Be back soon....

I've spent the last couple of days literally sleeping... Until things are a bit better (hopefully on Wednesday I will find out something)... there won't be much to post.

C'ya Thursday....grin

Monitors, Dopplers and Yarn

First, we went to the doctor yesterday. DH went into the exam room with me and the discussion and exam ensued. I feel like for the first time since the stent placement in October he is taking it seriously. Today will be a trip to Denison for the 24 hour heart monitor...again. Then another trip next Wednesday for another doppler of the carotids. In the meantime, I guess the trip to Stonewall is off until after next Wednesday. Bah...

On to other things... Since I took up naalbinding, I have wanted to have some homespun to work with. Naalbinding needs just a bit of felting to close the stitches. Now you know why I took up spinning...grin

Just before we left to go the Steve's graduation, I took the blue spun yarn off the holder and tied it, soaked in warm water and hung it over the bathtub spout and left it to hang dry until we returned. When we got home I rolled it into a small ball and found that the places where it was spun very tightly did not hang loose... now that tight twist continues to want to twist back on itself. I wonder if I there is any way to save this yarn, as it did not work well when I tried it to see what it would do.....

SRF Quilt, Rocking Chair Pincushion & Whine

I have been working most evenings and some during the day on the Split Rail Fence quilt. I began putting the binding on...wow... but there was a snag... update on the Fabric Follies Two site....

While we were in Stonewall at Wildflowers & Rosie, I found this wonderful little Rocking Chair Pincushion. It stands 7 1/4 inches high and I first thought what a wonderful little artifact this would make for me to paint.. something like this egg... I like the drawer... And the color of the rose on the needle book Tomomi made for me just matches the color of the pincushion fabric. So, I haven't decided whether to paint it or not... Any suggestions?

Our trip back to Stonewall may have to be postponed. Monday I had to cancel my physical therapy appt. because of "an event" with heart or whatever... (they keep telling me it's not my heart)... so I went to physical therapy yesterday morning.. bright and early at 9am... and 1 minute into therapy the same thing happened again... the physical therapist immediately called the doctor and an appointment has been made to see him this afternoon. I can have no more physical therapy for my shoulder until whatever this is has been resolved... sigh

Stonewall, OK ... 55 Years Later

On our Saturday trip back home from Steven's graduation, we stopped in a small town where Mom, Dad, my brother and I had lived when I was 4 or 5 years old. Over the years that followed, Stonewall, OK was where Dad would take my brother and I to the movie.. or as we called it.. the "picture show". It was where we would go with Grandma to the "laundry" that always smelled of hot soapy water and bleach... where we were constantly warned of the hazards of getting our hand too close to the "wringers". As this was before the days of air conditioning, the general store where Grandma bought her fabric ... or "material"... needles, thread.... was always hot and dark, with a bit of musty smell and the whirring sound of the ceiling fans swooshing was audible above the sounds of customers. My grandmother's father and my grandfather's brother both lived in Stonewall and we would often stop by to visit whenever we were in town. Such treats... such memories...

55 years later... Every store on the main street is boarded up except perhaps two or three ... there was only one motorcycle sitting on the road across the street from where we parked. There was no one walking up and down the street. The "picture show" has been torn down.

I was surprised... a little sad... but strange as it may seem, I also felt at home. What lovely memories... but there's more...

One of the shops still open in Stonewall, OK is a wonderful little shop called Wildflowers & Rosie. More on this after our return visit on Thursday.

to be continued....

Graduation

Graduation in this small Oklahoma town was outdoors and informal, but very endearing. Notice the graduating guy has a National Honor Society collar... so very proud of him. It seems you only get to say hello, take a few pictures and then they are gone..grin.. with nothing quite as important as that after graduation party..!! That rite of passage into new adulthood.

Congratulations, Steven.

8 Things About Me

8 Things You May Not Know About Me:

1. I cannot sleep (or even lie on the sofa) without some kind of cover. I may have both feet stuck out, arms out, ceiling fan on, air conditioner set at 50 degrees... whatever it takes... but there must be cover.

2. My feet continually grow... I know... I once wore a size 6 1/2 shoe... now it's an 8... I can only hope it does not continue. (They say it is also that way with noses.... pray it isn't so!)

3. I have forgotten the original color of my hair. Which doesn't really matter, since almost all of it is now white .. (sounds better than gray) !

4. My brain travels much faster than I can finish projects. My list of UFOs grows as we speak. If I find something that intrigues me, I feel almost compelled to at least try it... right now. I wish I had the same compunction when it comes to finishing things.

5. I think it is a shame to allow the handwork and trades of history to disappear. Today most forms of handwork are making a come back after several years of being looked at as "grandma's" thing. If we look back far enough, we find that the naalbinding, card weaving, embroideries of times as far back as the Viking era are in some ways superior to what we have today. And they were the Barbarians!?? I think the more we study their histories and trades, the more appreciation we have of the true abilities and ingenuity. I laugh when I think about what the archeologists will think of our society as they dig it out the ground in 1000 years.

