More Wandering Thoughts

Two days in a row, are you surprised?

Thank you for the lovely comments on my knitting, ladies. I'm looking forward to this year's County Fair, but don't have a "wow" project like my book that won Champion of the Cross Stitch department last year. I'm entering as many projects as possible to boost the Fair entries; they've been quite low the past few years from what I understand.

Lisa commented that while she reads my Facebook updates, she feels my blog entries are more personal. I never looked at it like that, as I saw Facebook & Twitter as a tool to keep in touch when I don't have enough time to write blog posts. Then again, writing blog posts is just a matter of making time for it.

I don't feel like I had much "free" time this summer.  I went to North Carolina in June, where I had the Vacation From Hell. Not only did I get sick while there, but the management company, in retaliation (IMHO) for bringing Kasey, who is a service dog-NOT A PET (they have a strict "No Pets" policy), charged my friend $288 to vacuum the carpet in the unit. We've been trying to fight the excessive charge to no avail as of yet.  To top off the wonderful (that's sarcasm, folks) trip, 30 minutes into our drive home, I get pulled over doing 70 in a 55pmh zone and get a $160 ticket. Honestly, no lie, I'd looked down at the speedometer a minute before and saw it was at "12 o'clock" and said to myself, You're only doing 60.  Not!  I still wasn't completely with it and saw that 60 was to the left of the needle without realizing the needle was on 70. I'd already spent the weekend with a person I can't stand (not my friend who owned the timeshare), puked my guts up, hardly eaten, and spent 3 days of a 4-day trip in bed, and then I get a friggin' ticket trying to get the hell home.  OH! And I had so much fluid retention, I couldn't even drive all the way home. I had to sit in the passenger seat of my own truck with my feet resting on the dash to try to relieve some of the pain.  I was miserable for the next few days, and Chet died four days after I returned home.  Altogether, it was the Week From Hell.

That vacation was the end of my summer course, too.  Because Geology and the accompanying lab were four hours long, three nights in a row per week, my feet began to swell and the fluid retention gradually got worse, to the point it was painful to walk or stand. By the time we left for NC, I'd been to three weeks of classes.  My dialysis docs were at a loss as to why I'd gained so much fluid so quickly (4 kg/8.8 lbs) and had solution other than to keep my feet elevated.  My overall well-being was suffering by that time. It became apparent that I had to drop the class, so I did.

Within a week of dropping the class,  I lost 3 kg (6.6 lbs).  Since then, I've lost even more because I've cut back on my Wawa Lemonade Tea.  Shocker! I know.  Not only am I saving money, but also I'm hoping to be able to fit into my trousers again.  Everything except two pairs of khakis, which are cut large, is too tight. I got fed up when I realized I had over a dozen pairs of capris that I couldn't wear during the end of the summer.  Just by cutting back on my Tea addiction, I've managed to lose almost 2 kg (4.4 lbs) more.  I'm drinking water instead, but I've had two dehydration episodes since then.

The worst bout was last night, when I lost about a liter of fluid in less than two hours. I couldn't drink enough, fast enough, to keep up with the fluid loss and was awake most of the night with severe cramps in my legs, hands, and feet. Potassium didn't help; I tried that.  I even grabbed my tin of grey salt and ate some of that to try to help.  When I got to dialysis this morning, I asked for a bolus dose of saline to replenish the 0.8 kg of body weight I'd lost, as I knew that was about how much fluid I lost the night before.  I received 1.1L of fluid during my treatment, all to no avail as it turns out.  By the time I left, I weighed the same as when I got there.  I'd already lost the entire 1.1kg of fluid.  It's frustrating, but that's how my body works.  I'm trying to balance my need for tea to keep up my electrolytes and my desire to lose a few more pounds in order to fit into the rest of my wardrobe.  It's going slowly, but it's going.

