surviving the Fire Swamp and pansy showers

first off, thanks to everyone for the support after my last post. it appears to have been a drug reaction! i have been able to wean off of a couple medications since the longer-onset allergy/asthma treatments have achieved full efficacy and am happy to report that the pain has mostly lifted. i think Travy is even happier than i am - he says that i no longer seem to be struggling just to live through the day, that i seem a lot more like i am actually alive instead of just barely living. it will probably still be a long road to fully regaining my 'me', but it is nice to be able to see 'around' the pain.

because Travy will not be able to get time off at Christmas, i sent him home to Colorado for Thanksgiving. i couldn't go anywhere since i am on clinics, but it is not the first Thanksgiving i have spent 'alone'. my service ended up with a number of inpatients so i spent a fair bit of time at the hospital, especially Thursday/Friday. mainly i have spent my 'holiday' navigating the swamp of impending deadlines, lectures, and research work. it took most of Thursday, Friday and a good part of Saturday, but i finally feel i have tamed most of my ROUS's.

...enough so that i was able to make a run to Home Depot yesterday. i have been looking forward to Tennessee winter so eagerly because it brings the Tennessee winter annual. the pansy. i love pansies. actually, i love all of the flower-faced flowers- pansies, violas and violets.

with as poorly as i have been feeling, i was starting to worry i would not get to have my own pansies. it shouldn't come as surprise, therefore, that i kinda overshot with the flower purchases. not that it is possible to have too many pansies but the space available to me really does not wish to accommodate two flats each of violas and pansies with an additional flat of Dusty Miller for good measure. so i did what any sane person would- i planted every inch of space available in my yard and then rang my elderly neighbor's doorbell.

her: Yes?
me: Hi! I kind of overshot with the pansies and was wondering whether you would like me to plant some in your yard.
her: Um. It is a little chippy out. Are you sure you aren't catching a chill?
me: No, no. I'm fine. Plenty warm. But I still have a lot of flowers. So I was wondering whether you would like me to plant some for you...?
her: [trying to subtly place herself a little more squarely behind her door] So, what was your name? I seem to have forgotten.
me: Jacqui. So... would you like some pansies?
her: Well, I don't really take care of things but if you think they won't need care... I guess you could plant them.
me: Great!
her: [awkward pause] Well, you take care.
me: You too! Have a great weekend.

i planted a lot of pansies in her yard and still ended up digging out an additional flower pot to finish them off. i was going to put the pot on her porch but decided that might be a little too much for her.

last night, after i finished up my chores and a battled a few more ROUS's, i kicked off the annual 'Drown myself in Christmas movies' marathon. yesterday's new find was A Grandpa for Christmas with Ernest Borgnine. it seems wrong somehow to compare them, but his demeanor and mannerisms reminded me so much of Mickey that it was almost like she wasn't so far away. i miss her miss keenly this year... i think last year there was still so much shock that i couldn't exactly feel my response to her absence.

i was also able to finish up some spinning and take pictures of all my recent crafting... dig.

Meet the 70s sock weight:


No. 2 fingering weight (carbonized bamboo):


Rodeo skies sport weight:


Rodeo skies bulky:


there is knitting content as well.

Christmas socks:


Mystic Waters lace:


today i have some reading to do about Ankylosing Spondylitis for two of my dearest and most beloved friends. [no, i didn't forget. i just haven't been able to think well enough at the end of the day to do this sooner.]

where we celebrate the headache

today i went to see the internist who also took my headache seriously. so seriously, in fact, that she ordered a same-day CT scan. six stress-filled hours, three work projects, and the first half of a sock foot knit, frogged and rebuilt, later...

i am proud to report that although my mind may sometimes be dirty, my brain is clean!

so tonight i am celebrating that i have a headache because - although we haven't figured out how to get rid of it yet - headache is certainly a big step closer to healthy than brain tumor would be.

here i bring you Harvest Gourds... i'm calling it that because the colors are true to all those random squashes with which holiday tables are festooned. it is 4 oz BFL from the painted sheep in colorway Tiger Lily, final WPI=16. there is about 500 yards. it also is the first yarn i have spun on my new wheel (wheeeeeeee!) and my first experience with double drive. given those caveats, i am pretty happy.

odd ends

my productivity has been poor, both craft-and life-wise, because i continue to struggle with the headache that will not die. two weeks ago, i realized it had been pretty much six weeks with no respite. the allergy meds had finally kicked in but the pain remained...

bummer.

[copious whining redacted]

in the end, the allergist scripted me antibiotics for sinus infection. the pharmacist was impressed with the dose and duration. keep your fingers crossed.

which is a long way of saying, anything i have been trying to do the last two weeks is late and probably not done yet since my head still hurts.

craft updates:

Sweet Peas are blocked and lovely. blocking wires made the blocking so much faster and less painful.

Pumpkin Eater after setting the twist. 3 ply of Suffolk, Suffolk and tussah silk. 17 WPI. perfect for socks.

baby blankie for charity. brainless. allowed me to control nervous energy during meetings without herniating brain.


and i completely missed politics this election cycle. [tsk]

go vote.