Apr 30, 2020

Apr 26, 2020

Apr 25, 2020

JIMINYCRICKETS...


I've spent the better part of my entire adult life living in shame that I have not maintained hospital standard cleansiness in my home, and now I'm disinfecting and tidying like an Amish woman hosting church services.

In addition to the love and dedication of front line workers, voluntary quarantiners, and everybody else pulling together to look out for each other during this thing, I am most grateful for the fact that I have finally learned how to use a Clorox wipe.

Happy Saturday, Dearies!

Apr 24, 2020

FRIDAY AGAIN

Chello, Dearies!

Buzzy and I are doing our thing in the d-chair, and I just looked up and realized that today is Friday! I swear, this whole not knowing what day it is can sometimes have its advantages with happy little surprises, but sheesh....enough with the time flying by already!

No plans for the weekend, as usual. I do hope to do a little cleaning and scrubbing and laundry-ing and whatnot, but nothing too intense. I have been sending checks to the cleaning company each month to cover future cleanings, so I have that to look forward to when restrictions are lifted, but I do want to try to keep up on things so they aren't overwhelmed the first time back.

This might be a good weekend to spend an hour or two purging the cube room studio and garage. Both have become kind of cluttered with stuff and could use a bit of a clean out. My problem with the garage is that I have all of the contents of CS2 in there that I thought would be used by either my sister or me in a new place, so I am torn as to what to do with some of it like bedroom sets, Christmas trees, Barbies, etc.

Maybe I should just focus on one section at a time and not get overwhelmed by the whole of it, just like I'm trying to do with losing weight.

On that front, I seem to have gotten back into a good groove and have stopped putting so much fluid on between treatments. I came off Wednesday at 110.2 and went on today at 112.9. Not too bad, and much better than the plus 3 I was gaining. My dry weight is 110 at the moment, so the more I can stay close to or under that....the better.

No news on the transplant front. I am below goal weight-wise, and am still active on the list, but nothing new to report kidney wise. I hope to see Dr Goggins again in a few months, but for now...same old same old.

Well...I suppose it's time to finish perusing the internets and then read my book. I think I gave you a wrong title last time I mentioned it...the book I'm reading is The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton. I'm really enjoying it so far, but disappointed that I am not reading more.

Happy Friday, Dearies! I hope you are safe and healthy and happy and looking forward to a weekend full of fun. Come tell me all about it!

Apr 23, 2020

YES OR NO?

It's a super bright light green called Cilantro. I'm not too sure about it, but am going to leave it until at least Sunday to see if it grows on me.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON SPINSTER BLISS

New jars for Magoo's treats:

(But I did find out that the vanilla wafers are the lower fat version and only 60 calories for four cookies!)

(And yes...the jar on the far right housing the Snyder'd sourdough hard pretzels is the same jar that used to house Stewey's tiny bones and Snausages, but let's keep that between us chickens, OK?)

I climbed back into the big girl sleigh bed for my video chat with Dr Melfi and took my stitching with:
This could be dangerous....

I have been playing with Baked Alaska today, but keep getting distracted by shiny things on the amazons. Somebody please take my debit card away from me before I spend any money!

I've been so good at only ordering provisions, and my succulents were courtesy of a gift card that I received a while ago, but I keep looking up things like slippers and Tylenol and engagement rings.
"Con? Why the bleepity bleep bleep do you keep driving me nuts? Get back to your stitching and let a guy have a little peace and quiet."

Better get back to stitching and put this silly iPad away for the night, Dearies! Magoo is heading out now for provisions and will then come home to watch the football draft, and I am seriously giving thought to a good old fashioned beauty night with a mani/pedi and some serious eyebrow tweezing.

Hope you had your very own Thursday bliss! Come tell me all about it!

OH WELL...

I really didn't mean to get everybody's skirts blown up by the idea of me getting another dog. It is, most definitely, just a crazy pipe dream for me at the moment, Dearies. The logistics right now just don't work, especially when I get the call to head to Indy for transplant.

As for a cat, I am, unfortunately, allergic.

(Please don't suggest a hairless cat. I'm sure they are lovely pets, but I find them a bit disconcerting...much like decaf coffee.)

Today has started slow and sleepy. Treatment yesterday just knocked me right out, and I ended up going to bed at 7:00 and staying there until 9:00 this morning! Cold gloomy rain isn't helping matters any, but I am cozy in my flannel jammies and going to stay that way.

