Friday

A gift from our very dear friend for the season.  He’s absolutely brilliant at doing floral arrangements and wreaths, and his products are utterly stunning, as you can see.  I always am disappointed after seeing his work to go into a store and see some lacklustre arrangements; I immediately call and ask him to improve on their offerings, please and thanks!  It would be great if he lived closer!  The Small People came to wake me this morning, as usual, and dragged me down for breakfast with them.  Don called for help with walking Jerry, as he’s lost access to his emergency spot on the balcony while they work on it.  Poor guy was stressed out this morning.  It’s one of those days when they needed extra help.  For myself, I just continued with my crochet project, which seems to be as far from completion as when I started!!  I fell asleep on myself this afternoon, and was out for a couple of hours.  That’s unusual for me.  It’s a good sign that my pain continues to be controlled, and I still don’t need to use insulin, so I’m pleased.  My sister-friend commented yesterday that I look like I’ve lost weight, but I’m not sure that I agree with that, although I admit that my appetite is not good lately.  I find that I feel full after a couple of bites, and tonight I ate less than half of my sausage.  I don’t feel sick, just not hungry.  Happily, though, the SP seem to like my cooking, and tomorrow I plan to have her help me make macaroons.

I was asked what I do with my days when I’m at home.  I said, pretty much what I did while I’m here, minus time with the SP.  I’ll cook, crochet, read, write, occasionally organize things in the cupboards or bookshelves, and take the tiny monster for walks or have him curled up on my lap for cuddles.  Then when I volunteer for things, I will be reading or reviewing materials — I just read that list, and it feels like I don’t do much.  If I’m working on a crochet project, that will occupy large swaths of my day until it’s complete, and I pause from time to time to rest my fingers.  I treated myself to a new set of crochet needles recently with ergonomic grip, and they are wonderful!  My hands don’t feel as tired and I can work much longer than with my traditional needles.  I recommend that for anyone who plans to work on projects.  I have a set of knitting needles that I plan to practice with a bit so I can become more proficient at that craft.  I’ve got several friends who knit with facility, and they’re very fast — it will take me a while to get that comfortable.  In my own opinion, I’m competent with crochet, and I’m learning some new techniques that I want to be completely at ease with as time goes on.  I’ve seen some beautiful patterns which use several colours and in some cases, layers, in their development.  So when I’m done with this project, I have plans to work on some more advanced techniques and then to rely on my cousin to help me with garment creation, as I’d like to make my own cardigan and dress at some point.  I’ve seen some utterly gorgeous designs for skirts, blouses, pullovers and dresses, and I would like to make myself an outfit.  

I was reminded that it’s important to set myself goals so I don’t fall into misery.  Some of my goals have to be adjusted to the reality that I’m living.  Plus I came to realize that living in Canada has spoiled me somewhat, because here there are many provisions for persons with mobility issues.  Things like accessible buildings, ramps, etc., which aren’t as common in other countries.  It’s therefore possible for someone who can’t walk easily to live independently as long as possible.  It’s not perfect, and on any given day, there’s a news article pointing out failures and weaknesses in the system.  But in comparison to other places, it’s fabulous.  All that being said, I have been working on setting myself goals that stretch me a bit, so I can manage to keep myself busy and cope with the doldrums that occasionally affect me.  So this week, my goal is to complete this project and then start learning a new crochet technique; when I’m tired of crocheting, I will spend some time writing or relearning some maths or testing a new recipe.  Best of all, is when I get to spend time with friends in person, and I’m so excited about that!

It’s bedtime now, so off I go to tell stories.  The last couple of nights we were reading a cookbook — her choice!! — which features food that’s been styled to look like various birds and animals.  I’ve been answering questions on how a strawberry can be used to make a frog’s tongue, when another recipe uses cheese for the same purpose.  Very complicated issues that must be answered to the satisfaction of a 3-year-old girl!  Good night!