HAPPY HALLOWEEN, DEARIES!

IN WHICH WE MAKE SOME LOVELY NEW FRIENDS...

The reception at the Jewish Federation was lovely, and I was able to enjoy the pieces from the perspective of an attendee rather than a hapless nutjob who was supposed to be of some kind of help at the installation but wasn't because Miss Chris and her husband Mr. Mike ran it with military precision and I am a total boob.

But I digress.

The building itself is really quite beautiful, but the pieces that my guild sisters submitted for display (some) and sale (others) are just...stunners.  This was my first opportunity to really see a lot of pieces from several of them close up, and I have to tell you...

I'm gonna need a bigger boat.

About five seconds after I got there, I was introduced to a nice man who actually purchased one of my submissions.  What made talking to him so nice (besides the fact that he was a very lovely person) was the fact that he admired our stitching so much.  He truly appreciated the love and care and passion that we all have for this thing of ours, and he was keen to learn what kinds of threads were used, how colors were chosen, and why we stitched what we stitched.

A perfect conversation to have on a Sunday afternoon.

I did manage to stay much longer than expected, but I ran out of energy pretty quickly and made it home in time to crumble into a pajama heap for the rest of the afternoon.

Dinner, though, was delicious.  A sandwich on Italian bread with breaded chicken cutlet, broccoli rabe, sharp provolone, and roasted red peppers.  I used to get this sandwich from a place called Barrels in Arlantic City (or Margate...I can't remember) with spinach and had quite a hankering for it.  It was my first time with broccoli rabe, though, but I have to say that I really loved it.

(Broccoli rabe is also called rapini and is vegetable that is very much like a turnip green...it's dark green and leafy and is apparently very very good for you.  It can be bitter, but when prepared well is absolutely delicious in my humble opinion.)

(And my JB loves it and was excited to find it at the Martin's and cook it for me, so I wasn't going to argue.)

So that was my Sunday...some stitchy time with my people, and then some TeeVee time with my person.  All in all, a very good day indeed.

I'm up at the crack 'o dawn today to get started on what promises to be a very busy week.  In addition to several chores around here that need doing, I have three appointments to keep me on the straight and narrow and the Craft Fair to get ready for next Sunday.  I have about 2/3 of my items ready to go...just need to fill another basket or two to make for a full table.

That's it tor now, Dearies!  I hope that your very own week is off to a perfect start and that you get to do whatever your heart desires today!

A FEW MORE MEMORIES OF OCTOBERS PAST...

Stewey snoozing (and inspecting the goings on in the back yard) from his little bed in the sun:

A full basket full of WIPs:

Toys, toys, everywhere!  (and an impatient little dog wanting to play Pumpkin (!) )

And my favorite view of the beautiful colors that met me every time I stepped out to get the mail and morning paper:

IN WHICH WE ACTUALLY STITCH!

After last night's delicious dinner, I settled in with Autumn Square by Ms. Laura J. Perin Her Very Self and...I stitched!!!

Rich watched the 76ers on the TeeVee and I sat and babbled along happily (in my head, anyway) about how ridiculously grateful I am to have this happy little life of mine.  I mean it...from the memory of my parents and Stewey, to the love of my friends and family, to this thing of ours, to this happy little apartment...I have to say that I am one kidney short of being completely and utterly content.

Crazy, isn't it?

I'm not doing anything notable or solving world peace or curing cancer or making the world a better place for humanity, but I am perfectly happy to just be here taking it all in.  I've got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel, but I just can't wait to see what happens next...what fun thing awaits us around the next corner or what adventure is waiting to be had.  

Life is beautiful, indeed.

A few more minutes before I head over to the reception for the needlework exhibit.  Can anybody explain why I am so very crazypants nervous about going?  I've been so good about being the girl about town...traveling hither and yon to hockey games and guild meetings like a boss...but today I am filled with that old friend "please don't make me leave my house and have to talk to people" agorophobia that was a constant companion all those years ago.

They really should make BIGGER pills for this.

So there we are.  Papers and damn good, a little stitching, and an afternoon field trip to look at pretty things hung on walls.  I just need to remember to breathe and enjoy every single second of it.

Happy Sunday, Dearies!  Do something fun or adventurous or brave or silly and come tell me all about it.

