It might seem like I have dropped off the face of the Earth. It might have been easier if I had! So what’s been going on you ask? Welll…
I’ve been getting settled in our winter campground
Betsy in the Frame Cage
We finally made it to Azalea Acres in Robertsdale, Alabama after sitting in a motel for one week while the trailer frame was repaired. During that week we lost all our food that was in the fridge as the repair people kindly plugged the trailer into the electric and didn’t turn the fridge on. Then we hit bad weather.
We camp in some of the most interesting places!
When the weather got better, the radiator sprung a leak. So we camped overnight behind a service station where the radiator was replaced the next day. Several days after that we made it to Alabama. It takes us a week or two to get settled.
Ups and Downs
We have to reorganize cupboards, put the kitchen back in order after storing everything that is breakable. Then there’s all the laundry and all the leaves and sand on the floor compliments of Taz and Jojo. (Yes, and Jeff, too!) And this time we had to gradually restore our food stores.
Ins and Outs
While we were headed South everyone we knew was worried we were driving into Frankenstorm Sandy. When we got here, we had to worry about family and friends back in New York instead!
My leg wound is far from resolved.
I finally gave in to Jeff, and made an appointment to be seen at the Wound Care Center in Mobile, Alabama at Providence Hospital. It was a smart move. Currently, I’m only out of bed for about an hour at a time. If you want to know more about this, brave souls can read my Note from the Doctor.
As promised, now that we’re in Alabama Jeff has agreed to see a Gastroenterology specialist to help him figure out what his problem might be.
Of course, who knew we would end up driving to the far side of Mobile. Once last week. Three days this week. Once next week and we don’t know about after that. Yet. But Jeff is getting an incredible work up, complete with breath testing for all kinds of digestive gases that occur with different sensitivities. He’s had all kinds of blood work and other labs. The bigger tests are coming up. If there is no answer after all this then there is no answer anywhere! We will be happy with any answer that is not spelled C-A-N-C-E-R. He’s been there and done that, not going to do it again!
I’ve joined three more stitching groups. (Yes, I am a certifiable idiot!)
Yup, three of them. They are Face Book groups, one of them is a closed group. I must say the people in two of these groups are nuts! (But in the best way!) The name of one group should give you a clue: The Superstar Serial Starters & Divine Disciplined DivasClub. Guess which one I am! Yup. I’m a Serial Starter. I have more to add to my UFO list as a result of connecting with these women (and men, too.) I’ve signed up for a number of really cool and sure to be fun Stitchalongs. There are oodles of choices right through 2014 and new possibilities whenever someone finds a wonderful new pattern. You can check the groups out if you’re interested.
And you can stitch along with me on the patterns I’ve committed to stitch along with others:
2013 Start Dates:
- 1/27 Any Heaven and Earth Design will run Sunday thru Saturday. (We’ll stitch for one week or per choice on the last Sunday of every month. I’m doing Buziak’s Tree of Creation.)
- 2/14 Cirque des Couers (Ink Circles) SAL
- 5/29 Papa SAL
- 10/15 Quaker Christmas (ByGone Stitches)
- 12/1 Our Neighborhoods/Village (This is a design your own community project)
2014 Start Dates:
- 1/1 Midnight in the Garden SAL (Sampler Cove)
- 2/1 Any Long Dog Sampler SAL (I’m doing Tobasco unless I finish it before then)
- 3/15 Any Chatelaine SAL (I’m planning on Art Nouveau Alphabet Sampler)
- 4/1 Lavender and Lace, Butternut Road, etc SAL ( I’m doing Children’s Garden)
And these are not the only choices. I want to do them all, but maybe another time. For now I’m limiting myself to these.
I’m in the middle of Sharon Boggon’s GIMP online class.
GIMP is a open source software program that allows you to manipulate and enhance your image files. In other words it’s a free software program for playing with your photos! Sharon’s class teaches the basics of GIMP and takes you to the point where you can create designs for textiles from your photos or other images you find. I’m finding it to be an excellent course and an incredible opportunity. It’s not often one gets to have someone hold your hand through a free software program. In the future I’ll share some of what I create from these lessons. I’m not able to spend as much time online as I like so the class is a bit slow going for me right now.
I’ll close with an image of what I’ve been stitching while in bed and waiting for Jeff at the doctor’s office. And try to get back sooner!
Christmas Countdown Stitching by me but Durene Jones’ design in Cross Stitch Gold, 12/12, issue 33. Just needs the numbers and a frame!
The Shop Sampler 