Swaps Are Fun!

    Swaps are fun!  I learned that several years ago when I signed up for my first one with Yarn Pals.  Meeting someone from another country was the first attraction, receiving yarn and goodies from that country was the second.  I've gotten some of the most beautiful yarns from Scotland, Australia and New Zealand!  I just hope I was sending some of equal value!  The only drawback was the increasing cost of international postage.  My last couple of swap packages cost me more in postage than the value of the contents and I was forced to switch to American partners or skip that rotation.  Then this year I missed the deadline for signing up  because of Jeff's many medical procedures...life just got into the way of my swapping!  I was really disappointed because of all the times of the year, I loved the Christmas Swap the best.  By chance I saw on Ravely.com that their Advent and Christmas swaps had later deadlines and I decided to sign up for them--choosing American partners for both.  

   I got a beautiful Christmas Swap package from Shannon in Farmington. NM.  The 

cowl is knit from my favorite yarn (& my favorite color) Malabrigo Rio and I've been wearing it all the time since I opened the package.  (The box is a variety of teabags!!)  Unfortunately, the 2nd mug lost it's handle en route and has become a pencil holder.

    The Advent Swap package came from Kansas City, MO., and held 24 small packages (1 each for Dec 1-24) and 1 larger package (for Dec 25).  It's been almost like being a kid again!  I've gotten more than I ever imagined!  Home-made dog treats (dehydrated liver and green beans) that our dogs loved...and stole the bag off the counter to finish!!  A couple of kits, mini-skeins of yarn, ornaments, the list goes on and on and at the end of the swap I'll post photos but I just want to be sure to post what I got yesterday (Dec 18).

Never guess what it is?  Just the cutest little pair of Scissors!!  

I have either laughed out loud,  run to show Jeff or at least smiled when I opened these little packages. I've already decided that I want to signup for next year's Advent Swap but I've got to use my imagination a lot more choosing my 24-daily gifts.  

  I just received a Yarn Pals' Swap and have my package about ready to go.  I've tried to make it unusual and interesting.  Hope my partner likes it. 

An Interesting Few Days

   It has been an interesting few days.  

   Jeff's latest...and hopefully, last procedure...an endarterectomy artery carotid was scheduled for yesterday, Dec. 9th.  He had to have the usual medical exams, blood work and of course, a covid screening before it.  Then Monday, Dec. 7th's mail brought us 2 letters from his insurance company.  One date 12/1, informed him that they were denying approval for the procedure and the other, dated 12/4, informed him that because of the intervention of the surgeon they had changed their ruling and were approving the procedure.  (They had done the same thing before his last procedure.  I don't understand the attitude of this insurance company but I did decide to change companies because of it.  He hasn't decided yet.)  Jeff learned that the doctor actually telephoned the insurance company and had a chat with someone.  (I would love to hear a recording of that!!)  

   On Tuesday afternoon someone in Admissions at the hospital called and told us that Jeff should check in by 5:45am as his procedure was scheduled to start at 7:30am, and we went over what medications he could take in the morning.  Now we live app 32 miles from the hospital and the only way is over country roads, up and down hills, so for him to be there at 5:45am we'd have to leave by 4:45am.  Neither one of us got a full nights sleep...I never even went to bed but kept napping in my chair while I was reading.  I got Jeff up at 3:30am so he could shower and take what medications he was allowed to.  We headed out the door about 4:30am.  After a quick stop at Stewart's, we were on our way south to the first hill and by the time we were to the top of it it was snowing.  As we kept going further south...and further up hills...it snowed harder.  Well, not exactly harder, just steadier.  The total snowfall was only an inch or 2 but part of the time visibility was near 0!  There was very little traffic and no snowplows.  

   I've driven this road once or twice a month from mid-spring thru November for the past 45 years because the craft co-op I belong to has a gift shop in the same village as where the hospital is located and I go down to work in it.  I know this road.  When I had my cardiac episode and broke my leg I was conscious during the ambulance ride to the hospital over this route and I knew where I was from the duration of the ride and the curves in the road.  Yesterday morning I could not tell where we were several times!  It was scary to be surrounded by walls of white.  We made it to the hospital in about an hour (usual time is 45 mins)...and by then, the snow had started to let up.  I let Jeff off at the entrance, wished him luck, he wished me a safe trip home and told me to get some coffee before I headed for home.  And as he turned and walked into the hospital, I headed for home.  I do not like hospitals that are locked down and visitors not allowed.

   It took another hour to get home.  There was more traffic on the road...but still no plows or sanders.  The part of the trip down that had caused me problems was fine now...the snow had let up and I could see the sides of the road.  The top of the big hill, with wide open farm fields on both sides was now the awful part.  It was snowing steadily, visibility was near 0 and there was plenty of traffic coming at me with their high beams on.  And there were even a few fools who felt I wasn't moving fast enough and had to pass me!  Thank God they made it because I wasn't sure where the edge of the road was so I wasn't moving over for anybody.  By the time I got home and into the house I was shaking.  I was tired and wanted to go to sleep but I was so nervous I drank 2 cups of coffee before I calmed down enough to lay down.  Both dogs crawled onto the bed with me and I finally slept.  It was almost 7am.

   We woke up a couple of hours later.  The dogs wanted to go out and I wanted more coffee.  I realized I had forgotten to bring in the 3 gallons of water from back of the car but I had enough water to make another pot of coffee.  That's all that mattered to me then.  It was too early to call and see how Jeff was doing so I cleaned house a little.  (If you know me, you now realize how nervous I was because I can usually ignore a messy house but yesterday I had to straighten things up!)  Around noon I decided I could call the hospital and see how Jeff had fared but he was still in the operating room!  The nurse said to try again in an hour and I said I didn't want to be a bother.  She laughed and said it would be ok, they had more nurses than patients at the moment.  I waited until 1:30 before calling back and that time was told they were just starting to close. She said that would take an hour or so and I said then he'd probably spend the rest of the day in Recovery and she agreed.  I said I'd call back before 5pm to see how he was but he had a nurse call me around 4pm to make sure I had made it home ok!

