...to come up with something eloquent and original to say about Robin Williams. And I've failed. Indeed, perhaps the most eloquent tribute to this man came from his daughter, Zelda. Find it here. And read it. She's a stunningly clear-eyed young woman.
I can, however, say that I was shocked to find that he was in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. My FIL died from that disease. It's a bugger. My FIL was a musician, mechanic, raconteur.... And Parkinson's stole that from him. I don't know what makes a person have this disease or not. The doc speculates that FIL was exposed to a lot of heavy metals. He was in the Army Air Corps way, WAYYYYYYYYY before OSHA and any reasonable safety standards. He worked around heavy machinery and aircraft all his life. Was on the Pipeline for years. Toxins abound in those arenas.
But no real answer to the "is it genetic?" question. Believe me, I asked.
For a person who's prone to depression and whose mental state is precarious - or not even precarious, but perhaps not necessarily (why am I having such a hard time formulating this sentence???).... Let's try again.
For a person who's in a fragile mental state, a disease like Parkinson's is truly something that shakes your already shaky core. It's a horrible, HORRIBLE disease. And while there are great strides being made, most people who have this will die a nasty death.
My FIL was one of the lucky ones. He took a nap and never woke up. Seriously, no ill-timed jokes here. He was in the nursing home. The doc had just been to visit. He was going to have dinner, and it was about a half hour or so prior to the trays being brought. He was napping. And thankfully, he just slipped away. It was a peaceful death.
I don't know much about living with a terminal condition - other than watching others do it. But I can honestly say that I think I can imagine the angst and the fear.
And maybe that was just "one more thing" too much for Robin Williams. Thanks to The Internets, his memory will remain eternal.
Health...
Speaking of "conditions" - my labs came back. Urgh. I am definitely anemic. "Normal" iron levels are around 35 - 119... Mine is 19. The nurse says, "You must be weak and tired." Well, tired, yes. Weak? Not so much.
Sooooooo - doc says 325 mg of ferrous iron supplements THREE TIMES A DAY. Not gonna happen. Let's just say, to be polite, that that much iron will turn me into an INCREDIBLY crabby woman. Particularly due to the effects that'll have on my digestive system.
So I found a supplement at the natural foods store, that they say is "not constipating" (there - I said it). And I'm taking Vitamin B supplements.
And I guess I'd better learn to make liver... I have it in the freezer. But it was set aside for the dogs. Luckily, I now have permission to eat dried fruits like prunes (which I really do like, by the way).
We shall see how this all turns out. It does make me wonder what's underneath all of this. Iron deficiency can be the cause of irregular heartbeat. So was all this heart stuff "fixable" by adding more iron? Or did they find the anemia because of fixing my heart?
It's a puzzlement.
Knitting...
Yes, it's Teal Sock #2. And yes, my system of "knit on this awhile till you can truthfully say you've made progress" is working. I have about 2" to go till I can start the toe decreases.
The Fluro sock is still in the realm of "gusset decreases" and the baby blanket is coming along. The "ladders" aren't as bad, but it is, after all, 100% cotton, so there's no fudging this one! I'm hoping the added ruffle cancels out some sins.
I got word from Jimmy Bean's that the rest of the yarn is in transit. Then, I can start on booties, then hat, then cardigan -- going from smallest-to-largest project.
Oh, and my LYS just FB'd that there's MORE of the Opal "Little Prince" colorway. You're killing me, Kelly!!!
Raisa...
Well. I'll be dipped... She did it! Hubby and Raisa made it through Advanced Obedience. Next week is the CGC. Sometime in there, I have to go to the AKC and register her as a PALS dog. That's a pure-bred dog without papers. We did it for the Elkhounds, so we're doing it for her.
At some point, I'll go forward with the TDI test. But I think at 11 months old, it has strong "disaster potential" and I'm toying with whether I should wait or not.
I can tell you one thing. She's not going to stand for "dress-up" like Tippi does. She's not liking the hat, and the last headband I tried to get her to wear? It almost got eaten.
But I can see that, as she gets older, and a bit calmer, she will do well in therapy work. She just has to mature a bit. And we're not in a rush. Tippi's only 7 - we have a long time till we have to worry about a trade-off of dogs. Actually, with Raisa, the longer we wait, the better it'll be anyway. I can take the time to socialize her a bit more and get her used to my handling her. We've had complications what with my recuperation, etc. so I haven't been handling her as much. I need to get her to take walks at MY pace and get used to MY style. It's all a work in progress.
I'm sure it'll happen, and I'm sure she'll be fine. I'm also sure that the first several walks will be ... interesting.
She views walks as a time to catch deer and play around. Not on my watch, thanks! But she'll get used to it. She's a very smart cookie. Right now, it's covered in puppy-stupid, but it's there. If you watch.
