A Little Yarn On The Side

Guess what????  After all the scary back-and-forth and ups and downs of the last 5 weeks, they think Dad might get to go home tomorrow!!!!!!!!! He's been in the hospital with good days and bad days ever since we readmitted him through the ER last Friday.  It's probable that all this could have been avoided had Blue Cross not decided to override a doctor's orders and move him out 2 weeks ago, but why should a little thing like patient health get in the way of the profits of the American health "care" system?  But, since he picked up a SECOND infection, they decided to change antibiotics, and the new one will allow him to be home and just have home health come in.  I'm still furious with the money-grubbing bastards of Blue Cross as this has been a very hard week on all of us, and in some ways has been the worst Dad has felt since the first week of this, but at least their despicable  behavior didn't cause any permanent damage--I think we're very lucky ...

There was a time when a bad day at work would make me buy yarn. There was a time when having to deal with my husband's bitter ex wife would make me buy yarn. There was a time when just being bored would make me buy yarn.  My father was hospitalized with a staph infection on August 26.  August 28 they transfered him here to Boise, and that's when we found out how very serious it was.  Luckily, my mother was able to stay here with us, because it's been a long, scary emotional-roller coaster since then.  September 14, the neurologist told us that he wanted to keep Dad in the hospital a few more days, but September 15, Blue Cross (a big insurance giant that cares nothing about people) booted Dad out and into a care center (refusing to pay for the one the doctor wanted).  So out he went, and it took almost a week--and a very fierce case worker--to get the care center to put in the trapeze above the bed that he was supposed to have since his back had suffered fr...

As you may have guessed, life is not really normal here right now.  Yesterday was my birthday, and to celebrate I slept.  I never nap, but I was exhausted.  Or the 1/4 of a valium tablet I took to help my back knocked me out.  One of the two, or maybe both.  I had intended to sew or embroider, but it's been a long, stressful week and my back was too sore to sit.  Today I did fire up Jeeves for another napkin,   (now that I have some navy thread), then hit the Fred Meyer deli and headed down to the hospital.  This is Dad's third week in the hospital, and I think he'll be in there at least a full month, so I like to get him outside whenever we can, so we had a picnic today for lunch.  He's still actively cattle ranching, so this being inside--much less in bed--for weeks is really hard on him.  Because of all the IVs and stuff, I have to take him out in a wheelchair, which was a bit strange to get used to, but he does get up to do walkin...

....for which I am feeling tremendously proud.  While we knew he was really sick, we only now realize that my father was really in danger when he was admitted to the hospital, and we're lucky to still have him.  This morning the did the surgery that we thought they would do 2 weeks ago, but which the surgeon told us last night that they couldn't do earlier because Dad just wouldn't have survived.  That thought will send you home to get a good night's rest.  So this morning Mom and I were at the hospital bright and early, and admittedly pretty sleep-deprived and on-edge, and instead of the doctor coming out to talk to us as many were doing, we were moved to a small consulting room just inside the surgery area.  There were exactly 3 things to read in that room:  a flier entitled "What to do when the worst happens" (or something equally uplifting), a pamphlet on the chaplain services available in the hospital, and a Bible.  I don't know exactly what healt...

And just to make sure such a crazy thought was COMPLETELY driven from my mind, I did another thread on the unending cross stitch project to reinforce how mind-numbingly slow it is, and I think that has done the trick.  The problem is, of course, that I can see how it's relaxing.  One sort of tunes out, concentrates on itsy-bitsy tiny squares of fabric, and must spend time accomplishing very, very little.  I think this is probably good for such a type-A person as myself.  I also think it would be completely daft to think I'll ever complete TWO of the blasted things.  I spent a bit of time on Ravelry queuing up lace weight projects just to remind myself that there is knitting that can be tedious and slow as well, and plan to bribe myself with some new seed bead colors next time the need-to-buy urge strikes me.  In addition to the 365 ornament madness for next year, I thought it would be a good challenge to tackle some of the lace weight.  I purposely d...

My father has been in the hospital with a staph infection, and our house has been turned into a family hotel for the past week now, so things have been hectic.  He's going to be fine now, but it will take some recovery time.  The stress of having permanent house guests, a parent in the hospital, the driving (he started out in a different hospital and was moved down here), and too much sitting has demolished my back, so I'm back to where I was in February I think.  So, it's been stressful around here.  Luckily, he's out of danger now and really mending quickly, so at least that part of the stress is gone.  The socks have been great hospital knitting: and I'm nearing the heel on the second sock. Yesterday I had a little bit of quiet time (known around here lately as time with drugs on the heating pad), so I tried out some of the new Christmas yarn:   It's so soft!  All the other Christmas glitter acrylic yarns are pretty scratchy, or at least ...