Marilyn asked a couple of questions in her comment, and I'd like to address them now.  First, she wanted to know if my cross-stitch stash was packed safely away.  The answer to that is yes and no.  My FSOT stash is in a box because I don't have room to unpack it.  My personal stash is in my 5-drawer lateral file cabinet.  It's not sorted in any way, shape, or form; I simply grabbed stacks of charts & kits and put them into hanging file folders as they'd fit.  Since I know I'm not going to stitch for quite some time, I sold all my Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts Sampler Threads to a friend of mine.  I couldn't justify hanging on to them for the next four or more years when I knew I could get over $200 by selling them for $1.50 per skein. I was shocked when I told Carol they were going up for sale and she said she wanted them all.  It did save me the trouble of having to list them by color on CraigsList or having to ship them, though.  I have some kits and charts that I will never part with, as I am clinging to the belief that I'll get back to stitching one day.  Marilyn's second question was about my health.  Overall, I'm doing well, despite the dehydration scare last night.  I did have to have a stent placed in my dialysis graft two weeks ago.  The graft wasn't clotted, but the flow was severely restricted and it was affecting my treatment efficiency. I felt well enough after dialysis to take Kasey for a walk.  We even made it to class tonight.

As I was driving somewhere around Annapolis last week, I started thinking about the underlying reason for me no longer stitching. I can't remember what got me onto that thought path, but I was startled by my conclusion. I remembered looking at my Ravelry project page, where I have all my projects from 2009 listed, and I saw my stitching and needlepoint UFO's.  Reflecting back on looking at them, I realized that I had absolutely no enthusiasm to see any of them completed.  Seeing them made me want to look elsewhere.  Then it hit me: I've simply stopped enjoying the process.  Making x's or pulling the needle back and forth through the canvas is not fun and relaxing for me any more; now it stresses me out.  I remember a friend saying that knitting garter stitch drives her bananas.  No matter how a knit project is constructed, I enjoy the process of creating it.  Maybe once I stop enjoying that process I'll go back to my other needlework. Who knows?

I had my Women's Health Issues class tonight and told my professor that getting back to blogging on a regular basis was my De-Stress Project activity.  While I love reading Facebook status updates and comments from my friends and family, I think Lisa is right: blogging is more in depth, and therefore more personal.  I have more than a 500-character box I can fill. *evil grin*

I was driving to Uncle Wes's house on Saturday and saw this guy in the truck in front of me.  I couldn't resist taking a picture (while I was stopped). Newfies are such gentle giants, and this guy is chocolate-colored, which I haven't seen much.  I was a little disturbed that he was riding without restraint or a harness, but I won't get on my soapbox on that subject. Only consider this: how far is an unrestrained 150+/- pound dog going to fly if you're in an accident? I rest my case.

Thank you all for taking the time to visit Crossed Purposes. I hope you'll be back soon.  Please feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions.  I'm going to make an effort to answer more of them in my posts rather than by private emails from now on.  If you don't want me to answer a question publicly, please be so kind as to indicate that. I'm not going to publicly call someone out for their view. I simply don't publish comments I find offensive or disturbing.  It's my blog; that's my prerogative.

I also have some house-keeping to do with links, blinkies, and other pages, but that will have to come later. I'm planning on using my winter break to re-vamp Crossed Purposes to reflect the shift in focus from XS to knitting.  I've been fighting with myself about whether or not to remove Chet's name from the header of CP and replace the picture of Kasey & Chet with one of Kasey alone (My Guardians, in the sidebar). It feels like a betrayal in some way; like the 12 years he spent with me have no meaning or value, when that couldn't be farther from the truth.  Any thoughts from other furbaby parents?

April 27-May 3, 2008

I started this week working on a bread cover that my neighbor ordered for a co-worker who just bought her first home. She decided on the cat from one chart with "Home Sweet Home" on each side of it. I made pretty good progress on Sunday. The bread cover is actually cream but the light from the scanner hides that fact.

After contemplating different ways to do the backstitching around the yellow stitches, I finally decided not to do any at all. Believe it or not, the chart calls for eight quarter stitches radiating from each one! I wasn't about to stitch a quarter stitch into the center of a cross stitch eight (times twenty) times. A glutton for punishment I am not!

I think the way I did it gives the cat a much softer look than the way it was charted to be done. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, except for one thing...

The fusable backing....

Is on the front!

I sat my three patriotic bread covers down so I could do them at the same time. A little voice in my head said "practice on one of them." But did I? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I was so mad I could've spit nails! The last thing I wanted to have to do is stitch something with so many quarter stitches again! I even had it done before I left for dialysis! GRRRRRRR!

