X-Post: Aunt Rose

This has been the strangest of days so far. Got up to realize the cell phones were dead because the payment had not gone through because of the McAfee problem from a while ago. Luckily it was handled in relative time and speed; i.e. it was handled relatively quickly and semi-painlessly. Then, while I was just beginning breakfast I received a call from Sister1 who had bad news: One of my favorite aunts had passed away last night.

Back in the mountains family is the center of everything. You know your lineage and you keep in touch with as many people as possible if you move away. When I was young and oh so very sick, there were just some truly special people who made life feel more normal because they treated me as a normal child even though I realized I wasn’t just like everyone else – everyone else got to go to school and play games outside, run, and didn’t have to go to the hospital all the time with high fevers and didn’t have near death experiences.

My Aunt Rose was one of those people who made life “normal” or at least treated me normally. I wasn’t the family kid who was constantly sick; I was just me. Aunt Rose married my Uncle Ova and they were in existence long before I was born so I never knew anything different than Uncle Ova and Aunt Rose together. When he passed away it felt as if things had changed forever in the fabric of my reality because he was one of those people you always expected to live forever because he had that huge love of life very few people exude any more. Aunt Rose was a very special woman to keep up with him.

Of course, they had the perfect children to keep up with them. Two girls. One athletic and one just the sweetest, dearest person you could ever meet. Both of them were my best friends while growing up, and except for Boon-Boon and his family, my only friends. They helped me understand what being a “real girl” was like. Their acceptance of me actually gave me confidence to go through life because if they accepted me, other “real” people would as well.

When you lose your Mom, a part of you forever is lost and you feel it down to the very depths and core of your soul. My heart goes out to them. I want to be there for them. I need to be there for them.

Why wouldn’t I be there for them? Because my husband is very protective of me at the moment, and the migraines can come at the drop of a hat and I’m not supposed to get over exerted or exhausted to make sure they stay as far away as possible.

I love my Aunt Rose so much.

A Lot of 'Splaining To Do

Hello all, I am back again. I am also knitting some again. Thank goodness!

OK – so let me ‘splain.

On April 6 I took a nice ambulance ride to a local hospital emergency room. I had all of the symptoms and signs of a stroke: my left side was weak, numb, and unresponsive. I was in the hospital for seven days and six nights. The upshot of this was that no, I had not had a stroke, but I had had a rare migraine that is essentially a body migraine (the name is very long and I don’t know its correct spelling yet).

A neurosurgeon said there was a bone spur on a part of my spine that was putting pressure on my spinal column and could be causing my migraines. He said operating wasn’t currently in my future because it would be extremely tricky because of my medical problems with arthritis and osteoporosis. He also said that it could just be migraines but he wasn’t sure. The final conclusion was that the bone spur is putting pressure on my spinal column and could be causing these migraines and I need to keep a close eye on it, which means I now have a neurologist, which I see regularly beginning this Friday.

Since having the migraine my left side has slowly been returning to normal. My left arm and hand are almost back to normal, but my left leg isn’t quite. This means there is therapy in my future.

Since being home from the hospital I have had two migraines, just not the “body migraines”, thank goodness! I also had two pretty good ones while in the hospital. Also since being home from the hospital I have not worked because I have been weak as the proverbial kitten and am only just now getting caught up on rest and feeling normal.

Luckily, I have felt like knitting and nearly have a pair of fingerless mitts made for a friend of mine. Knitting and qi gong have helped me to start getting back to normal. Will post pictures of the mitts when they’re finished.

The Sun is Shining, I am Sick, and My Thoughts Turn to Knitting

I can't help but think sometimes that God lets us get sick so we can just take a few moments for ourselves and remember what is important and what helps us to be happy.

I am sick and have been for the past couple of days. It started off with a very upset stomach and is now in my head. I have had to take off a couple of days from work and sleep. This has helped more than anything I do believe. Tomorrow I will go back to the grind. But, today is for thoughts of knitting.

