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No excuse.  No reason for the lack of posts.  I won’t even lie and say I’ve been too busy.  It just seems it’s one of those things I can put on the back burner even if breathing is the only other thing happening.  I’d claim to try to be better, but that may be a lie too.  Yep, I’m a flake!

Lately, I’ve been feeding the freezer and allowing it to feed me.  I continue cooking for myself and when I do, I make certain to prepare extra to freeze.  It sure makes daily meal preparation easier as I have quite a stash of pre-cooked entrees from which to choose.  There’s spicy baked chicken, bar-b-que chicken, oniony chicken w/rice, mushroomy chicken, roasted chicken w/dressing, roasted turkey w/dressing, bar-b-que pork ribs, creamy chicken/spinach enchiladas, spaghetti sauce, chili, shrimp fried rice w/veggies, hearty beef/veggie soup, chicken noodle soup, pork chops smothered with onions, and shrimp gumbo with okra and rice.  On days I don’t plan to cook, I decide what I want to eat for dinner and pull it from the freezer to defrost.  Then, all I have to do is choose which side dishes I want to include (usually commercially frozen vegetables) and quickly prepare them.  This system is nearly as easy as preparing a commercially available TV dinner but MUCH better tasting, less expensive and more nutritious.   In addition, this system keeps me from being forced to learn to prepare food for a family of one (depressing!).  I love it!

As soon as the weather cools a bit, I plan to make a big batch of pork tamales.  They freeze so well and make excellent gifts.  Though they may be months away, I’ve already received requests from family/friends.

During spring and summer when fresh vegetables are readily available, I purchase those that freeze well and I often use.  This week, I bought bell peppers and celery.  I use both a lot when I cook but it kills me to spend $1+ for a bell pepper when they are out of season.  The local farmers’ markets have lots of fresh bell peppers on sale for 4-5/$1, I’ve stocked up.  I clean them thoroughly, de-seed, dice them and put them into the freezer.  It’s so convenient to grab a handful from the bag when cooking something yummy.

Today, my hands smell of celery!  When celery was on sale this week, I purchased 2 big bundles and today cleaned them well and diced them for the freezer.  I now have enough chopped celery to last months and months.  This is MUCH better than discarding stalks of celery that have turned into brown water.  It’s tough for a single person to use an entire bunch of celery before it melts!  This way, I never lose any to the compost bin.  I’m keeping my eyes opened for other veggies and herbs that freeze well.

I’ve continued to knit small items for family.  Though it’s currently too warm to wear them, I’ve made new hats for my son’s household.  Each was very well received!  I also made several new washcloths but didn’t photograph them.  Jacob was very glad to receive them.3 hats

Here’s hoping you’re staying cool during this oppressively hot summer.  I’m so praying and looking forward to cooler weather!  Stay safe and be kind!

Shirl

 

My family includes several diabetics (me too!) so when planning holiday food gifts, I try and stay away from typical candies, cookies and sweet treats.  Don’t get me wrong, we still love those things but when making them, I cut as much sugar as possible.  I prefer to lean more toward low fat, protein-rich goodies.  In this vein, I LOVE making and giving jerky!

When my local grocer ran a sale on chuck roasts, I bought several with the idea of making jerky for holiday gifting.  I whipped up a batch of marinade, soaked the trimmed, thinly sliced beef and loaded my old 4 tray dehydrator.  The jerky turned out wonderfully but I could tell the dehydrator was struggling.  I remember my DH and DS working on it several years ago to squeeze a little more life from this 40+ year old, very used (and loved) appliance so after talking to Jake, we decided I should purchase a new one.  I can pass the old one down to him and he can fiddle with it and hopefully make it last a little longer.  He LOVES jerky (as do his friends) so he’s excited about the prospect of making his own.  It sounded like an excellent plan to me.

