WILL WONDERS NEVER CEASE...

If you've been with me any length of time, you probably know that I thoroughly love the morning newspaper with my damn good. I think I have been reading the paper in the morning from the time I was in my first little tiny apartment in college....which is about a billion years ago.

I even worked for the paper for a brief time writing obituaries, and I have to say that I loved everything about that job, and got especially excited to walk through the newsroom. Had things been different, I might have stayed there and tried other positions, but alas, it was not meant to be.

Anywhoose...I have been locked in a six month battle with the South Bend Tribune over delivery issues. First, I wasn't getting the paper, then they were delivering it downstairs, then it was coming super late, and then it just stopped coming altogether.

Calling to report these issues became a complete exercise in futility and frustration, and on Thursday of last week I finally gave up, told the representative to cancel everything, return my payment, and just forget about it all together.

Guess who got her paper at 5:30 this morning right there in front of her front door?

So I've decided to just surrender my entire life to whatever/whoever it is that's up there running things for me, since he/she/it seems to be doing a much better job of it than I ever could.

(I'm pretty sure it's my mom, since she had a wicked sense of humor and absolutely loved irony.)

(Heavy, heavy sigh).

So now that I have all of this free time, it looks like I'll be able to get a lot more stitching accomplished. Here's the progress on Summer at Cherry Hill:

I'll need to move the q-snaps today to continue further, and I'm fretting a bit over the amount of thread I have left to finish this one, so I might need to make an emergency trip over to House of Stitches to re-stock. 

(Would that be so bad?)

Cool and rainy here today, so I think I might snuggle under my blanket and snooze a bit. I slept pretty well last night, but seemed to wake up every half hour to check the time.

Happy Fitzingday, Dearies! I hope your week has treated you well thus far. If so, come tell me all about it! And, if not, come tell me all about it too, and we'll see if we can fix it together.

HAPPIER SUBJECTS

Good Tuesday morning, Dearies!

I am enjoying my second cup of damn good and then going to head out for an appointment and a few errands. It's sunny and cool and positively lovely out there in Hoosierville today, so methinks I might try to grab a cup of something and sit with my face in the sun or a book in my lap. Or both.

Bliss.

No stitching to report. I was entirely naughty over the weekend and had too much salt, so my fluid gain was a bit higher than I would have liked. This resulted in a tough treatment that knocked me out, but I did manage to finish bingeing Downton in its entirety once again. 

My attempt at keeping plants alive at CS2 is working so far, I'm happy to say. Here's some proof:

I'm tempted to add more to the mix, but my better angels tell me to just concentrate on these for a bit before going too crazy.

I posted a pic of my lemon ritual and confused the heck out of everybody. I buy a big bag of them from the Costco and scrub them up with a veggie brush, slice, put on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and freeze:

Then I drop them into a Ziplock and keep them in the freezer to add to my ice water:

I must not have explained this very well, because folks seemed to be confused as to what the heck I was up to. Nothing revolutionary...just me being super lazy and wanting the convenience of just opening a bag instead of having to slice and scrub and whatnot.

Well, I think that's about it from here today. I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures from the wedding:

I hope your very own Tuesday is perfectly swell! Come tell me all about it!

DEAR FRIENDS

In a million years, I never would have imagined that I would have to write a blog post telling you that I am OK because there was a mass shooting outside my front door.

I didn't think to mention it, but when I got here to the d-chair and opened my email there were hundreds of urgent messages asking me if I was OK.

Yes, there was a mass shooting on Saturday night in the Heritage Square shopping center in front of my apartment, and yes, I overlook the area where most of the bullets were fired.

One of the restaurants hosted a Juneteeth celebration, and at 3:30 in the morning somebody decided to open fire, killing one man and injuring several others. 

I didn't hear or see a thing, oddly enough. If I did hear it in my sleep, I probably thought it was fireworks and rolled over, and I didn't see any of the emergency lights because I closed the blinds completely (for the first time in the four years I've lived here).

Driving to dialysis this morning was very eerie, since it seems that all of the area has been cleaned and will return to "normal" today. The windows that were shattered will be replaced, the sidewalks will be scrubbed, and the people will go about their business on this summer Monday morning as if nothing happened.

