Some beads and some knitting

These are some beads I made the other day. I'm trying to get back into making sets again, so I made a set of Terranova2 rounds. They came out pretty good with lots of color.

And other than making beads, I've been knitting. I've shown some stuff here before but here's some more. This is a pattern I got the link to from my friend Amy's blog. It's a bag that I keep in my purse so that I can go into a store, buy something and not have to use an odious plastic bag. I despise plastic bags because so many of them wind up in trees. I don't want to contribute to that so I refuse those plastic bags. It's more coral than shows up here. My flash went off and the picture I took without the flash was too blurry. I was very impressed with being able to do an I-cord border all by myself!

Now that it's spring, I made myself a scarf! I wanted to learn how to cable, so here is the first project with cabling that I've done. I can wear this next winter.

And here's a shawl/wrap that I made myself. In February I went to a women's group at church and it was held in the chapel, where the heat is really noisy, so in order to hear each other we'd turn the heat off. I'd sit there and freeze! So I modified a pattern in an afghan book by cutting it in half lengthwise. It's made out of cascade 220 wool and it's toasty warm. I used two skeins of different colors at the same time.


I took little Java back to acupuncture yesterday and who was there but one of her regular vets, by coincidence, to observe the acupuncture process. She seems to be doing well pain-wise, but is losing sensation in her rear hind leg, unfortunately. We have her back on the anti-inflammatory drug she was on before in hopes that that helps and she has a follow up with her neurologist on Tuesday. I hope it gets better.

Java's acupuncture adventure

Here's Java arriving at the vet's for her second acupuncture treatment.

Here's the hospital in Woburn, Mass that we go to. They have all kinds of veterinary specialists. I hate to admit how many we have seen.


Here's Java relaxing on the table with the needles in. A few of the ones in her legs came out because she sat and lied down, but the ones in her back stayed. I didn't dare take my hand off of her because I do not trust her not to jump down.


And here the treatment is over, we're back at home relaxing in the sunbeam.

Here's a picture of my new car. It's a hybrid, and I've been getting over 44 miles per gallon. That's a huge difference from my 20 mpg SUV. So far I love everything about it, especially the color.

Java has been doing much better. I'm not sure that it's due to the acupuncture, because she had started feeling better before that, but the acupuncture can't hurt. She goes tomorrow for her second treatment. She did very well last week, only shaking out the needles once. After they were placed, the vet left us in the room to relax. Java did lie down and mellow out a little, which is pretty impressive for being at the vet's office. I completely forgot to take a picture, so I'll try again tomorrow.

Here's a picture of Java in her favorite place: a sunbeam.

Little Java had been feeling great but last week her back (we think) started bothering her again. She makes a little grunt, resulting from a sharp intake of breath, when she's feeling pain. She started doing this last week so we put her back on the medicines she had been off of to try to alleviate her discomfort. Luckily her pain did not reach the level it had prior to her surgery, as she kept up her appetite. That's my barometer for her well-being. If we can coax her to eat she's feeling pretty good. If we can't, then she isn't. She's much better now than she was at the beginning of last week, but she still has pain. So tomorrow she goes for her first round of acupuncture. It's supposed to really help, and I hope it does. I cannot stand to see her in pain. I wonder if it'll really work. There can't be a placebo effect like there is in humans because she doesn't know what's going on. Maybe there is something to it. I'll definitely post her results.

You know, it's very hard to think of things to write about here. It was easy when the bead cottage was being built because every day I'd have a new picture to show. Just how much into the minutia of life do you go?

