Sad Week

This past week is finally over and done with.   While it started out a normal week, by Tuesday it sucked big time!  There were dentist appointments and errand-running and grocery shopping and working in the studio.  There was gardening by John.  And there was saying goodbye.  Our handsome, grouchy cat, Gilligan, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday.  He hadn't been eating much for the last few days so we took him in to the vet.  They ran tests and found him to be in stage 4 kidney failure - end stage.  The kindest thing to do was to let him go. And that's what we did.  It was a very peaceful passing and we are so glad we were able to be with him till the end. 

Gilligan had just turned 16 earlier in the month.  He was always a grouchy old man.  Never made friends with the other animals in the house - he tolerated them but they were never buddies.  For that very reason, I think that's why Skipper and the dogs really didn't register that he was gone...Life goes on and as long as they got fed and treats, nothing changed.  RIP sweet Gilligan. Thank you for the million purrs and head bumps and cheek pats!

I saw this recently. It makes me smile and also makes me feel better about the condition of the studio.

My creative friends will certainly agree with the above!

This week includes 3 appointments for physical therapy on my spine and a day of machine embroidery at Shawn's Sewing Center.  All of those make me happy!

Thanks for stopping by.  

Another week gone and plenty stitching got done.  I spent several days using the embroidery machine to complete 55 mug rugs I'm donating to a womens' retreat in Branson.  I will be participating in the retreat,  not as an organizer but as a retreatant.  When we lived in California, our church's Womens' Ministry sponsored a retreat at one of the misisons every year.  I so miss those retreats.  It was 2 1/2 days of no phones, no family, just women ministering to women, encouraging each other and enjoying peace and quiet relection time.  Fran mentioned that her church in Branson is doing a retreat at the end of July and I jumped at registering right away.  My heart said I should 'donate' something and I came up with mug rugs.  They have room for 35 retreatants and' there are 15 ladies on the Team...adding a couple of mug rugs "just in case" and I came up with 55.  I have 7 more to do and they are done! 

My lower back has been bothering me for several months. Sometimes I go to get up off my chair and my left hip and groin area has a stabbing pain and I have to carefully straighten up. It mostly happens when I've been sitting a lot during the day.  I thought it might be arthritis in the hip or - heaven forbid - requite a hip replacement.  My doctor recommended physical therapy.  I started therapy this past week.  Evidently, my left sacro-iliac joint is tipped backwards and that causes my left leg to be shorter than my right leg by about 1/2 inch.  We are working on strenghthening my leg muscles so that once the SI joint is put back in place (they gave me a maneuver to do to move it back in place when it occurs), the muscles will hold it in place instead of allowing it to fall out of joint after a while.  I am so delighted to know that a hip replacement is NOT in my immediate future.  

Evidently, summer has now made its way to the Ozarks.  The temperatures are in the high 90's and the humidity has climbed into the 80's. That combo makes for a very sticky day outside!  Mr. Wonderful is out in the barn, cleaning out the chicken roost area....I do NOT envy him!  Frankly, the change in the weather was long overdue for the area so I am not complaining.  

Well, not a lot going on this week so there isn't a lot to tell you.  Thank you for stopping by.  

June is Bustin' Out All Over

 Let's try this again, shall we?  I remember when I posted every single week and I surely do miss it.  So I think I will try to begin posting each Sunday from now on.  

This past spring has been, not surprisingly, rather calm and uneventful.  The weather in the Ozarks was wet and rainy and cold.  But the farmers need the rain to bring on the hay for the animals.  I promised John a long time ago that I wouldn't complain about rain ever again. So far, I've kept that promise.

John's chickens continue to grow and produce eggs over the spring.  About April, they began to slack off on egg production.  Upon checking with the feed store folks, it turns out that chickens go thru a molting season to rid themselves of their winter feathers and prepare for summer from April to June.  Where John was getting upwards of 24 eggs each day, the chickens only produced around 9-11 eggs each day for the last 2 months.  Hopefully, they will begin producing more soon.  We are able to sell every egg they produce.  I keep records of the egg sales for tax purposes and can see how Grandma could use egg money to run the household!  Eggs bring in quite a bit of extra change!!!

