July 15, 2009 - "Grease" is the word!

That's right! I know you're dying to hear (and see) about it so I won't bore you with the mundane details of my day up to this point...

Reminder: To enlarge any picture, just click on it, then hit the "Back" button on your browser to return to this post.

Mom, Sue, and I had a nice drive up to Philadelphia from Elkton. One thing, though, completely threw me off. I kept seeing these long lines of traffic in the turn lanes. All of a sudden I see a car facing the wrong direction at the beginning of a turn lane; it was facing me. I almost slammed on my breaks. Then I saw that no one was in any of the cars. These people actually PARK in the middle of the freakin' streets! What the hell?! Sue said, "That's South Philly for you!" Talk about bass-ackwards! Where I come from, that would get you a huge ticket and your car towed.

Anyway, we parked in the garage Sue directed us toward, walked to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts where Sue showed us the backstage door so that we could wait for her after the show, and then we walked down the block to have dinner at Applebee's. It's not my favorite place to eat, but there was nothing else around that was affordable and semi-quick. We only had an hour before we needed to be back at the Kimmel Center for the show.

Sue told us about a wonderful restaurant across the street. A Chocolate Restaurant! Mom said she didn't need it and I am not a big chocolate eater, so we passed on that one. I had to laugh at the sign and Mom asked me to get a picture for Ben. "Chocolate by the Bald Man" it fits him!

We made it back to the theatre just in time for the doors to open. Sue had told us to look for the head usher, Frank. As luck would have it, Frank was the one who opened the doors right in front of us. He took us to another usher and asked her to tell the ushers in the area around our seats that I had my tea for medical reasons (food and drinks are not allowed).

And then we arrived at our seats. Oh My Gosh! We need to get seats from Sue more often! They were awesome! They were just above the seats on the theatre floor so nothing obstructed our view.

The cast was amazing and it was very interesting to hear new songs and see the differences between the movie and the stage production. I loved it! The part of Sandy was done by the understudy and I thought she was wonderful. I would have thought she was the lead actress.

I have to admit that during the show, I spent alot of time watching the sign language interpreters. There were three of them: one for Sandy's part, one for Danny's part, and one for the chorus. The interpreters for Danny's and Sandy's parts did the male and female parts when others were on stage. Sandy's interpreter showed such emotion in her face! Her expressions were exaggerated so as to be visible from a distance and I couldn't help but laugh at some of them. I thought she was great!

After the curtain calls I saw some flashes going off and I didn't notice any ushers rushing to take cameras away so I took out my camera to take a picture of the entire cast doing a reprise of "We Go Together" with Taylor Hicks (American Idol, season 5 winner) at center stage.

Taylor also performed a song from his new album. I have to admit that I couldn't hear all the words, but it sounded good. The song he performed was "Seven Mile Breakdown" and is available on iTunes. I apologize for the fuzziness of the picture, but the low light and the distance between the stage and my seat were too much for my little point-and-shoot to overcome.

Afterwards, Taylor went out the the lobby to sign autographs. I snapped this picture while he was there.

Mom and I went around to the backstage door to wait for Sue. She promised us a backstage tour, remember? Mom and I were both looking forward to that!

To see the full photo album, click here.

Sue was telling us that when the show first arrives, the stage is completely empty. They even bring in their own flooring. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw Greased Lightening (the car) hanging from the ceiling amongst all the rigging. By the way, that's Kenickie on the left.


Sue showed us the women's quick-change room on the stage. There's also a makeup area behind the curtain.

It was so cool seeing they behind-the-scenes (pun intended) working of a stage production of this size.

Here's a look at more of the scenery behind the curtain. The ice cream cone is how Taylor appeared onstage. He was inside as it was lowered from above the "diner."

As we were looking around in wide-eyed amazement backstage guess who walked right towards us to get to his dressing room?!

Taylor was very gracious to stop for pictures with us. When he called Sue over, she said "I didn't expect this!" Thank you, Taylor! You made Mom's and Sue's day!




Taylor with Mom (Janice)






Taylor and Sue








Me and Taylor




I'm sure he has camera flashes going off in his face all the time, so before I took a picture I asked if it was okay with him. He continued on his way upstairs and we continued on with our tour.

Here are some of the wigs for the cast. Even the men wear them. There are two of most because there's one for the main actor/actress and one for the understudy.



This is the upstairs makeup area located with the wigs.







And this is a similar suit to the one Taylor wore onstage as Teen Angel. This one, however, belongs to his understudy.



That was my day! I was so exhausted I went to bed as soon as we got home, after calming Kasey down, of course. She wasn't happy about being left home again. I didn't want Sue to have to try to make special arrangements for her, thinking that we were going to be down on the floor. If I'd known we were going to have a box, she would have been with me.

July 14, 2009 - Dog Hair & Dinner

A certain Golden Girl woke me up at 8am to show me the wonderful felted ball she was holding in her mouth. When she does this, she's not asking to play; you're simply supposed to admire whatever she's holding and tell her how brilliant she is. If you try to take it to play fetch, she turns her head, or her entire body, as if she's playing "keep-away."

So I was awake. I tried to go back to sleep for about half an hour but gave up. I went downstairs to check for any messages on the computer. I felt like my right arm was missing because of leaving my cell phone at home.

The funny thing is, though, that I knew I was going to forget it. Sue called me on my way home from dialysis and I walked into the house with the phone and bluetooth. I left my purse in the truck because I wasn't going to be home all that long. I said to myself that if I didn't take my purse in, I would forget the phone. That's exactly what happened, too! I really need to start listening to myself more, or stop jinxing myself. One or the other!

I went over to pick Sue up at 9:30 this morning, as we agreed, and the trip up to Wilmington went smoothly. There were no backups on I-95 so we arrived a little early at the train station. On the way up, Sue asked if I'd like to see the show she was working on. I asked which one it was, because she's been on several national tours with musicals. She was with Les Miserables for 7 1/2 years and did Phantom of the Opera, too. This time, though, she's working on Grease. I thought Mom would jump at the chance to see it, especially since Taylor Hicks (American Idol winner, season 5) was playing Teen Angel (singing Beauty School Dropout).

