OK...SO THE STAINS ARE GONNA STAY

I tried all of the remedies y'all suggested as well as a few I found online. 

The stains didn't so much as budge.

So I'm going to forget they are there and just keep stitching!

MOVING THE Q-SNAPS...

Here is a full shot of RVC...my progress thus far:

And the pink splotches in the upper left corner:

The more I look at them, the more I think they will be covered by stitching, and that I should just leave well enough alone until the piece is completely stitched and I know what's what.

Or, on second thought...I could try to dap at it a bit with a damp cloth and baking soda like suggested and see what happens...

Stay tuned!!!

SERENDIPPITTY....

I've been using the brace and the roll on stuff on my thumb, and this was in this morning's coopuns:

I confess that I didn't buy this brand last week...it was three times the price of the IcyHot at my local CVS, and since I'm a spinster on a budget I opted for the less expensive alternative. Based on the results, though, methinks the BioFreeze would be better.

So as soon as the IcyHot runs out...off I go with coopun in hand!

Quiet weekend thus far. I did manage to get some exercise in the pool last night, but missed stitchy time because said exercise wore me out and I fell asleep on the couch in front of a baseball game on the TeeVee.

Today is a new day, though, so I am upright and in the Happy Chair...determined to get a few stitches in before nap time!

Man...I really personify that eat...sleep...stitch thing, don't I?

So, Dearies? What's new in your neck of the woods? Come tell me all about it!

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN...

This is the official 2018 Notre Dame Shamrock Series uniform. They are playing the game in Yankee Stadium this year against Syracuse.

I know, I know...every year I have something snarky to say about how my beloved Irish are going to look like shower mold or StayPuft Marshmallow men, but this year?

I got nothing.

So I leave it to you, my faithful friends.

What do you think?

ANOTHER NEW TOY...

This is an adjustable lap desk that I got at the Targets for a whopping fourteen dollars:

I think this thing is going to be life changing. I can sit in the Happy Chair with the iPad thingie on a slant in front of me and type away with two hands...like a person should.  It's super heavy, so i won't be able to take it to the dialysis chair with me, but this would be a total game changer there.  

(Hmmmmm....I wonder if I could negotiate with the director to leave it there somehow? Or maybe I could convince her to purchase a few for patients like me who like to work/play on iPads during treatment?  They have several iPads there for use by patients...wouldn't this be a nice addiition?)

I think this would also be perfect for diamond painting, since the left side tilts up in several different positions, and there is a nice flat surface to the right to hold drills, tools, a tray, drink, etc.  

For stitching, it would be a great chart holder, and stitchy tools could sit on the flat part.

I didn't get paid to endorse this, but I can tell you that I definitely give it a full five stars.  For fourteen bucks, I am very pleasantly surprised at how well it's made, and I'm super happy I splurged and bought it!

TESTING...TESTING...123

OK, we're gonna give this a go for a few weeks to see if it heals. I did get the topical and applied it liberally, but will have to rely on Tylenol for the pain. Alleve and other non-Tylenols are toxic to my kidneys, so I have to stay away from them completely, even though I've been told they really do work.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! You saved me a trip to the doc and an enormous bill...I hope!

CALLING ALL CARS...

I think this will be the very first time I've done this on this here blog, but I'm looking for advice from anybody who knows anything about thumbs.

My left thumb joint is stiff and sore. It almost feels like a sprain, but methinks it is some kind if arthritis or tendonitis from holding my iPad thingie.

I've noticed a few stitchers talking about thumbs on their blogs or Flosstube videos, and I'm wondering if any of you have a suggestion/remedy that I can try before heading off to yet another doctor.

I'm sorry to complain about it, but alas, I am left handed and have been unable to grasp a pen or anything else in that hand, and there are things to write, pages to color, and diamonds to paint! I stitch with my right hand, so all is well there, but....

Off to an appointment and then home to ponder. It's a cloudy Thursday here in Hoosierville, so methinks it might be a Netflix and stitching kind of day!

PROGRESS CONTINUES...

I managed to have a very good stitchy session last night, and fished through the cube room studio for smaller q-snaps and a snuggie.

I think it's the first time using one, so after a few minutes of fitzing and futzing, I got used to it and stitched two whole sections:

I haven't addressed the stain yet, since I really am hoping that the stitching will cover most of it. I do appreciate the suggestions for treating it, though...very helpful, indeed!

