I know I've been MIA. I apologize. I guess I'm feeling like I'm not very dependable. The last month has been stressful for me. I had been having some symptoms of things not quite being right. Mentioning them to my dr. about 6 months ago, she kinda blew me off. Then another symptom happened, and I got right in for an appointment since this latest symptom isn't really normal for a post-menopausal woman. That appointment led to a gyn appointment, which then led to an oncology gyn appointment. Pre-cancerous cells were found. The dr. explained that "pre-cancer" and "stage 1 cancer" aren't that far apart..... The surgery was scheduled but it would take 3 weeks. Pre-op prep was not going to be fun, and I spent all day Sunday between bed and the bathroom....
We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am on Monday. We live just over an hour and a half from the hospital. That meant we had to arise at 2:45 am, leave by 3:45 to get there on time. We had to include pit stops for me in case....
We got there, waited around a bit, and then were all in a group, led upstairs to the pre-surgery center. I started to get slightly panicked but my DH was there with me all the way, keeping me calm. I knew he would have a long wait so felt bad for him too.
The pre-surgery parts are scary for me, but once I was asleep, I had no idea what was going on - and I didn't want to either.
Waking up was no fun. It was extremely painful. The nurse was male, and he was speaking really loudly to me, but very quietly to the lady next to me. I felt badly for all the noise I was making (I'm a moaner) but I just couldn't help it.
I was sent to the "short stay" ward. OMG, this was the worst hospital experience I ever had. I was in a lot of pain, I had to keep calling for assistance, I was tethered to the bed by the cuffs on my legs to keep from getting blood clots, by the catheter (ick) and by the IV. My hand was killing me with the IV in it. My belly was sore. But the worst pain was coming from the gas they had blown up my insides with. They gotta move all the other organs out of the way. OMG. It was insane. I was so distended. Then, as the anesthesia wore off, my right shoulder (yes, shoulder) was killing me. I thought someone had broken my shoulder or collarbone. I was in terrible pain. Nothing helped it. Not the meds, not walking, not anything. It continued to get worse and worse. The nurse didn't know what else to do with me. I did not sleep - not one wink during the night. That didn't help my mood any!
I was so grateful the next day when the drs started showing up. They said there are nerves near the diaphragm that also affect the right shoulder. Well, with all of my organs being out of place from the gas, I guess I was one of the "lucky" ones that got to have a LOT of pain from this side affect. OUCH! I could not wait to get out of there and called my DH and asked him to be there by noon. I was dressed and ready to get the heck out of there. I won't go into the details of the mess I think that ward is in. It was just awful tho.
I was much better being home. I slept really hard the first night. Drugs are great for that. So was my exhaustion. But then came the next couple of days. The gas was still causing me issues. I was still exhausted. My belly tender.
Yesterday, Friday, my darling daughter and grand daughter came to visit. It was SO great seeing them. The sad part was, I couldn't hold my grand daughter - can't pick up anything over 10 lbs and actually anything under that feels heavy too. The baby wanted to come to me so badly, and believe me when I say, it was next to impossible not to give in to her. Luckily, DH was around (although had lots of work to do) and he spent a good amount of time interacting with Baby. And she soaked it up too! :-)
It was so great to have my family around me. Thank you Dear Daughter and Dear Granddaughter and Dear Husband for being there for me this week. I love you all dearly.
I have some photos but will save them for another day. I get to go out today for a ride to the library. If I'm feeling up to it, and DH wants to, I'm hoping to go from town, to the city, to Panera. They have a new bread out and I wanna try it. :-)
I will be getting a few crafting things together to try to get some things done. I don't think I'll be weaving for at least a couple of weeks. I don't want to strain anything. But I can sew, and do a few other easy things.
I'm back, and will try to get back to blogging more often again.
Always,
Martha
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Bit of a rant about animals, and other things........
This is a bit of a rant to begin with so if you don't want to read a random rant, then move forward to the other things.
We just got back from town. While we were out, a pickup truck drove by us, with a beautiful, huge yellow Lab in the bed of the truck. The lab was standing, and kept really good balance. It really bothers me that people put their dogs in the back of their trucks. I know, I live in the country and people have been doing it forever. It's hot today. Pickup beds are hot when it's hot outside. I don't care if they are metal or have a spray interior or a bed liner - unless there is an old blanket or something for the dog to stand on that isn't hot, it's NOT FAIR to the dogs! Geesh. I'd like to take every driver I see who has a dog in the back of the pickup, and make them take their shoes off, and have them stand barefoot on the bed, and then drive around and have them stand there without holding on. They HAVE to stand - can't sit. They HAVE to deal even at 60 mph. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I hate seeing animals treated badly. It just really bothers me!
There is a farm on the way to town that has this really small pen, with two very large pigs in it. I mean, this pen is small - I could probably stand in it and take maybe 10 steps width-wise, and probably about 15 lengthwise. Those poor pigs don't have hardly any room to move.
