Waiting on Hurricane Milton

 Well it looks like this next hurricane is going right across Florida and there is no way we aren't going to get more than just a little rain.  I have a feeling more trees will fall.  My neighbors tree fell over my fence into my yard during Hurricane Helene.

It was no surprise since it was half dead which I noticed when we had one of our trees cut down that was hanging over another of my neighbors yard, the tree was half dead so it made sense to cut it down.

I am well stocked with water, batteries and cat food and litter, a full tank of gas and some cash on hand just in case.  I'm not surprised by this storm, it's been a few years since we had a large hurricane blow directly over us. Tomorrow I will take down the bird feeders and wind chimes, and have my son move the few planters to a more secure place.  

With the A-Fib (atrial fibrillation) I am so tired most of the time that small tasks exhaust me. The other day I had to stop in the middle of grocery shopping, check out so I could get home to lie down.  Walking down to the corner and back, some days twice is about all I can handle right now.  I miss my daily 2 mile walks so much.

On a more positive note yesterday I stitched 4 of the 12 hexagon blocks on the Kathy Schmitz Fright Night table mat.

I have to gather some autumn fabrics for a few slow stitching projects I want to get started on.  Despite the rain we had all day yesterday and today stitching keeps me calm and creative. With out a needle and thread I think I would lose my mind.

If you are in Florida, Stay Safe.

Slow Stitching Sundays October Woven Wreaths And Fight Night

 I finished the stitching on the Kathy Schmitz Woven Wreath October block and began the stitching on the Fright Night mat.

Last night I stitched one pumpkin and this morning I began stitching the cat which I will continue to stitch later today.

 

There was a hiccup with the Harvest Hues SAL with a slight delay in getting the stitching started as Mary Corbet is dealing with some eye issues. She may be able to get a midweek start this week, I may go ahead and stitch a set of leaves on my own and once Mary is back to stitching I will stitch along with her.  I love the leaf patterns so having an extra set will help me use up some of my stash of floss and fabrics.

The newest prompt for the Roxy's Journal of Stitchery Vol. 6 is autumnal colors which I have a few leaf motifs to stitch as well as some leafy fabric to fussy cut and slow stitch for my page.

I will add my post to Kathy's Quilts for slow stitching Sunday here is the link drop on over and take a look at what other bloggers are slow stitching today. 

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2024/10/slow-sunday-stitching.html

It looks like we are facing another hurricane this week with lots of rain wind and power outages.  This one looks like its going to cross the entire state of Florida. For anyone in it's path Stay Safe.

A new Stich Along Harvest Hues with Mary Corbet

 I have gathered my supplies for the newest Stitch Along I am taking part in hosted by Mary Corbet.

You can read about it here and join along if you like, we don't begin stitching the leaves until next week so there is time.  Here is the link to Mary's Website for the SAL

https://www.needlenthread.com/2024/09/harvest-hues-1-design-materials-set-up.html

As soon as I saw the photos posted on her blog I knew I would join in.  I love Autumn colors and I'm always looking for something new and colorful to use to decorate my home here in Florida.

I have some wool blend felt I purchased about a year or so ago from Benzie Design for a project I did with quite a bit left over. Here is there website https://www.benziedesign.com They also have an Etsy store by the same name.  I love their wool palette selections most of the time you can purchase the DMC floss to coordinate with the felt which saves time trying to get that perfect match depending on what you make.

Also for autumn I am stitching another Mary Corbet design Autumn Leaf Lines the pattern is free for members of Mary's Patreon. 

I first came to know of Mary Corbet when I renewed my interest in Hand Embroidery way back in October 2014.  I enrolled in a hand embroidery class on October 7th we would make 2 projects from Gail Pan's Patchwork Loves Embroidery book. My finished needlebook and pincushion side by side with the photos from the book.  I can happily say my French knots have improved.

 The next project to follow was a Crab Apple Hill design which I am happy to say I am still crazy about those patterns. More about those another time.

After the New Year in 2015 we began to meet once a week for hand embroidery class learning new stitches and refreshing our skills.  Many of those classed included a video from Mary Corbet, it may have been either the website or YouTube. 

I have to say signing up for that first class 10 years ago was one of the best things I  have ever done.  I have grown as a hand stitcher following patterns to designing some of my own patterns and exploring the world of Slow Stitching in many of it's forms.

I will also be working on Kathy Schmitz Woven Wreaths block for October along with her Fright Night Table Mat which is available on Spoonflower, it includes the backing fabric when you purchase 1 yard.