   Since I was finally starting to relax, I decided I was hungry and got out a package of frozen meatballs.  I dumped them into a dutch oven and slowly let them brown, then poured in a jar of  marinara sauce and let the whole thing simmer on low for half an hour or so.  I still hadn't brought in any water so I decided a covered meatball sandwich would be good enough for supper instead of pasta.  I mashed up a meatball apiece for the dogs and mixed that up with their dry food and a ladle of sauce.  Everyone cleaned their plates last night!  I washed dishes and had another cup of coffee but was careful to leave at least 1 cup in the pot so I could have coffee in the morning.  After supper I had to clean Fanny's ear and put in her ear drops which she hates  and it took awhile for her to calm down!  Then I spent the rest of the evening online and on the phone updating friends and family on Jeff's condition.  I was still pretty beat and I must have sounded it because my cousin Ed told me to hang up and go to bed around 10pm.  I did and we all slept till morning!

   This morning I brought in the 3 gallons of water when I left the dogs out so I was sure I had enough water to make coffee.  Around 10am I talked to a groggy Jeff and he told me that he was going home today.  The doctor had already been there.  We set up how he'd let me know what time to pick him up and then I called the floor nurse to make sure Jeff had it straight.  He did!  I cleaned the coffee pot and filled it but didn't start it.  I'd do that when we came home.  Jeff called back around 11:30 to say 'come get me!' but I wasn't quite ready so I told him I'd be there within an hour and started to  move!  He called my cell again as I drove into Richfield Springs wanting to know where I was and how long it would be before I got there...about 15-20 mins. He said he'd meet me downstairs.  When I finally got to the hospital there was a line of cars outside of the entrance.  I sat there for a minute, then put the car in park and went towards the door.  Jeff saw me coming and came out before I reached it.  I had to stop at the shop before we left town but didn't stay for long. We headed for home and Walmart where he picked up two Rx's  and then stopped at Burger King to get him a soda so he could take a pill and I got chicken nuggets for the dogs (their favorite treat) and made it home by 2pm.  We had coffee (and I had toast...my lunch) while I let a few people know he was home.  Then it was nap time again and the house was quiet.  I couldn't sleep this time but the house sounded normal again.

  FYI: An endarterectomy artery carotid is basically a router-rooter job done on a carotid artery...in Jeff's case, the left one.  A 2" incision was made below Jeff's left ear and a plastic tube was used to bypass the blockage in his carotid artery.  Then the artery was cut open and the blockage scraped out. An balloon angioplasty can be used to make sure there are no other blockages in the artery.  After the artery is closed, the bypass tube is removed.  The incision is closed on the surface with superglue (no external stitches) and a bandage is applied over the wound.  Jeff says it feels like he was punched in the neck!  Hard, several times!!  He sees the surgeon for a post-op on 12/21.

Christmas Swap

I just opened a Christmas Swap package...yeah, I know it's early but I couldn't wait any longer...and boy, was it worth it!  It had a shawlette made out of Malabrigo Baby Silkpaca Lace yarn...so soft and beautiful!  I think Malabrigo is my favorite label and the color is perfect.  There was also a huge box of assorted teas...everything from Earl Gray to English Breakfast with all the flavors in between (even the ones I'm not suppose to drink...like green teas).  Unfortunately, the 1 of the 2 big mugs didn't make the trip from New Mexico in 1 piece...but all the pieces are there and after I glue it together it will make a fantastic pen & pencil holder.  The other mug will be used for what it was made for...big cuppas!!  Thanks, Shannon (Shooting Star)!
 

Cooper Country Crafts

 

Here's the window display for Cooper Country Crafts (on Main St, Cooperstown between the Bakery and Doubleday Field Parking Lot),  A good representation of what's in the shop!  Never too early to start Christmas shopping!!

Zoey's Trip to the Vet's

    The past 5 days have been a bit of a blur  

around here.  Zoey,
our 5-yr old beagle has been under the weather.  Starting on Saturday she began eating grass and vomiting.  Then she developed diahirria.  By Monday she had stopped eating but the diahirria got worse...just brown liquid, w/o a formed stool.  I didn't like the color of it either...really a reddish brown...and I 

worried that she was passing blood! 

       I had to work in the shop in Cooperstown on Tuesday and when I left for work Fanny, the older dog, and Jeff were laying on the bed but Zoey was on a blanket on the floor.  She looked so sad.  It really scared me.  I wanted to call Jeff during the day to see how she was but was afraid he'd say she had died so I didn't.  When I got home the house was quiet.  Usually when a car (ours or not) pulls into the driveway the dogs go crazy, sounding the 'alarm'.  The quiet really scared me but when I opened the door Zoey came to greet me!  She was weak but her tail was wagging.  Jeff and Fanny were right behind her and Jeff said that was the longest distance Zoey had walked all day.  When he had the dogs outside in the afternoon, Zoey laid down and couldn't get up so he had to carry her back into the house!  He said he was really sure we were going to lose her that afternoon. Fanny and I laid on the bed  with Zoey while Jeff sat at his computer for most of the night.  We never had supper and we sat there until after midnight when I finally made another pot of coffee.  When Zoey woke me up around 6:30am to go out, I found that she had done 'it' on the kitchen floor during the night.   So while she was outside I grabbed a spatula and a baggie and scooped up her 'deposit' from the floor with the idea that we could it take to vet's when we got an appointment.  After the dogs were back inside and another pot of coffee was brewing, I called and was able to make the appointment for that afternoon.