So that's it for a Wednesday morning. I'm going to put a few more stitches in before heading off to the chair. It's kind of a gloomy day here today, so methinks this might be a YouTube/nap session!

Finally...thank you for all of the nice comments from those of you who have received and are enjoying your t-shirts!  I'm so happy to know that they met expectations, and I really appreciate the support!  I haven't given up on the mugs or other items just yet....we're sourcing to find the best price and easiest distribution.

Happy Futzingday, Dearies! Do something Futzy and come tell me all about it!

IN WHICH MONDAY ARRIVES ONCE AGAIN...

I'm here, but feeling like I am under water. My nurse here at dialysis thinks it might be a bug that is making its way through the unit, since a lot of patients called off today and are complaining of the same symptoms.

Ugh.

I did a bit of stitching yesterday, but not enough to show. I also discovered that there is a bright pink stain on the upper right corner of my linen, but I am trying not to lose my head over it. I suspect that it is from the bright pink headband I used to hold the extra linen...that it somehow got wet and bled a bit without me realizing it. Hopefully the stitching will cover it, and if not, it will blend in and become part of the piece.

I do have a lovely fountainview chair, so there's nothing to complain about on that front:

Hopefully both Buzzy and Beepy will behave themselves today and I can run at full speed for the duration. They have discovered that a longer needle in the upper position works better on me bcause Buzzy is so very deep (I think he's just shy), so hopefully that will allow for better cleanings. It's pretty daunting to watch them come at me with it because it looks very much like a harpoon straight out of Melville, but it does the trick and I can close my eyes for a few seconds, no?

Flosstube will be the order of the day, methinks. I have been distracted by all things shiny and diamond painting these last several days, but I need to get back in my lane. My hands are not going to allow the gripping of a pen for any length of time, and there is too much stitchy goodness to be had to be grounded from it due to tendonitis.

So that's it, my Dearies. A quiet start to what will hopefullt be a quiet week. What's new in your corner of the world?

SUNDAY SPINSTER.....EH

I'm sweating my bazoombas off, and have been for the last week and a half. It's not particularly hot here...quite the opposite as a matter of fact this morning, but here I sit in a puddle of Spinster sweat.

Is it possible that I am finally stepping from the vestibule into the anteroom of menopausal hell?

Nothing at all to report, Dearies. I managed to get some exercise in the pool yesterday, and am hoping to do the same today, but my energy level is going to have to move substantially upward for that to happen. Right now I'm just...snoozy.

Jimminy Crickets.

Sweaty and Snoozy.

How's THAT for a fabulous combination on a Hoosier Sunday morning?

Progress continues on RVC:

I'm going to see if I can get a few stitches in before the day's fesitivities commence.

Here's hoping that your very own Sunday is peaceful, lovely, and calm, and that you get to do everything you want to and nothing you don't. Have fun and come tell me all about it!

FUNNY THING ABOUT BUSES...

They run on a route and stop at the same places over and over and over again.  The one that keeps hitting me must have a spinster sized dent in it by now, since I have not yet figured out how to get the heck out if its way!

I am decidedly unwell today, Dearies. It started yesterday in the chair after seven unsuccessful attempts to get me hooked up to Beepy, and continued into the wee hours with wanting to crawl under a rock.

Ugh.

Maybe a virus.  Maybe a flu. Maybe the weather, or something I picked up from a fellow patient or tech. Maybe it's just par for the course at this stage of the game. No matter the origin, though, methinks I would prefer this little visitor to make his or her way elsewhere...toot sweet.

The hardest thing about being me today (and most days), is that my brain is singing "Oh, what a beautiful morning!" and looking forward to various and sundry fun things on the agenda, but my body is singing a big fat "Nope! No way, no how!"

I suppose that this is the plight of most folks these days, especially those with chronic illness or advancing age or circumstances that prevent them from doing all the things. But, because I've always had a head like a rock, I never realized I am one of them. (You give me a fifteen foot wall and I will claw my way to the utility closet to find the sixteen foot ladder.)

It's not a matter of ego. I just realized early on that there are those that are gifted with brains or beauty or talent or ability, and then there are those of us who have....grit and determination. It's not a self-depricating comment, Dearies, I promise you. I am, if nothing else, a realist. And I know that I might have to work a little harder, but the reward is worth it in the end.

