What. The. Fluff....

I mean, really. I refuse to ask "what now?" but I will say WHAT. THE. FLUFF...

Last week, at our women's group meeting, I said, "I'm sitting here and staying away from everyone, because I feel like I'm coming down with a cold."

By that Friday, I ended up at the urgent care. They said a vague "there's a crud going around, just watch so that you don't end up with pneumonia." Sent me home with OTC meds because apparently, some of the prescription stuff I'm on, they can't prescribe certain things. 

This past Sunday was our family's Thanksgiving. So Hubby made the turkey, I did the vegan stuffing, a soba noodle dish, and a vegan lemon cake. Oh, and we were planning home-made whipped cream (my sister adored Cool Whip - ugh - and the rest of us loved the stuff in the can). I had purchased a carton of heavy cream and didn't end up using it, so I figured we'd use our homemade vanilla and treat the fam to something interesting. 

But after the Friday appointment, I made the decision to stay home. I just didn't feel like it was a good idea to go. And when Kid #2 came over to do the spuds, I masked up and stayed away from everyone. I was hacking up a storm, but I had no fever, no chills, nothing. Oh, I was sore from the coughing, and lemme tell ya - a big honking cough with a 65-year old bladder? Yikes... 

Turns out it was a very good choice to stay home. Not because of Quinn, though I was worried about leaving her home alone for an extended period of time. Her potty calls are getting to be a bit more frequent, though she hasn't had any accidents in the house. 

On this past Tuesday, I went back to the doctor. I hadn't really slept since the Thursday-ish before because of the coughing. It wasn't getting better with the OTC stuff. And I had lost my voice. Cancelled my remaining PT appointments and pushed them back 10 days. 

Turns out, I have RSV.... Check here for what this is. The commercials you may have seen regarding either the babies or the elders -- they're not wrong. I am sick as the proverbial dog. Still no fever to speak of, the body aches are because I'm trying to sleep sitting up and I'm coughing like crazy. And what I have is considered "mild." 

It was a good call to not go, because we have a 6-month-old baby and my mom. There is a bright spot here... my mom and several friends, seeing how sick I am, have gone and gotten their RSV vaccine. 

They have me on an OTC med, tessalon pearls, a nasal spray and an inhaler now. The OTC med is ridiculously difficult to get open. I mean, I see the point, since the pills look like orange jelly beans. But I need scissors and basically a small knitting needle to get into the "tear here" portion of the package. 

This is supposed to be an expectorant and decongestant. Like in the Shrek movie, "Better out than in." The pearls make it so that you don't hurt when you cough. And the inhaler opens up the bronchials. No antibiotics - this is a virus. 

RSV is EXTREMELY contagious. Thankful for Hubby's wonky souped-up immune system. He's managed to not be seriously ill since he was in high school. I'm coughing into my elbow. Washing my hands. Staying kind of in my own area. We were supposed to have a small dinner on the "real" Thanksgiving, but I told everyone -- Hubby told everyone, since I can't talk much -- to stay home. 

I will be able to go to work next week, but I'm wearing a mask. My voice is still a little rocky, so I'll stay home from church, and I got a sub for my yoga classes; at this point, I can say a few words in a row, but that triggers coughing. 

And as soon as I can, I'm getting the blasted vaccine. I was waffling. See what good it did? I don't even know where I picked this up. But it sucks. And I'm over it. 

Thanksgiving... 

So everyone enjoyed everything and even ate the vegan dishes! Win-win! My mother has also decreed that "henceforth, we shall have home-made whipped cream," so I guess I need to buy 2 cartons for Christmas. 

The lemon cake was really pretty good. As Kid #2 puts it, there's no magic in vegan cooking - just using other ingredients. It was meant to be a layer cake, or a 13x9, but I did it in a Bundt pan. Not sure that I'd do that again. I have a nice 12" ring pan that might be better. 

The recipe had some erzatz "buttercream," but I'm told that if you use vegan butter and regular shortening, my own recipe for buttercream turns out just fine. Nonetheless, this one got a dusting of powdered sugar. Hubby managed to scrape together some whipped cream from the vultures... and so I had a slice of this with the whipped cream. It was really nice and moist. Good crumb. I would probably add more lemon zest in the batter. And I might try my own buttercream on this one, just vegan it up. 

The stuffing went well too. I did 4 kinds of bread: a French loaf, sourdough, pretzel bread and pita bread. Cut them up, dried them in the oven and then added all the veggies, dried cranberries, cut up a couple apples and tossed them in there. Leeks. Veggie broth and vegan butter. It was really pretty good. Just juicy enough, not soggy and not heavy. 

I asked The Kid about the "main" vegan dish, and ended up going with a soba noodle concoction with a Greek dressing. I diced up a butternut squash, roasted it along with mushrooms (white and mini bellas), shredded carrots, chopped spinach, and roasted red peppers. Tossed it with the noodles and the vegan Greek dressing. It was warm; but it could also be served cold or room temperature. You could also add beans to it, but I didn't this time. Funny enough, everyone ate some of it! 

We boiled the carcass with the veggies I stuffed inside of it (we don't stuff our bird). The fruit & veggies this year were: 1 lemon, 1 apple, 2 carrots, 4 celery stalks. Just cut 'em up and poke them into the cavity, and then the front end of the bird. The bird then gets a massage of olive oil, some salt & pepper, and rosemary under the skin and in the cavity. Roast it... 

So after we boiled the carcass and veggies, we plucked the bones clean, set that meat aside, and whizzed the broth. I made soup with thin egg noodles, and have been eating that all week. 

Seems like everyone liked everything, from the texts I got. And yes, they were appreciative that I kept my sick behind at home!

Reading...

