A quick word or two

R did help me with the big tubs from the closet.  They were all full of sweaters and out of all of them I kept 4, R took one, and all the rest (23) went to Goodwill.  They will keep someone warm this winter.  One of the ones I kept was cashmere and one all silk and best of all they fit.  Now to figure out how to sort the clothes on hangers, I can't stand and reach up for very long, and there isn't enough space on the rods to separate the good from the unwanted.  I'll figure it out.

Oh, and there are *a few* coming from eBay.  I must control my buying impulse, it is rediculous when I am here in this room all damn day and night.  Who would I impress?

I got my big folding cardboard so I can pin and mark a pattern without being on the floor.  I figure the bed will work, and I can spin it so I can reach the far side to cut, etc.  I finally settled on a tote bag/purse pattern and I unearthed the fabric.  I will post photos when it is done.  I hope that will be in the next year...

And Third Place is...

C caught another possum last night, it was in the garage eating the dry cat food that was left.  C whacked him with a broom, but instead of running away like any normal animal, it tried to hide under a table.  So he wedged the door of the have-a-heart trap open and reached under the table and grabbed the possum around the throat (gloves) and lowered him into the trap, put it in the truck and took it out to the Great Beyond in an undeveloped area and turned it loose.  Hopefully it doesn't have GPS.

That makes 3 possums in as many weeks.  Nasty beasts.

Christmas was great here, there were a whole lot of snacks, and some surprises too.  Both kids liked their sweatshirts, and I liked my $50 gift card to Amazon.  I have already spent it, on a  set of specialized presser feet for my sewing machine.  I think they will come tomorrow, the feet plus a manual, a DVD and a labeled organized storage case.  The steaks and baked  potatoes were yummy, and for dessert we had.... wait....oh yeah, we forgot the dessert.  Don't know how we would have eaten it after that meal anyway.  I couldn't even finish my steak, and C had it for lunch yesterday, the more power for possum wrangling.

R got the holidays off until next wednesday, I must come up with something to gainfully occupy her for some of that time.  Maybe she can help me with my closet clear out.  I have winter stuff in Rubbermaid tubs in the bottom of the closet, but there is nowhere to hang them until I clear out the stuff that is already hanging.  What fun.  I can't do it by myself with the damned walker.

We don't take down the decorations until Jan 1st, and it will only take about 15 minutes and one trip to the storage unit.  If only the closets were so simple.  I could fill a unit with just my clothes.

Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?

Ho Ho H...

Hurray!  My son was in here yesterday when the critter started scampering and munching, and when I pointed  out that it didn't sound the least like a cat, he agreed.  He took a flashlight and looked around in the garage, but didn't find any sign of a way into the garage ceiling.  But I am vindicated!  Now to see if it either dies or we find someway to get a rat poison packet up in there.  As long as we are careful to put it where the garage cats couldn't reach.  After all these years, rodent problems.  I think the difference is that the dogs are no more and so the squirrels are everywhere.

Both R and C were in here cleaning this morning and the difference is amazing.  I typically clean all the time; one day on the sinks, one day on the throne, etc.  They didn't do it the way I would have but I don't care.  A few years ago I had housekeepers that came every two weeks, so the house never did get dirty other than the daily spatters in the kitchen, or a ring in the bowl that needed to be scrubbed out.  When I retired I decided to do it all myself, save some money.  But I hate to clean, and there is no one but the 3 of us to see the cobwebs, etc.  And of course for the last many months I have been unable to do much of anything while supporting myself on the walker.  I can't even carry much of anything, so there is stuff everywhere in here.  I need to do my exercises without fail.  And be triple careful with my knee, so that it has no chance to buckle and make me fall.  And need medical care after the fall.  Fingers crossed.

I am really looking forward to Christmas day, just two more days.  Not for gifts for myself, but to see if R and C are pleased with their gifts from me.  I tried really hard to come up with something they wouldn't think to buy for themselves.  Basically it is because they have the money to get anything for themselves.  So I will see if it goes well.

I am NOT going to write here about the Lump, it only makes me aggravated with the whole dog and pony show going on.  And grinding my teeth is bad for them.

My new sewing machine is working great.  I still need to go through the presser foot "bible" that I got last week, but I used the machine to take in the waist band of two pairs of slacks, and it didn't even pause sewing through all that thickness of material.  My old machine would have had to be guided every stitch of the way, and made a lovely mess on the back side of the seam.  Now I am waiting for my cardboard cutting board so I can cut out a pattern without getting down on the floor like I used to do; or on the dining table, which is on the upper level of this split-level house, no go for now.  I got the material for a tote bag last year (or longer) and it looks do-able without any fancy maneuvers.  It will be (I think) reversible.  Or at least lined.

Bye!  Next post will be on or after Xmas...

Tippy toes

I swear there is an opening outside that squirrels have found.  It goes clickety-click across my ceiling and moves very fast.  But never when there are other people in here.  I worry that it (they?) will chew through wiring and set the house on fire.  But what can I do about it?  Hopefully it will instead trip the circuit breaker.  Something new to worry about.  

I thought for an hour or so the automatic needle threader on my new sewing machine  was broken, but when I checked the manual, it was only that the needle (which was bent) had not been raised all the way.  What a relief.  I stopped right there for the night.  I will go through the manual and the video tomorrow to check my thread position before I venture out of the video.  This machine has so many functions, it will be easier to work on them one by one.   I am so glad I didn't opt for one that does embroidery, I would probably skip that entire section.  And then go nuts when I could not get the feature to work.