SATURDAY NIGHT SPINSTER BLISS

Notre Dame game, spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, and Goofy Juice in my sippy cup.

All brought to me on a tray.

In the Happy Chair.

With explicit instructions that I was not to do anything except "Sit, stitch, eat, and watch your team."

Misses Jane and Charlene surprised me with a visit this afternoon after their trip to the House of Stitches, and I got gifts and the stamp of approval on my Jersey Boy.  It was stealthy, I tell ya.  Charlene called as I was napping to tell me that they had gifts, were on their way home, and that they would be here in a few minutes.  (She's a mom and not to be deterred, and I suspect that Miss Jane pointed her vee-hickle in this direction and there was no arguing with them.)

Methinks we passed inspection, and as I told them in my follow-up email after they left, I think dear Rich was relieved to finally meet back-up in the event that I require additional supervision.

A bit punk physically, but a good hot scrubby shower, some flannel jams, and now some stitchy time are all that I needed to make me feel almost fully human and ready for tomorrow.

At 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, I will go to the Jewish Federation for a reception for the needlework exhibit, and I will try not to chatter like a circus monkey, eat too many cookies, or drink too much punch.  Rich will stay home to watch the Eagles and there's a promise of another dinner in the Happy Chair for being a big girl and doing something besides staring at him, trying to anticipate his every need.

So that's it for now, my Dearies.  The only thing missing from my day was Stewey and my fireplace with a cozy fire blazing away.  Maybe someday...

Happy Saturday night, friends!  Do something fun and come tell me all about it!

THE ANNUAL "STEWEY IN HIS WIGLET" GIGGLEFEST

A FUTZINGDAY MANIFESTO, BY THE SPINSTER STITCHER HER VERY SELF

Today I will enjoy my paper and damn good while listening to the construction crew outside the bedroom window move piles of rocks around from place to place with the loudest construction machines on the planet.

I will tidy up the apartment by making the bed, emptying the dishwasher, and fluffing the sofa cushions.

I will sit at the dining room table and organize my budget, pay bills, and clean out my appointment book.

I will write ten more thank you notes.

I will write a Target list, clip my coopuns, and fetch my reuseable bags.

I will go shopping at the Targets and will sit down when I need to and I will leave everything in the car for my Jersey Boy to schlep.

I will put my eighteen year old sweatpants back on and I will go into the cube room studio for one hour.

I will make us a healthy and delicious dinner.

I will stitch...something...anything.

I will brush my teeth, wash my face, and pat Stewey's little box before going to bed at a decent hour.

...

(blank stare at the walls)

I will chuck the manifesto into the bin, click on the TeeVee and watch Flosstube videos all day, order Mexican food for dinner, and stay up way too late fretting that I didn't get any stitching done.

(At least I'll be able to say I accomplished one thing on the damn list...right?)

MOOSHY FACE ON A TUESDAY

I'm filled with love and mooshiness today for all of you and this thing of ours.

It started with your lovely comments about me and my neurotic tendencies to fret over my stitching, continued with more lovely notes from friends both near and far, and then put me right over the top with the receipt of some surprise gifts of stitchy kindness.

So I tried to explain it to my Jersey Boy, but instead of doing just that, I ended up on the floor on the living room in a big fat puddle of tears over how completely overwhelmed I get by the love and super-human goodness in our community.

(I was on the floor because I had been sitting there sorting through stuff from the underbed box.  Fear not, my friends.  I haven't actually fallen to the floor in over a week and a half!  Progress!)

(He thought I was nuts, looked at the calendar to see if maybe, just maybe it was a "special week" and then listened patiently as I fumbled my way through trying to articulate just how incredibly grateful I feel to be included.)

Friends, Dearies, sisters, brothers...today I celebrate each and every single one of you.  Whether we've met in person, or via email, or through a comment on this here blog, or on Flosstube, or even at the Martin's in the canned pea aisle...today I celebrate you.  I celebrate your humor and kindness and compassion and generosity and talent and wisdom and even your quirks (if, like me, you happen to be afflicted with such).  

(I even celebrate dear demented Betty, who reared her ugly head overnight with a simply awful email about my crappy little apartment, my twisted personality, my fake boyfriend, and my "dead dog".)

(Oh, Betty...how I missed you so.  Thanks for checking in to tell me you still hate my guts.)

(Rock on...Betty.  Rock on.)

