Car trouble

Wow! My family is laying down on the job - no one has reminded me that it's been almost two weeks since I posted. Sara is still working on finding a job and getting Rose in school.

Lexi had a mini-sleepover last night, with just Rose and the girl across the street. Rose and Lexi will both be here tonight, and we'll go to church in the morning. Lexi wants to teach Rose how things are done at Grace Church. We were headed there two weeks ago, but only made it halfway. I've been having some transmission problems recently and adding transmission fluid has helped, but the problem seems to be more than just a small leak. Even Rose noticed how bad the car sounded. It wasn't upshifting to third gear, so I pulled into a safe spot and then couldn't shift at all. I called Alyssa to come rescue us. We called AAA and had them tow it to her house. She said a friend would look at it for me. The tow-truck driver got it to shift after he got it to Alyssa's and said we just hadn't pushed down hard enough on the 'button' at the top of the shifter, so I've driven it for a week and a half. However, on Wednesday I think I drove most of the way  home from Paducah in second gear. It shifted from first to second with no problem, but most of the time did not want to go to third. Yesterday I had it taken to a transmission shop. I haven't heard from them yet as to what the problem is and how much it will cost.

Medical:

My red cell count was 8.5, so I got a shot of Procrit. I was supposed to get it two weeks ago, and the nurses even signed it out for me then, but didn't give it to me. Nancy made sure she gave it to me this time as soon as I got back to the treatment room. I have appointments in September for MRI, bone scan, PET scan and bone marrow sample. There will also be extra bloodwork and a 24-hour urine collection. Medicare did not pay for the PET scan a year and  half ago, but I guess the study they got me into at that time got Myeloma included in the list of diseases they will pay for it. At least Debbie says they will now.

Blue Ribbons Are Good for the Ego

Purple ones are even better!

 This is my Hearts and Flowers shawl that I entered in the county fair. That purple ribbon is for the Textiles Grand Champion. I know we are a small county, so there was not that much competition, but I'm still extremely pleased. Next I'll see  if it is accepted in the juried exhibit at the Mayfeld Art Guild in November.

I couldn't get a picture that shows the hearts well, but you can see the flowers and the vines. This is my own design, using motifs from my stitch dictionaries. I don't usually name my projects, but in this case the name seemed a natural. I worked the shawl in two pieces so the flowers and hearts would be right-side-up from both ends, and then grafted them together in the middle. Friends have asked me what I'm going to do with it, and I'm really not sure yet. I guess I'll hold onto it until the spirit moves me to do something else.

The past week has been quite busy. About 2:30 am last Tuesday, Carmen, Sara, Rose and Sara's friend Justin arrived. Sara and Rose are now living with me. I'm glad Justin was with them, because I didn't feel real lazy for not helping them carry stuff in. He also did a couple if minor repairs while he was here. He and Carmen left Friday morning to drive back to New Jersey. Sara has gotten much of her and Rose's stuff organized, but there are still some things to be figured out. She is also working on finding a job and getting Rose in school. Lexi started school on Wednesday (8/4), but the preschool doesn't start until the 18th. The two girls are happy to have their cousin to play with.   

Today

Oncology appointment again today. My red cell count was good, so no Procrit. My weight was two pounds less than three weeks ago. The increase last week was definitely from several days without my diuretic. I got it refilled last Thursday, and did spend quite a bit of time in the bathroom during the first couple of days after I resumed taking it. After the next cycle of Velcade treatments, Dr Winkler will order more x-rays, additional blood work, etc. One of the proteins in my blood is slowly creeping up, so there will probably be changes in my treatment soon. C'est la vie!

