Tuesday, June 11, 2013

From Mary Jo (via Rosey's Express as MaryJo says)

Am in my second week of the low iodine diet which is mostly tasteless with no salt, no dairy, no fish... Fruit and veggies with 1 oz of protien is what is on the menu. Sure miss chocolate! And, do not want another salad. Salt substitues can't compare with the real thing. No cooking for DH, can only handle my own food. One more week with radiation in the middle and then isolation. Have lots of UFO's ready to finish. If not in the mood, will work on the new quilt room upstairs. Or, if not well will just read. Have a nice stack ready and waiting.Made up the guest room with new sheets and my favorite quilt. After the scan and labs, will have to dispose of my bite guard, toohbrush and such. Can only use disposable dishes/utensils during that week. Wonder if I'll glow in the dark? The hardest part is keeping away from Fred, the cat. Last time, we boarded him which did not work out. He hid in the lower part of his cage all week, afraid of everything. He doesn't know there are other animals in the world. Will keep him in the garage if weather allows; unless hot. Am using one end of the house and will lock the doors as he is good at opening them. Harder for him when they have knobs instead of handles.

On the bright side, the yard is looking much better. Son Jeffry barked the front taking the old off and bagging it. My quilty friend took that for her dog area. It was bigger chips and works better there. The new lies in nicely and hopefully will discourage those stubborn weeds. Thistles are 3 feet tall in back where we are still working. Lilies are profuse. Red, orange and yellow are in full bloom. Only about a dozenbig thistles left. DH tries to dig one a day. The goal is to make the place easier to maintain. May take awhile. He wants to move to a townhouse with no yard to maintain but I am not ready to give up our home. We have that in Tucson and I miss the yard and space.

DH has good days, sometimes several in a row. This week he isn't having any....3 down days are discouraging. But, his overall spirit is good. He doesn't complain, can't say that about myself. I need to listen more and growl less. Will do that for the next 5 weeks having had a steriod injection in the hip joint. No limping or pain greatly improves my days. Replacement surgery is scheduled for July. The dentist is assessing radiation damage this week, has to take care of all problems before surgery. Even tho there will be more from the next radiation. As Granny said, 'getting old is not for sissies.'

Don't feel old, tho. Looking back with two friends from grades 3 and 4, 65 years of friendship is a wonderful gift. Chosen family, friends, kids and grands are the best part at this stage. And, quilting!
Blessings,
MaryJo

Monday, June 10, 2013

Tropical storm and quilting

Hi out there in quilt land.  We did OK during/before/after the tropical storm Wed, Thurs, Fri.
As a matter of fact, my GF and I left for our quilt retreat on Thur. AM about 9:30.  After many different ideas, we decided to load everything in my Toyota SUV, and she drove.  Her husband needed his truck for work, and I was worried about her 10 year old van giving out on us.
We just had some showers on the way south, and when we cut off on I-4 towards Orlando had about 15 min. of heavy rain.  We pulled into a Publix (grocery) store parking lot so I could make a pit-stop for a min.  From there only about 20 min. to Mt. Dora and meeting up with GF and her friends there.  Her husband had gotten chicken salad for us for lunches, and we then followed her to the retreat center.  Lovely place!  What we call "Old Florida"  lots of old oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss on a beautiful lake (Lake Yale Baptist Retreat center).  Good lighting, everyone had her own table, lots of pressing stations, cutting stations.
The kitchen staff made sure I knew what was gluten free, there was a salad bar and fresh fruit available, etc.  The rooms were motel-type with 2 double beds in each, our own A/C in room, and a clean bath/shower combo.
I had lots of fun, did some projects, and made new friends.  The lady who ran the retreat limited it to 25 people, and there were about 30 women there from another quilt group there.  One woman drove down from Tallahassee, 2 from GA. one from the west of Fla. and we from Jacksonville.  The others were from the local area there.
WHEETABix--- We call it chipboard.  It is used for construction on walls here, and roofing instead of plywood.  Supposed to be stronger.  But no one in their right mind would use it for a floor in a bathroom.  Mostly in Fla. we have concrete with tile over it for a bath.
Hope the replacement goes well.
Red/white//blue-- I sometimes make a "Quilt of Valor" quilt for the wounded soldiers.  If you need patterns, color, etc they have their own web site.  And yes, lots of people use ecru or off-white.  It is more "traditional" or country.
So, that's my life--visited Mom this morning, doing laundry, waiting for DH to come home for dinner.
Sara in Fla.