What I sent in the Advent Swap

 Week1

Advent Swap Weeks 1 & 2

    Oh, this year's Advent Swap on Ravelry is going strong!  I sent a package to Cathy Jensen in Little Falls, N.J. and received one from Brenda Turney in Stoneham, MA.  I've had to post the photos of what I've received on Facebook because I haven't been able to post on Ravelry.  Then I realized I could post here, too, so that's what I'm doing!  

        This package really impressed me!  This swap is divided into 4 weekly Advent gifts and 1 for Christmas and all the gifts were nestled into a fabric 'basket'.  The gift for each week...and the one for Christmas...were wrapped in different papers, so the first thing I had to do was open the card and find the key to the wrapping paper.

  WEEK 1: The card was a beautiful Scherenchnitte scene.  

I learned to cut Scherenchnitte when I was in college (all those many years ago) and I have loved it ever since.  The theme for Week 1 was 'Cocoa & Chocolate' and the package included an assortment of hot chocolate mixes, a jar of cinnamon powder, a cocoa butter Tea Tree Oil hand cream, a Pumpkin Spice sachet and a gift certificate for cooking spices (Jeff is still trying to decide which ones he wants to try).

WEEK 2:  This week's theme was 'Snowflakes' and the center piece was a crystal snowflake candy dish filled with Dove chocolates.  

A pair of adorable snowmen and snowflake socks and a 'Souper Bowl'...soup warmer/cooker/server...with a baggie of dried nut completed the package.

My box is still full...there are 2 weeks of Advent to go before Christmas!...and I will continue to post my Advent surprises here. Thank you, Brenda, for 2 great weeks!

Tim's message today/my response

 Okay, you knew about my having the WATCHMAN device implanted in my heart so I can get off of the damn Eliquis that caused my major GI bleed. Procedure on Sept 5th. It went like a breeze. Now fast forward 45 days to Oct 24th when I go back in for planned a TEE procedure. (Trans Esophageal Endoscopy). The object of which is to measure the healing. They knock you out, put a tube down your esophagus, then put a much smaller tube into that tube which has some high tech camera/sensor on it. It takes high quality graphics because it’s so close to the heard. It is supposed to do what it does the vast majority of the time. That is to view complete healing (growth of new heart tisssue) across atop of the device. At this time they likely take you off of all blood thinners for good and you are home free. Well then comes along Tim Bannigan. When I come to after the procedure the Dr. says, “this is very very rare, happening in less than 1 out of 500 cases”. I think, “Oh shit, this isn’t going to be good.” He explains that I have developed a large Clot in my heart right atop of the device. So the standard procedure for this now is to go back on my full dose of daily Eliquis and Plavix for the next three months to hopefully see the Clot is dissolved and gone.

So, after I swore all the way home, kicked the dog (not really), and watched my BP go up and stay there, I had to go back to my WATCHMAN Dr. I “accused him of practicing Irish medicine”. He said, what’s that. I replied, I start out with A-Fib, start to take Eliquis for 7 years. Then have a major GI bleed. Then you and several other Drs. convince me that the WATCHMAN is going to save me by getting me off of the Eliquis that was going to kill me. I get the WATCHMAN implanted, have complications, delelop a large clot in my heart. Now what is supposed to save my life is the “exact same medication and dosages” that were destined to kill me only a few weeks ago. “THAT IS IRISH MEDICINE DOCTOR!” It’s So Ridiculously Absurd that Im actually laughing at it. . Save a prayer for me.

AND MY RESPONSE;

What did you do in a this or a previous life to deserve this?? Were you a bad little boy? A rotten altar boy? Did you make a habit of kicking dogs, teasing small children and tormenting little girls? Remrmber, into all lives some rain must fall and,boy, are you getting dumped on now! Take a deep breath, take a couple, try to relax and remember you will overcome this. And, stop blaming your doctor. He didn't know you'd be the one to blow his odds of a successful practice. (Of course, I'll say an extra prayer for you...need you ask?) Keep me posted. Irish Medicine?? Sounds like somebody placed a voodo curse on you!

