Brief and bitchy

After examining next project charts, the same every time, I decided on Rachel.  All that's left is linen choice, which is a biggie.

The others will stay in their pouches for now.  Ann Spence, Mary Elliott, Jane Southward, Sarah Needham ..... one day when I can focus which may never come.  Merry Wind Farm has an interesting new sampler release soon, and the letters and lions caught my eye.  But I know errors would abound as in the others.

You have no idea how disgusted I am that Carole ($1230 month income) who pays $225/mo right off the top was turned down for Medicaid.  Way below the income limit.  They denied because she can't "verify" the few hundred dollar deposits of cash that we gave her when she was in a bind over the last several years.  So if you get $200 for a Christmas gift, you need a receipt and notarized statement for verification?  It's not the amount they questioned, denial was because she can't verify where the cash came from.  Monday can't come soon enough, and I will find the $1000 to pay for an attorney, my wick has burned to the end.

Have great Sunday.

Fricking august.  I refuse to capitalize it.

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Lucky day

 

Hi folks.  Hard to believe but my sister is so happy with this facility in every aspect, and we certainly see why.   I thought silk flowers for her wide window would be a nice surprise.  She loves sunflowers, but I was disappointed that JoAnn (my only option with all the store closings) had fall items, no summer.  As we pulled out I thought to take a chance at Kraynak's since cemetery vases are always available.  Hot damn!  Other flowers were plentiful and ONE bunch left of sunflowers.  ONE.  Taking to her later today.  

And then ..... UPMC was wonderful in quickly responding to my inquiry for a second opinion.  We got an appt next week in Pittsburgh for a second and final opinion, and .... wait for it ..... this highly rated surgeon also visits the UPMC hospital in New Castle!  We've been hearing such great reviews about this place, and where my cousin's life was saved.  Still a distance from her but much closer for family.  What a relief.  Whether she has surgery there or Pittsburgh, follow up visits will be much easier for everyone.  I don't believe the recommendation about treatment will be any different, but very grateful that they are willing to offer their help so quickly.  Your trust and confidence can be influenced by staff and attitude, so far, high scores from this crabass.

Happy day.  Except for the estimate on repairing the yard.  

Have a good one!

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Finish!

 What a sweet sampler.

Pineberry Lane Mary Edmondson 1812

Saltbox Stitcher's video last night introduced me to Mon Petit Examplaire sewing bag in the BBD Ooh La La book.  LOVE.  And my usual restrictive spending philosophy (thanks mom) has always denied purchasing an entire book for one chart. 

 I can easily find a small sampler and adapt.  Mary seems to be a good size and I have fabrics that would go nicely, but there is too much to see and enjoy to be gathered.  A simple sampler would work better as BBD proved. 

 

Without a top closure and finished like Rosanna Pinkham, seems like a good option.  Although I love seeing homes loaded with wall displays, it's not for me.  And a bag can be moved frequently from room to room without nary a nail hole, and filled with seasonal crap.

Carole is quite weak today, and the addition of Jardiance after days of the double diuretic, two new heart meds, increases in two others, it's no wonder.   I'm waiting for a call because I believe the overload of thinners is why another issue presented last night.

No sweatshirts or jackets today, but eyes are so bad I can't go outside, barely able to tolerate indoor light.

Hope you day is special.  The older we get, uneventful is more important!!

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As Bob Ross said...

 happy little accidents.

The tiny dog in the upper corner should not have pink legs, 

and the large dog should not have dark gray spots,

(but they do look better than the called for green).

But that's OK.  Reading the wrong color for a symbol or just not paying close enough attention, can be a happy little accident.

But when they happen in medication lists and charts, not so.  Even the best are not perfect, and every line item needs review.  Having the providers print out a summary of your stay or visit, online and on paper, is crucial.  After a few calls and a outright refusal today, we are finally getting things right.  She saw two doctors of different specialties in one facility.  The first left off two medications from her list, the second listed one no longer taken, also the wrong doctor's name from the first visit, and the nursing facility was dosing incorrectly.  So without examination and a complaint from the patient, we would not have found that she is receiving three blood thinners, and a doubled dose twice daily of diuretic.  I sent messages to both offices to make the corrections.  If that record goes with her to an ER or procedure or admission, a happy little accident could cause anything but.

End of July.  Yoi.  Where has my beloved summer gone?

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The red of Mary

 With all the reds available in DMC, one or two are my go-to preference.  Until .... one that I rarely use shows me another to add to favorites.  347.

 Not feeling well, sticking around the house today.  

