Hospital Trips, Swap Buddies and All

      Just back from a trip to the hospital in Cooperstown to see my mom.  She's somewhat better but a long way from the semi-independent woman she was a short...no, make that a long 3 weeks ago.  Even at 98 she was still knitting!  Now she can not feed herself or even direct a straw into her mouth.  When being transferred from chair to bed all she does is scream and go limp.  The worst part is that there isn't a medical reason for this.  The case manager is suggesting long-term care (skilled nursing home) and Mom may be moved tomorrow or Thursday back to one in Herkimer.  At least that's only 5 minutes away and not 45 minutes like the hospital.  
     Some of the bright spots in this ordeal have been the swap packages I've found waiting for me at home.  I've received some lovely things...several sets of stitch markers to add to my collection  (you should see the purple mitten bead ones!) as well as yarn, and project and notion bags. The socks I got in the St Nicholas' Day swap have gotten rave reviews from all who've seen them...and made me really understand how comfortable wool socks are!  I've lost track of which swaps I posted thanks you's on, but I appreciate them all.   I finally got all my packages mailed and really appreciate the patience I've gotten from the swap mods.  
     Jeff's been my foundation through all of this and without him I couldn't have made it this far.  Tomorrow we'll be working on rebuilding the woodpile...he cuts, I stack and the dog runs around like crazy.  We're planning to host his sister and a cousin of mine for dinner on Christmas.  

Back to the Hospital

Josie's been confused since moving into rehab and has been resisting PT.  This morning when I visited her, she was sitting in a chair with a very runny nose but not very social...I'm not sure she even knew who I was.  After lunch the facility called to say that she had spiked a temp and they were starting antibiotics.  Late this afternoon they called again to tell me that they had sent her to the ER in Cooperstown because her temp wasn't responding to treatment and she had developed some respiratory distress.  They gave me a phone number and I called...but she hadn't arrived yet.  An hour later, she was there but they were waiting for the lab work.  Next phone call...about 1 1/2 hrs later, she was in X-ray.  Around 11pm, they finally decided to admit her for a UTI and pneumonia. They'll probably keep her until Monday...at least. The weather was suppose to go down hill tonight w/ freezing rain and since they hadn't decided to admit her, we decided to wait until they did. (If they had sent her back to the rehab facility we might have passed each other on the road!)   The weather is suppose to get better by noon tomorrow so we'll probably go down then.  

Valley Health

Josie was transferred to Valley Health Rehab, Room 114, W German St., Herkimer, NY  13350 yesterday... Tuesday...morning.  She was not terribly pleased...'the ride was very bumpy'.  I'm sure she will be even more 'not pleased' when she discovers this morning that ALL rehab residents are dressed and in the dining room for breakfast and then spend 'most if not all' morning in therapy sessions.  I plan on dropping by to see her for a few minutes today after lunch.  They said she can have her cell phone  so I'll bring it then.  She's lost half her dentures...arriving with only 1 plate. The social worker at Valley Health said she'd try to find out what happened to the other but it may have broken or just thrown out by accident.  She'll be there until Christmas...and maybe beyond depending on how much progress she makes.  Remember, rehab means work not a vacation.  The next 2 weeks will be interesting.

How Not To Spend An Afternoon

Spent the afternoon at the ER in Cooperstown Tuesday.  Mom had a cold for a couple of days and she was rather weak and wobbly.  Her home health care aide worried she might have had a stroke so we called for an ambulance and went to Bassett. Tests results show no signs of a stroke, mild to moderate dehydration and an irregular heart beat so they decided to admit her, hang a saline drip and do a MRI in the morning.  Once the drip was going she perked up and after an hour or so started to be her usual bitchy self (why hasn't the doctor come back?  where's that nurse? etc). The ER was full and very busy. (Then there was the 'major trauma' on RTE 28 S that came in just before we left to come home. It forced us to take a detour down dark country roads where we missed a turn, ending up in Fort Plain...about 20 miles east of home but where gasoline was only $3.65! Good because by then we needed some!  Still, I'm glad Jeff was driving!)   Mom did not have a good night and when Jeff and I got back the next day she was totally out of it.  She hadn't eaten anything and was on oxygen!  Jeff got her to eat while I got hysterical (we had left her sitting up eating a ham sandwich!)  Yesterday she was eating and talking but went to sleep when we got there.  The doctor said the UTI may have traveled up to her kidneys and they wanted to rule that out.  I managed to pick up a cold (complete with chills and fever) somewhere along the line and had slept all the way down...and back...and all evening in the chair by the fire...and all night.  (Some cold, huh?)  Jeff slept on the couch and Fanny kept growling at him! This morning I called the hospital and told them that I would not be coming down today coz of the cold.  This afternoon the doctor called and said mom was ready to be discharged.  There was no way I wanted to go back down there in a cold rain but....  Then the doctor called back and said maybe she should go to rehab to regain her strength and mobility.  After a few more phone calls the case manager was going to look for a bed at Valley Health or Folts.  Haven't heard from anyone in a couple of hours so I think she'll stay put until Monday. I'll find out in the morning.