Life is beautiful indeed, and I can't believe my luck in getting to live it with you.  Thank you for being the best part of the ride....wooooooohooooooo!

CALLING ALL CARS...

Dear Sweet Felicia from Lovelady, Texas...could you shoot me your email address (if you are so inclined) so that I might thank you properly for your wonderful gift?  I have searched my "Stitchy Sisters" file high and low and can't find anything for you.

Thank you very much,

Spinster Stitcher Mgmt., Inc.

NERVOUS

Today, at 1:00 I am driving to the Jewish Federation of St. Joe County to hang my stitching for an exhibit and sale that my guild has been invited to attend.  I have about 50 pieces, I think...some for sale and some for show, and I'm a nervous wreck about it.

As you might know from reading this here blog, I suffer from a number of maladies...one of which is a bone-crushing lack of confidence in myself to carry on in the world like a semi-normal human being.  I seem to fumble my way from mishap to mishap with nothing but my cheery disposition and the help of several thousand angels, both near and far.

When it comes to this thing of ours, I suppose that the real truth of the matter is that I feel like a big fat fraud.  Nine years, four months, and fifteen days ago you let me into your community and as I scooted my little chair up to the table, I prayed "Please God, don't let these amazing people find out I don't know what I'm doing" as I broke out into my flop sweat and nervous circus monkey chatter.

But today my stuff is going to be on public display, and some of it is going to have price tags on it!  My only hope is that I can somehow manage to wedge it in between my stitchy sisters' stuff so that it will go unnoticed and uncriticized.

I suppose that this here post is my very long winded way of saying THANK YOU, Dearies, for being my soft place to fall all these years and for giving me a safe place to come be...me.  I suppose it really does say something about this family of ours that I can show you my stuff with nary a twitch, but the prospect of "outsiders" viewing it has me looking for a closet to duck into.

No actual stitching news to report.  We ended up watching lots of TeeVee, and then my sleepy eyes just decided to call it a night early.  I still have hopes of an hour in the cube room studio later this afternoon, though, so stay tuned!

Happy Monday to one and all!  We're off like a herd of nervous little turtles!

SUNDAY SPINSTER BLISS...

Rich went to early Mass and came home with the New York Times and Starbucks breakfast.  Remember the time he came home with bagels from the Martin's and I waxed rhapsodic for a week and a half?  Well, this was right up there.

We spent the day helping my sister and then grabbing a few things from the house (like my Notre Dame hockey jersey and the patio chairs) and then went to Bob Evans for a late lunch/early dinner.  Were it not for the fact that I ordered chicken fingers, I swear we were looking at our future....a drive in the car at about 35 miles an hour followed by dinner at 3:30.

So now we're home and I am in pajamas and ready for some reading, stitching, and TeeVee viewing.  I think tonight is the night that Jamie and Claire get...reunited...so I expect that I will be knee deep in the Outlander just as soon as somebody decides to hit the hay.

I have made the executive decision that tomorrow I will spend a minimum of one hour in the cube room studio...even if it's just to paw through my stash or to select something new to play with.  This no-stitching thing needs to stop and stop now.

Back in whack.  Eventually.  That's the goal anyway.  I'll let you know when we get there, but I wouldn't hold your breath too hard over it.  This IS me we're talking about after all.

SATURDAY SPINSTER BLISS

I managed to get up early, shower, dress, and get to Missie Jane's church for a little stitchy time with my stitchy sisters Charlene and Jane.  I don't think I completed more than four or five actual stitches, but the company was perfect and just what this spinster needed on a Fall Saturday.

After a snooze, Rich and I are meeting up with my sister and doing a few errands before returning to CS2 for the Notre Dame/ USC game on the TeeVee tonight.  I am sure to put a lot if stitches in during the game since I prefer to listen rather than watch and the stitching will keep me calm and well behaved.

Ahem.

Other than that, not too much new news to report.  My health is...ugh, but each day that I am on the right side of the sod is a very good day indeed!  Absolutely nothing to complain about, Dearies.

Here's hoping that your very own Saturday is equally as blissful.  Do something fun and come tell me all about it.

AND THEN IT WAS THURSDAY...

Fall is certainly upon us here in Hoosierville, and this portly spinster is loving it!  Sweater weather, football, pumpkins, and naps with a cold breeze coming through the window with my face in the sun.