Carole's two doctors were very personable and informative. She was told to also check into local surgeons since this transport was $700 (that's our plan price) every time since Medicare does not pay to doctor visits and she would need many follow up appointments.  Cardiology added drugs and increased others.  Back in a month, but since she is under a doctor in this facility, I am hoping a virtual with her and the nurse with test results will be acceptable.  Amputation on left at mid thigh and right at mid calf. This will be a long process and recovery but since she can't use either leg to help with prosthetic therapy of the other, was told she will not walk again.   No dates set as yet.

Have a great weekend.

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A bunch of useless photos

 Because I feel useless.  Like there is nothing to do but look around.  And I see a nice looking flower with mud beneath it, but it can still glow.  Another doing well because it is fertilized, and getting what it needs to thrive.  One weak outcast experienced a comeback from being diminished to a few stems to now almost impenetrable.  Brilliant color without a blossom, usually very long and thin, this year shorter and solid, a mass of unity.  Against the very dark dwelling, white is a stark contrast, but it doesn't look cheerful, uplifting, joyous, inviting.  But a short distance behind it hidden from view, is brightness, resilience, tenacity, and a whole lot of mud.

Wow.  I'm in a mood aren't I?

 The heavy rain pulls you down, but your limb doesn't break.

And when you are filled and ready to overflow, 

poke a few holes and release the weight.

 It ain't over yet, more to come.

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Lining up

Sometimes our core, our balance, our stem, our trunk, our brace, our frame, does not feel lined up with our branches, extensions, thoughts, movements.   Mine is at the breaking point.

And the first error on Mary is related.  The stem of the large flower does not line up with the completed red area of the flower.   Since the other color in that blossom area was not yet stitched, removing the red won't be a hassle.

My white Calibrachoa does very well, other colors not so much.  Mr. Pete has reddish discharge from his eyes and now has the same affliction that Nit has.  No way to treat, even though he is allowing me to touch his head, but that's it.  I get one drop in one eye every three days and that's only when Nit is soundly sleeping and I can cover him before my blood is drawn.

Have a nice day folks.

Making plans today for Thursday's Cleveland trip.

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Holey Moley!!

 Procrastinate and you lose!  Had these in the cart, did not act immediately, gone like the wind.  So what can I do?  Locate the multitude of files from my box labels and print.  My load of card stock is mostly kraft color, some lighter, so I will get a few sheets of white and have something else to work on and distract me for a while.

These tags come without a hole so you can punch where you'd like for the intended use.  Kitten Stitcher of Shakespeare's Peddler offers them, but don't dally!!  They sold out quickly and will again.

It's been dark and raining - no - POURING off and on for a week and there is no way we will get the yard in order until fall.  Fall?  This is mid July and for how swiftly time has passed since this began on March 1, I'm assuming snow will be here shortly.   Neighbors have not been able to get the equipment onto their property for the eight foot trenches, I guess we are lucky ours is connected to the new sewers, but that could be debated.

I spent the day yesterday at the hospital.  Pulse ox down to 85 and gasping, could not even stay awake.  It only takes a small amount of fluid in her lungs to create a problem.  Even though monitored, they could not hear it but once in the ER, her doctor did.  He's used to her sounds and knew that injected Lasix rather than pills, is required.  After sleeping for almost 24 hours, she is able to speak and we can understand her words, great improvement.  She will return to the facility on Tuesday and leave at 6am on Thursday for clinic.  Long rides back to back on a stretcher have contributed greatly to delirium, we'll see.

Going to visit this evening and she requested something good, so I made individual peach cobblers and ate one, just to make sure it's palatable.  Not sweet enough for me but she'll enjoy it.

Even though I have been retiring earlier than my usual midnight (yesterday it was still light), I am doing a row a day. That's a lot less than most stitchers, but with my eye issues, my limit. The next is DMC 356 and I love introducing a brighter row, hopefully tonight.  Anxious to return to Lucy Beam but this is so easy for me right now, smaller size, not complicated, continuous color.

Hope your weekend is peachy keen.

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Pucker up

 Yep.  In addition to the severe dryness and sensitivity, I have a macular pucker.  Monitoring daily, if or when it worsens, surgery can help.  

Another few rows on the project.

A few years ago I saw a post (Earlene's?) with these ranky looking bunches of what I did not know.  My husband found some on the golf course.  This summer for the first time ever, my yard is loaded with them and the cone's scales are also covering the ground. The squirrels are making a huge mess but why now and never before?  I will gather and allow to dry.  I don't know why.

Carole is back to delirium, Lasix has not helped, the fluid is not in the lung but behind it and the heart.  Oxygen saturation is OK but she can't get her breath so they are treating for anxiety.  Hasn't helped, even by injection.  This morning, she is not having as many hallucinations but slurring to the point of being unintelligible.  When the dilation reduces and I can open my eyes in light, we're going up.  I'm relying on spell check to alert me of errors here, a red underline I can see but not letters.