Upon finding a heavily discounted model on Amazon, I bought it and the new 8 tray Nesco Gardenmaster® arrived on Saturday.  Oh my gosh, I LOVE it!  Now I can make double batches of everything and with its hefty-sized fan motor and heater (twice the wattage as the old model), foods will dry faster and more evenly.  I immediately sliced and began marinating more jerky.

As I was loading the dehydrator trays with beef today, I remembered some mushrooms I mistakenly purchased (already had a big package and bought more).  Since I still had 3 empty trays, I sliced those mushrooms and added them to the drying session.  My house smells AWESOME with the combination of drying jerky and mushrooms.  I will gift the jerky and keep the mushrooms to include in home cooked recipes without worries of spoilage.  Win/win!

Knowing my son and his best friend (my adopted son) are wearing knitted hats this year, I’ve continued to make them.  I figure if the guys like to wear knitted hats, they should have a wardrobe of ’em!  They are fairly mindless to knit and I have yarn to use and time to use it.  I enjoy the knitting and they enjoy the hats so it’s a winning combination.

This first hat is another Sockhead Slouch Hat like I’ve knitted before.  It’s a popular style with the guys.  This one used Knit Pick’s Stroll Hand Painted Sock Yarn in colorway ‘Coffee Shop’.  I sent it home with Jacob to give to his friend but Jake decided to keep it for a while before gifting it.  Stinker!

I made another one using Knit Pick’s Stroll Hand Painted Sock Yarn (it was on sale; what can I say?) but this time in colorway ‘Koi Pond’.  I’ve made socks using this same colorway but had extra yarn so made this Swirling LOSY (Left-Over Sock Yarn) Hat.  If neither of the guys likes it, I’m sure Jacob can find someone that will enjoy wearing it.

That’s it for now.  Please have a safe, snuggly warm week.

Shirl

Once again this holiday season, I’ve shown no respect for the calendar.  While most people were making grocery lists and thinking about a Thanksgiving feast, I was actually eating it.  I roasted a turkey and made my infamous full-blown dressing 10 days before the actual holiday.  That allowed space in my freezer for 2 fresher turkeys for roasting and eating later in the year.  Can’t beat 55¢ per pound for great-tasting meat I enjoy eating and sharing with my dogs.  They love it as do I!

Instead, for my Thanksgiving feast, I cooked shrimp fried rice.  YUM!

Since DH died, I’ve found myself relying more and more on frozen ‘convenience foods’.  I still love to cook but often it seems too much trouble for just myself.

Honestly, even after ‘doctoring’, those ‘convenience foods’, they taste pretty awful and reading the ingredients list is frightening.  Why must everything contain corn syrup and chemicals?!  Lately, instead of purchasing that pricey CRAP, I’ve been making my own ‘convenience foods’.  When I cook a meal for myself, I make it BIG, with more servings than I can possibly eat in a day or two.  I freeze the leftovers and when it’s too much hassle to cook (busy with other things or just feeling lazy), I thaw one of my ‘convenience foods’ for a hearty, healthy, home cooked meal.  I package the food in quart-sized containers and each makes two meals.  On days I’m particularly hungry, I eat half of one container and add a sandwich, eggroll or salad.  I easily polish it off the next day.

I also package and freeze some of the ingredients I use for cooking.  For example, when I purchase celery for a particular recipe, instead of allowing the remaining stalks to become brown water in my fridge, I chop up the rest and freeze it.  Then when I want celery in another dish, I have it on hand.  I do the same with bellpepper, buying several at a time when on sale.  I love the ease of grabbing a handful of fresh, tasty veggies from my freezer and adding them to whatever I’m cooking.

In the picture is some of my stash.  In the jars are veggie/beef soup, chicken noodle soup and shrimp/okra gumbo with rice.  The bags contain shrimp fried rice (left from Thanksgiving) and spaghetti sauce

This week, to add to my ‘convenience food’ arsenal, I’m hoping to make and freeze some homemade beef/bean chili and when I bake one of my newly acquired turkeys, I’ll stash some away for future meals.  I hope to continue this habit while our weather is cool enough for cooking.

