A Crow, a Surgery, the Ocean, and a Little Plaid Basket (but not in that order)

To those of you who left comments on my last post, thank you!  I responded on the post and not to your email boxes.  There seem to be some glitches in either my computer, with my software, with my mouse, or maybe with gmail.  I lost all of your comment emails (and about two months' worth of other emails).  I hope you can forgive me for not responding directly to you.  

Knee replacement surgery was on October 22.  I think I'm doing better earlier this time than last, though walking with a walker is still slow and there's still pain.  It's hard to keep one leg elevated and do things like write blog posts at a computer, use a sewing machine, sometimes even stitch by hand.  Swelling is inevitable after a knee replacement, even with TED hose, hence the elevation requirement.

But, early in October, my daughter and I went to Dewey Beach, Delaware, for a few days.  One day each to drive down and back, but three glorious days at the ocean.  We had an ocean view from our hotel which sits just behind the dunes making it a short walk to the beach.  My daughter kept commenting on what a wonderful vacation it was, and it really was wonderful, but still challenging for me with a barely healed knee and being short on both strength and stamina.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

In my opinion you can never had too many photos of the ocean but one post can have too many of my ocean photos.  Here are a few.  We had days of both clouds and sun.  I never tire of watching the ocean.

A trip to Dewey Beach wouldn't be complete without a walk through a nearby nature preserve (whose name I can't remember).  No part of it borders the ocean but a section borders the bay. 

And then there were the seagulls at Rehoboth Beach.  We saw them practically dive-bombing people who had purchased french fries. No fries for us!

Back to knee surgery, but not about knee surgery.  If you think you might need ice packs (for scrapes or migraines or a sore back) this is a great, simple recipe.  In a gallon-size plastic zipper bag (best to use the brand-name ones) pour 3 cups water and 1 cup rubbing alcohol.  Zip and put into another zip bag, zip, then into the freezer.

It's hard to photograph the contents of these ice packs but when frozen they are like crunchy ice.  Put a towel or other cloth around them before putting on skin. I highly recommend them.

The other thing I wanted to post is a pain scale my doctor included in a booklet they gave me before the first surgery. That pain scale always confused me--a scale compared to what?--and this chart clarified it for me.   Now the doctor or nurse or physical therapist and I are all on the same page when I say my pain is at a level 6 or 2 or 9, etc.

My only stitching has been on this little plaid basket.  I wasn't sure about the fabric but have decided I like it.  I'm looking forward to choosing flowers to go inside.

Regular readers may remember that I'm not a fan of Halloween but I couldn't resist taking a photo of the dapper Edgar Allan Crow in front of the public library at Rehoboth Beach.  The librarians outdid themselves.

My daughter and I stood outside the library trying to get a good look at all aspects of Edgar and take photographs.  At one point I stumbled backward over the edge of the sidewalk and, arms flailing, could feel myself on the way to the ground.  My daughter reached out her hand to steady me just in time.  It must have been a sight to behold.  When we walked into the library, the librarian behind the counter asked what we thought of their crow and told us what fun they'd had creating him.  It was then I realized that he'd probably been watching through the large picture window and had a full view of my near-fall.  What must he have thought, I've wondered.  Drunk?  Old woman?  Dizzy with admiration for Edgar?  I chuckle about it every time I think of it.

I hope you good readers are doing well.  Thanks for visiting.

--Nancy.

One Monthly Goal Finish, and Wind and Rain

My One Monthly Goal for September was to finish appliqueing this basket block (I'm so happy I finished it) and

to prepare the edges of these two baskets for applique onto their backgrounds.  I'm glad those are done, too.

I had a little trouble with the basket on the right and below.  The bias on the handle didn't want to lay flat.  I had thread left over after folding under and stitching the edges, which I thought I might need if I had to adjust the handles, so I loosely sewed it to the basket.  If I need it I'll have it, if I don't it won't be much of a problem to cut it away.

I don't know about setting a goal for October.  The second knee replacement is coming up the third week of October.  Would I be able to post a finish even if I had one?  And this coming week we're going to the ocean.  Hooray!  We were uncertain whether we'd be able to go.  I'm thrilled that we can!

We've had wind and rain today.  I opened some of the windows that were protected enough not to let the rain in.  I love how the wind billowed this curtain.  The wind was so cool and refreshing.

