*Dad, the summer of 2007, with his sister Dorothy.We ended up telling Dad and Patsy stories, laughing while sharing part of his life with each other. Now you have to remember that my step-mom is also my ex-husband's mother, which really puts a wrench in the works at times, but I believe that we have gotten over that (well, at least I have) portion of our lives... Dad - I'll miss you - you are in my heart for eternity. I'm glad that we learned to say "I love you" and hugs from the O'Brien side of our clan. Patsy, thank you for taking such good care of my father during his second childhood. You had a strong influence on Dad and I love you for watching him and taking care of him.
I finished my "Parisian Pendant" necklace yesterday evening, and wore it to work today.
Dallas Lovett helping students in his Etruscan Bracelet class.Jeanette Cook take aim.....
Kate McKinnon preparing to win the snowball fight....but notice Jeanette on the left packing a good one!
...And those of us from Michigan just do what we normally do.....deal with it....
Thanks to the GLBG for a great session.
Thanks to the instructors:
Dallas Lovett, Barb Switzer, Jeanette Cook, Gail Crosman Moore, and Kate McKinnon
for a great four days!
I think that I followed the directions of the "Use The Muse" contest correctly. I am showing a little corner of my piece. Just a teaser......(deep breath)
For my friends who aren't on Facebook, here is the skinny. I received a phone call Sunday afternoon from my step-mom, Patsy. She and my dad are wintering in Mission, TX - which if you were any further south, you'd be in Mexico. She let me know that my dad was in the ICU at McAllen Medical Center - about 10 miles from where they are staying. He has:
1. coronary artery disease (not unexpected - he's 87 years young)
2. atrial fibrillation (Atrial fibrillation or AFIB describes an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm. The irregular rhythm, or arrhythmia, results from abnormal electrical impulses in the heart. The irregularity can be continuous, or it can come and go), and
3. aspiration pneumonia (Aspiration is defined as the inhalation of either oropharyngeal or gastric contents into the lower airways. Inhalation of these contents can lead to aspiration pneumonia aspiration pneumonitis. Although these two entities are managed differently, they are often interchangeably referred to as aspiration pneumonia.)
He's actually been in the hospital for the last week because of the atrial fibrillation - which means that if your heart is supposed to beat at 70 beats a minute, his is going at 130. The faster that your heart beats, the less effective it works. During the last week, he told Patsy (my step mom) that she wasn't to call us "kids" and bother us with this because he's had the AFIB for years. Dad would call me last year, and tell me that he took another ambulance ride over the weekend and by the time they got the 60 miles to the hospital, his heart was normal again. He treated that like no big deal.
But over the weekend, Dad became disoriented in the hospital, fell, broke his nose (which is how he got the aspiration pneumonia because blood went into his lungs), and the catheter was pulled from his body. From that episode, he's become worse. He is now in an ICU bed, sedated, and intubated.
We are at the wait and see point.
Patsy does not want me to come to Texas. Her exact words were "You'd fly to Texas to sit next to someone who doesn't know that you are there - that's stupid" We are in contact 4-5 times aday.
On the bizarre side, I put a note on Facebook on Sunday - "Do I know any physicians in McAllen, TX?" - I received a note from one of my ex-residents who told me that one of my other ex-residents is on staff there and gave me his cell phone number. When I got a call back, this doctor told me that he actually saw my dad the day before when he was consulted about the blood that he was spitting up (to make certain that there was no internal bleeding - there isn't). He's promised to call me everyday with updates.
So, that's what's going on right now - I know, way too much information.
As you all know, I am not the most hugely religious person in the world, so I am not going to ask for prayers - but I am not going to exclude them either. I want what's best for him (even if that's not the best for me).
For some unknown reason, I really like this one. It's plain stitching, nothing fancy, but I like the way that the beads lay out. December was a late start - in January actually, but once my idea hit me, I just went with it. January has about 4 beads on it so far......
I've been watching a British television show called "Time Team" - it's a show that have been around forever and the other day I was watching a DVD. The show was talking about medieval floor tiles. There was my inspiration.....
October! The skies are clear and the leaves are changing colour.
I'm pretty happy with it.
I also worked quite a bit on Neuschwanstein Castle. I finished work on the castle towers and started some of the trees in the front. I hadn't really worked on this since April but I do like how it's coming along.
Check out these woodcarvings that were near the campground entrance. Aren't they awesome? The turtle is actually carved into the stump from the old tree that fell over. It was massive! Here is the picture of my husband and dogs showing how large the tree was. 
While I was camping, I did find time to work on a couple of projects.The first is an ID badge holder for my bead society. Maybe I'll actually remember to wear my tag so that the guild members know who I am. That is, assuming that they want to know who I am. Funny, some people may not want to know. But that could just be the voices in my head.
Then I worked on a heart for Jeanette Shaniga
n's bead quilts for breast cancer that are auctioned off every year at the Bead and Button show. I'm happy with the way that this worked this year. Jeanette wouldn't know what to expect if I didn't put a moose in the square - so it's in there, with the required heart. Imagine Jeanette's surprise when she sees that I actually followed the instructions this year - without veering too far outside the box!
Well, see the grass behind the camper? That backs onto a forest. I was woke at 4am one night to watch the racoons trying to eat the scraps in Alan's potato chip bag. That was cute to watch the two of them.
The dog story. On Wednesday, Alan opens the camper door to let out the dogs before I go to bed and Chloe bolts out. Bolts. Like the greased lightening she can be. And bolts back to the camper just as quick. Alan yells "oh no!!" as he sees the black and white "kitty" that Chloe saw. I came out of the camper and grabbed the dog - my first mistake: the kitty was a skunk and now it's on my hands.......
....Alan makes the 10pm run to find an open store in the wilderness - tomato juice isn't the answer any more. It's woman's douche - vinegar and water variety.....Man, does she stink. Man, do my hands stink. My eyes are watering and I am thankful for once for my allergies - if she stinks that much for me, she must really stink.
Alan returns with his feminine hygiene products and Chloe gets an 11pm bath with douche and cold water. She still stinks. It's close to midnight and it's going to take us at least an hour to pack up and go home (which neither of us wanted to do). We couldn't leave her chained outside to find another kitty and we didn't want her in our bed. Gods, no!
The travel kennel that Patty (from work) bought me! It's under the bed in the camper. We pop that open and lay a dog bed in it and hope for the best. She still stinks, but she's now 5 feet from the bed and can't jump on us.
I crawl in bed, nauseated from the skunk smell, and curl up in the bed. Gods, my hands stink. No curling them up under my chin......nasty. The next morning Chloe gets two more baths.....she still stinks....but it's better. We stayed at the campground until Sunday morning - just a wonderful week.
Except for the stinky dog.....the picture is pre-stinky.
At least Chloe was keeping her company. Thanks for the chuckle Bev! Dogs will be dogs.
I know that I should forgive her, and she knows that she did bad. But damn, I was taking these to a neighbor who ordered them.
I wonder where the other two earwires are. Hold it. No, I don't.