Happy Black, Cyber, Spend-your-money Weekend!

Shirl

this is not an abandoned blog.  It has temporarily fallen from my Priority List.  I’ve remained busy, though not feeling 100% social.  This is the reason for the long silence.

I’ve continued to knit but headed in a different direction from my typical socks, washcloths, scarves and hats.  I decided to try my hand at amigurumi and fell in love with “Voodoo You Love Me” pattern by Susan Claudino.  After knitting the smaller one using suggested worsted-weight yarn, I decided I wanted to try making a larger one and ordered bulky-weight yarn.  As expected, it turned out bigger.  The small one has been gifted to my son’s special lady and the larger one remains with me.  They were a fun, fun knit with each developing its own personality.

I then took a little break from knitting and made another twined rug.

This rug was made using t shirt knit fabric strips leftover from making Jacob’s last rug.  I frankly have enough fabric still to make several more, though I’ve run out of places to put them but since I have no plans for these fabric scraps, I’ll continue to make rugs.  They take up less space than the fabric and make terrific heirloom-quality gifts.  This one remains rolled up and stashed under my craft table.

I next decided to eliminate some leftover bits and bobs of yarn that have collected over the past couple of years.  I ended up making 4 knitted nap mats (one not pictured) for my dogs, of which the first two now reside at Jacob’s house.  I originally hoped these could be used as rugs but their weight is just too light.  The dogs love them though so not a wasted effort.  They are easily laundered and the dogs arrange them as they wish.

The three pictured were made using worsted weight 100% cotton yarn (leftovers from making washcloths).  I held two strands of yarn together as I worked to make the mats somewhat thicker.  The fourth rug (not pictured) was made using bulky yarn in a similar striped design.

Each finished at a different size but large enough for my big dog (Coalie) to lay upon comfortably.

Speaking of Coalie…. he became very ill in August.  First, we suspected he had ingested poison.  He refused to eat and each day he became more and more listless with a high fever.  Because of his past abuse (tied and beaten severely prior to our rescue), there was no way for me to collar and leash him for a trip to the vet.  I refuse to put him through that stress. He is also too heavy for me to lift into the car!

I did contact my vet and with Coalie’s symptoms, we thought either poison or snakebite.  As the days went on, Coalie became too ill to urinate outside (which caused him incredible shame) but I continued to talk and tend to him as I mopped puddles.  After nearly a week, Coalie decided to try and go outside but was too weak to make it back inside.  By this time, he had developed a huge, draining abscess on his side (common with snakebites).  Because of this wound, he had a slight odor and I was afraid to let him stay outside in fear of coyotes or other critters being attracted to him.  I loaded a pistol and sat outside with him most of the night with Coalie’s head in my lap, making sure nothing bothered him.  At dawn, he gathered enough strength to stumble into the house and back to his bed.

He did not eat for 12 days but continued drinking water throughout his illness.  I truly believed he would die and for several days, I thought his death was imminent.  I cried many tears for this dog.

Today, he is nearly completely back to his old self but his personality has changed a little bit.  In the past, he was DH Bob’s loyal companion and since Bob’s death, he has accepted me as his ‘person’.  Since his illness, he is now closer to me and acts more appreciative for the things I do for him with constant closeness and lots of hugs.  He’s a great dog and I’m so glad he survived.  He is gaining back his lost weight, the large wound on his side has healed and his fur has begun growing back.

While Coalie was sick, I got one of those phone calls every mother dreads.  Jacob called to let me know he had an accident on his scooter and was in the emergency room awaiting a visit from the orthopedic surgeon.  His femur (near his hip) was broken and required surgical attention.  He also had a superficial scrape on his chin from the face shield of his helmet.  Surgery was scheduled for the next morning.

This is his xray including his new DHS device.  Amazing!  It looks like a bent shock absorber with screws.