• I've been knitting and making beads. I made a bunch of Goddess beads for a women's group that I was involved with. It was our last official meeting, and they all said how much they liked the ones I brought in, so I made each woman a Goddess bead.
• I can count on one hand the number of times I've made dinner since we got back from our cruise (and Barney died). I even went to the grocery store on Thursday to get something to make and I couldn't think of anything I want to make. Nothing came to me. There was no inspiration. And even deciding on what kind of take-out you want to eat has become a chore. That gets boring as well. I'm thinking of giving up on eating altogether.
• The turkeys still have not come back. I'm sure that we'll see them again sometime but for now it looks like they've moved on.
• Java is doing very well since her surgery. She hasn't had any more pain episodes like the ones she was having that caused us to rush her to the emergency vet twice. Thank the universe. She gets her staples out on Tuesday.
• We bought her a ramp so we don't have to pick her up and put her down all the time in order for her to go outside. She has no problem using it to go down, but doesn't like using it to go up. She's a quirky girl.
  
• Robert has given me the go-ahead to get my nose pierced. I think I'm going to have it done sometime this week.
• I want a more economical car, as I think the price of gas is creeping upwards again and I wouldn't be surprised to see a repeat of last summer's prices. On the other hand I don't want to spend the money to buy a new car, I feel I should be holding on to it. But would buying a car stimulate the economy, even in a little way? It's a conundrum.
• I feel the undercurrent of spring coming. I think it's the angle of the sun and the longer days. It feels so good and I can't wait for spring to get here. I'm so sick of snow and cold. I want to see my grass again.
• My mother, sister, brother-in-law and niece left for a 7-day cruise to someplace warm. I can't wait to hear all about it. They have a fabulous suite - 3 bedroom, grand piano, private hot tub and sun deck. I think the cruise industry has been hit hard by the economic down-turn because they gave them a terrific deal on this amazing room.

I don't want this to turn into 25 Random Things About Me so I'm ending it now. I just thought I'd put down the things I've been doing and/or thinking about that I wouldn't normally post in my blog.

Remembering my father

Two years ago today was a very sad day in our lives. We've come a long way since then. Miss you, Dad.

Closeups for Amy

Here is a closeup of the stitching for the first afghan. It's sort of a modified basket-weave like I did for Mini's blankie. Gary likes the afghan a lot.



Here's a closeup of the new one I'm making along with the one I finished. The color isn't right in this shot - it's way too light - it is more of a cranberry red than pink. You can see the differences in the finished one. The top photo is darker and closer to to the true color. I love the new pattern, I feel like I'm doing something really complicated when it's actually very easy!


Oh and as far as being in the doldrums, Anonymous commentor, you are the one in the doldrums. So there. I had to delete my comments because they were pretty nasty. I'm not sure who posted it but I have a good idea who it probably was, so I don't want to be too mean.

Java had her surgery on Tuesday and came home Wednesday evening. She is doing great. She recovered very quickly from the anesthesia and was trotting along on her way outside the next day. She hasn't had any of those terrible pain episodes so I have to consider it a success. I just hope the outcome justifies putting her through surgery. Poor baby girl.

I had my hair done today. It's pretty subtle, but that's a good thing. It's a maroonish color in the back under most of the hair, so it just peeks out. Here's a picture of the back of my head:

Java's surgery

Little Java had surgery on her neck today for a bulging disc. Her back had been getting better and all of a sudden she exhibited neck pain symptoms. We dug deep for an MRI today which revealed that she has like 5 bulging discs - one in her neck and 4 in her back. Poor girl. Since she was sedated already, we opted to have the neck disc fixed. The surgery has been done and it went exactly as expected and Java's recuperating at the vet's. She may be home on Thursday.

I finished my afghan!

I started a knitting project the weekend we went to Woodstock (MLK birthday weekend). The pattern said it was a "weekend project" in that if you started Friday night, you would have a completed afghan by Monday evening. So I've been working on my "weekend" project for 3 weeks now. That's OK. It gave me something to do while I was watching TV. And only my friend Amy could finish that project in that amount of time. She's a very speedy knitter. So after binding off, I spread the blanket out on the couch to snap a photo and who came trotting over to investigate? Java! I placed her on the afghan so she could see and she settled right down on it. She must like it. She's on strict crate rest these days because of a back problem, so I lifted her down. She's not allowed to run, climb or descend stairs or jump. She is feeling much better these days. Last week she couldn't walk! Scary, especially so soon after losing Barney. So I still have to weave in the ends and such, but the knitting is done. I'm very proud. It's the first one I've done that I'm keeping for myself. I love the feeling that finishing a project gives me.