And there are days you NEED to watch, because that mind does NOT stop whirling!
Art...
So here's the story to match the picture: River Weaving -- I've been wanting to get a picture of this, so finally Hubby and I stopped before church to grab a shot.
It's not Native American fishing devices. It's not an anti-pollution device (though it does catch a lot of stuff that's floating by). It's nothing functional, folks. It's art. And it's cool. It's just sitting there, for the most part, and it's just "being." And in our daily 24/7 lives, with so much "connectivity" and always being "plugged in" -- well, this is unplugged at its finest.
Come down, find a bench, sit and watch the ducks. Shut your phone off. Enjoy. Yes, you'll hear traffic, but buy yourself an ice cream cone and sit and contemplate the canal, the ducks, the weather. Just "be."
Like art.
Random Picture...
And then there's "Not Art"...
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| Really?? |
From the sublime to the ridiculous, right? Had to laugh because two FB friends are having an "ick" war. One keeps posting these antique ads, showing "fine dining" and munchies from the 60s and 70s (auuuuuuuuuughhhhh - antique???). These things include the finer points of spam on toast, ham with fruit cocktail (yeah, that picture), etc.
Yessirreeeee... Those folks in the swinging 60s sure ate a lot of crap. Jello with stuff floating in it like shrimp and apple slices. All kinds of cakes, Bisquick casseroles, a jelly ring with cucumber slices for dipping?? Ick. I don't know. But it's gross.
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| Lunchbox |
So anyhow, MA has been grossing out D and I - so I just had to have Hubby take a picture of a gag gift he got this past Christmas.
See, he's in computers. Spam. Get it?? Well, apparently, our friend thought it was funny. Hubby, a practical sort of guy, is kind of "Huh???" but I think this is cute... And now MA has to have it. And she can't - ha ha! The only thing missing is the thermos.
Just as I zipped on over here, I see by the stats that I've got 400 posts on this blog already.
Wow. For the folks that follow me, please feel free to share away -- most of us who write are kind of inherently a bit "full of ourselves" and we like it when other people read our stuff. It's a creative thing, I suppose.
Keeping a Secret...
Well, I shouldn't have been keeping this a secret. Here's one of the coolest Etsy stores. I was introduced to these bags through a Facebook group, Addicted to Sock Knitting. I'm in the category of "mildly addicted," I think. There are folks in this group who can knit a pair of socks in a couple of days.
Whew.
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| Drawstring bag |
Anyway... meet Chicken Soup Designs. Carrie makes some seriously adorable and useful bags. I'm telling you: if you have an interest, she's got a fabric she can whip into a bag for you. Here's just ONE of the bags I have - the puppy print. I have the rose bag (which I won in one of Carrie's frequent drawings), and I have a set of the tea-print - but those are in stash because they're destined for Christmas gifts. Oh, and I pre-ordered the Dr. Who bag set. And ordered the knitting sheep.
I'm telling you: knitting sheep AND Dr. Who??? Who can resist? Not me, obviously. I love the drawstring bags for portable projects. They've got a square bottom so they sit nicely, and they're nicely lined. The drawstring is nice and sturdy, too. She also has matching stitch-marker keepers, too. They beat my current system of grabbing a big zipper bag!
Anyway, go check her out. You'll love what you see. I guarantee it.
Knitting...
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| Heel detail |
As long as we're on the topic. The week off for recuperation from surgery brought with it knitting, but I really didn't get to this sock till I was feeling more human.
This is the heel detail. One of my instructors just came in to admire them, and she wants to learn how to make socks. I can teach her!! As long as she wants to learn with DPNs, that is.
I think I'm going to adopt a strategy to deal with The Dreaded Teal Sock. I will knit a few rows on that (though I'm not carrying it to work today, because I just decided this) and then reward myself with something I really do want to work on. I'm so sad that the Teal Socks have become jinxed. If I wasn't so sick of the yarn, I'd frog the first one and start over on both of them, but I just don't have the energy to do that. I just want to plod on through and get the second one done. Done. And DONE.
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| New stash |
And you see my most recent stash acquisition... Yep. That certainly IS Trekking XXL in the upper left corner there. I've learned, though. I have to use smaller needles (probably size 1; Teal is on 2.5, I think). And this is actually a very pretty color, so I might do something not-so-plain, but definitely NOT the Nice Ribbed Sock pattern. No offense to the pattern, but like I said: Teal has encompassed me in such dread.
I think the only thing worse will be if they don't fit me. Because of my own idiocy, the heels don't match (note to self: NOTES TO SELF are helpful!!), and so I can't even give them away.
