April is Ending on the Uneven Side

    Finally something good happened this week!  The week started off as bad as it could when Jeff nephew, Tim Jr, died over the weekend in Kentucky.  Tim had a long-distance escort service for over-size trucks and Jeff's brother, Big Tim, worked with him.  They were moving a load thru Kentucky when Tim, Jr said they had to stop.  By the time the convoy had pulled over and Big Tim had walked over to his son's vehicle, Tim Jr had died on the side of the road.  He had an inoperable aneurism and a long-time heart condition but was generally in decent heath.  Tim, Jr was in his mid-forties.   

    The week continued downhill when on Monday my regular INR (clotting factor) registered far out of range at 4.5-- a full 1.0 out of range (2.5-3.5)!  People who take warfarin have to have INR's done regularly and this was the first time mine was so screwed up!  My nurse told me I was considered 'critical' and if it didn't come down something would have to be done (what??  Admission and an IV???)  They changed my dosage and gave me until this Friday to see a difference.  It probably won't fall the complete 1.0 in 3 days but as long as it's going down.... We talked about possible causes and decided it was probably due to the amount of Tylenol I've been taking lately.  Now, Tylenol is usually OK for warfarin users but I may have OD-ed on it because my hands were hurting from the amount of knitting I was doing.  My nurse said she has a group of long-time warfarin/Tylenol users who were having INR's out of range!  She also asked if I've had the Covid shots yet and when I said no, she said good, don't.  Seems she also has a group of long-time warfarin users who are having INR's out of range after having their Covid shots.  (Another reason not to get them.) At least knowing my INR was so high explains why I've been so tired and cold lately.  

   Yesterday I had an appointment with the Dermotologist in Hartwick Seminary for my annual check up.  "No new basal 'spots', see you next year".  Unfortunately, because my INR was so high, I wasn't able to have any skin tags or moles removed at this time.  Even burning them off would have caused minor bleeding and since  I don't have much active clotting factor in my blood right now it wasn't considered a good idea.  

    We stopped at the shop in Cooperstown to restock and deliver an sweater order on the way to the dermatologist and my customer picked up her order today.  Judy called this afternoon to tell me the customer not only liked the sweaters I had done for her, but also liked one that I had restocked my display with and bought it!  (This is a really, good customer.  She's ordered 5 sweaters and bought 2 more off the shelves.)  Now I've got to make a special order (a Dolly and Me set) and one to replace the one she picked up yesterday before I go to the shop to work on May 16th.

   Jeff's boat was delivered. He ordered it thru Tractor Supply and because he paid for it when he ordered it, he got a good discount on the shipping.  Today a tractor trailer delivered it to our house.  The dogs went crazy!  Fanny (the big one) stuck her nose out the door to see what was happening and then hid under the kitchen table until Jeff and I both came back inside.  Zoey, our beagle, was afraid of the boat once it was unwrapped and sitting on the lawn.  She didn't have a clue what it was!!  The boat is a Pelican Catch Power 100.  It's 9'9" long and is considered a fishing kayak.  I'll take some photos of it tomorrow and post them here.  He got an electric trolling motor and 12 volt battery for it at Runnings. 

   Right now, I'm exhausted and I think it's time for bed.  Boy, will I be glad to get my INR back in range again. 

Timothy Day, Jr.

 

      Jeff's nephew, Tim Day, Jr. (rt) died yesterday while working in Kentucky.  He was with his father at the time.  'Timmer' was a good-hearted, generous guy who will be missed by family and friends. He is pictured with his brother, Doug.

Spring Opening and Other Stuff

   We had our annual Spring meeting of Cooper Country Crafts yesterday.  The plan was to meet in the parking lot so everyone was told to bring a lawn chair.  Judy made arrangement with the owner of the empty store next door to us to use their building if the weather wasn't fit for sitting outside so we met inside.  There were 20 of us sitting in a circle, looked like we were having a séance or a marshmallow roast but there wasn't an open fire in the middle and it would have been welcome!!  It was cold in there!!  The temperature was set at 55 and there was no way we could raise it so we didn't waste time and got our business done.

   Among other things, Judy went over what was suppose to be put on sales slips, things like the crafters number and inventory number if they use one, which sales tax percentage  to use for what and other things that she stresses each year but members 'forget' or simply don't bother to use.  Then the calendar was passed around, month by month, for members to sign up for work days.  I had thought I'd try to be 15% again this year but with not wanting to work July, August or December I had a had time coming up with the right number of days to be 20%!  I'll have to keep checking the calendar each time I work and try to pick up the 2 days I lack.  I didn't enjoy the ride to Cooperstown yesterday.  The car behaved beautifully and the road was clear, I just didn't like it.  I guess staying at 20% was probably best.