Jacob is doing surprising well and at 6 weeks post-accident, only has a slight limp and walks without assistance from a walker or cane.  He religiously sees his physical therapist who is happily surprised with his progress.  I attribute his quick healing to his hardheaded determination to completely recover.  I am proud of the way he has dealt with all this.  He’s good at ‘adulting’.

Our new cool, very rainy weather is an indication to me that WINTER IS COMING!  I’ve set aside rug-making to focus on knitting a couple of wooly hats for gifts and sewing some warm casual clothes for myself.  I’ve also devoted some time in making soups to freeze.  I love having homemade ‘convenience’ foods available.  I currently have homemade spaghetti sauce, beef/veggie soup and shrimp/okra gumbo ready to thaw, heat and eat without much effort.  Soon I hope to add homemade beef/bean chilli to the arsenal.

Have a terrific week!

Shirl

 

I realize it’s been a while since I last blogged.  During that time, I’ve actually written several partial posts without managing to finish.  I’ll attempt to actually finish this one!

As always, I’ve stayed busy doing this and that in addition to the normal chores of life.  I simply can’t sit idle as I watch movies or listen to music.  The hands must be busy!  As winter turned to spring, I knitted a pair of sock for myself.  This is a first!  Before they were finished, it became too warm to wear them but I assume cold weather will return again.  These socks were knitted with Knit Picks Felici yarn in colorway Captain Nemo.  I used a slightly altered version of Shireen pattern I’ve used in the past.  It’s an easy knit.

I also made some socks for a friend.  Because his feet are narrow, I decided to make 2×2 ribbed socks from cuff to toe (no pattern).  They will stretch to custom fit his feet.  I used Lang Jawoll in a marl gray and red self striping (902.0059) yarn.  The toes are made with Valley Huntington yarn in colorway Light Gray Heather.

I am now officially burned out of knitting socks (for now).  Time to make something else.

I’ve begun knitting another Sockhead Slouch Hat.  I knit over half of it but didn’t like how it was turning out so ripped it out and started again.  I’m only a little over an inch into it so it will be a while before completion (if ever!).  My heart just isn’t into knitting presently which I think is mostly influenced by hot weather… and boy, it’s HOT!

Also lately, I gave some thought to rug making again.  The last two were made from cutting up DH’s tshirts.  I gave one to Jacob and kept one for myself.  I really like it a lot!  It made me think of making rugs using my own tshirt fabric.  Because I make my own casual cotton knit shirts, I have a 25 year collection of leftover scraps.  I dug them all out and was surprised to discover a small mountain of fabric.  It’s definitely time to reduce the pile!

I found some muslin to cut and warp the frame.  I then dove into the cotton knit fabric and cut literally hundreds of strips for twining the rug.  After two weeks, I had a lovely, snugly, absorbent rug.  When I mentioned it to Jacob, he quickly hinted how much he would love to have another rug.  Since I already have 3, this one will go to him.  After all, that mountain of fabric has diminished very little.  Upon finishing his, I immediately warped the frame again and began another.  It’s currently over half finished.  Sadly, the mountain is only dented so I hope to continue making rugs.  There is no shortage of places to put them or people who want them!

My century+ old magnolia tree is in full bloom and with this winter and spring rains, it’s absolutely loaded with blossoms.  I go out each morning before dew has dried to smell the wonderful fragrance of their lemony perfume.  When I can reach one, I bring it into the house to enjoy all day.  So, so beautiful!

Though I try and distract myself, this is the hardest time of the year for me as the two-year anniversary of DH’s death approaches.  I think of him often and cry a few more tears.  The house is just too damned empty and quiet!  When I get too melancholy,  I crank the lawnmower and work it out.  There’s always grass to mow!

Shirl

Good grief!  Another month has slipped away and other than noticing the vast amount of rain we’ve received, it seems it successfully snuck right on by!

