Medical appointment, cosmos still

Wednesday held a sleepless night because of anxiety about Handsome Son doing prep for a colonoscopy, his first. The prep schedule involved taking the rx liquid in two sessions, one at 6pm, the other at, this is not a typo, 3am. He called the medical center to check if this was correct. Yes.  He managed fine but his mother was a wreck! 

It really doesn't matter how old your kid is, he's your kid! Then I had high anxiety about being over there early enough to drive him to the surgical center, and about finding it, and about having a passenger for the first time in 20, that is also not a typo, years. 

He managed fine, I needed to come home and sleep, which I did. He was wobbly, so first I walked him up the stairs to his condo,  and wanted to make him a cup of tea and a snack. He ended up doing it because he insisted I wouldn't be able to find anything and I wouldn't do it right..his home, his stuff!

Then he was looking much better, normal color, talking fine, so I eventually made it home after what turned out, after all my drama, to be a perfectly successful enterprise, some minor issues found, all very manageable. 

Bowl of chicken soup, and I fell asleep for an hour, woke to find he'd texted to check on me! Then a pot of tea out on the deck, beautiful warm day, no mosquitoes after a couple of light frosts. I fell asleep again while officially reading more Barchester. 

My view

 Cosmos laughs at frost. 

Online meeting with friends this evening, and that's Wednesday. So glad it's done. I can handle a lot for myself, but when it's Handsome Son, who's perfectly fit and capable, well, that's different.

And one bright spot: Wednesday's supper was bangin'.  Baby bella mushrooms, firm tofu seasoned with red chili oil and that umami spice mix I made, blurt of soy sauce, in an omelette. 

Cheered me right up, just five star. Having the seasonings ready made, learned from Yeung Man Cooking, is the difference between long cooking when you're hungry and fast great food.  No pictures because it wasn't pretty, just delicious.

My street is full of houses decorated with lights for Diwali, and frantic police reminders that the state is tinder dry, so fireworks are not a good idea.  In fact this year they're banned, because we're at high risk for fire, very unusual around here 

Here's the speckly shirt in action 

Happy day everyone! Try not to get as worked up as I, if possible. Eat well.   Enjoy Diwali, don't burn the place down.

 

Great Tuesday, all fiber all the time, and other things

Gary is going away for a couple of weeks, so he entrusted this anthurium plant to me, no pressure there..Someone else is watering his houseful. 

And I have another mystery plant suddenly showing up. 

The leaf is a bit geranium like. What do you think? This is what happens when you strew seeds in a carefree way then months later find puzzles growing.

Before I went to the Tuesday Knitting Group, I was overcome by the need to do this project. Including finding the materials, 15 minutes start to finish of doing, then  left it to dry while I was out.

Nice random speckly design. The spaces where the straws and spaghetti were suggest trees.

Speaking of sudden ideas, I just discovered lumra work, hooking roving through canvas. Thinking about a little mat for my feet at the sofa.. 

The knitting group was lovely, beginner knitter soldiering through a lacy pattern, experienced knitter helping her,  beginning crocheter continuing her first chain, now with her own hook and yarn, and signing up for the classes another member is teaching.

Shawl needing minor repair, done by another participant 

Who is knitting a hat for her mother, and a matching cowl.

Chat ranged over plumbing excitement, playing with babies, Aida,  movie locations, The Sound of Music, aging parents, local memorabilia, Elsie the Borden Cow, local resident, Elsie was her stage name, buried here, upcoming singing recital, stitch markers and Rhinebeck.

Then home to Textiles and Tea, which presented a brilliant young fiber artist,

who incorporates her Indian heritage and materials, including her grandmother's saris, into her work. 

She interprets Indian culture and tradition, the male gaze brought by colonial rule --when women began to wear a blouse with the sari-- the expectations in earlier generations about widowhood, in amazing dyed, spun, crocheted and woven enormous installations. 

Her work is powerful and she'll be an artist to follow, still so young but so wise and intuitive.

Happy day, everyone, this was another cool Tues.

Trying to keep my election nerves in place. This too shall pass.  

Diff'rent strokes

Thank you to the blogistas who responded kindly and tolerantly about touch, much appreciated! Different strokes and folks, all that. I think it's important to avoid being dismissive about people whose perceptions are different from our own. 

Speaking of which, I notice how different my two knitting groups are. Both officially coalesce around knitting, crochet and sometimes stitching. But they're such different environments.

One is where we discuss anything but what we're making beyond show and tell, with people who are definitely buy the pattern, buy the yarn, make the project. 

The other has artists, opera singer, spinner of own yarn, freeform stitcher, where I can bring in things like the fabric book, the pinloom or spurtzler, knowing they'll be interesting and seized on to try. Talk there is largely fiberarts, relationships, different from the other more impersonal group. 

I love both of them, while marveling at the difference. Neither is competitive, though, which I value since knitting in particular tends to bring out the dogmatic if you don't look out! Like miniature making, it plays to the perfectionist approach, so it's good to be aware.

I wonder if that's why some knitting groups work well for new participants and some aren't ready to welcome them, despite what they say. I still encourage anyone to try though. A couple of meetings will tell you if it's a good fit for you. And if it isn't, not your fault!

And these are the projects I'm officially involved in. Moving from one to another, butterfly style, sipping and flitting, flitting and sipping.

Fabric book, embroidered leaves page

First of two jackets, edging with bias tape

Fusion quilting

Glove for the Sock 'n Glove Ministry

Socks for the Sock 'n Glove Ministry

And this bead and gold work piece I forgot about until I was looking for something just now.