Lots of appointments and errands in the last few days have left me a bit tired, but there are more appointments and errands to be done today before I can hurtle head long into the weekend.  Then, it will be stitching with the girls at Miss Jane's church, the Notre Dame/USC game on the TeeVee, and then spaghetti and meatballs on Sunday after Mass.

Today, though, is only Thursday.  So I need to focus on the task(s) at hand and get some things accomplished.  One of them is to get over to that bookstore and stitch.  Needle and thread have been scarce around these here parts lately, and that just simply has to change.  Period.

So that's the report from the friendly confines of the Happy Chair today, Dearies.  What's new in your neck of the woods?

PERFECTION

Dear Starbucks,

Oh how I love you so.  I especially love you in this perfectly perfect in every way white ceramic cup that holds the perfect amount of Cafe Verona with Spenda and cream.

See how pretty you look sitting in the morning sun while I pretend to be somebody with something to do other than go to the lab and doctors offices today?

Thank you for being such a wonderful part of my life, dear Starbucks.  Without you, I would be very very sad and very very sleepy.

With love,

The Spinster Stitcher

AT THE BOOKSTORE WITH LAURA J AND A COLD BREW

Rich is walking and I am stitching and sipping the most delicious thing ever...a vanilla hazlenut cold brew coffee from the Einstein's bagel joint at the Notre Dame bookstore.

I really love coming here.  Makes me want to browse the stacks and get something stimulating.

Happy Monday, Dearies!  I hope that your day was wonderfully swell...mine sure was!

IT'S MONDAY...AGAIN

A DAY FOR DUCKS AND SPINSTERS

It's cold, rainy, and very very grey today here in Hoosierville.  A simply perfect day to stay in the Happy Chair and do my thing.  I awoke feeling poorly and with hands and feet swollen like balloons in the Macy's parade, so methinks that my penance will be lots of water, some stitching, and a ban of anything remotely related to salt.

Play time is over, unfortunately, and I need to pay better attention to what I'm doing if I want to stay out of that dialysis chair a little longer.  I confess to being a bit bad with some of my meal selections, so...back on the wagon I go.  Back to fruits and veggies, my morning bagel, and an OCCASIONAL treat like chicken wings or a cheeseburger.

And water.  Did I mention lots and lots of water?

Other than that, life continues to be swell here in the Little House That Love Built.  We're in a quiet, easy routine that is a lovely and welcome addition to what was previously a quiet, easy, (but a bit lonely) routine.  I babble on aimlessly, Rich watches the TeeVee, and then we get on with the business of living.

This week will be full of labwork and appointments and Rich's birthday on Thursday.  Plans are afoot for a special dinner out and then a cake made entirely of chocolate (per request).  I am completely stumped as to what to get him for a gift, but I'm sure something will come to me in the next day or two.

Here's hoping that your neck of the woods is peaceful and happy and that your needles are flying!  Do something fun and come tell me all about it!

WooHoo!

THE DARN PINTEREST MADE MY HEART JUST...MELT

We're having a cozy, quiet morning.  Rich will make something wonderful for dinner (I requested spaghetti and meatballs) and I will go to library guild and lunch with my stitching ladies.  All I need to do is finish the paper and puzzles, grab a shower, and then pack my little stitchy bag and I'm out the door.

Eugenie (the would be my right breast...the left is Beatrice) is fine, but a bit sore.  I gave her an ice pack for a bit last night and methinks there will be minimal bruising.  I will have my family doc take a double look when I go in for my flu shot, but for now I think all is well in that particular department.

The poor girls...between the annual smooshing in the mammograms, the daily restraint of the Fruit of the Loom brassiere contraption, and now this...it's any wonder they haven't made a run for it further than they have. (I discovered that they both have an unfortunate shoe fetish, because sometime in my late 30's they seemed to want to migrate and spend all their time "southward".)

(Oh gravity, you heartless bee-yatch.)

Speaking of boobs...I will be a very big one if I don't take advantage of a rainy Saturday afternoon to get some serious stitching done.  I feel so completely out of sorts and know it's because needle and thread have been so idle.  Must. Fix. That.

Toot sweet.

OK...back to the cozy morning.  Rich looks like he needs a second cup of damn good, and I love having him here to be able to get it for him!  It also makes me feel less guilty for having a second of my own...

