Saturday, December 11, 2010

Takin' It Easy

Standin' on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona

I could be standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, like a line in one of my favorite Eagles' songs, but I'm not. This time I'm paying more attention to the song title: "Take It Easy".

I haven't been around much, and there's a reason for that. November 20 when Denis got home from work, I asked him to take me to the emergency room. That alone had to scare the puddin' out of him because he knows that if I had a Loathe List, doctors and hospitals would be right at the top.  Well, the upshot of this whole business is that I've got some female parts that are seriously out of whack. That's about all I'm going to say on the matter because it's not just men who hear the phrase "female problems" and start to cringe and mutter, "TMI! TMI!"  I do, too!

I've already had the joy of several tests, and I'll be undergoing some exploratory surgery on December 23. (Ho, ho, ho!) In the meantime, I've been silently going nuts. I have no energy and no strength, so there's not been any holiday decorations going up in this house. My Wordless Wednesday posts for the month of December will help me think of what this house looks like when it's all gussied up for Christmas. There's not much housecleaning going on, and not much cooking.

What brings tears to my eyes is knowing how blessed I am. Denis has been working full-time, buying groceries, doing laundry-- he even cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Words simply cannot express how I feel about this man of mine.

I've been lying across the bed in the sun reading and napping. So far I've managed not to crack myself in the head with a book when I've fallen asleep. And I've been needlepointing stars for Christmas trees, using a lot of yarn that I've had for a decade or two. Most of them have been done in batches of five, but I'll show you a sample of several of them:


The lighting fought me tooth and nail, so you're not seeing true colors in some cases. Working on these has helped to keep my mind off things it doesn't do a bit of good to worry about, and I've always enjoyed working with color and texture. I can stitch away and watch HGTV holiday programming and streaming movies from Netflix.

My desk is a tip. (In fact, taking this picture shamed me into cleaning a portion of it this morning--but not all of it, Heather!) I've been doing the minimum daily requirements here before wandering off to choose my next book to read. I haven't been reading blogs, although I occasionally check Twitter and Facebook to try to keep in the loop a bit. It's just not comfortable sitting here for any length of time.

When your body betrays you, it seems as though your mind and everything else draws in to protect you, and it's amazing how many computer-related things I always enjoyed doing daily have just flown out the window.

The last thing I'll share with you in this "checking in" post is a bit of Twilight Zone magic. I fell in love with one of the color combinations of stars I've been making, and I've decided to make quite a few for one of my own trees. I wanted to do something to make these ornaments even more special, and an idea came to mind almost immediately.

My grandmother collected antique china head dolls. In many cases, she either had to repair the cloth bodies or make brand-new ones, and she also made a lot of period clothing for them. She would go to estate sales and auctions out on farms in the area, always on the look-out for box lots of sewing notions-- especially small scale notions that would look just right on the doll clothes she made.

I inherited-- and kept-- quite a few of those old sewing notions, and I remembered spools of braid that probably date from the 1940s. I got my grandmother's pinking shears and a ruler ready, and set out the spool of black braid. It was a bit messy, so I removed the straight pin to unkink the outer layers of braid.

I needed five pieces of braid that were eight inches long. Six eight-inch-long pieces of braid fell on the desk.

Call me delusional, but I felt the presence of my grandmother in the room then! (I won't say a word about Rod Serling's voice....)

I don't know when I'll be back to blogging "full time", but I'm going to have to do something soon-- the books that need to be reviewed are piling higher and higher on the desk. I don't want them to topple and give me a concussion on top of everything else! Perhaps you'll be seeing a couple of Weekend Book Review Marathons soon.

Thank you for all the good thoughts, wishes and prayers you've been leaving in comments. They mean a very great deal to me.

Happy Holidays!

25 comments:

  1. Cathy - I am so sorry to hear you've been "on the fritz," so to speak. I'm glad you're being wise enough to rest and take care of you first. We miss you, but we'll still be here when you get back to full speed...

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  2. LOL @ the TMI comment - I don't know why some women automatically assume that because you're a woman too you'll want to hear graphic details of their problematic 'female parts'.

    Of course we miss you but it's much more important that you take care of yourself (or let that wonderful bloke of yours take care of you) and get yourself back in full blogging condition when you're ready.

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  3. We miss you, but do take care of yourself, and say thank you to Dennis from me for looking after a blogger I really appreciate!

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  4. Cathy, I'm so sorry that you having troubles with your "parts". I've been there, done that and know that these things are not fun or easy. I've missed seeing your posts, but I'm glad to know that you are taking good care of yourself (and thank your sweet husband for caring for you so well!) and turning your interests to other things right now. Keep us informed if you can, but if you can't, know that we are thinking of you and will continue to do so. Hope all goes well in the upcoming surgery and that you get some answers. Hugs big time to you!!!