I just love the vintage look of the motifs there are 12 in all and also available in Kathy's shop as a stand alone download to stitch the images.  I may use these as part of a bunting instead of the table mat.

The design images reminds me so much of the vintage Halloween cutouts from when my son was a little boy kind of like these vintage Beistle 

I just saw in the Spoonflower shop there is a Christmas Table Mat and a Wall hanging, I may grab one though I do have the Jolly And Bright ornament pattern to start on soon.

I am finally linking my post to Kathy's Quilts here:https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2024/09/slow-sunday-stitching_02122906470.html
It's been a while since I linked a post so it feels great to have something stitch related to talk about.

A Mary Oliver poem and my thoughts.

 

INVITATION by Mary Oliver

Oh do you have time

to linger

for just a little while

out of your busy

and very important day

for the goldfinches

that have gathered

in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,

to see who can sing

the highest note,

or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,

or the most tender?

Their strong, blunt beaks

drink the air

as they strive

melodiously

not for your sake

and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning

but for sheer delight and gratitude –

believe us, they say,

it is a serious thing

just to be alive

on this fresh morning

in the broken world.

I beg of you,

do not walk by

without pausing

to attend to this

rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.

It could mean everything.

It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:

You must change your life.

Mary Oliver

The words in this poem are almost my exact thoughts when I'm lying in my bed between sleep and waking listening to the birds singing out my window.  Some mornings there isn't a peep from a bird but on those glorious mornings when the birds wake me with their chorus of calls and songs of joy.  I will listen for the different tunes my own heart filling with joy.

Early this month we had rain for the first two weeks with some heavy downpours, the birds would gather at one of the feeders under the covered porch several perching on the windchimes and the table waiting to take their turn at the feeder or perhaps just being social while getting out of the rain.  They sing while they wait out the rain.  I often wonder are they calling other birds to let them know it's dry spot out of the rain with plenty to eat.  

I am fortunate to have this almost daily gift of birdsong and happy to say it's not only in the early morning that the birds come and sing.  For the past few weeks they have been coming in the late afternoon and early evening after the sun goes down filling the air with song. 

Another Health Update

 

So what I thought was going to be a routine visit with my Cardiologist turned into me leaving with an attached heart monitor and the diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation or Afib for short. I was surprised until I learned that I had all of the symptoms of Afib I experienced all Spring and Summer long were not from a long bout of bronchitis my GP prescribed antibiotics for which did not do much for the condition.

These are the Symptoms and Yes I have them all, (except for the chest pain which just began about 2 weeks ago, not as pain but as a nagging ache or a pinching twinge) just about every day since May.

Feelings of a fast, fluttering or pounding heartbeat, called palpitations. Which I thought was just the short of breath that usually comes with bronchitis.

• Chest pain.

• Dizziness.

• Fatigue.

• Lightheadedness.

• Reduced ability to exercise.

• Shortness of breath.

• Weakness.

So now I am prescribed another high dollar medication to deal with the problem and to prevent blood clots and possible Stroke. Give me a break $753.95 for a 30 day supply of medication is criminal. Fortunately the Pharmacist was able to get a coupon so my first 30 days doesn’t cost me anything. I will speak to my cardiologist on the 1th when I get the results of the monitor and request an affordable blood thinner from few he named, at least one under $500.00. On the up side I can stop taking the low dose aspirin (I am laughing here cause I pay about 10 bucks for 1000 of those).

I have to admit when my GP prescribed the antibiotics over the phone rather than have me come into the office, I took them thinking it will help, after all I come down with long bouts of bronchitis just about every year.

As a Cardiac patient when the symptoms still bothered me weeks after the antibiotics were finished I should have called my cardiologist to check things out. Funny thing is today I was going to ask him about all those symptoms to see if they may be heart related. He already had the answer.

I’m a bit relieved and quite irritated with myself for ignoring what was so obvious. I did get a list of GP’s that I will call to establish as a new patient.

For the next 2 weeks I will be attached to this little heart monitor to gather information on just how things are going.

With the Gyn appointment and biopsies yesterday and this today do I dare ask what else can go wrong?

Health Update

 I walked through these doors this morning to have 2 biopsy procedures, I knew my blood pressure would be elevated but this morning it wasn't too bad, in fact fairly normal for me.

Arriving in this room where the magic happens. The procedures were quick and relatively painless.

