Pretty Posies

It's wintertime and not too many flowers are in bloom...so I made my own.

I had a tiny terra cotta pot, and these little blue and lavender posies seemed like a good fit. The kitty likes them too.

Yesterday I saw a picture of planter and I said to myself "I can do that!" I started with the planter that has a basketweave design, a scalloped base and a ribbon around the top.. The colorful flowers came next. What you cannot see is the flowers are in "crocheted dirt." The other DrC says it's the best thing I've ever done. What do you think? This is the perfect plant for folks who do not have a green thumb.

It's that Time

I want to wish you and yours a MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

A Quiet Night

It was a dark and stormy night...well it was raining a little bit in the desert...and we were looking at the 1988 Mini-Series "War and Remembrance" and of course I was crocheting. We've been seeing one episode of the Herman Wouk World War II classic story each night. Parts of the story sound like current events. Tonight's episode told a story I hope never gets repeated again (but something ugly did happen in Israel on October 7 and history is repeating itself). Part of the episode took place at the Theresienstadt  Ghetto, a place we have visited. I had such a violent reaction to that German Concentration Camp, aka "The Paradise Ghetto" that I finished the rest of the day in the bus thinking about the ugly things man does toward man. This was the model camp and it was hell on earth. I cannot imagine what the other camps were like? All of that was on my mind, and I crocheted and crocheted. I think I was blocking some of the horrific content by making critters and things. I made  'treasure boxes" and  piggies  

Then, just to see my work from the last few days, I lined my critters up into a pyramid of piggies.

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Can you find the 2 imposters?

May the atrocities of World War II never be repeated again.

Hiding Kitties

You know how kitties like to hide in boxes? I tried to re-create that in crochet

Two kitties hiding in a blue box--I wonder if they know we can see them?

The piggy is just confused by the whole thing.

(I do like to have fun with the critters I make)

Coping

I'm tired of being an invalid. I'm tired of wearing my boot. I'm tired of asking people to take me places. I want to be independent again...but I'm not quite ready.  Yesterday I had a manicure in town. I drove by myself. I discovered I cannot deal with the walker by myself, so I put on "real shoes" and used a cane to drive the 3 miles to the shop.  That's when I discovered I'm not quite stable enough with a cane. Getting out of the car without help was difficult. When I almost fell leaving the shop, the owner of the shop walked me to my car. Today my wonderful neighbor drove us to St. George. It was a beautiful winter day, about 65 degrees...sunny with a few scattered clouds...shirt-sleeve weather. It was the first time in 7 weeks I had left my hometown and I was enjoying the ride and the desert scenery. We went to 3 locations...did what we needed to do...and I tried to hold up my end of the bargain. I exited the vehicle at only 2 locations. Costco has electric carts ...without them I couldn't go shopping. We ended up in a restaurant where we had "linner" (you know, lunch/dinner). It was a good day. But I'm not ready for prime time yet. I'm worried that someone is going to run into me and I'll topple over. I'm worried I might slip on something and topple over. Every day I'm improving, but I'm not quite ready to go out on my own. Soon but not tomorrow.

Still in the Boot

I saw the bone doc today--you know, the one who accidentally broke my ankle--and I'm still in the boot.  

This x-ray was taken today. The yellow arrow is pointing to the break. You can see a white line showing where the bone has remodeled. The bone is healing, but more time is needed. As of today I can drive short distances around town ONLY without the boot. I can walk around the house without the boot but need to put the boot on when it starts to hurt. I need to follow this regimen for 4 to 6 more weeks. He's expecting that it will start to feel better in about 4 weeks.  If I was 25, it would have been healed in 6 weeks, but I've not been 25 in quite awhile. Progress is being made and I'm thankful for that. The good news...my hip looks textbook perfect. He got one out of two.

Cane or Walker

My PT person told me I could use a cane instead of a walker...so I tried it. I went out on Friday using the cane and discovered it's very difficult. The boot is slippery and the lift is not stable. That's an accident waiting to happen. I went back to using the walker. Yesterday I went out with the walker which is stable. When I get out of the boot and the shoe lift, I'll practice using the cane, but for now, the walker is the answer. BTW, my cane is named Michael.

Getting Around

A friend of mine had both of his knees replaced this past week. I'm complaining about a broken ankle...but 2 knees...that's a major thing to complain about.

 I gave him a little get well kitty, which he put in a place of honor in his hospital room.

 

One of his nurses comes in and says "OH, you must know DrC, you have one of her crocheted critters. Lucky you!"

