Saturday, November 9, 2024

More good advice, how I followed it, and Carol Cane Capers

Yesterday Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, firebrand young leftist Democrat, known as AOC, did a great video about coping in our new world. She talked about how our best defense is our community and, to my surprise, included knitting groups! 

I agree, we need to establish who are our allies, and take care of them. I've been contacted by more than one past friend to reestablish contact and it reminds me of the pandemic where people did that.

So, despite feeling a bit glum, nothing new for me, always sad in the early mornings, I did get going, tended to my sheep, went to the knitting group.  It was a great session, fun, good friends, thank you, AOC, for honoring it.



D's first sweater following a pattern, usually a freeform knitter 



K showing her Tunisian crochet learning sampler stitches.

Talk ranged over craft ambitions, that Irish craft involving roving and canvas, learning to use a cane, international fisheries, pollution, fish migration, Tunisian crochet and why, furniture arrangements for book groups, Ireland, the socio-economic causes of food choices, stitch definition, tree-climbing goats, goat milk, meat and cashmere, and more. Our fearless leader has already booked the room January to June, looking ahead.

The weather is cooling now, down to 30°s f. overnight, so the heating is coming on at night and it's time to change the front door curtain from the summer green striped canvas to the winter red felt. 

Usually this is a two person job, unhooking the rod off the hooks, sliding the other curtain onto the rod and rehanging. And a bit of climbing is involved. Last night, no-one available to assist, I thought this might be a cane related task, the  cane having a cushioned non slip handle.

So, without climbing or the aid of a net, I unhooked the canvas, pushing the rod up by the handle,  let it drop,  slid the rod out,  threaded the felt curtain and used the cane to rehook it, reversing the first stage.  No climbing, no assistant, I'm bloated with pride.  Both curtains have permanent clip on rings, to save changing them.  Canvas now folded and away till spring. Winterizing complete.

So here's the substance of my upcoming book What Carol Cane Taught Me: useful to prop your device screen up, potential lethal weapon in disputes, portable art form waiting to be painted, curtain hanger, and more to come. Aside from its prescribed use, that is. You might call these off label applications.

Another form of community I plan to continue is sharing baked goods with neighbors. During the hot weather, I didn't bake, but now I'm getting into it more regularly. So today I'm going to bake honeynut squash bread with dried cranberries, just to share around the neighborhood. 

I'll omit walnuts because of one child with a nut allergy, and freeze a couple of slices for Handsome Son, whenever I next see him, probably Thanksgiving or thereabouts. Maybe I'll freeze a slice for Gary who's away, but shouldn't miss out.

That and finishing  the second glove are on the agenda, with boring old  laundry and sheet changing. And watching


I'm still in the middle of Cranford on my Kindle, so this is video to knit by.

The thanksgiving cactus is busy budding up


Happy day, everyone. Day by day, and, as Ellen says, let's make the most of the next couple of months. Patrick O'Donnell and his Mutts say




Friday, November 8, 2024

Good advice, Misfits and Sock 'n Glove Ministry

 So this

This blog was started so many years ago as a daily lifeline and continuing unfolding artwork during the last years of Handsome Partner's life. 

It kept me going, to honor our joint efforts as his health and my freedom declined, and the isolation of caregiving grew. With my second blog, Art the Beautiful Metaphor,  I  recorded my art, continued during the hardest years of caregiving.  And now this wise comment reminds me to go on.  

Each entry is a tiny bit of the mosaic of my life and our online friendship, and now is not the time to draw back.  It's valuable and if I don't continue, evil will have won. Not today.

After that highfalutin' flourish, here's where I am.

Yesterday, beautiful weather again, I did a bit of garden cleanup and tossing, swept the deck yet again, and received my misfits box.




You'll note the chocolate bar, so timely and welcome,   as it now turns out, and the lovely plant-based sausage and panko, which is now several burgers with panko breading. With roasted potato dice, using three of those small potatoes. 

This morning there will be strawberries and seedy toast for breakfast quite soon. The fish is scheduled for whenever the beans and rice dish and the burgers are done. Can of corn for Thanksgiving, which will be another joint affair. Cranberries ordered this week. 

I will get back to making yogurt after this week, just needed a break. Meanwhile Nancy is coming through.  And I seem to have too many eggs, having forgotten to check before ordering. So egg recipes in my future. I did make mayo, so there's always egg salad. And eggs baked with cheese and tomato. Omelets. Shakshuka. 

Yesterday, grimly determined, I finished the second sock of the second pair for the Sock 'n Glove ministry.