I called Mom using Sue's cell and we decided to go tomorrow night. Otherwise, I'd have to go home and drive back up because the show only runs until Sunday. We arranged for Sue to ride up and back with us Wednesday and she even promised to give us a back-stage tour! How cool is that?!

After Sue went to get her train, Kasey and I headed back towards Mom's. I remembered her asking about us coming by her work for lunch but I had told her I'd be too late for that. Since it was about 11am, I set the GPS for Mom's work to find the quickest way to get there. It wasn't quite time for lunch when I arrived at the office so Mom sent me to the pharmacy for some calming medicine for Ricco. She had been told it was an OTC med, but you had to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. The pharmacist gave me a funny look and informed me that it was a prescription-only med. I'm not sure if the states have different distribution rules, but the pharmacy was in Delaware and the person who told Mom about the medicine lives in Maryland.

While I was out, I drove farther down Rt 40 to the Chick-Fil-A for a chargrilled chicken wrap. I discovered these last year and just love them! I got back to Mom's office right at noon and we sat in the conference room to eat. Kasey slept on the floor beside me to make sure I didn't get away from her.

After lunch, I dropped Kasey off and Mom's and went over to Joe and Susan's to walk Shandi and Nemo. I also decided to clip Shandi down while I was there. This is my Gruesome Twosome. They are quite the pair! Shandi is the gold one sitting down. Nemo is the silver grizzle standing up.

For those who haven't been reading Crossed Purposes that long, Shandi was mine until she was 5 1/2 years old. She became too much for me to handle as my health deteriorated and when Mom moved to Elkton in 2006, she called to tell me the people behind her had a silver Saluki. That silver Saluki was Shandi's puppyhood "boyfriend," Nemo! Shandi's breeder imported Nemo from Australia when he was about 6 months old and I house sat for her almost every weekend until her death in early 2003, when Shandi was 18 months old.

After that, the breeder's husband was very close-lipped about where Nemo went and most of us who knew them thought that Nemo had been euthanized. The breeder's friends were elated when I called to tell them I found Nemo and that he was fat and happy. When Joe found out that I needed to find a new home for Shandi he said, "Well, you found one!" He told me Susan would never forgive him if he didn't because she'd been wanting another Saluki from the same lines. She had two of them years before and was missing the breed. The fact that Nemo and Shandi were buddies from puppyhood just made it all that much better. As you can see, Shandi is fat and happy, too. I couldn't have asked for better! Joe and Susan love her dearly, despite the fact that she's a terror.

Anyway, I digress (I know-what else is new?!).

I took Shandi out to the deck and had her stand on the bench so I wouldn't have to break my back while clipping off all her fuzzies. It took a while to get her done because I had to let the clippers cool off, but she finally went from looking like a (H)Afghan back to looking like a Saluki!

Unfortunately, all the clippings seemed to somehow migrate to my clothes! I was covered in Shandi's fuzzies. Everywhere I sat, I left a bit behind.

Here she is, resting after her "ordeal." At least, that's how she's going to play it up to Joe and Susan when they get home tonight! Her mother's name was Diva and I should have named her Drama Queen, because she is!

I never saw a dog throw a temper tantrum until I got Shandi Renee! If she is told "no" about going outside, she stomps in a circle chasing her tail. If she's outside and wants to come in, she shreds whatever she can find if you don't let her in right away. She poisoned herself on an azaela bush in my yard twice before I found out azaelas are poisonous to dogs. She also shredded three screens on the porch. I love her, but my house is soooo much more peaceful without her!

I tried getting a nice head study of Nemo, but as soon as he saw the camera he put his chin on the floor and did his "I am superior and you do not exist" routine.

After going back to Mom's to shower and change, and calling Sue to tell her she had two Salukis, instead of a Half-ghan & a Saluki, I met my high school girlfriend, Petrena, for dinner. We had a wonderful time together! We talked and talked. So much so that we went to the park in Elkton and walked all the way around it, probably about a mile. When we were done that, we were still talking so we went to the swings and chatted more.

We hadn't seen each other in fifteen years, but all that time seemed to fall away and we were right back where we left off. After both our posteriors fell asleep from being squeezed by the swings, we went back into town to her house and chatted for a couple more hours. It was 10:30 before I headed back home!

When I got there, I felt awful because I'd left Kasey with Ben and Mom and she was very upset. She was not happy and had worked herself into a fine fettle by the time I walked through the door. Ben said he couldn't get her to stop running around looking for me and barking. Because I was going to a strange restaurant and Kasey refuses to get under a table, I chose not to take her. I thought she'd feel comfortable in Mom's house with people and other dogs she knew but I am her security blanket; nothing and no one else matters.

We went to bed right around midnight because I was so worn out from my long day. As usual, Kasey slept on the tile floor in the upstairs bathroom. It has a direct view into my bedroom and at the top of the stairs, so she knows I can't escape her sight. Silly girl!

July 13, 2009 - Test Day

Well, I did it! I woke up before noon! I was at the college between 10 and 11:00am. I went to the admissions office first and spoke briefly with the Admissions Advisor. Then he sent me to another building to take the English and Math placement tests. Kasey slept on the floor behind me while I completed the tests.

They give you the results while you wait, so I wasn't held in suspense. My English score was high enough to get me out of ENG 111 and ENG 112. I only have to take the highest English class AACC offers, ENG 121. Math, on the other hand, I need a refresher. I have to take the highest non-credit math course before I am allowed to enroll in college-level math. It's called MA 012, and I was told it's basically Algebra 2. That's not bad, considering I haven't had any math since the first semester of my Senior year of high school. That was almost 17 years ago! I was pretty happy with both results.

Dialysis went as usual and I came home to get my overnight bag, Kasey, and my laptop. We headed across the Bay Bridge without hitting any backups. Then when I got almost to the rest stop on 301N, I realized I couldn't find my cell phone. I pulled over at the rest stop to look through my purse, stitching bag, and overnight bag. No cell phone!

HOW am I supposed to live without that?! Especially since it's the only phone I have and I'm still waiting for the Disability Services office to call me with an appointment date and time. AKKK!

I thought about turning around to get it, but I couldn't see paying the bridge toll and making a 65-mile detour for a cell phone. I'll be home Wednesday morning, anyway.