I also came across a cool idea for resist dyeing which I have to try.. no end of interesting rabbit holes to plunge into around here.

Cool day, but I still sat out a while,  reading about the bishopric of Barchester

And here's maybe smart weed, still flourishing 

The temperature having gone to the 30s overnight, I switched on the heat, mainly to make sure it's working. It's working.

Happy day, everyone! 

Thoughts on touch, and other vital issues

I read today about hugging, touching, getting a massage and yet again feel like the little match girl outside the shop window. I hate casual touching, can't bear the thought of a massage, and hug sparingly.  

I come from a family who don't grab each other to show their bonding, and I think it may be an inherited trait, maybe in the DNA.  I cringe at the concept of the pedi!

There's pressure around this, around the notion that all humans need touch to thrive, and that touch is  healing. Maybe so, but it's on a scale, I'm guessing. I've been told outright that there's something wrong with people like me. Oh, no!

My need is minimal. During the pandemic when we weren't touching at all if possible,  some people really suffered withdrawal.  I only fleetingly missed it, in fact I was hugely relieved not to have to duck out of hugging and  friendly handshakes.  I'm a believer in consent -- your need to touch me doesn't supersede my need for you not to!

I think it's related to touch sensitivity. A hand on my arm is like an electric shock, unless I'm reciprocating. Interesting thoughts, and yours are welcome, too,  including disagreement if it's considerate and not dismissive. 

Moving on, today is a better energy day, after several naps yesterday and a full night's sleep. I think I'm very lucky there, from what I hear of people for whom sleep is a rare and wonderful event. Being relatively pain free is a big part of it, lucky there, too. 

I think the free weight exercising I've done for years probably helped there. My rheumatologist, who's actually my bone doctor, tells me it's very likely it kept the joints jointed.

Meanwhile, the cosmos are still blooming away, whipped around in the fall wind,  they don't care, what an example. All the other flowers are finished, so the remaining butterflies and bees are crowding onto the cosmos, last chance around for pollen. They're practically handing out numbers.

And good news on the tipping I reported to management recently: one lot of junk around the lovely hollow tree has been removed, and the other, the boxes and furniture spilling everywhere, is clearly in the process. They're even emptying the patio.

 So I emailed my thanks to the manager.  He'll have a pleasant email to come in to tomorrow.

And here's a couple of thoughts

Happy day, everyone! Pick the thoughts you like and go with them, judgment-free zone in operation!

One thought I went with was the National Popular Vote issue. My state, NJ, already uses the popular vote for President, not the electoral college. 

I emailed my state legs.  to encourage their continuing support. Rather than try to abolish the EC, better put workarounds in place to render it irrelevant. We need more states to do this.  Just sayin. And here's how:

The week caught up to me

Saturday was about being tired enough to fall asleep over reading, darning and sewing.

The sock is becoming more darn than sock

And the pink jacket is getting its rust colored binding 

I've been hearing intermittent squealing noises, wondered if it was hearing aids Ruth and Laura, but found it was Gary using an electric auger to plant his bed of tulips!

As you see, measured out with precision..

Food today was fast, no available energy, lunch roast sweet potato cubes with umami seasoning and olive oil and a fried egg,  strawberries and chocolate cherries for dessert. Supper a tuna melt with mozzarella. 

Speaking of food, Gary brought over some spicy Indian rice dish he'd been given by a neighbor. He hates to hurt their feelings, though he can't get on with spicy food, accepts it, and passes it on to me.  He's more of a chocolate cake person. 

I did a lot of resting, after I watered plants upstairs and down, and noted tiny buds starting on the flowering cactus, obliging little plant.

I did find a happy taker for the jacket, too, so there's that.

That's all, folks. Happy day everyone, rest if necessary or unavoidable.

Return of Sandi Toksvig, Friday Knitting Group

 I've been following some great podcasts lately, including this one, podcast and YouTube channel, featuring the great Sandi Toksvig, now promoting a book while running a new play, various broadcast programs, her ongoing activism and more! 

She's brilliant, and funny, a good writer, and a kind person, great combo. She's the one on the right, in case there's anyone who doesn't know her by sight.

Go here and see if you like her too. She now has a Tiktok presence, TikTokTok or something!

I also found this, which involves food cooked on the set and served to the guest, their choice of menu 

I received my new winter coat today, which will replace the one I've had for many years, a gift then. The old one's a DKNY ski jacket, very warm but only hip length, because you don't ski in long coats. But I need more coverage in cold windy weather.

So in with the new

And to Freecycle with the old. I don't need both.

The Friday knitting group was fun, full of news from Rhinebeck -- biggest crowds evah, a bit much  even for the seasoned Rhinebecker in the group. She did manage to shop though

And news from our youngest member, now a Philadelphia homeowner who has been painting, sanding, and doing great exploits in the TWO WEEKS since he closed! The energy of youth. 

Other chat ranged over fuel, furnaces, traffic circles, GPS, wine, yarn, thrift stores, renting equipment,  parking, recycling and more. 

What I love about Ruth and Laura is that now I can separate out and follow the chat when there's more than one stream going. No more blur of sound, with my trusty helpers in place.  Restored to life, as Dickens said, but not about hearing. No more being lost in the chat.

And here's a NJ squirrel staring me down on my own patio and wanting me to go away 

It was a draw, neither conceding a win to the other. 

Happy day everyone, online meeting with friends and cronies Friday night, watching Kamala's Houston rally. It's all go!