Along the same lines, there are some people that have small parcels of land on our way to the city - (we went to the city yesterday), and they have decided they want horses. They put up a fence and put 2 horses out. Ok, well, they have probably 1/2 acre - if it's any more I'd be amazed. Two horses, on about a half acre, no shelter for shade or from storms, no hay. The grass is eaten down to nothing, poop everywhere - no one picks up the poop. So I KNOW animal control has to be driving by this property and they don't stop and try to educate the people???? I mean seriously - do we have to wait till the horses look starved before trying to do something for them?
Ok, rant over.....................
Weaving: I have a new warp on the Leclerc loom. I wound too much (math is NOT my strong point) so I have saved some of the warp and will use it in another project. I'm working with 5/2 cotton, dark blue. I'm going to make a blanket for myself. I would like to get it done before my hospital stay. Just something to work toward and keep me busy. Anyway, I also messed up - missed one slot in the reed. I thought I was SO careful checking it! Grrrrr...... I also broke a thread while winding on. Not quite sure but I think it was a weak point in the thread, and instead of fixing it when I was winding the warp on, I let it go. That'll teach me! So now I have to go back and fix that thread. Sigh. The good thing is, I had a couple of extra threads at the end, so I should have a thread the correct length to hang off the back of the loom and make it work.
On another note, I got some butterfly photos today. When we drove in from the trip to town, DH pointed out that there were butterflies on the butterfly bush. They were different than I usually see out there - usually we have the black with yellow or blue, and the yellow with black. These are different and OH so beautiful. I was lucky - I ran in the house, got the camera, and got out there to get some GREAT photos. I was afraid they might not come out so good, but they did! Yay!
See! Very pretty little butterfly. Good pics too! lol
Well, for some reason, I'm having issues with photos uploading correctly, so I'm not going to try to put up anymore.
It's hot and humid today, rains are coming this week from 2 storms, so I'll be hunkering down and weaving I hope! I have no plans at this point in time and hope I can stay home at least one day.
Quiet Labor Day for us - as is every holiday because we don't go anywhere, don't go on vacation, and don't get invited anywhere. We also don't invite others because we know no one wants to deal with the traffic. So quiet is ok!
Have an enjoyable week.
We just got back from town. While we were out, a pickup truck drove by us, with a beautiful, huge yellow Lab in the bed of the truck. The lab was standing, and kept really good balance. It really bothers me that people put their dogs in the back of their trucks. I know, I live in the country and people have been doing it forever. It's hot today. Pickup beds are hot when it's hot outside. I don't care if they are metal or have a spray interior or a bed liner - unless there is an old blanket or something for the dog to stand on that isn't hot, it's NOT FAIR to the dogs! Geesh. I'd like to take every driver I see who has a dog in the back of the pickup, and make them take their shoes off, and have them stand barefoot on the bed, and then drive around and have them stand there without holding on. They HAVE to stand - can't sit. They HAVE to deal even at 60 mph. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I hate seeing animals treated badly. It just really bothers me!
There is a farm on the way to town that has this really small pen, with two very large pigs in it. I mean, this pen is small - I could probably stand in it and take maybe 10 steps width-wise, and probably about 15 lengthwise. Those poor pigs don't have hardly any room to move.
Along the same lines, there are some people that have small parcels of land on our way to the city - (we went to the city yesterday), and they have decided they want horses. They put up a fence and put 2 horses out. Ok, well, they have probably 1/2 acre - if it's any more I'd be amazed. Two horses, on about a half acre, no shelter for shade or from storms, no hay. The grass is eaten down to nothing, poop everywhere - no one picks up the poop. So I KNOW animal control has to be driving by this property and they don't stop and try to educate the people???? I mean seriously - do we have to wait till the horses look starved before trying to do something for them?
Ok, rant over.....................
Weaving: I have a new warp on the Leclerc loom. I wound too much (math is NOT my strong point) so I have saved some of the warp and will use it in another project. I'm working with 5/2 cotton, dark blue. I'm going to make a blanket for myself. I would like to get it done before my hospital stay. Just something to work toward and keep me busy. Anyway, I also messed up - missed one slot in the reed. I thought I was SO careful checking it! Grrrrr...... I also broke a thread while winding on. Not quite sure but I think it was a weak point in the thread, and instead of fixing it when I was winding the warp on, I let it go. That'll teach me! So now I have to go back and fix that thread. Sigh. The good thing is, I had a couple of extra threads at the end, so I should have a thread the correct length to hang off the back of the loom and make it work.
On another note, I got some butterfly photos today. When we drove in from the trip to town, DH pointed out that there were butterflies on the butterfly bush. They were different than I usually see out there - usually we have the black with yellow or blue, and the yellow with black. These are different and OH so beautiful. I was lucky - I ran in the house, got the camera, and got out there to get some GREAT photos. I was afraid they might not come out so good, but they did! Yay!
See! Very pretty little butterfly. Good pics too! lol
Well, for some reason, I'm having issues with photos uploading correctly, so I'm not going to try to put up anymore.
It's hot and humid today, rains are coming this week from 2 storms, so I'll be hunkering down and weaving I hope! I have no plans at this point in time and hope I can stay home at least one day.
Quiet Labor Day for us - as is every holiday because we don't go anywhere, don't go on vacation, and don't get invited anywhere. We also don't invite others because we know no one wants to deal with the traffic. So quiet is ok!