Hmmmm. All of this naval gazing on a Thursday. I suppose it is the result of trying to do all of the big hard things and trying to figure out how to do these big hard things and not lose my mind or drop dead in the process, but do them I must.

Dialysis just sucks. I know it. You know it. Every single person on the planet who has ever done it knows it. It's awful and hard and scary and painful and a bit of a nightmare that you get to look forward to every other day...for an unknown period of time. 

It sucks.

But there is a very large part of me left that realizes that it is an enormous blessing that is literally keeping me alive. It is, for the most part, a very minor inconvenience in the scope of things, and I really do thank God each and every day that it is an option that is a available to me.

But it still sucks.

Today's plan will come together after I've had another cup of damn good and read the paper. I long for the days when my feet hit the floor and I was semi-coherent and got on with it, but for now I need to learn to function through this morning blur and just make sure I am upright, bathed, and have pants on.

I am still loving RVC, and hope that I can spend some time with her later this afternoon. I took a look at her sans q-snaps the other day and was pleasantly surprised at how much I have finished thus far. If I really buckled down and concentrated on her exclusively, methinks she could be finished (and maybe off to the framer) soon. Besides...pulling that silk through that linen is better than any other therapy I can think of, so maybe I should start making that a priority on my list of things to do to stay semi-sane!

The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting sweetly, the clouds are big and fat and puffy, and I am determined to make the most of the day. Thank you for indulging my "off-ness" today...I promise to get my head out of my heiney.

Eventually.

Do something wonderfully fun today and come tell me all about it. Tell me what's blowing your skirt up...what has you vexed or stumped....what tools you're obsessed with....or who has made your heart sing today!  Cheerio and WooHoo and all of that...Happy Thursday!

TUESDAY WAS FOR T-SHIRTS

Will somebody please smack me about the head if I ever do this again? This entire operation has been poorly executed, is terribly behind schedule, and has resulted in three hours of tears and recriminations.

Friends, if you ordered a t-shirt, it has FINALLY arrived from the printer and has been packaged and sent to you.  The length of time it took for this to be completed was just stupid ridiculous. I apologize.

Mugs and future items will definitely be handled differently...oey.

No stitching to report. I am hoping to settle in with RVC after dinner and a few Tylenol. Come tell me all about your very own Tuesday shenanagins!

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN

My view one year ago...taken in Donaldson:

My view today...taken in CS2:

SUNDAY...SUNDAY

SATURDAY...SATURDAY

Things are moving very slowly here in Hoosierville today. I had a very good treatment yesterday and managed to stop at the Martins for some light provisions, but that's about all I remember. I had dinner and was tucked into the big girl sleigh bed by about 7:30.

As soon as I get my wits about me (after precisely two cups of damn good), I am going to settle in for some Flosstube viewing and stitching. I know that the sunshine, heat, and humidity make for a perfect pool day, but the truth of the matter is that I could use a little peace and quiet, and last time I checked there were eleventy billion peoples in the water.

Nope.

Not today.

I have been trying to catch up on my viewing of all things stitchy, but keep getting sidetracked by Miss Danielle/Stitcherista's diamond painting. And then I look at dot painting mandalas. And then knitting. And before you know it, I'm off on a trail of sparkly breadcrumbs that makes me happy I don't have the room to start any new endeavors.

Or do I?

In any event, I truly am happy to spend the day stitching today. Buzzy is angry, brusied, sore, and in need of an ice pack, and the lap stand and I will be able to accomodate him nicely.

(I should probably clarify that in my case this isn't so much a lap stand as it is a top of leg stand. I don't have a lap...haven't had one in years...but the stand balances quite nicely on my legs when I sit in either the Happy Chair or on the sectional.)

If you're sweltering, stay cool and hydrated today! If your weather is otherwise...enjoy it! I hope that your Saturday is swell...come tell me all about it!

FRIDAY...FRIDAY

I've been behaving myself this week while Rich is in New Jersey. Last night I watched the final episode of the West Wing after a seven season re-binge, bawled my eyes out, had a popsicle, and then started watching episode one all over again.

I think I've seen the entire season at least nine or ten times...almost as many times as I've watched The Sopranos.

Hmmmmmm. Sopranos. 

Well, at least now I know what I'll be watching tonight!

