And I stitched

  Yes I did!
 This group of circles from the Quilty 365 project has been on the design wall since May---before I went into the hospital.  After coming home I played with the arrangement and added the larger circles for fun.  All the circles are birds, blooms, or winged things :)  Wanda from Exuberant Color sent me the Charlie Harper fabrics that feature cardinals.  So of course I had to use them.  I also included other gifted fabric and circles from friends/bloggers around the world.  The top 3 rows are sewn together.  Not perfect, but at least started.











  I took some good advise and moved on to some string piecing.  Edges from my bucket of selvages were stitch to batting and turned into a couple of mug rugs.
I counted this project as my OT for the day :)

  Yesterday I worked on a couple of wonky blocks, but forgot to take photos.






    I got sidetracked on hemming black fabric.  Sir Old Man brought home unused fabric from the woodworkers guild-----it had been bought as drapes for  their auditorium.  Only they did not get to use it as it was not fire retardant.   So why do I need black fabric?  As a backdrop for a display of watercolor wall hangings.  Earlier this spring I was asked to do a feature display of my water color quilts for our guild quilt show in October.  Then the health issues happened and I was going to back out.  Sir Old Man would not hear of it and will do the set up for me.   Thus the black fabric  for the smaller pieces.  I hope to get them arranged and pinned to the fabric, so it can just simply be hung at the show.  At least that is my plan.
Now for some quiet therapy time in the sewing room....happy stitching.

Some thoughts

  All the wonderful comments of support and encouragement have been filling my inbox.   Some great ideas to lighten my mood, and move me along.  I so appreciate you all.

  I have had a lot of time for thoughts.....I know that can be dangerous, and I began a list of things I took for granted before this health adventure began.  Simple things that I missed, especially while "locked" in the hospital and in rehab.  So here are a few highlights from my list..............

•  How blue the sky is......hospitals are colorless, and I missed colors.  Sir Old Man brought wallhangings and quilts for my bed when I got to rehab!  
• The sweet taste of ketchup on french fries....ketchup has onion powder in it, and is a no-no for me.  But I cheat a little with permission..... if I do not over-do.
• French vanilla creamer in my coffee.
• Writing....writing a shopping list.   I am improving but it is still hard.
•  Walking barefooted.  With numbness  in my feet, shoes are required....ugh.
• Sitting on the porch in the sun, or listening to the rain.  This was one of the first things I did when I came home.   Such a comfort.
• Soft towels to dry off with after a hot shower.   No puny, thin bits institutions use.
• Riding in a car, viewing the world as daily life goes on.   I asked for permission at rehab to go with Sir Old Man for ice cream and was denied.  Patients could not leave for even short trips due to health care rules, they said.  For sure, I began to plan a "jail break" trip.  That's when they let me come home....lol.
• and of course......sewing on my machine, hearing the familiar hum, and looking out the window at the trees and birds.  
• And most of all.........time with those I love, friends and family.  Never take those special relationships for granted.

Enough thoughts for today.   I did get some stitching time in......good OT therapy.

I will share photos tomorrow.  

Happy stitching.

Changed plans

  The last couple of days involved changed plans, and very little chance to sew.
On Wednesday, therapy found a slot to do my PT evaluation before my dental cleaning.  So I had a full workout in the morning......walking, standing, exercises for coordination and then the crazy balance box testing!  
  The box looks like a phone booth with no doors.  I was strapped into a harness for safety.....think jumping out of a plane and you know what I looked like.  Once in position, the first few test were simple, just stand with eyes open and then with eyes closed and keep your balance.  Next set was much the same, only the walls moved and shifted.  That was a bit strange but I kept my balance.  Third set.....the floor moved and tilted.  Even with my eyes open, I had trouble staying upright.  For the last set, you can guess what happened.......walls and floor moved and shifted like a roller coaster ride.  With eyes open I fell forward, and when I closed my eyes I fell backwards.  I was done after that......so PT will work a lot on my balance.

