THE SPINSTER TAKES A WALK

Guess what I did?

I came home from dialysis, dropped my bag on the floor, grabbed my sunglasses, and went for a walk! 

I know this next fact will stun and amaze you, but I just happen to live within walking distance to not one, but TWO different Starbucks.

The first is inside the Martins and is exactly 543 steps from my front door, and the second is a bit further and about another block or so up the corner.

I decided to start with the one in the Martins (and hopefully graduate to the longer walk in a few weeks) and I got my damn good Cold Brew and sat (like a person does) and enjoyed it in the sunshine.

(Trenta cold brew with two pumps of sugar free cinnamon dulce syrup and a splash of cream.)

(JB thinks ordering at Starbucks is like reciting directions on how to build a nuclear launch device and anybody too pretentious to just drink a damn cup of coffee shouldn't be allowed to speak out loud.)

(I disagree.)

The Martins is located in a shopping center called Heritage Square, and there are lovely shops and restaurants and whatnot and a wonderful courtyard area with a fountain and tables and chairs.

(I love the Martins, and have missed going there. Yesterday was the first time I've visited in a very very long while....since well before the Corona hit.)

(And yes, I social-distanced and wore a mask the entire time.)

(Oh...and only had one meltdown when a person came within twenty-eight feet of me.)

Then I came home and watched the third part of a documentary on The New York Times (called The Fourth Estate...very good, in my opinion, but I am obsessed with newspapers lately), and I played with Eliana a bit:

I really am still loving her, but look what arrived in the mail yesterday:

 I know...right? My fingers literally started twitching to get this started. I had originally thought to stick with E until at least November, but I'm pretty sure this is going to hit the q-snaps as soon as I get the laundry sploshing and the dishwasher emptied.

So that's it for me today, Dearies. All good and happy things. I hope that you are enjoying the same in your little corner of the world! Come tell me all about it!

MONDAY...IN WHICH THE SPINSTER IS FATTER THAN EVER

Ugh.

I had a lovely, restful, happy, healthy weekend, but somehow managed to gain a TON of weight. I suspect the culprit was me letting my guard down and not paying careful attention, and, as we know...attention must always be paid.

Especially when it comes to me and weight.

But...today is a brand new day, and I ate a sensible breakfast before coming here to the d-chair, and, God willing, I will talk a small walk in the gorgeous afternoon sunshine before eating a sensible dinner.

Sensible.

Hahahahaha.

I didn't stitch at all yesterday, but I did spend several hours with Eliana on Saturday. As a matter of fact, I had what I have always considered to be the perfect Saturday. I got up at a decent hour, read the paper and had my damn good, and then did all of my chores and putzing, showered and made it back into the Happy Chair by 1:00! All I needed was a Notre Dame football game to put it over the top, but alas, it was a bye week.

This week in Hoosierville is supposed to be PERFECTION...temps in the 50's, trees starting to change color, and sunshine and big white puffy clouds in an October sky. I want to pay attention and enjoy every single second of it.

As of this morning every single mask ordered has been sent, and I am officially out of them until the next batch arrives approximately a month from now. If you ordered one and do not receive it by the beginning of next week, please please please contact me immediately at spinsterstitcher@aol.com. I will happily refund your money to you or will re-send a mask to you as soon as I possibly can. I apologize that this has been such a mess, Dearies. Masks are hard to come by, and apparently getting things delivered promptly is as hard as it is for me to stop messing about with these extra pounds. Please forgive me.

OK...back to work.

I hope you have a gorgeous Monday and that the week ahead will be filled with everything you want and nothing you don't! Come tell me all about it!

MASK ISSUES

Dearies, if you ordered a mask from me and have not received it yet, could you please send me an email confirming your mailing address? All masks have been mailed, but I received a message that two of you did not receive them yet, and I'm starting to fret.

Please send your information to: spinsterstitcher@aol.com

FRIDAY NIGHT PROGRESS REPORT...

 

FRIDAY...AGAIN

Questions abound about how I manage multiple threads. There are almost a hundred for Eliana, and it wasn't until I saw a fellow stitcher's method on the Instagram that I started doing this, but it has really really worked for me.

First you have to get or make yourself a thread pallette. The item I saw on Insta is used by quilters to lay out their designs and comes from the Fat Quarter Shop. It's basically a felt covered board that holds your stuff. Threads cling to it very nicely.

(Thank you again to the stitcher who was so gracious with revealing the info...you rock!)