6. I don't like to clean out the refrigerator. I do it... but I don't like to do it..

7. I miss the days of letter writing. Don't get me wrong... I like the immediacy of e-mail, but I miss those personal letters that arrive sort of out of the blue... the joy of opening it and wondering what's up... and then being able to read it again, holding it in your hand, 5 years later and comparing what's happened in the elapsed time.. I wonder how many children of 18 years old today have actually received a real letter (as opposed to a birthday card, etc.).

8. I love to read. The pic is of me on the train to Chicago... going to visit our son Phil. (Ignore the no make-up part...please...) It seems to be almost a sacrilege to part with a book after reading it. Which is one reason I will almost always buy a book before going to the library. I have been known to have as many as a couple of thousand books at one time... all read by me... usually read at least twice and if I really liked it, 3 or 4 times. It's a sickness... I know... grin

Edit: DH pointed out to me that putting a full face pic on the net is not always a good idea, so that one is removed ... and a new one put in it's place...

Here is the part where I am supposed to tag 8 more online friends... but since there are not that many that I converse with often, I will only tag 3...

Corina of PatchScrap

~firefly of I live on a farm..

Mariella of Knitting Nonni

Lovely Mother's Day

We didn't do much on Mother's Day. Babysitting with the grand dog, Brigit. Worked on my Split Rail Fence (coming along nicely) and spent a long while searching the net for woodworking plans to build a spinning wheel.. (have a little great wheel spindle type plan, but was looking for a plan for one that is pedal driven)... Each of the children called to say Happy Mother's Day and that in itself is a gift.

Well, today will be the first trip for actual physical therapy on my right shoulder. This will a 3 times a week deal for at least a month. I'm not looking forward to it at all. Realizing PT is a good thing is not the same as actually doing it..lol Without Ibuprofen to keep the inflammation down, it is really much more sore and tender than it has ever been. Oh well... will be better soon...

Happy Mother's Day to All

"Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together." ~Pearl S. Buck

"The moment a child is born, a mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." ~Rajneesh

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." ~Tenneva Jordan

"The phrase 'working mother' is redundant." ~Jane Sellman

Happy Mother's Day!


And speaking of... I must brag a bit and show off. Since my birthday and Mother's Day are so close, my birthday/Mother's Day card came a few days ago from son John and DDIL Tomomi. Tucked inside the card was this lovely, perfect needle book. The stitching of the rose is so tiny it seems to be woven into the fabric. Click on the picture for a close up view...it's lovely.

Stormy Night

(This pic was taken last fall... I did not venture out last night to take any...grin)

The phone rang last night about 9pm... That in itself was unusual since we seldom get calls that late at night. When I answered, it took a bit for any response on the other end. I immediately thought it was another of those computerized soliciting calls that everyone hates. Then a voice came on and said something about it being a public notification system and that a tornado had been spotted close to Howe and everyone in the surrounding vicinity should take cover. Well... I must say that over the years I have gradually lost some of the instant panic that comes with seeing a cloud in the sky, but I don't think I will ever totally lose that sense of urgency when someone says anything about a tornado being spotted. Without any sense of personal control, I am instantly gathering up clothes, important pictures, jewelry, camera, radio..whatever I can carry to make the trip to the cellar.

We didn't have to go to the cellar, but the night was a busy one anyway. The elementary school at Southmayd...just down the road about 10 miles... lost the roof of their classroom and administration building. The weather person could not confirm that it was a tornado and said it was more likely to be straight wind damage...

Everything had past by about 10pm, so I went on to sleep. DH was still asleep at 7, so I went to wake him. It's unusual for him to sleep past 5:30 or 6. It seems that more storms built up around 3 and he was up until 5 watching them....

Children Bad for the Planet???

Wonder who paid for this study?

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21684156-5009760,00.html

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

I found this video and fell head over heels for it...

Hi, Patti.. (big wave)

DSIL was here yesterday and spent a pleasant afternoon. He brought "the Brigit" with him, so everyone was happy...grin. It was a surprise to learn they lost Angel (a 14 year old shih tzu) a couple of weeks ago. She has been a constant companion in their household for 12 of those 14 years and will be missed.

It was back to the doctor on Tuesday. I guess the knock about in the auto accident did something to my right shoulder. I've been taking Motrin 600mg for it every day and it has kept the worst of it at bay. Will start physical therapy next week and go back in a month...

DH has been at work again the shop. We have been in need of taller end tables ever since we bought the oversized recliners, but could never find any that would work for us. So last week he went out and (using some new cabinet doors that DSIL brought) built us some. He used an 18" ceramic tile for the tops and that is wonderful. I had no idea how wonderful that carefree surface would be! No more worrying about water spots, scratches, spills... terrific! The shelf inside is really handy for me to keep knitting needles, threads etc, handy but out of the way.

I will be painting these and perhaps do some folk art of some kind on them... depends on whether DH would like that or not. (I may do mine and then leave his as he wants it... can't decide how that would look yet..)