Another Fiber Week

Monday:

I rarely set the alarm clock, but I did for Monday. After taking a shower, dressing and having my toast and coffee, I left the house before 7:30. I had to stop at the hospital in Mayfield to have blood drawn for a protime test. A nurse from the Cancer Group called late that afternoon to say that the number was 1.9. They want it to be between 2 and 3, but that was close enough to take me off the Lovenox shots. She said I should take 5 mg of Coumadin Monday night and then go back to 2,5 mg. About five minutes later, she called back and said, "I did tell you that you can stop the Lovenox, didn't I?" I assured her that she did. Giving myself shots was not as bad as I had anticipated, but I'm glad to not need to do it any longer. Now I wonder how long it will take for the bruising caused by the 17 needles I did use to go away.

I continued to Murray to meet Mary C and ride with her to Cadiz for the Lake Area Fiber Arts group meeting at Jean's house. Since the stop at the hospital had gone so quickly, I had 45 minutes to wait - good knitting time!

An email was sent about two weeks ago saying that Jean would provide a main dish and the rest of us could bring whatever we wanted to fill out the menu. Some of the women missed that message, but we had plenty of food. Since I don't do much cooking now, I took a tray of several varieties each of cheese and olives.

This group also has a tradition of each person giving every other person a small gift at the December meeting. I came home with two jars of jelly, a quilted pot holder, a bar of handmade soap and a small packet of cookies and fudge. I gave Christmas balls with openwork knit covers in variegated yarns. About half of them were in a red/green/white colorway, but there were at least two other colorways as well.

Tuesday:

I left the house a little after 9 am and headed into Mayfield with several stops to make before going to the Ice House to see if any others from that fiber group would show up three days before Christmas.

• First was the electric company to pay my bill.
• Next to the women's shelter to donate four or five scarves and a hat to match one of them.
• Then came Bailey's Tire for an oil change, lube and check of the transmission fluid. Another good block of knitting time. After a while, Tim came over and said my back tires were in bad shape. I told him that I couldn't afford different ones at this time. He said he'd see if he could find a used one to replace the worst one. Later, another one of the men said my car was ready. As I followed him to the counter, he said there were two new-to-me tires on the back. When I asked how much I owed, he replied,"How about just Merry Christmas! it's been taken care of." My mouth dropped open and tears sprang to my eyes. To my, "But . . . " re responded, "Just pay it forward sometime." Does my charity knitting and weaving count as 'paying it forward'? We have probably all been on both the giving and the receiving end of things. I find the giving end more comfortable. In fact being too generous with my granddaughter is one of the main reasons for the 'hole' I'm currently in. But I've been in such holes two or three times before and have worked my way out; I'll work my way out of this as well. (But I digress.)
• Then to WalMart for one item. Melanie's husband asked me later how long it took to get that one item. I knew exactly where it was in the pharmacy/health care section of the store, so I picked it up and headed to the nearest express checkout lane. There was only one person in front of me - well, actually two people, but they were together.
• Next came the gas station to fill the car's gas tank.
• Then to Taco John's for one crispy taco. I was amused at the woman in front of me who asked for her order 'to go.' We were in the drive through - they assume we want our orders to go.
• Next was Stone's Drugs for a refill of my blood pressure medication.
• Then I drove by a curbside mailbox to drop in my phone/internet payment.
• I finally made it to the Ice House/Art Guild about 12:30.

Dana said that Jay had been there but left already. While we were talking, Melanie and her husband came in. They weren't staying because they were going to lunch. I had brought the rest of the ornaments and the rest of the cheese/olive tray. I had both Dana and Melanie take an ornament and gave out two others later to two of the Art Guild 'regulars' who dropped in. Dana and I both picked at some of the cheese and olives to supplement my taco and whatever she had brought for lunch.

I had come to the end of the ball of yarn I was working from while I was at Bailey's and discovered that I hadn't put in the other ball as I had meant to, so I was dead in the water as far as knitting goes. So I took a book from the Books and Bargains corner and started reading. About 2 o'clock, Dana asked if I was going to be there a bit longer. I said I was. She needed to work up a bank deposit, and feels more comfortable doing that when at least one of the regulars (those of us who are there frequently, whom she knows she can trust) is there. She worked up the deposit and took it to the bank. When she returned, she wrote me a check for my items in the gift shop that had sold since the last time she gave me such a check. I then deposited it in my bank and went home.

Wednesday:

I left home about 9:30 for my 10:30 oncology appointment. My first stop was Davis Drug to pick up my one Zofran pill. (Yes, I use two pharmacies. Prescriptions from my family doctor, whose office is in Mayfield, I get filled in Mayfield. Those from the oncologist, whose office is in Paducah, I get filled in Paducah. It makes sense to me.) The Zofran is for nausea connected with the ValCade they give me. Medicare will only let them dispense one Zofran tablet in any 24-hour period, so I have to get that pill each week before my treatment.

After that, I went to Market Square Coffee to meet other knitters. We had decided last week that we'd bring 'noshes' to snack on. I had refilled my cheese/olive tray (I was glad for the overcast so the car interior stayed cool), and also took the ornaments. There was one ornament left at the end of the day, and I left it on the table. The 'noshes' were my lunch and I ate so much that I didn't eat any dinner. It was already dusk before I left the shop, and completely dark by the time I got home.

So I've had three busy days, and now am looking forward to at least three non-busy days.