 Fanny was fantastic on her own the first day!  No puddles or piles, shredded or chipped wood or chewed up household implements (wooden spoons and plastic screwdriver handles are favorites!).  She was happy to see me but over-the-moon to see Jeff!  (Hey, I'm the one who opens the dog food cans!)  But last night she wasn't so good and left a pile next to the-sleeping-on- the-couch Jeff.  He made soup in our new crock pot when we got home and kept encouraging me to have some.   I had tried to work on a ladies sock while we waited...and waited...and waited in the ER but didn't get very far coz Mom's 'room' was in the hall and I had to keep moving as other patients were moved around.  Didn't do any knitting last night either.
And on top of it all, I lost my cell phone...after just download 120 minutes on to it.

No Central Heat in 1817...

Just back from the Hyde Hall Holiday at Glimmerglass State Park near Cooperstown.  Hyde Hall is a historical building being renovated.  Built in 1817, it does not have central heating or many electric lights.  I learned those facts first-hand today as I help represent the shop at this craft show.  There were about a dozen vendors set up in the foyer, drawing room and front parlor of this once magnificent mansion. To say it was cold in there is a total understatement!   I felt like I was dressed for skiing not sitting at a craft table!  I even had some hand warmers in my pockets!  The organizers compensated with free coffee all afternoon...without telling you that the bathroom was in the visitor's center across the lawn!  As the day progressed it got darker and colder in there but we still called it a success with the shop doing well. I sold several baby sweater sets and took orders for a couple more. Guess I know what I'll be doing this week!   

And the Race is on....

Well, Thanksgiving is over and the race is on towards Christmas.  We had invited Jeff's sister and my cousin for dinner yesterday and I was in charge of the meal. The menu was changed many times and Wednesday while sitting in the shop, supposedly working, I did a few final tweaks.  However, Jeff spent the night up with the chills and ended up sleeping most of Thanksgiving but we still had company coming for dinner.  Ended up with roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy and  fried carrots; lemon meringue pie and pumpkin pie.  Too bad Jeff was feeling so bad coz we had a good time at dinner! (He got leftovers when he woke up.)
                                                 
The elves had been busy decorating the shop and it looked very good Wednesday when I worked.(photo left)  I left several baby hats (photo right) and baby socks to fill up my space and I just got a phone call saying  that this yellow hat w/the raspberry flowers sold this morning...along with a baby sweater set.  I'll have to stay busy and do some more hats!  It would be nice if the snowman or Santa would sell but ...maybe more hats?

The shop has been invited to participate in a one-day sale at Hyde Hall on Dec. 2nd.   Hyde Hall was the unusually large home... actually, a neoclassical country mansion... of George Clark, heir of George Clarke an early NY governor and distant relative of James Fennimore Cooper. One of the finest American houses, built in 1817,  it combines the architectural traditions of England and America and is located in Glimmerglass State Park. When the park first opened, my family spend many hours on the beach there and we'd always walk up to the mansion and try to peek thru the broken shutters, so when I heard about this sale I immediately volunteered to help represent the shop. It will mean a couple extra sweaters and half a dozen hats but it will get me into Hyde Hall!  The sale runs from 12-4 pm and admission is free.  Unique gifts and books including local hand-made crafts, and holiday sweets and treats will be available.  There will also be a display of Victorian children’s toys and a visit from Father Christmas. Now if the weather cooperates....

Found this beautiful flower arrangement on our kitchen table Wednesday when I got home from Cooperstown.  My mother had no idea where it came from but the card...our neighbor the florist...was from my cousin Mike and his partner, Chris.  Heard my mom tell the aide today the flowers were from her favorite nephews.  They are definitely spoiling her!

p.s. Saturday morning, 9:20am, it's snowing!

A Change of Pace

We stacked  (Jeff cut/I stacked) firewood yesterday and since we didn't quite finish the pile I thought we'd be doing it again today but Jeff announced his back needed a day of rest so I decided to go to JoAnn Fabrics and use a couple of my coupons.  I got 2 skeins of Serenity sock yarn (aquamarine) to include in 1 swap package and a skein of Red Heart Boutiques' Rigoletto (wildflowers) for another.  Then I saw a display of Holiday Inspirations socks and got a gray pair with snowmen for another swap. (r) With the coupons I spent a total of $12.22.  Not bad! 

Found a swap package from Karen (Knitfever2) sitting outside my door yesterday morning.  Now comes the hard part…waiting until Dec 1st to start opening the packagettes…...25 wrapped and labeled packages (below) to open 1 a day from Dec 1 until Dec. 25th..(.there's even 1 for Fanny, I think (upper l corner of photo)...) and not opening all 25 at once! This will take will power. I was the kid who always found my mom’s hiding places at Christmas, and if she wrapped them before I found them, I would unwrap/rewrap them to make sure she got the right doll, color etc. Mom asked…when she saw what the package held…if I was going to revert to my old habits or try to wait it out. I think there are two guards watching these packages so I’d better wait it out. 


When I said I was going to the mall, Jeff's back made a remarkable recovery and he went with me.  After my stop at JoAnn's...and at Ollie's for him...we went to Gander Mountain so Jeff could check out the newest guns.  (Hey, I  had checked out yarn ....)  Then we stopped at his sister's on the way home to check up on her.  She had had a root canal a couple of months ago and there still was a hole in her jaw.  Ended up having a bone transplant last Monday and is still on soft foods. 

 Now it's time to get supper.  Maybe pasta?  Tonight I want to finish the potholder I'm doing for another swap. Tis the season, remember?  I've got 2 swaps a week due for the next 3 weeks.  I think there may be a good amount of yarn under my Christmas tree this year!