   Zoey sat in the chair by my computer all day yesterday, napping.  She wasn't interested in eating.  When it was time to leave for her appointment I just called out 'who wants to go for a car ride?' and Zoey was the first to the door, wagging her tail!  Fanny went along for moral support.  We went to Walmart first to pick up Jeff's Rx's because he was afraid we wouldn't be in the mood to do it after seeing the vet.  He even bought Zoey a container of chicken broth while in the store!  

   When we got to the vet's I took Zoey's stool sample and went inside to check in.  The vet's were following social distancing and we were given a beeper and told to wait outside or in our car.  Zoey was  interested in the lawn around the vet's building so Jeff kept walking her and she  smelled enough other dogs and cats to make her very happy.  Finally after half an hour or so, the beeper went off and we went inside.

   Zoey was tested for Parvo and Lyme.  The results were 1/1:  she doesn't have Parvo, but does have Lyme's.  She was also tested for Anaplasmosis, another tick- carried blood disease, but that came back negative. They tested her for internal parasites and luckily, that was negative, too.  They wanted to run a generic panel on her urine but she wouldn't or couldn't pee for them so they gave me a 'catch kit'...a tray, syringe and vial...and told me to do a 'clean catch' and bring it in the next morning.  They also found that she had an ear infection so they swapped out her ears and put in some ointment.  She wasn't too thrilled to have her temperature taken rectally or to have a rectal exam (she had been rubbing her butt on the ground lately). And boy, did she squeal when she had blood drawn and when she got a couple of injections!  Beside the 'clean catch kit, they ended up sending us home with anti-vomiting pills, special canned dog food and packets of fortified flavor enhancer, Metronidazole-an

antibiotic tablet and a tube of ear ointment. The visit had cost nearly $400!

   Zoey seems a little better today.  She has finally started eating the canned dog food but obviously isn't thrilled with it.  She did 'beg' and eat bites of Danish from both of us and took her antibiotic buried in a spoon of peanut butter without any problems.  I've got to give her a anti-vomiting pill around 3pm.  Right now, Zoey is napping next to Jeff.  (Fanny is asleep on the couch next to me!) And we've had 2 phone calls from the vet's (one from the vet himself) to check up on Zoey and to tell us more test results.  I'm glad this saga is about over.  I wish I could sleep like the dogs and Jeff.  Maybe I'd feel better, too.

Apple Season

    Apple Season came to a successful conclusion this week when we picked all the apples on our tree filling a small basket. The apples were not as large as I would

have liked but there were a lot of them!  So far I've made 2 pies and there are enough apples left for some turnovers.  Jeff says as soon as we have a hard frost he'll prune the tree and next year it will be a lot easier to pick the apples.  The smaller size of the apples was because we didn't spray the tree when it was in blossom and nearly every blossom produced fruit.  Next spring we will spray and hopefully we'll get bigger apples!!  Still, the pies were very good and didn't last long!

   My mom gave up making her own crust when a friend, Paula, at camp told her about Pillsbury All-Ready Crusts after my dad raved about Paula's apple pie.    I've used Pillsbury and store brand crusts and this year I tried both Hannaford and Walmart's crusts and crossed Walmart's off my list.  Still the pies didn't long.  I'd like to try puff pastry and make some turn-overs.

The Paul Boys

Add caption

 My cousin Jerry Paul's sons with his wife Barbara Ann.  (front Jon, behind him Dan and Tim.

Adding To The Collection

      Here are 2 cowls that I've added to my Highland Knit Collection.  The top one is Covet Knits' Braided Cowl designed by with Red Heart 100% acrylic yarn in Aran and is machine wash and dryable.  This cowl measures 7" by 24".

    This 2nd cowl is The Gathering Cowl designed by Karen Clements for 'The

Highland Knits...Knitwear Inspired by the   The rest of the collection may be found on this blog in the entry for March 25th  of this year.  The knit pieces are available at Cooper Country Crafts, 2 Doubleday Court, Cooperstown, NY.

Time For An Adventure!

    Zoey, our  4 yr old Beagle, had an adventure this morning.  Jeff usually has her out on a long lead every morning and Zoey likes sitting under the apple tree watching Wally's yard.  Jeff stayed outside with her for 10-15 mins then came back in to refill his coffee cup and told me to keep an ear out for Zoey's cry to come in.  (She usually doesn't bark but will squeak or cry a little when she's ready.)  After 30-40 minutes I asked him is she was still under the apple tree and he said he couldn't see her so I went to the door expecting to find her sitting there but all I found was what was left of her lead.  I went back in and quickly put on some shoes and called him  He got on the Cub Cadet and I stated walking around the yard.  When I saw her down by Wally's garage I pointed her out to Jeff and he headed down there.  Once Zoey saw him coming she headed straight towards him!  Jeff didn't stop to load her into the wagon but just kept her headed towards me.  Zoey ran right up to me and Fanny...who checked her out quickly!  We all come into the house for some cold water and after a snack of peanutbutter and pretzels Zoey decided it was nap time.

Time for a nap?

Wally has some company this weekend including a long-haired dachshund who they've let wander around loose...and it's wandered up here a couple of times. Zoey and that dog have had a few barking exchanges, too.  I think Zoey was just looking for that dog but no one was home when she visited.  It's a good thing Zoey didn't decided to chase a rabbit or squirrel on her way down because with a couple of yards of lead behind her if she had gone into the old horse pastures on either side of the driveway she would have been bound to get tangled in the brush!  And that would have been a mess!!

And Another One Bites the Dust!

