For those of you familiar with the irritating limitations of Yahoo360, you'll understand why I've intended to move this blog elsewhere pretty much from the start. It's taken me a long time to figure out where, but I've finally created a continuation of this blog, one far more devoted to actual stitching, at Bits of Floss on blogger/blogspot. The photo is my new heading. I've updated and added a bunch of stuff to my Emergency Management Blog as well. While I may come back here from time to time, please join me on the new sites. Thank you to everyone who has dropped by for a look! I hope to see you on Blogger!!

Photo: Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA - Tune in for the annual "live" Christmas Eve Service on December 24th. Check www.crystalcathedral.org and click on the Christmas Eve Service banner for channels and listings. The program will air on the Lifetime Cable Network early Christmas morning (starting at 4am in some time zone), but check local listings for precise times. Some areas will aid the broadcast live on Christmas Eve. It is always a beautiful and meaningful service for those of us who do not attend a specific church. And, as it so happens, my brother, will be conducting 2 or 3 of the orchestra numbers during the services. So getting so see him on Christmas is always a family blessing.

It's been 3 months so longer than necessary updates:

Mom: Feeling better and finally beginning to get out and about, at least a little AT LAST!! She hasn't had to have surgery since August and we're hoping what vertebra have already fractured will be the last.

DD's dogs: In early October we learned that Reggie, the beautiful grey one that was the only one to be taken in, got out of his yard and ran into heavy traffic. That California family held a memorial service for him. Ironically, he died about the same time Andy did, but it is his death that has caused me the most intense grief - perhaps because he was still just a pup - and because I had awful premonitions that something bad was going to happen to him. I almost kidnapped him so he would not be taken. I wish I had! The other 3 pups are hopefully ALMOST full size. They are as big as the Mom, but not nearly as heavy. Sisal and Merida weigh just under 50 pounds and Marley 10 pounds less. Marley has behavior issues that cause her to switch from play fighting to full out vicious aggression mode. She bites so hard that Sisal and Merida AND Heather, have required medical treatment. (Marley was aiming for Merida's thigh but Heather's elbow got in the way.) Not good.

DD's Travels: DD came home from a 12 day to Chicago-NYC-Minneapolis-NYC the last part of November with a sinus infection and URI, put off going to the doctor, and wound up with pnuemonia. She cancelled all her travel for December. In January she's off to Germany and San Francisco.

Other family travels: My sister & DH visited a son and family in Geneva, Switzerland for 10 days in November. That son and family are back here in Texas through January 1st. My brother and his wife will visit us in January. My sister will go back to Europe in May or June for two weeks, then son and family will be moving back to Texas during the summer. That can NOT be soon enough!

Me: Other than the rare trip to the Courthosue, and too many days driving back and forth to DD's house where I get to take care of unmanageable dogs while she is OOT, I go nowhere. I dream of extended travel to parts near and far. The reality is that I rarely even leave the house.

Business: I was blessed with a few new clients the last couple of months. Business is so bad that I've applied for other positions, but apparently so has everyone else. I've yet to get a single interview. That possible part-time job at Tom Thumb is looking better and better. If only working full time for minimum wage would be enough to pay my health insurance premiums!

Health: My ears are still ringing from a malfunctioning cell phone that suddenly started squealing at high decibels causing my ears physical pain, and weeks of muffled fuzziness. I finally got in to see an ear specialist who agrees that the problems are likely due to the mal-function - but try to prove it. So now my tinnitis is TWICE as loud and annoying, and an steady hum in my left ear is added to the already CONSTANT high pitch squealing. Further, I also have developed significant hearing loss in my GOOD ear. The glaucoma specialist wants to do more laser surgry on the eye he did last January. I was supposed to go back in November but rescheduled til January so I can get co-pays for those expensive office visits as I'd already used up my alloted 5 in 2008. And I never reached my 2008 deductible, and wouldn't even with more eye surgery. I have to start over anyway. I was supposed to get blood-work done this time last year and see my Internist in January, 2008. So far I've managed to avoid that. Being diabetic, I'm supposed to see him quarterly. Wonder if I can get in between Christmas and New Year's?