I stopped by Joe & Susan's to give them Mom's house number because they only had the cell number, too. When Joe and I spoke yesterday he mentioned that he was going to be in DC all day and Sue had to be at the theatre but he wasn't sure how they were going to get her to the train. I volunteered to take her, because the train station was straight up I-95 in Wilmington.

Sue called me after I left dialysis and we agreed to leave at 9:30 Tuesday morning. She also asked me if I wouldn't mind trimming Shandi for her. Joe did it last winter and neither Sue nor I were pleased with the fact that he trimmed off her ears and all of her feathering, along with the over-growth of hair she develops because of being spayed. Instead of looking like a Saluki, people mistake Shandi for an Afghan Hound because she has a perfect red saddle with white cottony hair all over.

I raised Shandi until she was 5 1/2 years old and had clipped her down many times, so I told Sue it would be no problem.

I drove on to Mom's, arriving right around 9p.m. Mom was in the craft room ironing her new curtains, so I sat in the glider to keep her company. We watched some tv and talked for a while. When she was done, she went downstairs to go to bed and I broke out the laptop to update FaceBook. It was an early night for both of us because Mom had to work in the morning and I had to drive Sue to the train.

While I was waiting for my test results at AACC, I was able to do some stitching on Ocean Star. I decided that I wanted to do an easy part so I began working on the border.

July 4 - Independence Day!

Notice how I wrote that? It's a pet peeve of mine. The DATE is July 4th, or 4th of July. Today is a HOLIDAY: INDEPENDENCE DAY! Everyone has a 4th of July. Only the United States of America has INDEPENDENCE DAY on July 4th! To understand a little better why I feel this way, please read this post.

I finally slept last night! After waking up around 1am to feed Kasey and eat something, I went back to bed and read for about an hour and zonked out again. I'm still tired because we did so much walking around yesterday, but nothing like last night. Wow! I was exhausted when we got home.

I went downstairs around 10:30 and started getting my clothes folded and put away because I'm heading home today. No way am I waiting til Sunday when everyone else will be heading home! If I'm lucky, Uncle Jay and Trish will be having their usual cookout and I can stop there to enjoy some time with that side of the family and some great food, too.

Mom had me take this picture of Ricco because she couldn't believe he fit himself onto one step. He's as tall or taller than Kasey! Of course Mom is standing just out of the camera's view, but he's laying on a single step nonetheless. Silly puppy! He wanted Mom's attention and he got it!

Dad has to play music this afternoon and Mom is going with him, so she asked me to stay til around 4pm so that she didn't have to drive separately. I didn't have a problem with that since there were still some of my clothes in the washer and I want to finish my Needlepoint Spring Quilt by Handblessings before I leave.

So that's what I did! It took a few hours of stitching, but around 3:15 I completed NSQ!

I packed up the truck and left Mom's around 3:45 to head home. I called Grandma when I was just outside Chesapeake City to see if she'd be home. I was livid to find out that she was not only not home, but also she was in Corsica Hills Rehabilitation Center! She had her knee replaced for the second time on June 4th and had been in CHRC for three weeks already! I think the steam was coming out of the top of my head, I was so angry at my father's side of the family for not calling me! I didn't even know she had the surgery because it wasn't scheduled the last time I saw Grandma! She didn't even mention it the last time we talked on the phone. What makes it worse, is that she had the surgery at the hospital five minutes from my house! She was there for a few days; I could have gone to see her if I'd known she was there!

I didn't take many pictures as I was busy playing with Kasey and talking to my father, stepmother, and other family members. Oh! Eating! Yeah, the food was excellent, Trish! It was nice to see my aunt's father and ex-FIL both able to attend. I know it probably sounds weird, but in this side of the family, half the "grand kids" are actually step-grandkids. Everyone's treated the same and Trish's problems were with her ex-husband, not his parents, who are still her daughter's grandparents. So Mr Gayle comes over for most holiday dinners, including Christmas and Easter. I wish everyone remembered that where the kids are concerned!

Sure, you split up, but the kids still have two sides of the family! That's how my brother and I were raised, too. Mom used to take us to Grandma's for Christmas because my father didn't come up from Virginia but two or three times a year.

I had to stop what I was doing in order to snap this shot, though! Billy floating in the pool with the noodle protruding. He wanted to know why we didn't warn him earlier when he was floating with his eyes closed. The answer is: Because we were too busy laughing at you!

Kasey was acting very strange today and I have no idea what started it. She walked over to Uncle Jay's back deck, about 50 feet from the pool deck, and sat there waiting for me. I told my father and stepmother that she was ready to go. They didn't believe me.back door being open. I grabbed Kasey's collar and had to pull with all my might to get her out of the truck. I also had to slam the door quickly so that she didn't get back in. She came over to the pool deck with me and laid down in the grass for a while. I opened the back door when Uncle Jay shot off some hand-held fireworks that scared her, though. He was only standing about ten feet away when they went off.

About five minutes later I noticed there was no Kasey Kay in the back of my truck! The boys had just started setting off firecrackers, too. We had to get them to stop all the fireworks and my father and I went looking for Kasey. I found her in the house sitting in the hallway, trying to get into the bathroom. I called her out to the kitchen and she came to me, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was worried/scared. When I heard more fireworks going off and she ran down the hallway, almost knocking over my Aunt Trish's dad, Mr Dwight, I knew it was time to take my baby home.

We crossed the Bay Bridge almost exactly at 9:30pm so I was treated to about a dozen different fireworks displays from that vantage point. After making a quick pit-stop at Wawa on Rt 50 to load up on tea for the remainder of the weekend, we went home. We had a wonderfully relaxing evening by ourselves and Uncle Wes returned from the Yacht Club close to midnight.

July 2-3, From Annapolis to Elkton to Blue Ball

Sorry! I just couldn't resist. My brothers are pervs when they get together and they always thought the names of Pennsylvania towns like Intercourse, Virginsville, and Blue Ball were hilarious. When Mom moved to Elkton we found Blue Ball Road nearby and of course Ian and Ben had to say something. Now Ian lives 15 minutes outside a town called Blue Ball, so I'm sure the novelty has worn off. But I still couldn't resist. We were there, Mom and I. Several times on Friday, in fact. Mom didn't realize we'd already been through there a few times when we headed back to make our fifth and last stop...but that's for later.