    The big Box Elder in the back yard finally finished falling over.  It was a big beautiful tree when we moved here in 1962, shading the back lawn very nicely.  Several years ago the top of the tree broke and fell over...but was still connected to the main trunk...forming a natural arch that continued to leaf out every year for quite a few years.  Slowly the tree died and this year it did not form any leaves at all.  During lunch today I heard wood cracking and then a soft thud.  The dogs got excited and started to run around barking and carrying on.  Jeff went outside to see if he could find the tree that fell and soon came back in.  It had been the box elder.  After lunch I went out and took photos of what was left.  The snowmobilers and 4-wheelers will miss driving thru the arch...eventho there was a "POSTED" sign on the tree.  At least now we don't have to worry about the arch falling on some kid who got their machine stuck there!  Here's what's left of the box elder:   You can see that the trunk had very little bark left on  

it and where the top had been connected was totally rotten now and just snapped off today.  All the rain we've been getting every night probably helped it along.  While walking over to this tree I noticed that the stump of a cedar tree that is about 4' high (we use to put a bird feeder on it) is very fragile.  It moved very easily when I pushed against it.  I think I better tell Jeff so he can pull it out with the Cub Cadet.  Boy, will the back yard be easier to mow without it!

Apples...Day 57

     It's Day 57 of Apple Season and Jeff suggested this morning it was time for another photo of the tree.  The apples are a little bigger than golf balls and still

without a blemish.  I noticed a few on
the ground and Jeff, the resident expert (he use to work at JustAMereFarm, near Twin Orchards, years ago) said it was normal.  The top of the tree is quite full of little apples.  I still think our herd of deer will find this tree when they are ripe and try for their share. 

Since it is close to the house, Zoey has claimed it as 'hers' and sits under it most days.  (Don't know why, it doesn't give much shade!)  Maybe she'll announce when the deer come near it and her bark and bay may keep them away. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on the tree and keep taking photos as the apples grow.  
   I'm still dreaming of making an apple pie. Got to keep an eye peeled for Pillsbury's Pie Crusts in the refrigerated section of Walmart and Hannaford.  Can't beat them!  My mom always made her own crust and thought they were pretty good.  Then one day Dad mentioned that one of our friends at camp and given him a piece of apple pie (THE only kind for him!) and her crust was so good.  Mom asked Paula for her recipe and they both nearly fell over laughing when Paula handed her an empty Pillsbury Pie Crust box. That did it for Mom, Pillsbury was her recipe from then on!  It makes a good pie even better!  I'll post a photo of my pie, too!
(Oh, Jeff didn't last long as a 'picker' at JustAMereFarm.  His hands were too big and he bruised the apples, so the owner, Jim, showed him how to make cider (loading the pressed, etc).  He always says they never added anything but apples to their cider.  If it was too sweet, Jim said to add some other apples and that cut the sweetness.  If it was too sour, Jim added different apples to sweeten it.  Jeff always says Jim was an true artist.  JustAMereFarm got surrounded by developments and pushed out of existance.  Jeff says no one else made or makes cider quite like Jim did.)

It May be Summer But...

   The temperature outside may be in the 80's today with high humidity but I know it won't last.  In a couple of months we'll be lucky to have a high temp of 30 so I started another cowl!  It's inspired by Lena Skvagersons's Fair Isle Gansey Cowl for Annie's Signature Designs so I had to make some major design changes.
   The original design is a 3-color fair isle pattern that is all worked in stockinette

 stitch so the first thing I did was change it to all one color...in this case Red Heart's Aran, an acrylic worsted that is machine wash and dryable.  Then I had to change the all knit stockinette to a knit-purl sequence to get a texture finish.

   I'm pretty pleased
with the way it worked up.  It really looks like a Guernsey cowl to me!  
  Hopefully it will go to the shop this week in time for July 4th.  

Apple Blossom Season Day 28


   Our tree is full of small apples like this!!

More of my favorite views!

My Favorite Place

Lake Pleasant, Specalator NY
photo by Craig Pederson

Lake Pleasant, Speculator, NY
photo  by Donna Green

 MY FAVORITE PLACES




Lake Pleasant Park
Lake Pleasant, Speculator, NY
Photo by Patricia Russo Karwatowski

Apple Blossom Time Day #4

Apple Blossom Time, Day #4

Apple Blossom Time...Day 3

   Today is Day 3 of Apple Blossom Time...

and I saw a couple of trees in blossom in Wally's yard!  When we moved up here to the little house in the little woods in 1962, Wally's parents had a small orchard between the horse pastures.  They would spray and trim it every year, and it produced some nice apples.  Now all that's left is a 1 or 2 old trees, some stumps and one new tree that Wally planted for Dot several years ago.  He still trims them yearly but doesn't spray any more (and he doesn't get good or many apples).  I read on Google yesterday that you needed more than 1 tree and some pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc) to get apples from your trees.  You actually needed a different type of apple tree to insure a good cross-pollination.  This may be that year!!  Today while we ate our BK lunch down by the river, Jeff pointed out a couple of what he thought were probably crab apple trees on the island in the river across from the Maytan Fishing Site where we were.  On the ride home, we noticed the orchard on the curve on Protection Ave across from Creekside Courts (the housing project) was in full bloom, too.  And I think I remember small orchard behind us here on Smallsbush, Eatonville and Burt Roads.  I think the bees and their buddies will have plenty to keep them busy.  At least, I hope so!
   We went out today to get flowers at Annutto's Greenhouse for the cemeteries (for my parents and for my cousin's dad).  I had read in the news that the veterans organizations weren't going to put American flags on veterans' graves this year until after July 4th (still part of the virus shut down).  When we stopped at Walmart I found 4 small (4") flags in a bundle for $1.98 and thought that 2 would look good in each flower pot so I got them, 

(Better than nothing, huh?)  A friend had told me that Mohawk and N Columbia had defied the order and already put the veterans' markers and flags out but I hadn't seen any signs of

that at St Mary's or the Orthodox cemeteries by the house and I haven't been to Calvary since last summer.  When we got home I noticed that St Mary's had put the markers & flags out today but I think I'm going to go ahead and put the mini-flags in the pots.  Can't ever have too many American flags around, can you?  Besides, it looks rather cute, wouldn't you say?
   I know we spoil our dogs, so because we left them home today we got them each an order of BK chicken nuggets ($1/order).  (Don't try to give them McD's...they know the difference and don't care for them!)  When we got home we found that they had helped themselves to the Nabisco graham crackers from the kitchen table...2 unopened bundles were gone. I had just opened the box today!