Sadly, there have been no more turkeys at our house. We spread some corn but they haven't found it. The other birds have and really like it, so it's not all for naught.

On another good note, yesterday Robert used his smithy and blacksmithed for the first time at home. The fan in the chimney worked great and kept the fire alarm from going off. He's out there now and I'm going to go visit.

Turkey Time!

Finally something exciting has happened. Three turkeys visited us yesterday and then returned today to check out the offerings at our feeders. I'm not sure they found anything to their liking but they sure came close to the house. It gave us a fantastic view. They are such tall birds. And they stand on one foot in the snow, I think because it's so cold!

This guy came almost all the way to the house. He picked at a few seeds in the snow.



This one stayed outside the fence, but was very interested in the suet that the squirrel was eating.



This one stayed on the fence the whole time, never coming any closer.



Java saw them through the porch doors. She was not too happy that there were these strange beasts in her backyard. Her hackles went up and she bugled at them. It was kind of funny. I think the turkeys could hold their own against her. I hope they come back tomorrow. We bought some cracked corn to spread just in case.

I tried to write a post yesterday but I didn't have anything to say. I was thinking about writing an op-ed regarding the cloning of pets, but I think I'll save that for another day. This isn't a political blog, so I don't think I want to turn it into one. It started out being a place for me to write down my feelings, so that's what it is. On that subject, I'm feeling much better these days. I feel like I'm finally coming out of the deep sadness that I felt about Barney's death. Finally. Of course I still have my moments but I'm not crying every day and moping about the way I was. I'm really looking forward to the snow melting and spring coming. Baseball season starts this week when the truck with all the Red Sox equipment heads down to Florida for spring training. Aah.

This is my dad (sitting down) in a glass shop in Murano. The 2-year anniversary of his death is coming up. I miss him a lot.

Facebook

A few months ago my sister Martha got me to sign up for Facebook. She said it was a way for her to get back in touch with old friends from her high school years. So I joined. And I have to say that it's an amazing thing. I've found relatives, contemporary friends, online friends, old friends from church, high school, college, and elementary school all in one place. It decompartmentalizes your world, that's for sure. I really love it when I find a long-lost friend and reconnect with them, even if it's just to say "Hi, I've been thinking of you over the years. Hope you didn't forget me." Robert doesn't really understand Facebook at all. He's a networking Luddite.

Bead Pictures!

Finally here are pictures of some of the beads I've been making. They're kind of organic, with lots of silvered glass, silvered ivory and goldstone ribbon. I love making them but they take a long time.

So tomorrow we're off to Vermont for the coldest weekend of the year. Luckily we're staying at an Inn with a great big stone fireplace and tea in the afternoon. I'm going to bring some knitting and hunker down by the fire, knit and drink tea. Have a wonderful weekend.

Happy New Year (belated)!

I'm feeling a lot better. This whole past week was pretty much shot, what with my head cold and all the work that's being done around here. The good news is that the fluorescent lights are up in the bead cottage. I don't really like the light fluorescents put out, except that my light fixture gives a nice long horizontal stripe of light across the top of my bead while I'm making it. This allows me to see if there are any flat spots, or wobbly areas that need to be better balanced. Keith and Charlie also designed some cool covers for the fixtures so they're not plain bare bulbs. I'll take a picture and post it this week sometime.

I'm still really sad about Barney. I miss the little guy so much I can hardly believe it. I wish he were here (but healthy) again. He was a little high maintenance doggie. He had epilepsy, glaucoma and dry eye, necessitating 3 different veterinarians and 3 different pharmacies. That's more doctors than I have! LOL. Anyway, he was a lot of work and in a way it's good for that to be done with. On the other hand, I'd take him back in a second if he could stay with me forever. I wouldn't take him back only to have to lose him again. Death is so complicated.

