Birds, Puppies And My Sister

This is another applique block that I finished for the quilt I'm making that is made up entirely of applique blocks that are each 12" x 12". I won't have this quilt done any time soon. It is a labor of love. I tried something new when I made the flower. It's a technique called "ruching." The flower came from the gathering of 60 inches of ribbon. The gathered ribbon is then circled around itself until it forms the flower. That makes it three-dimensional. The button I found forms the center. A lot of work to make but very satisfying.

We had our visit yesterday from a puppy raiser to see if we would be good parents. She was here quite a while with Whisper, the female black lab that she is currently raising. She's been doing this for 18 years. She approved us. Now we wait to hear from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) to find out when we pick up our puppy. We learned yesterday that we are raising a puppy but we are also joining a wonderful group of people who come together fairly regularly to socialize and raise money for CCI. She mentioned that they often share a glass of wine when puppy raisers are together.

I think this little puppy is going to keep us very busy for the first couple of months. That's when you establish the routine that will help the puppy when he or she graduates and perhaps goes to work for someone who has a disability. First we have to complete Puppy Kindergarten Training (PKT). It's a good thing we have nothing going on until the wedding on Oct. 4th.

Whisper is currently taking "riff-raff training." That's where they teach the dogs not to be distracted by anything around them. That plays a big role in whether or not they go on to be CCI guide dogs. A lot of that training takes place at the Galleria, a big, busy mall in nearby Roseville.

And, one final thing; my sister had her meds changed so we are hoping that things will improve for her.

Communication

We have no telephone service right now. When we figured this out earlier today, neither one of us got excited. In fact, I felt relieved. We both have cell phones so it's not like we can't call 911 in an emergency. But the thought that I won't hear that insistent ringing is quite comforting. I think Kerry did something about getting it fixed, but I'm not really sure and I don't really care.

The flip side of this was the time I spent yesterday with our friend Steve learning how to use the Blue Tooth in my Prius. At midnight tonight it will be illegal in California to talk on a handheld cell phone while you are driving. I think it's a great law; so many people weave all over the road when they talk. Now they will get a ticket. With each ticket the fine goes up.

So Steve got my car to be a telephone and now our house phone is silent.

That's all from Lincoln, CA.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes....

It's from grass fires started by lightening strikes. I was hoping to see lightening in Minneapolis, but it all happened back at home. My asthma started acting up just as soon as we got off the plane. So tonight we are sleeping with the windows closed and the air conditioning on. I'm going to have to find my surgical masks. That will help when I'm out tomorrow.

Looking back on our trip to see my sister, I have to say that it was harder than I thought it would be. Her husband is a saint. She is so depressed and anxious (and so in need of a medication change). This morning I found her still in bed at 11:45 a.m. She had been crying for most of the morning because we were leaving. She said she doesn't want to live in her body any more and wants to die. That is the depression speaking. Hopefully her psychiatrist will adjust her meds when she sees him on Monday.

Today she had a swallow test to find out what was going on in her throat. To do the swallow test she had to eat things. Her husband and I conjectured that she ate more during the test than she did all week. Food is a big issue. She says she can't eat; you get her to eat and then she says she is going to throw up. If you work with her to breath in through her nose and out through her lips she doesn't throw up. Very frustrating for everyone.

The staff where she lives now is great. I think they saw a lot more of me than they wanted to during the past ten days. I tried to educate them about anxiety and depression. They are used to people with knee and hip replacements. I was Vicky's advocate; today I thanked them profusely for being so helpful.

Next week she also sees the surgeon to assess her belly wound. To give you an idea of what happened to her belly during all the surgeries; her belly button was cut in half and each half is several inches apart. Yuck. If they hadn't done that her belly probably would have shut her lungs down or exploded. Nice work Mr. Surgeon.

She also has a consultation with an ostomy nurse; one of you wonderful bloggers gave us all kinds of things to think about in this arena. So we found a wonderful woman close by who will assess her and find the best bag for her situation.

One thing I keep going back to is my brother and his cochlear implant (it's a thing that makes a deaf person hear; that's the short version). My sister would benefit so much from one but with all the surgical mistakes that have taken place she will never do it. That's something her surgeon will never know; he robbed her of the chance to hear normally.

This is a pretty depressing post but I needed to say these things. We are very glad to be home. I have an applique class tomorrow morning and then I'm going to veg until our friends Steve and Janet visit on Sunday and spend the night. They are the parents of the late Abby. Good people. It will be strange to not have Abby here.

All things considered, I think she's doing well. She wouldn't tell you that but her husband, Kerry and I would.

Big challenge this week has been to get her to eat. The speech therapist came by today to watch her swallow. She has her official swallow test on Friday afternoon. Mike, the speech therapist, said she could start eating regular food again as long as she drank the thickened liquid with her meals. Tonight she ate some wild rice and chicken casserole, corned bread with butter and canned pears. We haven't seen her eat this much since we've been here.

Yesterday in PT she walked 120 feet with her walker. That's a new record for her. Once she starts eating a bit more regularly her strength will improve.

She sees her new surgeon on Tuesday to have her belly wound checked. I told her I would try to find out what I could about the surgeon (Marybeth) on the Internet. The only interesting information was that she gave $350 to Obama's campaign. Vicky liked that. This is the person who most likely will reconnect her colon to her small intestine at some point in the future.

I'm really glad she's seeing her psychiatrist on Monday. From my perspective as another chronically depressed person, she needs her meds adjusted. Everyone wants to treat her body but they forget that her brain is part of the whole picture and they can't just isolate the body.

She's already worried about our departure on Friday. The good thing is that she will have to leave the rehab facility for her swallow test before we leave for the airport so we won't be saying goodbye in her room. Her swallow test appointment is on the way to the airport so we will stop there first.

It's cold pizza, from the best pizza place in town, for tonight's dinner. I'm not a fan of pizza but I love this stuff.

Vicky had a great day today. Nothing like two pints of whole blood plus a good night's sleep to bring things much closer to normal. Her temperature is normal and her heart rate was 97. Kerry came up with a great phrase which really got to her: "you have to eat your way out of here." She has lost five pounds since she arrived because she doesn't eat; she's nauseous all the time because of all the pills she takes. Taking pills on an empty stomach would make anyone sick.

