Humble Up...

 ...well, I pulled the metaphorical trigger. I finally went to the orthopedic doc and we have a date to meet the surgeon on June 1. I'm shedding my hip and getting a new one. I'm over it. I'm in constant pain, and I don't want to hold off till my posture is permanently ruined. 

I've told people and they say, "You're so calm." I'm not. I'm terrified. I feel like I've left it too long, yet I also feel like I should have more time before I make this decision. In reality, I am kind of where I'm at. The head of my femur is flattening, so I'm not imagining the sound effects and the pain. 

So. That's done. Moving on. 

I'm home from the day job - they basically said, "bye-girl, work from home!" though I'm going in one day a week. And I've subbed out my yoga classes till this is done and I'm released. 

I've had to ask for help, and that is so freakin' hard. But I've had to realize that those who want to help me, they want to do it because they care. And it's a grace to allow the help. And, frankly, it's helpful. So I've got help on all sides and it's really amazing. I'm very self-sufficient. Just let me do it and get out of my way (please). But to have people offer everything from rides to meals to prayers to "can I just take this over to the other building for you?" -- talk about humbling. 

For now, I'm using two canes. Kind of like a walker. I was using one cane, but my right hand is numb from bearing the weight, and my right shoulder is popping. Not what I need. 

The Knitting...

New #goals -- The orange 8x8 rib sock (the second one) is my "hip sock." As long as I'm sitting here on my butt between light exercise sessions, I'm knitting. I'm also watching movies. Knitting to movies is a good thing. 

This also helps eliminate "Second Sock Syndrome." I may as well get this thing done. 

I was chilly the other day. So, since Hubby wasn't home and I can't get a normal pair of socks on by myself (at least on the left foot), I grabbed the FIRST PAIR of socks I ever made. Yes. I still have them. They're made of Encore Worsted, and I knitted them on size 7 DPNs. 

Frankly, they're "house socks." The yarn pills like crazy for socks, and it's mostly acrylic. It's thick, and on days when your toes are cold, they fit nicely. And -- I can get them on one-handed! 

I was struck because -- look at the picture. So I don't really even like orange. It's not in my top 10 favorite colors and it looks horrible on me. And yet - this is the third pair that has orange in it. What is that???

The sock on the bottom of this picture is the First Sock. The colorway of this current sock is too close! And there's another pair that's a green + orange combo. Not sure what that's about, but apparently, this colorway has called to me more than once. 

If you notice, you may tend toward the same colorways. Now, I love purple. But I have yet to make a purple pair of socks. Or even socks with a hint of purple. Why is that? I've got lots of greys and blues. But not even my favorite color. It does make you wonder. 

The Movies...

So today's movie is "A Chorus Line," whihc I remember doing as a musicial in high school. My all-girls Catholic high school. Oh dear God... 

I mean, I've seen the movie many times. But I didn't realize till today just how much the Sisters cut out of that thing to make it palatable for supposedly innocent high school girls. 

The songs are spectacular. "What I Did for Love" is one of my all-time favorites. I could belt that sucker out like a Broadway star. Unfortunately...I can't dance a lick. I mean, I was never in dance lessons, and the girls who got the parts weren't particularly strong vocally. But they went to The Local Dance School. So they got the goodies. I was in the non-dancing chorus when they needed me because I could sing soprano (first and second), alto, and tenor. So you could hear me, but I was usually not anywhere near a spotlight. Often, I was a voice off-stage because I was really good at make-up so I was normally the one who did everyone's faces. 

Not that I'm jealous, but it did sting a bit because I have always had a good voice - and I'm not bragging. The Sisters told me, and they were not prone to giving praise. Humility was their thing. Don't let your light shine (though they did love the academic prowess of our students since we were college-prep). Don't stand out. Just blend in. Must be the convent mentality, and of course, we were all in plaid uniforms...like couch covers!

Anyway, watching the movie and singing the songs that I remember. And admiring the athletic ability of the dancers. It's a sad story all in all, but it's a well-written story. 

Later on, I'll check what's on because I'm going to be knitting. 

Mother's Day...

We had a quiet Mother's Day. Kid #2 came over. Kid #1 called. I have a lovely calla lilly. I think I can plant it in the ground, but I think we're just going to put it in a pot. It's not going to last over the winter because we're not in the right zone, and I'm not inclined to bring it in and over-winter it. I've never had one before, and I've seen different varieties growing here - the more hardy ones. They aren't as pretty, but then again, these are beautiful, but delicate. 

I once decorated a wedding cake with the black ones, which you might think was creepy. But it was pretty elegant. We had burgundy ribbon around the cake, and the flowers were in the center of each tier. They were tied with matching ribbon and it was really prettier than I thought it would be. 

Random Picture...

I'm back to writing postcards. It's important to be in touch with your legislators, and let them know what you're thinking. Whether it's praising them for a job well done -- and let's face it, they get more complaints than compliments, so be nice where it's deserved -- or telling them how you feel about a particular piece of legislation. 

The postcards are an easy way to communicate. They force you to concentrate your message, and get to the point. And they're different. It's easy to ignore an email and it's easy to "not get the message" when you call the office. 

Postcards stand out. Whether you use an online print place to do special postcards (which I did, cost me about $25 for 100 of them) or you go find postcards and buy them - either way. There are a multitude of options. 

I know a person who used to be a state legislator, and I asked him what was the most effective way of communicating. He told me, "Anything handwritten." Becaes if people took the time to actually write something, rather than even typing it out, it's obviously important to them. 

So. Write your legislators. It is that important.