Kelly Bunyon won a pair of 6″ Tula Pink Scissors in this week’s Wednesday Giveaway. Congrats to Kelly! If you are not Kelly but would still love to own a pair of these lovely scissors, click here.
Click here to read more about these fine scissors and/or to buy them.
Sometimes you have to get away from your actual business to plan the future of that business. That is why I took my office manager (Lorna), web and social media consultant (Chris), shipping clerk (Elanor), and the man who does everything else that comes up (Steve) on a working vacation to Red River, NM. The boys (jack and Bear) had to come too because they couldn’t stay home alone and, besides, we love them :-).
Red River is a long day’s drive from Sherman. Lorna and I did a lot of talking on the way out and back. I made notes and took photos. The white van in front of me in most of these photos belongs to Chris and Lorna. It was a 2-car expedition.
The land is mostly flat from Sherman to the mountains. There are lumpy stretches (not really hills), and towns. There were trees in most of the towns but out on the prairie, not so much. The elevation rose as we drove west.
I didn’t get good photos of the mountains from the car on the way to Red River because the light was wrong. And I missed some lovely photos when I was driving. It’s better to be safe than wrecked, right?
We took a more scenic route on the way home, through Tucumcari and Las Vegas, NM. The mountains in Red River quickly gave way to plateaus. The trees gave way to scrubbier plants.
And then it got flat again, all the way home, which is one reason why we who live on the prairie go to the mountains :-).
I do love being able to see off into the distance, and I love how big the sky is over flat land, but it’s not for everyone. I’ll share more photos of the trip, with mountains and people, later this week.
I had planned my first day back from vacation carefully. I was going to choose photos, write blog posts, and get all caught up before leaving at the crack-of-before-dawn on Wednesday to teach in West Houston. I even had dreams of sewing! Dang. None of that happened.
Instead, I answered some email and then took mom to two doctors. Her primary Dr.’s associate saw mom for a UTI, swollen leg, and an open (but not infected) wound. While not great, this is not unusual medical stuff for an 84-year-old diabetic.
Cue up a happy sky photo because so far, so good.
I took mom home for a nap after doctor #1, where she could rest and put up her leg. That didn’t happen. Instead, she was playing bingo when I came back an hour and half later to pick her up to go the eye doctor.
My mom has seen every eye doctor in Sherman over the last 5 years and she still can’t see as well as she wants to (this is after cataract surgery, in case you are wondering). I admit it — I lost patience long ago. Every doctor said ‘use drops’ and they tweaked her prescription. I figured my mom’s age was the problem and that her eyes were never going to be as good as she thought they should be.
Well, not so much. Last month, she saw Dr. Long who, with his associates, figured out that mom was seeing double. Did you know that they make glasses for that? Yes, they do.
The new glasses came and we all thought the problem was fixed. Except that it wasn’t. Damn.
Mom’s 2nd doctor visit today was back to the eye doctor. I figured that her glasses needed to be tweaked. Again, I was wrong.
It was a long visit. I admit that I was less and less patient as we waited, but I didn’t lose it and remained nice throughout. My younger self would not have stayed as nice. Does that indicate growth that comes with age? I can only hope.
Long story short is that her eyes are changing, too much and too fast. The doctor wants an MRI of her midbrain. Mom was a nurse and I know enough physiology to know that he suspects something stroke-like. Damn, again.
Mom was not thrilled, but she was calm. Nothing had really changed. She has trouble seeing and she has been a stroke risk for a long, long time. Life goes on. And we will try to remain gracefully patient, no matter what comes. It’s time for another happy picture, right?
To those of you who find yourselves taking care of parents, children, or grandchildren, I hope that you find graceful patience when you need it. And if you have any to spare, please do send it my way :-).
I’m home from vacation feeling refreshed and ready to go which is good because my desk is buried under things to do. But I can do it! I’ll begin sharing photos and stories tomorrow. Today I want to give you an opportunity from another quilter.
Renee Arnett was cleaning out her stash and came across a fabric kit, with each block pattern, for our Flourishes quilt. (The border pattern is not included but you can download it for free here.)
Renee has sold the kit shown below. If I hear of another one, I’ll let you know.
As I wrote in last week’s newsletter, Lorna and I (plus husbands and kids) are on a working vacation to Red River, NM. It is a perfect destination: beautiful scenery, cool, dry air, and only a long 1-day drive from home.
Lorna and I, with input from Chris and Steve, been making plans for the rest of the year and beyond. We really needed this time away from the daily routine.
We are spending a lot of time outdoors. I am taking lots of photos, at least one should turn into a quilt! I’ll share photos next week.
The only downside is the very slow wifi and cell service. It’s so slow that we’ve mostly given up trying to go online and that is a good thing. We are each more present. The kids are very happy to have our full attention (most of the time).
So, there may not be a newsletter or Wednesday Giveaway this week. I promise to be back next week, focused and ready to go!
Carol Sexton won the Blackwing Slate Journal. If you aren’t Carol and want your own journal, click here. It is a lovely book to fill with thoughts, pictures, drawings, and more!
Piece O Cake Blog 