Saturday, July 16, 2016

Hitting the Brakes

I need to slow down. I am trying to go too fast back to normal post surgery. It's just that I feel better and want to do more than my hand is ready for. I tried to use a knife to cut my dinner tonight, that was a complete disaster. so I did not do any weaving tonight. Just rest time.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Recovering

The big bandage came off my hand today.  The big bandaide went on. Since the stitches go across the palm of my hand, I have decided to hold off on knitting until the stitches come out.  I decided against spinning until I get the feel of my hand post surgery, it feels a little different. Maybe it is the functionality that I lost and have regain. So I unfolded the loom an spent some time weaving. I really like the calmness that fiber puts in my life. The rythem is soothing, there is nothing like it. 

Picture credit goes to Teri Karobonik

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Tour de Fleece

Tour de Fleece is a no go again today. The picture was taken by Matthew, he is just practicing. 

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

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.  

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Part One

Today was part 1 of fixing my hands. I got the 3 fingers on my left hand done today. It is my go to hand for everything.  So I feel a bit lost with not being able to use it for 8 days. It was not like the 2012 surgery where I could use my hand right away. So I think I will take a little me time and let things heal. Tonight all you can see are the bandages and puffy fingers. 

By the way Eric made it to his day program today. Every one was happy to see him. 

Monday, July 11, 2016

A Big Day

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  I am having surgery to resolve the 3 trigger fingers on my left hand. I would like to thank my team of John, Teri and Lisa for stepping up to help with everything Eric. They will also be filling in for me and helping for a few days while my hand starts to heal. 

I don't  know if I will be able to knit yet, because I have 2 trigger fingers on the right hand that need a resolution too.  After the stitches are out on my left hand we can then schedule my right hand.  Until then I will be busy spinning and weaving.  The weaving of course will use my hand spun yarn. 

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Still Busy

Eric is feeling better and John is still fighting a bug. I spent the day cleaning and decluttering until exhaustion hit. Then it was nap time for me. I did not get all I wanted to do done, but 4 hours of cleaning and organizing did me in. A good nap followed. It is now time to call it a day.

Friday, July 8, 2016

Day 14

I would like to start out by quashing the rumors that Eric is in the hospital.  No, he has been home the entire 2 weeks with the exception of Tuesday's doctors appointment.  This has been very difficult cold for both John and Eric.  The medicine seems to be working with Eric, and his numbers are slowly getting better. 

I did not got a lot of spinning done today. I mostly finished plying yesterday's yarn. I washed and thwacked about a pound of hand spun yarn today.  I also got a set of coasters off the very mini loom today and had more leftover hand spun wool so I started another set. All I have to do is the finishing work tomorrow.  It's getting late so I will call it a night.  

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Day 13

Today is day 13 of Eric being home sick.  The good news is that he is starting to feel better.  John still needs to kick this cold. So I spent the day spinning. I managed to spin 8 ounces of wool today.  I am in the middle of plying the yarn now.  

With all that spinning I am surprised that I did not kick the headache that woke me up at 4 am. Usually I find spinning very relaxing. I hope that this headache is gone by tomorrow.  I think it might be do to both guys being sick and me not getting enough sleep. I need to get everything back in control in the house.  

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Sleep is Good

Eric and I had a laid back day. Lisa sent extra help so I got a nice long nap.  I even had enough energy after the nap to tackle a few chores and do some spinning tonight for the Tour de Fleece. I will wash and thwack it tomorrow. 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

An Unwelcome Guest

Today makes the arrival of a very unwelcome guest in our home.  Eric's cold of 10 days has turned into a secondary infection and all that goes along with it. Right now I am waiting to run the first load of eyrpy laundry to finish so that I can start the second load before bed tonight.  I am hoping that Eric sleeps tonight. 

I have not had much energy for spinning in the Tour de Fleece today, I only spun 2/3's of a 4 ounce braid. I did manage to get 2 of the 3 skeins I spun yesterday soaked and thwacked.  They are drying in the garage tonight. The birds living on the patio don't like the sound of thwacking and fly away as soon as they hear me coming outside.  I am trying to keep up with the soaking and thwacking of the newly spun yarn so that at the end of the month I am not left with an overflowing sink of yarn that needs finishing.  

To tell you how tired I am. John asked what I wanted for dinner tonight and I asked for a half of a roast beef sandwich. He came in the door and announced that instead of mayo on my sandwich, he had them put on soy sauce. My reaction was, oh well I will just try something new, heck I might even like it. I was too tired to noticed that he pick up my 2 favorite dishes from my favorite Chinese restaurant, China Phoenix. I have got a very wonderful husband.  

I plan on spending the day resting with Eric tomorrow. This run of days with an average of 4 hours of sleep a night is beginning to get to me.  I really don't know if that has to do with giving up cola or not being 30 any more.  All I know is that my body has decided that it needs more sleep.  