We agreed that every waking hour she would eat a spoonful of yogurt or applesauce every 30 minutes. I think she really heard what Kerry said. When we left tonight she was eating her chicken noodle soup.

Tomorrow she comes home for a barbecue. Cousin Dennis and his wife Carole will be here. Adam is cooking his famous ribs. I think coming home will be really good for her soul. Her cats really miss her. Of course, she is worried that they have fogotten her. With enough treats in her lap, they will not forget her.

BTW, her address is Vicky, Room 402, Guardian Angel Transitional Care, 400 Evans Ave., Elk River, MN 55330.

Another Report From The Land Of The Ketchup Council

Vicky had two pints of whole blood yesterday to boost her hemoglobin. By the time she left the hospital she was already looking better. With little sleep the night before, however, she was pretty weepy and tired. Finally got her to go to bed early.

She's always afraid the ostomy bag is going to leak during the night because it has several nights in a row. She has enough fears as it is and the leaking bag is totally unnecessary. I did some research on line last night so feel better prepared to talk with the charge nurse today. I've also found two ostomy nurse practitioners in the area. I sent them e-mails last night asking for advice. It would be worth it to pay one of them to visit her.

Now if we could just get her eating. She has lost another five pounds. Neil and I are both worried that she will need the feeding tube soon. If that happens she might have to go back to the acute care facility because Guardian is not equipped for that.

We are heading there in a few minutes. Adam is cooking dinner tonight and tomorrow night. That is heaven. I don't mind cooking but it's always nice to have a couple of nights off. Neil is looking better now that he's getting some good food. And today he's visiting Vicky and then going to play golf. That always revives him no matter how many golf balls he loses.

So, anyone out there know anything about ostomy bags and what the best ones are. I've asked the World Wide Web for help before and she has always come through. So let me know.

Reporting From Lake Woebegone and the Chatter Box Cafe

I think Vicky is doing very well; she doesn't always believe that. Her pneumonia is caused by food aspiration. Her throat nerves and muscles aren't in good shape thanks to all the tubes that were in there for so long. That means she doesn't realize that the food is going to her lungs not her stomach. So she's on antibiotics, a mushy diet so she won't aspirate and has an appointment with a swallow specialist so she can learn to overcome this. This means no more diet coke because everything she swallows must be thickened. It doesn't change the flavor but it does change the consistency. She's craving diet cokes.

Yesterday we made a list of the 30 things that she can do now that she couldn't do when she left the ICU. I think she was a little surprised at the length of the list. She has moments where the old Vicky kicks in. Yesterday we were going to go to the courtyard area to get some fresh air. As we approached the door she said, "let me see if I can roll myself over the bump." A few minutes before that she was definitely in the dumps. She did the same thing on the way in; she got over the bump both times. We added that to the list.

Went to physical therapy with her, and despite her protestations, she did very well. Today we are going to work with the physical therapist to set goals for her. For example, walk the length of the PT room twice with the walker, the safety belt held by the PT and the wheel chair behind her. Next would be not having the wheel chair behind her. She's a teacher by training and profession so I'm hoping this will work.

We've also made a list of what she wants to be able to do. We are going to put dates by those things today.

Today or tomorrow she will have a blood transfusion because her hemoglobin is low. That will really help because she has no energy. Unfortunately we have to take her to a hospital to get that accomplished. Today is the Farmer's Market in Elk River, the town where her facility is located. As soon as she heard that she said, "can I go?" I immediately placed a phone call to find out if the area of the market is paved. Haven't heard back yet, but the fact that she wants to go is wonderful.

She just called; the power is out at the facility; it's not the power company's fault. They are working to restore it. I'm just glad she doesn't need any power to keep her going.

So that's all from the Chatterbox Cafe. Thanks for all the movie suggestions. I read the cards you folks sent. Loved them and so did Vicky. I'll blog the new address tomorrow so you can think about sending another card. Blogauthor sent a Christmas card and said Vicky was getting her first card of the season. So think about getting ahead of the Christmas rush. Any card will work to cheer her up.

No Colon Cancer Here

Had my colonoscopy yesterday afternoon and passed with flying colors. Now if I would just stop farting, I would be happy. I sound like a little putt, putt car. I had lots of drugs for the procedure so don't remember much of anything except Kerry telling me it was time to wake up. They gave him one of those big pagers with lights that you get in restaurants so they could find him when I was in recovery. He immediately asked the nurse, "how far can I go with this and still receive a signal." She said no one had ever asked her that before. Only Kerry

Came home, ate some toast, drank some Sprite and went back to sleep until about 10. Then stayed awake a few hours and back to sleep again. Drugs are wonderful.

We leave for the airport in about 90 minutes to go to Minneapolis to visit my sister. She just called in tears; she said she wanted to be healthier for our visit, but now she has pneumonia. I reminded her that last time I saw her she was in the ICU at the acute care facility and she was hallucinating. Then I reminded her of all of the things she can do now. I finally got her to laugh. Her other big worry is that they will send her back to the hospital because of the pneumonia. I reminded her that they rarely hospitalize people with pneumonia. Blogauthor knows that better than any of us.

I'm hoping for a big thunder and lightening storm while we are there. I loved them when I lived there and really miss them. California rarely gets them. Everything smells so good afterward.

We change planes in Salt Lake City on our way to Minneapolis so we don't get in until 9:30 tonight.

I think my sister and I are going to watch lots of really funny movies so she laughs a lot. Any suggestions? Doesn't matter how old they are. Also I'm going to get her mailing address again so maybe some of you could send cards again. I'll post it tomorrow.

I'll be reading blogs and blogging while I'm away.

In Memory of Abby, A Great Golden Lab

Our friends Steve and Janet recently put down their wonderful golden lab, Abby. They wrote a loving tribute to her which they said I could share with all of you. She's pictured below doing what she did best, being a pillow and a friend to a child (Mathew) who knew he could trust her to be gentle. Here's her story as told by her mom and dad, Janet and Steve.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF ABBY SNYDER
November 13, 1995 - June 3, 2008

Our sweet puppy girl is gone. And what a girl she was.