This week, I had the ‘pleasure’ of getting my car inspected.  In Texas, when one purchases a new car, it comes with a 2 year license/inspection sticker.  It appears my ‘new’ car has now celebrated it’s second birthday and requires a new sticker.  My car CAN’T be this old…. it still looks and smells new and only has 10,200 miles!

For the past 40 years, hubby or son has taken care of this chore but this time, it’s was up to me to decide when/where/how to handle it.

Sadly, in my tiny town, there is just one inspector and he’s only available on the weekends.  Since I was required to renew my sticker before March 1 and it was already the 26th, I had to drive to a neighboring larger tiny town to have it done.  Thankfully, I found a friendly (though a little kooky) inspector able to do the job immediately.  $7 later, I had the required paperwork to take to the Tax Assessor’s office (with parking over 1/2 block away!) to purchase the license/inspection sticker; all done while dodging raindrops and road flooding.  At the TA’s office, I handed her the inspection paperwork, the registration renewal, proof of insurance and $74 and in less than 30 seconds I had my license/inspection sticker.  Why isn’t there a drive-thru for this?  This is way more hassle than it needs to be!

With all the nasty, grey weather we’ve experienced (today included!), I’ve spent some time watching out the window, hoping Spring will soon arrive.  I noticed a black cat  hanging around and since I’d like a cat to stay near to control rodents and other vermin, I put some meat scraps and trimmings in a bowl and put them outside.  I called ‘kitty, kitty’ and came back inside.  The poor thing was starving and quickly overcame its shyness and ate its fill.

Every couple of days, I spot the cat and with the same routine, it has eaten more kitchen scraps.  Because of the solid black coat with a hint of brown on the end of its tail, I’ve name it Scorch because it looks like the tail got a little close to a fire.  Today when Scorch came looking for food, I noticed a fat tummy.  It looks like a female and I may end up feeding a whole passel of kitten hatchlings.  The last time this happened, after re-homing several cats (including the mama), we ended up with 3 house cats.  I hope that doesn’t happen again!  A cat or two is a blessing out in the country but a flock is much more than I need!

I’ve had plenty of time to knit.  First, I made rainbow socks to replace the originals that did not fit Stormy.  These were made of self-striping Biscotte yarn in colorway ‘Rainbow’ (a little ‘spendy’ but a wonderful yarn!) on size US 2 needles using My Knitted Heart Vanilla Socks pattern.  The extra ribbing on each side gave the needed width for a good fit.  The pattern was super easy to follow and I will knit it again (maybe for me!!).  The black toes and heels were made using Knit Pick’s Stroll yarn from my stash.  I never try matching stripes on one sock to the other but accidentally these match perfectly.  The socks are super-bright and I hope Stormy likes them.

I also finished a pair of socks for Jacob made using Valley Yarns Leyden (no longer available) on US 1.5 needles using Petty Harbour pattern.  These socks disappointed me in two ways.  First, I was absolutely taken by the photo of the yarn when I ordered it.  In my opinion, though it is really nice yarn, the color knitted up a bit muddy.  Second, the pattern makes a thick fabric so it was slow to knit and in my opinion, too thick for the foot of the socks.  I made those in plain stockinette stitch instead.  The socks are OK, but nothing that excites me.

After knitting 14 pairs of socks for others, I’ve decided to make some for myself.  Thus far, I’m about halfway finished the first sock of a pair of anklets using a self-striping yarn in purples and blues.  I like them a lot and know they will be nice to wear on the last of this winter’s cool days.

I have a stack of new fabric with lots of plans for sewing.  Hopefully, the urge will strike.  I NEED some new things for spring.

If you don’t do anything else in the coming days, HAVE FUN!

Shirl

 

Throughout my life, I’ve always heard old people remark about how fast time passes.  Now that I am older, I am amazed how true it is.  It seems only yesterday was Christmas but the new year is already 1/12 gone.  As Joni Mitchell says, it’s time to ‘drag your feet to slow the circle down’.  Life is certainly short!!

