a quiet Christmas

 Just a low key holiday this year.  I'm a lazy cook these days and chose things quick and easy to prepare. 

I also made a cheese ball and deviled eggs.

No baking up batches of Christmas sweets either...just a few packages of store bought cookies.

The Sasquatch was more industrious - he brought a foccacia bread he had made. 

So good...I cant resist it!  (so I didn't bake those canned biscuits)

A few more goodies under my tiny tree for the Sasquatch to take home, along with a few gifts.

He gave me a dash cam...and will hook it up for me too.

A peaceful simple holiday. Just the right thing for us this year.

Hope your Christmas was very Merry!!

a last goodbye

 My Uncle George, my Dad's older brother, peacefully passed away after years of successfully fighting a serious illness.

Even though he was up into his 80's he would soldier through the low points and soon be feeling well enough to ride his scooter through the grocery and to join in at family gatherings.

He was interested in a wide range of subjects. He enjoyed traveling and could remember details from places on his many trips. 

He liked dachshunds.

Uncle George had several collections...shot glasses, brass geese, key chains and more.

He enjoyed wood working and made many display shelves, benches and decorative figures.  

George on the tractor in the photo below and my Dad, Fred, standing.

He will be missed by our family. We admire him for his strength and determination during his illness. We appreciate his thoughtfulness.

At his funeral service his casket was  draped with a quilt I made for him a few years back.  Sort of sad to me but very special as well.

Uncle George, Rest in Peace.

Snow day

 Snow this morning and the forecast today is for a wintery mix.

Kind of early for it to snow here.  My red maple is still holding on to it's leaves.

So it's a good day to relax and get cozy inside.  I stayed in my flannel pants and baked a pan of frozen sweet potato fries.

Puss was excited about that. She likes them too...just a couple of small bites.

Then I turned on the TV to watch a few Netflix episodes of the new season of "The Crown".  It's a favorite of mine.

Lazy day!

A bit of hideousness

 Not for the squeamish!

Shortly after turning out my bedside lamp to go to sleep, I heard the cat come into the room making a big commotion.

I turned the lamp back on and found she wanted me to share in her enjoyment of having caught a mouse!

She must have been working with it for awhile because she had to toss it in the air a few times to pounce on it again and again.

She brought it right beside the bed...

...and decided to chomp it down right there.

These are the parts she doesn’t like...

Can you imagine if I hadn't been awake but got up later and stepped on these leftovers with my bare feet. Shudder at the thought!

So, I had to get up and get paper towels and spray cleaner to take care of the mess.

What to do with the assorted organs?

I flushed them down the toilet.  Ugg!

Ouch! I had a stroke.

 This happened in early February.

I knew something was wrong the night before. 

From inside my head I could hear my blood pumping hard. I ignored it for awhile but then took my blood pressure and it was way high.

I went down the road to an immediate care office. They told me to go to the emergency room so I did. 

I spent about three hours there and they gave me blood pressure lowering drugs. I got home about 3am and went to bed.

I don't remember much about the next morning other than being in a dream-like state.

I fed the cat, got dressed, then not conscious of much else.

Lonnie was out of town for the week but I had accidentally called the Sasquatch when looking up his number at the immediate care center and had told him I was going to the emergency room.

It's a good thing I called him because he started checking on me that morning of the stroke. First texting, then phoning, but got no answer, so he came over and found I wasn't acting right or speaking  clearly.

He called for an ambulance, then came to the hospital with me.

So, the doctor there said that my blood thinner medicine was not effective and had allowed clots to form that caused the stroke.

NM

I was in the hospital for a week, with more testing and adjusting medicine dosages.

The Sasquatch stayed with me overnight the first day, then came every day afterward and helped me get my brain working better by playing cards and  so forth.

The stroke was in my left brain so my right side was affected. Facial droop and weak hand.  At first my right leg was weak but it recovered quickly after a little walking.

My doctor showed me this imaging view when I went for my follow up visit. The light colored area is the stroke area.

A view from a higher level...

I've been very fortunate to have recovered most of my hand strength and movement. My handwriting is much sloppier though.

My face is much better but not exactly as it was before. Still some trouble with word pronunciation especially if I'm trying to talk faster.

Naps and a lot of good sleep is needed.

It's been strange noticing some differences in my mental abilities. 

At first, so many small tasks seemed a little difficult, but mainly just unusual.

It's hard to describe but sort of like...things that were easy and routine,  now required more thinking and focus to accomplish.

But overall, my quality of life isn't changed. I feel so fortunate.

the Witch Hazel tree

 I know I have posted photos of my blooming Witch Hazel tree before, bit I always so happy to see something blooming at this time of year.

I probably said this before as well...I need to do some pruning. Probably remove that lowest branch on the right and take out that criss-crossing one on the left.

Nice fringy pretty colored blooms.

I'm glad this little tree is doing okay. I did get too close with the lawn mower last summer and cut a gash in one side of the trunk.

Snow and a coyote sighting

 We had some snow starting last night. Maybe 2 to 3 inches on the ground this morning.

I noticed a coyote running around the fields for a good while.

I like to see them...but I wish they weren't here. I worry that one will grab my cat for a meal.

I wonder if this one was a little disoriented because of the snow. Or maybe he is out there often but blending in with the grass and trees so I just don't notice him there.

You see we haven't taken care of those fallen trees yet. No hurry, they aren't going anywhere!

in the sewing room

I am doing the quilting on this quilt from a kit from Connecting Threads.  Buying a kit means you get the pattern and pre-chosen fabrics. You just cut the pieces and sew them together.

That online store used to have such good bargains with their clearance items. I have several kits hoarded away.  Now things have changed and I never see those low prices anymore so I'm glad I bought them.

The fun part of doing a kit is that it can force you out of your usual habits. I would have never thought to use these colors together but now, I really like the way they look.

 

This quilt has been waiting a while for it's turn to be quilted.  I've had the top finished and it has been layered with backing and batting since July of 2020!  It's the last of five tops that I layered one day while Puss the cat was sleeping and couldn't assist with the project.

I am getting close to completing the quilting but this pattern has an extra step - Prairie Points!

That's something I have never tried before.

If I didn't have the Points folded and ironed already, I'd probably wimp out and just use that black fabric for a final border.

But, this will be a learning experience.

See how they look in the pattern booklet picture?

Also.....

I have gotten motivated to make a quilt for a young couple getting married in June. 

That's not something I normally do either but I've been wanting to try out this Llama quilt pattern and I think it is a good choice for this couple because they are still young and fun. (age 20 for the groom - Lonnie's great grandson!)

I've started cutting out pattern pieces. I want to have it finished before spring yard work is taking up my spare time.

Another reason I want to make a cute quilt for this couple...I want to make up for giving Ethan this badly designed and poorly sewn quilt when he was born.

I had really just started learning to make quilts and had no idea what I was doing.

It sure had that humble homemade look!