MYSTERY SOLVED AND MORNING TREATS

Good morning, Dearies.

The candle mystery is solved. My dear friends Lou and Marissa are the senders! I have known them since my college days, and they are two of my very favorite peoples on the planet....true Dearies to me, indeed!

I was up and out early this morning for BellyBean labwork, and then we ran some errands. Nothing too exciting...just a car wash, oil change, gas station, and then McDonald's for an EggMcMuffin and an iced coffee.

(Betty, before you throw a tizzy, know that I am behaving myself perfectly in terms of diet, and both the EggMcMuffin and iced coffee are allowed.)

Time now for a nice shower, clean clothes, and a nice long nap. Stamina and strength aren't quite there yet, but each day gets better and better.

Thank you, Dearies, for your continued love and support! I am so grateful!

A MYSTERY GIFT

Dearies, I have been gifted candles from QVC, but don't have any idea of the sender! Please come forth, dear friend...via email if you prefer to do so...so that I may thank you properly!

My email address is: spinsterstitcher@aol.com

WEEKEND MIRACLES

The weekend was slow and quiet. Days blur into one another and things stand out. Like sunshine on my face. And a long hot shower. And Andrea Bocceli singing Nessun Dorma at the Olympics.

Nothing feels normal yet. No reading or writing or stitching, but I know it will come with time. Until then, there are lots more moments and miracles to collect and enjoy.

I am so...grateful.

 

 

THANK YOU, GOD

I'm still quiet. And slow. And not the person I was two weeks ago.

But I'm here. And I take my victories in very different forms now,  and celebrate the miracles with a lot more humility.

The healing of all of this is a great battle for me, but at the moment that I think "I just can't do it", I remember who I am and I get on with it.

Rich has been remarkable for a guy that is so...scared. I don't ever expect him to be able to be in the same room during nurse visits or procedures or anything else medical, but he has mastered the morning coffee tray, and keeping our home running, and tirelessly doing all of the things that allow me to just concentrate on getting better. For better or worse and in sickness and in health aren't part of our deal...but he's living it every single moment of 

every single day and I love him even more for it.

The outpouring of love and prayer has sustained me. I read your comments over and over again and am still in perpetual awe to be surrounded by so many truly perfect friends. Thank you for that.

I'm sorry for the quiet, but this is what I've got for now. My strength lies in my gratitude for you, Dearies, so I hope you will come tell me all about the miracles in your own little corner of the world.
 

HOME

 

I am home, but quiet. This one hit harder. And knocked me down further. Medically I am considered stable, but mentally and emotionally I'm flat on my back and will be so for a bit. At the moment, I don't have the spark...the humor...or the strength that is my usual fall-back position. There is no clown car this time, nor funny names, nor minimizing.  At the moment, it's just...rough.

There were and are continued miracles, of which my world remains full of every second of every day.

Those aren't going anywhere.

Thank you, Friends. For the love, the prayers, and the good wishes.

I love you.

coni

THIS IS HARD. BUT SO THANKFUL FOR YOU

 I am a mess, but am so thankful for you, Dearies. On grateful wings I fly.

Thank yoi.

AND THEN....THE WORST THING HAPPENED

 I'm in the hodpital, Desries. Recovering ftom emergency surgery to remove my colon. It perforated yesterday. 

And now I have a colostomy.

Pray for me. Mentally I'm there and have started to accept it. Emotionally...not so good.

I MISS FUTZINGDAYS. AND TEA WITH STEWEY.

Hello, Dearies.

I realize that January is almost over, but I seem to be permanently stuck in that week in between Christmas and New Year when the days all blur together.

(But I'm not complaining.)

Life is slow and quiet and cozy and full of reading, tea slurping, lots and lots of damn good, and the stitching of my Blessing Sampler at night. I'm reading Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, (which has me really scratching my head), and I broke out the winter tea pot last night for a little bit of peppermint tea (to help an upset tummy). I'm ashamed to confess that CS2 is in need of a thorough scrubbing, but Christmas decorations need to come down first, and with all of these grey days, I'm enjoying the lights too much to go without just yet.

I'm getting ready to re-set my school bag, and have decided to keep going with History of Philosophy, Art History, and Shakespeare. (This time I'll read/study As You Like It in anticipation of a performance over at Notre Dame next week!) As for fiction, I am thinking about Anna Karenina...once I finish Winter's Tale.

My Jersey Boy is looking forward to the re-construction of his mouth, and has been a real trooper when it comes to his meal choices. Tonight we're having meatloaf and mashed, and if I get my act together, there will also be some sautéed spinach to fulfill our vegetable requirement. My appetite has been so completely "off" lately that I've done very poorly trying to make good choices, but that will be remedied tomorrow when I prep my big a$$ salad with grilled chicken rather than rely on myself to go without a plan.

BellyBean, God love him, is doing better than ever, despite everything else falling apart. This gives me great comfort knowing that I must be doing at least one darn thing right! 

So that's the report from the hinterlands of Hoosierville! What's new and exciting in your corner of the world? Come tell me all about it!

HOOOOOOOSIERS!

 Yes, I know. I went to Notre Dame. But I've lived in Indiana longer than any other place, and more importantly...my BellyBean is from IU! Congratulations, Hoosiers! ❤️

 

SATURDAY NIGHT SPINSTER BLISS

 

I can't seem to get motivated to do anything other than sleep, eat, stitch, read, and repeat....so that's exactly what I'm doing! Rich is ushering, my Irish are balling, and I'm just enjoying a very quiet, very cozy Saturday night!

Time enough tomorrow for the laundry things and the cleaning things and all of the other things!

Are you doing all the things? Come tell me all about it!

MOVING RIGHT ALONG!

 

MAKING PROGRESS IN BETWEEN NAPS

 

About the only thing I've accomplished in the last several days is lots and lots of sleeping (thank you permacloud), and a fair amount of stitching.

How about you?

FRIDAY EVENING SPINSTERING

 

Rich just left to do his ushering, I've finished my chores and grocery ordering for the day, and now it's time for Julian and I to find something easy for the TV and to play with silk.

THIS is my idea of Friday bliss!

AND THEN...IT WAS A NEW YEAR

Here we are on January 1st, Dearies, and I'm happy to report that the day has been a lovely start for Yours Truly! I had a good sleep, plenty of hot damn good, and then spent the day playing with my new start for the year....a Blessing Sampler called All Manner of Thing by Shepherd's Bush.

I like the sentiment very much as a good theme for 2026, and I've just ordered the book from whence the quotation comes: Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich. (*)

(I'll tell you more about Julian after I've read the book, but I know that she was the first woman to write in English and she was a 14th century anchoress and mystic.)

(I think an anchoress is a person that lives a contemplative life in seclusion?)

(Which pretty much describes me, but I don't think contemplating snacks and which pair of sweatpants I'm going to wear for the week is quite what they mean).

But.

Today has been slow. And quiet. And happy and peaceful and cozy. My JB is doing amazingly well after his dental surgery Tuesday, and although he is missing almost all of his teeth now, he's making the very best of it and not complaining at all.  

I hope that your day was exactly what you needed it to be, and that your own blessings were abundant!

Happy New Year!

(*) The full quote is "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well". This was part of Julian's divine revelations that offered comfort amidst suffering, emphasizing God's ever-present love even during dark times like the Black Death.