From the day she was born to Daisy and Luke, one of three girls and four boys, she stood out from the crowd. She was spunky. She'd roar off after deer as if she was bravery personified until the deer turned around and she'd make tracks for the safety of the front porch. She was stubborn. By the time she (and Janet) graduated from obedience school it only required fifteen commands of "Down" before she'd comply. She was spirited. As a puppy she'd arrive at the vet's office, paw the big glass entry door until it slammed open, visit all the dogs and cats in the waiting room, shakedown anyone with treats in their pocket, and head for the door as soon as her name was called. She had an incredible nose. Or was it her hearing? We never could figure out how she could be clear across a huge field and know that we had unwrapped cheese. She was patient. Children could crawl all over her and she'd just get up and move only to be crawled over once again. She had a tail that wouldn't quit wagging, a smile that never stopped and a sweet nature that won us over from the first time we laid eyes on her. And that face. What a beauty she was!

Of course, she had her rowdy moments. When Steve worked in the yard she'd steal a glove and hold us both at bay while we chased her around the yard trying vainly to get it back. Empty toilet paper rolls, Steve's handkerchief, empty plastic bottles and shoelaces were all fair game. Carpet was for digging. Leashes were a bother. Heeling was for wimps. What was the point of fetching if you had to return it? "Leave it" was practically her middle name. Water was for swimming, not baths. Sand made her wild. Vacuums and hair dryers were terrifying. Rolling her over on her back was never, ever allowed. Barking was saved for serious occasions. Birds were fascinating. Cats were pals but they never knew it. German Shepherds were for flirting. She never met a dog cookie she didn't like. Whenever one of us was in the shower it was time for a nap -- right outside the door. Whenever we spelled "w-a-l-k" or "s-w-i-m-m-i-n-g" she was on her feet and ready to go. Kindling on the front porch was for chewing. Collars were for licking and so were feet. The ocean was paradise.

She was the only dog to make regular appearances on the 29th floor of PG&E in San Francisco (interjection from the blogger: that's where all the officers, aka stuffed shirts, from the utility had their offices. It was like visiting a morgue. No one ever laughed. Abby didn't care.) She went to Gumps (a very high class gift store in a ritzy part of San Francisco; I never bought anything there but they did have puppies from the SPCA for adoption in their windows at Christmas) and Williams Sonoma. She dined on bacon at Harry Denton's (a very tony restaurant in San Francisco; Abby was not a snob, nor were her parents). She went down a slide and Steve has the claw marks to prove it. She attended the Memorial Day Bash thirteen times (that's where we camp every Memorial Day) She went to weddings. She posed for photos. Whenever Steve got an ice cream cone, Abby shared it. She could pop bubbles with her nose. She drank water in cadence. As she got older she tried the couch in every home we entered. On cold nights she loved sharing our bed and taking over. She visited National Parks. She appeared in Country Coach's (their motor home) "Destinations" magazine. She saw bears, deer, eagles, coyotes, buffalo, bobcats, turkeys, newts, snakes, elk , antelope, armadillos, javelinas, roadrunners and never bothering anything. Except for mice. If a mouse crossed her path it was gone.

In ten years in the motor home she got to sniff most of America and Canada. Each new overnight spot was an a adventure. And everyone we met was there just to see Abby. Trails were paradise and not to be passed by. Any body of water was meant for swimming. Any ball or Frisbee was hers. If it looked yukky it was worth a taste.

She was our Abby or, sometimes, Angel Mae Louise. After expensive vet visits she was known as Goldie. When she was boisterous she was Devil Dog. Even as her hips and shoulder deteriorated and she had trouble walking, she'd ignore the pain to please us,. Her eyesight went a little but her hearing stayed acute. Making the decision to end her life was torture for us but we did it for her. Before she suffered even more. She's buried in a beautiful spot on Yellow Dog Ranch within sight of our barn. The original Yellow Dog lives on forever in our hears and in the hearts of our family and friends.

We miss you Abby.

I just needed to share that with you. Steve and Janet are great folks and Abby was wonderful.

A Kaleidoscope Of Color

I'm working on a quilt called a "One Block Wonder." Instead of several fabrics, you have just one, which you can see here with the cranes and flowers. You cut the fabric into 44-inch-long panels and then layer them until you have six layers. You align those layers so all the figures in the fabric line up at the edges. That took a long time, and I still didn't get it perfectly.

Then you cut 3-3/4 inch strips of the six layers of fabric lengthwise. Now you use a triangle ruler to cut the pieces for the fabric. Each six-layer triangle then is put into a hexagon like the ones shown here. You can click on the pictures to make them larger. Once you have all the hexagons sewn, you place them on your design wall to decide how they will go together. I think each hexagon looks like a kaleidoscope of a section of the fabric. I especially like what happens to the necks and wings of the cranes. Pretty cool. I'm not sure I explained this very well; it wasn't easy to do. But I'm really enjoying building the hexagons.

A Weekend Of Death And Life

My friend Nancy died on Friday night. I don't know any more than that. There will be no memorial service. It feels incomplete to me, but we have to respect her wishes.

I do think that a few of us from WOW (Women of Wine) will go to our favorite wine bar one of these days and drink a toast to her. We, of course, will all wear hats in her honor.

Went to a baby shower last night that was for couples so it was a lot more fun than most baby showers. We didn't play any games, thank God.

Most of the weekend has been spent making the tote bag shown here. I have it hanging on the end of my ironing board, in case you are wondering. I ripped out more than I sewed but now I know what I'm doing so could probably make another one in half the time.

I found the fabric in New Mexico. It's pretty wild. There are pockets inside and the bottom is a heavy piece of matte so it has a solid bottom. There are two layers of fusible fleece throughout the bag to give it some stiffness Not sure what I will do with it, but I sure like the colors. I think I'll call it "flying saucers over a chili patch."

So, a lot of sadness here. I keep saying to myself that I can't believe she is gone. She would have liked the tote bag.

Sadness

Today has been a hard day for me. Last night I talked to one of our mutual friends, Jane, who brought me up to date on what happened to Nancy and what the prognosis is.

When she was first diagnosed I did what I always do about sickness, I turned to Blogauthor (you can find her at http://swingfromthechandelier.blogspot.com) for advice. She's really smart about drugs (no she doesn't take them; she can be silly without much of anything except her son), clinical trials and all that stuff. As usual she responded with all kinds of information, but I realized very soon that it was too late for Nancy. Thank you Blogauthor. You are always there for me. I'll do the same for you any day.

