We bought a big super-safe trampoline for Lulu (and Freyja, when she’s bigger) to bounce on when they come to visit. It was delivered and set up today, while they were visiting, and it was a beautiful sunny day too! Henry worked in the quiet of my sewing room, and J and I hung out with the girls in the sun on the deck and watched the man assemble the trampoline at the end of the backyard where it’s flattest. He got it done in time for Lulu (and Henry) to do some good bouncing before they had to go home.
Lulu loves fruit, so we ate blueberries and grapes and raspberries and clementines all day. :D
Good news! At long last I’ve finished recording Over Sea, Under Stone! Man. That took forever. Looks like I started it in October of 2020. Yikes. Well, it’s done now and ready for you to stream or download or subscribe to as a podcast. Enjoy! http://kayray.org/susan-cooper/
Now I can keep working on the next Betsy-Tacy book without the Drew children hanging over my head. :D
I’m eating my way though a 12″ veggie pizza today. Surely that will help me gain a little weight. Lovely gray drizzly day, and I’m cozy on the sofa under a quilt with my pizza and my book.
Bad sleep, woke up too early, felt rotten, did nothing all day except watch Dave unpack his multiple boxes of clothes into his new armoire. The man has a lot of clothes! :D
104 lbs this morning. My goal today is to work my way slowly through another burrito before dinnertime, and then eat some fruit and cheese or a salad or something. Need to ramp up the calories.
Got started on my south-facing deck container garden today! I’m using Gardzen Grow Bags. I have read, on many gardening blogs, that they work much better than pots. I’ve got a lot of ten-gallon ones for smaller veggies and a few 25-gal ones for tomatoes and zucchini. I have some seedlings started indoors to put out when it starts getting warmer, and today I planted spinach seeds and an experimental potato directly outside. For the potato, I cut a very tasty little store-bought organic red one into quarters and planted them in just a few inches of soil. If they come up, I’ll keep heaping more soil around the stalks and hope I end up with a bag of potatoes! My seedlings are cilantro, bell peppers, bush beans, pole beans, peas, about six varieties of tomato, sunflowers, onions, zucchini, and probably some other stuff that I’ve forgotten. I’ll also put some flowers out to attract pollinators. Fingers crossed!
We’ve got our new housecleaning team booked for April 6th. Very exciting! They are https://theshinerscc.com/ if you live in Portland and want an eco-friendly, family-tun cleaning service.
Nice long sleep. Keeping up my anti-nausea slow-eating campaign, I worked my way through another big veggie burrito all day and it went well — no nausea!
My beautiful Singer Featherweight has been having a stalling issue (won’t start sewing a seam until I crank the handwheel around to get it started) and since I’m currently between projects i googled for a good sewing machine mechanic with Featherweight experience (never take a Featherweight to a run-of-the-mill mechanic) and found Pam of PDX Vintage Sewing Machines, less than 2 miles away! She works out of her garage right in my neighborhood. Her garage is filled with vintage sewing machines of all descriptions and she clearly Knows Her Stuff! She diagnosed the problem right away: though my belt is new, Featherweights are finicky about belts. She tried a different belt and the problem went away. Lol. As long as I was there anyway I asked her to look it all over and give it a polish and wax. She says my machine is in excellent condition! She seemed really impressed. My Grandma treasured it (she bought it new in 1951) and I do too, so it should last forever. What 71yo machines do you use daily? It’s pretty special!
Then I picked up a big bag of drugs at the pharmacy and a stack of bathroom remodeling books from the library for Dave. We have an unfinished (just studs and plumbing) little master bath for him to work on.
Something funny — ever since I started eating little bites all day, I feel less fatigued in the afternoon. I’m still tired but I don’t CRASH. It’s almost like the human body requires a steady intake of fuel instead of waiting till I’m ravenous and eating one meal a day. *eyeroll at self*
Good news, everyone! I am continuing my grazing routine and have not experienced a speck of nausea all day. I started by eating a cherry tomato and a 1/4 slice of bread every half-hour. When Dave went to the good Mexican place for a lunchtime burrito I asked him to bring one home for me, and I’ve been eating one big bite every half-hour all afternoon. Genuine calories and nutrition! I guess my stomach prefers it this way. Fine with me — I’d rather eat bites all day while doing things than need to spend time just sitting and eating. Ho hum. Maybe I’ll start putting weight back on soon. 103 lbs this morning yikes. I’m practically transparent.
I finished sewing my green silk March Dress! I hemmed the skirt by hand, gathered it by hand, attached it to the bodice, attached the sleeve cuffs by hand, and it’s done! Well, I need to sew a care/size tag in but that can wait. I love it! So comfy and floaty and beautiful. I hope to get Dave to take a pic of me modeling it soon, but for now here it is:
Just right to wear if it’s ever again safe for us to go out to dinner :D I plan to make an every-day version in cotton next. I think seersucker or gingham would be super-cute! Pro tip that I just discovered: after gathering an edge, iron those gathers flat before you sew the gathered edge to another piece. Flattened gathers are SO much easier to sew. I can’t believe I never thought of it before.