The box was ripped up and was on the living room floor with one of the brown wax wrappers and the other wax paper wrapper was in Jeff's room with the big jar of peanut butter...but the top was still on it!  Gee, they couldn't have peanut butter on their graham crackers. But it didn't stop them from scarfing down the chicken nuggets and some dog food!!

Apples?? Keep Your Fingers Crossed!

    Jeff told me this morning to look out of the window at the apple tree.  Now this is a miniature apple tree that my family planted in 1992 or '93 and while it has blossomed in the past, it has produced apples only once and that was the 1st year Jeff had a garden around it.  That year he had been fertilizing the tomatoes with 'compost tea' and wow, did they grow!  We had a jungle of tomato plants out there!!  (Look back thru the blog to the summer of 2011 to see the photos of that garden!)  Well, since the tomatoes were growing around the apple tree, it benefited from the 'compost tea', too, and that year we got 2 of the largest, most perfect apples I have ever seen.  There wasn't a mark on either one of them.  And when we cut them to eat them, the fruit was perfect all the way thru!!  But, that was the one and only time the tree produced fruit. 
   Other years the tree would start to bloom and we'd get a late frost or something else would hit it and that would be it.  When Jeff said this morning to look at the apple tree I did not expect to find it covered with apple blossoms!  It wasn't that way over the weekend so it must have popped out over night!

       Jeff thinks I should take photos every day so we can keep track of how the tree flowers.  I'm excited!  I hope we get more than 2 apples this year...maybe even enough for a pie!

Finished: At Last!

   I finally got my Guernsey Shawl finished and blocked.  It's based on Anne B Hansen's 'Guernsey in Pink' shawl but I used a Merino fingering yarn in Cadet blue.  The shawl is 44" wide and 14" high.  I'll be mailing it to the shop, Cooper Country Crafts in Cooperstown tomorrow.

The Countdown Has Started!

   The countdown has started!  Sometime this week Cooper Country Crafts will be fully stocked and ready for business...by appointment only!  There will be a phone number on the door (318-858-0132) and all you have to do is call and arrange for a member to meet you at the shop.  I'm sure you'll be able to fine that perfect gift for Mother's Day on our shelves.
   In the meantime, I have to finish ALL the works in progress that are on my needles and work in ALL the yarn ends that I left hanging from what I did finish before I can stock my displays...yea, plural.  I now have 2 displays.  My usual hand-knit baby and children sweaters and hats and things and this year a new, 'Highland Knits', inspired by the books and TV show Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  It has been so much fun knitting 18th century scarves, shawls and fingerless gloves.  At first the colors or lack of colors was a little boring but as a history major I realize it wasn't as bland as they make it out to be.  Fabric artists always used natural dyes from plants to color yarn and while the colors weren't as vibrant they still were attractive.  I've tried to use a variety of subtle colors in my knitting.  The problem I had was Walmart wasn't stocking their yarn display with much of anything this winter.  I ordered some yarn from catalogs and online but that added to the cost and time.  Shipping was slow and often doubled the cost of a skein of yarn. So I made do with what I could find in the store.  Hope it sells!  
   Anyway, here are the 3 sets of gauntlets or fingerless mitts that I'll have in the shop.

It's Time To Open...with Caution

   This is how our shop looks from across the soon-to-be-paved Doubleday Parking Lot.  A friend of Judy, Rita, took this photo last week.  Abby our weaver has reworked our garden (behind the pile of dirt in the middle of the photo) because it 'suffered' due to the construction.  She moved some of our flowers and added others she brought from home.  Our garden has always been a bright spot in the parking lot and this year won't be any different!  Judy has the shop cleaned up and has asked members to start stocking.  She hopes we can be open by Mother's Day...but it will be by appointment only.  A phone number will be posted on a sign by the shop's door and if someone wants to come in they will have to call it and wait 5 or 10 mins for a shop member to arrive and let them in.  Hopefully, our local customers will understand our cautious procedure and stop by.  
   Jeff was suppose to go to Cooperstown Monday morning for a post-op checkup but when it was suggested to him that it could be done via Zoom or just over the phone, he said 'no'.  Actually, he hung up on the nurse from the cardiologist's office!  So today when we went to Herkimer to see our attending MD (a regularly scheduled appointment) we were told it was going to replace the post-op checkup.  Jeff's Bp and heart were both good.  He had some blood tests done and was congratulated for being smoke-free.  Barring any problems he doesn't have to see anyone for 6 weeks.
   My cousin, Ed, had offered to drive us to Cooperstown for that post-op checkup so tonight I called him and told him it was cancelled but if he still wanted to take a run to C'town one day next week, he could take me to the shop so I could stock.  He agreed and we decided to do it Thurs or Friday...Jeff decided he may even come along when he heard we were planning to stop for lunch either in Cooperstown or along the way.  Now I've got to get my stock ready to go!