That Fluro in the upper right, Ocean, I think, will be in the Hermione sock pattern. It's a free download on Ravelry, so if you are a knitter and NOT a Ravelry member (and how could THAT be???), get on over there and join up.
Now that I see how the Fluro works, I think I can be a bit more adventurous with the patterns on the leg. So maybe that lime-and-yellow in the middle will be a swirl rib with a plain foot. Even knitting this at 72 stitches (which my knitting friends gasp at) -- I've got plenty of yarn so I could make the swirl ribbed leg a bit longer than I did with the Madeline Tosh Robin's Nest.
So many projects... But I have a job.
If anyone's interested in Harry Potter projects, here's a link. I'll definitely be doing the Deathly Hallows hat. I loved it when I saw the movie. And I need another hat.
Recovery, and Lunch...
Like I think I mentioned, I've been diagnosed as anemic. Joy. So I have to eat more protein, and the doc just called. I have to have labs way earlier.
Here's the low-down. I was diagnosed by the cardiologist; called my primary care guy. My physical was initially set for the end of Sept. and then 2 things happened at once. I had to change the appointment and the nurse wanted to talk to me about the anemia thingie.
The "earliest available" appointment is 10/6/14.... He said that he wanted to see me "earliest" and I told her that October was apparently what it was going to be.
Well... not so much. I have to go get the labs on Monday, pick up a test kit for fecal occult (yeah, poo test) and then I'll get a call back to see if "earliest" is actually earlier than October.
I was wondering why my sister was freaking out about it. I suppose I should Google "anemia" to see what's going on, but actually, aside from being tired from the surgery, I'm not showing any other symptoms. And it's normal to be tired from the surgery.
Eating more protein is turning out to be a chore. I don't like meat much. I have no philosophical differences with eating meat. I do try to buy locally farmed stuff as much as I can, and I don't like the factory farms; and ethically I am not jazzed about the cruelty that goes into "Big Farm." But I just don't like meat a lot. It's heavy. Makes me feel sluggish.
But this is apparently more serious than I think, since yesterday she was saying, "I don't think he'll want to transfuse you unless you drop below 8." What?
What???
Ummmmmmmm. Guess I'll eat more spinach, beans and yeah - beef.
Speaking of which, this was lunch. Spinach, baby kale and arugula blend, mushrooms, a quarter of a chicken breast, cucumber from the garden and the avocado dressing I made the other day. Oh, and raw pumpkin seeds.
And I couldn't finish it. I ate most of it. Ate the mushrooms, cukes and chicken. But I am just full.
The nursing instructor here today suggested that I eat garbanzo beans. I love garbanzo beans. I can do that. Will keep you posted on that. Anyone out there with experience in anemia, holler. I probably would make myself frantic if I did a Google search.
The Garden...
Pickling continues. We've got 2 batches of Sweet Pickle Chips under our belts. There will be more this weekend. I'm thinking that since Bread & Butter need to be sliced, we could perhaps beef up that stock.
Our friend Bill just had a knee replacement. I think a Pickle Basket is a good get-well gift!
Pickles make everything better.
At least that's my story.
I've also picked up a magazine from Better Homes & Gardens with lots of interesting chutney recipes, jams, spreads, etc.
This preserving of stuff gets addictive. I haven't made jam in a few years, and I'd also like to do more tomato sauce, though I didn't plant the right tomatoes for sauce.
But I could get some flats of berries and make a mixed-berry preserve. Or a pickled garlic, or a nice onion jam.
The mind reels.
Random Picture...
This is slightly doctored. Just cropped, actually. Quinn was napping and I love the way the sun shines through the blinds and makes her striped.
She was worn out. She and Raisa are mostly at a truce now, and while Raisa plays with Hubby, Quinn will come play with me. They also do play together, but we're still watchful because Raisa is an idiot and doesn't always see when Quinn's had enough.
She seems to know when Tippi has had enough. And there have been some pretty fearsome-looking "tooth fencing" battles. I can tell when it's just play because both Elkhounds are "snorters." They snort rather loudly as they play.
It's when the snorts turn to a growl that you have to be in a hurry to call a halt to the madness.
Otherwise, it's a ball of whirling fur and teeth.
Never a good sign.
We go back to finish obedience this week. I think Raisa will actually have to repeat Advanced Obedience. She's not anywhere near ready for her CGC. She's still not quite a year yet, and anyone who knows anything about huskies knows that a young husky is just not going to do much but be a gigantic ball of whirling dervish. No way will she do the long stays or even a passable "heel" or "come front."
No use stressing about it. I think we may have pushed her farther and faster than she was ready for. I know we were used to River-the-Robo-Dog, but I think we're realistic enough to know that Raisa isn't there yet.