Back to Nancy and my angst. She went to ceramics class on Monday, had a long talk with Jane after class, had people for dinner Monday night and then when she woke up Tuesday morning she couldn't speak or move the left side of her body (she's left handed). She may have had the stroke during the night or whenever. We really will never know.

A CAT scan and an MRI confirmed that the metastatic cancer had moved into her brain. That means it's in her brain, lungs, liver and bones. Jane said that her body is simply shutting down. And she's in a lot of pain.

All day I've been thinking about her and what's happening and how quickly it happened. No visitors, which I can respect. I want to remember her the last time we had wine together. I feel terrible that she is being robbed of some wonderful years.

Did I tell you she was a tap dancer? Yes, for many years she tap danced with a group in the San Francisco Bay Area. They even tapped their way through parades. Absolutely destroyed her knees; she said she wouldn't have had it any other way. She loves her tap shoes.

Now I find myself thinking ahead to her memorial service. Nancy also wore hats everywhere; that was her signature. The chemotherapy for her breast cancer made her bald; the hair that grew back was less than glorious. Thus she started to wear hats. I'm going to encourage all of her friends to wear hats to her memorial.

Getting old really sucks.

The Vegetables For The Week And Other Things

The
The only vegetable I had to look up was the chidori kale. I thought it was something you plant as an ornamental in your garden. Turns out you can eat it too. I thought I didn't like radishes but it turns out I do, or at least these beautiful organic ones. I'm fixing the Chinese cabbage tonight in a stir fry with lots of garlic, onions and Asian chili garlic sauce. Add to that a barbecued steak and you have our dinner for this evening. My goal every week is to use up all the vegetables I get. We accomplished this last week and are shooting for doing it this week.

Four weeks ago tonight I was having a glass of wine with my friends Jean and Nancy. That was when Nancy told me she had metastatic cancer in her liver, lungs and bones. The doctor had given her a year to live. The cancer metastasized from her breast cancer 14 years earlier. Tonight she's in the hospital because she had a stroke, is paralyzed on one side and can't speak. This is a woman who is an accomplished ceramicist. Her hands and her clay are her loves right after her husband Richard. I just can't believe how cruel life can be to the best people.

We had our puppy raiser phone interview this morning with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). If all goes well we will pick up our puppy on Tuesday July 14th at 2 p.m. in San Rafael, CA We will go through an orientation and then take the little critter home. I learned a lot on the call. Females are not fixed. When they go into heat you have to bring them back to CCI for kenneling. That could be as long as three weeks. During the 16 to 18 months we might have a female puppy, she could go through two cycles. I guess that's when we take our long trips.

On Monday my sister moved to a rehab facility where she will be until she is able to go home. Don't know how long that will be. It's going to be really good for her emotionally as well as physically. She gets to wear clothes. Imagine that. It's been four months since she's done that. Also, she eats in a dining room (gets there in a wheel chair for now) with other people. Kerry is very jealous of her flat screen TV. We are flying to visit her on June 17th for ten days. He will probably just move in and watch tv all day while she's in physical therapy.
Also was astonished to learn that only 35% of the puppies raised go on to be service dogs. If our puppy flunked graduate school then we would have first dibs. We still have to have our home visit but the woman who interviewed us today said we sounded like good candidates. We chose July 14th for pick up because we come back from Albuquerque the night before.

Puppy is immediately enrolled in puppy kindergarten. We take the dog once a week until he or she advances to first grade. Then the requirement of training classes is reduced to twice a month.

He's Student Of The Month

I hope you remember my little 8-year-old friend Jesus Juarez. Last year I helped send him to day camp; his mom cleans for me. She just doesn't have the kind of money that would allow her to send him to day camp. He had a great time at camp; he especially like the field trips. I told him that he was responsible for doing very well in school this year. Well, two days ago his mom arrived with the plaque that names him Student of the Month for his school. The plaque is mine to keep. I am so proud of him. Jesus is pictured below next to our favorite ceramic art, Bird Girl. He's wearing his camp t-shirt from last summer.

He's so cute and has so much potential. I just want to make sure that the Hispanic gangs in Lincoln don't get their hands on him.

So Jesus has earned another trip to day camp this year. This year day camp goes from 9 to 3:30 which is three hours longer than last year. That will really help his mom. He is so excited. Camp starts June 23rd.

I've also asked him to get the names of three books his teacher would like him to read over the summer and then to read them.

The Birthday Quilt

Here's the birthday quilt I sent to my brother. It's about 3 feet by 2 feet. I called it "Coffee Lovers" quilt. Click on the picture so you can read the writing under the cups and see the beading.

Vicky And Puppies

Just had a good talk with my sister. Last night they removed her feeding tube, which makes it much easier for her to swallow food. They had been using it only at night to supplement what she was eating during the day. She wasn't eating much during the day because of the position of the tube in her throat. Now that it's out she is already eating better. She knows that if she doesn't eat then the tube will go back in. Right now she has a terrible cold, which is causing her asthma to flair up. She is, however, able to get out of bed and get to the bathroom with her walker and then get back to bed. Someone has to be there while she is doing this but it's a huge step forward for her.

Her next home will be a facility in Elk River, Minnesota called Guardian Angel. She will be in a new wing of the rehab facility and will have her own room. That's where the real workout will begin so she can get strong enough to go home someday.

Now for the puppy news. I sent in my application to be a puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence a few weeks ago. Finally got a call from the organization yesterday. Kerry and I have a phone interview with them next Wednesday morning. Very exciting.

Wearing Your Clothes Inside Out and Kuala Lumpur

During a Scrabble game at our campsite this weekend, the sun finally came out so I took off my fleece pullover that covered a long-sleeved, three button t-shirt. We continued to play until the woman across from me looked up and said, "oh my God, you have your shirt on inside out." That produced gales of laughter from the rest of the players as they examined my attire and I realized that I did have it on inside out. No wonder I was having trouble buttoning the t-shirt.

The Scrabble game was on Sunday; I had put the shirt on at home when I got up Saturday morning. Yes, I slept in my clothes Saturday night, because it was too damn cold in the tent to take them off and put on my nightgown. I take this nightgown with me every year when we go camping; I've yet to get out of my clothes to put it on.