Monday, July 4, 2016

A Little Miscaculation

Today is day 2 of the 2016 Tour de Fleece and I have spun half of the 900 grams of I had picked out to last the entire month. I spun 4 batts and 1 batch of roving that I turned into 3 singles today.  So, I went into the craft room to get more batts and roving.  Here is a picture of today's spinning.  

Friday, July 1, 2016

Tour de Fleece 2016

Today I was going to go through my fluff stash to pick out fiber to spin for this years Tour de Fleece. Instead I just took batts and rovings from the top of the pile. I pulled 900.5 grams of fiber to spin this month. That is a little shy of 2 pounds.  It is a lofty goal considering the state of my hands.  Wish me luck. Here is a first look at the fiber.  The spinning starts tomorrow.  I will even preempt Eric's programming to watch the Tour de France while I am spinning. 

Both guys are still sick. I am hoping that I don't get this crud too.  I am trying to tell myself that I don't have an itchy throat or cough. The talley just keeps going up on who is getting this bug from Eric. A lot of his aides are getting it too. This being a holiday weekend in the states it is hard to find someone that I don't have to train from scratch, so John and I are taking up the slack.  I really hope that everyone is ready to get out the door on Tuesday.  I really need a quite day.  

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Tally

The tally for the week is very mixed with both good and bad.

The Bad. So far both guys have the cold. I might have figured out this morning who brought it into the house. Eric will be home until at least Tuesday, because of the holiday Monday. No knitting until after the surgery on my left hand. No fiber retreat, hand surgery comes first.

The Good. I have a date for surgery on my left hand, apparently you can't do both hands at the same time. So I picked the most troublesome one. Because it is summer, it was easier to schedule the surgery. I have been napping at every possible moment. I am almost caught up on sleep. The summer Monsoon Rains have started. I got almost 2 ounces of fiber spun today.  I have birthday shopping to do, to be read as retail therapy. Thank you Birthday Person for helping me out.

The only thing that got fully resolved this week was the leak in the bathroom. I figured out where the water was entering the house. Through the bathroom window,  John sealed the leak. Very good team work on our part. If there is ever another remodel, we will go with the upgraded windows, in the long run it has not been worth the $20.00 we saved. We have spent more on paint and repairs than the amount we saved.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Crazy Times

It has been so crazy around here the last couple of days with Eric being sick, that when a bird flew into to the house and got trapped in the living room on Saturday morning it was just one of those oh well moments. Thanks to Eric's aide Nicki we got the bird to walk out the front door. That is just about the least crazy thing happening around here. Eric has been making laundry like crazy, 3 full loads today which would have been 12 in the old washer, and I did not even get to my clothes.

I went to my local Tevana store to pick up some of their new Bellini flavored tea that has been available on line for about a week only to be told that I can't buy any locally until tomorrow. I asked if they had it and they said yes but we can't sell it until June 27th. A really bad marketing move on their part. They have sent an email every day this week touting this new tea, yet they won't sell it to me 1/2 mile from my house.

I bought a smaller loom with a narrower profile so that I could weave in Eric's room when he wants company. That means that I need to sell my Gilmarka 19 inch ridged heddle loom. This has lead to funny things like someone actually telling me that looms were used to design knitting patterns, so since it was a business item, I could not sell it on a particular page. I really can't make this stuff up. I then had to explain looms were for weaving fabric like for blue jeans and knitting needles were used for designing knitting patterns.  I think selling the loom might be a little harder than I thought. Do you know anyone that wants to buy a loom?

I actually ran out of Tylenol for Eric on Saturday, which lead to my Ganga for the week. With 1- 25% off coupon and 3- $5.00 coupons from the store for prior purchases. I was able to pick up 2 bottles of Tylenol for Eric for 32 cents. Ganga is Tucson speak for a really great deal.  I have not gotten a deal like that in a long time.

It has also been a little over a week that I have not been able to knit. My hands should have fixed themselves by now.I am really going crazy.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Redundant Post

You might have already guessed.  I am writing this post from Eric's room. He is sick again. We did not even make 7 days between yucks this time.  He has an awful cough and a tempature of slightly over 100.  I am waiting for him to settle in for the night so I can get some sleep.  

It seems really weird to sit here in Eric's room and not to be able to knit. I even passengered across town today without knitting.   I am following my doctors orders, no mater how hard it is.  So instead of knitting I am deep cleaning closets deciding what I don't really need to keep.  The craft de stash has begun.  I am slowly piling things to go on the dining room table.  Check with me if you have been coveting some of my craft supplies to see if the item has or will make it to the destash table.  The larger items I will try to sell local first.  Smaller items that can be shipped will go up for sale once I figure out the prices.  My talley for the week is one loom gone, one loom listed and one tapestry loom pending pricing. 

