Getting Ready For Christmas

I paper pieced this wreath which measures 18x18 inches. That's without the border and binding. The swirls in the white part are part of the fabric. I started working on this on Saturday and finished this much today. Paper piecing is the only way you could get the points this exact.

Our TV Died Last Night

Kerry, pictured here, could barely contain his glee when he told me this morning that our TV died last night. He has wanted a big screen TV for as long as we have lived in the country (5 years). Thanks to my friend Susan who told me about a purchase her daughter and son-in-law had made, we now have a 42-inch HDTV from Target at a reasonable (?) price. Am I happy. No. Is it necessary. Yes. I guess. I would have been happy to become one of those households without television. I guess we will get more people to attend our Superbowl party next February. And Kerry thinks he will have more friends because he has a big screen TV. I will have to paint behind the current TV. It's housed in a wonderful wooden piece of furniture. Luckily I still have the paint. Notice his shirt matches the van. That's all for now.

A Quilt For Our Bedroom Wall

It took 4-1/2 months from start to finish; here's my twisted bargello quilt. The one thing you can't see in the picture is the wonderful quilting that Shelley did. It was a hard quilt to do because there were so many little pieces. I don't know if I'd do another one. That's it for Friday.

The Reasons We Don't Make Our Bed

Cute cats who like to sleep on my side of the bed. They prefer it be unmade. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Nora is the one glaring at the camera. Giorgio is the contented looking one. He was probably there first and then she arrived.

I Loved "Mama Mia"

It is just wonderful when mature women get to dance, sing and have fun at the same time. The dancing and singing numbers looked like so much fun. Meryl Streep is 59 years old, been married to the same man forever, and has four kids. She danced and sang like a young pup. Who says women don't get better as they get older. In fact, all the main female characters have been married to their husbands forever.

Julia Walters, left, was in "Calendar Girls." She took her clothes off in that movie and looked great. Christine Baranski was born in 1952. Wow that is really old for an actress, but I loved her because she is not 22. She does have really bony shoulders. In Tom Wolfe's book "Bonfire of the Vanities" he calls women like her "x-rays." Great book, terrible movie. Tom Hanks and Melanie Griffith were just wrong, wrong, wrong.

The songs, the energy, Pierce Brosnan (even if he will never be given an award for singing) were wonderful. The women both old (much older than Streep) and the young seemed to have so much fun. I loved when they jumped into the ocean. It felt good to see a movie where anything goes.

I'm not good at Batman movies or anything of that ilk. I've seen two movies this year: Wall-e and Mama Mia. That tells you a lot about my movie taste. Thank goodness for Netflix. Otherwise Kerry would never get to see a movie that he likes. Guess what I'm listening to in my car this week?

Just Trying To Keep Up...

With the vegetables. They just keep coming. We hadn't quite finished last week's box before we got another box yesterday. So now I have zucchini, potatoes, corn on the cob, beets, basil, turnips, cucumbers, purple string beans, pea shoots, carrots and lettuce. You never want to get behind.

I just made zucchini bread. That took care of three zucchini. Tonight I'm making more pesto to freeze. For dinner we are having the pea shoots stir fried with the purple string beans. Meat loaf is the main dish.

I also bought mason jars so I can turn the cucumbers into bread and butter pickles. That's on my to-do list for tomorrow. Friday night we are having friends for dinner so we are having the corn on the cob and potato latkes made with potatoes and turnips. Barbecued sausage will be the meat course.

I would really like some more turnip recipes. So let me know if you have some...or a dozen.

I'm not really complaining because the veggies are so delicious, and I'm enjoying the experience of trying so many new foods and recipes, but yikes I feel like there are vegetables chasing me around the house.

Kerry and I are "locavores." That's a term I've been hearing a lot lately. It means you try to buy your food locally; it's good for the environment and the local economy. Locally grown organic food is still more expensive than the grocery store non-organic variety, but with rising fuel prices that may shift. Flying a plane load of cantaloupes here in January from Mexico and then trucking them around to the stores may become something of the past. The fuel will simply be too expensive. And that's better for the air.

I just ordered a book on CD from the library. The author is Barbara Kingsolver who writes great fiction (Poisonwood Bible). The book is "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." It's about the year she and her family spent eating locally and what it was like.

Another Car

This one is a 1970 Cadillac owned by Kerry's sister Joanne. She's pictured here with her dog Wiley. Car belonged to their dad. When he died Joanne decided she wanted it. She lives in Washington near Bellingham so she doesn't get too many days when she can ride around with the top down. Pretty cool car; a very long one with good fins.

Kerry's New Used Car

If you are new to this blog, then you don't know that I live with a wonderful man named Kerry who is obsessed with cars. He doesn't just like to look at them or drive them, he wants to own them. Currently he has five running vehicles. I say running because he has a really cute Porsche 356 in his studio that needs a lot of work. It doesn't run.