My furbabies: After having spent so much time at DD's this summer and fall, my cats have become very clingy. By nature, Henna is very possessive and territorial. Brulee' is a high anxiety and neurotic Flamepoint who, if I am on or in the bed, has to be touching me. Henna begrudgingly allows that, but she'll take him on elsewhere in the house and he walks away rather than have a confrontation. She'll give him an agressive swat just to make sure he knows exactly who is in charge. My feral stray, Timmy, had gotten quite bold and was sleeping in the other bed and eating from the same food dish, but last week Henna took a sudden swipe and caught him in the thigh. I've not seen him since, though I do leave food on the window sill in case he's coming in when I 'm not watching. I was hoping he'd come in from the cold. I hope he's okay. I love that guy, even if he's not about to let me touch him. I think the only reason he chanced it is that Henna had seemed to mellow. But then I realized she must not be feeling well. After almost $300 in vet bills, she is now, and back to her territorial and feisty self, determined to keep every one else from what and where she deems is solely hers.

Stitching: after a whirlwind of ornment stitching earlier in the fall, it came to an abrupt halt about the time I learned Reggie had been killed. I just can't focus on it, and the carpel tunnel in my hands has been just awful. I take 10 stitches and my hands go numb, start tingling, etc. About the same number of stitches and I frequently just fall asleep, totally lose focus, think of something else to do, get up for some hot tea, wander to the computer. I just can not focus mentally. And there there are my eyes. The glaucoma drops bother them almost all the time. Worse yet, I haven't managed to get a single ornament actually finished. At some point I need to take photos of ALL the unfinished smalls I've been working on the past year.

Birthday: just passed. My daughter surprised me with a digital frame, which she had taken out of the box, learned to use so she could show me, then downloaded some of her pictures she thought I would enjoy on to a memory stick to be used in the frame. Not something I would have ever bought myself, but from daughter, who spent so much time personalizing it, I am delighted and humbled.

Birthday #2: Have you ever been invited out to dinner and left to pick up the check? In this case Mom called the day before to ask me out to dinner. Where would I like them to take me for my birthday? I had just woken up so I told her I'd call back later with some suggestions. I talked with DD and checked around to find somewhere she and Mom can eat (they are gluten intolerant). However, when I called Mom back later she'd decided instead that we'd get some barbeque brisket and she'd make potato salad, beans, and cole slaw. The BBQ place is between my house and theirs so she asked if I could stop by and pick-up an amount she suggested. Which I did, and which turned out to be 3 times what we needed and cost twice as much as I'd anticipated - expecting to be reimbursed. Since it was my birthday, of course. Mom never asked how much, never offered to pay, and in the end it was just too awkward to ask her. A good hunk of their birthday check went to pay for the BBQ. At least I did get to bring home some left-overs for sandwiches. I'm left with a strange feeling I can't really describe. Sad bemusement, perhaps. Discombobulated, maybe. And very very sad knowing these things are going to happen more and more as my parents age. I just wasn't expecting it, you know. They have far more resources than I do or will ever have and can live comfortably unless the entire economy collapses. I guess it's in part the realization that suddenly they might be looking at me to assist them when I already find it necessary to live very frugally and have no choice but to put off many necessary repairs and other matters because I simply can't afford them. I can't figure out if I'm sad for them, or wallowing in misplaced self-pity. Most likely the later. Right now I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to come up with something around $40,000 just to pay health insurance premiums (at today's rate - even with a high deductible) over the next 4 years until I can qualify for Medicare - assuming they haven't changed the laws between now and then. Maybe I'm just totally depressed about it all.