Now I'm wondering who is his nurse, and when I gave her a critter.

Another Milestone

Today I had my last PT session at home and the news was good. I was told I could start walking with a cane. What a treat! I'm still wearing the boot but instead of leaning on the walker, I'm now leaning on a cane. It's not as secure as the walker. Going up and down slopes is definitely more difficult with a cane too. BUT I'm trying to walk with a cane for the time being. I was instructed I could take a few steps without the cane, but not to try that outside.

To test my new found independence, I went to a little shop with my friend this morning, and later, the "girls" and I went to lunch. It was a very nice way to start the weekend. I came home and .... are you ready .... I took a nap. I was exhausted. I needed help from my friends getting into and out of the car; getting to the table; getting up from the table; and getting back into the house. Walking with a cane is different but I'll get the hang of it. My PT person said I needed to be ready for the 14th, when an x-ray will show that the ankle is healed. I don't want to think too far ahead of the healing process, but it's possible I'll be out of the boot on the 14th. That would be a great news.

A Day of Infamy

Today is the 82nd anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, sinking many ships and killing hundreds of people, soldiers and civilians alike. War is HELL. It has not changed in the 80 plus years between now and then. It is still HELL. When will we learn? I don't know if that's possible. In 1941 hundreds of men and women signed up to fight for America; I wonder if we would have the same result in 2023? Values change. As FDR said, "it is a day which will live in infamy." Thank you World War II vets for making my country as great as it is.

Not Quite Ready

Today I did something I probably should not have done, I drove my truck. We needed to go to the post office and the store and I did not think it would be a big deal. It was a big deal. Getting into the truck was the first challenge as my truck is taller than my car. Once inside the driver's compartment, I felt great. I was in command and that felt good. Then I bent my ankle and felt a slight hint of ache (or was it pain). I never feel pain in the blasted boot; but outside of the boot, it's a bit different. I drove the 11 miles needed to go to store and post office. I parked the truck in the garage and gingerly got out. I found my walker and limped into the house. The first thing I did was put on the blasted boot. I don't like that thing, but I still need it. I learned a little lesson and I called my neighbor and said "please take me to my next appointment tomorrow" and she said YES. My neighbors are beyond great! Thank you all.

Snowflake

A few days ago I put a video in my blog in an effort to save it. It might have worked, as it's now past the Google deadline and my blog is still "up and running." 

In case you are wondering, the video was for a snowflake pattern.

The directions are very clear and I've made several of them. 

Tonight I made 3. I think I'll put them in my Christmas cards as a little surprise.

 

Boot Update

It's been one month and 2 days since my hip was replaced and my ankle was broken. The hip is healing nicely. The scar itches, which is considered normal. The ankle...that's another issue. I'm wearing the "blasted" boot 12 to 14 hours a day. I am walking better than I was and, I can even take a few steps without my walker. It feels strange not to have the walker for a safety net but it's freeing to know that I can walk a short distance without it. About 4 days ago I was clinging to any surface I could when I did not have the walker...now I'm not clinging as much. I'm also tired after I walk. 

Today I was taken to town by my great neighbors, and I was exhausted when I got home, but things are getting better, as I needed a 2 hour nap to recover.  On Thanksgiving, I needed a 6 hour nap to recover from that outing. 

I have learned a good way to remember how to go up and down steps and curbs. The Good go to Heaven and the Bad go to Hell...so following that adage, Good foot first to go UP stairs; bad foot first to go DOWN stairs. I've also learned that handicapped ramps are very steep, even if they do not feel steep to someone not in a boot with a walker. In addition to everything else, I've learned a new appreciation for handicapped parking places, handicapped ramps, and wide doors. Maybe, just maybe, when I see my doc on the December 14 my ankle will be healed and I'll be out of the boot. Cross your fingers for me.

Cock-Eyed Kitty

I made a kitty this morning. That's not earth-shaking. But the eyes on the kitty were different. One of the googly eyes is stuck in the "up position" and the other is not. The kitty has a strange expression on his face.

  

I could have taken off the eye and put another one on...but I liked  this cock-eyed little guy too much to do that. He's a whimsical kitty with strange eyes.

Saving my Blog

My blog is on a Google platform. Google says it's going to close all accounts that have not been used in 2 years. I have not used the email address related to this account in a while...but I do use the blog. Google also said if there was a U-tube video on the account, then it would not be deleted...so the following is a U-tube video that I'm putting in my blog in an effort to save my blog and my account. Thank you for your patience.

It's a crochet pattern for making snowflakes.