We had the owner of a local cleaning company do a walkthrough and estimate for us today, and we’ll be setting up our first cleaning appointment soon. It’s a small, family-run, local company and they make their own eco cleaning products with vinegar and baking soda and other harmless things. Super-excited to get the counters and floors scrubbed soon.
No nausea when I woke up thank goodness. I decided to try something new: set a timer and eat one bite of something simple and nutritious every 15 minutes all day. I started with grapes, then later in the day I switched to cherry tomatoes for variety. In the evening I took a chance on a bite of string cheese with each tomato, and I ate a couple of clementines as well. It worked: no nausea all day. Of course, I probably didn’t ingest more than a few hundred calories but I also don’t feel like puking, so yay? Weighed 103 this morning. Argh. Yes, I’ll go to the doc if I can get an appointment. I was so sure that going off the carb/levo would fix me!
Eating tiny bites all day did seem to give me more energy than my usual system, which is to forget to eat all day and then have a somewhat substantial dinner. Or maybe it was just luck. Anyway, I was able to put in a few hours at my sewing machine working on my new dress before I got too tired. Finished the bodice; gathered and set in the sleeves; gathered the sleeves into their cuffs; created pockets; attached pockets to skirt. Lots of handsewing to do tomorrow!
Last night I had a little meltdown and sobbed all over Dave. Sometimes I just get so frustrated at my inabilty to do all the things I want to do and it really gets me down. Every day I wale up wanting to create and make and cook and do all the things, but I gwt so terribly fatigued after even the smallest exertion. Like yesterday just ironing a few yards of cloth made me fatigued enough to need a lie-down. ARGH.
Today I managed to finish cutting out the pieces for my new dress and I even got some of the bodice construction done. Tomorrow I’ll hand-sew the neckband and maybe get the sleeves gathered and pinned in place. That’s the plan, anyway.
Weighed 104 this morning. Still waiting for my appetite to return completely. It’s much better than it was but still not “normal”. Today I ate: an apple with goat cheese and a salad, my favorite Trader Joe’s salad with lots of greens, onions, tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and pine nuts. Some good nutrition there but still not enough calories to keep a mouse alive. Oh I just remembered that I also ate some ice cream, so there’s some more calories and fat and calcium.
Still rather tired all day so I didn’t do much. Went out in the morning to pick up meds and get more veggie seeds from the library, and then I started the seeds in tiny cardboard pots that will biodegrade in the garden. In the afternoon I went with Dave to the Ham Radio Outlet and the garden center for potting soil to fill up my grow-bags. Just need big trays to set them in and I’ll be ready for spring!
Henry came over tonight to swap cars and we had a chance to hang out and talk and stuff. So nice.
I started cutting out the pieces for my March Dress ( https://helensclosetpatterns.com/product/march-top-and-dress/ ) today. It’s a big job because I’m using a second-hand silk sari and silk is a PITA to work with. I got the sari all ironed and cut out the bodice, facings, and pockets but then I was too tired to continue so the sleeves and skirt will need to wait. The silk might be too fragile to make reliable pockets so I think I should line them with muslin but if I put the muslin on the inside it might peep through the pocket opening, and if I put it on the outside, the white might show through the skirt. I’ll have a little think…
Now that we’ve finished “24 Hours in Police Custody” we needed another good British police/hospital reality show. We tried a few that didn’t hit the mark, and then tonight we tried “Ambulance” on the BBC iPlayer and it totally scratched the itch! Lovely caring English people helping and rescuing other lovely English people. We started with s07e01, because that’s the earliest episode that the iPlayer has, but here’s a link to s01e01 on DailyMotion that you should be able to view in the US:
This morning I got my smog check done, which I need in order to register the Honda so I can give it to Henry. It was remarkably easy. In Oregon they have big official smog check stations. No appointment — you just drive up into one of several lanes, a friendly person does the check, you pay $25 and drive away 5 minutes later. Easy-peasy.
My appointment to finish the whole process is at the end of April. Gettin’ things done.
Let’s see, what have I done today… I ironed a few yards of beautiful jacquard linen with which I plan to make dish towels. (this one, until the link breaks. Got it on sale. https://www.fabrics-store.com/fabrics/linen-fabric-IL085-mlt-15-navel-orange-middle ) Emptied the compost bucket. Got the Roomba going (and rescued him when he got stuck under the same chair he always gets stuck under).
