fiddlestix

I don't know what happened.  I was writing along and apparently hit a wrong key and everything I wrote including the picture disappeared. 

I'm being nagged to update this so I'm trying.  So much has happened  that I don't know where to start.  Richard is still in the Alz unit at the nursing home and seems to be content.  I don't think he knows where he is but he also doesn't know where he isn't and thats ok.  He's always glad to see me, knows who the kids and I are and yet is ok when we leave. 

Kacie and Jimmy and Carter got married. He had a good time at the wedding then took a 3 hour nap.

Kaila, my grand-daughter had a baby girl, Sophia who is just darling.  Her grandfather, our son Bryan fell head over heels in love the minute he saw her.  It was cute.  Sophie is a month old now. wow, time flies.

Amanda and Shag are getting divorced and that makes me sad but things happen--or don't happen.

I'm doing quite a bit of knitting but I haven't been taking pictures.  I'll work on that.

We've been snowed in for 3 days now, guess I'll go to work tomorrow, or at least try.  After breaking my leg two years ago, I'm so afraid of falling and breaking something else. 

Ok that's it.  Thanks for stopping by.  toodles....Anita

oh my gosh!

Hi I'm still here and going to try to get back in the swing of writing in this thing.  Life is just really really busy but I need to catch you up. 

How lucky can a girl get?

There is no better day to have your birthday than on Friday the 13th.  Especially when it's the only one in the whole year!  I woke up this morning and thought "today is the first day of the rest of my life" come what may.  I was treated to breakfast at Jimmy's Egg, I went to work late (I don't know why I bothered) left after two hours and met Sally and Amanda for lunch--at Red Lobster!  Had a pedicure and a haircut (not at the same place).  Had lots of HB-days on Facebook, ate RL leftovers for supper and now I'm relaxing.  I began the projects on my LIST --it's kind of a pre-bucket list dealing with house repair so I can make some decisions about where I'm going to live, and just feel really good about the day.  Tomorrow, I'll get to spend time with Ellie and Holly--we share birthdays in August and have celebrated together for years, and then knit with friends!  Yep, life is  good--something I never thought I'd say again.  I know this is an odd picture to go with this post but I took that in the Yukon 3 years ago and I've always liked it.  So there!   that's it for now....

Reading and....

If you haven't read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, you should.  It's really good but it's also quite disturbing.  I'm listening to an audio version and I've got to tell you that I'm overwhelmed.  I love it. 

I don't know why I turn on the tv, there's really nothing to watch.

I think I'm caught in one of those hamster wheels running in circles.  I don't want to go to work, I don't want to stay home.  When I'm at work I keep thinking of all the stuff I need to do when I get home and when I get here all I want to do is sleep.  The houe is a mess.  Not a disaser but a mess.  I'm not tripping over trash or anything like that. I still can't see the top of my dining table but it's getting closer.  Life has just been such chaos since the day Richard ran away and the events following that defining moment.  Sometimes I wonder if there's a parallel universe and people are watching me on tv?!  I'm tired and grieving I guess.  I probably should go for some grief counseling. 

Ever since I broke my leg last year and spent 4 months in 1. a cast, 2. a boot, and 3. a splint my other knee and leg have hurts like crazy.  The cast, boot and splint mad walking a very uneven process and that's when it started and it just hasn't ever gone away.  Odd but quite uncomfortable. 

Let's see if I can think of anything else to complain about?  nope that's it for now! 

Talents I didn't know

I just discovered that I am "bi-stitchual".  Is that not the coolest thing.  I didn't even knbow this word existed.  It means I can knit and crochet both.  That's like being double-jointed which I am that too, but I was born that way and I had to learn how to be bistitchual. 

I like to make up new words.  For example lupper is when you have a meal in the middle of the afternoon instead of lunch and supper.  Lupper.  One can eat only two meals a day if they have brunch and lupper instead of breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Oddly enough I can't think of other words I've made up.  I suspect that I use them often enough that they no longer seem made up to me!  I know there's a web site where you can see new words made up by other people but I've lost it.  If anyone knows what it is let me know.  It was really fun to read. 