Because email notifications of new posts were discontinued by the service, you may get a notice from follow.it asking if you want to sign up or continue with notice of new posts.  Several options, I choose Single emails, but you have other options including Newspaper which will deliver one email per day and include all of the posts from everyone you follow through this provider.

I tried to enter your emails but I have reached my limit, so you must click on the  FOLLOW below, or the link in the right column and enter your email.  Please let me know if it doesn't accept.

Have a good day folks.  

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LOVE

 this sampler.  Entire rows are one color of thread, I like that.  I am using the recommended for the first time in a long while, so much easier.  

A wood "TV tray" has a high rim to hold items that continually slide off and I can just push it aside when I get up from my chair.  Little things like this make a big difference when you are on edge and distracted.

Finally getting to the chiropractor this morning after six months, and have an appointment with the eye specialist on Thursday.  I can't believe how bad they are and am hoping I can get Xiidra samples.  Once again, if you are on Medicare, coupons cannot be used, only people that have good insurance qualify, and the drops are not covered on my and other Plan D policies.

Continuing to fill in and become the most dense of all my petunias.  A single branch has so many new starts you can barely see it.

Carole's delirium has improved, the therapist explained the long and arduous road after the amputations and they still want to take both.  I don't see any surgery in the immediate future, doctor at facility did not listen to me again, and allowed the fluid buildup from CHF to cause a problem.  She needs a large initial dose, 40 mg a day does not move anything from the lungs.  After decades of use and a change to Demadex which worked better, CC removed diuretics from the med list so she has been without for weeks.  

Have a good day.

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Detention

 A form of punishment for bad behavior in our school days.  Sitting in the principal's office, hallway, somewhere to be watched as we kept quiet.  Guess who is in detention at the facility?  Yep.  We got a call at midnight that police were at her house responding to a call about murders and kids lying dead in the yard.  She reported this calling 911 from her cell phone..  Her son's fire chief also arrived, everyone shook up, no one there.  Chris is on a planned golf weekend out of town when he got the call.  Since her windows are nailed and caulked shut because of rot, it's too bad they didn't break them to enter and search for answers.  Or bodies.  And she also fell out of bed for the first time, and disrupted schedules with her calls to imaginary troublemakers to GET OUT!!  So she has been moved to the hallway where the nurse station has view of her.  

Summer is moving into the middle of July and will not be enjoyed this year.  Mid July?  Really? 

I can't figure out what the hell I did with follow.it and I can't download previous subscribers of blog posts, and I may never.  Not even sure entering your email into this bottom link or side will work.  

After yesterday's hours of getting the PA assistance site to accept her registration for online access, finally!  And then the real nutcracker.  They have NO record of her at all, even submitting an application let alone progress.  Thanks PA workers.  Get off your fricking butts, open the offices, and earn your bloated pay and pension.  There are probably a handful of efficient and responsible employees having to carry the load.

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Two-fer

 Very rare for me.  I finally corrected the large alpha row on my last attempt.  Well that's obvious isn't it?  If corrected, it would of course be the last attempt.  Sorry.  I've been so unsettled that the Release the Snark bracelet from Lauren is close to melting.  

Mark was to drive the forty minutes to Carole, visit with her, then leave me for the day and return to take me home.  The plan was sudden and I wanted to grab a small project to take while sitting with her.  The snark was released.  My kitted projects are all large, and I hesitate doing smaller ones because with limited linens right now, I usually pull them out for something else.  I chose five from the pile, and each one was a problem because I needed a quick kitting.  I do not have a local shop, and have been disappointed so many times with the great inconsistencies of GAST online, plus waiting for a week to receive them.  No conversion to DMC which is the thread most readily available for all of us.  A few others gave the finished size using a linen count very different from my preference.  No count listed.  So I have to either search for a conversion chart, get a calculator to estimate size using a higher count, or open the page and count the squares.  Dammit.  I went with the current sampler, no time to work out things that should be in the chart.

Delirium for the fourth time and not leaving.  Constant phone calls including throughout the night.  Nothing we can do, but listen to the distress and anxiety as she loses her breath trying to explain the extremely disturbing hallucinations.  Can barely understand her words in garbled speech.  To see her with mouth hanging open and wild eyes is disturbing and I can't imagine the terror that continues to plague her mind. This may cancel the upcoming appt. and treatments, they cannot remove a leg without your consent, and anesthesia in this state is not happening.

Last night after the visit, I was ishkaboobled, and saw this on the floor which is where I choose next projects after they slip off the pile.  In the pocket of the Magma was WDW Beige and although greenish, I feel perfect for these threads (until I change my mind).  So I started it.  Simple stitching without many color changes.  It's a good thing this linen happened to be there because there is no stitch count on this chart either.  It's certainly large enough, but I prefer using a  left over piece rather than cutting into a larger.  

