my local yarn shop.  

Some Knitting

 I am in the middle of a project that I am writing a pattern for.  Yes I am using a pair of U.S. size 4  (3.5 mm) knitting needles.  Something I usually don’t do.  The anticipated size will be 40 inches by 57 inches so it will last longer.  I am still on the first of eight 100 gram skeins of yarn.  The blanket is not going as fast as I would like it to.  I think it is more this stupid arthritis flare up.  It is leaving me very tired, sometimes too tired move.  I hope with a little more rest this week will the flare up will fade into history. 

I have not had the energy to sit and type the last pattern.  I am hope to add the fringe and start typing it up. Wish me luck on that front.  

A sneak peak of the newest pattern.  

A Rest Day?

 Since I over did things yesterday, I tried to take it easy and have a slow day.  I almost seceded. Unless I am sleeping my inclination is to keep moving and going.  To that end I used a bag of poly fill in the craft room as a desk. I then proceeded to empty and throw away or recycle most thing. I did find a pair of circular knitting needles that I did not realize that I had lost. Filled up the to be shredded basket that I just emptied on Wednesday. 

I did a little knitting on 2 different projects. One were finished.  We also tried not to watch every show that dropped today.  We did save a few for tomorrow. Well it’s getting late and I am going to call it a day.   

Four Hours

 Right now I have about 4 good hours to get things done before i am too exhausted to work.  I just have to decide Whether it’s errands or cleaning.  Life can be so simple.  

Unintended Cleaning

 I was so tired that all I wanted to do was take a nap.  Instead I organized my tea cups and tea.  I wonder if I could really justify a couple of me Pawley tea cup in the 30 ounce size? This is just a thought.  I gave the plants some of the expired tea. Plants that are not native to the Sonoran Desert need a boost of caffeine a couple times a year,  I am sure that there are other things that they like in the tea too.  By the way coffee works just as well if you don’t drink tea.  I was left with 2 bags of recycling, 2 bags of trash, 1 1/2 shelfs of newly freed space, no tea cups on the counter, tins for an art project and a lot of happy plants. 

On the me side I got 3,000 steps while cleaning. If I thought I was tired before I started, we’ll after I finished I was just to tired to move.  I still feel it hours later.  I hope tomorrow is a good body day, I could really use one about now.  

A Rainstorm

 I know it rained a lot last night, we got 1 1/2 inches at out house.  This brought our season total at out house to 3 inches of rain.  I know it is monsoon season here in the desert southwest, but I have a hard time calling it a monsoon rain.  From my earliest memories as a kid the rains would come in the afternoon, drop a lot of water and would be finished by dinner time.  It left the evening a little cooler.  Lately the summer rains come at all hours of the day or night. That might be because the National Weather Service decided in all its wisdom the the monsoon season had to have a beginning/ ending calendar day that was the same each year   When Mother Nature was in charge we would look at the dew point level. It took 3 days of the dew point above 50% which meant it was time for summer rains. Easy peasy. 

Last nights storm hit right at bedtime for us. The thunder and lightning were loud and shook the house.  The wind was blowing the rain every which way.  The rain was loud and plentiful.  The storm did not calm down until the wee hours of the morning.  So we got very little sleep. And of course the roof decided to leak and drip water into the bathtub   The roofer has been called  

So today was a tired hand and body day for me.  No much got done. I am hoping for sleep tonight.  

An Extraordinary Day

 Today was an ordinary yet extraordinary day. It might not seem much to most people, to me it is a huge step. My body has been going through a lot of changes since the last retooling. Today was the first day in decades that I didn’t need any aspirin or Tylenol. For that I am extremely grateful. 

I did get some knitting done. We started cleaning out the fridge, tomorrow the new one is coming.  Not a moment too soon in my humble opinion.  The last repair is already starting to fail.  I know this because our frost free fridge is starting to frost up again.  We are getting the same fridge but a five year newer model.  

I had a very tired day so napping took priority over laundry. Tomorrow will be better   

I am exhausted so it is time to call it a night.  

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.

Keeping Busy

 Today I kept busy.  As of 7 p.m. I walked 12,500 steps or 5.2 miles.  I also attacked a few of the shelves in the sewing room.  I did not take a before pictures but the messy top shelf of the rack is what it looked like.  The picture is what some of the work today. A lot of skeins and kits were organized.  I also work on the closet organizing   I also filled 1 1/2 boxes with yarn, fiber and weaving supplies.  I am hoping that the friend who took the box last week will take these also.  

I spent part of the afternoon spinning.  First some pencil roving. Then some alpaca with silk.  I can say that I did keep myself to busy to think.  I am exhausted an so I am hoping to sleep tonight.  Then more tomorrow.  

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.

More Deep Cleaning

OK, so today I actually hired someone help me with the deep cleaning and organizing. At times it really helps to have another craft person to help organize a craft room instead of an engineer. While we were deep cleaning we also managed to get a few quick projects finished and out the door including a 4 foot by 3 foot dog pillow. It is bigger than Eric and very hard to finish. It took 2 of us to get the last seam sewn. I did the sewing and Amber held up the pillow. I also found 2 sets of old soft cloth diapers that needed to be surged in half so that the cleaning rags don't land back in Eric's room as face wipes.

Amber and I also divided the yarn into kits and projects in progress and just yarn. I have officially turned 1 closet into a Fibber McGee closet with fluff.  Sadly all the fluff did not fit in the closet, so I will have to look for more homes. We also separated the weaving supplies out so I know what I have to weave.

Amber and I decided that I was going to be the go to person during the Zombie Apocalypse. I will have all the fiber you could want for a price. We figured that I would have about a year's worth of knitting in my kits and at least 2 years worth of spinning. We did not even take a guess at the weaving supplies.  I also am passing on a sock pattern and using the yarn for something else. A few more balls of yarn were added to the destash bag too.

Still to go through tonight are a pile of patterns. Some from 12 years ago when I started knitting. I also found more knitting books not already on the shelf, so I think a book purge might be in order, but not today. My mind says keep cleaning, but my body says nap. So I will rest until its time to cook dinner. When John called after work, being the great husband that he is,"said that I sounded tired and is bring home dinner." 

Recovery Day 2

Today Teri and I did some deep cleaning. Teri did all the heavy lifting, so we have one clean closet. Maybe a few more closets will be done before Teri leaves. As a reward I took Teri out for a pedicure.   I have been busy icing my hand and keeping it elevated.  I still feel very tired and out of it.  I am hoping as my hand heals I will get more energy back. 

I am taking an injury day for today's Tour de Fleece. I am not sure if I can manage to keep my hand down for more than a few minutes at a time.  I am also not sure if my hand is up to weaving or knitting yet.  So I am taking things one day at a time.