There is a silver lining to my very sore hands. I found a spare feeding pump bag for the kangaroo Joey, so I do not have to take time to repair the one that is falling apart.   More space.  Less repair work. Yeah!!!

Help


Eric has come up with a new word over the past couple of weeks. He also uses it at the right time so far.  It is a plea but effective word. I am so glad that he has finally found the word help.  I never know what he is going to need, but it is always urgent.

Last nights call for help was because of a wet chuck and t-shirt.  Which turned into a complete change out, a new button, and new sheets. This included his blanket too.  Here is  a look at how full he managed to fill the washing machine. For complete disclosure John and I each contributed a pool towel. The rest was all Eric.  As John says nobody does a better job of making laundry than Eric.  

On the fiber equipment de stash I am selling my 19" Gilmarka ridged heddle loom.   About a year old.  All worn parts have been replaced.  Used for less than 20 projects. It is still in great shape. Some parts were not even used and are still in the factory wrappers.  Carry all bag included. I am looking at the $475 range plus postage.  If the buyer is local I will throw in some of my hand spun yarn for the first project.  



Wednesday, June 22, 2016

A Shopping Spree

Eric went to program and I got out of the house and did retail therapy. I went crazy. Almost everything was on sale or had a rebate or coupon. So what did I buy, well the list is long, but here goes.

Bread, watermelon, bananas, mayo, apples, celery, hot dogs for the 4th of July, a new cover for my ipad, lemonade, sliced olives and pizza crust. I threw some Tide and pedalite in for good measure. For the big splurge I bought some dairy free Chunky Monkey along with slice and bake cookies.  That was all at Target. Then I went to Penzey's to buy some white peppercorns for the pepper grinder. I might have slipped a few extra spices in too. Like vanilla sugar for the top of the sugar cookies.

I would like to thank the guys in the North Oracle Target electronics section for helping me pick a new cover and then putting my ipad in the new case. My hands thank you.

I made homemade pizza for dinner and toasted my hands. The pizza tasted so good, it was worth the pain. Plus we get pizza for tomorrow's dinner too.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

An Open Letter to The March of Dimes

Dear Non Profit Fundraiser for the March of Dimes,

You may think you have come up with a brilliant new way to do fundraising for your organization. By calling all the parents of sick children and young adults you can find; then asking the family members to send out fundraising letters for you. This is to save your organization the expense of postage. You also failed to mention that your donor list is drying up and that you do not want to pay for more names that may not pay off. After all who is going to say no to a parent of a sick kid raising funds to help other sick kids and fund research into birth defects and how to prevent them?

Let me start debunking your brilliant idea. First you say it is to save you postage. We are among the lucky few who are not figuring out how to pay Peter without robbing Paul. Most families I know with very sick kids live on a very tight budget. So just sending out 30 postcards at 34 cents a postcard is $10.20 that has to come from somewhere in a budget that does not allow for extras.  Also if your budget does not allow for fundraising postage costs, you really need to rework your budget or consider shutting down for lack of relevance. 

We will give you a month to send them out. It's only Tuesday and I have already had one 20 hour work day this week. You see unlike your job in which you are limited to 8 hours a day without overtime pay, parents can work with a sick child for up to 24 hours straight in one day. You have not stepped up to take care of my son so that I can sleep. So If I have a choice, I choose sleep over just a few hours of volunteer time. I am also quite sure that doing the mounds of laundry the average sick child makes, buying groceries or cleaning house would also come before your project. You might check with my other family members to see if they agree on this one. 

You have never offered my son any services or help to my family; yet you ask me to raise funds for you, to use my name as an endorsement of your non-profit. What's up with that? Do you think I owe your organization my time and money just because I have a sick kid? I am more inclined to raise money for groups that help my son. 

Once we have a diagnosis most families I know raise funds to find a cure for the disease that affects their child. What disease research are you currently funding? Does it include the variation of ML4 that my son has?

You really need to go back to the drawing board on this one. I like most parents are too tired for your guilt trip. You might want to go after the 98% who have healthy kids. I assume that they get sleep and have a bit more free time to fill out a bunch of silly postcards. 


If you currently are a donor to the March of Dimes and believe in their work by all means continue to do so. After all they helped fund a cure for Polio and have taken care of people who got Polio. They have also made other breakthroughs to help children. If you believe in their cause volunteer to send out some postcards to your friends. Do a fundraiser for them.  I just am over extended and did not like fundraising call I received this morning. I do not owe any non-profit my time or money. It is not my responsibility to keep The March of Dimes afloat. 