First, I need to back-track to Thursday. After stitching most of the night, blogging, and reading email, I finally decided just to stay up so that I could take Kasey to the dog wash as soon as it opened. I made it, but I was a half-hour early as I thought they opened at 8am rather than 9am. Kasey didn't look at the toys so I didn't bother buying her a new one. It's not like she needs more toys, anyway. Her toy basket already overflows when I try to put them all away.

While she was being bathed I headed back down to the Eastport Post Office to mail some RAK's and other things. If I have your address, start stalking your mailman. I sent stuff all over the country, and to at least one other country for that matter! I have three more packages that need to go out but they weigh over 13oz and have to be sent Priority. They will have to wait.

I came home and goofed around on Facebook some more, read more email, and then Mr. Exhaustion caught up to me around noon. That was it! I was out! I missed stitching at Barnes & Noble because I slept through it. And then I could only sleep until 4pm.

Mom called around 6pm to ask me to come up tonight so that we could go to some stores near Lancaster tomorrow. She said she had everything mapped out and directions printed, but there were some things she wanted to get and a smorgasboard someone told her about that she wanted to eat at.

I left around 8:30 because traffic was horrendous today. I stopped at Wendy's to get a Double Stack for me and a plain hamburger for Kasey for dinner. I figured the burgers would tide us both over until we got to Mom's to have a real dinner. Other than a short delay at the Bay Bridge tolls our trip to Elkton was uneventful and we arrived shortly before 10pm.

As a sign of how comfortable Kasey has gotten with Jake and Ricco, she ate her dinner while they were in the room with her. Usually I have to feed her in my bedroom after we go to bed because she will not eat around any other dogs (a result of my old Saluki attacking over food). Apparently she's figured out that the boys are completely safe and won't jump her while she's eating.

Mom said she wanted to get an early start so everyone went to bed early. Sleep didn't cooperate with me, even though I only slept for four hours this afternoon. I was completely frustrated, but I was able to read half a book. After getting only four hours of sleep, AGAIN, I woke up at 8am and dragged myself out of bed and downstairs.

Mom and I left for Pennsylvania at 9:30. She had four stores she wanted to visit, plus stopping by my brother's apartment to see Ian and Sara. Our first destination (after passing through Blue Ball) was Weaver's Store Incorporated where Mom was looking for curtains. We didn't find any there, but many of the store employees stopped us to ask about Kasey. One of the ladies told me that service dog puppy raisers like to bring their puppies in there to expose them to all the different sights and sounds. I thought it was wonderful that they were all so welcoming. I picked up two chew bones for Kasey. I thought $2 a piece was great, considering the last one I gave her was $7. Granted, the other one was bigger, but these should last her a while, at least.

My search of Weaver's shoe department didn't turn up any prospects to join my collection. I'm tired of plastic shoes or shoes whose soles make me fell as if I'm walking in bare feet. I need some cushion, but I can't stand tennis shoes. I only wear slip-on shoes in the summer. And absolutely no socks! My feet need air in nice weather, daggummit!

Next was Shady Maple (going through Blue Ball to get there). Mom kept telling me about this huge smorgasboard she heard about. She wanted to try it out. Apparenly everyone else in the Northeast heard about it, too, because it was packed! I opened the door and the man in front of me turned around and walked back out. The cachophany of noise hit Kasey's ears and she backed up as if to say "Not me!" I saw the line that I couldn't find the beginning of and said "Absolutely NOT!" Thank Goodness for cell phones, because Mom hadn't even returned from parking the car yet. I knew she wouldn't be able to find us in the crush. I called her and told her about the long line and Kasey's reaction to the noise and suggested we go downstairs to the Dutchette Restaurant.

That's where we wound up eating. It was cafeteria/salad bar style, but the food was good. Mom had a turkey club that she enjoyed. She was pleased that it was real sliced turkey and not "slimey" lunchmeat. I had the potato bar and Kasey enjoyed a bowl of ice water. They even had the tiny ice cubes that she likes. For under $12 for the two meals, with drinks, it was a nice lunch.

After eating we went to the attached Gift Shop, which is a misnomer. The place takes up the entire downstairs of the building, with the restaurant to one side. The website says it's 40,000 square feet. The building itself is ginormous! They had toys, a quilt shop, candles, wind chimes, home decor, souveniers, collectibles, you name it! Mom found some gifts and some textiles for her mantle and end tables but nothing really caught my eye.

The Gift Shop building was behind the Shady Maple Farm Market and Good's Store so Good's was our next stop. There Mom found her curtains and I found a pair of shoes. She also found a lighter-weight fleece jacket for only $13. After all the walking around and the lack of sleep I was starting to feel worn out.

Mom decided not to go to the Farm Market so we headed to Leola, PA (passing through Blue ball once again), to see Ian and Sara. We were behind this buggy for a short while on the way there. After sitting down and chatting for a while, Mom wanted to go to Intercourse to a candle shop she previously visited. I was comfortable on the couch talking to my brother. Kasey was contentedly laying on the floor. So Mom and Sara went to the candle store while Ian and I talked and then watched part of Episode 1 of Band of Brothers. He also gave me my "late birthday present," his DVD set of Band of Brothers. I'd been asking to borrow it for a while but he gave it to me because he bought the Blue-Ray edition.

When Mom and Sara returned it was time to go. The last stop of the day was in Blue ball, the Flower and Craft Warehouse. On the way to the F&CWh, we were gifted with this beautiful sight. I took other pictures of the rainbow, but this one shows it best. Just my luck: every "store" mom wanted to go to today was the size of a damn warehouse! Jewelry Store, Candle Shop, Scrapbook & Bead Shop, Gift Shop...it didn't end! I looked through the cross stitch section and didn't find much. I picked up two Lemon Lavender Yankee Candle votives because that's my favorite scent. I wanted the tiny jar candle but they didn't have any.