I’ve continued sewing and knitting through this winter season though I’m not accomplishing a great deal.  The last few weeks have been plagued with pain from a strained lower back and a foot injury which has slowed me down a bit.  Cool weather seems to exacerbate the issue.  Thankfully, I’m feeling better every day.

I’ve made another seersucker shirt for Jacob.  This one is salmon and white striped and I included a matching print on the inside collar.  (The color is more orange than the picture depicts.)  As usual, the front pocket and back yoke are bias/chevron cut and sewn.  Also included are French seams so no raw edges are exposed inside the shirt.  He likes it a lot and has added it into his shirt rotation.  I have three more seersucker fabrics awaiting cutting and sewing before I consider retiring the concept.  A closet filled with similar-textured shirts is enough!

In the knitting scene, I have continued making socks but have nothing finished at present to show.  I’m busy making replacement rainbow-colored socks for Stormy as the ones given for her birthday did not fit.  The new ones are bolder colored and a stretchier design.  They should be finished this week.

I finished and gifted a Sockhead hat for Jacob.  This was made using Knit Picks Stroll Fingering yarn in ‘Train Station Tonal’ colorway on size US 3 needles.  I enlarged the pattern (making it 8 stitches wider) to fit his big head.  He tried it on and was pleased with the fit.  I hope he enjoys it!

To add something new and fun to my knitting basket, I’ve assembled some progress markers using glass beads I made myself.  I haven’t gotten out the torch and made beads in a while but these were in my stash and after purchasing some jewelry findings, I had everything needed to assemble the markers.  I use them to mark knitted stitches, rows, pattern changes or to show progress during any given time span.  I’ve really enjoyed using them and am so glad I found a good purpose for the beads. The photo is a close-up with the yellow bead being less than 1/2″ in diameter.

No matter what your plans for the coming weekend and the rest of February, I hope you find peace, smiles and discover all you seek.

Shirl

A week ago, my wonderful, favorite ever microwave (gifted to me by James) died.  Though everything looked normal, it stopped cooking in the middle of baking a potato.  The next morning I thought it might work after the overnight rest but when I turned it on to heat a cup of coffee, it made a loud, scary POP and still didn’t cook.  I was so sad as I loved that microwave!

That evening, when talking to DS Jacob as he was leaving for a weekend trip, I mentioned it and he said I should shop Amazon and find what I wanted.  I could send him the description and he would order it with his Prime access (free shipping – YAY!).  Not wanting to bother him while he traveled, I waited until he returned home.  Making a long story short, a Samsung microwave and a surge protector are scheduled to be delivered today.

Sadly, I threw my back out last evening.

I’ve wheeled the dolly into the driveway in hopes I can talk the UPS man into putting the package on it for me to bring inside.  I doubt I’ll be able to lift it today to put it on the counter but at least it will be safe and dry.  I also need to move the dead microwave off the counter where it still sits.  Lots of back work for a radically aching back!

On to more pleasant things — since we’ve already celebrated this gift-giving season, I can show what has kept me busy recently.

With DS’s lady having an early December birthday, I like to have a gift for her.  Since she is partial to rainbow color combinations, I made these ridged drop stitch socks using Knit Picks Felici yarn in colorway Rainbow (discontinued) on size US 1.5 needles.  Upon seeing them, she loved ’em but no matter how hard she tried, they did not fit.  They didn’t have enough stretch to get past her heels and ankles.  I think she will give them to her skinny little sister or someone whose ankle is narrower.  I will knit a replacement pair as soon as new yarn arrives.

I also knitted another pair for Jacob.  This neon-colored yarn was supposed to be self-striping (forming perfect, equal stripes as it’s knitted) but even using the included pattern and trying different sizes, the stripes are mostly streaks so I call them Disco Camo socks.  The colors are wild!  The yarn is called Neon Now (discontinued) and were knitted on US 1.5 needles.  The red toes are from yarn found in my stash.  Thankfully, Jake enjoys crazy, miss-matched socks!