Monday, June 20, 2016

116

Yes the tempature reached a record high of 116 at our house on Sunday. So I spent the day washing yarn, spinning yarn and hanging out with Eric. What I did not do at least before midnight wash laundry or run the dishwasher.  I gave my appliances the afternoon off.  I figured with a record breaking heat wave, I should not add any extra power draw to an already at capacity power system. Surprisingly the yarn that I washed this morning was not dry by dinner time.

John and I got to go to dinner and the James Taylor concert.  We had a great time. The music was wonderful, both the classics and the new songs. We made it home by 11:00 pm, which was our curfew.  When in 15 minutes of getting home Eric started eyrping.  He made 2 loads with in minutes, thank goodness it was finally under 100f so I went ahead and washed laundry all night.  By 3:30am I was exhausted and took a 4 hour nap. 

I was able to get Eric on pedilyte this morning. 

Saturday, June 18, 2016

110

Today it reached ,you guessed it 110f tomorrow should be warmer.  So I got the laundry finished before 9:00 am. The grocery store was empty. It is nice shopping in summer. We just had a kick back day.  It is suppose to be warmer tomorrow.  So my plan is to wash a sink full of freshly spun yarn. Then hang it in the garage to dry. It will also keep the garage a little cooler and dry the yarn faster.  I might even warp the loom.  I ran out of energy today. 

Once Eric figured out that I was serious about not being able to knit, he let me bring in a spinning wheel to his room. I spun 2 single ply art yarns.  It was just about right for my hands today. I will wash them tomorrow too. 

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The No Knitting Diet

It's official, I can not do any knitting until after I see the hand specialist.  So I have put all my knitting projects away. All my knitting needles are in my knitting closet. Anything that is time critical, I will get someone else to do the knitting for me.  Hopefully this is only temporary. Did I mention how much I hate my arthritis right now. If I am a little grumpy, please be patient with me, knitting is how I have found a way to relax in this hectic world of mine for over a decade.

If it does not hurt my hands I can do a little spinning and weaving. Not quite as portable. I will also be doing a few hand exercises for my hands. I will do my best to hang in without any extra eating. Wish me luck.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Another Long Day

Eric had a very rough night last night, which resulted in 4 loads of laundry today.  It's been a very long time since I did 4 loads of laundry in one day. The good news is that Eric is back on formula tonight. I on the other hand feel very tired. Not much got done today, but that's ok.

I am still managing to go without cola even when Eric is sick. My drink creation today was Moroccan Mint Tea with 1/2 tablespoon of peach syrup per cup. Over ice of course. Not quite the sugar and caffeine rush of cola. Not the same crash either.  I also resisted my early morning urge to bake a coffee cake, just because I did not want to do the clean up. If I am too tired to clean up, then I must be to tired to bake.

I still can not do a lot of creating because of my hands. The less I use them the less they hurt. I am still waiting for the swelling to go all the way down.  I did not touch any knitting needles today. This is bad because I am in a very creative period and feel as if I am sitting on my hands. I also use the summer to do a lot of my charity knitting, to read lots of small projects like hats and scarfs for kids. I also have a few new designs that I am in the middle of knitting. As a result, I am bored and playing too many video games.

I think I am also going to try a different haircut that is not as fussy as the one I currently have. With my current hair cut I either have to blow dry it or fall asleep for a few hours then brush it out to make it look good. I want to go back to comb, fluff and go. 

Monday, June 13, 2016

I Have A Plan

After a very busy day, I was looking forward to a nice quite night.  Well Eric had other plans.  His MTBF is holding steady, yes he is feeling yucky tonight.  Which brings up the next subject. Eric does not like he acronym MTBF, which is mean time between failures, an engineering term.  Hence forth it will be called MTBY, mean time between yuckies, an Eric term.  

Since we will be home tomorrow, I plan on getting as much spinning as I can done. There is a reason behind all this spinning. First it really hurts my hands when I knit right now, the arthritis has settled in them for a while.  Second it is suppose to be 113f here in Tucson on Sunday.  I figure since we will be home all day, it would be a perfect day to wash and dry yarn.  Hopefully this will keep the garage a little cooler and the yarn will dry a little faster.  

Needless to say if you were expecting me anywhere tomorrow, sorry.  Someone we all know and love will be keeping me busy.  

Sunday, June 12, 2016

The Loom

I fixed the loom today.  Then I went to warp it.  Oops, we reconfigured the house and they way I used to warp the loom won't work.  I will have to get the tape measurer out and figure out a new place to warp the loom.  

I am still resting my hands. Not one stitch got knit today.  I really want to knit, but hate sore hands more than I want to knit.  Even with rest I don't like the sounds my joints are making.  On the bright side I do seem to be able to do a little bit of spinning. 