Another Medical Episode is Over

   Thank God, Jeff finally is home.  He was discharged this afternoon and his sister and I went to Cooperstown to pick him up.  He told me around 11 am that he'd be discharged between noon and 1pm so Sherry did her errands before picking me up.  We stopped at my friend Maggie's on the way down because Maggie had been making fabric masks and had made some for us.  She also had a goodie bag with some homemade tomato sauce and meatballs so I didn't have to worry about supper tonight.  We exchanged jam jars...empties from me for ones full of her delicious strawberry jam.  We got to the hospital about 1:30 expecting to find Jeff ready and waiting to get dressed and leave.
   Ha!  I had been told by 2 different nurses to be sure to bring clean clothes for Jeff because he had nothing with him.  He was a wearing hospital gown, so I packed the duffel bag with clean jeans, cotton shirt, cotton t-shirt, underwear, and wool socks.  He asked for shoes and his teeth, so they were in there,too.  Before we left for Cooperstown I even called and asked the floor nurse how to arrange the clothes delivery.  She said to just walk up to the main door to the hospital, explain the purpose of my visit and hand the suitcase to the guard who would delivery it to the floor nurse.  HA!  again.  
  I did that and the guard called the floor nurse twice and finally it was decided that I should just put the duffel bag of clean clothes back in the car.  They had found Jeff a paper scrub suit and that's what he'd be discharged in.  OK.  Then the wait began.  I later learned from Jeff that all the nurse's aides had  'called in' and every floor/department was short-handed.  (He said doctors' were drawing blood for simple tests.)  Anyway, it took over an hour before Jeff was escorted to the entrance in purple paper scrubs with yellow slipper socks (!!).  His orders were in a plastic bag and were about 1" thick!  Why did it took so long to do the paper work to discharge him when they knew it was going to happen?
   As usual after a hospital stay, Jeff was hungry so we did a detour to Hartwick Seminary and stopped at McDonald's.  Then it was a quick trip to Herkimer and Walmart to pick up his new Rx's.  We got chicken nuggets for the dogs at Burger King as we went thru town.  Now he's taking a nap (both dogs keep visiting him to make sure he's still there).The dogs were thrilled to see him!  They jumped all over him and tried to sit in his lap (Zoey made it but Fanny was satisfied just to put her head on his knee.)  Now I'm going to heat up some of Maggie's spaghetti sauce and have a couple of meatballs for supper.  Tomorrow Jeff has to go to the lab in Herkimer for a blood test and maybe I'll stop at Hanniford's on the way home.  I'm glad this episode is over and hope it's not repeated very soon.

More Than Enough For One Day

   On top of this self isolation, yesterday Jeff who's been trying to quit smoking woke up from a nap gasping for breath.  He's been complaining about a heaviness in his chest...chest pain...but not heart attack pain.  I thought it could be related to COPS and emphysema...both conditions he's had for several years and we wanted to talk with his doctor about.  But yesterday afternoon he really was having a problem.  He asked me to call an ambulance which I did but by the time it got here he was breathing normally.  When the attendants took his Bp and heart rate they were just slightly higher than what they were when he last saw a doctor!  (Bassett gives you a copy of your vitals after every visit.  A nice touch.)  They decided to transport him to Little Falls ER as a precaution and I expected a phone call to go and pick him up. 
   But it didn't happen.  They left here around 4pm and when I had not gotten a phone call by 6:30 I called the ER.  I was told they were waiting for test results but it looked like they were going to send him to Cooperstown.  So I waited some more.  Around 9:30 I called the ER again and was told they were now waiting for a bed in Cooperstown before sending him down.  I asked what the tests showed and the person I was talking to said the nurse would call me back with details.  She did...about 45 mins later.  The tests showed he had developed CHF (congestive heart failure).  His heart wasn't able to pump as well as it had in the past because of fluid that was building up around it.  That was the chest pain he had been having.  The fluid was building up in his hands and legs and causing muscle spasms, too.  He was having a lot of pain in his right leg, too.
   We talked a couple of time last night after he got to Cooperstown and again this morning.  At noon he was still waiting to be taken for the cardio catherizartion.   I went to LFH this morning and picked up his clothes...he went to Cooperstown buck naked because of the coronavirus!  Then I went to the laundromat and to do some grocery shopping.  The rest of the afternoon I sat here trying to stay calm.  I finally called his room around 5pm but there wasn't any answer.  I tried again about 6pm then I called the hospital and asked to speak to the floor nurse.  I ended up talking to the ICU nurse!  He had just come back from having 3 more stents inserted and was eating supper.  (The procedure went fine!) He'll spend the night in the ICU but may be discharged in a day or two.  His cardiologist is thinking of having Jeff wear a cardio vest to monitor his heart and act like a defibrillator when necessary.  Oh, I can just imagine Jeff's reaction to that!
  I sent PM's on Facebook to Jeff's brother, nephew and daughter to bring everyone up to date.  Then I called his sister and my friend Maggie to tell them.  I tried to call my cousin Ed but had to leave a message.  I'm done.  Now I want to get something to eat and feed the dogs.  This has been enough for one day.  

Doubleday Parking Lot 4/7/2020

This is the view of the Doubleday parking lot from Main St on April 7, 2020.  The shop is the white building between the 2 trucks on the right side of the photo.  Not ready for spring reopening...yet!  The photo was taken by Judy's friend, Rita, and sent to Judy on Grand Cayman.  She sent it back to the shop members today.

'Shelter in Place' Goes On!