So will I work on both at the same time?  Day off day on?  I think I will just choose what seems to be the most soothing and less complicated to stitch right now.

I've never attended a retreat or school as so many had the pleasure to with BBD.  But still shocked and saddened by Barb's passing.

I followed Stitching Dream Carole's advice and am trying follow.it to continue sending posts to subscribers through email.  If I did not install correctly, not a surprise, please just enter your email again in the right column's box.

Enjoy your weekend folks.  I hope Carole's improves.  

Has she not been through enough and yet so much more to come?

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Too tired for tech

 So.  We've lost the email delivery of blog posts to subscribers.  I saw the notice on the dashboard and assumed there would be an alternative posted.  Nah-uh.  But eventually I found that going to 

https://feedburner.google.com/

while logged into your Google account will allow you to download your subscriber list.  I had several hundred more under the Publish tab than the Analyze tab.  Mine went to Word Pad, and I saved them.  No idea where they go from there.  Mail Chimp?  Any suggestions?  What are most of you doing regarding subscribers through email?

We got the estimate to level, add dirt, and seed the the destruction of back, side and front.  It must settle for three weeks weeks first, and then another eight grand.  I would consider renting equipment but this requires hand work and raking for 160' x 25' of ground.  No way.  Even if the gravel, rocks and roots were gone.  I scolded husband several times because he trusts people that seem sincere.  The agreed price without a contract (I insisted on one, husband said not necessary), was much higher.  He claims we told him the pipe would be paid by us and even then, charged double the cost.  I was PO'd with all the other expense and told him that it was never mentioned.  He gave us a price not once saying that is without the pipe.  But without a contract, nothing we could do.  I hope he learned his lesson.

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Over and over

 I've repeated the same error.  I guess distraction can do that.  So once again, I need to remove the C and D since they are too far right.  The letters above are a stitch or two off so the second time I adjusted the row beneath to compensate.  Using the row above for placement always bites me, but so does compensating in the wrong direction.  And then on the third try, following the border stitches for placement and counting wrong.  Geez.

Carole has been having issues, no sense explaining.  Still no answers or help, assistance office employees working from home only applies if they are actually home and working.  The facility and the attorney I spoke with are both disgusted.

Mark just fried garden swiss chard with fresh garlic, wonderful.  I fried the few radishes that were ready, took the bite out so I was able to eat them.  

Cut Blue Angel hosta flowers and they really suck up the water, but are lasting longer than expected.  They look white outside, but lavender indoors after cutting and more color appears every day.

I had to apply cans and bottles to the large roots I've tripped on several times.  Some are quite large and what a jolt I got when trying to yank them out of the dirt mounds.  They are still attached to the tree.  They should finish today and then come another time to fill and remove excess soil.

I cut back the woody petunia and look at the new branches in a week.  This should be loaded with flowers soon.

Hope you had a nice Independence Day.  

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Torque

 A twisting force that tends to cause rotation.

Not to be confused with twerk.

And some of our newer drills have enough to send that long deck screw into the wood so quickly that you don't realize how deep it's going.  Until of course, it stops but the drill keeps going and torques your wrist.  Not conducive to stitching.  We decided to reinstall the old boards, too much expense right now, and the excavator changed bucket size to keep the work area to a minimum.  Good thing husband started this himself because there is no guarantee that hired help will show, they just don't have enough workers.

With the recent rains, we have a real disaster and the clay soil is like walking on quicksand.  As you start sinking, your shoe disappears and it's hard to get out.  Extensive, and it will be quite some time before the dirt settles and they can come out to level and seed. The brats are NOT happy with this situation and leaving muddy prints everywhere.

My return visit to the new doc early Wednesday after the previous long wait and walk out, did not materialize.  This is the third time in six months that they called early and said the doctor would not be in.  I have no idea if there is a family health problem, but I need a doctor, trying another as new patient in August.  I asked both offices and neither will drop a patient because they visited other doctors to find the right one, as my PCP of 30 years did.  So I'm not concerned about being blindsided and refused to be seen.

I've stopped all meds months ago, I know it's foolish.  But waking up with hard palps and shaky hands distracts you.  I can take Advil again, and my daily monitor of blood pressure had been on the button.  Have no idea why with all the stress, wondering if the Plaquenil raised it?  It lowered when I stopped.  Whatever.  Advil has helped my wrist and we are finished with the drivers.  Hoping to do some swing sitting and stitching between phone calls tomorrow.  The nursing home has not been able to contact anyone from the assistance office about her application, they are still not open.

Happy Friday folks.

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