But on a good note, Catherine took the bread cover and paid me for it. I took it next door to show it to her and to let her know I hadn't forgotten about her. I told her I'd stitch another and she wouldn't hear of it. She also wouldn't let me give it to her since I ruined it. She kept saying it was beautiful! OMG! I tried not to take her money but she wouldn't let me. That's okay, I've got something for her when she's not expecting it. I picked it up in Nag's Head when Sue V and I went. Opps, that's jumping ahead...back to Tuesday:
Ten hours of stitching and voila! You have Christmas Candles by Dinky-Dyes Designs. This is done with satin stitches, one Algerian Eye, and lazy daisies as the candle flames. There's not an X in it. And I love it! I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. Now I just have to finish it into an ornament.

This is another kit I got from Sue V. I'm trying to get as many of them done as possible. There are just so many to choose from, though!

On Wednesday, I worked on Stars & Stripes by Little House Needleworks. I don't know what was wrong with me, but I skipped a row on three separate occasions while stitching the house. All three times were on the front of the house!

It was a good mail day, though. Debi sent six different pieces of white and Antique white evenweave and linen. I can't wait to use it!

Sue V called to talk and mentioned that she was looking for someone to go with her to the beach this weekend. I asked Wessy to make sure he didn't have any plans away from home and he said it was fine with him if I went. Believe it or not, I've never been to North Carolina except to drive through or stop at Smoky Mountain Knife Works, and that was about 15 years ago!

I told Sue I was going to leave when I woke up and skip Friday's dialysis because I couldn't get an earlier shift. I've only been to her house the one time, but it was super easy to find! Thank Goodness my memory and concentration are back! I had no problems getting there from memory!

We went to Michael's because Ben Franklin was closed by the time we got there. Apparently it's only open til 9 o'clock on Friday and Saturday. I picked up some little $1 kits for Bre and I to do together the next time we're both at Mom's. Her birthday is at the end of the month, so I want some fun things to occupy her.

While we were out, we also went to K-Mart to get sunscreen and flip-flops. Of course we got more than that, but I won't bore you with the details.

We left for Nag's Head at 11:30am to miss all the rush-hour traffic. I was really suprised how close the Outer Banks are. I've always heard about them and everyone has OBX stickers on their vehicles, but for some reason I thought it was alot farther away. Now that I know, I won't be so hesitant to go!

We drove right past the memorial to the Wright Brothers. Sue said it's a long climb up the steps. We kept our eyes open for any stitching shops, but didn't see nary a one. I got us to the house at about 3:15 in the afternoon. Sue's former boss, Georgette, had a house for the week and invites people down to stay with her. Her college roommate, Pat, was also there. Since the house had four bedrooms, each of us had our own.

I was ready to go back out once we unpacked, but Sue wanted to relax and chat. So I went out alone. I tried to find the needlework shop I found in the telephone book but it doesn't exist anymore. I stopped at a bead shop I found and asked, but all the girl there could tell me was about a quilt shop she knew.

I drove down to Roanoke Island, where a sign proclaims the first English child born in the New World was born there in 1587. I was going to stay on the main road, but I kept seeing signs pointing towards Old Town Manteo so I turned and found the historic district. I spotted a sign for the Arts Council and Information, so I parked on the street and went in. I asked about any needlework or quilt shops in the area and all he could give me was the telephone number of a quilter who displays her work in the gallery. I think the Arts Council needs to remove "Information" from their sign!

I walked across the street to the bookstore. The first thing I see upon walking in the door? A yellow Labrador Retriever sleeping under a display table with a water bowl beside her. There were two men sitting in armchairs to the left of the door, so one of them must have belonged to her. Since it was in an old building, I really expected them to have older, out of print books, but it was pretty much contemporary releases. I found the craft section, but they only had one cross stitch book and it was for beginners. I did find bookmark magnifiers, and we have a book and bookmark exchange coming up in ESC!

I guess I should have gone in the bookstore first, because one of the gentlemen was a font of information. There was a quilt shop right across the street in the building beside the Arts Council, in fact! There was a second shop two blocks away. I think that Arts Council guy needs to do some walking around Town!

I went to the shop across the street but didn't find anything that called to me. They had some fabric and the entire back of the shop was divided into consignment booths. The only thing that was even a remote possibility was some DMC Perle floss, but I don't stitch with it. There was DMC cotton as well, but it was priced pretty high. I decided the quilt shop would be my last stop and headed back to the house.

