Today is the last day of February, and I am not sad to see it go. It's not just that I am officially a year older, but it seems like I have had too many doctor appointments this month, and no end in sight.
Is this the deal??? Every year older, something else falls apart??? Oh, the horrors.
My knee still hurts a lot, it actually doesn't feel much better than it did right after I tore my meniscus. The ortho I've been seeing says I should get on his "list" for a total knee. I don't know why I am feeling so uneasy about it. I've had arthritis in both knees for so long. But this feels different, and I am just not comfortable with what I am being told. So in late April, I have an appointment with another ortho, one who has stellar recommendations. If he says I need a total knee, I will accept that.
In the studio, I had an issue with the AVL, when a cable just snapped while I was weaving.
I managed to find one at the local hardware store, with the ferrules I needed to close the ends, and the store even lent me the tool to squeeze the ferrules together. They didn't have them to sell, but they were very nice about letting me take theirs home.
So with Lois' help, the cable got replaced, with a lot of cursing on my part.
But then, the e-lift didn't work, because when the cable snapped, the harnesses crashed down, and both cables came unwound. I tried to put them back on, but really didn't know what I was doing, even after reading the manual...........again. I swear I've read the whole thing through about 15 times.
Anyway, I was finally able to SKYPE with Bob from AVL in CA. It took two separate sessions, but the e-lift is now working.
And I am yet more educated about this loom. Amazing.
Lois and I put a 20 yard warp on it, and I'm weaving again.
More circles. I still love them.
Since before Christmas, I have been a little obsessed about the basement in this old house. It was still cluttered with debris and old lumber and minutia that has been there for years. In addition, the sill was not sealed against the outside, it was cold, and easy access to critters.
So last week, Northeast Spray Foam was here for two days, and they completely sealed the walls down there. It's amazing.
Then today, I hired a young guy to clean it out. Everything went, the only thing down there now is the furnace, the fuel tank, and the water heater.
It's a good feeling, the cellar is sealed, it's bare, clean (as clean as it can be with a dirt floor)
and EMPTY. I feel like I've accomplished this amazing feat! Maybe that's what getting old is all about. Getting excited about pretty mundane things.
On another front, I had a new floor put down in the 1/2 bath/walk in closet downstairs.
All the floors in the house are wood, but it was too hard to get a sander in that small room, so we had just painted the floor, and it was crummy.
This is much nicer.
While I was waiting for the AVL to be back on line, I decided to make a blanket out of some of my hand woven scraps. It turned out to be 60" x 70", and it's pretty heavy.
I'm scheduled for my first vaccine tomorrow just 3 miles from my house. I suppose it's a necessary evil.
In spite of everything on my mind, I still find myself exploring gratitude. Mornings when it's still dark, the fire is on, Syd and Naya and Willie are asleep nearby, sitting here with my cuppa coffee and just my own thoughts, I look at the clock, and wish it to slow down. I want to keep this peaceful, quiet, few moments of serenity for as long as I can. I want to think about my plans for the day, I want to do the NY Times crossword on my laptop, I want to close my eyes and just be here.
Soon enough I will be putting my boots on, trudging out to the chicken coop in my bathrobe, feeding chickens, hearing about their night. I will be starting my day.
Sometimes, I just want to be like Syd.
5 comments:
This is a terrific post! The beautiful weaving of circles! - amazing how you can do that! and the lovely blanket you made of all those lovely pieces! You have a wonderful talent. I am glad you take time for gratitude and serenity - I try to do that each evening when I go to bed. I have lots to be thankful for and I don't want to forget that. Your post today really lifted my spirits! Thank you!
Sydney has life figured out to a T. Whatever happened to her box? Your cellar looks great, I can understand how nice it must be to have the cellar clean. Hope you feel better soon.
I'm so glad you were able to repair the loom!
I like both the circles and the patchwork blankets.
Surgery just generally makes anyone nervous and I hate going in myself--but I have heard good things about hip and knee replacements once you get past the rehab I've heard people marvel at being pain free. Let us know what the second opinion dr says.
The new flooring looks great.
Wonderful post! :)
I think it's a good idea to see another ortho. I was comfortable with the doc who replaced my knees. Dr. Olsen was confident, no nonsense and kind. He was also young, mid 30's and looked like Doogie Howser. It will be 4 years for the right and 3 years for the left next month. Glad I did it.
The hip replacement doctor was not my favorite, but since he had done my carpel tunnel surgery on both wrists several years before, I went with him. (My knee doc does not do hips) It worked out fine, and the replaced hip has worked out well for over 3 years.
An empty basement/cellar is my dream. But, I have a husband who cannot let go of crap. I keep telling him, we are getting older and will have to hire the job out..don't die and leave the job to me! lol. I envy your uncluttered and clean cellar!
What a job getting the AVL back on line/in line. I'm glad it worked; it's your baby. Getting the basement settled was more job than I can believe. I remember the floor in Linda's New York basement. It was dirt, too, packed hard by a hundred years of feet.
I look forward to the new specialist's recommendation. One ortho "showed" me both knees were bone on bone and needed replaced. The second opinion was that I had pseudo arthritis. I've been fine with that for the last ten years.
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