I've been reading my usual mysteries, but I bought this actual book, Greg Louganis' autobiography entitled "Breaking the Surface." It's fascinating. And an easy read. I admired him during the Olympics, and now after reading this, I feel sad. Pick it up. You'll learn a lot. I was amazed, watching him compete, how a guy his size (I don't know - it was hard to judge, but he's not a small man like some of the Japanese divers) could rip into the water with nary a splash. Nobody does it like he did it. And he's still, in my opinion, the world's greatest diver. I don't think anyone has beaten his record of 4 golds in consecutive Olympics. 

I've been reading and going down the rabbit hole of YouTube, lots of Harry & Meghan videos. Though I did see the tiara that Katherine, Princess of Wales wore recently. I was so happy to see the Strathmore Rose tiara come out into the light of day. As I recall, this tiara was in contention for Meghan to wear, but once I saw her (not too well-tailored) wedding dress, I realized the tiara she wore actually matched it much better. 

Of course, Katherine could wear a sack and look good, but on this instance she was a real stunner... and the tiara was perfect. She's not suited to the bigger, bolder ones (except for the Cambridge Lover's Knot). Camilla can carry those big honkers off much better. The fact that this tiara was just kind of stuck in the vault for a century is kind of bonkers. But it suited her dress and her head. Here's some info on this little bauble..and also where I plucked this picture from, giving credit where credit is due. 

I do like the "flapper" version but I honestly don't think Kate could have carried that one off. The dress was too modern. It wouldn't have looked right. And if nothing else, she usually does try to make everything perfect. 

Knitting...

I'm also getting a lot of knitting done. The mindless Part 2 of the Bias Before & After scarf is coming along well. I'm really digging the "matcha latte" color. I think I've got about 31" or so. I can see the ball of yarn coming down, which is perfect. 

I really think this will be done if not in December, early in January, so I can block them both and still have enough of the cooler weather to wear them. Hopefully - they're calling for an El Nino winter and sometimes I feel like they don't even really know what that means. 

I kind of want to speed this along so that I can get to the beading. And I want to see how that updated provisional caston un-picks, considering that I really faffed up the one on the peacock scarf. It was just so clunky. 

After that, I may go back and finish the sock for the North-South-East-West pair to have them off my needles and in the sock rotation. And then I have to decide: The DROPS sweater? The black/brown Expression Fiber Arts shawl WIP? Start up the Long Sands? It's going to be tough. 

Oh, and an update from the Cascade Heritage Sock - the Petty Harbours that I finished? They washed up like a dream. Were so yummy to wear. And they didn't pill. Though I've only worn them once. So we'll see how they wear long-term. 

If nothing else, I'd buy a solid in that yarn and do the most warm and cuddly shawl. It would be awesome. 

Random Picture...

I was all set to give you an update on the ornaments, when I remembered I had already done that! Yikes. My brain... 

So instead, I reached back, WAYYYYYYYYYYY back, into the NAS and found this picture. 

It's St. Mary Lake, Goose Island in Glacier National Park. I can't even tell you how old this is. I am pretty sure I took this with my honest-to-God CAMERA, my Canon. 

This is one of my favorite spots in Glacier. We didn't go often enough. I'm hoping we will have time to go again. We haven't been back since my mother-in-law's funeral, and at that, we certainly didn't have time to go to the park. Being that it was in April, if I remember, the park wasn't open. It usually doesn't open till June. 

Now with the new hip, I'm in better shape to actually travel without being bound by the pain. Just have to figure out where we want to go. 

General Update...

We're hanging in there with Quinn. We can see changes; we know what's coming. Now, it's all in the timing. Not letting our hearts rule, but our heads. Or in the words of our vet, "Better a day early than a day late." She's moving slower. She's taking longer to eat. She can't get on the couch as easily as she used to. She's going out MANY times per day, and drinking a lot of water. She paces, and sometimes stares out into space. The lymph nodes are increasing in size and her stomach is a bit bloated - but rest assured, the poop factory is working well!

Hubby takes her for short walks, and she seems to enjoy them - when she's done, she turns him toward home and they come back. 

She's getting "reasonably" spoiled. I'm not about to totally toss all the food she'd like at her -- no sense cleaning it up when it comes back up. Quinn has always had a dicey tummy, and even though she might WANT to eat stuff, there is a lot she should NOT eat. She gets to lick out my yogurt cup, she gets frozen blueberries, a snik of chicken or turkey (no skin or fat), her usual toast, half a banana at bedtime (this has been a life-long thing, so she has a little something on her stomach overnight)... lots of treats, considering. She got salmon skin the other night when we had it for dinner. 

She still gets the occasional "back rub zoomies," and seems happy. But there's an air about her, and I can't put my finger on it. Hubby has asked me "how much do you want to know," because he's keeping a tighter track on her. I told him that a lot of me is in denial. I just don't want to know. But it's not fair to him, so I told him I would like to "judiciously" know. I'm not using the internet to look for symptoms (he is). I'm not doom-scrolling the pet-grief pages. I'm trying to be present with her, as she is, right now. Some days, it's easier than others. 

So. We wait. 

The First Cold...

Not of the season. I'm talking common cold. Round about Tuesday, I wasn't feeling great, but hey - not like there's nothing going on around here.  

Started out feeling stuffed up and then it moved, as it typically does, down my throat. I have a lovely situation where, instead of being able to blow my nose with any results, all the gunk goes down my throat (sorry...TMI). Results are, of course, a cough. 

I took Thursday off, because I woke up without a voice. Cancelled my yoga class. Then Friday, just as bad -- thankfully no worse, and not The Plague (I tested Tuesday & Wednesday to be sure). It's fine, as long as I don't talk. So I'm also cancelling my Saturday sub job and Sunday Yin class. It's hit me like a ton of bricks, and I just want to sit and stare at a blank wall. 

Maybe it'll go away by Saturday, but I'd rather not pass these germs to anyone else. I want to be able to attend our family's Thanksgiving, which we do on this Sunday. Not like we're Canadian or anything (all due respect to our neighbors up north), we just have a lot of kids who have to carve up their holiday like you'd carve that bird...so we just have it the Sunday before and it seems to work ok for everyone. 