I finally caught up with Mom in the fake flower store where she was looking for something to put in the watering can she recently bought for the hearth. By that time I'd also been upstairs to the Gift Shop. I was absolutely done in. I told Mom I'd wait for her out front because I was going to sit on one of the benches. The two padded benches were taken by husbands who obviously didn't want to follow their wives around the stores, so Kasey and I went into the elevator lobby (Now why couldn't I see that darn elevator when I was going upstairs? Kasey and I took the steps.) and sat on one of the wooden benches.

After sitting there for a little while, I got tired and laid myself down on the wooden slats. Kasey plopped down right in front of me, almost under the bench. And I fell asleep! I woke up with a group of ladies asking me if I was okay. I told them I was just tired. The next time I awoke, it was to one of the employees in the office asking if I needed help. She asked me if I drove myself and was relieved to hear I had someone with me. I told her, too, that I was tired out from a long day of shopping.

Mom finally came out after about a half hour and we headed back towards Elkton. Since it was almost 7pm and we hadn't eaten since lunch at 1:00, I was hungry. I told Mom to stop at the first Wawa she could find. Both of us had an Italian sub and then we were back on the road.

We arrived home at 9:00pm and I went straight up to my room and fell asleep. I even forgot to feed Kasey. I'm sorry, Kay-Kay!

June 9, 2009

9:30am...that's what time Miss Kasey Kay got me out of bed. I went to sleep after 3am. Doesn't she know by now that her Mom needs to sleep?! She has got to stop doing this to me! She's supposed to adjust to my schedule, not the other way around, darnit!

Well, I was up and bored, so I decided to go to Bath & Body Works in Elkton to take advantage of their Big Sale: Antibacterial soaps are 4/$10! I needed more Kitchen Lemon but they were out. Instead, I picked up some White Citrus and some Pineapple to try. I've never seen these scents before. I also purchased two bottles of the foaming antibacterial hand cleaner. Since I can't use the hand sanitizers made from alcohol because they burn my hands, these B&BW foaming hand cleaners are my best alternative. I love the Peppermint, but they only have it at Christmas. They should carry it year-round and change the packaging so it doesn't have candy canes on it. JMHO.

I had Mom's Garmin GPS unit and also went to Michael's at Christiana Mall. There, I found some goodies for "Thinking of You" gifts and possible exchanges, as well as some knitting needle point protectors that were on clearance, along with these leather and plastic "thimbles." As you can see, they're not the traditional thimbles we think of, but are worn as a ring between the first and second knuckles from the fingertip. I'm going to try them out and will let you know what I think. I use the point protectors for the tips of my embroidery scissors. One of my green ones has walked off, so these will be a perfect back-up supply.

Mom called as I was driving to Michaels to tell me that she'd be home at noon and would be able go to the LNS in Pennsylvania. I went back to the house and cleaned out the truck, which it needed anyway, and waited about an hour for Mom to get home. On our way through Newark, we stopped at Wawa so I could get my sub for lunch. Mom had already eaten, so I was on my own. I also picked up a salad for dinner and placed it in the little cooler I'd brought along.

So...Fireside Stitchery...sensory overload. OMG, it is amazing! They have so many different lines of fibers, all sorted by content. Silks in one section, cottons in another, wool on the other side, Wool/silk blends together. And wide aisles. It was so refreshing to walk into a shop in which you didn't have to worry about knocking over merchandise! (I apologize for not getting pictures...look HERE)

Of course the first thing that was said after, "Hello, welcome!" was, "Am I allowed to pet her?" I couldn't resist either of the pleading looks I received, so I had Kasey sit to be adored. The next question was, "May I get her a cup of water?" So I pulled out her collapsable bowl to which they exclaimed, "Mom comes prepared!" Judy plopped it down in the middle of an aisle for Kasey. I was surprised it wasn't put in an out-of-the-way place, but these were obviously doggy people.

I moved the water over to the Caron Watercolours section and Kasey flopped onto her side and took a nap. After pulling the Antique Jewel Tone colors for From Nancy's Needle's Amish Trip Around the World Quilt, I went to work increasing the purple-y-ness. I gathered the colors, after about an hour of switching out this fiber for that fiber, took a step back, and wasn't satisfied. I decided to pull the "Jewel Tones" Nancy gave as a selection and was much happier with them. I made one switch, from #5 Perle DMC 996 to Watercolours Ocean Breeze. We all agreed that the 996 stood out too much for us. This is the final selection in the order they appear, top to bottom, from the center out. I've substituted three regular DMC skeins for the #5 Perle cottons that are on order so that you can at least see the colors.














The colors are:
DMC #5 Perle 602-Cranberry
Watercolours 037-Fuchsia
DMC #5 Perle 915-Plum
Watercolours 209-Iris
DMC #5 Perle 333-Violet Blue
Watercolours 181-Ocean Breeze
Watercolours 068-Mediterranean
DMC #5 Perle 3814-Aquamarine
Watercolours 041-Blueberry

Oh, yeah...I was just supposed to make a shopping list, right? HaHaHaHaHaHaHa! Puh-LEEZE! I was in so much denial! I couldn't walk out without buying anything after all the help I received. There was no way I'd do that!

After more than an hour working on ATATWQ, during which time Mom did her own browsing and kitting up, I might add, I started on chart number two, Desert Star by From Nancy's Needle. Of course, it's another quilt square. I purchased both of these for $2.00 at the EGA stash swap last fall.

The purple-y-ness continues! I am very excited to see this one completed. It may be my next WIP, but we will have to see. This picture also shows the colors in the order they'll appear in the center motif, from the middle out.













They are:
DMC #5 Perle 327-Dark Violet
Gold Rush 14 286C-Purple Metallic
Watercolours 233-Glacier
Watercolours 209-Iris
DMC #5 Perle 209-Light Violet
Gold Rush 14 286C-Purple Metallic
Watercolours 146 Moonglow

Believe it or not, Mom spent almost twice as much as I did! I thought I would break the bank but only spent $60. My LCKQ costed almost $40 just for the fibers, so I was very pleased to kit up two charts for an average of $30 each.

I'll have to get Mom to send a pic of her stash, but she purchased a series also by From Nancy's Needle. She took home Spring and Summer, kitted up Spring, and ordered Autumn and Winter. She would like to have them all displayed together in frames when she (I'm on standby, though) completes the stitching.