Have an enjoyable week.
Friday, September 2, 2011
I've been MIA
There has been a lot going on in my life. I have a surgery planned for 12 Sept. I'm not going into detail, but let's just say, I hope that when it's all said and done, everything will be A.O.K.
I have been messing around with weaving but not really being gung-ho about it. I did get this little gem done on the new-to-me Baby Wolf (BW for short from now on).
This is my first mobius cowl scarf. It didn't turn out quite like it was supposed to, but I do like how it turned out. This is one way to wear it.
This is another way to wear it
And this is another view so that you can see the variations in the weaving.
The BW had the treadles already tied up, so when I started weaving, I decided to do plain weave most of the way thru, but I also wanted to throw in some interest in the pattern. I decided to just play around with the treadling on the other tie ups and see what I got. It was fun, and it adds some dimension to the plain weave.
I have never worked with Rayon Chenille before. I don't know that I'll work with it again. I have some left and it may be mixed in with some other yarns at some point, but I don't really know how it'll turn out if I do that.
This is very soft after washing and drying. I had really long fringe on it but after washing and drying, the fringe had tangled with each other and it was a mess. So I sat for another 2 hours and untangled and cut and shortened and tied off again. Now the fringe is very short as you can see in photo number 2.
The color is lovely. I can't wait for it to get cooler out (yes, I like cooler weather) and I can start wearing it.
I have wound a warp 25" wide in dark blue 5/2 cotton. I will be making a blanket for myself using various yarns, all in blues. I haven't quite decided if I'll use all sizes, or if I'll just use 5/2 and/or possibly 8/2. I have some variegated 8/2 but I don't think it's enough for the blanket, so I will see how it works out. I think I can mix and match but then the width will change during the weaving and I'm not quite sure I want to do that. I don't plan ahead sometimes and I have to play around to see what will turn out best. Hey, I"m a beginner and I am allowed to play - no one is paying me to do it a certain way! :-)
This is labor day weekend, and we don't do anything special. We don't want to get on the interstate (hey, it's a zoo) and we never get invited anywhere. I miss my grand baby (and yes, my baby too) but we just can't handle the traffic.
I've been having some issues with really high anxiety (over this upcoming surgery) and I've been trying to work with that. Patience is short, and DH is trying his best to deal with me.
I hope to get some weaving done this week, because once I have the surgery, I'm not sure how long it'll be till I can get back to it. Hopefully only a few weeks. If I'm smart, I'll have a couple of warps wound, and put up, so I can play around right away when I'm able. Meantime, I plan on doing some sewing, and I have to do some horse beads which I haven't done in forever. I can do that while just sitting and recuperating.
That's about it for me. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and has lots of fun. I may, or may not, be back before the surgery. Depends on my mood.....
Weavin Happy
Martha
I have been messing around with weaving but not really being gung-ho about it. I did get this little gem done on the new-to-me Baby Wolf (BW for short from now on).
The BW had the treadles already tied up, so when I started weaving, I decided to do plain weave most of the way thru, but I also wanted to throw in some interest in the pattern. I decided to just play around with the treadling on the other tie ups and see what I got. It was fun, and it adds some dimension to the plain weave.
I have never worked with Rayon Chenille before. I don't know that I'll work with it again. I have some left and it may be mixed in with some other yarns at some point, but I don't really know how it'll turn out if I do that.
This is very soft after washing and drying. I had really long fringe on it but after washing and drying, the fringe had tangled with each other and it was a mess. So I sat for another 2 hours and untangled and cut and shortened and tied off again. Now the fringe is very short as you can see in photo number 2.
The color is lovely. I can't wait for it to get cooler out (yes, I like cooler weather) and I can start wearing it.
I have wound a warp 25" wide in dark blue 5/2 cotton. I will be making a blanket for myself using various yarns, all in blues. I haven't quite decided if I'll use all sizes, or if I'll just use 5/2 and/or possibly 8/2. I have some variegated 8/2 but I don't think it's enough for the blanket, so I will see how it works out. I think I can mix and match but then the width will change during the weaving and I'm not quite sure I want to do that. I don't plan ahead sometimes and I have to play around to see what will turn out best. Hey, I"m a beginner and I am allowed to play - no one is paying me to do it a certain way! :-)
This is labor day weekend, and we don't do anything special. We don't want to get on the interstate (hey, it's a zoo) and we never get invited anywhere. I miss my grand baby (and yes, my baby too) but we just can't handle the traffic.
I've been having some issues with really high anxiety (over this upcoming surgery) and I've been trying to work with that. Patience is short, and DH is trying his best to deal with me.
I hope to get some weaving done this week, because once I have the surgery, I'm not sure how long it'll be till I can get back to it. Hopefully only a few weeks. If I'm smart, I'll have a couple of warps wound, and put up, so I can play around right away when I'm able. Meantime, I plan on doing some sewing, and I have to do some horse beads which I haven't done in forever. I can do that while just sitting and recuperating.
That's about it for me. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and has lots of fun. I may, or may not, be back before the surgery. Depends on my mood.....
Weavin Happy
Martha
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)