This year, it's back at my mom's house. She just wants what she wants, and it's hard to change some folks. We're doing the following:

Turkey, vegan stuffing, gravy

Vegan Lemon cake

Homemade whipped cream with our own vanilla

Bread & mashed potatoes

Cranberry sauce

Soba noodles & roasted veggies for the resident vegan

Other family members are also contributing, but we usually do the turkey and the vegan stuff because --- we do it better!

After he gets done roasting the turkey, I get the carcass, add more veggies and herbs and reduce it down for broth for later. Turkey soup with noodles is delicious! Just have to have a robust broth. So I use carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and Penzey's Tuscan Seasoning, which is a salt-free blend. 

And then on the regular day, Hubby  has ordered a take-out dinner - not like we need the food, but that way, my mom doesn't have complaints about "never being invited anywhere." Personally, I'd shove an old movie on, eat a turkey sandwich and call it a day. Instead, we're doing the catered dinner and the following:

Vegan pumpkin pie & vegan whipped cream

Gnocchi and roasted brussel sprouts with tomatoes for the resident vegan

There will be a non-vegan dessert included in the take-out. 

So... random memory: Raisa used to howl like the dickens when Hubby got out the electric carving knife. He's carving up the turkey (we bake it before then reheat, and yes, it's usually delicious!). With the electric carving knife. And there's not a peep, because if she IS howling along, it's over the Rainbow Bridge, and we can't hear her. Just one of those "jabs to the heart," as we try to grapple with her loss and the pending issues with Quinny...

The Knitting...

As a result of All. The. Stuff. -- I'm sticking with a mindless knitting project and am trying to finish what may well be my oldest, or nearest to, WIP. It's the Bias Before and After, which I've mentioned. Well, I finished the peacock one, did the beading (which I'm now all jazzed about) and undid the provisional cast-on to bead that end. 

There are some Things I Would Do Differently. So on the matcha-colored one (which, when I bought it, I thought it was lime, but it's not "lime" enough and it's not "sage" enough - it looks like my matcha latte, so that is what I shall call it) -- I did a different provisional cast on, over the needle and used a slightly smaller yarn. I think it will help when I tink it and do the beading. It will also help that the thing isn't going to be 10 years old... Just sayin.

You can see here why it's called "Before and After." This thing definitely needs a blocking. I will likely block them both after Christmas. I will need space, and some time to get the blocking wires just right. I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks blocked out. The matcha green matches that green in the yarn. Due to vagaries in lighting and camera quality, the pictures aren't as nice as I would like. In real life, it's actually quite pretty. Though maybe I should have picked that light blue as the contrast, I really loved how the matcha green looked. While I don't wear green a lot, I do wear basic colors such as black, navy blue and grey, so this could go with a few sweaters I have. 

And I did buy wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too many beads. I only needed 1 tube of each color and I have 3 of each color. So there will be Things To Bead at some point. Who knows? Maybe I'll bead some socks. (Yeah, probably not, but I know it's a thing) Or maybe a scarf, which will be nice. Wristlets or fingerless mitts would also be good. Lots of ideas. But they'd have to be fingering-weight or less, because these beads are going on lace weight. 

The green is knitting up pretty fast. It's a simple increase/decrease on the K side, and purl back, and I've got about 14-16" even though it doesn't look like I've made a dent in the ball of yarn. The other colorway went the same till ZAPPO --- I was near the end. I have to have 2 feet or so (and I'll likely do a bit more) to bind off with the beads. I use a crochet hook to put the bead on the stitch, instead of pre-stringing them. 

This is definitely one of those "knit when you're tired" or "knit when you're stressed" projects. I can zip along when I'm watching a movie or reading. Or as a wind-down before bedtime. 

The lace yarn is like butter in my hands. The alpaca will have a bit of a halo to it once it's rinsed and blocked. I love that - because you don't have to wear pounds of yarn to stay warm. 

So the Drops sweater will wait till 2024. I just don't have the bandwidth or the brain power to deal with it right now. 

The Ornaments...

This year, I'm doing 7 of them, because of the new baby. I had to order the whole 18 years, plus a few more in case of breakage. So the theme for this little one is "angels and stars." I finished out one (theme of trees) and I have another one who's ending in about 4 years (theme of wreaths). 

It's probably a condition of "doing them for decades" -- but I generally have, in the past few years, picked a color scheme and I manage to do them all in that same scheme for everyone. Back in the very, very beginning, I think I used all 300 of my colors (not actually that many, but I did it more as individual ornaments rather than an assembly line). 

I know I will be doing white, black, and some shade of green (though now that the tree series is over, maybe less green??). And some years, I stain some of them. Others may get a different varnish. Some get artificial "snow" effect paint, and most of them get glitter. 

I still enjoy doing them, and I still get enthusiastic responses (or maybe just polite and I'm extrapolating). Doesn't matter to me, I will keep doing them as long as my hands are steady. 

These are them - finished. I did blot out the names on the "name tag" themed ones. Just my own plug for safety. Regardless of how the parents handle social media, I will omit names where necessary. Call me old-school, won't make me lose any sleep. 

Four of these all got glitter and a bunch got metallic paint. There was a happy accident on the angel's gown. The copper paint leaked over to the barn red, so I blended the two of them. It looks cool to me. I did an angel series a few years ago, and it was nice to have some fun with the garments. These angels are a little more old-fashioned, but I can work with them. 

Random Picture...

And a rant. So since I've been feeling rotten, I've had the TV on just for noise. This commercial has been on every single time. That, or the one with "Martha," who's screeching about her Medicare. Or the frosted blond who screams at her husband about Medicare Part C. Or Medicare Advantage. Or The Great Rip-Off Perpetrated by Big Insurance... People. It's the biggest scam going. Big insurance companies, such as Humana, Aetna, United Health Care and others have bought & paid for politicians. Who allow them to use the "Medicare" name, which is trusted as a solid government program which helps elders receive medical care. We've all paid into it since we started working, just like Social Security.