Knitting:

I had a good time at the coffee shop knitting group. Last week I brought home seven Vogue Knitting magazines from the past ten years, but declined the yarn that someone had given the group. Today I was asking for yarn, and brought home quite a bit. What changed? Lexi has decided to be a hand-knit sock for Halloween! My vision of this was to have the foot at the bottom and the cuff at her head. Yesterday at the Ice House, I learned that was not what she had in mind. And my friend Mary, who was there, had the same idea Lexi had. Mary has raised five kids, the youngest of whom is in college, so I imagine she's made a lot of Halloween costumes. The foot will be behind her head, and the heel will have eye and mouth holes for her face. The leg of the sock will actually be hanging down. That will mean that I don't need as much 'framework' as the way I had in  mind would require. Today, Jennifer, who has done some theater costuming, gave me more ideas. Once I get the framework done, the knitting will be easy. I'll make it very colorful - stripes, some of them with fairisle patterns.

Good-bye, skink

My resident skink has been caught in a sticky trap. I was surprised that it was in the weaving room - I had only seen it in the living room, heading toward the dining room. I hope none of it's family and friends come in.

Lexi spent Monday night with me. Yesterday morning we went to the Ice House/Art Guild in Mayfield. I took three shawls along for Dana to choose one to enter in the Arts in the Community show coming up in August. She selected two of them; she has an idea for how she can display them together. She had Lexi  make a sign for the show. I'm glad Dana and Lexi are friends. I think it's good for kids to have adult friends who are not related to them.

Then we went to Lexi's gymnastics class at 4 o'clock. On the way home I asked her if she does the stretching exercises they start each session with at home. She said she doesn't, and I told her she probably should. Her smart-alec reply was, "Said by a woman who won't even walk for exercise."

Medical:

Today was my oncology appointment. I had gained five pounds in the two weeks since my last one. That is probably because I ran out of my diuretic several days ago and haven't gotten the prescription refilled yet. My ankles are not puffed up, but there is probably fluid built up throughout my body.

My red cell count was down a bit again, so I also got a shot of Procrit, along with my Velcade, Zometa (for my bones), and Decadron, all through my port, and my Zofran tablet to ward off nausea. Do you think that's enough medications? Of course, this morning I took Atenolol (for blood pressure), Revlimid (for Myeloma) and several vitamins and minerals. This evening I will take more Atenolol and Revlimid and Zocor to reduce plaque buildup. 


Knitting:

Then I went to the coffee shop and met with my knitting friends for a couple of hours. A week ago, Valarie sent out an email about a group doing cleanup of pelicans, etc in the Gulf who wanted 10" x 10" washcloths and 14" x 27" towels. Valarie said she would collect them at the coffee shop. I took three towels and half a dozen washcloths today. Valarie said that she had received an email from the organization saying that they have already received 35,000 (or maybe it was more), so they don't need more. Valarie will give these to the local Bellewood organization that helps kids who have aged out of foster care to set up their first apartment, etc.

When I told Dana yesterday what I had been working on  for the past week, she couldn't believe that they had requested hand knit cloths for animal cleanup. I assume someone in that organization knew that there were thousands of knitters who had leftover cotton yarn and would love to spend a few hours doing some mindless knitting to use it up.

It's Friday already?

Tuesday morning I picked up Lexi before going to the Art Guild. She and I were the only ones there (except Dana, the director) for a while. We had a nice conversation about various things. I told her about the book I'm reading - The Bookseller of Kabul. She had trouble believing that there are still people in the world who think girls should not be educated, although she seemed to know that was a common attitude centuries ago. However, I think she liked hearing that most people in Afghanistan use fingers rather than forks to lift food to their mouths. That's something that Alyssa and I both keep reprimanding her for. Now she will probably start telling us that she's pretending that she's Afghani.

By the time Alyssa came to get Lexi, Mary had arrived. She is a beekeeper, as well as knitter, crocheter, quilter, etc., and mother of five adults. There was another conversation ranging over a number of topics.

Just before Mary left, Evelyn came. She had called to see if I was there. She needed ideas for using some yarn she has for prayer shawls or scarves. One yarn was really interesting - I had never seen it before. She'll need to put something else with it to do a shawl, but we talked about colors, etc. Of course we talked about things other than knitting, too, including food. She said her son won't eat fruit - I find that very unusual. More common is that her husband doesn't like vegetables, except green beans if they are cooked down to almost mush. She said that their daughter didn't realize she likes green beans until she moved to DC and had them not overcooked.