I like re-bingeing these shows because I can take my glasses off and stitch and just listen to the dialogue. In the last year my eyes have changed so much that contacts and magnifiers just aren't cutting it. So...without anything at all I can pretty much see clearly about eight inches from my face.

(Note to self: must remedy that with a trip to the eyeball doctor.)

Here's last night's progress on Red Velvet Cake:

I am still really enjoying this and might stick with it another week or two.  I did, however, put Summer at Cherry Hill in my dialysis bag to see if I can make some progress on that skirt:

This seems to be the perfect chair project, since I can just fill in without having to count or change colors frequently.

The weekend is upon us, Dearies. I am going to make an honest attempt at laundry and paperwork before heading to the pool. It is supposed to be in the 90's, so methinks getting in the water might be just what I need!

I hope your plans include something that makes your heart sing. Stay cool and hydrated and peaceful, do something wonderfully fun, and come tell us all about it!

STITCHING UP A STORM...

JUST A QUICKIE....

T-shirts should be shipping this weekend...God willing!  They should arrive here tomorrow, and I will then package and label them to get them off to you!  Thanks for your patience!

IN WHICH WE DECIDE TO HAVE A NO CLOCK TUESDAY...

Today I am trying something new.

I promised myself that I would ignore the clock, the to do lists, and the internets and just...be. I'm going to eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm sleepy, and stitch when I'm stitchy. No rules, schedules, or shoulds...just me...a portly spinster floating her way through a non-d-chair Tuesday.

My lap stand arrived yesterday, and I am already quite smitten with it!

I had it put together within minutes, and after filling up my sippy cup and cueing up The West Wing, I managed to stitch for quite some time!

It was exactly what I needed to alleviate the problems with my left arm. With this stand, I don't have to hold my project, and I was even able to rest my arm comfortably next to me with an ice pack!

I completed the bottom curve during last night's session:

When idle, I can plop my project bag on top to protect the stitches....perfect!

I can't wait to try this out tomorrow. I'm sure it will look like I'm moving in when I tote a small suitcase in with me, but five hours is five hours, kids!  And, as my techs have learned...a quiet spinster is a happy spinster, and a happy spinster means a good run on the machine!

I purchased my stand from Miss Bonnie and her husband Mr. Mike...thanks to Miss Vonna, The Twisted Stitcher Her Very Self. I saw Vonna using this type of stand in a Flosstube video and knew it would be just the perfect solution! (Besides...I would do just about anything to be more like Miss Vonna...so this was a good first step!)

You can get more info from Bonnie at: bbagley41@bellsouth.net.

So that's the plan and the news for a No Clock Tuesday, Dearies! I hope that your little corner of the world is wonderfully swell today, and that you will get to do everything your heart desires! Come tell me all about it!

FOUNTAINVIEW...

This is my favorite chair in the pod. I have a view of the fountain, the pond, and all of the ducks and ducklettes playing in the morning sunshine. It reminds me of an old Esther Williams movie.

I am more tired than is usual for me on a Monday, so methinks I will curl up with YouTube on my ipad while Buzzy and Beepy do their thing. Needle insertion went very well today despite poor Buzzy still being sore and bruised from surgery last week, so I am praying for a good run at full speed.

I do have stitching with me...Summer at Cherry Hill...but I don't know if I want to tempt fate by squirming around to hold the q-snaps comfortably. Hopefully we can remedy that this week with the arrival of a lap stand that doesn't require both hands. I spied it on Miss Vonna's blog and got the info from her, so fingers crossed that we finally have a good solution for stitching in the d-chair!

Other than that...no news is good news. I am looking forward to a week of stitching and salads and some pool time. Here's hoping that it stays quiet as planned!

SUNDAY EVENING...

Quiet day today. Mister Lovey and I had a late bagel and then ran errands for a few hours. Then it was home for dinner on the balcony and a little Philly sports radio on the speaker thingie. 

Lovely.

I am contemplating a hot bath and then a little TeeVee and stitchy time before hitting the big girl sleigh bed for a good night's sleep. My snacks and socks and leggings and big tops are ready for chair time this week, so now all I need to do is decide which stitchy projects to play with.

Nothing too new or exciting to report, which is exactly how I like it these days...slow and steady thankyouverymuch!

Happy Sunday to all! Here's hoping the week ahead is full of wonderful things!