I cannot say enough about the wonderful service we received! We had so much help kitting up our projects. Mom and I both want to go back already. I never even looked at fabric because I was so engrossed in all the fibers arrayed before my eyes. Not only that, but we were there half an hour after they closed but not a word was said to rush us on our way. I'll also be sure to take pictures next time! Fireside Stitchery is definitely at the top of my list for Favorite LNS!

The drive home was interesting, to say the least! Instead of getting stuck on south-bound I-95 in rush hour around Wilmington, DE, we drove East on Rt 30 in Pennsylvania to meet up with Rt 10 south. The entire way we were behind storms. The lightning shot across the sky in front of us. We saw several strikes that looked like they hit the ground. The light show was amazing. Somehow we managed to stay on the outer bands of it, never getting into the severe part of the storm.

Upon arriving back at the house, I opened the door from the garage into the kitchen to the mass destruction of Hurricane Ricco. Mom and Dad were told that Ricco was afraid of storms, but someone has always been home when one hit. This time Ben was at work and were were up in Pennsylvania. The poor guy was panting like he'd run a hundred-mile race so it was obvious he was very upset.

Directly inside the door, the paper shredder was on its side, confetti-sized pieces of paper strewn across the kitchen floor.

I took two steps forward and looked into the living room. I covered my mouth and said, "OhMyGod!" All I could think was that Dad would have a conniption fit-good thing he was out of town. The carpet padding (the rug is out being cleaned) was in a huge pile with small chunks all over the place. This is what it looked like after Mom straightened it out.

Jake's bed and pillow were both pulled into the kitchen from the laundry room, and the baby gate was knocked over.

Somehow Ricco managed to eat Kasey's dinner without ripping the Ziploc bag is was in. We think the force of it falling off the counter popped it open. Still, he ate Kasey's dinner and I didn't have any extra. Ben picked up a small bag, for which I paid a king's ransom, on his way home from work.

I went upstairs to discover the mess he made there. Thank goodness the basement door was closed! He would've gotten all three floors if that were the case. Anyway, Ricco dumped out the trash can beside my bed (there was alot more trash under the pillow),

pulled the pillow off the bed, pulled the blankets down, flipped my overnight bag, pulled the pillow and blanket off the quilt rack, and pulled the clothes out of my bag.



In my bathroom, Ricco rearranged the rugs. The rug in front of the door should have been covering the middle of the area of open floor and the rug beside it was carried from the spot from which I took the picture. The yellow bath mat also should have been behind where I was standing when I took the picture.

I think that's all. Needless to say, the next time a storm is forcasted and no one will be home with him, Hurricane Ricco will be crated to forestall his devistation. I told Mom she was lucky becuase he could have shredded the furniture instead. I wouldn't want to be around for that!

Ricco calmed down shortly after Mom and I returned home. He stayed in the kitchen/dining room with us but averted his eyes and put his ears down whenever someone talked to or looked at him. He knew he had been a bad boy!

Mom wanted to give the dogs a treat and see if she could get all three to sit at once. I told her that all she had to do in order for Kasey to sit was to have a treat in her hand. Sure enough, as soon as Kasey saw treats, her butt hit the floor. She started out sitting beside Ricco but kept scooching forward while Mom got Ricco and Jake to sit. She's a super scoocher, too, as is evident by her final position. She wasn't getting left out of Treat Time! Talk about food motivated!

Jun 7-8, 2009

I stitched! I stitched! I can't believe I stitched at home! Finally, I felt like I could concentrate on LCKQ so I worked on those overlapping lines some more. It's the first time I've stitched at home in a while! I'm so pleased with my progress.

Since I was on a roll I kept right on stitching after midnight. I decided to take advantage of the stitching mojo as possible. I started to lose focus at about 3am, so this is the next three hours of progress on Lavenderblue Celtic Knot Quilt.

I felt a little better after eating my low-sodium-pick-me-up snack: Cup 'o Noodles. Yes, I know it's completely unhealthy...unless you have electrolyte problems I like do. For me, it's one of the best things I can eat, health-wise. Disgusting, isn't it? I'll let you lose weight like I do if I can have your healthy kidneys. What? No takers? Wimps! Hehe. See? There is a silver lining in every cloud. I get to eat all the fat, salt, and calories I want...but I have to go to dialysis three days a week, too. I'd trade the bad kidneys for less carbs any day, trust me.

I did talk to my dialysis doc when he made his rounds today. I told him about how tired I was and we went over last week's bloodwork. Three things stood out. Number one, is that my calcium is high. It was decided to stop my IV Vitamin D for the week. My calcium will get checked again on Wednesday and the Zemplar (VitD) dose will be adjusted accordingly.

Second, my potassium was down significantly from my usual number. Dr D instructed me to take a potassium pill once I got home (which I did late this evening) and that will get re-checked as well.

Third, as usual, my sodium was low. I guess I need to snack on my salt crystals more often. I thought I was doing okay, but I may also need to have more of my Cup 'o Noodles, too. Any one of these can make you feel run down, but a combination of the three is certain to make you tired. At least these are things I can work to improve. I just have to be careful not to throw anything else off! It's far too easy to do.

While I was at dialysis, Mom called me and asked if I'd like to come up until Wednesday. I called Sarah to let her know, in case she had anything she needed me to take up, and went straight home to pack and get Kasey in the truck. There was no leaving her behind, anyway. As soon as she saw my purple overnight bag go out to the truck, she was standing by the door to make sure she was going with.

I had a few quick stops to make on the way out of town, including the library to drop off books, 7-11 to use the ATM, and Wawa to grab some iced tea. Then we were on our way over the Bay Bridge and up through the Eastern Shore countryside to get to Elkton.

