Christmas 2019

Sunday afternoon, Dec 22 - Late afternoon Bobby came home from his Mom's with a fever. We were thinking kidney stone, and I started mentally preparing myself for Christmas at Rex Hospital.

Two hours later, I crawl in the bed beside him with the realization this is no kidney stone we're facing. 10 hours later, after me being up every single hour, he's no longer physically sick but is still running a fever. Thankfully it's the only time in our marriage we've both been sick at the same time. Being a care giver and that ill simply does not work.  I spend over half of my birthday between the bathroom and the couch, but fever free. About 4pm I finally feel well and  his temp is almost gone. I start packing, though we're still on the fence about going anywhere.

Christmas Eve we travel...no fever and illness for either one of us. Before departing, I realize the septic tank is overflowing. En route to AL I get a phone call from the credit union asking about purchases made on our credit card...which we didn't make. 

Christmas Day...queasy all day, but a low key day with family. Much needed.

26th - we all sleep in. My sisters and I continue the 2,000 piece puzzle that my sisters started on Christmas Eve. It's way harder than it looks. My older sister and brother-in-law finish it during supper that evening.

27th - Mom and Dad's 57th wedding anniversary. We all gather at Jean's on the River for supper. It was a neat experience.

28th - We make the 10 hr trek back home.

It was a good trip and a great time with family. And it's the first time I ever remembering not sampling all the Christmas goodies. Hoping Tuesday is low key and a day to rest before the craziness of life picks back up again.

trip one down

A few weeks ago Mom's cardiologist told her he would like to schedule an arteriogram. Her nuclear stress test showed some new irregularities that he was concerned about.

I know that arteriograms are routine procedures. But routine heart procedures, like any other physical procedure, can always go wrong. And with Mom's health status, it wasn't something I felt comfortable staying home during when we could be there with a few minor inconveniences.

So we shifted our schedules as much as we could. My mother-in-law had an appointment that couldn't be rescheduled Tuesday morning, so we left about 12:30 Tuesday afternoon. We made it to Irondale, AL about 9:30pm Alabama time (10:30 NC time) where stayed in a hotel. With Bobby's disability, bedtime is never as simple as simply crawling in the bed. It was about 11:45 before I turned off the last lamp. Our alarm went off at 4:30am, and by 6:10am we were on our way to the hospital in downtown Birmingham. We got there in time to see Mom and visit a little before her procedure.

Even though my brother had planned to come, he got called in to work. My niece had a final exam, so my sister had to wait for her to be finished (around 10am) before she could come. I was very glad we went so Dad didn't have to be in the waiting room alone. People often forget that preachers need a comforting word during trying times, too. As time drug on and other family members of people having the same procedures came and went, we knew Mom was either having stints inserted into her arteries or they had experienced complications. Dad was getting very concerned.

Finally the doctor showed up. There was a blockage in one of the arteries and it was successfully stinted. The congestive heart failure had improved, as had the pressure between the chambers. Her leaking valve has not worsened. The bad but to be expected news was the he feels this blockage was caused by her lupus and the chronic inflammation. The best outcome was before she left the hospital the next day he gave her the names of two different pulmonary cardiologists (she's had a next to impossible time getting the required appointments with the one she has) AND both of them are in the county where they live!! So that is certainly one answer to prayer.

I wasn't able to get everything done for my parents that I had hoped or planned, but I was able to get a few things done. And my younger sister (who is a teacher) is now out of school, so she's been a great help to Mom today. My older sister will be arriving there on Monday, so between the two of them I think they'll be able to keep Mom in check and help her with the things that need to be done. I think this will be a very different Christmas for us, though a good one.