So for the rest of the weekend I was teased; and no, I did not correct my attire. I wore it that way until we got home last night. I'm sure next year people will be checking my clothing to see how I'm wearing them.

Now on to Kuala Lumpur; Mark and Julia have been invited to play with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra beginning in late August and running through the New Year. They may get the gig permanently (which is actually two years unless they signed on permanently at the end of two years). They won't know their status until they learn the results of their auditions which took place earlier this month in San Francisco. The web site is http://www.malaysianphilharmonic.com

Needless to say we are all very excited. This means they will have to fly back for their wedding on Oct. 4th. It's a good thing Mark has already sold his house. That's one less thing to think about. He is moving into Julia's small house that she rents in Albuquerque.

This summer she is playing at a couple of music festivals including one in Topeka, Kansas; he's playing for the Santa Fe Opera production of "Billy Budd."

All kinds of excitement in the family. This means that Kerry and I get to visit Kuala Lumpur too. I'm thinking Thanksgiving in Kuala Lumpur....

Learning To Foundation Paper Piece

The block is 14-1/2 x 14-1/2 inches. I started it yesterday in a class I took on how to paper piece. The four blocks with multiple fabrics are the ones that are paper pieced.

It's a precise quilting method that allows you to make patchwork blocks with exceptional accuracy. You will have precise, uniform results, even when you are doing complicated points and seams.

You actually sew the fabric to the paper pattern in a certain order. I ripped out a whole lot when I first started, but the last of the four that I made, I actually didn't rip once.

There are whole books full of paper pieced quilt patterns. I'll probably do more with the method but not right now.

Our First Box

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. We signed up with a local organic farm to get a small box of organic vegetables each week starting today and running through October. We picked up our first box today and met the farmers, Caren and Bryan and their assorted cats and dogs.

The box contained pea shoots (pile of stuff on the top right), fennel (left of pea shoots), arugula (below fennel), kale, green garlic, spring onion, and lettuce. Caren also included a recipe for pea shoots. It's pretty simple: pea shoots, green garlic (all of it even the stalks and leaves) slivered almonds, olive oil and salt and pepper. Sauteed for a few minutes and then eat immediately.

So we are off on a grand adventure to discover new vegetables.

I'm Feeling Better

Turtle Doug and Miss Kate (pictured here) arrived last night for a visit. Doug has to see his doctor here so he can get his meds renewed. Miss Kate is as wonderful as ever.

I spent most of yesterday playing with fabric so that helped my mood a lot. Today the weather is a bit cooler so that helps too.

Not much going on today; I'm just going to run a bunch of errands including finally mailing my brother's birthday present. His birthday was last week. Once I know he's received it, I'll post a picture of it here.

I just talked with my sister. She is such a worrier; if you have any prayers or energy left, she could sure use some to help her worry less.

This 'n That

I got my tax rebate; my son and his future wife and all of you young folks out there in blogland will be paying for this economic blunder for a long time. When Clinton left the White House (I don't care if you didn't like him) we had a surplus. Now this country is cash and debt poor. Hell, we are in debt to China, a country whose air is unbreathable.

I'm in a pissy mood tonight. A good friend just got a horrible diagnosis of metastatic cancer. When they say "five years" and you are cancer free, don't believe them.

Okay, on to another topic; weather (I know, very mundane). It has been at about 100 here for the past few days. This is pretty early to get this kind of heat. Our air conditioning is going kaching, kaching. The bill this month won't be under $50.

Okay, I'll stop kvetching. I had a good talk with my sister this morning. With the aid of a walker, she walked from her bed to the door, which is quite a distance. It was slow but she is gradually gaining strength. Today she told me she was worried about her heart rate which hovers around 100. I told her it had been as high as 140 so 100 wasn't bad. She worries about every little thing, sort of like our maternal grandmother for whom I'm named. My brother is a worrier too. Somehow I escaped that genetic predisposition.

Okay, I'm done. It's time to go back to fabric.

It's Puppy Time...Hopefully

After being with Julia's dog Zoey (she is adorable...part Beagle) this weekend, then seeing all the Corgis at book group Tuesday night and my brother and his wife's adoption at Petco of Magic who is part Great Pyrenees, I decided we needed a dog in our lives. Kerry agreed.

I filled out our application to raise a puppy for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). I got the application last year. We met a couple in Palm Desert last November who were raising a puppy for CCI. They told me where to go to get the application. I got it and then my sister got so sick; I just didn't think I could handle anything more.

She walked eight feet today and had the final tube taken out of her belly so I thought...you know we could have a wonderful time raising a puppy who can go everywhere. That's the point of having it. It could be Best Dog at the wedding (Zoey isn't coming). So I dropped our application in the mailbox yesterday.

I used to be a foster mom to rescued Golden Retrievers. I took the dogs who were closer to the end of life than the beginning. It was hard but I did it because these dogs deserve better at the end. Now I'd like to look at the beginning of life. You have the puppy for 16-18 months and then return it to CCI for further training and hopefully placement with someone who really needs a dog. I say hopefully because not all dogs make it. Some become breeders and others are available for adoption.

You can get another puppy at that point or opt out. They asked for the name and phone number of our vet to find out if we are good pet owners. I think we will rate pretty high after they find out that we had a CAT scan, ultrasound and spinal tap for Emily when she developed seizures. I know that money is not the determining factor here, but I hope love and determination to help an animal are.

What's On My Design Wall?

Mostly applique and one block from the Block of the Month at Cabin Fever Quilt Shoppe. Calvin the cow is awaiting batting, backing and quilting. The four smaller appliques will end up in a larger quilt with 12 appliques in total; all of them are baskets. The large butterfly applique is...well, I'm not sure where it's going at this time but I had fun doing it. I'll probably add some sparkles and other embellishments to make it look more fairy-like. That's all for today.

Vicky Update and Mother's Day

Vicky is doing so well. Yesterday they removed her trach and her catheter. She's not able to walk yet so she is going to have to use a bedpan. That should spur her on. Bedpans are awful. Also, now that the trach is gone she is eating more. She still has the colostomy bag and the one drainage tube, but otherwise she is not tethered to anything. Thank you again for sending all the cards and letters. She really gets a boost when they arrive.