After recently receiving an old shirt from Jake that needed minor repair and seeing how well he has cared for it (it was the first office seersucker shirt I made for him), I asked if he needed more.  I was thrilled to see he outgrew his ‘throw it in the floor and walk on it’ era. He admitted not needing more but his mom-made seersuckers are his favorite shirts and more added to the rotation would be grand.  I immediately ordered seersucker fabric in colors he doesn’t already own.

Originally, I had hoped to have 5-6 new shirts made for gift-giving but with health inconveniences and other interruptions, I was only able to finish two.

The first is solid yellow with tiny golden stripes (not visible in the photo).  It’s  really pretty fabric and I paired it with a yellow, gold, red and brown flame print fabric inside the collar stand.  The buttons are antique real mother-of pearl.  The pocket and back yoke were cut on the diagonal to add interest.  It has a standard collar.

The second is purple tiny plaid (which my camera is finding hard to render!)  This is standard 100% cotton seersucker to which I added a floral multiple purple and red inside the collar stand.  The pocket and back yoke are cut on the diagonal and the collar is standard.  White pearly buttons were used with one added as an accent on the pocket.

Jacob was very happy to receive both these shirts and after trying on, commented they fit perfectly.  I am so glad he is pleased and have already begun cutting two more from recently acquired SALE (!) fabric.  You will soon be seeing orange, pink, spring green and white seersucker shirts.

I have also knitted a Sockhead hat in black/grey yarn for Jacob.  I haven’t had a chance to photograph it yet but since it wasn’t finished for gift-giving, you will see it and he will receive it soon.  As usual, I am also knitting another pair of socks.

Since my life is no longer dictated by the calendar, I’m considering having my personal holiday dinner tomorrow.  I’ve already begun making 3 Bean Salad which always benefits from being refrigerated overnight.  Tomorrow, I’ll cook a bone-in rib-eye roast (2.5 ribs), a thickened au jus with mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes.

If that doesn’t make my back feel better, there’s no hope!!

No matter how you choose to celebrate the season or if you choose not to at all, I wish your coming week is filled with joy, good food, warmth and happiness.

Merry, merry!

Shirl

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we are already more than half through December and though winter hasn’t officially begun, I’m tired of it.  It seems we’ve had enough grey, breezy, chilly days.  I’m ready for short sleeves, short pants and flip-flops!

Earlier this month, my two skin cancers were removed.  After being assured I could safely drive myself to and from the surgical facilities in Tyler (over 1¾ hours away), I assumed everything would go smoothly and I went alone.  I should have remembered VERY little goes smoothly when my health is involved and doctors don’t always review one’s chart before cutting.  Thankfully, I was conscience throughout and able to remind them I am allergic to epinephrine.  During surgery, I was informed I am a rather free bleeder and epinephrine was needed to control the bleed.  HELLO?!  ARE YOU LISTENING?!!  NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOUR ARGUE, I AM TRULY ALLERGIC TO EPINEPHRINE!!!

No matter my insistence, epinephrine was administered (in very small doses) so I spent most of the surgical time with my eyes rolled back, on the edge of fainting (the precursor to my typical epinephrine-induced seizure).  Fortunately, full-blown seizures were avoided by my own pure will and insistence they BACK OFF with the epi!

I was stitched and bandaged in a hurry and told to keep pressure and ice on the wounds for several hours to help stop the bleeding.  With lesions on each side of my face, was I to drive with my elbows?  SHEESH!

The instructions for wound care included the need for Vaseline and Tylenol, neither of which I keep at home so I had to stop to pick up those items.  I made sure to stop at a store where I would not be recognized as I had two HUGE (both as big as my hand), bloody bandages on my face.  By the time I got home, it appeared I’d been on the losing end of serious knife fight.  Needless to say, I stayed hidden until I felt safe omitting bandaging, making the surgical sites less conspicuous.  It also took me several days to recover from the effects of epinephrine (absolute exhaustion) so staying home was easy.