  Then Thursday morning, I called to get an appointment to have my eyes/vision checked.  I was thinking sometime in next few weeks, but my doctor had a different idea.   He must have flagged my chart because he wanted me in that day.  So forget the sewing time, we went for eye exam.  Results....some vision changes.  The right eye is much weaker then before.  OCT photographs showed changes in the retina, mainly in the right eye, but a slight change  near the temporal area in the left eye.  What does that mean?    There is no sure answer as to why the changes occurred, but a strong possibility it is from the Vitamin B 12 depletion.  Will it improve?  Maybe or not, so I will have a full recheck in 2 months.

  So I will continue to eat those vitamins, along with fish and meats and other good things.  One day I hope to say the nerves are healing and improving.  
For today, I will get to the sewing room and join a few rows of circles.  They won't be perfect I know, but better to try than not.  I plan to enjoy the time anyway.   Keep stitching.

My learning curve

  Not only am I learning to walk again, but I have to learn to write and draw again too.  I have not mentioned this before as it is hard to admit.  In my free motion quilting classes I would go on and on about  drawing motifs and developing muscle memory.  Well, the thing turned around and bit me in the hind end this time!

    When the therapist gave me this set of pages to work on copying---to improve my writing---- I saw quilting motifs.  I thought it would be a snap......little did I know the damage done to my hands affected my drawing ability too.









Oh, my.....not the best doodles after all.  The muscle memory is still there....what I lack is muscle control.  The spacing is off, kind of awkward.  Precise is out the window for now.  Just getting the shapes is enough to work on.

















   I went ahead and did some letter practice....over and over.  This is the last page and it does show some improvement.  I am able to print a shopping list now that Sir Old Man can mostly read...lol.

  It takes intense focus to do this now.  I really took for granted how easy it was for me to draw these motifs, etc.  It is exhausting some days.   But I can say for sure that anyone can learn ....it just takes lots of practice.  Mixed with determination, too.

   It is time to get ready for therapy, so I will post and run.  Tomorrow I want to visit the sewing room.  Keep stitching.

Feeling better

    After 14 days, I think the pneumonia is done for.  I feel like I am going to be able to return to the living :)  The cough will probably stick around for another week or so according to the doctor.  But I am cleared to return to OT next week.  I have a lot of catching up to do, but to date I only have strength enough for chair exercises, and arm exercises using the one pound weight.

  The therapist called to say that she got approval from the doctors to try a UV light therapy on my hands.  The hope is that it will increase circulation and stimulate nerve activity.  She has lofty  goals for my OT and is looking for anyway to help my sense of touch/ or lack of touch sensation.

   Thank you all for the notes, and emails to check on me.  I was just too weak to
sit at the computer to reply.   I hope to gain strength each day and begin some progress.  That sounds wonderful to me.   By the way, my lofty goal is to return to the sewing room and be able to stitch a little.  That would be some good therapy:)   

Update for mid August

I never thought I could slip so far back. A week ago I began with a fever and cough. Now it is full bore pneumonia and it is pushing me so far down. SirOld Man made the mistake of dating the "h" word and I went crazy   Not going back to that place. 

   So I am dosed with antibiotics  and nursing friends check on me.  Expect home health to begin today.   I've lost strength and coordination  so the road got longer ahead of me.   Just wanted to say thanks once again for all the emotional support from blog land. 

Keep on stitching. 

This gave me a lift!

  I was reading through a few blogs this morning and ran across a wonderful surprise when I got to the Greater Columbia Quilt Guild.   This is the group I did a program and class for last fall.  Their monthly show and share is usually overflowing.  Five  members who took my class shared their finishes......such variety and beauty.  

From Greater Columbia Quilt Guild

  For this class I lifted all restrictions, giving them the freedom to express themselves.  I am so glad they took  the opportunity to do this.......rather than duplicating my examples.  By their smiles I think they were happy and satisfied.  Ladies, I am so pleased with your work!

Today was the outpatient evaluation for OT..........this is for the hands mainly.  There is not any change or improvement.  I was only able to identify one of the four objects placed in my hands. So we will work on strength training.....praying for a miracle in the hands and fingers.  I won't dwell on it but you know how much I need those fingers.

OK, enough sobbing.  I am greatly enjoying home and freedom to just be here.  Thank you all for the encouragement and support.  Keep stitching :)