A Very Happy New Year

To all my friends and even those that are not, I wish the best for 2013. A healthy year would also be good.

I'm fine, I'm slowly coming out of a three day fybro fog where even getting out of bed was difficult. The headaches are always the worst for me, not quite strong enough to take a major pill but too strong to be cured by Ibuprofen. Those are the headaches that get me down the most. As far as the gut issues go a few polyps where found and the biopsy results will come in the new year.

So for today I'm not worrying about anything and getting ready to spend some time with good friends ringing in the new year. We'll be playing boardgames, eating, drinking bubbly and pretending we are still young.

Hope you all have as much fun as I plan to...

A Day Of Fasting

Tomorrow is my endoscopy and colonoscopy so today is not going to be a fun day. I'm about 15 minutes away from taking my first dose of the purge stuff and not looking forward to my evening. As much as I hate this I would recommend anyone over age 50 get it done. I attribute the test to possibly saving hubby's life. He had his first four years ago and a pre cancerous polyp was found in the worst possible part of the colon we were told. He's had three since and another due in July. My last one last December didn't show anything but this time I have a difference gastro doc who really wants to do a biopsy. The endo test is to look for colitis or worse, Chron's disease. I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed that it's just irritable bowel and the drug I'm currently continues to keep it under control.
I've been eyeballing the cookies I baked all last week but I'm not allowed food so suffer I will.

We'd been thinking of a quick trip to Vegas over Christmas but all of a sudden prices have gone up substantially. I heard on the news that sixty percent of Canadians were traveling this holiday so maybe that's why. We will be alone this year, just the two of us rambling around our abode trying not to be sad. I always envy my friends who have siblings and parents still alive at this time of the year.

I will keep myself busy knitting and eating those darn cookies. I still want to buy a spinning wheel but first I would like to learn how to spin. There are no classes offered in my part of town and my only way of learning are through watching Youtube videos. Can you really learn that way? Do I take a chance and purchase an expensive wheel on the chance that I can learn? Tough decision but I suppose I'll make it soon. There is also the matter of which wheel to get that is the most economical and will do the job.

By the way, Leonard Cohen was absolutely amazing. For a 78 year old man, he put on an absolutely fantastic show. He spent almost 4 hours on stage with 3 encores. It was a performance not to be missed and I thank my offspring for the tickets.

If I don't get back here I want to wish whoever still reads this stuff a Very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year to all...ciao

Why Did I Think This Was A Good Idea?

I had some yarn left from a previous project so I got the brilliant idea of making a little curly scarf as a Christmas present, for whom I don't know yet.

It's a pretty simple knit and I'd made one before, albeit with thicker yarn. This was lace weight. Anyway, I did cast one 186 stitches and proceeded with the pattern of increasing every few rows. By the time I hit row 9 I had 1023 stitches on my 60" cable needle and I am pretty fed up with this thing. Since perseverance is my middle name I'm going to continue with the last row but cheat a little. The last row is knit 1, yarn over and knit again in the same stitch thereby making 3 stitches out of 1. I'm just going to do two out one stitch. I figure that's going to be curly enough and if not too bad.

Our trip to California was a lot of fun, airport security not so much. As usual because I beep (my hips) I was patted down pretty good but what was new this time was them checking their rubber gloves for residual explosive material! Really... We spent our two weeks doing family stuff and I overdosed on Mexican food. I could eat that every day. I managed to find one, yes you read that right, only one yarn shop in Merino Valley and Riverside (halfway between LA and Palm Springs) and when I went to visit to buy some yarn I was severely disappointed. I went into the store with the intention of purchasing some yarn and I was the only person other than either the owner or employee in the shop. I was not acknowledged in any way. No hello, how are you, etc that a prudent shopkeeper would say, nothing, nada and zilch. After wandering around this shop for minutes or so I left empty handed. Guess they didn't need my business.


I also managed to finish a wonderfully warm cardigan, just in time for winter. It's made with Cascade 220 and because I like this yarn so much I've just ordered a whole shit load of it.

A really crappy photo, I know. I must get a new camera although lighting is a big problem It's really dreary outside and will be that way all week. My house is really dark.

On the health front I have given up Methotrexate after seven months. I just simply couldn't take the side effects any more. I'm just going to go with Aleeve and bite the bullet. I'm also scheduled for a Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy in mid December to see what the issues in my gut are. The doc is beginning to suspect Colitis. Meanwhile I have been given an opioid drug and it has almost completely cured the issue at one eighth the initial recommended dosage. I'll have the tests anyway just to be sure there is nothing else bad going on in there.

Oh yes, I have tickets for Leonard Cohen for this Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre. I am so excited to see him. The last time I saw him was in the 60's in a dingy little smoke filled coffee house in Montreal. Early Christmas present from the offspring.