The visible stitches have now been removed but my body is rejecting the tiny interior stitches, which were supposed to melt on their own.  Contrary to instructions, using cuticle scissors, I’m able to clip away those stitches when they push through the skin and become exposed.  OH WHAT FUN!  Had I followed instructions, I’d be at the clinic every blasted day.  NOT GONNA HAPPEN!  I’ve been sewing and unsewing over 6 decades!

I’m definitely hesitant to mention the two new suspicious spots I’ve discovered.  This Has NOT been a drama-free, fun game!

Shirl

It’s hard to fathom how quickly the year has passed.  Our summer weather has chilled and the holidays are nearly upon us.  They feel even more impending after baking a turkey last week.  It has been in the freezer for a while and I decided it should be cooked (even if only for the dogs!) before purchasing more.

As it turns out, the turkey was DEEEElicious!  I roasted it unstuffed and made dressing on the stove top (which included giblets, boiled eggs, black olives, mushrooms, celery and juice from the turkey).  Even the dressing was wonderful.  I ate it for a couple of days and fed the rest to the dogs.  We all enjoyed it very much and I plan to purchase another small turkey or two soon.

I’ve continued filling my spare time with sewing and knitting.  I’ve finished the second blouse (using the same pattern as previously posted) but did not photograph it.  I’ve worn it and received compliments but it’s nothing to cause excitement.  Don’t expect to see me wearing it on the cover of Vogue!

Recently, my microwave died.  When I mentioned it to Jacob (who was packing for a visit here), he offered to pick a new one up on his way.  I took him up on his offer but before leaving his house, he talked to his best friend and mentioned my needing a new microwave.  The friend has just moved and his new digs included a microwave.  He had recently purchased a new one which he no longer needs so he offered it.  I tried paying him but he said, “Merry Christmas”.  It’s a nice one!

To offer a little token of my appreciation, I knitted him a Sockhead Slouch Hat.  It was made using Knit Pick’s Painted Stroll sock-weight yarn in Renaissance colorway (modeled here placed over a bowl atop a flashlight).  I hope he enjoys it!  I’ll send it home with Jacob upon his next visit.

I also managed to finish another pair of socks for Jake.  Because I’ve been distracted by other projects, these socks took 6 weeks to complete (twice as long as usual).  The yarn came from Witch Candy on Etsy in the colorway Oil Slick.  I love this yarn!  The pattern is a free one from Ravelry called Simply Skyp which I’ve made before.  I like them!

I finally got the results from my skin biopsies yesterday.  As I suspected, they are basal cell carcinoma which is great news.  One of the lesions is about the size of a dime.  The Ear, Nose and Throat Plastic Surgeon wanted to remove it and cover the area with a skin graft until she noticed on my file that I’m allergic to epinephrine.  Unfortunately, this eliminates the possibility of a skin graft and she feels the lesion is too large to stitch shut or leave open.  I’m now being referred to a dermatologist in Tyler, where a neurologist and endocrinologist will be available if any complications arise.  It is the ENT’s opinion the dermatologist will literally nibble away the lesion (no skin graft) and stitch it shut.   I’ll have a noticeable scar but it matters not to me.  My ‘pretty days’ are long over.  The other much smaller lesion will be removed with little more than what was already done with the biopsy.  I’m currently waiting to hear from the dermatologist and don’t expect anything to happen until next week or later.  In the meantime, I’ll get a flu shot and prepare for the upcoming procedure.

My fingers are crossed Jake will be able to come down for a visit soon.  We had hoped he could come last week but something went out on his truck which required his immediate attention.  He’s hoping to take a couple of days off work so we have a long weekend together.  I’m hopeful!

May the remainder of your week and coming weekend be filled with the joy of doing what you love.

Shirl

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