And this is a view of the rain through our driveway side screen door.  Oh, and you can see our golden honey locust leaves on the ground.  I love them but they are a mess when it rains because they stick to our shoes like crazy.

It's been the greyest day we've had for ages.  It's been beautiful and I love it!

Edited to add:  The power went out about 20 minutes after I published this post.  Then I learned that my daughter, in central Kentucky, hasn't has power all day and was told not to expect it to come on until 11 p.m. tomorrow.  I've been in a bubble today and didn't realize how rotten the weather's been for people in other areas.  My thoughts and prayers are with them--or you if you're in an area that's having wind, rain, flooding, etc.

I'm linking this post to
> September One Monthly Goal Finish Link-up at Stories from the Sewing Room
> Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #28

These are a few links I've enjoyed over the past month or so. Maybe you'll like one or two of them, too.

I discovered a small, online collection of quilts, The Childress Collection, that you might enjoy.  Some quilts are more traditional, most are less traditional.  The collection is called Anonymous Quilt and is hosted by Marjorie Childress, who gave permission to post this photo.  Some of the quilts have detail photographs so be sure to click around.

Wally Dion makes large, amazing translucent quilts.  They are pieced like quilts, but they are not layered and are used more like flags.  I was unable to learn his process and don't know how he makes them translucent.  

Atlas Obscura's post, What Abandoned Schools Can Teach Us,

reminded me of the website, Abandoned America.  There you can see beautiful buildings which were once vibrant and alive with activity but, fell into disrepair, were abandoned, then torn down.  Or, occasionally, renovated.  Abandoned America captures photos between abandonment and non-existence.  I wonder, is this a particularly American thing, to build something beautiful with the intention of it lasting a century or more, then tearing it down 80 years later?  I continue to be amazed at society's willingness to demolish rather than repair and preserve.  (I understand that it mostly comes down to money.)  I occasionally visit Abandoned America to see the beauty that once was.

I love color and find it interesting how people perceive colors.  My husband will call a color red that to my eyes looks orange.  We've never talked about blue/green. 

This website, Is My Blue Your Blue?, is about color perception, too, but only in the blue/green range.  There is a wide range from true green to true blue!  If you play--it takes about a minute--I'd be interested to learn where you fall on the blue/green range.  The website tells me that my "boundary is at hue 185, bluer than 93% of the population.  For you, turquoise is green."  But, if there had been an option to choose turquoise or aqua, I probably would have called several of the options one of those colors.

Lastly, I love bird nests.  I think it's because of the woven-like aspect of them, not to mention the natural objects used in their creation.  So, of course, I would like the new post, Snuggle Up with the New Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Bird Nests and Eggs with its beautiful photograph of six or so nets.  I immediately reserved a copy of the book the post referenced at my local library.  I'm eager to see and read about the nests!

I know this post was a long time coming....  Maybe I'll find more interesting posts to share sooner.

Enjoy!
--Nancy.

The Path of Least Resistance

It turns out having cut and mostly-ready-to-sew pieces of fabric for a specific quilt block makes it easier--a path of least resistance--to make those blocks when one's creative juices aren't flowing, or one doesn't have much energy.  Over the past few weeks I've finished 23 scrappy stars.  They're brighter than in the photo below.

Some are more appealing than others. The ones that are less appealing to me are similar to this one, below, because the star points get muddied with the medium triangles at the edges. The ones I like best are like the ones below where the stars stand out strongly..

Though I like some arrangements better than others, I think all of them together will be interesting.  I'm planning an alternate star - plain fabric (what color?) - star setting.  I like that each of these will have its own space.

That's it for my quilting endeavors except for the little plaid baskets which I'll post about later.

Here are a couple of photos from being out and about.

We saw these at the thrift store and thought they looked like robots. I don't know what their true purpose is.

The angles and shadows of the railings in this photo caught my attention while I was waiting for my daughter after a physical therapy appointment.

And the grass in our yard is less like grass and more like straw.

We haven't had rain in weeks, maybe a month or more.  So much of the grass is dead and many of the trees are losing leaves because of the drought.  They drop to the ground, brown and brittle.  I doubt we'll have much color this fall.  In the countryside, we saw that much of the field corn has been harvested already, which usually doesn't happen till at least October, and the soybeans are as dry now and they are in late October other years.  The weather app will predict the possibility of rain several days in advance, then change the forecast a day or so later to no rain.  As I write this at 8:30 in the evening, it's 81 degrees outside.  Please come soon, rain and autumn weather!