IN WHICH WE HAVE A VERY ACTIVE SATURDAY, INDEED

I woke up at the crack o' dawn again today, so we made good use of it and headed to the golfing course to get some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.  It was just such a picture perfect day today that I didn't want to waste it inside sleeping...(even though that would have been my preference were it not for the Mister tapping his toes).

We played eighteen total holes, and although I did not play particularly well, I really did enjoy myself and managed not to get too terribly worn out.

Now that hot showers have been completed, it's time to hit the sectional for some baseball and stitching. I never knew myself to be such a sports fan, but I suppose all those years of watching Bravo housewife drama prepared me well for the ebb and flow of a game.

Not sure what will strike my fancy just yet. I am leaning toward Red Velvet Cake, since that silk through linen is just so very....soothing.

So that's the report, Dearies. I hope your very own Saturday was lovely and everything you wanted it to be. Come tell me all about it and what your plans are for a perfect Sunday!

FRIDAY...FRIDAY

BUS...BIG BUS...

Well, for pity's sakes. I am on the pavement today, Dearies. Tuesday's procedure was hard enough, but yesterday really took it out of me. I gutted it out, though, and managed to have a full treatment despite Buzzy's protests, and I even came home and made a good dinner for Mr. Spinster.

But today? Today I am...hazy, at best. My poor arm is looking more of a hot mess than ever, my head is full of cotton balls, and I just want my Mommie.

Or my Stewey.

I always dream of him when I'm not feeling well, and last night was no exception. In my dreams, he is always as funny and ornery and sweet and incorrigible as ever, and although I know it's not physically possible...I still smell baby shampoo when I cuddle him.

OK...enough of that. On to the stitching! Here's an update on Red Velvet Cake:

As soon as I finish the paper and my second cup of damn good, I'm going to get right back to this. The silk through linen is just...delicious, and exactly what I need today. Methinks I will take a hot scrubby shower, have a little breakfast, and then tuck myself into the Happy Chair for the duration!

The weekend is almost upon us, so come tell me all about your plans for it. I am hoping for some fresh air, sunshine, pool time, and lots of stitching. How about you?

UP AT THE CRACK O'DAWN

It's 6:45 and I am awake.  

6:45am...as in the morning!

I'm not sure what has me up so early, but I'm going to take advantage of the peace and quiet and play with Red Velvet Cake:

I've already had one cup of damn good, and the paper has been read cover to cover, so I suppose there's no reason at all why I can't enjoy a little early morning peaceful paradise...right?

Buzzy is just forlorn today and looking like a truck hit him, but we're going to do our level best to go to chair time today. Because I did not get a treatment Monday, I really cannot afford to skip today....that would leave too many days in between treatments and land me in the hospital.

Nope. Not this spinster.

I have some lidocaine cream that I've never used, so I might dab a bit today to help keep me off the ceiling during needle insertion. I normally just tough it out because the pain only lasts a few minutes, but today might be the exception to the rule.

(I don't use the cream because the folks at the Access Center told me that it breaks down the skin eventually, and that the end result is worse than the poke.)

So that's it...some stitching, some more damn good, and then chair time. If all goes well, I am hoping for a good dinner on the balcony tonight...little steaks and salad and a popsicle for dessert!

Here's hoping that your very own Futzingday is...futzy! Come tell me all about it!

POOR BUZZY...

I am home from my procedure...tucked nicely into the Happy Chair with a cup of damn good and my magic blanket for company. My sister took me to the appointment and supervised, since she is able to walk into a medical facility, have a conversation with the care team, and remember details without the help of sedatives, an oxygen mask, or an air sick bag.

My poor Jersey Boy. He tends to go off the deep end at the first thought of anything medically related, and practically had to be revived when he got the text yesterday to come fetch me early because I had infiltrated.  Squeamish doesn't come close to describing it...he flat out passes out at the thought that I'm going to eventually remove a band aid:

(My sister, of course, wanted to know if she could remove the stitches, but clinic policy prevented them from allowing her to do so.)

(I, thank goodness, have enough sedatives coursing through my veins that I was, and am still a bit oblivious to the competence and/or sadistic tendencies of my caregivers.)

On a happier note...my nails were quite the hit with my lead nurse, Dennis. I don't know if it was the color, or the fact that fingers and toes match quite nicely, thankyouverymuch, but he didn't stop talking about them from the moment I hopped up onto the surgery table until the moment I wobbled down.