Mother's Day weekend in Albuquerque was fabulous. Our friends Beverly and George picked us up at the airport, because Julia and Mark had a rehearsal for the Mother's Day concert at the zoo on Sunday.

What I remember most about the weekend was the warmth and love from everyone and the good food. We went to Cold Stone Creamery twice! Mark's house has sold which is a big relief for both of them. He has to move out by June 1. Not sure where he will live yet but they will sort that out. His house sold in two weeks and he got 97% of the asking price. He and Julie did lots of work to get the house ready. It showed very well.

Julia made a delicious Mother's Day brunch and Mother's Day dinner. That means I haven't cooked since Sunday, May 4th. I have book group tonight so I may be able to extend my non-cooking streak for one more day. It's not that I don't like to cook, but it's nice to have some time off once in a while.

Today I'm getting my hair cut and colored. It's driving me crazy because it has gotten so long. That means it is covering my ears. Then I have to find time to sort through all the stuff I brought back from quilt camp and get my sewing room set up again. My friend Deborah is coming over on Friday with her sewing machine. We are going to work on all kinds of projects.

Thursday I'm going to donate platelets again. I had to take a year off because I was in a malarial zone in Costa Rica. I'm looking forward to getting back to my regular every-two-week donation.

I hope this weekend will be very quiet. We need that.

Quilt Camp Photos

Hope these photos give you an idea of what it was like inside Dobbins Hall where 53 women spent five days creating things from fabric. The top photo is of the table where I sewed. That's my sewing machine on the far right. Two ladies at my table, Margie and Pam, work at my favorite quilt shop, Cabin Fever Quilts.

The next photo shows quilt blocks on a design wall; it's just flannel affixed to a frame. For some reason the cotton fabric sticks to the flannel without aid of a pin or anything else. This quilter was placing her butterfly blocks in different places to decide how to sew the quilt together. It's called a window pane quilt; The white bars represent the window panes.

Next picture shows a black and white quilt on a design wall. The women at the table were a real hoot. I played Farkle (a dice game) with them at night. And finally a view from my sewing machine looking toward the front of the hall. I can hardly wait until next year; quilt camp is so much fun.

I'm Baaack!!!!

This is the view of Lake Tahoe from Quilt Camp. I took the picture with my cell phone. I can't write much because I have to get ready to fly to Albuquerque tomorrow morning very early. Gotta wash clothes, etc. I had a blast. Spending five days with 53 women who all love fabric is just fabulous. Rooms were wonderful including the beds, food was great and the weather was perfect. I've already signed up for next year. I'll write more when I get back from ABQ.

Blogauthor, Vicky loved your son's drawings.

Cards And Letters

Just heard from Vicky; she got five cards this morning and is overjoyed that so many people who don't even know her care enough to send a card. They came from blogauthor, creamy silver, Rondi, Lucina, and Susan. Thank you, thank you, thank you. She explained to her nurse why her last name is not on any of the cards. I'm not sure her nurse knows much about blogging but she said she would let the mail room know to watch out for cards with the room number and only a first name.

I've packed all the stuff I'm taking to camp; it looks like I'm leaving for good. I'm even taking my chair for sewing. I didn't do than for Jamboree day and found myself in a very uncomfortable position. My little Prius is going to be jam-packed. Weather.com predicts isolated thunderstorms and a high of 60 where I'm going today.

The one thing I haven't packed yet is my clothes. I can do that in a minute. Shows what's important for this trip.

We had a thunderstorm last night which is a real rarity here. Sort of nice to hear the rumbles. They get a lot of those in the mountains when it's warm, but they rarely make there way here. Our weather comes from the west not the east.

I'll try to find a computer to keep up with all of your lives but if you don't here from me just know I'm in fabric heaven.

Quilt Camp Scenery

This is Zephyr Cove on the south short of Lake Tahoe. It's actually in Nevada. The steps you can see in the picture are the amphitheater at the camp which is called Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center. Maybe we will congregate there and sing "Kumbaya." It's still pretty cool there (about 32 at night and low 60s during the day). The room that we will sew in overlooks the lake. I am so excited.

Fava Beans

Aren't they just the ugliest things you've ever seen? I bought some yesterday at the first farmers' market of the year. I talked to my brother about them; as a vegan I thought he would have cooked just about every vegetable there is. Well, he hasn't cooked fava beans. Go figure, I'm actually cooking a vegetable before he does and I'm not a vegan.

A little on-line research got me a couple of recipes. I'm going to make the easiest one with lots of garlic, a bit of fennel and olive oil. Any thing cooked in garlic and olive oil will taste good. And I like the mild anise flavor of fennel.

I'm also going to make portobello mushrooms stuffed with fresh pork sausage and chopped leeks. I'm leaving for a week so I want him to eat well before I leave.

I love the farmers' market. Week after next we are going to start getting our box of vegetables from a nearby organic farm, The Natural Trading Company. You sign up to buy a share of what they produce. I bought a small box for us. Delivery starts next week and runs every week through October. I figure it's a great way to learn about new vegetables. The fava beans came from this farm's booth at the market so we will probably be getting more of them.

Change of subject: my sister needs to work on her small muscle control in her hands so she is going to crochet something. I found a very simple pattern for her on line yesterday. I e-mailed it to hubby; he will print it out and take it to the hospital today along with her crochet hooks and yarn. She has crocheted before but never after her hands had been immobile for so long. She's also starting to set goals for herself, which is a great sign.

Yesterday she took three steps. She had a walker and two physical therapists there to make sure she didn't fall but she did it and was very proud. She told me she is resigned to the fact that she will probably be at Regency through the summer.

Lots Of Good Stuff Happening

I know it's not fair to show a picture of a beautiful sunny day in California complete with pool and swimmer while many of you are still freezing. I can't help myself. This was the view from our room in San Luis Obispo where we went for the North Meets South Porsche 356 group. There were 175 restored 356s. Kerry was in heaven.

I, on the other hand, found out about a huge quilt show just around the corner from our hotel. So both of us were in heaven.

I met a wonderful woman at the quilt show who showed me a better and easier way to applique. I bought some of her patterns; this week I have been happily working on one of them using her technique. I had tried needleturn applique before but just couldn't make it work. Her technique, however, solved the problems I had been having. That's what I love about life; when you are open to people you make amazing discoveries.