I'm linking this post to
> Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts. 
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
> Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.

One Monthly Goal for September, 2024

This is a such a little goal, almost not worth mentioning, but because I've been so highly unmotivated, accomplishing even a small goal, or several small goals, will be progress.

In September, my goals are
1)  to finish stitching the two flowers on this block, and

(2) to thread baste the edges of these baskets for applique.  Getting them stitched to the background would be great, but that's not part of my monthly goal.

After these three baskets are finished, I have just two more to applique. Dare I imagine these becoming a finished quilt top this year?  That expectation might be a little too high since I have another knee replacement surgery scheduled for October 22.

One goal at a time....

I'm linking this post to September One Monthly Goal at Stories from the Sewing Room.  Thanks for hosting, Anne-Marie.

--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #27

I found these links pre-surgery and realized I should probably post them so others can enjoy them (if you're interested). 

I enjoyed Anca Duse's photographs of tiny people with large flowers (or maybe they're regular-sized people with giant flowers).  Some excellent photographic editing, I think.

[Updated links:]  Read more about Anca here and about her creative process here.


I can't manage a mouse well enough to actually create a drawing with a painting program, but if you can and you're feeling nostalgic about MS Paint, you can use this older version that works in your browser.


It was news to me that elephants have names for each other.


I was pleased to find Merlin, a free app to help identify birds by sound and image.  In early mornings I hear lots of birds outside but know only a few by their songs.  This app has been helpful.  It seems that we have lots of cardinals and American robins where we live.  If you're interested, you can go to the link or watch this video.




Enjoy!
--Nancy.

Post-Surgery Thank You and a Few Stitches

Thank you, dear readers, for your good wishes, words of encouragement, thoughtful comments, and prayers in response to my last post.  I appreciate all of them.     

It's been four weeks, almost five, since surgery, and a few stitches on this basket are all I have to show for that time.  I haven't felt very motivated and the doctor tells me no sewing on my knee-pedal Singer.  (But I did finish one book and am almost finished with another.)  (And I have a new knee!)

Knee replacement surgery is not for the faint of heart!  The surgery itself isn't the challenge (the doctor takes care of that), it's all the work that comes after the surgery.  Just when you want to go home and let your knee rest and recuperate, along come the physical therapists who give you a dozen painful exercises to do ten times each, three times a day.  My poor arthritic knees were in bad shape (and one still is) which, I think, means that the exercises are more painful or just, perhaps, harder to do.  Extend the leg so the knee is at 0 degrees; and bend the leg, heel to bottom, to a minimum of 120 degrees.  Ouch!  And then there are the strengthening exercises, which I started last week. 

I went into surgery thinking I'd done my research, knew what was coming, and was at least moderately prepared.  I won't make that mistake again....  Several websites tell me that a knee replacement surgery is one of the hardest and most painful.  Even hip replacements were not as painful as this.  I guess it takes about a year to full heal.

So, on June 3, Judy of Small Quilts and Doll Quilts had surgery.  I think she must be the poster child for quickest healing after a knee replacement surgery:  she proclaimed herself all well and healed on June 24! 

The hospital gave me a box of tissues.  I liked the box better than the tissues.

This is a view from my walker. I move with the stars around me. Haha.

I'm using the walker less and less, but I'm not up to speed yet.  I will try to visit your blogs and leave comments as I'm able.  And thank you again for your comments on my last post.

--Nancy.

This, That, and the Other

Aren't these guys the cutest?   They are about half an inch high and were sitting on a shelf at a local store.

Toys a child left behind?  Part of a display or advertisement, though there wasn't anything around that seemed to be associated with little ducks.  I wanted to bring them home but there was no price tag.  I have a collection of little things and these would fit right in.

June has flown by.  For me it might as well be over since a total knee replacement surgery is scheduled for this coming Tuesday.  Preparation for surgery (making food, getting the house ready for a walker, making sure I have all the equipment I'll need, etc.) has taken a lot of time.  Hence, little progress on the quilting front.  Sadly Bramble Blooms I and II are both on hold indefinitely, at least as far as physical progress goes.  I haven't written them off or decided not to participate, though.  I plan to come back to them when I'm more mobile and my mind isn't focused on other things.  Maybe a spark of creativity during this surgery and recovery process will push me toward some decisions?  Or not.