Saturday, June 11, 2016

A Bad Hand Day

I am frustrated. I really want to knit, but my hands and not in the mood.  I don't know what I will do to keep myself busy.  Today I cleaned and napped. I can't do that everyday, the napping part that is. I guess I will fix and warp the loom tomorrow.  That should be a sore hands friendly activity. 

Friday, June 10, 2016

I Cheated

I am not usually the one to really break into any kind of present early. I really enjoy the aniticapation, wondering what is in the box. That said, I knew what John had gotten me for my birthday this year and the box was taunting me to open it. The box won, I could not wait any longer to play with my new WooLee Winder for the Lendrum spinning wheel.  

Well I have to say this, I do not feel guilty about it.  I actually played 2 skeins of yarn and spun another 2 skeins of yarn yesterday.  I have not measured ounce for ounce but to the naked eye it seems to get twice the amount of yarn on the bobbin. I think this may be due to the way the yarn is wound onto the bobbin. I have to say that John really knows how to pick out birthday presents.  Thank you John.  

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

On A Roll

Today I finished 1 crochet project, a child's purse that has been on the hook for over 4 years and 1 hat before noon today.  John will be very happy that the purse was no sooner off the hook then it found its way to a new home that was not ours. Since I did not want the circular knitting needles to be lonely, I cast on the next hat. In reality I find it harder to lose stitch markers and knitting needles when they are in the middle of a project. Even though it is too heavy to carry around, I was reminded that it was past time to finish Teri's 1st year of law school blanket. Miss Teri, how many years is it overdue?

I certainly don't have the energy for it but now that it is under 100f, it is time to wash Eric's swim stuff from today. while I am at it a little picking up would not hurt either. After all no matter how much I want to play all day with fiber, the house work should come first. Maybe I will have dinner with John first.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

A New Pattern

Today I added a new pattern to my Ravelry Shop. I have found that when I use 3 different cameras to take pictures, the pictures go to 3 different places in the computer memory. John says he has an easy fix for this. It took me 3 days to transfer the pattern from my iPad to the main computer and add the picture, I could have knit this pattern at least 3 times in the time it took to transfer the pattern. I know that this is a winter hat, made with bulky yarn. When the high is 111 for the day, I find that releasing a winter hat pattern adds a bit of fun to the day. It's a Tucson thing, where else do you go to celebrate the first day of 100 degree weather of the season?

The hat is called Grandma's Winter Hat and my friend Jimmy was gracious enough to be my model. This is the link to Grandma's Winter Hat . Even though it is listed on Ravelry you will be able to view and purchase this pattern with this link. It will fit teenages through adults. If you are in a country outside the United States, use this link to  Loveknitting.com , you can find this pattern and 5 of my other patterns. At Love Knitting you will also be able to buy the yarn and supplies to knit this pattern.


Friday, June 3, 2016

Squirrel

Today did not go as planned, but it was very productive anyway.  My closet floor got cleaned and a few more things were purged from my closet. My purses were organized, with the larger ones going up on the closet shelf and the smaller ones hanging.  I did not get any spinning or the new pattern posted to Raverly. I did manage to do a bit of knitting though.  

I did manage to get over 13,00 steps on my fit bit today.  That is a little over 5 miles of walking with most of it done doing house work. I also managed to gift 2 project bags and a couple of skeins of yarn.   Eric thinks that I should have given more yarn away.  

I think that I will call it a night so that I can get more things besides sleeping done tomorrow.  

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Busier Than Usual

It was a catch me if you can type of day.  I started off making a sorting box for a friend of Eric's.  He was very excited when Eric gave it to him.  Then it was a quick breakfast and off to buy out one store.  Then it was time to print some coupons for the next store. The first Wednesday of the month I get an extra 10% off grocreys. So I get the things like laundry detergent and other things that happen to be on sale.  

Before I knew it, it was 2:20pm and I had not had lunch or put the groceries away. So after a few pita chips and a slice of cheese it was time to get Eric.  Then it was time to start the laundry and put things away. I even managed to make a home cooked dinner tonight.  

Would anyone be surprised that I have over 10,000 steps and have not done any knitting today?

Monday, May 30, 2016

Bits and Pieces

I have finally found a pair of pants that fits after a 2 year search. This is very good news.  As usual the there is a down side.  I can't find another pair of pants with the UCP code 7-06254-39523-8 at any Macy's store in Tucson or on line at Macy's.com.  If anyone from Macy's reads this blog post please consider restocking this style of pants. 

I started a new round of deep cleaning this afternoon and have already filled one box. Hopefully by next weekend I will have a few more boxes filled and dropped of at the Goodwill.  I also had to tink a scarf that was halfway finished, because it started unraveling at the bottom.  So much for starting a scarf while watching a movie.  