In the meantime, I pray for the man who died to rest in peace. I pray that his family will find some comfort in their grief, and I pray for the injured to recover. But most of all, I pray that we will eventually figure this out.

Thank you, Friends, for checking on me.

SCENES FROM A SUNDAY...ON A MONDAY

 

WOOOOHOOOOO

 Sorry for the wrinkly mess, but all of the stitching is complete on Eliana! Now, on to the backstitching and beading!!

WHILE THE CAT'S AWAY...

Happy Saturday, Dearies!

Rich has almost completed his journey to NJ, and I am enjoying a completely different view of things this morning. 

I would love to tell you that I watched Masterpiece Theatre and ate broiled salmon last night while contemplating Proust, but the truth is that I went face first into takeout Japanese, contemplated dessert, and then watched the Philadelphia 76ers and the Kardashians simultaneously.

Baby steps, people. I need to take baby steps.

Remember when I used to write a big long list of projects that I wanted to accomplish on my Spinstercation, and then I did things like empty the cube room studio into the living room or cook my way through Ina's cookbooks?

Well, I guess I'm older and wiser now, because the only thing on my list for the next two weeks is to...chill.

I would have liked to start my day with a swim, but at the moment the pool is completely occupied with The Real Housewives of Hoosierville, about a dozen screaming kids, and enough toys to float the Titanic.

As our girl Stitcherista would day...."That would be a whole lotta NOPE on that one!"

So I think I'll read the paper, enjoy my damn good, catch up on magazines, and then maybe nap a bit today. If it clears out downstairs, I'll grab my suit and towel and make a run for it!

I hope your weekend is off to a wonderful beginning and that you get to do all of the things! Come tell me all about it!

IN WHICH WE SKIPPED RIGHT OVER WEDNESDAY AND WENT RIGHT INTO THURSDAY...

I had a "free" day yesterday to allow Buzzy one more day to calm down, and I spent it stitching, snoozing, and watching Downton.

Progress continues on Eliana:

Today will relatively quiet. A visit with Dr Melfi and then more stitching and Downton watching. We were goong to try to play golf, but I think temperatures in the high 80's will eliminate that possibility for me,

What's on your agenda for the day? Come tell me all about it!

RECOVERING

My head is still a bit fuzzy from the Fentanyl and Versid, but I'm enjoying a little stitching and Downton while another piece of salmon cooks away in the toaster oven.

(This time I think I'll make a little rice on the side in addition to the Greek salad.)

More tomorrow, Dearies! Thank you for your happy thoughts for the surgery today. It went OK, but as I suspected, Mr Buzzy was a hot mess!

MONDAY

Well, Dearies...here we are on another Monday in Hoosierville doing our thing:

We finished the weekend strong, with a really good dinner:

Where has this been all my life? I have watched people cook salmon in parchment a thousand times on the Food Network but had never tried it.

Until last night:

It was so good! A little olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon slices on top...baked at 375 for an hour (the salmon was frozen solid when I put it in), and then a few minutes with the parchment open to geta nice crust, and it was delicious!

The little salad was stupid easy...cucumber, tomato, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta dressed with a little bit of balsamic.

Very tasty, indeed.

I didn't stitch, but I did manage to do a mani/pedi and watch my Notre Dame baseball team win the second game of their series with Mississippi State. They need to win the next game to progress in the tournament, so...GO IRISH!

The humidity is supposed to be delightfully low this week, so I am hoping for some outside time. I would love to play some more of the golfing, but Buzzy is being tended to tomorrow, so I'm not too sure if I will be able to do so. (He's a bit of a mess, so I expect that the procedure will be a bit more extensive than normal.)

So that's the doings with your intrepid spinster this week. JB is heading eastward on Thursday or Friday, so I will have a couple weeks to stitch and watch Downton and do all of my spinster things!

I hope your week is off to a good start! What will blow your skirt up today? Come tell me all about it!

SUNDAY...APRES' THE GOLFING

Well, Dearies...the professionals on the LPGA tour have absolutely nothing to worry about from Yours Truly. I positively absolutely stink at this stupid game, but I do love it so. I had the worst round of my life with some of the best shots I've ever taken.

Go figure.

We are now home safe and sound, and as soon as I cool off and finish my cold brew, I'm going to jump into the papers and then stitch and watch Downton before re-doing my nails for the week.

