She who works well under pressure

Well, I finally did a wee bit of artsy stuff and boy did it feel good! I've been running in circles for the past two months, and had not taken any time for making art. I did not even start a new journal this year, even though I had gotten supplies out and they have sat on my worktable all this time.

I've known all week that today would be my last day at physical therapy, and I thought it would be nice to take a little something to my therapist. But did I do anything about it, nope...  It kept percolating in my brain, even though I didn't know quite what I would do.  I knew it had to be something quick and simple. Finally last night about 7 p.m. I started running around like Chicken Little for awhile and almost gave up. But then  I grabbed a box of already in progress Artist Trading cards, but couldn't find a glue stick or an ink pad that was not dried up.  Yikes...I need to purge some supplies and reorganize what's left.  Anyhow, here's what I ended up with. Nothing to write home about, but it sure was nice to do something. Now that I am home, I need to clean up the mess I made while throwing things around.  The bottom line is, now I am jazzed about making stuff and am going to continue to finish some ATCs and maybe even start working on that journal. Sometimes all you need to do is say the heck with chores and things that have to be done and just MAKE TIME to create.  I know all this, why do I keep forgetting it?

The middle one is for Scott, my therapist.  Left and right are for Melissa the office gal, and Mariah the assistant, who loves owls.

100 Years Ago

Today would have been my Dad's 100th birthday. He was born in Nebraska and was a farm boy until he came to Idaho.  Before he was my Daddy he was a Cowboy and remained so for the rest of his life.  The photo on his funeral card is one I took 19 days before he died.  He looked good for 99. The smaller photo, on the horse named Ranger, was taken in 1936. I used it for the covers of the cds we made for the family, of some of his favorite songs.

 R.I.P. Daddy, I miss you every day.

How I let January slip through my fingers

January came and went and flew by in the blink of an eye.  I have spent the entire month going to Dr. appointments and to physical therapy 2 and 3 times a week.  The therapy seems to be helping, but it is very intense and wears me out, so I don't get much else done, except the exercises I need to do at home on the off days.

No artwork, nothing creative of any kind.  I feel like I am just keeping my head above water. I am hopeful that one of these days I will be able to get something creative done. Oh, here is one photo I took with my phone and did a cartoon effect on.  We have been eating a lot of clementines and mandarins this winter. They are sweet and juicy and easy to peel.

Happy New Year

Pecan pie appetizer before breakfast, with happy news that Downton Abbey starts the new season on January 4th.

Our team won the Fiesta Bowl last night, and we are getting ready to watch the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl game later.

It's 34 and "sleeting" here in Austin, Texas right now. A good day for staying inside.

Christmas week 2014

 

And the sky turns to fire, December 22, 2014 sunset, out my front door

Christmas was very low key around here, and thankfully it is over.  I got really sad the few days
leading up to Christmas.  December 24th is/was my parents wedding anniversary.  It was a sad day for all of us, Mom especially.  But, she consoled her kidlets like she always has, and with a few tears and lots of happy, laughing memories, we made it through.

We've had a few days of really chilly weather, for Texas anyhow.  Rain, wind and dark days.  Hubby and I spent the week-end hunkered down in the house, reading and watching a few bowl games and a movie or two. Just being cozy.  Today it was starting to look like we might be getting low on food supplies, so we trekked out in the rain this morning to replenish the larder and get ready for the onslaught of more bowl games this coming week.

Christmas week also brought me an introduction to my new orthopedist, 2 cortisone injections, and a schedule for physical therapy.   Yikes! I found out I have bursitis in both hips and osteoarthritis in both knees.  The knee that had been hurting the worst was actually in better shape than the other one. Well of course I knew something was wrong, so the diagnosis was not really a surprise, more a shock since my Dr. in the past had always told me I showed no signs of arthritis.  Up to now that is... Well, some of it can be fixed or at least alleviated. He says the physical therapy will help my hips.  The knee...well, when he explained how the cushioning cartilage was gone...he said "the train has left the station, the horse is out of the barn, that bridge has burned, that ship has sailed, etc. etc.  Yes, he did, and a lot more of those that I can't remember.  He told me he will give me cortisone shots as often as is allowed, but that in a couple of years I would be begging him for a knee replacement. ????   I start physical therapy tomorrow, no time will be wasted.

