Temporarily Missing In Action

First of all, I have to whine and complain a little bit because I am sick... once a year type sick, coughing, lying around with a fever sick, the result of weak lungs from birth sick. This came on very suddenly over the course of the day yesterday, but I had a similar issue last year in early September. It appears that, because the air is dry and dusty, and the ozone levels rise as summer goes on here in the Sierra Foothills, I am susceptible to developing allergy symptoms that go unnoticed until I am hacking and short of breath. I decided to "play it smart" for once (maybe there are a few perks to turning 50) and call the doctor this morning for an appointment. Of course, this led to a trip to town to the pharmacy, even though the clinic I visit for my care always gives me samples if they have them.

Now, I won't whine without acknowledging how grateful I am to be living in the 21st century, where asthma is a controllable disease (God, I hate being attached to that word, like a ball and chain). After all, I have been something of a poster child for asthma sufferers over the years, living a very active life that includes hiking, swimming, kayaking, climbing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and traveling with my donkeys. I could have been suffering from asthma a hundred years ago, and surely wouldn't have seen 50. I could have been suffering from asthma 50 or so years ago, like the famous Che Guevara, and been severely incapacitated at times, since the drugs available were pretty primitive. Even 30 years ago, when I was going through nurses' training, an emergency attack required an adrenaline shot and sometimes led to death. In the past decade, new medicines have come on the scene that allow long term management and very infrequent attacks. I am grateful that my primary physician also has asthma and a very active interest in keeping abreast of the latest research. He is also a yogi, and has written two books on how yoga can help you overcome headaches and insomnia.

I should be getting better over the next few days but am pretty spaced out from all the rescue inhalant I have needed in the past 48 hours. Makes me depressed too...

Losing My Daughter

Or, maybe I am just depressed because my daughter Nikki, who turns 22 next weekend, is finally moving out. She is moving about 70 miles away, to Chico, as she wants to finish her BA in Child Development and has run out of classes here at our local community college. She is also ready for a fresh environment. Now, I am really happy to say that she and my oldest son, Cody, decided to share an apartment, and I know he will look out for her and help ease her transition. I am likely to feel more homesick than she will... I am hoping they find the good yarn stores for me.

We are planning to move the furniture on Monday with my truck, and had been expecting that they would move a bunch of other items on Sunday in her Pathfinder. However, while I was sitting at the table this morning, knitting on my Cotton Twist tank top and waiting for the clinic office to open, I got a telephone call that began with "First, I want you to know that I'm all right".... she had been driving in a line of cars being led through a highway construction zone (a fact of summer life here) and was rear-ended. I could tell that she was holding it together and had made the right calls, but began to cry once I was on the phone. I was able to meet her, the other driver and the CHP officer and lend some moral support on my way to the clinic. I suspect that everything will work out all right in the end, but of course we can't get the rear door to open - a new door will be in the future.

Can you see a problem here?


 

Yup, me too .... there's not going to be enough cotton chenille bulky of unidentifiable origin to finish this baby blanket. I realized this over the weekend, and my only solace was that I was unavailable to attend the baby shower, which was today. If in good health, I would have been taking kids hiking. I was so distressed that I was ready to toss it, but then began looking around through my stash and my patterns to find a replacement gift. After all, the baby's not here yet, right? And any baby certainly deserves a hand-knit gift, however simple it might turn out to be. I decided today that I am going to make a cute little baby hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in hot pink, since we already know a girl is coming. As for the organic cotton chenille leftover from the defunct Sedona Godmothers, I am not sure yet. Read further, about my ambitions to deal with clutter, and I might get your hopes up that it will appear as a giveaway contest here at some point.

Clutter Busters

Margene is one of my favorite bloggers, and we frequently exchange emails as well. Now, I want you to stop what you are doing right now, and check out this recent post from her blog, along with the comments, and let me know if it doesn't set your heart stirring as well. I am one of the worst clutter collectors, well except maybe for my husband and my parents while they were alive. I am sure you will find at least one useful idea in the 66 comments she got on this subject, the high volume of which leads me to believe that this is a universal problem resulting from living in our materialistic, disposable society. I read this Monday night, and even dreamed about what I would get rid of! Then, Tuesday while driving, I listened to a great NPR program about repairing or replacing... also addressing the theme of consumerism (couldn't find the transcript for you). This will be one of my focuses for fall....

Knitting News

Even though I am not well oriented, I have found that putting in a few inches of pure stockinette on the tank tops works out, between naps. I also popped in to the bookstore next door to the pharmacy and came home with the fall issue of Vogue Knitting. One article, discussing events in Britain mentions a national knitting week next month that includes knitting in public places and an "extreme knitting" contest, where past participants have knitted while skydiving!