My sister is doing quite well considering what she has been through. Her emotional state seems to me like post traumatic stress syndrome, which doesn't surprise me. There is a wonderful psychiatrist and a great chaplain there. I met both when I was there. They have been very supportive of her.

Vicky and I talk every morning, which is wonderful. Sometimes it's just a few minutes but then yesterday we talked for an hour. They removed the catheter for her dialysis which is a very good sign that her kidneys are working. The trach is still in her throat even though she's pretty much breathing without aid of oxygen. A couple of nights ago her oxygen level dropped to 88% so they put the oxygen cannula back in her nose for a short while.

On Tuesday she went back to Methodist Hospital for a CAT scan to see how her belly is healing and to see if they could remove the drainage tubes. The tubes stayed in; she goes back next Tuesday for another CAT scan. Getting those drainage tubes out would make it easier for her to be more mobile.

I can tell she's doing better because she's getting bored and has decided to set goals for herself. That's a really good sign.

She received her first blogger card; it came from Rhonda (thank you, thank you, thank you). She cried when she thought about someone caring enough to send a card to a person she has never met.

The Farmers' Market in Lincoln opens today and I will be there. It's going to be from 8-12 every Friday for the rest of the year. Love that locally grown stuff; plus the guy we buy meat from will be there.

Monday I head for Quilt Camp at Lake Tahoe. I can hardly wait. That's all for now. Once again, thank you for all your support for my sister. It means a lot to my family.

My Sister Needs Your Help

Right now she is sad, depressed, anxious, angry, worried and just plain pissed off at the world. The other day she asked me, "why did this happen to me?" She was sobbing when she asked. So here's my thought.

Could you send her a card, a note, a postcard or anything else. She's not able to use her computer because her fingers don't quite work right at the moment. It might help if you could let her know that you have been following her terrible journey. You can just sign it with your blogger name or just say someone who reads your sister's blog. I know this won't take away much of her worry and angst but it might at least get a smile out of her.

Her address now can protect her anonymity, because you don't have to use her last name. So you can send greetings to her at:

Vicky
Room 231
Regency Hospital
1300 Hidden Lakes Parkway
Golden Valley, MN 55422

Thank you so much for whatever you are able to do.

Here's My Appliqued Cow

I still have to add one more border to get the piece to it's final size of 20 x 30 inches. Don't know yet what the fabric will be but I'm thinking some kind of checkerboard pattern. I haven't named him yet. Any ideas? He was a lot of fun to make. So it's a good sewing day in my neighborhood.

Tomorrow we are driving to San Luis Obispo, which is about 5-1/2 hours down the coast. Kerry's Porsche club is having it's annual North Meets South gathering. There will be lots of folks from both ends of the state driving old 356 Porsche. We are taking the Prius. Kerry's Porsche isn't quite ready for the open road and it's definitely not ready for a long drive. The people who belong to this club are a lot of fun.

I've identified some quilt shops in the area that I definitely want to visit.

More on the mother of the groom outfit; I think I've found a dressmaker who may be able to do it. I ordered the pattern so when it gets here I'm going to meet with her. The samples of her work on her web site are stunning. Check out her site at http://www.kimscouture.com/
She works from patterns or she will design a one-of-a-kind outfit.

We get back from San Luis Obispo on Sunday night. Then it's only one more week until quilt camp. Yippee!

Lots Of Projects Underway

I have not left the property since last Friday. This is an all time record for me. I'm very proud of this record. I needed some down time.

I'm going to have to leave today; I'm meeting some women friends for a drink. We call ourselves WOW...Women of Wine. It's a pretty casual group; we meet at a local Italian restaurant, drink wine and talk.

Most of my time at home has been spent working on various fabric projects. My design wall has lots of stuff on it. The blocks on the left are for the Block of the Month group at one quilt shop. The blocks on the right are for the Block of the Month for another quilt shop. And the applique blocks in the middle are another Block of the Month group. Block of the month is an easy and inexpensive way to get enough blocks for a quilt. These blocks will end up making three different quilts. The group of blocks on the right is closest to finishing.

I'm really enjoying doing the applique blocks. It's like painting a picture using pieces of fabric. Plus I'm finding all kinds of ways to embellish the applique. Our applique teacher is a purist so frowns on embellishments; nobody really listens to this, because everyone is having so much fun finding things to add to each block.

The lime green fabric lying on my desk with the two long white legs is a wall hanging I'm making. It's a wild and weird looking cow on green fabric. The background has three kinds of green fabric including one that has the logo for John Deere tractors (found that in Minnesota, naturally). It's primarily applique. I'll take a picture when it's done.

So, time to go create and work on the body of the cow. Life is great and Vicky is doing very well. They are talking about removing the trach. When it comes out, they bandage the hole and let it heal from the inside out. Then she can start eating real food and have that awful nose tube removed. She has not eaten since Feb. 6th; her weight is down nearly 40 pounds. That's an awful way to lose weight.

Vicky Bulletin

She is no longer on dialysis. Her urine output is good enough for now. That's a very big step. Over the weekend they had her breathing on her own without any oxygen. Yippee!!!!

Some Thoughts On Vicky And The Wedding

I've been posting about Vicky for so long that I've forgotten how to say anything about the rest of my life.

First Vicky; she moved to her own room at the acute care facility after she had gone through four days of assessment by the medical staff. That's a big step. This week Neil will meet with the staff to go over the treatment program they have developed for her. That probably won't happen until Thursday. I asked Neil to take notes so he could tell me everything. Maybe they will even have a copy of the program for him.

But now, back to me. I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to wear to Mark and Julia's wedding. I hate trying on clothes; it's not fun when you are not a perfect size anything.

So I finally decided to look at some patterns to see if I could find anything that would work for me and my body. This is from the Vogue pattern book. I sent the photo to Julia and her mom. So far I've gotten a thumbs up from Julia.

I'm thinking about a celery green for the pants and then something with celery green and white for the top. I like the sort of see-through part of the top. I will probably do the pants in a crepe. The pattern says the blouse is an organza.

Now I just have to find a dressmaker. Luckily I have time to interview a few and get references. So what do you all think? It will also work for the two nights on the Christmas cruise where we have to dress up. I'm also thinking of a celery-colored shawl that I could do some bead work on to dress it up a bit. I don't know why I'm so hooked on celery at the moment. I hate it as a vegetable and will do anything to avoid it; don't serve me Waldorf salad!