He bought this 1982 Porsche 911 last week. It's sitting in our driveway as I write. I went for a ride in it Sunday morning when it was still cool; the air conditioning doesn't work. Not a good thing for summers in the valley. He says he's going to get it fixed.

The most interesting part of the ride that we took was how many men slowed down to look at the car. Most of them were driving SUVs or big trucks. So that's what's new at our house.

High-Heeled Crocs

These are my shoes for the wedding (see earlier post). You can't walk around at the Grand Canyon wearing spiked heeled shoes. My outfit is peach with some celery green. I'm going to decoupage the peach fabric on the part of the shoe that is white. I'm leaving the Crocs logo. I also bought them in black and white. Very comfy. I'll be a hit.

We Are Back

Had a great trip to Albuquerque. It rained; I loved it. No smoke in the air; I loved it.

You may be wondering who that strange guy is with the funny black hat and hair. Well, that's Kerry. He's wearing a Che Guevara hat and wig that we found in the Santa Fe Opera gift shop. From time to time they sell replicas of things that were worn in previous operas. I got my brother a fake ermine and red velvet crown a few years ago. This time we saw the hat with the black hair so Kerry put it on, I took a picture with my camera and thought, my blogging friends will like this. The big card on his forehead is the price tag. Sort of the Minnie Pearl of revolutionaries.

We saw the opera "Billy Budd." The music (Benjamin Britten was the composer) and voices were fabulous; the show was just too long. It should have been two short acts or one long one instead of two long acts. At this time of year the production doesn't start until 9 p.m. so we didn't leave the opera until midnight. We got home about 2 a.m. Add to that the elevation at the opera, 7,000 feet, and you can imagine just how tired we were the next day.

Julia fed us some very tasty dishes. For the most part she's a vegetarian so I learned some new recipes that I can make when we have as surfeit of vegetables...like today.

Had a great time meeting her mom, Kathy, and dad, Bud. Mom, Julia and I went shoe shopping on Sunday. We shop together very well which is a very good sign. I bought some high heel Crocs, well really a mid-heel. No that's not a typo. They make them. I'll try to find a photo and post it. The most comfortable shoes I've owned in a long time...next to my sprongs.

We were going to have a picnic on Sunday but there were flash flood warnings so decided to picnic in their living room.

We flew home last night on the most perfect airline: ExpressJet. The flight was non-stop from Sacramento to Albuquerque, they fed us for free and beer was a buck. And (drum roll) there are no middle seats. While we were in Albuquerque we found out that they are going out of business on September 1. Drat and double drat. Some things are too good to be true.

That's all for now. Gotta go get our box of vegetables. It's wonderfully cool here and the smoke is gone.

Vicky Is Leaving The Hospital Friday Morning

And going back to Guardian Angel Transitional Care. Her blood work looks good, she has all the right ostomy supplies so her anxiety is lessened and she is eating very well. When I talked to her husband tonight she was eating a hamburger, french fries and orange juice. That will make a big difference in her energy level when she goes back to Guardian Angel. So today is a good day despite the heat and smoke.

I was going to run some errands today but decided against it. The sky looks very cloudy but it's not clouds; it's smoke from numerous fires but none of them close to us. Kerry ran my errands for me; bless his heart.

Got a call from Canine Companions for Independence today. Our puppy was born July 8th. We will pick her up on Aug. 28th. She is a purebred Labrador retriever but we don't know what color she is or what her name is. Her name will begin with an "H". All puppies born in July will have names that start with an "H". Maybe it will be Hillary.

I am pissed off about a few things, even though this has been a good day. First, the Vatican saying that having women Anglican bishops will set back unity between the two religions. Makes me feel like I have a disease. It's hard for me to believe that in 2008 people still think of us that way.

Second, the young man who shot himself on June 18th rather than return to Iraq for a third tour in the 101st Airborne Division. His name was Ben. Vicky had him in daycare when he was a toddler. Her heart and Ben's mother's heart are broken by this sad turn of events. He left a note saying he just couldn't go back.

Third, that scurrilous little turd Karl Rove failed to show up to testify before a committee of Congress. His lawyer claims he is immune. I can hardly wait until Bush and his toadies are out of power.

On to positive things; I loved the story in the New York Times this morning about Ted Kennedy's return to the Senate to vote to stop the medicare payment reduction to doctors. The story read like a good novel. His doctors had advised against traveling due to his treatment but he showed up anyway and in a firm voice, voted "aye." Just his presence in the Senate convinced 9 Republicans to vote "aye" as well. There is so little drama left in Washington. After the vote he was whisked away to a private jet.

We leave for Albuquerque tomorrow afternoon. Probably won't have a chance to blog. I'm just hoping we come back to clear skies.