I do have a video chat with Dr Melfi at 1:00, so I have that to look forward to. Magoo is heading to the grocery for provisions, and then it will be time to contemplate dinner. I am thinking that a nice salad with grilled chicken might be a good idea.

Are you all well and safe and taking good care of yourselves? Please come tell me how you're doing...good or bad....and know that I'm thinking about you!


Apr 22, 2020

Apr 21, 2020

OK...LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN

The amazons delivered a new batch of succulents today, and I don't think the truck was out of the parking lot before I had them opened and replanted. My previous attempt at growing a little succulent garden was for naught, but I am just stubborn enough to give it another go.

I am also contemplating an order of low-light house plants. I had quite a few plants at Chez Spinster, and really do miss them terribly.

Magoo has put a complete veto on a puppy, since he would be the one to have to walk and care for it, but I'm slowly wearing him down. I am seriously considering getting a small fish tank to demonstrate my ability to care for a living thing. Let's hope for the best.

Time to read the day's papers, fix dinner, finish the laundry, and get to stitching. I managed to clean the bath and kitchen and pay bills and shuffle paperwork, so it has been a lovely and productive little Tuesday!

How was your day, Dearie?

WHAT DAY IS IT?

I know I am not alone in this feeling, but I have absolutely no idea what day of the week it is. Forget about the day of the month....that went by the wayside a while ago. My poor planner has gathered dust, my little weekly routines have completely fallen apart, and I'm lucky if I can remember to don shoes and socks before leaving CS2 for the d-chair.

But....

Isn't this the exact time that we all yearn for? Minus the virus, of course. But unlimited time to sit and just be still is good for us, right? My prayer is that we will all emerge kinder, quieter, smarter, and more comfortable in our own skin.

One of the things that bonds us all in this thing of ours is our happiness to spend time in our own company, I think. Yes, there are retreats and gatherings and guilds and whatnot, but for the most part, stitchers are perfectly happy to sit with themselves and a project for hours in solitude.

Right?

Or is it just me?

(But there is always the contradiction. Rich and I were talking about what constitutes a dream house, and my reply was...a good kitchen, a nice tub to have a soak, a fireplace, and enough bedrooms that everybody could come for holidays. A full house of family has always been my wish, so how I ended up a spinster in a one-bedroom is completely beyond me.)

OK. Enough navel gazing. There is laundry to do, paperwork and bills to shuffle about, and stitching to be enjoyed for the day. The sun is shining here, even if it's a bit windy and cool, but I think Spring is peeping her head out a bit.

Happy Tuesday, Dearies!

Apr 20, 2020

I SHOULD HAVE HAD THE DAMN CHEESESTEAK

Well, here we are on another Monday morning in the d-chair, Dearies.  I apologize for my absence yesterday, but I was sickety sick sick. JB Magoo ordered a box of cheesesteaks from Tony Luc's, and our plan was to eat them for a Saturday night treat.

But noooooo.

I had to be an idiot an opt for Chinese food instead.

I've been craving it so much, but JB Magoo does. not. like. Chinese. food. at. all.  So I decided that he could eat his cheesesteaks, and I would do the ubereats thing and splurge a bit. Unfortunately, the food came from a restaurant that was not known to me, and I ordered a dish I had never had before, so it disagreed with me.

That'll teach me.

So my yesterday was spent mostly in the big girl sleigh bed, and then finally in the evening I was able to enjoy some TeeVee watching and stitching:
I can't wait to get home and back to this lovely. I never realized how much I would miss stitching here in the d-chair, but at least it gives me something to look forward to this afternoon, right?

Here's hoping that your week is off to a wonderful start and that you are safe and well with those you love. I get a kick out of people asking me if staying inside bothers me. I usually answer with "I'm an agoraphibic hermit spinster who is terrified of germs anyway. So, no. I'm good with staying in."

I do wish it was under different circumstances, though, and that nobody had to be on the front lines of this thing.

Happy Monday! Do something fun and come tell me all about it!

Apr 17, 2020

NIGHT NIGHT

I'm home from the procedure with sedatives coursing through my veins, a half cup of damn good consumed, and Buzzy sleeping nicely under his new blanket:

He was a bit of a mess once Dr Harmon got in there, and the amount of angioplasty was pretty extensive....especially in my collar bone area. Ouch.
Kerry was right on with her assessment that I have a stent. I also have several coils and clamps.

What can I say? Buzzy loves his accessories.

Baked Alaska is just so damn yummy I almost can't stand it:
That darker blue is quickly becoming my very favorite color ever. So very very...soothing.