The weekend has done exactly what I had hoped...it lead me where it wanted and I happily followed along. I feel peaceful and rested...just what this portly spinster needed heading into a new week!

SATURDAY MORNING...A DIFFERENT VIEW

 I decided to have my damn good in my new damn good mug on the big girl couch today, Dearies. (I got the damn good mug yesterday for free from the Starbucks because I had ammassed enough points to do so and was so excited about it I almost did a little jig right there in the socially distanced waiting line in front of God and everybody else.)

Forgive my big fat legs, and yes...I do have shorts on. They're just out of frame and do indeed cover me sufficiently. (I didn't want you to think I was pulling a Godiva on a Saturday morning.)

Not a single solitary thing on the list today. So far, I've managed to make it through one of the newspapers in the big stack that has accumulated this week. I don't know what possessed me, but I didn't read them at all during the week. I guess I was saving them for today!

Happy Saturday to one and all!

FRIDAY NIGHT

 

After a rather rough d-chair today I came home and CRASHED for a long nap in the big girl sleigh bed. The heat and humidity really take their toll on me, so I am guzzling lots of lemon ice water and trying to be...slow.

I don't have one single solitary thing on my to do list for the weekend, Dearies! No shoulds, no mights, no maybes...just two days to let the day unfold as it will and to take it as it comes.

The weather is supposed to break on Sunday, so hopefully some golfing and lunching outside, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I learned my lesson yesterday. The more you stress and plan, the more you're revealing that you need a shot of humility and a reinforcement of faith. 

I hope your weekend is lovely and full of everything that brings you joy! Come tell me all about it!

FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT I AM IN NO WAY IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE...

This is, quite possibly, one of the strangest days I've had in a while.

For three weeks, I've stressed and planned and planned and stressed this trip to Indy/IU and the liver test. I wrote lists and packed bags and mapped routes and double checked and triple checked weather like the control freak I am.

And then God laughed.

I didn't sleep well last night in anticipation of today. About a week or so ago, JB and I decided that we would just go to Indy the day of the test, maybe grab a meal, and then came back on the same day. Driving down the night before and staying in a hotel and all of those logistics seemed like too much, especially since I have traveled more in the last month than I have in the last fifteen years.

And then I got the crazy idea that I would just go by myself, and that changed at the last minute to deciding that I really would like some company, and then back to going alone, then back to needing supervision....I must have changed my mind a dozen times until I finally told JB that I would, in fact, like him to go with me after all.

So I got up at 6:00 this morning and had my damn good and got in the shower and put a purse together and printed the appointment information, and just as soon as he got his shoes and socks on, my JB became decidedly unwell and wasn't able to go with me afterall.

(He's fine. Just a temporary thing that was either a pill that went down wrong or his crazy girlfriend stressing him out with the "go stay go stay go stay" shenanagins.

I got in the car, took a deep breath, and drove the three hours to Indy/IU hospital like a BOSS. There was a ton of construction, a little rain, and a surprising amount of traffic, but I navigated the driving and turning and finding of things like I knew what I was doing. No mis-steps. No wrong turns. No missed exits. Straight down the damn road with the 80's music blasting away and me laughing at what a complete boob I am to have gotten lost on our dry run back in April.

I think it took me about six minutes to find a space in the parking garage and another two or three minutes to find the department I neededfor the test. When I checked in and saw the clock, I realized that I was 45 minutes early, so I headed to the waiting area to settle in for the long haul.

My heiney did not hit the chair before my name was called, and the lovely technician asked me my name and birthdate as we walked the seven steps to the testing room.

(Are you sensing where I'm going with this yet?)

Dearies, when I tell you that the test took FOUR SECONDS I am not exaggerating. I literally laid myself on the table, flipped my shirt up, and she touched the scanner thingie to my liver and said "OK. All done."

IT TOOK LONGER FOR ME TO CONFIRM MY BIRTHDATE THAN IT DID FOR HER TO DO THE ENTIRETY OF THE TEST!

I made my way back to the parking garage, put my ticket into the payment thingie, and it said "IN TIME 10:41. OUT TIME 10:46. $5.00 PLEASE".

Five minutes.  