Buzzy got a good and thorough cleaning. He was 70% blocked in two places up near my collarbone and shoulder, so with today's angioplasty should be back to full strength. This narrowing is all a very natural occurance, apparently. The body is not meant to have a vein and an artery affixed into a fistula, so it is doing its level best to shut it down. The best way to prevent this is with regular maintenance, which in my case means a little roto-rootering every three months.

No complaints or worries, though. I got a turkey sam and a box of apple juice for my troubles, and now I get to take it easy for the rest of the day.  Certainly beats a sharp stick in the eye.

I'm going to go enjoy the rest of these twilight drugs, Dearies, and hit the big girl sleigh bed with a book and my sippy cup. If all goes well in that department, I might try to get a little stitching in before the evening draws near.

Thank you for all of your well wishes and happy thoughts! They were just what the doctor ordered today! Cheerio and all that...come tell me what's new in your corner of the world!

IN WHICH THE SPINSTER GETS...SMITED

Well, well, well.

Looks like my little turn on the sassy horse was all for naught.

Turns out there really IS something wrong with Buzzy...so much so that I infiltrated and had to leave treatment a full fifteen minutes after I got there. The top needle just wouldn't go in, and then even after it did, it decided to blow the access and send the blood into the surrounding arm tissue where it just doesn't belong.

Ouch.

So it is a really good thing that I will have it roto-rootered tomorrow, and despite the fact that I positively dread this procedure, I need to suck it up Buttercup and get on with it. There's just too much fun to be had for me not to feel well enough to have it.

I'm home, in jammies, and doing laundry, and as soon as I finish the paper, I'm going to stitch.

I'll try to touch base with you tomorrow afternoon or evening.  If not...definitely on Futzingday!

DAMN, DRAT, AND PHOOEY

Surgery tomorrow on Buzzy at 9:30 in the morning. The nurse practioner doesn't like numbers she's seeing from labwork, and is convinced that Buzzy is somehow blocked.

I think it has more to do with her own performance review and that numbers on a page sometimes have nothing to do with how I actually feel, but I'm nothing if not compliant. Besides...I respect the uniform and years of training she has beyond my own, so off I go.

But I'm still mad about it.

My days "off" are so very precious to me that I resent anything that takes them away from me, even though I know that sometimes I need to be a big girl...pull'em up...and just get on with it without complaint.

So that's it for now. Today I need to pack my snacks, comb my hair, and go have a good treatment followed by a salad and some stitching.  

Tomorrow will get here soon enough...

SUNDAY...SUNDAY

We've just had a lovely brunch, watched the final of the British Open, and are now getting ready to go to campus for a little golf if the weather holds out. I did a huge grocery shop yesterday and spent the morning organizing and chopping and portioning so that we can grab and go this week and try to be healthy. 

I'm bushed!

But I know the exercise and fresh air is good for me, so off I go....

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE, JOLLY RANCHER POPSICLES?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR DAD

I posted this ten years ago, but I think it still says everything I'd like to say about my dad. Today he would have been 86. Seems impossible to imagine sometimes.

Several of you have asked me if he knew my Rich. The answer is...yes, he did, and he liked him very much.

This is Dad. Mr. Robert P. Rich. He would have been 76 years old today. This probably explains why I have been fighting off the boo-hoos all damn day long. I miss him so much I think I think my heart will break.

This man was a hero. He was a kind and gentle soul. He lived in "houses with women" all his life.....first Grandma and Aunt Lou (because his own father died so young) and then Mom, me, and Chrissy. He used to joke that even the dog (Charlie) was "fixed". This probably explains why he was the way he was. I don't think I ever heard him raise his voice or say a bad thing about any one or any thing. He was funny and ornery and had twinkly eyes, especially when he was hiding cookies in his shirt pocket. You could talk to him for hours or just sit and watch a football game on a Saturday afternoon, and you'd come away feeling better about yourself and the world you lived in. You could depend on him for anything and knew that no matter how much you had royally screwed up, he was still your dad and he loved you.

He loved chocolate and Snyder's hard pretzels. He always smelled nice and he always combed his hair the same way. He didn't like guilt or mean people and he quietly went about making his little corner of the world a wonderful place. He never bragged or lectured. He never hit or grounded. He talked and explained and made you want to be a better person so that he would be proud of you. He hugged and patted your cheek and always let you know how special you were, even when you felt like the least special person on the planet.