Well, Dearies. I supposed I better go tuck myself in and let this stuff wear off. I hope to get a good snooze and then a nice light lunch and then spend the rest of the day with needle and thread.

How about you? Come tell me all about it!




Apr 16, 2020

DAMN, DRAT, AND PHOOEY

Well, that was a waste of a perfectly good Xanax.

And a hair wash.

And a leg and armpit shave.

I got to the Access Center for my procedure, and when questioned about breakfast, I proudly reported that "I had scrambled eggs and an English muffin at 10am" but that I was NPO (that means nothing to eat or drink) since then.

Uh, duh.

The NPO was supposed to start at 8am...a full six hours before the procedure. Not four.

So I have been re-scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow morning (NPO after midnight), and we can try this again and I can just sit here in the Happy Chair being happy until the Xanax wears off.

And....because I really AM trying to be a good little kidney patient, I grabbed a 6:20am chair time for Saturday, since I am pretty sure my normal chair time tomorrow will be a no-go for Buzzy, and four days between treatments is too much and hard on the heart.

So, just when you thought I had it all together, I go and do something silly like eat breakfast two hours late on a Thursday. Sheesh. Can't take me anywhere!

THURSDAY

Chello!

Buzzy and I are getting ourselves ready for our fistulagram appointment later this afternoon, and I am doing my level best not to think about it. It's not completely unpleasant....the procedure room techs and nurses are amazing, and I get a little mild sedation to help relax me, but I am dreading having to enter a medical facility under the circumstances.

I do, however, get a turkey sandwich and a juice box when it's all over, so I have that going for me!

(Many of you ask why Buzzy needs to be roto-rootered. It's not at all uncommon for this kind of "pipe" to become narrowed. Apparently, the body sees it as an unnatural construction, so it tries to shut it down and create its own detours. In addition to the pain of the needles, I am also having pain in my collarbone wake me up in the middle of the night, so chances are there is a blockage there.)

(Think of it kinda like an oil change. Sometimes a pain in the neck, but necessary to keep the engine running smoothly.)

Lots of stitching last night after treatment, which completely delights me. I am normally fuzzy-brained and too wiped out to pick up a needle, but last night I did a fair amount:
I'll admit...the silk through the linen is luscious and just. like. butta...and the colors are so very soothing and calming and peaceful and...lovely.

Chances are that I will have a free day tomorrow because Buzzy will be too sore to go to dialysis, so I am hoping to set myself up in the Happy Chair with Plum Pudding on my lap stand and bead the daylights out of her. If I remember correctly, the beading of these pieces goes pretty quickly once you get organized, so maybe there's a Happy Dance in my immediate future?

That does it for me today, Dearies! I hope you have a swell Thursday and that you get to do all of the things. Come tell me what's making your heart sing today!


Apr 15, 2020

IN WHICH WE HAVE A LOVELY BIRTHDAY

Buzzy and I are in the d-chair doing our thing, and I am very happy to report he is behaving quite nicely. I got the bright idea to rub CBD oil on him last night because he was so terribly bruised and sore, and today the needles went in without any pain at all.

Go figure.

(I honestly don't know if the stuff works or not, but if it keeps me from passing out from the pain of getting hooked up....I'm all in.)

Thank you for all of your birthday wishes! I had such a lovely day, starting with flowers, a card, a wonderful quiche and fruit salad for breakfast, lots of stitching, and a lasagne dinner with chocolate cake to top it all off. The day was quiet, peaceful, healthy, and happy, and I felt very very loved.

I gathered and organized and futzed and putzed with three projects:
Plum Pudding needs her beads, but now they are all gathered and ready to go, as opposed to scattered hither and yon and under the Happy Chair cushions.

 Hoity Toity continues to delight, but once I received the next beauty, I couldn't resist:

Baked Alaska!!  Oh, Dearies, I wish I could tell you how much this makes my heart sing! And I am sending a thousand kisses to the Stitchy Angel who gifted it....thank you again, dear friend!

I did make a fair amount of progress on her while watching Captain America and The Avengers, but alas, I forgot to take a photo. I started in the middle and worked three sections of the lower right quadrant, and am just itching to get home today and continue!

On a whim, I also re-hung my gallery wall with stitching more appropriate for Spring, but I forgot to take a photo of that too. Suffice it to say, there was a lot of strategizing as to how to cover holes and whatnot, so methinks I will be re-painting sooner rather than later!

It's snowing here in Hoosierville today....a lovely white dusting on all of the trees. I don't think it will last very long, but it sure is pretty to view while daydreaming here in the d-chair!