   I got to Cooperstown to late to go to lunch with some of the member so I just put up my display and looked around the shop.  We've got new members Jane and Bob Jones who do pet treats.  I love their packaging!!  Cute and very professional.  Their display was a little cluttered but Judy will soon ratify that!  I bought some dog and cat treats to include in my Yarn Pal package.  

    I didn't take any photos of my display because I forgot my camera but I still have 2 new 'Sheep in the Meadow' sweaters to finish sewing buttons on to so I'll photograph them before I take them to the shop on Tuesday (I have a MD appt. in Hartwick Seminary).  I didn't have enough of the Outlander collection to leave...and no room for it...so I decided to put one of the cowls in my Yarn Pal package. I didn't bring my new version of the train sweater either because while working in yarn ends I clipped to close to the sweater and cut where I wasn't suppose to. (IKES!!)  Have to fix that before it goes down.  Got a 2nd Train about ready for buttons, too. I filled my hat rack but there are still 4 or 5 new hats waiting to be finished and taken down.

   Monday, Jeff ordered his boat at Tractor Supply in Herkimer.  Because he paid for it as he ordered it in the store, he got a discount on the shipping which made him happy.  In two weeks his boat will be here!  He showed me a video of it on Facebook and it looks rather nice.

It's a fishing kayak called a Pelican Catch Power 100,  9'9" long and a little wide than regular fishing kayaks. It comes prewired with a special compartment so all he has to do is set in the battery and hook it up, and has another separate, watertight compartment for his wallet/phone.  He wanted to pay in cash for it but they wouldn't accept it!?!  Jeff doesn't use credit cards.  He had to use a Gift card (they didn't charge him for it) and then he had to demand/argue for a receipt.  He was told it would be on his computer at home and he could just print it but he wouldn't leave the store without one in his hand and finally they just printed it for him.  His reasoning was what if it was lost in 'the cloud', or my printer wouldn't print it or some other problem. He even threatened to cancel the order and demand a refund (about $1000)before they'd print it!! Now all there is left to do is to get a trailer hitch put on the car and reoutfit/register/insure our trailer.  I'm paying for the hitch(and life jacket) because I do not want him trying to put the boat on top of the car alone.  I told him I do not want a cop/trooper calling me to say Jeff had a heart attack and died putting the boat on the car.  He said what if they called and said he had a heart attack and died trying to land a 100lb cat fish in the Mohawk River?  I said I wouldn't care then because I'd know he died happy.  That shut him up!  End of argument,  circle the date on the calendar!! I won the argument!!

Safe At Home

     

    I had wanted the pattern for the 'Safe at Home' afghan since it was published but never got around to buying it until I saw that someone (who or where I don't remember) had added one of the houses as a pocket on the back of the afghan (it's lined) to hold tissues or a book for someone laying on a sofa.  I thought that was a great idea (a sale 'hook'!) so I bought it...but just because I now owned it didn't mean I was going to knit it right away.

   The directions for the knitted afghan are somewhat complicated and frankly, I don't have the time or patience to knit all the little pieces the way the directions call for.  (And then, sew them all in place?  No Way!  Not Me!!)  So the pattern went into my file until last week when I saw that someone else (again, 

I don't remember who or where) had combined the knit and crochet versions and was able to make a knit strip in 1 piece.  Out came my pattern again and after looking at it for awhile, I realized that if I copied the chart for the house (with windows and door) to graph paper and added the cart for the sky and roof where they belonged, I would have a chart for the complete picture without the need to knit any small pieces.

   Last night I was bored with my sweaters for the shop and my library books had lost my interest, too, so I decided to try a house.  I co on 24 sts (instead of 12) and worked my house, roof and sky from my new chart.  When it was finished, I cut the yarn for the roof and house and added different colors for the next roof and house but left the sky yarn alone and kept knitting.  By this noon I had complete almost an entire strip without any small pieces that had to be sewn in!

I'm planning to make a 'Throw' size (52x60 or close to it) with a pocket on the lining, with 8 houses in a strip and 10 strips and a 1" knit border around it. Knitting each strip in 1 piece makes it a lot easier.  It can become a pocket project, too!  (Since it takes app. 1 hour to do 1 house, 5 small balls of yarn and a pair of short US7's with a started strip rolled up around it can easily fit in a baggie and slip into my pocketbook to be worked on in doctor's waiting rooms, grocery store parking lots, traffic jams, etc.)  And it will be a change from carrying around half a sock in a baggie in my pocketbook.  I think I'd like to do 1 throw for the shop and 2 or 3 for Christmas presents for next year.   Wish me luck!!  I'll post photos!