We decided to go out for dinner Friday night and eat in on Saturday. I have to say that the food was excellent. Sue and Pat got the soft shell crabs while Georgette and I got the seafood pasta. We were all too full to get dessert and I had about half of mine dinner to take back to the house with me. Before returning home, however, we went to the outlets to do some shopping.

Georgette wanted to go back to the Polo/Ralph Lauren store. I found a neat shop with all kinds of fossils and stones. The best find of the night, though, was the strings of beads! Sue's been looking for stuff like that because she's taking a beading class and making jewelry now. I bought a magnetic bracelet with amethysts. My last magnetic necklace broke and I never got it fixed.

I know some people believe that magnetic therapy doesn't work and is just hocus pocus, but a couple of my doctors wear magnetic bracelets. Besides, it can't hurt you, right? So what's the harm of trying it? If you don't feel any change, fine. But what if it makes you feel better? Even if you notice that all it does for you is put you in a better mood, that's a positive effect. So now I have a magnetic bracelet. At least it's pretty.

Because it wasn't officially "in season" yet, everything closed early. The lady in the bead shop was counting her drawer while I was browsing and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

I started 5 O'clock by Sisters & Best Friends. It just seemed appropriate for the setting, with the margarita glass and the fruit and shrimp surrounding it. And the phrase made famous by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett blazoned across everying stating "It's 5 o'clock somewhere."

I have to say that waking up Saturday morning and seeing the dolphins swimming up the coastline was an awesome experience. If a horse running on land is poetry in motion, dolphins swimming are their aquatic equal. It was so peaceful watching them. There was a group of dolphins farther out in the water who were playing. We saw them jumping and splashing. And the water was smooth as a lake with the waves quietly lapping at the beach

While it was dated, the house was clean. I wasn't too fond of the bazillion steps to get to the door though. Being right on the ocean, the house was on stilts. Even freakier, the waves came up under the house at high tide! I didn't realize the house rocked with the waves until someone said something about it. Of course, that night when I was up in the middle of the night, I felt it! Gee, and Beth is afraid of heights and being on stuff that can collapse! AAAAHHHHH! Not to mention my fear of sharks in open water. Double AAAAAHHHHH!

Sue and I left the house around 10a.m. Saturday to go shopping and explore more. Most everything I got were gifts for later, so I can't spill the beans right now. I did find a neat pot that sits at a 45 degree angle, so I got it for Mom for Mother's Day. We finished our day back at the bead store where Sue bought a bunch of strands of different colored beads and I purchased another magnetic bracelet. I was eyeing a gorgeous amethyst abelone windchime, but I restrained myself from buying it.

On our way back to Georgette's house, Sue and I found the house that she and her family are renting for a week in June. It's only about a half-mile up the road from Georgette's and looks really cute. Sue said, "It sleeps eight. There's an extra bed if you want to come down," so I'll have to think about that. The way gas prices are going up, it may be too expensive to drive that far by myself for a couple days' visit.

I was so wiped out that night, I went to bed at 8:00p.m. Yes, I! Me! The nocturnal one! And I even fell asleep, too! Well, for three hours. I was awake from 11p.m. to 3a.m. I got alot of reading done, though. I didn't feel like getting up and going out into the livingroom where I could stitch, so I just snuggled under the covers and read my book.

I apologize for not having any pictures, but Sue forgot her camera and mine is still broken. I'm going to get Dad's old one from him because Mom got him a new one for his birthday. I just have to get up there to get it.

Georgette said that checkout was at 9:00a.m. Sunday, so we all went to bed early. We packed up most of our stuff Saturday night so we wouldn't have to rush in the morning. On the way back to Newport News, the only stop we made was to have breakfast. We got to Sue's around 11:00a.m. and I went to bed. I was totally exhausted after sleeping for just a few hours the night before.

I woke up about three hours later totally refreshed. Isn't it amazing? The rejuvinating power of a nap?

Since Haus Tirol is closed on Sundays, Sue and I went to Ben Franklin. I finally decided to give them a try and bought a set of 8x8" Q-Snaps. I'll let you know later how I like them. To date, I've been a spring-hoop and scroll frame girl.

Sue's husband, Butch, grilled steaks for us for dinner. I worked on 5 O'clock and watched a movie before I went to bed.