Also keep those tabs coming in.. Eric has just dropped off the latest batch to our Tucson Ronal McDonald House. For those keeping track it was 25.9 pounds of tabs.  I think that my dad would have been very proud of Eric for his commitment to collecting tabs to help the sick kids. 

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Memorial Day

My heartfelt condolences go out to all the Gold Star Families whose loved ones paid the ultimate price for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

I would like everyone to take a few minutes out of your day to remember these heroes who will never enjoy time with their families again.

Monday, May 23, 2016

A Little Mishap

There are certain things in life that must be done methodically every time that they are done or things go wonky rather quickly. Take Eric's new lift for example. It is mounted to the ceiling with the lift being operated by a pneumatic air compressor which is operated by a switch. We ask everyone who uses it with Eric to make sure that it does not get tangled. Tangles always cause problems.  I noticed that this mornings aide did not put the lift back on the charger, but failed to notice how badly tangled the wires were left until it was too late.

Do to tangling in the wires the pneumatic motor became disengaged, is simpler terms it broke at a most inconvenient time. Yes half way down. This left Eric miffed to be stuck in mid air. My tall guy was out and about an hour away. I am to short to reach up and fix it. The bed was to far from the problem to safely fix the lift. It would have been a very embarrassing call to 911. I can not lift Eric by myself.  I finally found a step ladder so I could reach up and fix everything. The whole incident took less than 2 minutes, but to me it felt like hours. Eric's glares did not help much either, but I could not blame him, his ride broke midway through.

This will result in everyone who works with Eric to be retrained on the lift. I personally hate redundant training, but will do this because it is a safety issue.

By the time everything was fixed and I was calm enough to drive we had missed the movie that we wanted to go to across town and hurried to catch a later showing at another theater. By the way we went to see Zootopia. It is a must see movie for this summer.

By the way as long as we are talking about retraining, I would like to mention that a movie theaters the handicapped seating is for those who truly need to use them. For example people in wheelchairs and their companions, people who use walkers or canes and have other mobility issues. You just do not know how hard it is to move a wheelchair through those heavy doors to go to the other side. I think it would be much easier to move your able body self and kids a few seat and show some manners. I am off my soap box now.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Just A Thought

I have thought long and hard before writing this blog post.  I don't want to sound preachy or holy than thou. I just want to put forth this idea.

I know we all live very busy life's. Most of us have more on our plates than a reasonable person would consider prudent. We are in a hurry to get everywhere. We live in our own bubbles. Who has time to pull over for a siren, even for a minute? What difference would my minute make?

What if I told you it could make a world of diffrence for someone outside of  your bubble? Wouldn't be nice if everyone pulled over? Maybe even say a prayer for those on the ambulance for a speedy recovery. Pray that the Public Saftey Officer returns safely to their families at the end of their shifts.  I feel that the power of prayer is very powerful. We can make a diffrence by one act at a time. I know that there are a few atheists who read my blog and think the whole idea of prayer is useless at best. For you all I ask is that you pull over for sirens because it is the right thing to do. 

The thoughts and opinions are my own. If you agree with this blog post please feel
free to share the link. If you would like to publish this post elsewhere please contact me, arrangements can be made. 

Have a nice weekend and enjoy your families. 

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Bear is Off Limits

Whatever you do don't blame the bear. Let me back track a little bit. At 3:30 this morning Eric was a little cranky. His favorite bear was wrapped snuggly in his blanket, while a very cold Eric was trying to cover himself with his pillows. So I talked to Eric's bear about stealing Eric's blankets in the middle of the night while I was getting Eric resettled in. This morning that included a change out and some physical therapy. By the way John repeated this exercise a little while after I finished, but he did not lecture the bear. So daddy was golden.

By the time I got Eric settled again 30 minutes latter, he was really mad about me talking to his beloved bear like that. He was still mad when I dropped him off at his day program.  He would not even let me give him a kiss goodbye. It took Maggie a little bit of persuasion to send a smile picture of himself to me.

So the lesson learned today was never ever blame the beloved stuffed animal. No matter if they steal the blankets in the middle of the night and leave your child cold, they are still off limits for a mommy lecture.

By 3:00 this afternoon he was no longer mad at me and let me drive him home.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Tuesday's Unplanned Day

Today started at 5:30 am with Eric not feeling well.  That of course threw my plans for the day in the blender.  So I spent the day bouncing around between Taking care of Eric, laundry, cleaning and spinning.  

Talking about spinning, I finally finished the very soft and pretty 15 micron merino wool dyed by my friend Jimmy.  It was the first yarn that came off my spinning wheel since the December 7, 2015 car accident.  I guess it shows that I am making progress on the road to recovery, albeit very slowly. 