Dad could do math in his head and Chrissy and I called him Rain Man because of his ability to do this. He went to Notre Dame and graduated as an engineer, but spent all of his working life as a management executive for Westinghouse. Chrissy and I never knew how "powerful" or "respected" Dad was until he died and his former collegues wrote to us. We found out that this man we loved wasn't just our hero....he had fans all over the world.

The men that came to the funeral told us that our dad was the smartest guy they ever met and the women told us that they all had secret crushes on him. Turns out that this guy we thought was a "nerd" was actually a very popular fellow and could be the life of the party.

Dad married the love of his life on May 23, 1964 and he held her in his arms the morning she died on November 12, 1987. Dad loved Mom more than anything in this world and he gave life to Father Hesburgh's words: "The greatest thing a man can do for his children is love their mother."
I think that the reason why Chrissy and I remain single is that we decided that we saw what perfect marriage was and we weren't going to settle for anything less.  

Happy birthday, Dad. We miss you.

BEHAVING MYSELF ON FRIDAY...FRIDAY

I got the center chair today, so I'm trying to distract myself from my rather chaotic view. Do you suppose that I am the only person who feels compelled to get out of my chair and tidy those bloody shelves?

😳

But I am doing my Buzzy/Beepy thing instead and minding my business and doing my job as a compliant, bathed, happy, quiet patient.

(The bathed part is apparently the most important, and I was told that I am among the favorites because I know my way around a good strong body wash, a twice daily scrubbing, and the liberal application of Secret deoderant.)

Hmmmm.

Who knew that simple personal cleasiness could make me so popular? All this time I thought it was my charm and sparkling personality, but all it really is is that I smell like soap most of the time.

Mister Lovey Spinster and I played a total of fourteen (!) holes of golf last night befrore it got too dark to continue. I was rather pleased with my stamina, but am definitely paying for it today with soreness and fatigue. The good news about this is that my day today involves nothing more than chair time, and if I play my cards right I should be able to sit quietly and stitch.

I brought Red Velvet Cake back out to play:

Pizza for dinner tonight, and maybe a movie or two, depending on my energy level after treatment. I am determined to feel good enough to get organized for the weekend, though, so I suppose I better hope for the best!

The weekend is here, Dearies! Here's hoping that your little corner of the world is perfectly swell and that you're doing something fabulous! Come tell me all about it!

THURSDAY...THURSDAY

We seem to have this quiet relaxation thing down. Yesterday's treatment went very well for me, but not so much for the machine. The poor thing was more beepy than usual, and was sent back to the workshop for computer repair.

I felt well enough to play golf, but alas, it was league time at Notre Dame and there were no times available, so Lovey and I opted for dinner and Netflix viewing instead. (We had grilled chicken kabobs on rice and watched all of the comedians in cars and elsewhere.)

Today is promising to be equally as nice...a nail appointment for me, work for Lovey, and then we tee off at 5:30ish. If the weather permits, I hope for a float after...then dinner....then stitching.

Next year we're going to plan a vacation during this week, I think. Lovey is literally twitching himself into a snit without anything to watch and he's driving me a bit batshit. I love this man, I really do, but Spinster needs some stitchy time in the Happy Chair without having to participate in the evening's TeeVee selection and viewing! The only good thing about this is that he now knows what it feels like for me to go without needle and thread for extended periods....twitchy, indeed.

So that's the report for a Thursday, Dearies. The weekend is almost upon us, so I'm keen to hear what's on your agenda.  Something fun, I hope!

WEDNESDAY...WEDNESDAY

Slow but steady progress on Summer at Cherry Hill. I am hoping that today will be another excellent treatment time, much like Monday was. My tech positioned the needles just right, and I was in a chair that has always brought good luck, so I ran at full speed for the entire session.

No stitchy time last night, unfortunately. Lovey and I settled in for a movie called "Rememory", and I had to pay attention to the plot. I thought it was very good, and it starred one of my favorite actors...Peter Dinklage, aka Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones. Lovey was not as impressed, but it occurs to me that a viewer of "Glow...the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" might not have too many legs to stand on.

Today promises to be another pretty one...sunny and breezy with low humidity. If at all possible, I hope to get out there any enjoy it this afternoon when I come home. 

That's the report for a lovely Futzingday, Dearies! I hope yours is swell and that you get to play with something that blows your skirt up!  Come tell us all about it!