The ad has a sonorous male voice urging you to CALL NOW. NOW. RIGHT NOW. Drop what you're doing, grab the phone and talk to a "licensed insurance representative" (there's your first clue to the scam) to see if "plans are available in your ZIP code." The ad voiceover tells you in reassuring tones that it's good to "check your Medicare benefits" each year. 

Is it? Probably. I know my mom does it each year. But she does have Medicare Advantage, because our trusted insurance guy worked it out for her. 

Personally, I'm going on regular Medicare. My doctors have already told me they don't take Medicare Advantage because those "free plans" are basically HMOs full of "benefits," like a gym membership, but as far as health care, there are a crap-ton of gag orders they don't tell you about. So you will get sub-par medical care because your doctor is forbidden to mention certain treatments. 

Because the insurance companies treat patients like cogs in a wheel - they want our money but don't want to pay out in claims. So they tell the doctors they simply cannot give a good standard of care by mentioning Treatment A, B, or C. Because it's expensive. 

In the Hitchcock classic, "To Catch A Thief," Jessie Royce Landis was the actress who played the mother, often dripping in jewels. She says to the insurance adjustor, "If you can't stand the risk, you need to get out of the business," or something close to it. 

I say to insurance companies and CEOs with billion-dollar bonuses: If you can't provide the care we contracted for, get out of the business. I didn't contract for 'the cheapest care' - I contracted for at least the standard of care. And because the insurance lobby is powerful, they have their stable of purchased politicians, and they get huge profits while cutting care. 

The Maga-psycho-nutballs would have you believe that Social Security and Medicare are "entitlements" which is now a bad word, because it's a "hand-out." Um. No. 

I paid in to both Medicare and Social Security for decades. That's MY money. And YOURS. 

If Congress would stop raiding each of these, they'd be financially stable. If we could get legislation passed to have Medicare for All, Medicare would also be financially stable - open it up to the 40-50 year old crowd. Yeah, it would hurt Blue Cross and the other big boys. But hey, they can lop off a zero from that executive bonus... they won't even feel it. Honest. 

A Chance to Breathe?

Probably not... As I mentioned (late) in the last blog, Quinn has been diagnosed with Lymphoma and it's advanced. So right now, all we're doing is breathing. And waiting. There's nothing we can do in the way of chemo - she's 14, and it's in ALL her lymph nodes, so it's too far advanced. All we can do at this point is keep her comfortable, spoil her within reason, and spend time with her. 

She just celebrated her 14th birthday this past week, so we had some freeze-dried sprats, she licked my yogurt cup clean (vanilla & cinnamon), and she had lots of belly rubs. 

Lucky for us, we are able to mostly have one of us at home for her the whole day. So we don't know how much time she has, and that's the hard part. I mean, on a metaphysical level, NOBODY knows how much time they have, but we're numbering Quinn's time in weeks, not years. So there's that.  All we can do - or hope to do - is time it so that she's not suffering. Our vet usually says, "better a day early than a day late." It's really hard. Elkhounds are notorious for "not telling." A very stoic breed. We shall see. 

The Knitting...

Well, I have progress to report on what may be my oldest WIP (or at least the oldest I can lay my hands on. I know there's a lap robe and a shawl that I can't find, so those 2 are still MIA) - the Before & After Scarf, which is now called The Bias Before & After Scarf and now the beads are an alternative. 

I really don't like Provisional Cast On - and the first one, I will say, was INCREDIBLY clunky. I think I used a yarn that was too big, compared to the Silky Alpaca Lace (70% baby alpaca, 30% silk), by Classic Elite Yarns. I've used Classic Elite Yarn a couple of times, and the only thing I might have done differently is to knit this on bamboo needles. I'm using Addi Turbos, and those suckers are SLICK. They're meant to be smooth, and the fact that this is an open fabric and the needles are huge compared to the yarn? It can get a little slippery. So far, though, I haven't dropped any stitches. 

The reason it's called "before and after" is basically because before, it looks like a wrinkled rag. AFTER the blocking, the magic is truly exposed. As you can see in the picture at the right, it looks like a hot mess till you block it. That little wad of yarn in the picture is what you use to bind off. You set aside about 2 feet (I did more like 2.5 feet because I'm just that extra) and tie it up and out of your way at both the beginning and the end so you have it to add the beads to the finish. I'll get to use my blocking wires with this project! A few new skills to learn, with the provisional cast on, the beaded bind off and blocking with wires. 

The peacock colorway, the first one of the 2 scarves in the pattern, is the one I chose to do first. and this was my long-time "travel project." I wasn't in any hurry, and would bring it whenever I was going to a bunch of trade shows, and this peacock also has the distinction of being The Project I Took to Switzerland... I have pictures (I'll have to dig them up) of me knitting in various places in France and Switzerland with this project. 

I finished it yesterday, and I really am now hooked on the beading technique of using a crochet hook (see what I did there??) -- the jewel-toned beads for that scarf are really pretty. Can't wait to block this one!

I did start the green one; I'm not sure exactly what shade this is. At first, I remembered it as more "lime" but now, I'm thinking a bright sage. Opinions??? Take a peek below and right...what do you think? There's only a color number, so I guess we have to use our imaginations. 

I initially said, "screw it, I'm putting the beads right on the hem as I cast on," but then, a cooler moment prevailed. The purpose of the provisional cast on is to make each bind off identical... so I sucked it up and learned how to do it over the needle, so it's a lot neater than the first one I did. 

The scarves are knit on the bias, so it's an increase at the beginning and a decrease at the end. It's amazing how nicely the green is knitting up. Of course, it hasn't sat jammed into a project bag for 12-ish years, too... that might have something to do with it. Let's put it this way: I probably have 3-4 copies of this pattern just because I've had it in the works for so long and kept losing the paper pattern! 