While walking back out through those doors about 40 minutes later I realized it's going to seem like eons waiting for the results.

Somehow I knew that all those years suffering/battling with Endometriosis it would one day bite me in the butt again, after 10 years in menopause I was right. Gosh it's sometimes sucks to be right. Other than that Life is Good.

I don't know what it is about the end of August but I always seem to have some kind of medical problem at this time. In August 2022 it was off to the ER because I lost vision in my left eye and before I knew it they had me list as a stroke alert.

In August 2021 I begin my time in cardiac rehab after having 2 more stents put in the heart arteries.

As for 2020 from March through the rest of the year in was in and out of the hospital for abdominal pain which was finally diagnosed in mid 2021. I haven't felt 100% since that dreaded time in 2020 when my health rapidly declined yet each day I work to recover my health. Dealing with the spine and leg issues are coming along without surgery so far, not all days are good and this summer the heat has kept me from my daily walks most days, but on those mornings when the humidity isn't choking me I do walk and I don't feel exhausted when I get back.

Tomorrow I have my cardiologist appointment and I'm hoping all is still going well. I will need to inform him the gyn will be contacting him for clearance for upcoming procedures depending on the biopsy results because I take blood thinners. This shouldn't be a problem I had to stop the blood thinners for a week before I had the spinal injections last autumn.

Welcome August and the First Sunday Slow Stitch!

 

Wow what happened to July?  Is it just me or is the summer flying by, I noticed a few days ago the days are growing shorter.  I feel like I blinked my eyes and summer is nearly over.   It was a very hot and humid July this year with quite a few record high temps.  I am actually looking forward to the end of summer which will be upon us in a flash.

I actually stitched the August blocked for the Kathy Schmitz Woven Wreaths SAL. This little smiling sun took quite awhile to stitch.  

My pieces for the K3n.clothtales for weeks   Week 31 which is a Shisha style piece. I used a foil covered circle of cardboard for the Shisha mirror. I love the weekly prompts of this SAL, I am learning so many interesting ways to stitch.

Zokin was week 28, Traditionally Zokin cloths are used for dusting or cleaning in Japanese households.

Stitched leaves was week 27 I chose to do fabric leaves instead of real leaves because with the humidity here in Florida leaves tend to get moldy when drying.

Week 30 was folded fabric where we stitched bits of fabric while making folds while stitching. 

Week 29 was to stitch a mandala, instead of making a traditional mandala with bits of fabric scraps I decided to make a mandala of wool oak leaves adding an acorn button in the center.  As Katharine always says "You do you." and the oak leaves mandala is me doing me.  I will link to Kathy's Quilts here https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2024/08/slow-sunday-stitching-olympics.html

The end of July brought some Happy Mail, the 1st thing is the Ingrid's Wildflowers hand embroidery kit order from Missouri Star QuiltCo . https://www.missouriquiltco.com/  

The kit includes 20 stick and stitch wildflower motifs, full size balls of perle cotton, needles, needle threader, scissors and needle minder and the instructions to make a quilt all packed in a lovely tin box.

The kit contains everything you need to stitch the 20 blocks using the 20 stick and stitch patterns 

The included stitch book has the color guide and stitch guide for each motif.  A bonus motif was available making a total of 21 motifs to stitch and an added surprise was a download for each motif in 3 sizes 3, 4 and 5 inches.

The 2nd piece of Happy Mail is the DMC Eco Vita boxed set of natural dyed organic wool floss which is stranded so you can separate it just like the cotton floss.   Included was the DMC needle minders

Here are the colors close up, there are 30 colors in the boxed set.

Inside the booklet are 2 patterns and number/color card.  When I received the email alerting me the kit was back in stock I immediately ordered it, a few days later it was delivered.

One piece of mail that arrived was not happy mail at all, it was a ruined issue of Somerset Studio magazine, apparently either the mail sorter or the mail carrier spilled coffee, tea of a soft drink on the issue which was in a plastic bag.  I don't know how long it sat but half the issues pages were stuck together.  I was livid.

It took 5 days for the pages to dry completely, I was able to separate the pages except the last 5 in the back, about a quarter of the front of the magazine pages are fine, the rest of the pages are stained light brown and warped.  Sadly this isn't an isolated incident where magazines were delivered with coffee spills and cup rings on the pages. The cup rings stopped when the magazines I get started arriving in plastic bags which are compostable.  Complaints to the post office doesn't help. A replacement copy is on the way.