Happy Saturday, my Dearies!  I hope you are able to enjoy every single moment of it and that your heart is singing with something wonderful!

OW.

Well, I suppose it had to happen to somebody, so it might as well be Yours Truly.  

Guess who decided to get hit in the right boozoomba with a hockey puck tonight?

There we were at the Notre Dame vs. Denver game...section one, row two, seats eleven and twelve.  We were watching the pre-game warm up when an errant puck flew over the glass and hit me square in the right chest.

It knocked the breath right out of me and at first I thought I had been shot, but then I looked down and saw the puck in my lap and then kind of realized what had happened.

I'm fine...will probably have a nice bruse tomorrow, but at least now I can say I got that out of the way and can enjoy future games without too much worry.

After all...what are the chances that it could happen again?

The offending article:

AND THEN IT WAS FRIDAY...

Not one stitch.

I really did think I would spend the day with needle and thread, but I ended up snoozing and vegging in front of the TeeVee instead and then met a friend for dinner while Rich watched the Eagles.

So today has started slow...it's still early (for me) and I'm still getting my wits about me.  There's really nothing too exciting on my agenda today, but I am looking forward to a hockey game tonight and library guild tomorrow.

(And a cheeseburger!)

The weekend is almost upon us again, Dearies.  I hope that yours is full of everything that makes your heart sing!

THINKING THURSDAY...

Somebody keeps making an appearance in my head today.

I'm wondering if it's the time of year, or the flannel sheets on the bed, or the fuzzy blankets that have made their way to the Happy Chair again.

No matter the cause...I'm just happy to remember him with so much love in my heart I think it will burst.  The tears have been coming easily this morning...methinks my poor tired self is a bit on overload and needs another cup of damn good, a hot shower, and then a day in the Happy Chair with needle and thread.

Here's hoping that your very own Thinking Thursday is full of good memories and pleasantness and all that is swell!  Do something fun (or thoughtful) and come tell me all about it!

A LITTLE SOMETHING NEW...

This was the project for Elkhart EGA on Monday night.  It's a lovely little chart from Laura J. Perin called Autumn Square, and I am loving it!  I've missed canvaswork, and this was the perfect thing to give me a little break from Red Velvet Cake.

('Scuse my wonky tacks and too small stretcher bars...I only had 7's in my stash and this required 8's.)

Finally!  A graphic depiction of the story of me.  I've been sitting here pondering things today, and moments ago I looked up at the clock with a bit of a jolt and realized that I had just spent the better part of an entire day wondering "what if".

I wouldn't trade that squiggle on the right for anything, I promise you, but I have to admit that the total loss of controlled plan has been...interesting.

Maybe it's age.  Maybe it's just exhaustion.  But, for the first time in my life I am actually enjoying the squiggle.  I kinda like not knowing where this crazy train is going to take me next.  There have been parts of the trip that made me want to jump overboard and swim for safety, but the last few months have been rather fun.

If my days are this funny and happy and joyful despite my physical self feeling like death on a stick, I can only imagine how much trouble I'm going to get into when healthy!  I don't imagine that I will completely change course and become a sky diving motorcycle riding dare devil, but you just never know.

Stitching and TeeVee viewing will commence as soon as Rich returns from his walk.  He is also grabbing sandwiches and a haircut while out, so I have a few more minutes to ponder, I suppose.

Tuesday has come and gone, almost.  Let Futzingday Eve begin!

CHANNELING MY INNER STEWEY

Today I learned what it must have been like to be Stewey...minus the crazy spinster wanting to kissy kissy face you every fifteen minutes.  I moved from patch of sunlight to patch of sunlight, drank water when I was thirsty, and curled up and did nothing but look adorable all day long.

Well...maybe not adorable, exactly...but you get the idea.

Rich ran to the Martin's  and got me chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, pound cake and ginger ale, and now that I've had a little dinner, I am settled into the Happy Chair with my stitching for the duration of the evening.  I had planned on a new start today, but the truth of the matter is that I am still enjoying Red Velvet Cake enough to stick with it a bit longer.

Tomorrow will be a busy day...doc and EGA South Bend guild meeting in the morning and then EGA Elkhart guild meeting in the evening.  I think Rich is already looking forward to a whole day and night of peace and quiet!