The idea behind the project is that you can wear either or both. The one is a hand-painted and the other is a coordinating solid. Looking at the green, I probably should have pulled a light blue or a lilac to go with the peacock, but the green does match the peacock...I just don't wear a lot of green, so it might be a challenge. The plus of this, though, is that the beads for the green are a beautiful peridot color. So they will look spectacular once it's done. The scarves are in a lace-weight yarn, but I'm using a size 7 needle, so it will be a fairly open fabric, kind of like the Sally Mellville "Wingspan" which I also did in alpaca (but no silk in that yarn). The beauty of this is that alpaca has a slight 'halo' effect, and it's incredibly warm, even in a lace-weight. And it will drape beautifully. 

I know I was talking about the Drops sweater, but I want to chug a way on this for a bit and see if I can churn it out. It's kind of mindless, and with everything going on with Quinn, right now I need mindless. 

Speaking of which, I finished the last 3 washcloths. The person for whom they are planned "doesn't like to receive gifts," but this is a relatively "un-gifty" thing. It's practical and I don't care if they use them on their face or on their dishes...either way works for me. 

I chose tones of blue because I understand that's kind of the theme of their home, so there's that. 

And for now, I am officially D.O.N.E. with wash cloths and knitting with cotton. My hands hurt. 

I have re-stocked the cloths for my own use, along the way I've knitted 6 for Xmas gifts, and these 3 as an extra gift. I think I can check "washcloths" off my list for 2023. 

The Tea...

No, I'm not spilling any tea. I have none to spill... 

I have been accustomed to drinking chammomile tea at bedtime, but it's lately been aggravating my allergies, which is really annoying. I haven't slept well since Raisa got sick and passed, and now with everything else, I'm so scattered. I don't need to not sleep. I read about Butterfly Pea Flower tea, and I just loved the idea of blue tea. 

I didn't know that research has been done talking about the effects it had as a sleep aid. High in magnesium, helps with blood pressure, helps to relax you... though honestly, any herbal tea is, in my opinion, relaxing. Hot beverages are inherently relaxing. 

So I've been experimenting for (a) the right TIME to drink this; and (b) if it makes any difference in my sleep. I have noticed that if I drink it too close to bedtime, I'm up at 3 a.m. to pee, even if I'm in a rare moment of sleep...who needs that? I don't think I've done it enough to determine if it works, but I'm sure that, as the weather gets colder, I will drink more tea at night. 

Funny, the mug I used to like to use with these "strong colored" teas (like the rose hibiscus, which is a deep pink)... it broke. And I broke it. I was washing it, I said, "Self, put this in the sink first so you don't bump it," and of course, I bumped it, and it broke into a bunch of pieces. Crap. 

Random Picture...

It's pretty much Fall, though the temps are kinda spring-ish -- till they're not. And it being Illinois, this can happen within one day. But I got to "Birken-SOCK" and I love the way my new sandals and the orange socks kind of match the leaves in the yard. 

Who says I have no fashion sense? Well, probably a lot of people, but do I look like I actually care? Nope. 

And I have hand-knitted socks, so there... 

When I bought the sandals, the leather looked a bit darker when I chose the color. Not sure if it'll get darker or if it will stay this color. I am stuck with them, however, because I'll wear them till they fall apart, which I did with my other ones. 

I love to wear my socks, and when the weather cooperates, I do wear them with the Birkenstocks. I know there are these "transparent" shoes and clogs, but I'm sorry, they seem sweaty to me. Ugh. No thanks. 

Blowing a Gale...

Holy moley... It's Halloween, and it's literally snowing sideways here. Lord knows how many (if any) kids we'll get. I saw a couple headed toward the grade school. The local Lions Club does a Halloween bash, so a lot of the kids start there. And our porch light is out -- the sensor is wonky and the thing won't stay on. So I have The Great Pumpkin lit up out there, our only Halloween decoration, and I'm hoping that's enough for the kids. But it's still too light outside to see that it's lit up. 

Catching Up...

Where do I start?

Well, let's see. Quinn may be coming out of her very natural funk. She's stopped looking for Raisa, but she still looks to see when one of us is coming home. Doesn't matter WHICH of us. If I'm gone, she waits. If Hubby is gone, she waits. I think this may have triggered a bit of separation anxiety. 

A funny thing. My friend D (not the knitting one) came by - I was driving us to an event recently, because she wasn't sure where it was. And it was a good thing, because they'd closed off a few more roads since I'd last been downtown. Yeesh. 

Anyway, THIS particular D is very involved in Lab rescue. She has 3 dogs now, and is staying at her sister's - and Sis has a dog. So she came in the house and Quinn barked, as she does. She approached D, and D being a dog person, knew how to act for an introduction.  After the appropriate sniffs, Quinn sat down, put her nose in the sky and started "talking" to her. I mean, like, singing/howling. Having some sort of words with her. That's a first! 

We gave D a couple bags of cow ears (chews we use for the dogs). We did an inventory of the treats we have, and there will be leftovers -- Quinn can't - and shouldn't - consume that many treats. She's 14. Healthy, but still, 14. We're going to have her checked out by the vet, just for our own sake. Peace of mind is at a premium here lately.

I got Raisa's memorial stone. I couldn't locate the green granite ones I usually get, so I tried a company from Etsy. I'm sorely disappointed in the laser-etched image. It's pretty much invisible unless you tilt the piece. I'm waiting to calm down a bit before I leave a review. 

The Knitting...

I have finished the washcloths for Christmas, and I've started a set of 3 more for a gift. I will wrap those 3 in special ribbon as a set. The others will be given individually with some special soap. 

And I did an insane thing. First, the story of the latte... The Friday after Raisa died, I sat down with a matcha latte. I got hit by a fit of tears, as one does, and I reached for a tissue. And dumped 16 oz. of latte. All. Down. The. Knitting. It hit books, 3 project bags, the power strip, went under the standing lamp, under the area rug, hit the side of the chair, splashed up the wall. 