November's Starting With a POP!

    November started with a POP!  Sunday afternoon we got in the car and headed to town, but the car made a strange noise...a combination slurp and burp.  With a shake and shutter.  We had just come out of the long driveway on to Smallsbush and it didn't stop.  Jeff pulled over and opened his door and found a flat tire.  He turned the car around and we went home.
   This morning, he replaced the flat tire with the spare...a donut...and we headed to town making it onto Rte 5 before 'the slurp and burp' started again.  I had the 'honor' of checking the tires on the passenger's side and found, yep, another flat tire.

   We were close to Skinner's so Jeff decided to stop there.  We were planning on 2 new tires, and it didn't really make much difference where we got them.  My 'Yarn Allowance' wasn't going to be used for yarn!!  We ordered the tires and bummed a ride home.  The car should be ready later today.  

   This is the first major expense the Hyundai has cost us.  Remember, it is a 2008 car with about 35,000 miles on it.  The tires looked good with little wear on the treds.  The problem is dry rot.  Jeff is a little concerned about the other 2 tires and the hoses but there is not much we can do about that. Just keep our fingers crossed, I guess. If any of them blow, let's hope they do it at home (when we're first starting out) or in town (near a service center) and not on the open highway!!

Eye-let Cowel

 So let's do this thing! First, cast on 162 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following set-up rows:

Set-up Rows 1 - 4: purl

Set-up Row 5: p80, place marker, purl until end of round

And once those are done, we'll move on to the main pattern, which is Simple Eyelet Pattern from page 168 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. And we'll proceed as follows:

Row 1: knit, slipping extra marker when you come to it

Row 2: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 3: * k6, yo, k2tog * until you're one stitch before first marker, k1, slip marker, k3, * yo, k2tog, k6; rep from * until you reach end of round

Row 4: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 5: knit, slipping extra marker when you come to it

Row 6: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 7: * k2, yo, k2tog, k4 * until you're three stitches before first marker, k3, slip marker, k5, * k4, yo, k2tog, k2 * until you reach end of round

Row 8 - 10: repeat rows 4 - 6

Row 11: * k6, yo, k2tog * until you're five stitches before first marker, k5, slip marker, k7, * yo, k2tog, k6; rep from * until you reach end of round

Rows 12 - 14: repeat rows 4 - 6

Row 15: * k2, yo, k2tog, k4 * until you're seven stitches before first marker, k2, yo, k2tog, k3, slip marker, k1, * k4, yo, k2tog, k2 * until you reach end of round

Row 16: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Knit rows 1 - 16 two times, and then knit rows 1 - 15 again (this piece would probably also look nice if you knit rows 1 - 16 three times, and you'd still have enough yarn to do it if you're using the same). Knit one final row around, removing extra marker when you do so. Then complete the final edging rows:

Edging Rows 1 - 5: purl

Once these are complete, bind off loosely and tuck in ends. Block, allowing purled edges to continue to curl under when you do so.

Sydney & Bear

 

This is Sydney and her new Bear.  

Josephine Morgan 1923-2024

    Yesterday Jeff and I attended the interment of my cousin's (JoJo Morgan) ashes at Calvery Cemetery in Herkimer. I met more cousins...the children of my cousin's children's that I had only known or seen photos of as children.

The service that they performed was touching and different. There were the usual prayers and memories, a report from my cousin from Beyond via a medium, and a favorite Christmas song (if you were in the area, yes, you heard the beautiful 'Tu Scendi Della Stella', a song that it's not Christmas at my house without!) A grandson had built a casket for her ashes and anything else anyone wanted to add, and it was almost too small after the teddy bear and Pooh bear were added. (The pre-dug grave for the box wasn't big enough and would have to be enlarged after the ceremony!)

The reception that followed was 'Italian' from the ziti and meatballs to the tray of cookies that didn't last long! The only thing missing was the bottle of homemade wine.

I was a bit sad as we drove home afterwards. I know that chances are I will never see most of those people again and I was sorry more of the family couldn't attend, especially those live within driving range. I guess I'm just getting old. Oh, well, that's life, huh?