My nephew and his family made a trip out to Kansas City at the end of March and ventured down to us for part of the day.  It was lovely to see them.  Those children are growing up to be amazing humans!  Smart and funny and inquisitive!  They spent part of the afternoon up in the hay loft of our barn with Uncle John...then fed the chickens and gave the cows treats.  We are so blessed to have them visit!

I've been cross stitching a lot!  More cross stitching than quilting.  But lots of artsy stuff happening!

Loch Ness Monster, Spring Strawberry, and Queen Bee.  All of these are smalls - about 3 inches square.  

I am participating in Summer Cross Stitch Camp this year.  For June, our camp project is to be to stitch a holiday design. I am going to do Happy 4th of July by Maryna Riznychenko. She's a designer out of the Ukraine.  I really like her designs. 

Hoping I can get the entire design stitched by the end of June.  Will check back in later in the month to post progress.

In May I was able to travel out to Utah to see our son and his family for the first time in 3 years.  Oh, what a joyful trip that was.  All 5 of the grandchildren are becoming amazing humans!  E and her husband came up to visit while I was there and I got to meet him.  What a nice young man she chose!  C performed in an end-of-year concert at school. 

She's turning into a beauty - inside and out!  She will be a senior in high school next year and will be part of the Madrigal Choir - an elite choir only for seniors.  She will also sing with a couple more choirs and is going to school to become a Med. Tech as well as working as a lifeguard at the local pools.  This young lady is going it all! So proud of her.

W reminds me so much of his dad.  He's funny, and smart, and handsome.  And he's amazing around old people (took really good care of his grandma without being told!)

And then there are C and H.  The two youngest of the Knotwells West family.  H is really an artist!  He amazes me with his talent.  His birthday was while I was visiting and we gave him a huge set of alcohol markers.....his pictures gobsmacked me.  He told me he wanted to draw hands and faces and watched a lot of videos and practiced until he got it right and I can tell you he nailed it!    C is the youngest and she is a dancer.  She had a competition right after I got there and another recital just before I left.  That young lady had her grandmother in tears at her performance!  She seems to prefer lyrical and jazz dance to other forms. And she is GOOD!

What would pictures of my Utah family be without my treasure?  

John and Jill are such a wonderful pair.  They make us so proud!

Clean up time after dinner! Everyone pitches in.

Oliver is their dog. He's a Labradoodle.  They've had him for about 5 years now.  He and I started a routine while I was there.  As soon as I went upstair to start my day. he would come up to me and stand near my knees, waiting for a good rubdown. Once that was done, off he'd go to do whatever dogs do.  But he always came up for a good morning rub!  I don't know what he did when I left to come home.

About halfway thru my visit, I began to feel kinda crumby.  Since Salt Lake City sits much higher in elevation than we do here in the Ozarks, it isn't unusual for me to get a bit of sinus distress....or a cold or allergies.  What I was feeling was just as usual for about halfway in any visit so I didn't think anything of it.  When we came home from C's choir concert, John suggested I take a Covid test, just in case.  Guess what!  Yep, Covid positive!  I spent the rest of my visit wearing a mask and I wore one on the trip home and several days after I got home.  I finally tested negative this past Wednesday!  I was so fortunate to have an incredibly mild case.  I never lost my sense of smell or taste.  Never had any really breathing issues.  Just a bit of drainage down my throat and no sore throat at all. No fever, one small headache that was dispatched with aspirin.  No body aches.  Really very fortunate!  

I am back to normal - whatever normal passes for around here.  John is working on replacing some tiles in Mom's bathroom where her new walk-in tub was installed.  We are expecting rain and storms tonight and rain for several days in the next week.  

Thanks for stopping by and sticking with me all these months. I will try to be a better blogger.