I couldn't figure out how to label the various and sundry colors to keep them straight, but finally figured out an easy solution...the tiny little DMC bobbin labels that are cheap and readily available:

(I suppose you could use the blank ones and write the symbols if you're using non-DMC threads, or maybe even stick the cards on the pallet in some way with thread names, too.)

Anywhoose...here is what my pallette looks like for Eliana:

I made that one myself, so it's a complete and total mess. For the skeins, I use one of the pallettes I got from The Fat Quarter Shop:

This is where Eliana was when I sat down to stitch yesterday:

 Of course, I forgot to take an "after" photo, but I got quite a bit done! If all goes well, I might finish the front of her dress this weekend.

We'll see.

Absolutely perfect Fall weather here in Hoosierville...50's and breezy and cloudy. It rained off and on all day yesterday, and in between the sun came out and everything sparkled.

Bliss.

OK...time for me to close my eyes. Needle time knocked me right out and Buzzy just screamed and screamed his little head off. I swear, one of these days they're going to go right through my big fat arm and end up pinning me to the chair. I just close my eyes and let the pitiful tears flow onto my big girl tunic top and sing the Sesame Strret song in my head until it's over.

(I'll let you know when that is.)

(I suspect that the problem today was the rookie tech that was trying to impress her pod partner tech, Jordan. He's a hottie and has all of these girls atwitter with false eyelashes and giggles, but I suspect he isn't available.)

(Call it old lady intuition.)

Happy, happy Friday, Dearies! I hope and pray that you are safe and well and that you will have a good weekend. Come tell me all about it!

 

WEDNESDAY...WHEN YOU'RE HUNGOVER FROM YOUR HANGOVER...OEY

 

THE TUESDAY REPORT...

Hi, Dearies.

I'm just home from an appointment with the nice insurance man that helps me unravel all of the mysteries of Medicare and such, and I'm enjoying a few quiet moments in the Happy Chair. First up is my afternoon cold brew:

And the puzzles from this morning's newspaper:

And Magoo out on the patio having his very own Happy Time,

My news about home dialysis prompted a ton of questions and notes of encouragement from you. Thank you for that. I don't have all of the details yet, and am not even sure if I will be eligible, but here's what I can tell you: I will have a ten day trial period at the beginning of November with my current team in the dialysis unit. This will give me a chance to see if I can stick myself, if I can manage the machine, and how I respond and feel from daily/shorter treatments.

Then, the home team comes to my apartment to make sure that it will be feasible to do the treatment here...in other words, is there an appropriate space, water hook up, etc to accommodate it. 

Magoo is, unfortunately, not a candidate for being my helper due to his phobia and propensity to pass out over anything remotely medically related. I am pretty certain that he might be able to sit in another room and call out occasionally to make sure I'm not dead, but that'll be about it. 

(I love him. I really do, but in this particular case, Stewey would have been a better option.)

As far as Buzzy in concerned, they assure me that they will create a "buttonhole" in my arm...much like the hole in your ear where you put your earrings, and that once established, I should be able to do the cannulation without a problem. 

(Obviously, they've never seen me try to put on a pair of earrings.)

(I swear, it's because my face is so fat that my ear lobes point straight up to the ceiling, and why in the heck would I worry about earrings anyway, but that's a whole other story for a whole other day.)

Enough kidney talk.

I am determined to stitch tonight, since I have not done so since Saturday and am getting a bit twitchy. I did pick a project for October....Pretty Pumpkins from Glendon Place. I spied a photo of it finished on the Instagrams and just couldn't resist. Miss Linda at the House of Stitches is kitting it up for me, so as soon as it arrives, I'll get started on it.

One thing I did get and am very excited about is a kit from Wol Fratsen:

 

I've been spying them on the Instagrams and finally decided to try one, and I couldn't be more excited. The design/chart is printed on the fabric, and then the design is created through a series of long stitch embroidery. The kit came complete with fabric, thread, needle, hoop, instructions, and felt for finishing. I figured it would be a great project to tuck into a purse or tote bag for on the go. 

I'm also getting a hankering for canvas again, so I might fish out some small Christmas ornaments that I can do in a simple tent stitch. Maybe this will be the way to get back to stitching in the d-chair? There's no restriction for me to do so...I just got a little weirdly skeevy about taking my projects with me all of a sudden.

(Pause for eye rolling and mild head shaking.)

OK. 

Time to get to it. Magoo will be in before I know it ready for dinner. Tonight I am making him pork cutlets with all of the turkey leftovers. 

(I'm having a salad.)

Happy Tuesday to one and all! I hope your day has been swell and that you'll come tell me all about it!

CLICK...AND THEN IT WAS FALL IN HOOSIERVILLE

 Happy Monday, Dearies!