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  5. Cathy, thanks for the update. I'm sending you good wishes. I love the stars!!

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  6. Take care of yourself and get well. At least you have a game plan and are working to get better.

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  7. I can only hope that you get better soon and the doctor's fix you up lickity split! Sounds like you have an incredibly sweet husband to help you through this difficult time. Happy holidays!

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  8. Many good thoughts and get well wishes to you, Cathy. Hope you'll be feeling better as soon as possible.

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  9. I've been missing your posts and am so sorry about the reason for not writing them - carry on taking things easy! I hope it all goes well on Dec 23 and that you regain your strength and energy very soon.

    Thinking of you!

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  10. Boy do I understand your phrase "when your body betrays you." I hope the doctors can figure out how to jerk it back in line for you. In the meantime, I'll be wishing you strength and perseverence. Thanks for telling us a bit of what's been going on.

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  11. Good thoughts coming your way - I have had a few bouts in the past six months that laid me low for three or four days - I know what it's like to feel like you're never going to feel good again. Hang in there - we'll wait patiently for you to get better.

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  12. Margot-- Thanks so much!

    Bernadette-- I've never been able to understand that myself... or when someone's pregnant there's always at least one person in the group who'll start sharing pregnancy and childbirth horror stories. *sigh*

    Dorte-- I'll give him at least one extra hug. :)

    Kay-- Thank you so much. Your hugs mean a lot.

    Mary-- I wondered if someone would mention the stars. I'm glad you like them!

    Page-- I can't stand being forced to inactivity. If I choose to be lazy, that's an entirely different thing! ;)

    Leah-- I know some women will disagree with me, but I KNOW that I have the best husband in the universe!

    Melissa-- Thank you so very much!

    Margaret-- Thank you!

    Jeanne-- You're welcome. I figured some of you might be wondering what's going on. :)

    T-- Thank you. I hope you're feeling 100% now???

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  13. Being under the weather, especially when it involves weakness and tiredness, is so hard! I hope that you feel better soon and that they are able to take care of everything for you easily.

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  14. I see you still have your trademark sense of humour, despite these slings and arrows. My best wishes for a speedy recovery and a very read-y Christmas!

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  15. Good to see you back, even for a little while! We'll still be here when you're better. I hope the doctors - and your husband - keep taking good care of you, and be sure to take care of yourself, too!

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  16. Rest up and I hope you feel better! I completely understand what you're going through- the past 3 months I've been in and out of the emergency room and had plenty of tests. It's a slow fight sometimes to get back to "normal", but I'm sure you'll get there! Your hubby sounds like a great guy too!

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  17. I think the worst part of being "out of whack" is not knowing the real reason. At least when my female parts went awry - I found out right away what was wrong and it was taken care of immediately.

    I hope they give you some definitive answers and you are back to your old chipper self in no time. Hubby sounds like a wonderful guy and a real keeper. Rest up, take care and my thoughts and best wishes are with you.

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  18. I think the worst part of being "out of whack" is not knowing the real reason. At least when my female parts went awry - I found out right away what was wrong and it was taken care of immediately.

    I hope they give you some definitive answers and you are back to your old chipper self in no time. Hubby sounds like a wonderful guy and a real keeper. Rest up, take care and my thoughts and best wishes are with you.

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  19. I do miss your every day blogs, but having been there, done that, I know you just don't have the energy or inspiration. Thanks to Denis, although my Dave is right up there too, and I'll be thinking of you on the 23rd (as I do every day).

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  20. Take care of yourself and know that you are in all of our thoughts and prayers.

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  21. Thinking of you and hoping your in tip top shape soon. Kudos to that wonderful man of yours.

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  22. So sorry to hear you aren't feeling good! Good luck with the surgery and I hope all goes well on the 23rd.

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  23. Isn't it interesting the way memories, people like your grandmother, crafts, reading, and especially your husband can hold you up? Your blog friends help too. You are often in my prayers.

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  24. You already know that I have been and will continue to send good vibrations your way. You'll soon be on your feet and back your energetic self.

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  25. Alyce-- Thank you!

    Susan-- Thank you. Read-y Christmas to you, too!

    Florinda-- You've not been having a fun time of it either. Good vibes heading your way from me!

    Suzanne-- He is a wonderful guy. I don't think I could've come up with a better soul match for myself even if I'd put in a custom order. :)

    Kaye-- Thanks so much!

    Barbara-- Thanks. That means a lot to me. :)

    Ryan-- Thank you!

    Jennifer-- I don't know what I would do without him.

    Kris-- Thanks!

    Joe-- Thank you.

    Beth-- Thanks! :)

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