I mean, physics. Liquids dropped from a height will splatter. I hollered, "CRAP!" and Quinn took off to the back of the house. 

Prior to this, I had been kind of skittish about getting up and down off the floor - we hadn't really tried it in PT, and I thought I didn't want to do something wrong. But the latte...

I grabbed a roll of paper towels and started sopping everything up. I was not happy. I got 90% of it, dumped out all the bags, mopped up and propped up everything so that it could dry. Wiped off several soaking wet tool bags. One ball of acrylic got pretty soaked. But it's acrylic; I wiped it as best I could. I'm going to make a couple baby hats, and then wash them. It'll be fine. 

Under that, I found (thank you Knitting Goddesses) three hanks of Expression Fiber Arts mulberry silk + camel. THANKFULLY in their sealed bag. The bag had matcha latte on it. I would have wept if it had gotten to the yarn. 

It's for Etude  #1 from Expression Fiber Arts. I reprinted the pattern and put it with the yarn. That's what I want to start in January. 

Except... 

I found a DROPS pattern I want to knit It's the Abstract Rose Sweater, and I chose to knit it in the yarn they suggested, but I'm hoping it's comfortable. It's DROPS Nepal, a wool/alpaca blend. Like 75/25 so it's mostly wool. Not superwash either. This will be interesting. I've heard conflicting things: "DROPS patterns are lovely and easy." "DROPS patterns are awful, good luck!" and I'm lengthening the thing to a tunic length - well maybe not that long, but at least to my hip bones, like below my tummy. I like my sweaters a bit longer. 

So as I went to grab the link, I see I could have used A + A -- which means instead of doing the Nepal yarn (which is still ridiculously cheap), I could've used yarn from the "A" category, held double. Oh well. If I love it, I can knit it again. 

I ordered the yarn from the UK, as it's not available here. It was something like $48 for the entire thing, including 3 extra balls, just in case. First off, for lengthening it, but also because I've seen reviews that the "marled" version of the yarn, which is what I bought, is prone to random knots. We'll see. Yes, forty-eight dollars (US) for a sweater's worth of yarn. Insane, right? 

I don't know when I'm going to start that. I also have the Copland shawl to finish, which I'm keeping for myself. It was going to be a gift, but now I'm keeping it. It's about 2/3 done, so maybe after I finish these last 3 washcloths, I can pull it out and finish it up over the holidays. 

And I also have the Long Sands Tee to re-start. I think I'm done with baby knitting for a while, so that is kind of a relief. 

Socks will, as always, be my fill-in work. 

The Dancing...

Yep. Dancing. So recently, we had our women's club's 50th anniversary. We had Brandye Phillips, and the Tina Turner Experience as our entertainment. Now, not only is Brandye a local gal, having gone to the larger public high school, but her father was a renowned musician. She also has done extensive research on Tina Turner. Our organization works with domestic violence issues, among other things, and Brandye was able to educate us more in detail about what Tina Turner went through, from her humble beginnings as a sharecropper's daughter to international superstar twice over. 

We listened, we clapped, we interacted with her, and we danced. Yes, even me. Now you have to understand that I look like a baby with a full diaper when I dance. I can count the rhythm, because I'm a singer. But I'm not graceful. But I had fun. And today? I paid for it. My legs were sore. Not "killing me," but "yikes, I haven't felt this sore since I last mucked out a horse stall."

It was good. And my PT took a little (very little) pity on me. I was lucky enough to meet up with good friends, we had a great time, and it was a late night. 

And then, I had to go staff an info table at a 5K walk/run. And it's chilly here in the mornings. So I'll need to balance out my "need tea" with "need to pee." I don't do porta-potties if I can at all help it. And baking an apple cake for church on Sunday. 

It was a full weekend. 

The Reading...

I finished "The Loved One," and I wonder if I'm "today's years old" to realize that one of the characters has a last name which references, in Greek, death. Evelyn Waugh certainly had a way with words. So that was a hand-held book. 

I've finished several on my Kindle, mostly mysteries. Margery Allingham, the Campion mysteries, and I'm also done with another Lord Peter Whimsy compilation. 

I'm working on another Lisa See book, "Dreams of Joy," which is a two-parter. The first was about the generation before. It's interesting to follow along, seeing as this one delves pretty deeply into the formation of Communist China. 

Whacking away at my TBR (to be read) stash, I can read while I knit, as long as it's not a difficult pattern. I don't like audio books, though. They're usually disappointing. 

When I'm not reading, just knitting, I'll often have Star Trek on as "background noise." It's too quiet in the house with just one dog...

Life Goes On...

This past Sunday, I had to cancel my Yin class. I pulled up the notice of cancellation and I sat back as if I was pushed. You see, the last time I cancelled that class was the day my sister died. This time? It was the day her granddaughter (whom she will never meet this side of the veil, as they say) was getting christened. My mom did the part of the ceremony which my sister would have done. I did have a small part, as they put a small cross necklace around the little one's neck and the priest had "fat fingers," I was the closest, so he asked if I could help. Thankfully, I managed it!

But it really was a shock to see the notice. It brought back again that loss is part of life. Not that I needed a reminder, but still... 

Not to bury the lede here, and not to minimize it, but Hubby just came back from the vet with Quinn. Seems that our luck lately is rotten. 

She's got lymphoma. She's 14. All her lymph nodes are involved, and really at this age? Steroids, but sooooooooo many side effects. Including internal bleeding. Chemo is too rough at this age, and realistically won't buy any time; Elkhounds can live between 14-15(ish) years, so why put her through whatever time she has left in misery. Palliative care it is. No clue how much time she has. Could be a month, could be weeks. 

I'm not processing this very well. I think that my entire train of thought for this blog has gone right off the rails and down into the ravine. 