Happy Thanksgiving to our friends to the north in Canada!  I hope that you all had a simply wonderful holiday weekend and that you were able to do everything your heart desired.

AAAAHHHH....PHOOEY.

If I didn't know better, I'd say I have the flu.

But I know better.

Such fun was had on Friday night.  We went for dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant and then to the hockey game.  I knew I liked Italian food, but I didn't realize how much I love watching hockey!  (I don't know a darn thing about the nuances of the game...much like every other sport...but I truly enjoyed watching all of the action).

Yesterday was a mess.  I never really made it out of bed and just felt lousy all day long.  I managed a few loads of laundry and a hot bath, but not much else.  Even stitching seemed like too much for my befuddled little brain to bear.

Today is much the same.  Rich has gone to Mass without me, I'm afraid, but I am completely determined to get a needle and thread in my hand...stat!  Whatever this is will just have to be patient for a while.  I have stitching to do today and nothing is going to get in the way of that.

For all of my doc and nurse friends...I have called my nephrologist and will see her tomorrow morning.  In the meantime, I know to watch for signs of uremia and get to an ER if things progress.  I'm being careful and compliant...I promise you.

So that's the Sunday morning report, Dearies.  Thank you for your lovely comments about my mom.  She really was something special, and I feel happy just to be able to share a little bit of her with you.

Now...onward!  The sun is shining, the football is footballing, and the Spinster is soon to be stitching!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM

Today my mom would be 84 years old.  This seems impossible to imagine, since she died when she was only 54.  I think she would still be elegant and funny and smart and generous and kind and my biggest cheerleader.  I know for a fact that she would still be needlepointng and caring for her ferns and futzing about the house to make it home and beautiful. She had the ability to walk into a room and make instant friends with everybody in it, and I remember her smile and her laugh and her beautiful skin, and I miss her every day.

So, Happy Birthday Vaceila Helen Loukos Rich.  You left us too soon but will be in our hearts forever.

HOCKEY AND CHEESEBURGERS...SPINSTER DATE NIGHT

I was decidedly unwell last evening....probably just a disagreement with something I ate, but it made for a rather unpleasant night of no stitching and then tossing and turning.  I feel much much better this morning, though, and am really looking forward to dinner and a Notre Dame hockey game.

As I told Misses Charlene and Jane...if nothing else, you have to give Rich credit for getting me back on campus and wearing my ring again.  I was so mad at my beloved ND and had decided that I was finished with them, but going back to Mass and trips to the Grotto have reminded me that there is still some gold under all that tarnish.

Today will be a quiet day once I gather my wits.  I intend to sit in the Happy Chair and stitch while catching up on all of the TeeVee shows I am too embarrassed to admit watching to anybody except you...Housewives, Jax and Brittany, Flipping Out...oey.

(If anybody asks, I am a dedicated watcher of public television and all things intellectual, OK?)

So that's it for today, Dearies.  We seem to have made it through another week, with the weekend here upon us.  I hope that it finds you well, in the company of somebody you love, and with needle and thread in hand...stitching to your heart's content if that's your thing!

Thank you for the lovely notes about my new profile picture...I'm trying not to loathe my photograph so much (which I suppose is my whackadoodle way of saying I'm trying not to loathe my own face, too!)

(They really should make pills for this.)

MEMORIES OF OCTOBERS PAST

I awoke feeling very nostalgic for all things lost today...my Little, the way the light used to come into CS1, autumnal decorations, and that feeling that Fall was finally here.

So I decided to take a little trip back in time...here are a few shots from Octobers past:

As soon as the chores are complete and the paperwork and bills have been dealt with, methinks I might close my eyes for a snoozy nap and pretend it's 2009 again.

Here's hoping that your very own Futzingday is lovely and peaceful and full of memories that make you happy!

BLOGGING AND STITCHING AT THE NOTRE DAME BOOKSTORE!

HMMMMM.....

Riddle me this, Batman:

My kidney numbers are terrible.  According to my doc moments ago, they are worse than they've ever been.  Creatine, BUN, phosphorus, hemoglobin, GFR...all terrible.

So why do I feel so darn good?