Christmas: I love the idea of Christmas. I start listening to Christmas music in October. I get misty eyed about the Manger Story and Christmas sermons. I always felt the warmth and love of a congregation at Christmas Eve services. But when it comes to the commercial part of the equation .... Honestly, since the time my daughter was little and I had to forego getting gifts for her so I could buy gifts for family members who have always had a lot more means than I have, I admit I have resented that expectation. I loath shopping to start with, and particularly for people who already have everything they want or need. Call me Scrooge. So it was with a loud HURRAY! I greeted the following from my sister: "I've arbitrarily decided we're not exchanging family gifts this year." I'd already ordered 3 or 4 things for my DD, and a DVD set for my parents, but other than that, I'm through shopping. I didn't even have to step foot in a single store this year. What a welcome relief! IF I can get the ornaments I made actually finished, I may go ahead and pass out those. In years past I totally wasted time and money stitching gifts for relatives. While an ornament might show up on a tree some further year, bigger projects have been met with "uh, thank you" and typically disappear forever. Last time I asked what my SIL might like, it was a a definite "PLEASE, nothing stitched!" Ok. I wonder if they ever used that afghan?

So Scrooge here, wishes each of you a very Blessed and Joyous Christmas with your favorite family and friends, good cheer and many yummy treats.

Keeping Christ in Christmas, God bless us one and all!

LindaMc

Photo: I have house guests. I discovered yesterday, after intrusion #3, they are coming in through the dryer vent! Yikes. I think they are soooooo cute, but I keep my fingers well away from those sharp teeth.

It's been 4 weeks and I'm very much missing Andy. I was doing okay, until I reconcilled a bank statement earlier with debits to the vet. I broke out in tears. I think he may have been around here for a few days afterwards. I swear I saw him a couple of times, once coming from under my bed and once in the hall where he used to lay on the cool tile by the front door. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. I find I remain very careful pushing back from the computer so I won't run over a little paw, and when I get up at night so that I don't trip over him. My cat has taken to following me around the house as Andy once did. She even lays and sits where he used to.

Dad turned 84 the end of August and Mom just turned 82. It's so hard to think of them as elderly. Dad remains in good health. Mom finally had surgery #5 for broken vertebra #6 last week. That's not quite accurate. We found out, for the first time, as we waited 2 extra hours, that T 4 through T8 all show signs of previous fractures. She's had T 10 - 12 and L 1-3 all repaired since last December. That leaves only T 1 and 2, the upper neck, T-9 and L 4 and 5 just above the coxcyx unfractured. She's afraid to move for fear another will crumble. It's just awful to see this once active and energetic woman laying almost motionless on the couch and walking carefully for as long as she can.

Today my daughter is hosting a mutual birthday party for them. It will be the first time Mom has been out anywhere except to the doctor or hospital since Easter, and that was the first time she'd been out since last fall. I've been asked to bring a box of Spring Mix for salads.

I was deployed by the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT) to assist with shelter activities for Gustav evacuees. See my blog at www.emvolunteer.blogspot.com.

I've been doing a LOT of stitching lately for exchanges and to donate to an ornament tree raffle at my LNS - Stitch Niche in Arlington. I have started finishing them, but I am absolutely finish challenged! Writer have writers' block. I have finish block. To see some of my stitching visit:

http://community.webshots.com/user/LoneStarStitcher

The doglets were 5 months old on the 4th. They MUST BE NUETERED AND SPAYED NOW!!! They have grown so big so fast. Looking at their pics at 1 and 2 months makes me wish little animals STAYED little for so much longer. DD's childhood girlfriend is going to keep Merida while DD is on a trip to Colorado in a few days, and if she can talk her husband into it, would love to keep her. DD's business acquaintance may take Sisal - to QUEBEC. We still haven't heard nothing from the lady who promised to keep us updated re Reggie. Heather calls her a flake. I can't help but think that something has happened to him and she's afraid to tell us. DD may yet still make a side-trip to visit them while she's in California in October.

and is now with all the other beloved creatures in my life. It was a long, sleepless night for both Andy and I. The cancer had metasticized and he began to bleed internally. After bringing him home from the Vet ER he continued to vomit blood off and on all night and could not get comfortable. But he never made a sound, just accepted that something was not right and lived on for those very long predawn hours, allowing me to put him beside me on my bed, something he was never comfortable with, and lay my hand gently on him. I called my vet as soon as his office opened and Andy crossed at 8:18 a.m on August 8, 2008.

He was an incredibly brave, unbelievably wonderful, sweet and oh so patient great little guy who I am going to miss so very very much.

This is my last photo of Andy taken July 1st, 2008.

Go with God my dear sweet, sweet Andy. I will always, always miss you.