Random Picture...

Quinn "checks the mail" for us. She waits (and barks) for when the mail comes and we let her "snurffle" it. She checks it all, from any and all angles and pronounces it safe for us. 

We've been doing that for her for a while now, and she's come to enjoy the game of it. 

If it's too quiet with one dog, what is it going to be like with NO dog??

She's Back Home...

 We just got her home today. I felt like I could write about her.

RAISA THE FURRY FLYER (2013-2023)

Raisa (formerly known as Dolly) burst into our lives at 12 weeks old, just as her proverbial namesake would’ve done – full of sass and glitter, bigger-than-her-size personality, and an energy level that just about added a second floor to our house.

We decided to re-name her Raisa – which means “Princess” in Russian. We joked later that we only named her Raisa because we couldn’t find a good Russian equivalent to “Goofball.”

It wasn’t always sunshine and doggie treats. Having 3 females in the house got…interesting. Eventually, for everyone’s sanity, we gated and everyone got a chance to breathe. The elkhounds got their space and Raisa had hers. They all traded off “couch time,” and things eventually settled down.

In typical Husky fashion, she could enter a room regally, surveying all and deciding where she would bestow her attention. And then, turn it into “Husk-Clown” mode: nosediving onto the couch where her intended victim was, somersaulting over, tucking her head, with her butt in the air and getting as close to that person as possible. We never figured out whether it was because she adored butt-rubs, or because, being in “perpetual shed mode” she wanted to deposit as much Husky-glitter as possible on her intended target.

Raisa completed 4 levels of obedience training (who says they can’t be trained?) and passed her Canine Good Citizenship test, to the astonishment of all. Our trainer Bobbie was continually amused as, with pockets full of treats, Raisa would ignore her, preferring the snack bag of buttered toast bits we used. That dog would climb a wall for a nibble of buttered toast. However, for some reason, she hated the basement stairs. No amount of toast would persuade her to go down those steps. Fireworks and thunderstorms never bothered her. She wondered what the fuss was about.

It was intended that, at the right time, she would take over our Elkhound Tippi’s position at Lewis University. Tippi was TDI-trained, and we never got around to that with Raisa. However, upon Tippi’s retirement, Raisa assumed her duties as a “comfort dog.” While there was a bit of dialogue with the students about how “this certainly was not Tippi, and all things change” (Tippi held the position of the University’s only therapy dog for 10+ years), all Raisa had to do was figure out what her job was. She did that job with relish. The first “butt in the sky nosedive” won her the hearts of all the students and library staff. When she sang the song of her people in the normally quiet atmosphere of the 2-story library, the smiles and surprise of those on the 2nd floor were well worth it. She earned her name of Furry Flyer for the University, known for its aviation program, and for the fact that, as a red-and-white, she matched the school’s colors.

Unfortunately, her time at the library was shockingly brief. In true Husky fashion, she did things her way. We found a lump on her thyroid gland and on September 2nd it was removed. About 4 days later, she had seizures, resulting in 3 days in doggy-ER, and she came home a bit wobbly, but with good expectations of being back to herself. The doctors were quite positive in their treatment plan and said that, at her age (9), she would come through chemo pretty easily, believing we’d caught everything early.

On the morning of Sept. 28, she didn’t eat, which was ok considering it was her 2nd chemo treatment. By 7 a.m. she was not doing well. The vet & staff worked hard to get her high fever down, but she chose her time and place, slipped into a coma and died peacefully. Everyone – even the vet – was stunned. But if by now you’re humming Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” you have perfectly intuited how Raisa lived her life. It wasn’t always perfect. It was always unexpected.

She loved her job of comfort dog. She loved walkies, loved stare-down contests with the neighbor’s chickens (she didn’t move, didn’t even attempt to catch one – the neighbor was amazed), loved staring up at the poles and wires for those nasty squirrels. Loved her family and car rides. Loved “pizza bones” and salmon skin. She sang along with the electric carving knife, the stick blender, the guitar and the harmonica. She has left a husky-sized hole in our hearts.

Just...

Gutted. 

Raisa, the Furry Flyer

2013 - 2023

Holy Crap, What a Week...

Oh. My. God. 

Just when we thought we had a handle on stuff. 

The Red Hot Mess...

So along about the time I was prepping to have my hip replaced, I found a knob on Raisa's throat. I remember feeling that same king of knob on Tippi's throat and my stomach dropped. We had our vet do a biopsy, but she said it was in an area where she couldn't get a clear sample. 

And then there was the hip replacement, and things got shoved aside for a while. So now that I'm 3 months post-op, we took her to the specialist. They did an Xray and scan and found masses on BOTH sides of the thyroid. The doctor said it's gotta go, so she was taken in for surgery. That was on a Friday. She got home and we thought, "Ok, wait for pathology."

That wasn't what we wanted to hear -- they got all the thyroid out, left a bit of the parathyroid, and found tumor cells in her blood and lymph system. That was Saturday. 

Tuesday, I awoke to Hubby telling me that at 4 a.m., Raisa had a seizure. He was staying home to watch her. Her eyes were dilated, and I was concerned. Late in the afternoon, he texted that she had had 2 more. I had a meeting to attend, and he knows what to do, so I would only have been in the way. During the meeting, she had 2 more, so he called our usual vet, who said take her to the ER vet. 

It was not a comfortable ride for Raisa; the seizures were really bad. They got her stabilized, and it was a bit touch-and-go for a while. They kept her overnight, and started pumping her with phenobarbital. The idea is to get her up to a therapeutic level quickly so the seizures stop.

There are several theories: Either it's a side-effect of the thyroidectomy or it's a thing that happened to her as a pup and they manifested after the trauma of the surgery; or -- huskies have seizures. Or her low calcium levels caused the seizures. In other words, not a lot of answers, but the phenobarb is a good, older remedy that works well with dogs. 

