Mary Oliver

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?"









Monday, July 17, 2017

A Slow, Hot Summer

 
   I took the advice many people gave me and decided to enjoy the slow pace of this summer.  It has been too hot to do much anyway, so why not?  I even did a little beach knitting finally.

As a result, I was quite rested when I talked to my dad last Sunday afternoon and found out my mom had had an "episode" and wasn't feeling well, which turned into a 48 hour visit to the hospital.  She had a TIA (mini-stroke) last June, but fortunately, had no permanent damage from it, other than a loss of confidence as a result of the fear of it happening again.  So when my dad said she thought it had happened again, I went to their house, and convinced her she needed to go to the ER, rather than waiting until the next day to call her doctor, which was her plan.  They ran all the tests, and it was determined that she had probably experienced a complex migraine, as opposed to another TIA, but since she also has an irregular heartbeat that seems to be worsening, her primary care doctor has decided to have her wear a heart monitor for a month, just to be on the safe side.  I'm really grateful that I was able to be available for her, without the distraction of work, and that it happened before my trip to New York.  She has pretty significant hearing loss, and even though she wears hearing aids, she still misses quite a lot that is said, especially under stress and/or when the doctor has a foreign accent.  

 

All the time I've spent sitting in hospital waiting rooms this summer has led to some significant shawl knitting time.  After I finished the Playground shawl, I cast on for Close to You, a pattern I'd wanted to make since last summer, according to my Ravelry page.  Although the pattern called for fingering weight yarn, I wanted to use this skein of Dragonfly Fibers sport weight instead, and so, of course, I did.

 
 
 
 
It didn't take long to finish it, and so I dug in the stash and found a beautiful skein of fingering weight and cast on again, to knit the pattern in the designer's suggested weight.  This is yarn from my knitting guild's retreat this past March, but I don't have the label at hand just now.m I love the subtle shifts of grey.
 
 
I leave Thursday morning for my New York trip, and needless to say, I'm really looking forward to it.  Hope to post a bit more frequently too!
 
 

12 comments:

  1. Glad you are relaxing with the slow pace of summer...and getting some beach knitting in!! Sorry about your Mom, but glad she will be wearing a heart monitor. Your shawl finish looks great!! Enjoy NYC (you always seem to!!).

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  2. I am really looking forward to it; forgot to include a picture of Gracie for you, but will try to get one up before I leave ��

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  3. So sorry about your mom! It was interesting that you mentioned accents. I have a significant hearing loss and I really struggle with accents.

    I keep hearing about hot weather, but we are not having any! It doesn't quite feel like summer. We don't have AC, so I really shouldn't complain!

    Have a great trip to NY!

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    1. Thank you; I can't imagine not having hot weather! And what makes it worse is the high humidity, almost always over 70 percent! Oh well, I love this area and that's what the weather is like around here.

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  4. Glad you were able to convince your Mom she needed to take care of herself sooner than "tomorrow".
    "Close to You" is my next project and I love that you used sport weight - It really is a beautiful shawl!

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    1. Thank you. It's frustrating that she doesn't seem to understand the importance of emergency care, but at least I found out this time. And I'm grateful it wasn't a significant event, as they say. Aging parents are hard to watch though, but the alternative isn't easier.

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    2. Oh, and thank you about the shawl! I love how it turned out too!

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  5. So sorry to hear about your Mom Rose, aging parents are not easy, they have some real scares. Bless you for being with her. Enjoy your slow paced summer, you deserve it.

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    1. Yes, it is hard to handle, but we know the alternative is even harder, so I'll keep trying to remember that.

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    2. Thank you for your kind words; the comment box locked up so I had to reply twice. It's even harder seeing her frustration with the aging process. She has always been so active and confident and now she isn't.

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  6. I'm sorry that your mom is having these episodes. It's frightening for her and everyone else, too. The struggle between not knowing and not wanting to know is a very real thing.

    I love your shawl! It turned out really nicely in the sport weight, I think, and will be a perfect autumn accessory.

    And your Gracie Shawl is going to be lovely as well. ;-)

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    1. Yes, it is a challenge for my mom, as well as the rest of our family, as we watch her struggle with the uncertainty and fear. Thank you for your kind words.

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