First Snow of 2012

The title says it all. I need to run to the pharmacy and pick up the next month of Meloxicam but, honestly, I don't want to go out. I'm thinking I'll survive on aspirin today and get the script after work tomorrow. I HAVE to go out tomorrow. I have this thing called "work" tomorrow. This will all be gone by noon tomorrow anyway. Another benefit? I don't have to shovel it.

Beverage:  Orange Juice

Deb

My Hands Hurt

Trying to get things done is more complicated now. My hands hurt, particularly my thumbs and the joint at the base of the thumb. The arthritis medication makes the pain less but there is no denying that my hands hurt.

Blogging, with the attendant typing, is painful.
Playing World of Warcraft with the thumb on the mouse, is painful.
Doing the wash or the dishes, with the gripping and holding, is painful.

What is not painful is petting the cats or cross-stitching, but I can't do those all day. Someone has to provide clean clothes and dishes. Someone has to clean that last litter box.

I think I can trace this back to doing all those inspections right before Christmas. I had to hold a camera and a mini-tape recorder for hours and I don't think it was good for my hands. Now I worry that what happened to the left knee is happening to my thumbs. Would fluid build up there too?

Unfortunately, you can't just sit and not use your hands during the course of a day. When I wake up in the morning, they don't hurt until I start going about my business. It's frustrating. I felt so good in December until this last week. I want to feel that way again.

Beverage:  Orange Juice

Deb

Stitching in a Losing Cause

Iowa football has finally ended for the year. There were no miracles to be had this time, as we saw in the last two bowl games they attended. I couldn't find the game on free TV, but ESPN streamed it live. Most of the time, the video was crystal clear. Sometimes, it was fuzzy and, toward the end of the game, the scripts for the car commercials, particularly Lexus, would cause my computer to freeze. I'd have to exit ESPN and the Internet and start up again. I missed an Oklahoma field goal, which, one could argue, is a good thing.

All the while I sat here, I cross-stitched. This project goes much faster than I expected. I think I shall put up my feet tomorrow afternoon, pop on some football and stitch some more.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

The First Project of 2012

Sometimes I'm organized. I know that's hard to believe, but sometimes I am. I've picked out the next cross-stitching project.

It will be done on a light blue fabric. The photo I'm following shows the project stitched on 25-count cream colored fabric, stitched over two threads. I've never had luck being able to stitch on that kind of fabric so I've gone with a plain old 14-count cloth. I bought this chunk of blue a long time ago and it seems to be the perfect color for the design.

Once I picked out the pattern, I assembled the floss. I have 4 containers of DMC floss. I had, of the dozen colors needed for this, exactly three. Thank goodness after Christmas sales mean I can get floss for less but still, I thought I had every color from white through DMC's 3200 numbers. I'm wondering if I will find these "missing" colors when I start going through the pile of incomplete projects. That's going to be a resolution this year, to finish at least 2 of the projects that are in various stages of completion.

I spent Wednesday night winding the floss onto bobbins. This keeps the colors separated and neat. Winding thread onto the bobbins attracted the attention of the BBC who likes my lap when I come home from work. I managed to get all the new colors wound without her "help".

So, last night, I started. Iowa plays in the Insight Bowl tonight. this will be a good thing to do while keeping tabs on the football game. Plus, I might even, over the next few days, watch TV and stitch. I think the project will go quickly.

Beverage:  Black Raspberry tea

Deb