Monday

My body and I were at war most of the day.  I even managed to snap all the tendons in my right hand while wearing my hand brace today.  I am just so talented like that. So needless to say not much got done today.  At least I got some spinning today.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

A Bad Night

As I write this I am waiting for Eric to fall asleep.  I woke up a little over 3 hours ago with bad joint pain. Just as I had managed to loosen up the joints in my hands, when Eric decided it was time for a complete change out.  Twenty minutes later he is still kicking off the covers and crying when he gets cold.  I have been to his room 4 times in the last hour to recover him.  

I am now officially tired and cranky. So today's word of the day is NO.  As Teri likes to point out, NO is a complete sentence.  

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

A Funky Day

I just know the day is going to be a bit off when I have wheelchair repairs before I have had time to get dressed. To make matters a little more rushed my favorite set of Allen Wrenches were not where I wanted them to be. So I had to get the box of spare Eric equipment parts from his room. Sometimes pieces of equipment come with some spare parts and tools.  I am also still training a new aide for Eric, yes its million question time yet again. So getting Eric to his day program only 30 minutes late was not bad at all.

Once we got to Eric's program, I noticed that the chest positioning strap was not quite right. So I then readjusted all the straps, so Eric does not have to work as hard sitting up. I then took a few minutes to relax before I went to the gym for my 10 minutes planed on the elliptical. I managed to get 15 minutes done.While I was cooling down after my workout a lady noticed my knitting and said that she was having a hard time with it. I asked if I could help her and she then proceeded to try to get me to cure her hands of arthritis. I told her she needed to talk to her doctor or a specialist about her hands. This was repeated several times, I felt like I was in a loop. I was just about to suggest duct tape, it fixes everything, right? When her personal trainer walked up. How do these people find me? What part about talk to your doctor is so hard to understand? I do admit that I am a stay at home mom and I can do a lot of diffrent things, but I am not a doctor. I don't practice medicine without a licence. If you are getting your medical advice from strangers on the street you have more problems than just the arthritis

 Then home to catch up on paperwork. I was only 10 percent through with my paperwork before I need to take a nap. Somehow flare ups make me tired. I woke up with just enough time to eat a quick lunch before I went to get Eric. The rest of the afternoon was taken up by Eric, cooking dinner, cleaning and relaxing.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

On Track

I got to hang out with some friends today.  We sat around crafting and talking.  This was followed by Physical Therapy which I hope is almost over.  Then some shopping, a quick lunch and a nap.  I picked up Eric so he could supervise the cleaning and laundry. He actually was worried that I did not have enough laundry and made more for me to wash today.  

I was working with a new aide for Eric this afternoon.  When she tried to rush through things, I explained that Eric's schedule was like a concert.  You don't start with the finale.  So we are working on the rythem of Eric.  I think things will go well.  We just need to practice, practice and a little more practice. We will not get to Carnagie Hall, but Eric will be happy with a smooth routine.  

Tomorrow is being set aside for paperwork. With any luck I will be caught up by carpool time.  

Monday, May 9, 2016

Slowing Down

I have been in a crazy mode since the accident on December 7. 2015. My life just took on an agenda of its own and I tried to keep up. I can really feel the effects it has been having on my body. So I am taking Teri's advice that "No" is a complete sentence with no explanation necessary. I am trying to do things that relax me and that I want to do.

I took the weekend off, as much as I could at least. The guys took me to Dim Sum at China Phoenix on Saturday. Out to dinner with John on Saturday and Sunday nights. Lisa, Eric and I also went to see the movie Mothers Day on Mother's Day. If you need to see a great movie that will keep you laughing most of the time, this is the on to go see. Yes, it is a chick flick. Yes the weekend did include 5 loads of laundry, I am beginning to think in his own way Eric is showing me his love.

Everyone gave me flavored teas to help with a healthier lifestyle. I still have not had a soda since the flu bug a few months ago.

I also have been knitting more, which is not a bad thing. Well it might, because I have a lot of knitting and weaving to do before I really need to shop for yarn. I spent some time spinning today. I am finally unwound enough to try sleep so wish me luck.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

A Couple of Words

Eric is not a kid who uses many spoken words. So I thought that I would share his latest gem. We we both napping after the long stint of being awake when Eric was sick.

I was just waking up from my nap when Eric said,

"I'm alive"

I just wish I knew what the rest of the thought was about. I just can not prompt Eric to talk when he does not want to or can not manage speech.

What I need is someone to invent a machine that translates thoughts into the spoke word. Any takers?

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

A very Long Day

Eric got sick right before bedtime last night. It was a very long and eyrpy night. On the bright side as of bedtime tonight he is back on formula. I also worked on a bag of UFO yarn, finishing 1 charity hat and starting another. I will finish all the projects in this bag first.  I have decided that I need to knit or redisposition the yarn to other projects in any project bag that I pick up. This is so that I don't have bags full of yarn 6 months from now with no plans or pattern attached.