And then I sat in my comfy chair in the south window of the living room and read and read and read. Started one of the crime thrillers I got from the library yesterday: “Find Me” by Alafair Burke. A good solid page-turner.
Oh! I got hungry for lunch! I made and ate a quesadilla! That’s the most significant meal I’ve had in ages. I still only weigh 105 but I’m sure I’ll start to plump up again soon. Last night I got hungry at bedtime and ate a whole apple with a little log of goat cheese, which was my usual bedtime snack until the carb/levo destroyed my appetite. It’s so nice to have a little appetite again, and food has a taste again too.
Oh my god I had no idea how much better I’d feel off the carb/levo. Jesus H Christ. I feel cheerful again! I have small amounts of energy!
This morning I went to the library, our wonderful little branch that’s just a few minutes away and is open seven days a week. Got a stack of books for myself and a stack for Lulu. I like to have fresh books for her when she visits. And I got six more pinches of seeds from the seed library! Zucchini, cilantro, bush beans, and three kinds of tomatoes. Came home and started them in peat pots.
I remember soaking peat pots to start seeds in with my mom when I was about five. We had a terrifying, tumble-down greenhouse that smelled amazing but was full of spiders so I preferred to stay near the door.
And then I printed out my new dress pattern (the March Dress from Helen’s Closet here https://helensclosetpatterns.com/product/march-top-and-dress/ ), taped all the pages together, and traced off my size. I’m going to skip the decorative exterior front and back facing and just face the neck slit to the inside like normal, and I’ve lowered the front neckline by an inch because I know it will drive me insane up high like that. I know I SHOULD make a muslin (a practice garment of cheap cloth to check the fit) but I have a beautiful dark green silk sari that I got for $15 on etsy — that’s cheaper than buying four yards of plain cotton muslin, and the dress has a loose forgiving fit so I’m sure it will be fine. :D
And then I was tired so I’ve been sitting on the sofa watching the New Zealand version of Taskmaster. So good.
I slept straight through till 8:45am! I woke up feeling fine and got a lot of housework done before I got tired. The kids came over in the afternoon and we got Chinese food from the good place nearby. Henry helped Dave put up a big radio antenna in the yard, and I got lots of time with Jayla and the littles. Lulu is bright, happy, and busy; Freyja is trying hard to stand and she’s only six months old! All the clothes I sewed for them fit perfectly.
Stopping the carb/levo was definitely the right move; my low-grade depression has disappeared and I got hungry twice today! I’m not back to normal but I have hope.
Of course, now I have the RLS to contend with again. It hit hard while we were watching TV before bed so I had to kick and twitch and wriggle my legs and feet, but by the time we went to bed it was bearable.
We’ve finished all 9 seasons of 24 Hours in Police Custody that are on BritBox. I know there are more seasons out there but they don’t seem to stream anywhere. Grr.
Up early to go to my first appointment with my Portland primary care physician. Great experience! His PA Nicki (Ricki?) was very kind, and Dr Chen was excellent! He listened! We went over allllll my meds and he’s trying again to get insurance to cover the ones they rejected. My medical records had arrived that morning and he showed me the inch-thick stack (not exaggerating) and said he hadn’t had time to read it all yet — no kidding! Lol. He was familiar with the basics and we discussed the care I need from him — to monitor my thyroid and bloodwork, refer me for appropriate tests, see me every few months, set me up with end-of-life care when necessary. He kind of gently asked me if I knew what my prognosis is, and seemed relieved when he realized that I know exactly how bad it is. I told him I want minimal procedures and tests, and I just want to spend my time being comfortable. He totally understood. So that was a huge relief, cause I really didn’t want to find a different doc! It was hard enough to find him.
Oh and his clinic does their blood draws right there so I didn’t need to go to a lab!
It was so much fun driving my lovely Leaf EV :D
I got hungry twice today and my mood was much much better than it has been for the past couple of months. I had a little more energy, too. Dropping the carb/levo is working and I hope to be back to my regular level of discomfort soon. Ha.
Slept very badly again but I feel ok and even creative, so I spent a few hours sewing for the littles. I finished a warm outfit for Freyja and assembled the bodice of Lulu’s skater dress. And then I realized that I was tired and could stop without needing to clear away my projects! Oh, the luxury of a sewing room!
Now I’ve built a fire in the woodstove and am going to embroider, watch Taskmaster series four, and listen to a great audiobook I started while I was sewing: The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter.
Oh yesterday I finished The Floating Feldmans, another fantastic family novel by Elyssa Friedland. Loved every page. She is AMAZING!
It was gently sunny this morning and and now it’s gently raining. I can hear Dave having a zoom work meeting working in his basement Dave Cave. From my sewing room I watched him set up one of his portable ham radio antennae in the back yard. Lovely, lovely Dave. We’re still absolutely bonkers about each other. *heart eyes*