Happy Futzingday! I hope you are warm and safe and well and that, if you celebrated a birthday with me yesterday, it was perfectly wonderful. Fifty-four was a significant one for me, since that is the age my dear mom was when she passed away, so thank you for distracting me with so much happiness and love!


Apr 14, 2020

Apr 13, 2020

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S DYNGUS DAY!!!

Happy Monday, and Happy Dyngus Day, Dearies!

Here in Hoosierville, the Monday after Easter is celebrated according to Polish tradition, with lots of Polish sausage and frolicking and whatnot. It is also the traditional start of the political season, so oftentimes, the frolicking involves politicians politicking, too.

Not being of Polish persuasion, I am still unclear of the particulars, but I think it involves boys throwing water on girls and girls whipping boys about the heads with tree branches (or something to that effect).

All I know for sure is that in my younger days you were often asked if you were going "Dyngusing", but I never did.

Our weekend feasting was swell. Rich thoroughly enjoyed his turkey feast on Saturday, and I enjoyed my ham feast on Sunday:


(The red on the second plate is pickled beets and hard boiled eggs....an Easter staple that I look forward to every year!)  There was also peach pie for dessert, but we scarfed it down before I had a chance to take a pic.

On the movie front, it was Shaft on Friday night and Yesterday on Saturday. We also started watching The Outsider on HBO, but I am still unsure if I will make it all the way through, since it is a little too creepy/horror/Steven Kingish for me.

Today is cold and windy, so I will probably snuggle under my blanket and zone out for a bit. We're having a fair bit of trouble with Buzzy, so it looks like I'm going to have to head to the Access Center for a checkup/rotorooter appointment.

On the reading front, I finished Where the Crawdads Sing and thought it very good. Last night, I started The Watchmaker's Daughter, and am so far very intrigued.

Well, I think that about does it for me today. I hope you have a splendid Monday and that you'll come yell me all about it!


Apr 11, 2020

HAPPY EASTER


SAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHTURDAY


So here we are, Dearies, on a lovely Saturday in Hoosierville.

I went to bed at 9:00 last night, read until 11:30, and then had a good long sleep.  I had my damn good and an egg mcmuffin (homemade, hence the lower case), then set about cleaning the entire apartment to within an inch of its life.

Phew!

I am tired, but very very happy.

Dinner was delicious. My Jersey Boy and I both enjoyed a good hot filing meal and now we're settled in for a movie and stitching (for me).

Happy Saturday! Hope yours was wonderful and that you'll come tell me all about it.

Apr 10, 2020

HAPPY...EVERYTHING


I am home safe and sound after treatment, Dearies, and am trying to get my wits about me. Two hard crashes today....the result of my blood pressure dropping to 80/30 very quickly. The happy news is that I pulled it together there at the end and still came off the scale at 110.9 kg despite getting lots of fluid to revive me!

This is a moment for me to tell you how much I love and appreciate each and every one of you. I was talking to my tech, Miss Lori, and I explained that I am very happy to stay quarantined because I have an entire world full of people that continually support, encourage, supervise, and entertain one another without drama or judgement or shame or....any of that. 

It's an odd little utopia, but one that exists in the midst of seemingly impossible odds sometimes.

I don't think I spend enough time thinking about just how incredibly wonderful this thing of our is. We were never strangers, you and I. The moment you clicked on this here blog you became my family, and through thick and thin....funny and sad....cute and ugly....we've been in it together.  

Your comments and notes and emails and prayers and thoughts and gifts mean so very very much, and if I have failed to acknowledge that, please know that it wasn't at all intentional.  I am, and continue to be, completely awed by the kindness and generosity of our community.

Thank you for that.

The weekend is upon us, and I will be preparing two feasts. Turkey tomorrow for my Jersey Boy, and then ham on Sunday for me. I have promised myself to appreciate, but not ingest, the entire bounty, but I can promise you that it will be hard not to fall face first into the potato salad.

If you celebrate....a very Happy Joyous Easter! Aunt Chrissy will turn 49 years old that day, so methinks it will be the perfect time for extra cake!

WooHoo!
Coni



FRIDAY!


Apr 9, 2020

THURSDAY


Hello, Dearies!

I'm up and in the Happy Chair having my damn good and contemplating the day. I have a video chat with Dr Melfi at 1:00, but not much else on the ol' agenda, so perhaps we'll just have a quiet Thursday after all.