What I have been sewing are several simple, lightweight cotton, summer dresses, similar to these.  I can cut and sew a pattern well enough but adjusting and fitting a pattern are the problem, and patterns nearly always need adjusting.  I'm not a standard size.  I'm on pins and needles cutting and sewing until I know the garment will fit.  The first of the two dresses fits and is comfortable; I hope the second one will be, too.  

You may remember this post from almost exactly a year ago about my rose-print fabrics and the challenge I set for myself to use them in a quilt.
The fabrics sat around for nearly a year.  I finally decided to cut squares and make a one-patch.  My reasoning was that I have enough fabric to make several quilts, so why not start with a one-patch.  The squares are 4½", placed in no particular order.  I'm imagining a calm, quiet quilt.

Maybe the criteria of roses isn't enough to unify a quilt?  I may edit out some of the darker prints or place them carefully.  I may also add some applique to the finished top, or add some pieced blocks, either 4" or 8" finished.  I have 200 of the needed 300 squares cut.  I've never made a one-patch quilt before and am wondering how one chooses a layout.  Do you know?

I finished this quilt I call Center Light in 2013 and have slept under it every winter night for 11 years as well as some spring and autumn nights.

I felt a spot near the top of the quilt getting thin and recently noticed this casualty of use.

I'll repair it, of course, but how?  It's a  utility quilt and part of me says to just make a patch that covers the hole, the binding, and the back, and stitch it down.  The perfectionist in me says to unstitch the binding, unquilt the section that needs repair, add new batting and fabric, then requilt and sew on new binding.  There's another colored block that is torn, also.  Huh!  I never expected it to be an heirloom quilt but I did think it would last longer than 11 years!  Except for this spot and the binding along almost all of this edge, the rest of the quilt is in good shape.  How would you repair it?

This is happening along the country roads not far from us. I believe it's winter wheat.  It was sprouting green in March so I guessed it was planted last fall.

We saw many fields, some that were acres and acres larger than this one.  It brought to mind the phrase "Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain" from the song "America."

The weather has been hot and humid, from the high 80s to the high 90s, with "feels like" temperatures in the low 100s some days.  Heat warnings or advisories and air quality alerts have been in effect all week and are still in effect now.  I went to the store yesterday and when I stepped onto the pavement I wanted to move the heat away as if it were a curtain brushing against me, it was so dense and heavy.  I'm grateful for air conditioning.  Even inside it feels oppressive but at least it's cool enough to breathe.  I feel sorry for people and animals who have to be outside.  Whatever did my farming ancestors do?!

About that knee replacement surgery on Tuesday.  (Well, first, did you know that the knee is the biggest joint in the body and one of the most complex?  That was news to me.)  I'm good with the surgery itself but I'm not looking forward to the days and weeks after.  The more I learn, the more grueling it sounds.  Infection and blood clots are the biggest post-surgery concerns for the doctor and nurses but they're also concerned about exercise, since that's what will give me my mobility.  My biggest concerns are whether I'll actually be able to do all that they expect and require, and whether I can prevent constipation.  (TMI?  Sorry.)  The expectations post-surgery are to

• use ice on top and behind my knee to keep the swelling down, because swelling can cause blood clots
• wear TED stockings:  very tight compression stockings which can be really hard to get on and are uncomfortable to wear (so I'm told)
  
• keep my knee elevated above the level of my heart
  
• use a CPM (or continual passive motion) machine for 6 hours/day to keep my knee moving which, I guess, is part of the exercise, and possibly also for swelling
• exercise hourly; the exercises take about 20 minutes; also walk for about 15 minutes every hour
  
• eat high protein and lots of fiber
• take medications, watch diet, prevent constipation (if that's possible with narcotic pain killers)
  

Just when you feel your worst after a major surgery and most want to rest, the doctors want you to keep moving.  I'll get through this and, hopefully, will be more mobile.  

That's it from me for at least a week, maybe more.  I hope you stay cool and comfortable or, if you're from the southern hemisphere, I hope you stay warm and toasty.

--Nancy.