Four and a half of those minutes were spent parking and walking to and from the appointment.

So I pulled out of the garage shaking my head at how funny my life is, and I started hunting for a Starbucks for sustenance for the drive home. In the meantime, I called my sister to tell her what had just happened and as I was sitting at a stop light telling her that I was looking for a Starbucks I looked up and realized that I was, quite literaally, sitting in front of...a Starbucks.

My very favorite thing on the Starbucks planet is a trenta cold brew with a splash of sweet cream and a ham and cheese panini, and that's what I decided to order. But, as I approached the ordering thingie, I saw a big sign that said they were very sorry, but due to delivery issues, their store did not have many food options available, but to ask for what they did have.

So I did.

"We're really sorry, but the only thing we have left is one ham and cheese panini."

And then...just to see if I was really paying attention, the lovely barista at the window handed me extra napkins and an extra cup of ice in a trenta sippy cup because "It's so hot today, and in case I needed extra ice".

(Have I told you my obsession with the Starbucks trenta sippy cups.)

(I love them.)

(Truly. I do. I really, really do.)

So....

Your hapless spinster is home safe and sound, with her Starbucks trenta sippy cup full of ice water, a baseball game on the TeeVee, newspapers ready to read, stitching ready to be stitched, and an entire afternoon to be grateful, thankful, and awed that somebody up there takes such good care of me.

I honestly don't know how I lucked into this wonderful, lucky, crazy, happy life of mine. 

Now if you'll excuse me, methinks I need to put my shoes and socks on and go buy some lottery tickets!

How's your day going? Come tell me all about it!

FUTZINGDAY

 Happy Futzingday, Dearies!

(For new members of the Spinster Stitcher family, aka residents of CrazyTowne, Futzingday was created by my little dog, Stewey. It seemed that every Wednesday was a day to futz...putter about with nothing to do but wander from thing to thing. Hence, Futzingday.)

Buzzy and I did our thing and are home early because JB Magoo needed to go for his annual physical and we are without both cars at the moment. On the ride over to Ohio, about eighty-five different warning lights came on and things just seemed...awry...with Miss Puff. So we dropped her off yersterday and discovered that there were several issues that needed fixed.

Phooey.

(The dent in my emergency fund sucks, but I am heading to Indianapolis tomorrow for liver testing, so limping along wasn't an option.)

In stitchy news, I spent some good time with Eliana, and hope to get right back to her as soon as I finish some damn good and dispense with the paper:

Sorry about my craptastic lighting, but at this point I figure a poorly lit progress pic is better than no pic at all!

Another hot and steamy one here today. If the weather permits, I am definitely getting in that pool! By the time I had finished laundry yesterday and stuffed my wobbly bits into my swimming costume, the rain and thunderstorms were here, so I didn't get to splash.

Not much else is happening in these here parts, which is just positively fine with me. I like days like this....drama and angst free!

Here's hoping your very own Futzingday is the same! (I mean, if you like that kind of thing.)

WHAT DAY IS IT?

Chello, Dearies!

I honestly didn't know what day it was until about ten minutes ago. 😳

Yesterday is a complete blur....I know I went to dialysis and came home and made dinner and watched a little Sopranos, but the rest is a bit fuzzy. Sleeping seems to be just about the only thing I have been able to do lately, but I am learning to be fine with that.

Today will be laundry, stitching, and maybe hopefully a trip to the pool for some refreshment and old lady arm exercises. The weather here is hot and positively steamy, so I am guessing that it is part of my issue. I never did do very well in heat, and the last four years has amplified that exponentially.

Your lovely comments about my hair were so very very kind. I wasn't kidding that I had never had an updo before...we took our curling irons and Aquanet into the church bathroom for weddings and hoped for the best in the 80's, so having a professional tend to me was just bliss!

I will definitely do this again for Sara's wedding in October, but I might poof my bangs a bit so my head doesn't look quite so...round. 😐

You asked for a picture of the bride and groom...here is a lovely shot of them with bridesmaid Paige...who is just about the coolest chick on the planet:

Happy Tuesday! I hope your world is exactly how you would like it to be today! Please come tell me all about the things that are rolling your socks up and down!

OH...WHAT A LOVELY TIME WE HAD!

Magical.

Just absolutely magical.