I made a tiny little bit of progress on Hoity Toity:
I'm working up the right side and will eventually continue across to complete the next horizontal section. This piece is still calling to me, but I know eventually I will need to get back to Plum Pudding to attach her beads.

Yesterday, as I was sitting in the d-chair letting Buzzy do his thing, I got a message from the lovely Cheryl Granda at Glendon Place telling me that I have an angel.  I am still completely gobsmacked, have been bawling for two days, and can't  wrap my head around the kindness that is continually given to me. Thank you, Friend...whoever you are.

Is it weird that in the midst of so much turmoil one can feel so completely at peace and full of love?

OK...time to get moving. I hope your very own Thursday is full of fun and that you'll come tell me all about it!

Apr 8, 2020

SCENES FROM A HAPPY SPINSTER LIFE





HAPPY WEDNESDAY



Hello, Dearies! 

Buzzy and I are in the d-chair doing our thing on a grey foggy day here in Hoosierville. I was worried when I got here and spied a new tech, but it turns out that all of that fretting was for naught (as it usually is). The stick was damn near perfect and thus far we are running at full speed without any difficulties.

Thank you for all of the Bosco love. Isn't it fun to see his little face again? I miss him so very very much, but get my fix every now and then with a text from him or a little FaceTime.

I feel like I stitched a fair bit yesterday:

I know that I originally planned to stitch The Flood during this whole thing, but I have really really enjoyed Hoity Toity these last few days. I do know, however, that Plum Pudding is going to make a re-appearance, since her beads arrived and she is ready to get tarted up like a Vegas showgirl.

Today will be an exercise in restraint. I really want to order the next dessert series kit from Glendon Place. I keep telling myself that a little indulgence would be OK under the circumstances, and that a new stitchy kit would be better for me than Oreos, but...

Speaking of Oreos, I managed to break out the frozen ones last night after dinner. I fretted over it for an hour or two after scarfing them down, but then felt better when I realized that I've been doing pretty well overall and an occasional treat is not going to kill me.

No other news to report. I tried the bubble thing on the balcony yesterday, but didn't really have too much success. I think I need a bigger wand. But I am still contemplating putting a bottle at each door of our building with a little note inviting my neighbors to a bubble party. I have visions of us all standing on our respective balconies blowing bubbles together and having it be a happy joyous thing, but with my luck it will be an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions, as most of my facacta ideas are.

TeeVee watching has been mostly Sopranos, The Newsroom, and movies, but I understand that there are a few new things coming that will most definitely strike my fancy from Masterpiece and Julian Fellows. I am contemplating a re-watch of Downton Abbey and The West Wing, but should probably learn to spread my wings a bit and try something new.

OK....enough of the babble. I am starting to feel a bit crashy, so am going to close my eyes now.

Happy Wednesday Futzingday to one and all! Do something futzy and come tell me all about it! I am following your stories of homesteading, stitching, cooking, and reading like a crazy person!



Apr 7, 2020

BOSCO!

Happiest good morning text ever! My puppy tot nephew Bosco makes me so very happy when he says hello! He turned 14 last year and is still a happy, healthy, funny little guy that has my whole heart.

TUESDAY


My plan for the day is quite simple, Dearies...pajamas, lots of hot damn good, something mindless on the TeeVee, and stitching.

Maybe a nap.

And light healthy food for sure.

I'm also going to park this here iPad in the bedroom and away from the Happy Chair, because I am spending entirely too much time scrolling through nonsense. No news...I know enough to stay away from it, but the Facebook has become too icky for me. I do like looking at pretty pictures of stitching, but I don't need all of the other stuff.

I hope your very own Tuesday is full of happy things, and that you'll come tell me all about it!

Apr 6, 2020

MONDAY

 Hi, Dearies!

I'm in the d-chair doing my thing, and so far so good. There was a change of plan on Friday, and I ended up missing treatment, so today we're making up for it. (No worries about Friday...it was just me being me and fritzing out a bit and having a Crohn's flare up. A few days of quiet and I am right as rain once again.)

The reason for the flare up was definitely stress, so my focus this week is on managing  things better in that department.  I have all of the tools I need....now I just need to use them. (And I need to stop doing stupid stuff and continually looking for problems to distract myself from the big ones I already have.)

Two things sent me spiraling...one completely unexpected, undeserved, and quite mean, and the other completely of my own making. The first was settled by the realization that the mean girl is just that...a mean little girl. The second was resolved when I got my head out of my heiney and decided to really think about something deep and important after a gentle noodge from a very dear friend.

Lessons learned all over the place.