The weather made an abrupt change overnight from sunny and 80 to 54 and rainy and I am giddy with delight. Time to break out the Woman Within sherpa sweatshirts and fuzzy socks!

I did nothing all weekend except cook and eat and eat and cook it seems. On Saturday I made stuffed bell peppers with leftover chili and Spanish rice, and yesterday was mini Thanksgiving, with turkey breast, mashed, stuffing, green bean casserole, gravy, and cranberries.

(My JB was beside himself with happiness, so score one for me in the good spinster companion department!)

Buzzy and I are here in the d-chair doing our thing, and I am hoping that they might tell me more about this whole "do it yourself" business so I can stop fretting over it. The advantages would be wonderful and they tell me that I will feel a million times better with no crashes or hangovers, but getting those needles in is going to be a real challenge.

(Oh well, I figure if I was able to deal with Stewey's little stinky toes of death I can handle anything.)

No stitchy progress to report, I'm afraid. By the time I got the kitchen cleaned up and my Sunday night mani/pedi done I was bushed! 

This is an OPI color...It's a Piazza Cake. The camera doesn't show it very well, but it's a nice burnt orange color that I love for October. 

(Toes match...I promise.)

That's it for me today. My week has started and I'm hurtling into it like a herd of turtles. How about you?

FRIDAY...

Post d-chair recovery mode with an ice pack for Buzzy and a lemon water for me:

The Phillies doing their thing against Tampa Bay:

And JB Magoo in post stromboli mode watching the game:

Bit of a rough go of it toward the end, but I gutted it out and managed to get almost to dry weight. I came off treatment at 114kg, which means I am only about five pounds away from IU transplant weight goal! I have until Oct 27th to get there, so I'm soldiering on!

I got a glimpse of the machine that would be used here at CS2 for home dialysis. It's large, Marge, and is going to require a bit of creative furniture moving to fit, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. First we need to see if I have the ability to insert my own needles...yikes!

Happy weekend, Dearies! I'm going to sign off and unplug and try to enjoy it device free! I hope you have a fun and splendid time of it and that you'll come tell me all about it! See you Monday!

 

IT WAS A STITCHY HAPPY THURSDAY, INDEED...REPORTING ON A FRIDAY!

 

WHEN YOUR COFFEE VIEW MAKES YOU SO VERY HAPPY

Every morning after I stumble out of the big girl sleigh bed, I stand at the kitchen counter rather bleary-eyed and look out the window while the coffee contraption wakes up too.

This is my view.

My neighbor decorated for Fall! And she did so while living in an apartment! Most folks don't think much about the outside of apartments, but this one did, and I am very glad she did so.

The ferns on JB Magoo's Happy Place are still thriving, but it might be time to consider moving them in. Temperatures are expected to start dipping into the 30's at night and even though we're on the second floor and will probably not frost completely, I am going to try to save them this year.

Thank you for your tender ministrations yesterday, Dearies. We might have a solution afoot that will involve me doing my treatments at home, as well as changing one of the medications I take to bind phosphorous. The nausea might be a side effect, since it seems to correspond to the time that I switched to it.

Today is a day off. I'm going to concentrate on laundry, paperwork, Dr Melfi, and stitching, and am going to make a lovely crab cake dinner for JB. I had originally planned on turkey breast and all the fixins, but am going to do that on Sunday instead.

On the stitching front, I am starting to jot down ideas for projects for the winter. Thanks to a stitchy friend in Australia, I will soon have Santa's Magic to kit, and I keep seeing things on the Instagrams that are definitely striking my fancy! 

So that's it for a lovely Fall Thursday! I hope yours is equally as peaceful and happy! Come tell me all about it!

WEDNESDAY...HAVE I BORED YOU TO TEARS YET?

 Dearies, are you as bored with me as I am?

I swear it was just yesterday that I was riding the Crazy Train through Adventureville, and there were fun and various things to report. I'm sure that life with Stewey was the cause of that, and his presence and supervision were the only reason why I might have been the least bit interesting.

Now it's just sleep, slurp, schlep, and suck it up, I'm afraid.

I went from being Mo-ther Dearest to the guy that makes the donuts in one fell swoop.

That's not to say that I am unhappy or complaining in any way...I promise you. My life is perfectly wonderful and truly blessed, but there is a little part of me that just wishes I felt better so that I could enjoy it more, you know?

On days like this I have to remind myself that this is just a temporary chapter and not the entire book, and that a new kidney will mean a new life and I will be able to get back to running around at mach ten with my hair on fire.