Aside from fatigue (which is something I've had since forever ago), I am somehow managing to get up each day and do very happy, healthy, enjoyable things.  I am laughing and walking and cooking and stitching and futzing and watching the TeeVee and eating chicken wings and drinking enough water and iced tea to float a barge, and when the weather permits (like today), I am doing the whole Happy Manatee thing without a care in the world.

OK.  I confess that I have my moments, and when they strike I head to the big girl sleigh bed for a snooze, but why am I not flat out on the mat right now waiting for the nice people to come take me away to the dialysis center?

I always knew that I was dumb as an box of doorknobs and strong as a bull, but this is a little nuts even for me.

So I have decided to take the sage advice of Dr. Wayne Dyer and henceforth will STOP looking at numbers on a computer screen to tell me how I feel.  The truth of the matter is that today I feel wonderful, and there are things to do and thoughts to think and ponderings to ponder.

Rich and I will head over to campus this afternoon for a walk.  I will park myself on a bench (or inside the bookstore cafe) and he will do the walking part for now.  I can't quite keep up with him these days, but an hour at a bookstore will be a real treat.  I think I might wander into the textbook section to see what the kids in my major are reading. Who knows?  Maybe it's time tor me to re-visit a few old friends and give those Great Books another go!

That's the report for the day, Dearies.  No stitching to show...we were too wrapped up in TeeVee viewing last night and I was too comfy on the sectional to leave it for the Happy Chair.  Maybe today, though.  Red Velvet Cake just doesn't seem to be stitching itself no matter how hard I wish it to be so!

I'M SO SORRY

One of the hazards of living in the Spinster Stitcher bubble is that I have become completely oblivious to what is going on in the world.  Quite some time ago, I made the conscious decision to unplug and not watch the news.  I do read the paper each morning, but usually only skim the stories briefly before trying my hand at the puzzles.

This makes for a calm and happy life, but as I blathered on aimlessly on a Monday morning after the worst mass casualty shooting event in US history, I just looked...detached.

We studiously avoid the negative or provocative or troublesome on this here blog, and as you know, I leave politics, sex, religion, and anything else controversial to other outlets.  This is just supposed to be a soft place to fall in the midst of big hard things going on in my life, but I am sorry that my post this morning was so damn...clueless.

The truth of the matter is that I didn't know about what had happened in Las Vegas until I arrived at the lab and saw it on the television there.  My heart stopped and then broke, and I sat with the other folks in the waiting room thinking about and praying for the victims, the injured, the first responders, the families, the people that live and work there, and all of us here needing the strength, courage, and wisdom to come up with a solution to this (and many other) issues.

If you've been affected in any way...may God keep and bless you today and always. 

MONDAY IS UPON US...ONCE AGAIN.

Well, here we are on the first Monday in October.  The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and I am struggling to get my wits about me so that I can begin the week.  Not much going on here in Hoosierville.  We went to Mass and then lunch and came home for the football and a nice long nap.

(That would be me...with the napping.)

Today will be a labwork and errand day, and then tomorrow will be a visit with nephrology to see how I'm progressing and to get my Aranesp shot. (Aranesp is a drug that boosts red blood cells and that costs a gazillion and a half dollars a drop.)

(And it's the drug that Lance Armstrong took.)

(But I look nothing like Lance Armstrong and am pretty sure I would be a spastic disaster on a bicycle.)

Little progress on RVC. 'Scuse the needle and thread, please:

I know that I SHOULD get into my studio and futz and rummage and rummage and futz to come up with a basket of things Halloweenie and Autumnal to play with, but I seem to be stuck in a monogamous mode of stitching lately that I'm finding soothing.

Odd, no?

Well, I suppose I had better scoot.  These labs aren't going to draw themselves and that prescription at the Targets isn't going to magically appear on my doorstep.  But that would be fantastically swell, wouldn't it?

I hope this finds you all happy and healthy, Dearies!  A new week is upon us...let's see what adventures await!

WHADDA YOU MEAN, I HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN?!

Eight o'clock on a Sunday morning, and I am not only AWAKE...I am having to contemplate the prospects of going to church again.

I only have one "good" outfit!  

Sheesh...this whole being a normal human adult thing is not what it's cracked up to be.  My wardrobe as a hermit spinster was much simpler: inside sweatpants, outside sweatpants, inside pajamas, outside pajamas. Guild clothes.

Good thing Stewey's not here, or I'd be out looking for a pillbox hat and gloves.