Everytime I try to think of my favorite part of the weekend, something else pops into my head and then I think THAT might be my favorite, and then something else....and on and on it goes.

My goddaughter, Jacqueline (now the new Mrs McGue) and her new husband Blake had the wedding of their dreams, I think, and my sissyfriend Denise (the MOB) and my brotherinlawfriend Jeff (the FOB) were simply...perfect. Denise was absolutely flawless in her itty bitty tiny little dress and her itt bittytiny little shoes (she is quite petite, my little sissyfriend is), and Jeff's toast/performance left every man wanting to be him and every woman wanting to marry him.

The wedding party wore long black gowns and tuxedos, and the outdoor ceremony was stunningly lovely and, thank goodness, only fourteen minutes long. I was so moved by the Groom's emotions as he pledged his love and honor and fidelity to our girl, Jacqueline that I completely forgot that I was supposed to be hot and sweaty.

Sara...my younger goddaughter and Maid of Honor delivered what was, quite possibly, the most beautiful speech a sister could have ever made to her older sibling, and I was just so damn proud of the both of them I could have burst right out of my rayon/spandex blend dress.

As for me...you will be happy to know that I tried to comport myself with dignity and grace, and despite the heat, I managed to wear more makeup than a drag queen, and I was careful to keep my lipstick on. I honestly think it was the hair...my very first ever in my whole entire life UP DO! Where has this been all my life?! The minute I left the fancypants salon, I felt ladylike and like I wanted to sip delicately and eat daintily and cross my legs properly.

Yes...I did manage to dance. One song. Under protest and with all of my wobbly bits flying here, there, and everwhere to "Dancing Queen" and then again for a slow song with my JB, who I discovered to my shock and dismay does not know how to dance. At. All.

But I have to say, Dearies....the most unforgettable thing about this entire weekend was the fact that this family made Rich and I feel like we were part of it all....from the salon time with the girls, to being seated right there in the front row for the ceremony, and then right at the very best table with Denise and Jeff for the reception. It was an honor that I in no way deserved, but very very mich appreciated.

We are home safe and sound, I am as tired as I have ever been, and now the focus moves to our little Sara, who will bring us together again in October. Until then, I'm going to keep remembering favorite moments from this one and get myself back to reality next week!

I hope your very own weekend was also wonderful and that your heart is full!

SCENES FROM AN AMAZING DAY...

ONE MORE SLEEP!

The bags are packed, the nails are done, the apartment has been tidied, and we're ready to go to the wedding! The current forecast is calling for 88 degrees and sunny for the ceremony time, so...God help me!

I will probably not be back until Monday, Dearies, so I hope you havea wonderful weekend!

FREE DAY! WOO HOO! OH. WAIT A MINUTE.

Well, Dearies, I suppose we'll file this under the category of "Be careful what you wish for". 

I didn't sleep last night for some reason. I went to bed and turned on my movie (84 Charing Cross Road for about six months straight now thankyouverymuch) and then got out of bed a few hours later (after tossing and turning) and ended up reading until the wee small hours. I think I got about an hour and a half of sleep total.

So when I got into the shower at 5:45 I though to myself "I wish I could just stay home today and stitch and sleep all day".

Wish granted.

I infiltrated during cannulation....that's dialysis speak for the needle poked Buzzy wrong and a huge knot formed lickety split and I had to get off the machine after only a second or two, hold the sites, and then get home and under an ice pack:

Don't worry. I will surely find a way to spend the day.

I might admire my hard work from yesterday...re-organizing the pantry for the thirty-second time:

Or maybe I'll hit the balcony for a few minutes:

Or do a face mask:

Or....the most probable option...get back to Eliana:

What I DO know for sure is that there will be a nice long nap in there someplace in the big girl sleigh bed.

So that's what's doin' in these here parts, Dearies. What's up with you?

PHOOEY

Guess who slept through the alarm, her doctor's appointment, and most of the morning?

Treatment just completely knocked me out yesterday, and I came home and slept hard for four hours, had a little dinner, and then went right back to bed and stayed there until moments ago.

I. Am. Tired.

After a few cups of damn good I'm going to get some things tidied up and then hit the links or the pool to get some exercise.

So it looks like my chin hair will be my plus one for the wedding!