I'm so thankful for a husband who is willing to drive 20+ hours in four days and help me see about the multitude of things that need to be done.

excitement

Guess what came in the mail today?!!!

still in progress

Last month one of the local quilt shops I frequent (Bernina World of Sewing) had a demo class on their sergers.  Of course, it was leading into their Christmas sale, but one of the perks of taking the class was a few feet for free. I was thinking I wanted to purchase one of the cheaper models, but after trying out the machine and seeing what it could do and then playing on the other models, I decided paying the extra money would be worth it. But would I use it enough to justify the purchase?

Even though I've spent a fair amount of time at the Bernina store, I've never owned a Bernina before.

What amazed me was how well everything was packaged. I mean, the contents of these boxes all fit into the little clear bin next to the iron (which was part of the package deal). There was only one food that wouldn't fit that has stayed in its box.

 

I was able to purchase the thread for it at JoAnns during their week of Black Friday sales, but I've not had time to read through the manual and refresh my mind on everything I learned in class. Hopefully next week I'll get the machine threaded and finish the pillowcases for the SouthernWake Quilter's Guild president's challenge. (I'll have to explain that mouthful another time!)

So I'm branching out. One of the skills I hope to master next year is my serger...specifically hems on pants!

standstill

A few weeks ago I went outside to give the grass its last cut (hooray!) before "winter" and the belt broke. We had it repaired and serviced for the winter. The guys brought it back last week, but my schedule was maxed out. Today was the last warm day for a while, so I was determined I was going to squeeze in the front yard today, if nothing else. Cranked the machine up, and the belt was smoking a little bit. Sometimes new belts do that for the first few minutes. Sure enough, after the first pass, it quit.  At the end of pass three, the deck started shaking. I stopped the blades, backed up, looked underneath, and the belt is off. I've already called and schedule a pickup for tomorrow. To be honest, I don't know whether to be frustrated or relieved. Yes, the front yard is only halfway cut. But I'm also tired. After two presentations this morning and more things to do tonight, it's a little nice to have something off my schedule, even if it is off because of problems.

On to the next thing!!

on the mend

The middle of September I began experiencing my normal fall congestion/sneezing, etc.  Except this time my ears begin to fill up with fluid. It finally reached a point where one ear was totally stopped up and I couldn't hear out of it.
I've been through a round of steroids, a round of antibiotic ear drops, and this past week I finally saw an ENT. He vacuumed out my ear, and I could hear!!! But then he put powder and a syringe full of medicine in it, so it is stopped up again. I go back in two weeks where he'll clean it out and possibly repeat the process. (The ear canal was still halfway swollen shut so he couldn't take care of everything...as opposed to totally swollen shut a few weeks ago!) It's still ringing some, but the pressure is gone, and for that I'm extremely grateful. Had a brief scare today when my left ear started filling up.  I think if I had muffled/no hearing in both ears I would go crazy. I have several friends who have gone deaf in one ear, and it makes me wonder  how they adjusted. It's been hard.  I can't tell how loud or soft I'm talking. Sometimes I can hear a person's voice but their words are a few degrees toward the adults in a Peanuts movie. Sometimes my voice echoes in my head, and it sounds really strange when I eat.
It seems like it's been one thing after the other this year.  Poison ivy reaction which took several months to totally clear, a bad fall that I'm still not totally recovered from, and now this. I'm hoping 2020 will be less injury/sickness heavy!

Cherokee salad

We stopped at a restaurant in Cherokee one day for lunch called The Princess. It had a buffet and was incredibly good.  I don't know how authentic the food is, but there was one cold salad on the salad bar I had never had before, but really enjoyed.

Raw collards, chopped small
Thin sliced tomatoes
Round balls of cheese...not sure if it was mozzarella or what.

And these three ingredients were marinated in a dressing that was similar to Italian, though not quite that. It was really good, and turned out to be one of my favorite foods there that day.

We had to ask what the cheese was. I thought it might be an egg of some kind, but when I bit into it the taste and texture was more like bland chicken. The lady thought I was crazy when I asked, but said it was cheese. I wish I had followed up with what kind of cheese, but I didn't.