Not just any knitting of course, but possibly lace knitting!

I need project ideas. Any come to mind? I believe I'd like to do a scarf.

A New Challenge and a Hat!

Well, the husband never did get the yarn I wanted out of the "knitting room" for me, but a friend did, so there is a hat almost finished. The husband wants "ears" on the hat, which I am going to provide in my own special way, of course. The hat is quite interesting looking actually. It has a lot of room for hubby's dreads and is extremely warm. With the addition of "ears" the hat is going to be toasty warm.

Since the knitting mojo has returned, so has my curisoity about knitting in general. Part of this knitting curiosity has been pricked because of an episode of Knitting Daily TV on our local PBS station about Portuguese Knitting.

In this style of knitting the yarn goes on a knitting pin at your left shoulder or around your neck. The yarn is held differently but has less movement, which is making me thing that this way of knitting might be just a little faster than what I normally do - English style - of knitting.

Since I do have a hat almost completed I am not going to attempt it yet, but the next project is going to be done with the Portuguese style just to see if it is indeed faster and easier on my hands.

For reference and to let you know what I am talking about if you haven't seen the show, here is a video for the knit stitch as well as one for the purl stitch.


And the purl stitch....

Perfect Knitting Weather

This has been an odd week for yours truly. My right shoulder has been absolutely unhappy with me. Then, Thursday, I slid and injured my shoulder, which has not made me a happy person at all! There was a very loud *crack* and then lots of pain, plus a nice knot.

No, I didn't go to the doctor right away because there really isn't anything they could do for me, especially since I walk with my crutches underneath my arms due to my hands having set wrists already. So, in order to fix the shoulder I wouldn't be able to get up and move around or do anything independently. Plus, there wouldn't be any work for me. No work means no paycheck. This is simply unacceptable at the moment. Thankfully the knot has gone down and the pain is just a little better.

There was snow this weekend, up to five inches around my house and in Lexington. (This is a picture of the land snow we had: I just didn't feel up to grabbing a new picture just now.) Since knitting doesn't really take movement of the shoulder, I have begun the husband's newest hat.

Thanks to all of you with the suggestions! I actually held his hat ransom until there was yarn to work with! It made me feel all piratey. Arhhhh! Or, in this case.... Yarhnnnnn!

'Tis Finished!

My hat is finished! Everyone says it is very girlie, and I have to agree. Believe it or not, but I have gone through all of this winter without a good warm hat. Now, this has been corrected. I am a happy, warm headed knitter.

Now that this has been accomplished, when I am up to it, I'll begin working on Hubby's new hat. Plus, there are four other items of interest preparing to go on the needles. More about that later!

The First Knitting Project for 2010

I guess as with all things, we must take breaks from the things (and people) we love in order not to develop a dislike for them. It was this way for me with knitting. I took a break from it for several very long weeks of actually doing the craft; instead of knitting I read magazines and books, and watched Knitting Daily in re-runs, and just let the thoughts and ideas just stew somewhere deep in the psyche until it was ready for actual yarn and knitting needles.

So, here is the first knitting project for 2010, and, what else: it's a hat. However, instead of a hat for someone else it is a hat for me! What is even MORE spectacular about this project is that I am enjoying it!

It's wonderful to have yarn in my hands and the soft click of the needles as they work. It is just a simple one-one rib hat, but it just looks adorable in my head and will be so warm for my head once it is finished.

Of course, since I have begun knitting again, Hubby has declared he wants his new hat now. I was quite surprised when I heard myself say, "You'll get your new hat, but it is going to be after this one is finished. It didn't bother him. In fact, he smiled and said he also needed a hat for the summer since his really nice tam vanished at some store while he was shopping. Hubby truly loved that hat and it is going to take some time to actually find another sock yarn I want to knit and make him a new one.

How can you go wrong with that, though? Really. I mean, having to shop for yarn to knit something. It really is a win/win situation for both of us.