She finally got home Thursday (yeah, 3 days at the ER vet...). She shakes like Katharine Hepburn, and she sploots on the floor, and is incontinent. That's just her body adjusting to all the phenobarb; it should be about a week and she'll be back to herself. 

We have the big harness on her, which has a handle. Hubby has to literally carry her down the steps to get outside. Quinn's not sure what's wrong, but she knows something is off. 

We have an oncology appointment next week so we'll figure out where we go from here. The good news is that since they found those cells, it was a very specific test - if it's early enough, perhaps we can catch this before it goes all the way pear-shaped. 

She may have a very swift retirement from comfort dog work, which will be unfortunate, but we just don't know right now. 

It's going to be a very long week. 

Hip Update...

On a related note, I can get down on the floor...I have to get down there to rub her belly to calm her to sleep, apparently. Getting up isn't exactly poetry, but hey - I can do it! 

I've also got permission to add the Warriors to my yoga practice. And the doctor is pleased with my progress. I'll see him in 3 months, and next week, I drop down to PT two times a week. We now begin the strengthening segment in earnest. 

I am still not doing a full yoga practice, but when I did the warriors the other night, my students said, "Does your PT know???" I'm tellin ya - I've got eyeballs on me! 

I'm now walking without a cane; the first few steps might not be pretty, but I am doing it and my gait gets better with walking. 

The Knitting...

Washcloths. I'm on a washcloth binge. I am teaching my friend K how to do this and I'm hoping it sticks with her. She needs an outlet, and washcloths lead to other things, and knitting is a good hobby. 

The washcloth binge is alongside my Star Trek binge, so I can knit without too much brain work. 

It's the "Grandma's Dishcloth Recipe" - the one on the bias. It's a nice one to learn to knit with, as you learn increases, decreases, yarnovers and knit 2 together -- these are pretty much the basics. And it's all knit, so there's no fighting the curl. Yeah, there's no purling, but that can come later. 

I've still got Long Sands in time-out, and it's going to take a bit for the linen yarn to unkink from frogging it. And I still have that blue striped sock, so we're good to go. I will be switching up the projects as soon as I finish a couple more cloths - those are Christmas gifts, so I figured while I was on a roll, I'd knock those out. 

I want to make some progress on denting the stash, so I'm going to go through my patterns and see what I've got in the closet. I just feel like I'm in the mood to de-clutter the stash and get a handle on it. 

Counted Cross-Stitch...

Well. I joined a Facebook group on counted cross stitch. Boy, was that a bad thing to do. I also now want to get back into that. Luckily for me, I have all the stuff. I just need to figure out how to balance that and knitting and teaching and working... 

I truly think my mom has given up on a large angel project I started for her. Hubby figured out that, if I did 60 stitches a day, I'd have it done in a year. I suppose if I could dig it out, dig out all the floss (and there's a LOT of floss), find the beads... I could re-start it and get my act together and perhaps have it ready for her 87th birthday... 

This is an image of it - I'm done with her head and the top of her wings. I've got a ways to go. My mom picked out a dusty blue linen. It's going to be gorgeous. I just have to get skippy and do it. Maybe if I give up knitting for a year? Or if it's "only 60 stitches a night," I can balance the two? 

A girl can dream. 

Recipe...

I was talking about breakfast to Kid #1, who has been a chronic breakfast-skipper. I have found a sort-of solution, because I am kind of the same way, especially if I have something early in the morning to do - I have to shuffle around how I eat. I call this my go-to Overnight Oats with Apple Pie. This is one serving; I usually do 4, so I set my containers out and scoop everything in there. 

1/2 c. old-fashioned oats

1/2 c. your favorite dairy or non-dairy liquid

1 t. maple syrup

Small handful dried cherries or cranberries

1 T. chia seeds

1 T. cacao nibs

1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and diced (peel on)

1 T. brown sugar or coconut sugar

1/4 c. water

1/2 t. chai seasoning or apple pie spice

Put the first 6 ingredients in a container and set aside. In a small saute pan, add the sugar, spices, and apple and stir around over medium-high heat, so the apples soften and caramelize slightly. After about 5-ish minutes, add the water, clamp a lid on the pan, turn the heat down, and then let the apples soften for about 2 minutes. Set the pan aside for a few minutes to cool slightly and allow the sugar + water to make a slight syrup.

Stir the contents of your containers thoroughly. Then divide the apples between all 4 containers (if you're making 4 -- the apple mixture will go for 4 containers-worth of oats). Put the lids on the containers and stick them in the fridge. Next morning, grab a container and off you go! 

And, as always, There Are Notes.

NOTES:

You can skip sauteed apples and simply top your mixture with frozen berries of your choice. Overnight, they also add a bit more moisture to the oats. If you use frozen berries, all you need is that maple syrup - you won't need (or want) added sugar. The berries take care of that. 

Add a bit more milk if you want your oats a little looser.

Feel free to add nuts when you're ready to eat. I like slivered almonds or chopped walnuts for extra crunch. Sunflower seeds also work well here. 

There are a ton of Overnight Oats recipes out there, so have some fun with it. I've added nut butters, I've added chopped dates...it's really a blank canvas. 

Random Picture...

Sometimes, you just want to eat like a kid. One night, Hubby and I looked at each other and said, "fish chunks and tots." 

Little did I know that he had scored a deal on "dinosaur tots." Hey. Why not?

The fish chunks were cod that he hand-breaded with panko and fried. They were delicious and flaky. I love cod. 

Most every day, I get a text saying, "What do you want for dinner?" and I can tell you that it's usually timed (unfortunately) for right after I've eaten lunch. It's a pain because Hubby works from home so he's the one doing the cooking. And I'm never thinking of dinner. Especially after I've just eaten lunch. 

I know I'm extremely lucky to have someone who cooks and is good at it. And I also cook, but usually only on the weekends. But it inevitably happens that he times that text inadvertently right after I've finished eating. He doesn't know it, but it seems to always fall that way.