Friday, April 03, 2009

Long time...no blogging...

...sure hope you haven't forgot about me :)

Where do I begin to tell you about what's been going on here? Why have I been missing? How did everything spin out of control?

It's all my dear 92 year old father's fault. On the evening of February 11th, I came home from a meeting at church to find out (bad me, my cell phone was turned off) that my father blacked out, fell back and hit his head, hurt his back and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Because of the black out they kept him in the hospital for four days to find the cause. No cause was found other than syncope. He was lucky, very lucky that he didn't break any bones. He was bleeding profusely though, so he did call for help with his lifeline this time, thank goodness. He went to rehab for 3 weeks. He actually enjoyed rehab this time. He was very social and didn't seem to be anxious to go back home. He felt safe - I'm sure of that. The nurses thought he would do well in assisted living, so I did some investigating and found a family owned and run lovely place. Even though it was recommended to go there directly from rehab, he didn't want to go there without seeing it first, so he was discharged and went back home. I can't say that I blame him for that as this was a big decision. The very next day we went for a tour and he did in fact like what he saw. A plan for his move was put into place and exactly one week later he moved into his new assisted living apartment which is really only one room with a private bathroom. Need I say more...deciding what to bring was prioritized and the rest (My Dad never threw anything out...so much to go through, you should have seen my living room after the move. Glad to report that I just have a couple of boxes left.) was left to me to figure out what do with what remained. I worked hard, really hard and then was exhausted, partly because of the stress and lack of sleep. The whole week he was alone at home I didn't sleep much worrying about him. Fortunately that feeling didn't last long and good sleep has returned with the feeling that he is now safe, and has all the help he needs and deserves. He is happy and seems to like his new living arrangement. The food is fabulous with delicious desserts. He loves his sweets. Everything is good now :)

I hope you'll all understand why I've been missing in action. With so little extra time, taking care of my family was high on my list and unfortunately blogging was real low. Now that things are getting back to normal, slowly I'll try to catch up with everyone. Now to show you some of what I've been working on. Yes, I was determined to find a little time to knit.

I manage to finish my River Rapids Socks:
Another prayer shawl was completed:
as well as a pair of shortie socks made out of leftover sock yarn. Nothing special, but good mindless knitting:
I even had a nice Valentine's surprise this year:
What I can't believe is that Easter is right around the corner!

Before everything went out of control I did actually buy myself a new camera, a Cannon Powershot SX110 IS. I LOVE it! I'm still learning....the zoom is super and videos come out great. It had already been put to good use, even though it took me a while to get it out of it's box.

For now everything is GOOD. I'll be sure to stop in and catch up with my friends as time allows. I think I'll be playing catch-up for quite some time. Enjoy the spring and hope you have time for some extra happy knitting :) I know that is what keep me sane.

20 comments:

  1. I'm glad you Dad is in a place that he likes and is safe. Best wishes to him in his new home.

    I love your River Rapids socks. Well, of course I do, they look almost exactly like mine. I think mine are just a bit darker. LOL

    Glad you are back. Missed you!

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  2. it's so good to hear that all is well with your father and yourself. i was worried!

    i love your river rapid socks as well. you've been a busy knitter!

    it's good to have you back!

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  3. There you are! Welcome back, and what a nice surprise to see a post here!

    I'm so glad your dad is doing well now. It sounds like he's in a really good place, so hopefully, you can get in more knitting now. I love the socks, especially..well, both pairs actually. :)

    Looks like your camera is doing a fine job, too. I love my Canon.
    Have a great weekend!

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  4. You could never be forgotten Deb, I am glad to hear everythign worked out for your dad, what a relief for you both.

    I was thinking about you because I kept seeing your circle honeycomb cloth (forgot the actual pattern name, lol) on several blogs from the Monthly KAL. I still haven't made it but it's on my list.

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  5. Hugs - what a difficult passage to go through. I'm glad it all worked out. Hopefully now that you've taken care of everyone else, you can take a moment for yourself. Don't forget how important it is to take care of YOU. Lots of Hugs, Jennifer

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  6. I'm so glad you posted - I was wondering how you were, and if everything was ok.

    Sorry to hear about your Dad but it sounds like it worked out well in the end. It must have been very stressful to go through, and I'm glad its better now and you can relax a little.

    Great socks - and the shawl is very pretty!

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  7. I'm glad things are finally getting back to normal for you and that your dad is safe and sound. That helps so much!!
    I love your socks (both of them) and the prayer shawl is simply gorgeous. Whoever gets that will be one lucky person.

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  8. Glad to see you are back. I figured your absence was due to your father, I am glad he is doing well and enjoying his new digs! Love the socks, they are faboo.

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  9. Glad things are settled with your dad. My mom is in a large AL place and she loves it.. she does more now than ever.

    Could never forget you... and I'm glad to see that you've kept knitting through your absence (more than I can say for myself)

    DId you make your sock blocker???

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  10. Man I missed chatting with you! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I am so glad to hear that you Dad has found a safe place to live. =) Your new knitting looks awesome!!!!

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  11. I missed you Deb and suspected your Dad was the reason for your blog absence. I am glad to hear he is doing well and settling into his new place.

    I love your socks. I've gotten bitten by the Sock Bug and have found them to be addictive.

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  12. i'm so glad that things are getting back to normal for you and that everything is better with your dad. we've missed you here in blogland!

    your socks look great and i love the ruffle on the prayer shawl. i tried to knit a ruffled baby hat, but it involved WAY too many stitches for me, especially when i got the stitches twisted! i ended up just knitting a beanie instead, lol.

    i'm working on a circle cloth from your pattern right now. it's a lot of fun. : )

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  13. Wow, you did have a lot on your plate ! I'm glad everything is well now and your dad is all settled in someplace nice. We've been overseeing care of dh's grandma while his mom is in FL for the winter and it has been very stressful at times, so I can relate a bit. Glad you found some knitting time, I think it really helps! It all looks lovely.
    ps. I bought the same camera not long ago and i really like it.

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  14. YEAH!!! Deb you are back!! YEAH!!! I missed you terribly. I am glad everything is okay. I look forward to more posts by you.

    Hugs!!!

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  15. I'm glad you are back, and everything turned out so great for your dad! You certainly had a lot to deal with, no wonder you went missing. :o) All the best to you and your family and Happy Easter!

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  16. oh, i've missed you! SO glad that everything is sort of in order again. I'm glad to hear that your Dad has adjusted to his new living situation and that you can rest a bit easier. nice socks. yay for chocolate! oooh, you got a new canon powershot?? I'm jealous. :)

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  17. Glad your Dad is doing well, and that you're back to Blogsville and knitting.....

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  18. Thanks so much for the visit and caring, greatly appreciate it. Glad to hear your situation has leveled out some. I'm beginning to think mine isn't going to. We're into week 7 now for this hospital stay.

    Love the socks, I keep my yarn close at hand, sometimes I think it's what keeps me from completely losing my mind.

    Hugs
    Sandy

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  19. Love the prayer shawl ! glad things are better !

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  20. I'm so glad to hear your dad likes his new home.

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Thank you all for your comments! I really appreciate them. I usually don't follow up with an email, but if you do have a question please make sure you include a way to reach you within your comment so I may answer your question. Thanks and happy knitting :)

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