I managed to get all the eyrpy laundry washed. I have decided not to fold the laundry today. As long as it is clean folding the laundry was not an issue today.

I am sorry if this blog is choppy but I have been up almost 40 hours and am really feeling tired. With a little sleep tonight all will be better in the morning.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Ranting Again

My day was going really well then....

The formula supply company just called and is trying to change the formula AGAIN to save money. At least they were upfront about it this time. I thought we had this resolved. They even acknowledged that they have the doctors script. We have to try at least a partial case before we can say no. I swear that Amazon may become our formula supplier if this keeps up. Then bill the health insurance company for what they are required to pay for by state law. They don't care about Eric at all. Just their @#%$#@# contract and nickle and dimeing the patients to keep their bottom line. If they can not break even on on the contract that they bid on, then maybe they should not have bid so low on the contract with the insurance company. Or, maybe the insurance companies should give the companies a reasonable operating budget over the cost of supplies. Either way they need to put Eric first.

Asking us to try another formula that might possibly do Eric harm is beyond the scope of my thinking right now. We have just gotten him almost back on his feet from the last formula fiasco. What makes a bunch of bean counters and paper pushers think that they know Eric as well as his doctors. Just because something is similar does not mean that it alike and will work the same. Just think about the possibility of of using oranges instead of apples in an apple cobbler, they are both fruit so it should work, right? I really like the comment that even though it is not listed on the label this new formula has fiber, right what about FDA labeling regulations?

So I talked it over with John. We decided that the best course of action was to call back and ask for everything in writing. I was put on hold for a few minutes. They came back and said the formula change was just a" suggestion". I decided to go with what the doctor ordered and long story short, they will continue to send out the formula that the doctor ordered. I now feel like a wet rag. I think that I will spin for a while to get back to my center. Then spend the evening knitting after dinner.


Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Things are Better

Things are going better with Eric. Long story short, the insurance company and provider changed the script and formulation of Eric's nutrition to save the insurance company money and prove that the provider was willing to do anything including compromise the health of its patients to keep the newly acquired contract.   After a very small dust up with Eric's nutrition provider, an order of formula from Amazon with next day delivery and some back and forth with Eric's wonderful doctor and the provider of nutrition,things have been resolved.  

We are almost through the first case of formula that I ordered from Amazon.  I am thankful that I was able to get what Eric needed very badly, overnight.  Amazon thank you for you help in this matter.  

Eric has woken up happy and smiling for the last 2 days. He has slept through the night for the last 2 nights.  Now I have to start sleeping through the night again.  His skin color is back to normal.  He has more energy. He is back to being the life of the party at program.  

I am very thankful for all my friends who gave me such wonderful support during this crisis.  I really can't adaquility  put in words what it meant to me.  Thank you all. 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Why?

I don't know what ever possessed me to knit a lace trim with 3 different skeins of similar colored yarn.  It sure does look pretty though. I hope it looks good on me when I finish it. 

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

No Caffeine

Around 2:30 this morning Eric started eyrping. I must say that the LG washer handled all 3 loads with ease.  I also had my first Eric sick day without soda. It was a very long day.  I missed the sugar and caffeine rush that kept me going.  I did not even have energy to knit. The good news is that the eyrping has stopped and all that I have to deal with is the cold de jour tomorrow.  

Eric and I will be home again tomorrow and I will need to cancel one appointment.  I will also have to write and finish knitting my Thursday's class. It's a good thing that I love modular knitting and know a decent amount about modular knitting.  

My biggest hope that Eric sleeps tonight.  

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Modular Knitting

Thursday I am going to teach modular knitting at The Old Publeo Knitters Knitting Guild Meeting.  I am currently working on the samples. I will teach 3 different ways to connect the knitted squares so you do not have to do any seaming.  I will also give a brief history of modular knitting.  

So if you are in Tucson on Thursday our meetings start at 9:30 am at St. Phillips Church at the corner of River And Campbell Avenues in the Murphy Hall.  The first 2 meetings are free.  All you need to bring are 2 skeins of Sugar and Cream, one ombré and one solid color skein, US side 7 or 8 by 24" circular knitting needles, a Crochet hook, and a pair of scissors.  Yes, I will weave the ends in as part of my demonstration. I will be teaching the 9 Patch Dish Rag.  Here is the sample that I started tonight.  This is about an hour of knitting so far.  


Saturday, April 16, 2016

Bucket List

Check something else off my bucket list. Spinning yarn at the beach. It happened Monday at Santa Monica Pier. I was dressed for s party so sitting in the sand was not an option.  

Did you know the windier it is the more the drop spindle stops spinning? The choice of the roving matching the clouds in the sky and the water was a happy surprise.