The weight battle continues, but my gain between treatments was very slight today, so that means a loss of body weight. A normal gain in between dialysis treatments for me is about three kilos...or six plus pounds. Today, though, I only gained one kilo...or two point two pounds.

Still no idea why I am having such bad bouts of nausea and cold sweats, but the doc is making her rounds today, and after she blabs about my pants for ten minutes, I'll see if I can get her focused on other things. She's lovely, and I respect her position, but sometimes I feel like I have to grab her by the lapels and say "Swarupa! Sit up in the buggy here with me, Girlfriend! You went to medical school! Fix me!"

My view is of the fountain today, soI am going to enjoy every minute of it. The tree just outside our window has shaggy bark...my favorite...and the light coming through the leaves is just so pretty this morning that I'm going to kick back and enjoy it.

I do hope your very own Wednesday is going swimmingly and that you'll come tell me all about it! 

TUESDAY SPINSTER BLISS...

I am one big mess today, Dearies, but it's nothing that a day of stitching in the Happy Chair won't fix. Treatment was fine yesterday until it wasn't, and I am a bit seasick and semi-conscious ever since. I think it's a blood pressure issue...way too low...but we can fix that.

The syrup is a game changer, and I find myself looking forward to a drop or two in my afternoon cold brew. Delicious!

OK...back to bed for a bit.

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

MONDAY...IN WHICH THE POTATO DECIDES TO DON PANTS AND GO TO DIALYSIS

Hello, Dearies!

The weekend has concluded with all of its shenanagins, and Buzzy and I are back to work keeping me alive and kicking. For as much as I dread coming here, there is something comforting in the routine of it, and I remind myself daily to be grateful that dialysis was invented oh so long ago to keep us going. It may not be going as fast or well as we would like, but going at all certainly beats the alternative.

That's not to say that it's all sunshine and unicorns dipped in glitter all the time. This weight issue has me grumbling and miserable and desperate to lose 20 pounds before the end of October. The liquid diet was, unfortunately, an epic fail (some chemical in it didn't like me very much, and the feeling was more than mutual, I assure you), and no matter what I do the numbers just won't budge.

I'm off to a new good start today, though, and determined to get some exercise in the beautiful sunshine when I get home this afternoon. Even if it's just up and down the stairs a few times...I need to move my heiney.

No stitching progress to report. I poked Eliana a few times, but kept getting distracted by this or that. She is coming along nicely, though, so never fear...she'll be complete and sparkling like a Vegas show girl in no time.

So that about does it for me today. Thank you for the birthday wishes for little Bosco. I'm told that he had a good day with lots of snoozy naps in his new fancy blanket that just happens to have his name on it (thank you, amazons!).

Happy Monday to one and all! I hope the week ahead will be filled with blessings and giggles! Come tell me all about it!

PSSSST...

Hello, Dearies! 

If your name is listed below, could you please send your mailing address to me via email? My email address is spinsterstitcher@aol.com

Thank you!

Carol Toll

Mary McGuinness

Joan Schmidt

Lola Underdahl

Deborhah Myers

Michelle Pfeil

Judy Burnstein

Joann Christensen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOSCO

Today my little puppy nephew turns 15 years old. His name is Bosco Oliver Willowswamp, and he is not only my sister's baby...he was actually Stewey's biological cousin.  

Bosco is, quite possibly, the sweetest, funniest, and most dear little dog on the planet. He was an only child and brought into the family home very early, and we suspect that he lived in his playpen under a heat lamp for quite some time, because he needs to be warm and snuggly 24/7.

He was itty bitty as a baby and used to ride around inside my sister's jacket when they came to and fro between our houses. He is very well trained, completely into routines, loves to play with rocks, and snores like a little motorcycle.

Bosco and I have a very special bond as nephew and favorite aunt, as did Stewey with his Aunt Chrissy. I was blessed to spend a lot of time with him when he lived with me at Chez Spinster from time to time, and I miss him terribly.

He is in Arkansas with his mommie, and doing very well. Here are a few of my favorite snaps of him from years past:

 

 

WEDNESDAY

 

TUESDAY

No stitching last night, Dearies, but I am definitely going to fix that today. I came home from the d-chair and passed out on the couch until 3am and then went in to toss and turn in the big girl sleigh bed until 9.

Ugh.

You know me and unpredictability...I'm not exactly a fan.

The day has dawned sunny and lovely here in Hoosierville and I am enjoying a lovely breeze. It is supposed to be in the upper 70's today, which means I might have to consider closing the windows, but I am hoping to hoping to hold out as long as possible.

I hope your week is off to a good start! Do something nice for yourself and come tell me all about it!