Our Sunday sauce was quite good, it turns out, and I was flooded with relief. I have never made sauce that way, but Rich's mom does, and I was determined to give him a taste of home. I didn't follow a recipe....just made meatballs according to how I know to do, and made braciola based on how I remembered my dad doing it. (*) I roasted the meatballs, braciola, and store-bough Italian sausage on a sheet pan in the oven to get everything nice and brown and then added all to my basic red sauce and let it simmer on low for several hours.

There was a fair amount of stitching on Hoity Toity, but alas, I didn't capture a photo of it this morning. I am still enjoying it very much, but will jump back into Plum Pudding as soon as the beads arrive...which might actually be today!

So that's it for now....back to semi-normal on a semi-normal Monday.  I hope that you had a peaceful, happy, healthy weekend and that you'll come tell me all about it.

(*) Pound flank steak super thin, salt and pepper both sides, sprinkle one side with good Italian cheese (parmesan, romano, etc), breadcrumbs, and any other seasonings you prefer, roll, cut into smaller pieces, and secure with a toothpick.




Apr 5, 2020

SUNDAY

Sunday sauce with meatballs, sausage, and briciole:

And my plan for the day while we watch America, The Story of Us:



Apr 4, 2020

Apr 3, 2020

FRIDAY!

But first...the Thursday report. I am happy to report that it was quiet, peaceful, and full of stitching:

This is a candle warmer that I got from the Amazons with a gift certificate. Thank you, Friend! This gizmo has single-handedly changed my life. I can still enjoy the scent without the soot!

A little damn good on the balcony to get the requisite dose of fresh air:

And the resulting progress on Hoity Toity:

A lovely day, indeed. Buzzy and I are off to dialysis now, armed with some anti-anxiety meds that I hope will keep the panic at bay and make the time go faster. Not being able to stitch during treatment is a bummer, but there will be plenty of time for that this weekend.

Happy Friday, Dearies! I hope you are well and safe and happy and that you'll come tell me all about it!

Apr 2, 2020

TODAY IS THE DAY




Today is the day that I relax and enjoy my damn good and the paper. 

Today is the day that I take a nice long hot shower, put on clean clothes, and hit the Happy Chair with my stitching and nothing else.

No stress.

No worry.

No fear.

Today is the day that I eat carefully, watch my fluids, and breathe.

Deeply.

And well.

Today is the day that I enjoy the sunshine, and the sound of kids playing kickball in the yard, and the big fat white fluffy clouds lounging in the sky.

Quiet.

And happy.

Today is the day that, for one moment, I will be normal and calm...without anything in my tiny little brain but love.

And peace.

And hope.

Today is the day.

Apr 1, 2020

AWW, COME ON, BUZZY!!


I'm in the good chair, but somehow that's not good enough for Mr Buzzy. Damn fistula. He's been a complete and total pill for a few weeks now, but there's not much to be done at the moment. I get it...he's tired and scared and grumpy and sore.

But so is the rest of the world.

Sadly, I don't have any stitching progress to report, Dearies. I had a very productive day of budget, bills, paperwork, laundry, cooking, and general tidying, so by the time I hit the Happy Chair it was after 7pm and I was a little fried.

I tell myself that my "off" days will be filled with nothing but stitching and damn good slurping, but somehow I manage to futz and futz until the day is done. No complaints...I am very happy to have both the energy and motivation to do things, but my stitching life has taken a little hit.

In the spirit of silver linings, I realized that after years and years of bemoaning my utter lack of homekeeping activity, I have dutifully cleaned the bath and kitchen daily and am very careful not to let the clutter pile up. It figures, doesn't it? Now that Stewey isn't here to present me with failing report cards on that front, I finally get my act together.

The woman next to me today has a terrible cough, so I am sitting here holding my breath. I know that she is OK and has had that cough for quite some time, but it still has me a bit freaked out. Isn't that awful? A simple cough now has us thinking doom.

My JB went to the Grotto yesterday and lit candles. I am so sad that I couldn't go with him, but until this passes, my only outings will be to the balcony for fresh air and here to the clinic for treatment. All doctor visits are now via video conference, and any provisions we need are on JB's list

My prayers are the same....thanks for the blessings of my happy life and the hope that I will someday be worthy of them, as well as health and safety and peace for my family. (Yup. You're stuck with me now. But, I'm kinda like the crazy spinster aunt in the attic. Just touch base with me every now and then and tell me how you're doing, and I'll be here...stitching and muttering to myself.)

Happy Futzingday to one and all! Do something fun and come tell me all about it!