Well, then I just had to post.
Things have been really, really busy. Lots of family crises, large & small, but thankfully none of them life threatening. We've been going into DC about once a week to spend time/check up on/do things for my stepMom & her husband. This is a 3 hour round trip drive. They have been pretty much apartment bound for a year - he has congestive heart failure and is on oxygen 24/7 and she is dealing with serious mobility issues as a result of normal pressure hydrocephalus.
We've been taking her up to see the hydrocephalus specialists at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore since August and she will be hospitalized all of next week for fluid drainage and tests, more tests - but hopefully the outcome will be a decision to replace the shunt that was put in 18 months ago and hopefully the new shunt will function properly and she will be able to walk again.
That's a lot of hope, and probably Too Much Information. But it's part of how I've been spending my time this year. I do get a lot of knitting done on all the car rides and in the hours of sitting & waiting - I'm currently working on a cardigan for my stepMom which I hope to have ready for Christmas.
My Mom is getting Rather Fuzzy and it's upset me greatly. The lady who has been doing light housekeeping & shopping for her for several years is no longer available and while I've set up regular home visits through Mom's retirement community, it breaks my heart that I can't get out to visit her more often.
I've been talking about moving her to a similar community that is much closer to me, but that's a big project and may not be in her best interests. We have talked about it and will continue to explore that option. I would like very much to take her up to Michigan in the spring to visit her three sisters there.
And our Ruby has been having a rough time lately. So far, all three of her fall semesters have been very challenging, for one reason or another. She is a remarkable, brilliant, creative and talented young woman and we know she will pull through this rough patch. But damn, it's hard to watch from afar.
So my heart is being tugged one way and another. I'm struggling with depression in the face of so much stress, but I've started walking most days and I'm trying to get lots of sleep and take care of myself. I've had some great classes this fall and some nice singing opportunities. I have a wonderful supportive partner and husband and a wildly cute new puppy. I live in a beautiful part of the world. All these things feed my soul.
This lovely photo is from the campus of the John C. Campbell Folk School where I went last month to teach Shaker Rag Rugs, with the able assistance of my pal Lucy Best (who will be teaching her first solo class in February on sock machine knitting). We had a great class as evidenced by their smiling faces:
Rugs! Lotsa rugs.
I will be teaching a new 8/2 Cotton Towel class this weekend. I say will with great emphasis, because they are calling for snow tomorrow, and when it snows in Virginia, everything generally comes to a screeching halt. We are recommending that the weaving students bring sleeping bags and a toothbrush and we'll just weave all night!
I'll let you know how that works out!
5 comments:
Happy Blogoversary (sounds like something from Chicago politics, doesn't it?) I just bought my first loom, a Beka rigid heddle. I've made two scarves and I'm . Or should that be warped?
I am sorry you have had so much to deal with Melissa. I hope things settle down a bit, I know it is hard to know what to do for your parents. That sort of thing isn't easy, in these days of widely spread families, but the right answer will come in the silence. Congrats on your anniversary, and good luck in your teaching.
Hi Melissa, I hope that your class went well. We got snow in Kansas this week. Closed the school 2 days this week. We have a guild meeting tomorrow and I hope to see Carolyn there. I haven't seen her for awhile. She wasn't able to get to the spinning retreat last month. I would love to see a picture of that new puppy when you have time. Tell Peter that our daughter, Lydia was crowned Kansas Honey Queen.
http://www.kansashoneyproducers.org/
Ah, Melissa, my heart goes out to you with all you've got to deal with. I admire your courage and I wish you strength through it all.
Happy Blogoversary! I wanted to take Lucy's class in February but it didn't work out. Does she have a website, teach elsewhere? I'd love to get that old machine working one of these days. Thank you for any information and good luck with your family.
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