We arrived at Mom's around 8:30pm and Ricco and Jake greeted Kasey. We put them all out in the back yard so they could run around and calm down before letting them in. Kasey promptly plopped herself down on Mom's stone kitchen floor where it's nice and cool. She stayed there while Mom and I played a couple games of Skip-Bo! before going to bed. Yes, I'm in bed, but I'm not going to sleep yet! Those FB games are calling to me again. I couldn't check on my Farm Town farm earlier because I think they're doing more upgrading to the game. I need to look in on my sunflowers, dagnabit! lol

OOO! I almost forgot! Since Mom has to work from 10-3:30 tomorrow, I've decided to do some roaming and wandering...and my destination is Fireside Stitchery in Frazer, Pennsylvania. I've had alot of people tell me about this LNS, so I'm looking forward to choosing the colors for two more quilt squares by From Nancy's Needle. I want to change the colors in these, so I really have to be looking at the actual fibers to choose the right ones. I won't be buying them tomorrow, however. I've worked out a trade with a stitching buddy in Canada whose LNS is having a going-out-of-business sale and they've put their entire inventory 50% off. They carry several of the Caron lines so that is my mission...write her a shopping list! Wish me luck!

Catching Up...Again

Yes, I know it's been a week and a half since I last posted an update. Go ahead, lash me with the wet floss.

It's still crazily busy for me and I leave for my retreat next Thursday! Where has the time gone?

Here's what I've been up to:

Saturday, April 11 I completed Patriotic Hearts & Sampler Stitches by Sekas & Co. just as the clock was going to strike midnight-and I mean JUST! I had alot of fun with this piece; it was a joy to stitch. I think what made it so easy was that there was only ever one strand to work with, so I didn't have to be concerned about railroading my stitches or being careful that the floss strands were parallel to one another. Also, as you know, I love embroidery stitches! They're just fun!

Notice, I did not call them "specialty stitches" because there's nothing special about them. I'm always disheartened when I hear someone say they love a design but won't buy it because "it has specialty stitches." They're easy, folks! You stitch them the same way you stitch anything else: up at A, down at B, etc! There may be more steps than in making an X, but the method is the same. So if you see a design that screams "buy me!" to you, don't be discouraged when you see it has other stitches in it. Two of my favorite reference books for other stitches are "The Cross Stitcher's Bible" and Donna Kooler's "Encyclopedia of Needlework." There are also websites with animated stitch diagrams. I'll try to find a link later and post it on my sidebar here.

Speaking of the sidebar, I've been contemplating some changes. Tell me what you think. I have been considering creating three new sections:

Stitching Freebies, Stitching Tutorials & Reference, and Favorite Designers. Are these things you'd like to see? Just leave a comment.

When Uncle Wes brought the mail up today, there was a big box addressed to me. I was shocked to open it and find this beautiful knitted prayer shawl and a Bible from Wawanna. I opened this while watching The Ten Commandments. How timely was that?

I've never felt yarn so soft. It's Lion Brand Homespun and is washable and dryable according to Knitter Carol. The color is perfect! The yellow that runs through it gives it more depth of color with all the purples, blues, and greens that are throughout the entire piece. Thank you Wawanna! It's Gorgeous! I will treasure both of these forever!

Sunday, April 12 I began America by Little House Needleworks. Since this is the "Year of the Sampler" I thought it was high time I dragged out one of the many samplers I have kitted up. As usual, I made some changes. For once, I'm using the recommended fabric, 16ct Natural Heatherfield, but I changed all of the fibers. I'm sure I've stated before that I think stitching with DMC is boring. I like the variations in colors and the visual depth stitching with over-dyes gives to a piece. So I'm using GAST, Weeks, and one Crescent Colours floss for this design.

Even with my limited supply of overdyes, I was able to find close matches to the suggested DMC colors. My conversions are:

DMC 221, Shell Pink, VY DK - GAST Cranberry
DMC 420, Hazel Nut Brown, DK - WDW Pecan
DMC 644, Beige Grey, MD - GAST Oatmeal
DMC 712, Cream - GAST Picket Fence
DMC 924, Grey Green,VY DK - WDW Twilight for the bird & CC Wavy Navy for the flag
DMC 926, Grey Green, MD - WDW Teal Frost
DMC 935, Avocado Green, DK - WDW Juniper
DMC 3021, Brown Grey, VY DK - WDW Swamp Water
DMC 3782, Mocha Brown, LT - GAST Shaker White
DMC 3790, Beige Grey, UL DK - WDW Graphite

My progress picture, taken Tuesday, features my assistant, Anna, holding America.

Sunday was also Easter. I went to my aunt & uncle's for a family dinner. Grandma was there and we had a nice time catching up. I showed everyone my unfinished-finished stitching projects as my portfolio was still in the truck.

We all went out and played Mr Dwight's (my Aunt's Dad) Hillbilly Horseshoes game. We spent over an hour outside and played two games. Well, I played in one and was a spectator for one. Everyone but Grandma came outside for the fun. She was tired and took a nap while it was quiet inside.

The ladies also ooh'ed and aah'ed over the prayer shawl Wawanna knitted for me. Grandma told me to tell Wawanna she loves it and that it's perfect for me.

Monday, April 13 I went in for my dialysis treatment at 10:30 so that I could get home before dark, pack, load the truck, and head to Mom's. I met Ricco and he is a wonderful addition to the family. His personality is alot like Kasey's in that he loves everyone and is very tolerant of the little ones. He's 13 so is a little deaf and you can see the cataracts starting to grow in his eyes, but he's still active. Oh, and he's in love with Ms. Kasey Kay!

He followed her everywhere for the first hour. They were running around so much that Ben put Jake outside for his own protection. The poor guy got trampled by Frick & Frack. We finally put Kasey & Ricco outside so they could run around. When Mom arrived home from work, the first thing she said is that we're going to have scheduled play dates because Kasey and Ricco were having so much fun. I couldn't believe Kasey was actually playing with him, because she's usually very reserved around other dogs. It was great to see her so carefree with another dog!

Mom and I spent the evening playing Skip-Bo while I did laundry. We sat at the table talking and playing cards til midnight.

Tuesday, April 14, Kasey woke me up around 11am. Sarah and Anna were downstairs in Mom's room so that Kasey wouldn't hear them. Sarah was working on a paper for school and Anna was watching Nick Jr. She was so excited to see Kasey come downstairs with me. We spent the day doing laundry (Sarah's turn this time), playing, and even did a little stitching. I forgot to take a picture after we were done, so enjoy the video Ben was able to take. It features Anna and I stitching while Kasey and Ricco make an appearance at the end.