These Are Kerry's Sprongs

Spring, Sprong, Sprang

You probably think that I have not had much of a life since my sister got sick. You would be right on many fronts, but I did discover two things while we were in Minneapolis: Sprongs (pictured here) and a fabric outlet that sells Dupione silk at $7 a yard. Both are fabulous buys. I won't bore you with information about the silk. It's just plain fabulous.

The shoes are called Sprongs. Made by Z-Coil -- http://www.zcoil.com/ --,which is a company in Albuquerque, NM. The guy who invented it was a runner who experienced all the usual aches and pains from this sport. I know they look weird, but trust me they are so comfortable. This shoe accomodates my very wide foot. The tension of the springs depends on the weight of the person and how they walk. Normally I would have taken a medium spring, but because I strike on my heel and role forward, I take a light.

We first saw these shoes on some of the nurses in the ICU. These people are on their feet constantly so good support is essential. During this last visit we asked where they got them. They sent us to a nearby store called "Sprongs." We discovered that it is owned by a mother and daughter. They sell these shoes plus fantastic jewelry and very creative purses. I was skeptical about the shoes but tried them on and was won over. You can replace the z-coil about every 500 miles or if you detect wear on the heel part. You can order the replacement on line and then just screw it in.

So these are my sandals for the summer. I always get a new pair each year. I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the "regular" and "wide" stuff when I stole the photo from the web site.

Today did not go exactly as I had hoped. Vicky is doing very well physically, but today she was delirious and having hallucinations. Turns out a blood test yesterday showed that she had a very elevated thyroid (300); I don't know what that number means, but I spent a fair amount of time with the hospital psychiatrist talking about it. I was impressed by his interest in her brain. Everyone has been so focused on her lungs, kidneys, stomach, etc.

He wanted to know if her thyroid had been high before. All I knew is that she had complained about gaining weight even thought she was dieting. That's another symptom of hypothyroidism. My only knowledge of that is Emily, my late Golden Retriever. She had hypothyroidism.

They are giving her meds to counteract the high thyroid count but the impact of them is cumulative so it will be a while until we see any change in her behavior.

It was hard for me to believe that the person I talked to yesterday was just not there today.
It was hard for me to leave, but I do feel like the psychiatrist will be her advocate and that is comforting.

We did have some wonderful experiences today. We watched a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. At first Kerry and I thought it was just part of the bark of a tree, but then it started to move it's wings in the sunlight. Meanwhile down below the tree the Juncos were stirring up the dirt to find seeds. It was a nice way to counteract what was happening upstairs in Vicky's room.

The other experience is the free lunch at the hospital. It's sort of like going through the cafeteria when I was in grade school. The ladies wear hairnets and serve from a steam table. Today's menu: barbecued riblets (could have fooled me; they looked like those Vienna sausage cut in half), cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, salad, cream of broccoli soup and banana cake with white frosting. All of this is free. There are also soft drinks and coffee. The Minnesota seasoning is on all tables: ketchup.

You know how cops get free coffee in a lot of places, well the mail people and UPS/Fedex drivers stop at the hospital for lunch each day.

So we are home now; it was a long flight. Right now it's 1:30 a.m. but even though I'm tired I still want to do some research on hypothyroidism.

So that's the new from Lake Woebegon. It was very hard to leave her.

Vicky's move to the acute care facility yesterday went very well. She had physical therapy at Methodist Hospital in the morning and left the ICU about noon.

When Kerry and I got there a little after 1 she was raring to go; she wanted to know when her program to make her better was going to start. She was a bit disappointed that they had to do a day-long assessment before anything would start.

She was a lot more lucid than I expected. When she's tired, so is her brain. Right now she's in the Special Care Unit, which is sort of like an ICU. She will probably go to her own room on Thursday.

She was talking a blue streak yesterday. I guess she's trying to catch up. After all, she didn't say much for about seven weeks.

Yesterday she asked me if she almost died. I said, yes. That was the end of that discussion.

All of her vitals were good without use of the ventilator.

Kerry and I fly home tonight; I would love to stay and watch her progress, but we have company coming on Saturday night, and I have a quilt applique class on Friday morning. It is easier to leave when I know she is so much better and has made it out of the ICU. No going backward now.

The ICU nurses want to see her again when she can walk in under her own power with a big smile on her face.

She's Going To Acute Care On Income Tax Day

Vicky is scheduled to go back to the acute care facility tomorrow about noon. She has met all the criteria; the draining of the ugly stuff really helped. Her white cell count is normal. Yippee.

She was lucid when I got there about 12:30 today; but it was pretty much down hill after that. When she gets tired so do the synapses in her brain. She got especially angry at Neil and threw him out about 5 so we left and went home and had dinner at a reasonable hour.

I made something I hadn't made in ages. I dipped the chicken parts in raw egg and then rolled them in Panko which is a Japanese bread crumb. Bake it plus yams and then added a sauce made up of apricot jam and Dijon mustard warmed on the stove. Add coleslaw and it was a pretty decent dinner.

Great News

Less than 24 hours after the removal of all that puss and blood that had accumulated around her spleen, her white cell count was down to 12,000 from 25,000. The doctor said that the antibiotics couldn't get to the source of the infection. They are still doing a culture to make sure she is on the right antibiotic but it's pretty clear to me that they found the source of it all. If her temperature stays normal, she doesn't require any blood pressure medication and she continues to do well off the vent, then she can go to Regency this week. I don't think it will happen while we are here but it will happen sooner rather than later.

She was very tired yesterday. They did have her in a chair for two hours in the morning but then her butt started to hurt so they put her back to bed. She was a lot more lucid than she had been Saturday night. Even commented on the color of my blouse; she said it was a good color for me.

I'm going back to the fabric outlet we visited last week. They have some amazing prices on dupione silk so I'm going to buy some. That's my reward for all the hours in the hospital. I think it was good for Neil to have stayed home yesterday. He's at work right now, Vicky is having dialysis and Kerry is asleep. The coffee is ready so I'm off to get something warm for my tummy. Again, thank you; your prayers, positive energy and good thoughts mean a lot to the family.