   The 'Shelter in Place' order is still in force but it depends where you are how well it is being followed.  Some people don't believe the situation is as bad as it is being portrayed and don't follow it.  Others are going to the other extreme and you'll see people walking about wearing masks and gloves.  A little common sense and caution is probably what's needed.  We're lucky we don't live in a crowded development or apartment house.  The number of people we usually mingle with on a daily basis is actually less than 1/day.  I'm thankful for our country home and that we're retired.  We're limiting our trips to town to 1 or 2 per week...groceries and Rx's.  Most of our medical appointment have been postponed and I even had one appointment with a doctor conducted over the phone!   I talk with Jeff's sister, Sherry, my cousin, Ed, and Maggie, my long-time friend on a rotating basis thru the week (usually 1/day).  Throw in a random call from one of Jeff's nephews and his brother and that's about the total of our contact with the outside world.  Jeff and I both use the internet to stay in touch with others but it's not like talking to someone on the phone...or face to face!.  We just decided not to push our luck and try to host a family dinner on Easter even tho it would only be 3 or 4 people.  It will be lonely but I think I may have a family dinner when it's over and include Jeff's nephews and brother.
   In the meantime I have been reading and knitting...as usual.  I've finished most my library books...I can hardly wait until I can get another Charles Finch mystery book to read(!)...and have started to read Truman by David McCullough again.  The copy of the book that was given to me by another longtime friend is in regular-size font and I found it very difficult to read it for long periods of time.  I picked it up one night last week and found that I had left Harry Truman when he was a county judge.  I started reading it again and now I've got him thru his vice presidency and just sworn-in as President.   I can't read it for very long but I'm reading it every night!
   I've got the 2nd Boar Hunt Capelet about finished...just got to bindoff the collar and wash and block it.  I must have paid more attention to the directions this time because it came out a little bigger.  I like it even more!!  I was going to do a pair of fingerless mitts called The Love 
Triangle Arm Warmers (Claire, Jamie and Frank) with the same yarn but I forgot to look for that yarn today.  Instead I got yarn to do a toddler hoodie that I got as a special order this week.  It will make a nice change to my routine and should go quickly.  Then it will be back to the 18th century and my Highland knits!  
   There is no time frame for when the shop will reopen in Cooperstown this year.  Judy is 'sheltering in place' on Grand Cayman Island where their winter house is because the airport there is closed until April 14th.  If it reopens then...and she can get a flight to the US...she will probably face a 2 week self-quarantine when she gets home.  That would make it the end of April before any work would be started on the shop.   And with the Hall of Fame and the other museums closed until June 1st at the earliest,  who know when things will get back to normal.  It's hard to run a tourist town without tourists
   I checked around the house today for signs of spring flowers.  The lilacs have started to bud and the day lilies are about 4-5" tall.  The peonies have broken thru the leaves on the ground but the trillium hasn't.  And there is a bunch of daffodils forming flower buds outside the window by my PC.   I'd say we were just about right on schedule with the Spring flowers!

My Highland Collection

 

   This is the latest Highland Knit piece I've completed.  It's a Highland Capelet based on designs by the Scottish Princess and Carryl McCarthy and Wanda Mae Kafka.  It's done in Premier Serenity, a chunky acrylic on US 15's, and is machine wash and dryable.  It requires a shawl pin that I'm hoping to try my hand.  In the meantime I'm using a shawl pick to hold the sides closed.(added 4/19/2020)

  Here's my complete...to date...Highland Collection based on the designs shown in the pattern book Highland Knits, inspired by Diana Gabaldon's books and TV series "Outlander" and collected by the editors of Interweave.  I've also used patterns I've found on Ravelry.com, a website for knitters and crocheters.

Claire's Rent Collecting Shawl
based on the design "When in Scotland' by Rilana Riley Munson
available in cafe latte (shown), heather gray, turquoise, amethyst.

The 3 pairs of gauntlets are (l-r) 'Healer's Hands' in gray, 'Love Triangle'
in oatmeal and 'Thru the Stones' in cafe latte.  They are based on designs by Carol Ruhl,
Kristen Brooks, Kalurah Hudson, Wanda Mae Kafka, and the Scottish Princess.

The Boar Hunt Capelet
based on the design by Tina Brooks
available in cornmeal (shown), heather gray, cafe lattte)

The Gathering Cowl
based on the design The Gathering Infinity Scarf

by Karen Clements

available in heather gray (rust, soft navy)

   All designs are worked in 100% acrylic yarn and are machine wash and dry-able.  Prices are available upon request. And while I say an item is based on a design by someone else (to give the original designer credit) I always make changes while knitting...if I can see how to do something easier or if I lose my place in the directions (yes, that happens!)  The items may end up looking the same but have minor construction differences.  I am currently working on other designs for gauntlets, caplets and shawls and as I complete them I will post their photos here.  

   While they are currently available only from me, after the 'shelter in place' orders are lifted they will be available at 

Cooper Country Crafts 

               2 Doubleday Court,                Cooperstown, NY

What Else Is There To Do?

      How is everyone coping with the 'shelter in place' rigmarole?  It's confusing and a little scary but if we just keep calm we should make it okay.  Walmart in Herkimer has started to restock...with a limit on how many rolls of  TP or paper towels you can buy or cans of veggies.  They were out of most packaged bakery items (like Wonder Bread and English muffins last week but that isle is stocked again.  A friend from camp, our fathers were fishing and card-playing buddies, drives for Hannaford, and Jim says the warehouses are full so everyone just has to calm down and wait for the trucks to get loaded and the stuff delivered to the stores.  It won't happen immediately but they're doing the best they can.  We've got to remember,  truck drivers are only human...those 18-wheelers are the super machines...and it takes time to load them, drive them 1/4 to 1/2 way across the state, unload them and get the stuff put on the shelves.  Jeff and I stopped at Walmart this morning while our clothes were being washed at the laundromat (a long story there) and people were still grabbing the 36 roll packs of TP like it had a prize inside.  I personally don't know where I'd put that many rolls of TP in this house.  I've got 6 rolls of TP and 2 of them are in the food pantry because the shelf in the bathroom only holds 4.
   In the meantime, I'm still knitting.  Since the spring reopening for our shop in Cooperstown has been put on hold, I have plenty of time to fill my stock drawer.  I had requested (and got) from the library "Highland Knits", a pattern book put together by the editors of Interweave, inspired by the Outlander series.  Some of the patterns in there are also available in a slightly different form on Ravelry.com, a free site for knitters and crocheters, and some are only available for free in the pattern book. I've been comparing the patterns and 'pick and choosing' the ones I want to do.  (The important thing about using free or purchased patterns is to be sure to give the designers credit...which I'm!)   I started out following the colors the designers suggested with the patterns but as I watched the first season of Outlander on DVD...which I also got from the library) I decided to change some of the colors.  As a historian, I know all colors were not widely used in the early 18th century, the time of Outlander, but if the producers can use those colors so can I and I'm going to sprinkle some in my collection.  Granted some things...like gauntlets...will likely remain in neutrals...but some of the capes and shawls I will be offering in purple and turquoise.  To tell you the truth, I'm getting sick of brown and gray!  
   The 'powers-that-be' in the shop have decided to collect photos of new merchandise from members and offer them on the shop's Facebook page.  Kind of keeping our images fresh in the customers' minds.  As I take new photos I'll post them here.  Right now, I just have photos of the 'Healer's Hands' gauntlets and 'Rent Collecting' shawl(which I've posted on this blog many times.)  Last  