Then before I left to go to Alyssa's for supper, I talked to Dana for about half an hour. Four good conversations in one day - not bad.

Wednesday was my oncology visit, and then knitting at the coffee shop. My red cells have stayed up, so I did not need Procrit. Everything else seems to be stable as well.

Yesterday I started moving stuff out of the room that great-granddaughter Rose will sleep in when she and Sara move in with me soon. I decided that since I have used up so much of the yarn I had accumulated, I could fit the craft (they're not all knitting) books onto the shelves in my room. Then I moved the shelves they had been on into the back room, with some help from Alyssa when she dropped Lexi off. Lexi helped put many years of several different magazines back onto those shelves, and I put other things on them. I think I like the way that back room is looking. Alyssa and Trevor are coming out tomorrow to move some other things for me, and to mow and weed-eat. 

I'm still working on the Tasha Tudor shawl. I started the edging a little while ago. Edgings always seem to take longer than I expect them to. They are so few stitches and each row does go quickly, but there are soooooooooo many of them! I do know now what my next project will be, but since I will do it with the rest of this huge ball of yarn I'm using for the TT shawl, there is no way I can start the new one before I finish the current one. Now I'm getting impatient.

Watchcaps, etc

When I went to church on Wednesday two weeks ago, our rector was on vacation. The new chaplain at the Seaman's Church Institute was subbing for her. He mentioned the help that Grace Church gives SCI with their Christmas on the River project and other things. That got me started knitting watchcaps (four, so far) and scarves (only one so far for them, but another for some other cause). Those thing are small and easy to carry with me. I'll accumulate them until about October, then drop them off at SCI when I'm in Paducah one day. 

Now I'm trying to finish a couple of projects that have been languishing. I finished a 'random' shawl in white and pastels a couple of days ago, and am now working on a Tasha Tudor shawl. I started both of these months ago and then set them aside. My random shawls usually work up pretty quickly, but this one didn't. I think the white and pastel colors aren't as interesting as the brighter colors are. The end result is very pretty though, and I'm sure someone will love it. I'm making the Tasha Tudor (a simple triangle with an interesting edging) in a light-weight, dark, boucle yarn on a size 3 needle, so it will take a while. However, it has gone well for the last two days, so maybe t won't take as long as I think.

On one of the Yahoo groups, someone mentioned that her brain was working on planning the next project while she worked on the current one. Mine usually does that, too, but now it is not. Maybe that's good for a change. I'm sure it will get back to normal before too long.

My Work

I stared this post on Wednesday, but then McAfee told me I needed to restart the computer and do a virus scan. By the time that finished, I was ready for bed, and I haven't had a chance to get back to it until now.

I skipped church on Sunday - didn't feel like driving. But I went to the noon service today. I didn't need to provide Lexi's transportation to and from cheerleading practice, and my oncology appointment was at 1:15. I took four prayer shawls and a laprobe with me. I have showed a couple of them here before, but here are some others.

I don't often put fringe on shawls, but felt this one could use it. 

The purple triangle is from a combination of yarn donated to the church and some from my stash. It's small, as is the little cape with the burgundy border. The white square you see on the cape is something I put on each item I make for the knitting ministry at church. In the front it has what I have long known as 'The League Benediction' - Numbers 6:24-26. We always used it to close our Methodist Youth Fellowship meetings when I was a teenager. On the back of the card, I put information about fiber content and care.

Here are details of two laprobes. The solid-color one is from yarn donated to the church, and the other is part donated and part from my stash. I really like the way the colorful one turned out. I have a lot of fun 'designing' the shawls and laprobes. 

This last shawl is cotton that I've had for a long time. I paid a nickel a ball for it at an auction. Since I used slightly less than three balls, I call it my fifteen cent shawl.