Changes

 

I think they have changed some things since I posted six weeks ago. I wonder what it will look like when I publish it. Things have also changed at my house. I now have a 9-month-old living here. My granddaughter Sara and her litle boy moved in about a month ago. Ethan is crawling now and pulling himself up, but hasn't started walking yet. His favorite plaything seems to be the plastic wine goblets that are on the bottom shelf of the cart my toaster-oven sits on, and the plastic soup bowls on the middle shelf. He hasn't started pulling down the melamine plates also on the middle shelf, but that will probably come soon. I started accumulating these plates when his oldest cousin was about 5 and spent a good bit of time here. With them being on a low shelf, Lexi could help set the table. She is now a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, so that was quite a few years ago. The Walk through Bethlehem that I mentioned in my last post is scheduled for the first weekend in December. It will be a bit different than in past years. Instead of the visitors walking around at will, groups of 15 or 20 will be escorted by a member of the church and will stay on the path between the market stalls. The children will be given 'goody bags' as they leave rather than 'shekels' as they enter to spend at the stalls. The visitors also will not go into the fellowship hall for refreshments after they visit the village. I have told them that I will supply at least 500 mini-rugs for those 'goody bags'. I have 369 done so far. The warp I have on the loom currently should take me over 400, and three more 8-yard warps should get me to my goal.

My Week So Far

 On Sunday, I wound an 8-yard warp of yellow 8/2(?) cotton on my warping board.

On Monday, I tied that warp onto the end of the last warp - 50 square knots, and wound it onto the warp beam of the loom. Then I tied it onto the cloth beam apron and started weaving mini-rugs. The rugs are approximately 5 inches square, with 1/2 inch of fringe on each end. They are for kids to 'buy' with the 'shekels' they are given when they enter the village at the Walk through Bethlehem in December. I'm assuming the Walk will go ahead. If not, they'll be ready for next year. I have 93 pieces completely finished and 70 on the sewing machine table to be zig-zagged across the ends (so they don't unravel). My goal is 500.

On Tuesday, I had my 6-month oncology visit. Dr E, whom I've seen for the past two years, has left the practice, so I've been assigned to Dr Concepcion. Everything seems to be OK, but he wants a 'bone survey' since I haven't had one for several years. That is 2 or 3 dozen x-rays showing every bone in my body. One thing Myeloma does is eat bone. That's the reason I have a metal rod in my right femur. The bone survey will show if any more bones have been damaged. They have set that up for me on September 2.

Yesterday (Wednesday) when I woke up, I realized that the air coming in my bedroom window was so fresh and cool that it would be a good day to do some yard work. So I dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. After I had breakfast, in front of the computer, while I checked e-mail and FaceBook, I put on my gardening shoes and put a battery in the weed-eater. I have three batteries, which last 15 to 20 minutes each. I used all three of them, taking breaks between (and sometimes in the middle). I usually keep my rollator (walker with a seat) nearby in case I need to sit down. However, when I took my last break, I was in front (east side) of the house and the walker was around on the south end, so I sat down on the front steps. When I tried to stand up, I couldn't quite do it. I had to telephone Dominic (he was napping in the house) to come out and help me. (Carmen and Alyssa insist that I have my cellphone on me when I do yard work.) I think the work I did was a lot, especially considering that a year ago I was trying to learn to walk again after my fall and my surgery.

Today is also cool, so I may go back outside and cut down (with the long-handled pruners) some volunteer trees that are too big for the weed-eater to handle. I'll also do some weaving.

Lexi made the dean's list!

At the University of Kentucky! I couldn't possibly be prouder of her.

79 ?

I turned another year older yesterday. Didn't really do anything, but we did drive to Mayfield and had supper at Burger King - drive through, eat in parking lot. Dominic went into Walmart for a few things, mainly milk. He also bought a pecan pie to celebrate my birthday. I think I'll have a piece of it now.

ZOOM!

We're still spending most of our time at home, but we do get out some, mostly to pharmacy and grocery, and fast-food drive-throughs. Our neighbor, who is an X-ray tech, gave us two masks, and Alyssa has given us two that she made. She has been making them and giving them to friends and neighbors. Masks are mandatory in Illinois now, and will be soon in Kentucky. I don't like wearing them, but of course I will.

One of my online knitting groups has started having online meetings on Zoom, and our rector is having Zoom coffee hours. I was lamenting the fact that I can't join in, because there is no camera on my computer (and Walmart is out of them), but Alyssa said there is one on my iPad. Carmen bought this iPad for me when I was in the nursing home, but I couldn't figure it out, so it has just been sitting here. Alyssa and the kids visited us a week ago and she set things up for me. Yesterday at 11am, I joined the Grace Church coffee hour. There were only six of us, but it was nice to see everyone. Then at 6pm I joined the KnitTalk group. I think there were 18 of us, and it was very interesting to see these people I've been communicating with online for several years. I knew what Alison looks like, because I have her book of shawl patterns and I followed her blog for several years (I'm not following any blogs now). But I had no idea what any of the others looked like. I had sort of pictured Robin as looking like a woman I go to church with, but she is very different.

Social Distancing

I'm pretty good at this, but I do need some interaction with other people. We haven't gone anywhere for several days. I haven't gotten as much knitting done as I should have though. I guess phone and internet make socialization easier than it was years ago.

The little great grandkids are home from school until the end of the month (at least). I think the teachers spent last weekend putting together packets of work to keep them busy during that time. Lexi came home for spring break and thought she was going back to do online classes from the dorm for two weeks and then back to normal. However, UK decided to do online classes for the rest of the spring semester, and to close the dorms. Now they will need to go back to Lexington to get her stuff out of her room. At least now she can help with the little ones. She'll probably have less trouble with the common core math that Stephen's mother. It's a foreign language to those of us over a certain age.

Alyssa is adamant that I need to stay home. I think she's going to buy a couple of things Dominic and I need and have Lexi drop them off to us when she comes this way to visit her grandparents tomorrow. (They're only 12 miles from me instead of the 38 Alyssa is.)

I just updated my 'cast of characters' for the kids' current ages. Actually Lexi won't be 19 until June, but I don't feel like going back to change it. She voted in the Illinois primary yesterday - first time. I guess that makes her an adult now. And Devin is now driving!

Again, brother Jim has reminded me that I've neglected my blog for almost two months.

I'm doing quite a bit better in getting around, but not walking without a walker yet.  Getting into and out of the car is fairly easy now, but I don't feel up to driving. I probably could, but that's one of the reasons Dominic is here. He does a lot of other things for me, as well, including emptying the container that I empty my colostomy bag into, and emptying the pot of my bedside commode - not pleasant tasks.

I spend a fair amoumt of time knitting. Two weeks ago, we delivered 14 hats to the local school for whoever needs them and several shawls to the church to be blessed and given as prayer/comfort shawls. I also waste a lot of time on the computer, mostly playing solitaire.

I was discharged from home health in December and from Wound Care about the same time. I've had a couple of other follow-up doctor's appointments and have another one scheduled in May with the kidney doctor.

I was able to weave at the Walk Through Bethlehem in December. Carmen was there again this year as the vendor, and I told people that Dominic was my slave - that seemed appropriate.