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A smattering of recent events
Sep. 16th, 2007 11:39 amRemember that afghan I spent a large part of last winter crocheting? It turned out really nice and cozy, and spouse and I shared many happy hours cuddled up beneath it, watching TV and saving on our heating bills. The cats liked it too, so much so that yesterday, with cooler weather approaching, I pulled the blanket off the foot of the bed where it had been residing and threw it in the washer.
When I pulled it out of the washer, I realized I had not used washable wool yarn. Yep, it felted. The blanket now has felted woolen squares interspersed with unaffected crocheted linen squares. Luckily, I had the presence of mind NOT to throw the thing in the dryer, thus compounding the felting and making the shrinkage worse. It's not so bad that the afghan is completely unusable, but still...I am a doofus.
In our ritual Sunday morning telephone call, Mom told me her right knee has gotten so much worse that the pain medication no longer provides any sustained relief. She needs knee replacement surgery in the very near future. Unfortunately, this is surgery that requires a three-day hospital stay, and then remaining off her feet for two solid weeks afterward. In other words, something completely impossible while she is the primary care provider to her ailing mother. My father's job requires him to travel several weeks at a time with only about a week at home between jaunts, and neither of my siblings hold jobs that accrue the kind of vacation time mine does. They're lucky if they get to take two weeks off in a whole year. So I told Mom that, if for some reason she can't put off taking care of herself until Grandma is gone, I'll take three weeks leave to come out there and take care of both of them. (Won't that just frost my manager's cookies. I feel soooo bad about it, too.)
As for planned activities today: Our bank's website is down for maintenance. *huff* So much for balancing the checkbook this morning. However, the week's menu is done, the larder is inspected, and the grocery list is made. Now I must make myself presentable for public view and do the shopping. The usual household maintenance tasks also await my attention: laundry, vacuuming, mopping, dishes, cleaning the soap scum and hard water marks from the glass shower enclosure. Naturally, all I really want to do is read. I'll make a concerted effort not to be a complete slug after the grocery store; I make no promises.
But I've added several new LJ user-pics in recent days! I'm still nowhere near filling all the slots I have available. Permanent account--I likes it. I'm a doofus and an LJ-nerd.
When I pulled it out of the washer, I realized I had not used washable wool yarn. Yep, it felted. The blanket now has felted woolen squares interspersed with unaffected crocheted linen squares. Luckily, I had the presence of mind NOT to throw the thing in the dryer, thus compounding the felting and making the shrinkage worse. It's not so bad that the afghan is completely unusable, but still...I am a doofus.
In our ritual Sunday morning telephone call, Mom told me her right knee has gotten so much worse that the pain medication no longer provides any sustained relief. She needs knee replacement surgery in the very near future. Unfortunately, this is surgery that requires a three-day hospital stay, and then remaining off her feet for two solid weeks afterward. In other words, something completely impossible while she is the primary care provider to her ailing mother. My father's job requires him to travel several weeks at a time with only about a week at home between jaunts, and neither of my siblings hold jobs that accrue the kind of vacation time mine does. They're lucky if they get to take two weeks off in a whole year. So I told Mom that, if for some reason she can't put off taking care of herself until Grandma is gone, I'll take three weeks leave to come out there and take care of both of them. (Won't that just frost my manager's cookies. I feel soooo bad about it, too.)
As for planned activities today: Our bank's website is down for maintenance. *huff* So much for balancing the checkbook this morning. However, the week's menu is done, the larder is inspected, and the grocery list is made. Now I must make myself presentable for public view and do the shopping. The usual household maintenance tasks also await my attention: laundry, vacuuming, mopping, dishes, cleaning the soap scum and hard water marks from the glass shower enclosure. Naturally, all I really want to do is read. I'll make a concerted effort not to be a complete slug after the grocery store; I make no promises.
But I've added several new LJ user-pics in recent days! I'm still nowhere near filling all the slots I have available. Permanent account--I likes it. I'm a doofus and an LJ-nerd.