What A Way To Start The Day...Cats And Blood

Our cats, Nora and Giorgio, have developed a habit of racing around and across our bed in the early morning hours. They have always preferred to land on Kerry as they bounce off to the floor. That's probably because he sleeps on his back thus giving them a larger landing zone. I sleep on my side. I got up first this morning so Kerry was left to deal with the cat Nascar race.

Not long after I got up, Kerry appeared in my sewing room with blood dripping from cuts on his nose, left hand and chest. One or both of them dug their claws in extra hard this morning as they raced around the bed. They dug them in extra hard in the three places I just mentioned. Now he's really pissed at the cats. He says he refused to pet them after he got up; that's something he always does. Giorgio seems to be in hiding just because Kerry yelled at the two of them but Nora seems unfazed in the face of yelling and lack affection.

I want to tell him to sleep on his side and wear a t-shirt, but even when he starts out on his side he always ends up on his back. So a bit of cat mayhem in this morning.

It's still hot and smokey here. I went to the dentist for a cleaning and earned an A+ for my flossing. Just call me Miss Tooth Perfection. I have a friend coming over to sew for the afternoon and then friends for dinner. A very good day.

Back From The Farm

Just picked up our organic vegetables for the week: basil, garlic, zucchini squash, Yukon gold potatoes, purple string beans (shown in photo), radishes, lemon cucumbers, and pea shoots. I've never seen purple string beans. Every week that we get basil I make more pesto and freeze it. You can never have too much pesto. I have to use as many vegetables as possible before we head to Albuquerque on Friday for four days.
Not much happening today. Smoke is still very bad. I coughed all the way back from the farm. Temperature is supposed to reach 111. We never were able to open up the house last night. I hate sleeping with the windows closed.

Today will be another lazy day designed to protect my lungs. I feel sorry for people who have to work outdoors. This is not good for any one's lungs.

Wall-e Is A Must See

Kerry and I don't go to movies very often. I want to feel good at the end of the movie; he doesn't care. Thus we go to few movies. He has Netflix. But this movie was great. It's a kids movie, but the message is for adults. Watching this movie will hopefully make all of you do the right thing about our environment. It is a wonderful political statement in a time when this message is not popular with the party that has an elephant as its symbol. The elephant supposedly never forgets but the party of the elephant has forgotten about the importance of clean air, water and land.

Okay, that's enough preaching. We also went to a new restaurant for us; Auburn Alehouse. They make a pretty good pomegranate martini; not as good as Crush 29. And the fish tacos are wonderful.

But the big news of the day is my sister. Remember all her angst about her colostomy bag. Well, today the ostomy nurse visited her in the hospital. This is the person I found on Google. She had an appointment for this Thursday, but because she was in the hospital the ostomy nurse came to her a few days early.

Vicky sent me a message about how much she liked Patty. I called her and she shed tears of joy. Patty provided her with lots of information about her stoma and found the right bag for her. Tomorrow she will return with more supplies; then she is writing an order for the rehab facility so they will have the right bag. Vicky's heart rate has been around 100 for so long and no one knew why. Well, today after Patty helped her with her bag her heart rate was down to 79. I only know this because she is in the telemetry unit at the hospital so is always monitored. Anxiety can do terrible things to your body.

Her calcium level is back to normal; the doctor doesn't know why it was so high but has ruled out a parathyroid problem. They are keeping her a few more days which I'm thankful for. Today she drank two cans of Ensure. That is a miracle. Not long ago she gagged at just the mention of Ensure or any food. She still doesn't eat her crusts; that's something I remember from our childhood and she's still not eating them today.

So go see Wally and offer a silent prayer for all those people who suffer from anxiety. It is a horrible thing that can cripple your mind and body.

Back To The Hospital

That's where my sister went last night at 10 p.m. CDT in an ambulance. The reason: her calcium level in her blood is extremely high. Symptoms of hypercalcemia (thanks to the Mayo Clinic web site) are: vomiting, loss of appetite, nausea and depression. My sister has all of them. This could also be related to her lack of the thyroid hormone.

Neil called at 2 a.m. PDT to tell us she was settled into the cardio-vascular floor at Mercy Hospital (not the one she was in before) and receiving saline solution through an IV. Part of the treatment for this is to increase urination so the calcium is swept out of the body. They had trouble finding a vein that would accept the IV; that must have been painful for her.

Not sure why all of this happened so late. Neil had left for the evening so when Vicky found out what was happening she got him on his cell before he could get home. He turned around and got there just as they were loading her in the ambulance.

That's all I know right now. I wish I was there to comfort her. She sounded terrified when I talked with her last night. I tried to help her understand that this is a good thing because now they know why she has been so ill and depressed. Not sure she bought it.

I'll keep you posted.

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.