Sarah went to pick up Caleb from daycare and then came back. They left around 5:00 to go home, eat, and get baths. Sarah said she was making crab dip and I told her she wasn't allowed to hog all the crabby goodness to herself, so she better bring it over to Mom's. They came back around 7:30 with the crab dip and we all sat around the table eating it. Caleb tried to be sneaky and just suck the dip off the bagel chips, but Aunt Beth caught him and was able to get him to take bites of the chips. He really enjoyed it.

Here are Anna and Caleb in my slippers and Dad's slip-ons, respectively. Aren't they just too cute?! Caleb is 25 months and Anna will be 4 at the end of August. They thought it was just hilarious to walk around in grown-ups' shoes. The picture was taken right before they left, which is the reason they're wearing jackets.

Wednesday, April 15 was tax day for most of you but luckily I don't have to file since I only had SSDI last year. I was home barely in time to drop Kasey off at the house and get to dialysis by 2:30. It was a rainy, dreary day and took longer than usual to make the 82-mile trip home from Mom's. Unlike the previous Friday, I wasn't able to stitch during my treatment. I accidentally left my reading glasses in my overnight bag out in the truck so I watched television to pass the time. Don't ask me what it was because I can't remember now.

Thursday, April 16 was the usual gathering of needleworkers at the Barnes & Noble Cafe. Kasey and I stayed with Alice and Pam until 5pm. We had a great time. I have found that I really enjoy the turkey chipotle panini they serve. It makes two whole meals for me! No, it hasn't replaced the Wawa Italian sub in my heart, but it's a nice change every once in a while. I didn't get alot done on America, but it's coming along. This picture shows my progress from both Tuesday and Thursday. I completely forgot to take a picture before I started stitching Thursday.

I didn't do any stitching at home Thursday night because I went to the Online Needlework Show and browsed all the vendors. It took me alot less time this year, so it certainly felt like there were less vendors. The last three shows, it's taken me two to three days to get through all the pages. Anyone else notice the same thing?

Friday, April 17 was just a regular dialysis day. I didn't do any stitching, but caught up on all the shows my DVR recorded while I was gone.

Saturday, April 18 was gorgeous outside! It was 80 degrees, finally! I couldn't stand sitting inside, so I tried going out in the yard to sit and stitch in my lounger. That didn't last long once I started copiously sweating. UGH!

I set up the card table on the front porch, opened the sliding glass door to let the breeze blow in off the water, and Uncle Wes carried my lounger in from the yard for me. It was wonderful out there, and nicer than sitting in the full sunlight. Kasey and Chet came out to sprawl on the cool concrete and enjoy the fresh air with me. As you can see, I was distracted by the sunshine and warm breeze, so I didn't do much stitching.

Sunday, April 19 was my stitching day! I didn't turn on the computer at all. It's just too much of a distraction from stitching. The results speak for themselves, don't they? This is the kind of progress I used to make...before I discovered online stitching groups! My email time definitely takes away from stitching. I felt much better seeing all I accomplished on Sunday.

I kept stitching right along into Monday morning and was able to complete the entire front of the house. Then I began working on the roof before going to sleep.

Tuesday, April 21 was the Heirloom Stitchers meeting. There were four of us this month, including a new member! Deb first joined us in March and came back again this month. I completed the roof of the house Tuesday, but forgot to take a picture before I began stitching on Wednesday. So the chimneys and the flower stem weren't done at the meeting.

April 7-8, 2009

I won't bore you with the lack of details, so just suffice it to say I've done no stitching in the last two days. I also haven't beaten my Mah Jong high score, either. I've tried really hard, though!

Dialysis has been going good lately, so no news there. What can I say? It's been pretty boring around here.

Kasey made Uncle Wes take her for three walks today since it was his day off and she didn't feel like going for a walk on Monday or Tuesday. It is so funny because she will just get up from where ever she was sleeping and stumble (and I mean that literally) down the basement steps. She walks into his den and starts doing her dance. If he ignores her, she starts barking at him. And if he takes too long, she starts moaning, which is more like a yawn and a moan combined; it's loud! That's her I'm-ready-to-go-and-you're-holding-me-up moan. She does the same thing to me when I tell her "let's go." That's her que that she's going to work.

As for her stumbling down the steps, I really don't know what to tell you. She also stumbles going UP steps. I think it has to do with our basement steps being painted, because she isn't that graceless when we're at Mom's. She doesn't fall down the entire staircase, but she does slip and slide down the last few. We've learned not to interrupt her on her way up or down. I love my girl, but it's almost as if she can't think about anything else when she's on a staircase. If she tries to, that's when she gets in trouble. Yanno, she was blonde when she was a baby! lol

I guess it's apparent who runs this house, huh? She's so cute about it, though! She doesn't ask for much and she is an absolute delight to be around. She's happy as long as she is around people, preferably me. Everyone that has watched her for me (Mom & Uncle Wes included) tells me that she is much calmer when she has me close by. That goes both ways, though, so I don't mind at all!

I will have a stitching update tomorrow! It's Thursday, so Kasey and I will be going to Barnes & Noble for the afternoon stitching group. I also have a stitching group on Friday night at Borders. Everyone wanted to have an extra day and I never pass up an opportunity to get out and stitch.

I will be missing Monday night's stitching group at Border's because I'm heading to Mom's with Kasey right after dialysis. We're staying up there with her and her new dog, Ricco, and Jake. Dad will be in Texas on business and Mom likes having company when he's away.

This is a pic of Mom's new boy, Ricco. He is a 13-year-old Spitz/Golden Retriever mix. His owners could no longer keep him because they are busy with work and a new baby. They contacted the local Golden Retriever rescue group about giving Ricco to them, but he didn't have enough Golden in him to qualify. The intake coordinator did, however, get them in touch with Mom and they brought Ricco to her over the weekend. Since he wasn't actually IN rescue, she didn't have to pay the adoption fee. Luckily Ricco and Mom's old guy, Jake, are getting along, so it looks like Ricco is there to stay. I love happy endings!

I just wanted to pop in and post a quick update so no one worries about me. I'm doing good, but just haven't been in a stitching mood. Nothing monumental has happened, so I didn't think I had much to write about. I guess that's what I get for thinking!