Did I ever show you or tell you about the cute little garland I made a few years ago, using candy papers? These are the paper cups from the Ferrero Rocher candies.  I always save them, they make me laugh, and have such possibilities. The gold paper wrapping is nice to recycle too.  Fortunately, I did not buy any of those candies this year, I like them too much.  I did hang a wreath on the front door and put up a tiny table tree, but that was the extent of decorating around here.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice yesterday, the shortest day of the year.  It's been grey/gray for several days. I was thinking of something, I don't know why I spell it grey, I just like it better than gray. I think I may have seen it spelled grey on a Martha Stewart paint chip...or some other paint chip at some point in time. I had to do a little research and found out, gray is the American way, and grey is the English way.  When I say "a little research"...I mean very little, just ask Google. Ha Ha

Anyhow, here is me yesterday, sitting on the porch with a cuppa joe, when the temperature was 54 and the sky was oh so grey.  Grey nails, grey clothes, grey day, grey mood.  My ensemble was not planned, just happened that way. These were in my stack of what I call "throw on clothes".

 

And I really had the blues, which I can't seem to shake, and it's more than the holiday blues.  Feeling physically worn out doesn't help.

Tomorrow I'm off to see the orthopedist for x-rays and evaluation of my hips and knees, which have been bothering me off and on for several months. I hope to get some news of things that can be done, other than knee replacement.  It seems, from what I've been told, that most Drs. take that approach pretty rapidly. So will see what comes of it.  My regular physician moved so I had to find a new one.  All my blood tests for everything they could test me for came back as normal range.  When I mentioned my joint and muscle pain, she said I just needed to lose weight and dismissed the issue.  So I decided to try and get some answers besides, "just lose weight". That wouldn't hurt of course, and I know that, but I'm pretty sure there is something else going on. The entire visit with this particular physician was really disappointing.  For every issue I brought up, she was ready to write another prescription. This was before any blood work at all.  I left with NO prescriptions, as I declined them all.   So she was probably as disappointed with me as a patient as I am with her as a Dr.  So I am still on a quest for answers, and I don't believe they lie within traditional medicine entirely. I'm very interested in integrative medicine, even alternatives, but the problem with that is, no insurance company will cover any of that.  So we are on our own in seeking any choice other than the traditional.

It's Coming on Christmas

Well, here I am again, same time, same channel...Bah Humbug.  Listening to the only Christmas song I like to hear, River, by Joni Mitchell. It's drab and sad, and some of it doesn't even apply to me, but it matches my mood regarding Christmas.  I wish I had a river I could skate away on.  In addition to the blues I feel regarding the holidays anyhow, this year it is coupled with the fact that last Christmas and New Years we spent with my parents.  This will be the first holiday without my father, and that is hard in itself.

But I am so turned off by the crazed consumerism that goes on this time of year, that I just choose not to participate at all.   Very few gifts are purchased, and if need be, we use the ubiquitous gift card. Hubby and I usually make gifts for each other, but we haven't even managed that this year.  At least I have not, and I have not seen any evidence that he has been working on anything. It's okay though, we may find something at the Armadillo bazaar next week. If we do, at least it will be handmade. If we don't that's okay too, as we are running out of room for anymore artwork of any kind.

We have only had to go to one Christmas party, it was work related and also a charity event.  This was held in traditional fashion, keeping with Texas tradition anyhow, at this famous local place.  Not being a native Texan, I still struggle at times with the fascination with B-B-Q.  I did not partake of the ribs, brisket and sausage, but managed to work my way through a pretty big helping of delicious smoked turkey. Was hoping for pecan pie for dessert, but they gave us all a cup of their also famous vanilla ice cream. It was pretty darn good. It was the proper size serving, but Hub said, is this all we get?  I told him it was not like what he calls serving size at home, which probably equals 4 scoops.

If wondering what the weird looking hand in the photo is, it's the Hook 'em Horns sign for the Texas Longhorn football team.

 

 

Here at home, the soup making marathon continues.  I am not getting tired of it, and don't know if hubby is or not. I made corn chowder earlier in the week.  Yesterday my friend Pat came over with cream of broccoli and tomato soup from her work, and we had the tomato for lunch.  It was delicious.  I do fear, however, that we are consuming a bit more "cream" than anyone should have.  There has been no attempt to make these soups low calorie, I can assure you.  I have never made tomato soup from scratch, but plan to look online for a recipe and do that pretty soon.  I have never liked canned tomato soup, but homemade now that's a different story.

 

Having a slow relaxing week-end here, where it is dark and drizzly, just the perfect kind of soup weather.