One more glove and I'll send off a little parcel. Two pairs of socks and one pair of gloves. Then I'll see what's next, upcycling jackets, stitching the fabric book, the beaded piece, what, what?  I will finish what I'm on before starting a new item, that I plan.  As of now anyway! Open to revision.

As well as the latest Mma Ramotswe, I'm reading


Very helpful to a jangled mind right now.

.









Thursday, November 7, 2024

Some early decisions

My response to trauma is usually to take action. Right now I'm looking for a path to resistance.

I spent a bit of time yesterday in a local nature preserve, grateful for some changes they'd made since I was there a while ago. A new path made it easier to get to the lake. My walking is limited but I was able to navigate this.








New trail cleared. It seemed significant at this moment. It was a healing experience.

And I resolved to continue eating well, to maintain health as a resistance measure



I've pruned my blog list to remove soapboxers, gloaters and anyone who showed me their true colors yesterday from what they think is a safe place. I'll let them find out that there will be no safe place in our new world. 

I'm going to do the same with comments here. I've been open even to some that were bossy and hurtful,  thinking well, it's a viewpoint. No more. Only civil disagreement will get house room. I don't mind a challenge but I'm closed to arm waving now and snark.

I've deleted some social media, pruning my presence in others. You feel how you feel, I just don't have the energy right now to read your grief while I'm trying to process my own. 

I'm still thinking about how to resist. I already try to be entertaining here,as a respite, and I'll continue the Sock 'n Glove Ministry, all the more necessary. And my membership in helpful organizations, and food bank donations,all that.

I think my own mental health is itself a form of resistance, so I will keep calm and knit, spin, stitch,read and weave on. Being a small oasis of calm and resolve is my current goal.

Here's my current reading

I have to consider my financial future as a person heavily dependent on social security and Medicare, but not today.

And I need to consider how I use my energy and whether to blog less frequently than the daily pattern I've been in for many years.

Looks like my support of Ukraine will be a lifelong endeavor now. 







Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Sad day.

 I woke up to the bad news. 

Taking a little break.

Waiting, breathing, hoping

Tuesday I dressed in election Day appropriate gear

Best pearls for Kamala, iconic jewelry, and blue and yellow for freedom for Ukraine. This picture went viral on Spoutible!

I went online and posted helpful calming things including the last of the cosmos I picked 

Handsome Son visited in the afternoon, warm enough to sit outside with our tea and Indian treats, most of which he took care of! He enjoyed them a lot, including the spicy bits.  

Squirrels and chipmunks were hanging around a lot, since they've realized that humans outside eating probably means great crumbs for them. 

He left with the rest of the snacks and the leg weights I gave him. He's perfectly fine after the test, all back to normal again. It was great to have a distraction from my own thoughts for a while. 

And I'm off soon to my online election watching party, hoping for good news. The research I've seen looks good for Kamala. We'll see.

We may not have results very quickly, but I refuse to be daunted by that, after all we've gone through. We can go through a bit more!

Happy day everyone, we've got high hopes, we've got highighigh hopes 🇺🇸🥂





Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The national airport waiting room

The whole country feels as if we're in an airport waiting room, idea I swiped from online. It's a time when everything's about waiting, calories don't count and treats are in order. 

We don't know which direction we'll be going after Tuesday's votes, and we've done all we can to ensure success for the good fight we're fighting against fascism. 

There are safeguards in place against election denial and violence.  This will not be a repeat of the chaos of 2020, when we had a President fomenting trouble instead of an intelligent administration managing it and keeping the peace.

Meanwhile I'm breathing, snacking,  walking, watching Trollope and listening to Trollope -- many parallels to today's shenanigans in Trollope. And knitting. I haven't done any making for days, one thing and another.

So here's where we are 

Whatever happens, and I daren't be more than cautiously optimistic, after the trauma of 2016, at least my people will get their gloves and socks.

Happy waiting day, everyone, breathe, knit, and if you are eligible to vote and haven't yet done so, please do. 

In the hope of a Harris win I have a couple of screenshots to celebrate. And Tuesday night I'm in a watch party with my Kamala pearls and chucks, with online friends.

Monday night, another meeting with Christopher Bouzy's most recent political maps of the current state of play, with votes already cast. He has a great record of knowledgeable observation and forecasting.

Meanwhile




 



Monday, November 4, 2024

Diwali, Mickey mouse and grab bars

Sunday morning, in the middle of cooking lunch, l had a sudden flying visit from two Indian friends who moved away some time ago. They make a point to make a detour if necessary on their way somewhere else, to stop in, and so it was today.