The white of the sewing machine and its cover have been liberally decorated with soot from the candle on the mantle.  A lot of soot.  A brisk rub-down with Ethyl alcohol (especially with a magic erasure) takes it down, but I will wait for my wick trimmer.  All the Yankee  Candle advice is to trim-trim-trim.  My ceiling looks the pits too.  Another chore to be done.  Or leave it until we repaint the ceiling and the walls.

I have been doing my exercises every day, except Monday and Wednesday when I have therapy  that leaves me tired and ooshy after a solid  hour of exercises.  I have only used the boots once, but I will incorporate regular times that C can help me with.  I will take Lasik one day a week to get the leg liquid moving.  Hope it works or helps.  It would be so grand to walk unaided again.

I think I have caught a cold, sore throat and drippy nose yeah me.  I'm going back to bed and hopefully sleep too.

Merry so far...

I bought a new sewing machine from Amazon two days ago.  My old machine was 25? or more years old, and when I tried to use it last week, it wouldn't even do a simple zig-zag stitch.  When I tried to do straight sewing, the top looked fine, but the bottom stitching looked like terry cloth.  I changed the needle, swapped the bobbin, oiled the bobbin holder after blowing all of the crud out, nothing worked.  It doesn't owe me anything, and when I got to checking out new machines, I was amazed at all the features available.  So I bought a Singer, yes I know, made in China.  It even threads the needle for you, a big advantage when you can't see the tip of the needle, much less the hole in it.  So far I have mended one pair of pants, and have two pair that will get hemmed.  Mostly I have been experimenting with the various settings, I have missed out on all the innovations through the years.  So I got my own Christmas present two weeks early.

But the really amazing thing is that I climbed 13 steps to get to the upper half of the house, so I could see the kids decorate the Christmas tree.  It is small, the big 7 foot tree is far too big to cram into the corner, and this one has twice as many lights.  If I can get up the stairs now I will be able to get up there on Christmas morning.  Of course, I was shaking like a leaf near the end, but C had hold of my gait belt, and I had hold of his hand in a death grip, so not too risky.  Climbing stairs is a lot harder than you would think, if all your bones aren't tip-top shape.

I got the doctor's OK to use pneumatic compression boots to help with the swelling, but when they faxed the script to the Home Health place, it turns out they don't carry them.  The place they said to try is an orthotic clinic with their own physicians, and when I called and left (of course) a message, no one returned my call.  So I ordered a pair from Amazon, and if they don't fit or whatever I will send them back.  They are pretty cheap, all told.  And I really don't need another doctor to use their oar to paddle my boat anymore.  I have also been doing my exercises every day, and between the two I think I may eventually mend.

Playing Possum

I am as much of a nature lover as anyone, but the one mammal I can't bear is the possum.  It looks like a rat; and if you try to poke it with a broom or whatever, it will  hiss at you.  The tail is hairless (like a rat) and they can get really big.  We have been trapping the possums that visit our garage for the cat food crumbs at night.  Two so far, in the have-a-heart traps, that C took down to the far end of nowhere and turned loose.  I think there is one more.  There was one hanging on the bird feeder on the porch, which is way too close.  There have been 3 confirmed carriers of rabies, coons I think, in this county.  Bad time of year, the weather is cold and wet, and darkness arrives earlier every night (nothing new there).  I hate winter.

this is a short one... bye!

There goes November

We got about 4 inches of snow on Tuesday night, which froze into an ice surface once the sun came up.  I canceled my therapy session, not so much from the snow on the road here, but because I didn't want to risk a fall on the slippery driveway.  The car can get most of the way into the garage, but then you can't open the doors.  Before I sold my Miata, it stayed in the garage every night, but it is tiny, even compared to a compact or sub-compact car, and all I needed to do was stop opposite the door into the house and swing the driver's door wide.  I had 3 Miatas over 16 years, and I truly miss one.  I couldn't even bear to meet the guy who bought it.  Anyway, all the snow is gone gone and we made it to the surgeon's appointment on time.  So we could wait.  And wait...

The surgeon checked out the flexibility of my replaced knee, and he told me two things that could be done to keep it from buckling frontwards and one was surgery ("A big surgery") the other was a brace.  The brace would go top of thigh to shin.  I took his 'script for the brace, but I am not going to get one.  I had all I could take of my knee immobilizer last year for 6 months in a wheelchair, and I know if I did get one it would sit in the corner.  I am staking my cure on physical therapy, I just need to do it daily and not occasionally.  As for surgery, I told him I will never have surgery again unless it is do-or-die.  My last surgery I nearly died when I stopped breathing in the recovery room.

I have one more shirt to get from eBay and then I am done with buying on eBay for a while.  I called PayPal because my balance was a large negative number.  I took that to mean I owed that amount, but the negative number means that is my overpaid balance.  I told them to leave it there for now.  And oddly I don't feel like I need to spend it all up.  All my Christmas shopping is done, such as it was, and what I would really like is new carpeting for the living room.  You can get a lot from Amazon and eBay, but not carpet installation.  And until I can tackle the stairs again, that won't be a very high priority.

Bye!