Still knitting on "Spring is in the Air".  I've got to pay better attention to my pattern.  I leave out yo's or drop stitches and have to tink back and re-knit.  I guess I've only been working on it for about a month but it seems like forever. 

And doing a little wedding planning.  They're doing most of their own planning but I get to help a little bit.

What's so funny?

I spend a lot of time looking for things funny.  Yes I said "things funny" not "funny things" cause I think there is a big difference.  I think I got this idea from George Carlin who pointed out really funny things about something that weren't obvious.  Such as "always do whatever's next" or "what does it mean to pre-board? do you get on before you get on?".  Just google George Carlin and you'll find lots of these.  Laughter is very important in life, it creates endorphins (I tend to think of them as tiny critters running around my brain tickling me), relieves pain, makes your face look better--all kinds of things.  But when circumstances are very sad (like a loved one with Alzheimer's) it becomes difficult to laugh.  So that's why I say to my self "self, you've got to find something funny today or create it if you can't find it". 

And that's how I got this story:  Richard now lives in a locked memory care unit in a nursing home.  It's sort of like he died but not quite.  He's never coming home again and the house can feel it and I definitely can.  Going to visit him is hard because I'm so sad when I leave but recently I became aware of this and it amuses me every time I go.   He has a roommate Vernon (whose name has been changed to protect the innocent) and neither of these men can remember each other.  They've lived together for a month now but each time upon entering the room Vernon introduces himself to Rich.  They shake hands and the next time they do it again!  It is really funny especially since I've witnessed it several times now.  When he leaves the room Rich will look at me with a confused expression and I'll say "do you know him" and he'll say "no, I've never seen him".  A couple times, I've gone in and Vernon will be sleeping and Rich will be standing beside the bed, hands clasped behind his back leaning forward slightly watching him sleep.  That one I can't figure out.  If Vernon were to wake up suddenly it would probably scare him half to death!  He'll come in the room and see me and say "oh excuse me I thought this was my room"  I'll say "it is come on in" and he'll say "I'll just go ask them where it is".  I've heard tales of Richard going into other's rooms  and they all do it.  Everytime we go to visit Rich spreads his arms wide, looks surprised, and says HI!  like he hasn't seen us in years instead of a couple days.  That kind of joy is hard to resist.  It's nice to be loved.   toodles.....Anita

just out of my mind...

Today I was driving down I-235 and a car getting on just barged over into my lane--not staying in her own lane at all and not looking.  If I hadn't been watching carefully, I would have hit her.  I slammed on the brakes and hit the horn and she flipped me off!!!  I couldn't believe it--she  cut me off nearly caused a wreck and blamed me!!  I swear.

Well guys are finally coming by to look at my roof.  That terrible hail storm we had in May totaled my roof which was only 3 months old. All the roofers have been so busy that they are just now making it by to give me estimates.  I have to get new siding too.  I really could use some down time.  My brain is exhausted with all the thnking and decision making I have to do these days. 

Rich seems to have settled in pretty well-did I already tell you that?  He's always happy to see me but it's okay when I leave too.  Sad...the long slow death. 

I'm knitting a "Spring is in the Air" shawlette.  It's crescent shaped, I like those better than triangles.  I'm using pink Lorna's Laces sock yarn and clear beads with a pink cast.  It's really going to be pretty and I'm enjoying the project too.  I'm really hooked on lace and the beads just add so much.

Did I mention that Kacie and Jimmy are getting married? In October.  I'm glad for them. 

I'm reading "Skein of the Crime" by Maggie Sefton.  It's okay, very light.  Her first few books weren't all that good but it's a knitting mystery and it fills a niche.  She's getting much better--has progressed to hardbacks from the paperbacks.  Monica Ferris also writes a needlework series and I really like her.  So many books, so little time.  I'm listening to James Pattrerson in  the car and I've got Debbie Macomber waiting on me.  Also Earlene Fowler, Carolyn Hart, and Susan Wittig Albert.   Like I said....

Well just thought I'd ramble on a bit, pretty quiet around here, stay tuned.....toodles, Anita