The Gathering Infinity scarf

night I finished the 'Gathering' Infinity scarf that can be worn as a cowl 
and started the 'Boar Hunt' Capelet.
    I keep finding more patterns that I'd like to try and I'm really trying to use up my stash but I did buy some yarn this week.  I didn't have enough bulky yarn to do the 'Gathering' Infinity scarf...it's 50" long...so I had to buy a skein at Walmart.  Now I've got 2 partial skeins but the dye lots don't match.  I might try something with them anyway.  I also ordered 2 skeins of Caron Simply Soft (in Woodland Heather, a light green) because I found a shawl pattern that I want to do and Walmart didn't have the yarn.  With Walmart as the only local store to carry yarn I'm stuck...either buy what they have or order it from somewhere else and pay postage.  I haven't been disappointed yet...between Walmart, Mary Maxim, Herrschners and JoAnn Fabrics I can usually find what I' want but I don't like having to pay postage if I can help it.  I guess I'm just cheap.
  Break is over...time to get back to knitting.  Stay calm and stop trying to corner the market on TP.

  

Highland Knitting

      I thought I had a good...not a great, but a pretty good stash to knit from but after reading and rereading Highland Knits, the patterns based on 'Outlander', trying to decide which ones I wanted to make, I realized I'm going to need yarn.  I have enough worsted to do the fingerless mitts or arm warmers but the cowls and the Boar Hunt Caplet call for bulky and I have just 2 whole skeins of the same color of that.  Luckily, I have to go to Walmart today and pick up an Rx (Warfarin) so I think a side trip over to the yarn display will fit in nicely.  There is no rush to get the yarn, I don't see the shop opening on time (April 15th) this year but with the libraries closed I've got to spread out my knitting and reading time or else I may have to resort to cleaning house to stay busy before this quarantine is lifted!  I've got 1 episode of Season One of 'Outlander' left to watch and I don't want to rush it.  Watching the show has helped me decide what I want to knit.  I wasn't going to do any of the cowls but I like the one Claire's been wearing.  By the time this mess is over I should have a nice inventory, hopefully, some of it will sell!  I will post photos of my inventory as I finish. 

So far, all I have done is  Claire's

Collecting Rent shawl and a pair Herb Healers Gauntlets...

I hope to finish the 2nd pair of arm
warmers today and then it will be the the Boar Hunt Caplet.

Zoey-the Watch Dog

     Zoey must have pulled watch-dog duty last night...3rd shift, too!  She was restless after supper wanting to go out but didn't go very far...not even off the stairs a couple of times...while Fanny took herself for a walk around the garage.  Zoey was mainly interested in a patch of driveway between the car and the steps...but there wasn't anything there I could see and Fanny didn't seem interested in the area.
   Around 11pm something ran past the big window in the parlor.  It was pretty windy and I couldn't see what because it was pitch black out there. There aren't any security lights on that side of the house.  Zoey got up on my mom's ceder chest and tried to look out the window (that's why there are nose prints on the glass) but that didn't satisfy her.  I asked Jeff why we never installed motion lights on that side of the house and he agreed we should.  (If we will, remains to be seen, but I think we should!)  She asked to be let out a couple of more times but when it started to rain that put a stop to that (she must be related to the witch from Oz...if she gets wet. she thinks she'll melt!)
   By 2am we (Fanny, Zoey and me) were comfortably settled in my bed.  Fanny claimed the bottom...a great footwarmer, with Zoey under the covers next to me.  I'm balanced on the edge of the mattress...I had more room in my bed at Brockport and that was a cot.  Anyway, Zoey suddenly climbs out from under the covers and dives under the curtain...more nose prints on a window...growling ferociously.  She kept that up for about 10 mins before starting to bark loudly...and jumping back away from the window and out from under the curtain!  She kept growling and backing up, going under the curtain and jumping back away from the glass for about half an hour.  Fanny rolled over and growled importantly at her ('shut up, kid' maybe?) but Zoey kept it up.  Fanny wasn't interested enough to get up and look, she just rolled over onto her good ear so she couldn't hear the noise so much.  (Like most dogs of her color (white), breed (Australian Cattle dogs) and size (large), Fanny has lost the hearing almost completely in her left ear and partially in her right.  I think she finds it convenient...she 'can't' hear when called unless she wants to.  But she still hears the words Treat or Peanutbutter clearly and comes a running!)
   I tried petting Zoey and talking to her...Fanny growled a couple of times at me so I switched to whispering...telling her that the critters outside didn't have humans to give them a bowl of food and had to hunt for their supper.  Told her they were our neighbors and she had to get use to them.  Since I couldn't see who was out there I don't know if I was talking about deer, turkey, fox, coyote or the mountain lion/bobcat. (I'm pretty sure it wasn't the bear...too early in the season for it!) There wasn't a bloody scrap pile this morning so I'm betting on the turkey rooting for grubs in the leaves.  I think the coyote or bobcat would have been more vocal about killing a turkey or deer...and may have invited the rest of the pack to join in a late night snack. (More of the joys of country living.)
   Like most 3-rd shifters, Zoey is still sacked out this morning. It must have 

been a tough night for her.  But you've got to admit, she's definitely got a tough life.