I don't want another dog right now, but I can't stop looking at the Bostons on Petfinder and looking for them in the local shelters' listings. It's going to be much easier with one dog this summer. So I should just stop looking. Plus, I don't think that Java, at almost 9 years old would be as accepting of a brother at this point as she was when she was 2. I wouldn't want to upset her.

This coming week is going to be a busy one, but I will try to make some beads at some point. Another thing I need to do is start taking the ones I do make off the mandrels, clean them and photograph them. I've been making some pretty neat ones that I really like. If I don't make beads tomorrow, then cleaning the ones I have is the first priority.

Tuesday I'm going to the knitting store to buy some yarn for a project. I'm going to take the project with me to Vermont this weekend when the whole family goes to the Woodstock Inn. Martha and Angie go every year and this year invited the rest of us to go with them. It's going to be fun. They're going to bring Elizabeth skiing if it's not too cold. The forecast is for temperatures in the single digits, so it might not happen. If it does, I'll take a picture.

So that's about it. I've just been rambling here but it's good to get back into the swing of the blog. Have a great rest of the weekend and dream of spring training with me.

Sick as a dog

I can't breathe through my nose, and it's very red and sore on the outside from using kleenex. I'm feeling very sorry for myself this evening. Right now the cold is confined to my head; hopefully it will not move into my chest. I still haven't taken down the Christmas decorations and I have a mountain of laundry to wash. Good thing there's tomorrow. I think that Arthur the electrician/football coach is coming tomorrow to finish up the lights in the bead cottage and start putting in the electric heat on the porch. I had a wacky dream the other night that I had to play football, and get dressed up in all those pads and helmet. I couldn't understand why I had to play football considering I don't even know how to throw one. I tried to wiggle out of playing but wasn't allowed to. Very strange.

Here's the first picture of the mighty blacksmith at work. This was taken seconds before the smoke alarm went off throughout the whole bead cottage. "eh eh eh evacuate smoke evacuate! eh eh eh evacuate smoke evacuate!" Good thing it doesn't call the fire department. We need to have a small fan put in the line to draw the smoke up the chimney better.


Here's a shot of most of the smoke going through the chimney.


And this is a bead I made that same day. I really like how it turned out. There's a lot of depth and even some iridescence on the surface.

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas everyone! Things here are slowly becoming normal. We've decided that since Barney is gone, we're going to start taking Java with us when we go places, like to family's houses for holidays. She was always a good traveler, unlike Barney, so it's pretty easy. When it's time to eat, we put her in her travel crate and she goes to sleep. She did very well last night at Sarah's with Elizabeth the human niece and Katie the dog niece. Java growled at Katie once in the beginning of the evening, so we just let them be in the same room together without getting too close to each other. After a while they got used to each other. Elizabeth was very excited to have a new black doggie come visit and she spent a lot of time petting her, not always so gently. Java reacted very kindly and let Elizabeth do her thing. This morning Robert and I played Scrabble and watched "A Christmas Story" a bunch of times. I made green bean casserole for the first time; it was a special request. So we're relaxing and having a pleasant morning. Best wishes to all of my readers for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

I can't help compare how I'm feeling now about Barney to how I felt when my Dad passed away. I know that the two deaths are no comparison in gravity but I still feel just as badly. I also find myself rationalizing things in the same way as I did back then. Counting blessings, thinking about how the worry is over, and how the changes that come may be not be all bad. For instance, I was always afraid to have Elizabeth be near Barney because I've seen him snap at small children before. Now I don't have to worry about that. I never brought Barney and Java to the lake with Katie there because Barney didn't like dogs that were bigger than he was, so now we can bring Java next summer. There's a lot less to do in the mornings and evenings, now that he doesn't need to be medicated. Thinking about these things helps me to deal with the excruciating ache I have in my heart right now. It somehow makes it retreat to a dull ache instead of a stabbing emptyness. I know he was just a dog, but he was my beefy man and I'll miss him tons and tons.

We're home

So we're home. Flew in to a doozie of a snowstorm and tomorrow we're supposed to get more. Today has just sucked all around so I'll just leave it at that.