In the briefest time -- they were already late somewhere -- G and R stopped in to wish me a happy Diwali, with a hug, yes, they're on my hugging list,and two bags, one stuffed with treats. G loves bags and usually seizes the chance to give me them.



Then after what husband,R, calls the traditional selfie, they were off again, leaving me a very happy lady. They take trouble to stay in touch and I so appreciate that. And I have a new project bag also a new carrying bag. 

If handsome Son visits this week which he might, he's got treats waiting.

Then I got on with lunch, a pumpkin carrot soup with spinach heated up to wilt, and seedy bread with lovely citrusy hummus.

After I took the picture, I noticed the definite Mickey mouse effect.

For the benefit of people not yet bored about grab bars I thought I'd show you a few around here 

 
Main bathroom, for when Handsome Partner used a shower stool. This bar is right where he needed to grab in order to stand and get out of the tub. He modeled it so I could mark the tile for the contractor. And it's the right height for me standing.

The stains are from a previous unsuccessful attempt with high suction cups on a non ADA bar, which kept falling off and left permanent stains on the tile.  


Here's the other bathroom where I had the bar installed for back when I took tub baths, to help me to my feet. It's still useful for showering anyway.

I installed the clamp handle on the side myself,  needs no tools, and it's great for helping me step out of the tub, highly recommend.


And here's a strategic one installed right where I have to make a left turn at the head of the stairs. I marked the spot where my hand would reach. This is a tricky point, very helpful to have something on that turn.

Now we've turned and are going downstairs.

And here are grab bars opposite the regular banister rail. Two because handsome partner needed to hold the bottom turn on the second one as he climbed up. One long one wouldn't have worked. It's very helpful to have something on both sides of the stairs.

At the foot of the stairs you see Carol hooked onto the small hallway bar, because right there is a step down to the living room.  And there's  a downstairs half bathroom door on the right, at right angles to the front door. The bar is also useful for hanging masks and visitor parking hangtags. 

All these placements we measured and modeled and marked for Mike the Contractor. We bought the ADA designed bars from Medicare approved local suppliers who advised us, and Mike studied the ADA guidelines before he installed the bars.

There are a lot of decorative products out there which will not work even to steady a dry hand, let alone a wet one. Don't buy from name brand home decor plumbing sources. They don't usually carry the approved designs, which aren't as pretty, but are functional and tested.

Okay, that's my PSA for the day. Back to Trollope and treats.

Happy day everyone,  try to stay safe, mentally and physically! Eat treats, it's a good time.



Sunday, November 3, 2024

Self care in a time of high anxiety

The next couple of days are about keeping my nerves in order by watching favorite Trollope productions with great actors 

While sipping on the new favorite, oat milk with honey.

And future, winter,  self care involves these 

Artisan made, Somerset Designs, suede slipper soles, with fleece lining. You can get a pattern and knit socky things to attach, holes already punched. But I have another thought, which is to attach them to current handknit socks to make slippers a different way. If it works, it will probably cut down on darning. Either way, happy customer here.

She has a range of leather items, worth checking out.  No, she isn't monetizing this shout-out, I just like the quality and prompt shipping and correct color, size, all that. 

About Carol thee Cane, I have to admit it was bit difficult to acknowledge I needed to try it.  

Our house is a testament to the gradual decline of Handsome Partner into almost total paralysis. From the portable ramp, often lent in recent years to people for visitors, to grab bars everywhere, bathrooms, entryway, staircase, the shower stool in both upstairs bathrooms, currently used to hold stacks of towels. Then there's Carol Cane, a walker and a transport wheelchair.  I kept everything for lending where needed, and now I find I'm needing the cane to help me walk. I do use the bathroom grab bars though.

So, not an easy decision, because it may be the new normal. Then I found it helpful. And I thought well, this body is doing a terrific job, all these old parts still ticking over nicely, getting to do things I like. So it's okay to get a bit of help where needed. As for Ruth and Laura, the journey to actually saying okay I'll try this, was fairly long. 

But considering how many of my contemporaries, those still around, that is, have all kinds of aftermarket parts installed, I'm doing fiiine! 

And here's a great passage from Padraig O'Tuama, Irish poet, whose newsletter I read. That's exactly why I write about food in this blog, sometimes with recipes, often not, just to add a connection point with you, and invite yours in return. I think people who wouldn't dream of cooking what I do, especially the multi ingredient multi stage recipes, still like to know someone does.



Meanwhile, breathe