Thursday, May 21, 2009



Well, the new refrigerator is humming along, keeping things cool and making ice (a truly underappreciated skill, no one in my family seems to be able to do it). I can't ask for more. Things are falling back into place.


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My last post really wasn't a poorly disguised plea for fiber. I really do have enough to keep me busy for a good long while. I am not a fast spinner or knitter so it doesn't take much. I have been trying to work on Em's sweater at night and have finished the shoulders and put the sleeves on waste yarn and am working my way through the waist decreases and increases. Pk thinks it looks small but I reminded him that Em is not very big and it's not supposed to fit like a bathrobe. I like the way it's looking. Wendy writes such nice, clear pattern instructions that it's easy even for someone like me who doesn't make many sweaters.


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When I got home yesterday, late because the train I was on suffered mechanical failure right after coming off the bridge and going into the tunnel (only way it could have been worse is if we had stopped on the bridge) and sitting there for 45 minutes until we limped into the station and had to get off and crowd onto the next already over crowded train, there was a package waiting for me. It was from amy and it was filled with strength, peace, space and fun. She sent me a candle that smells soft and beautiful, a rose quartz heart, a magnet about the power of a woman's heart and a henna tattoo kit. The candle is making my bedroom smell sweet, the magnet is on the new fridge reminding me that I am a Wood Woman and can handle anything I have to, the rose quartz heart is in my pocket reminding me that people out there really do care and the henna tattoo kit is waiting for a day when I can play. It was a thoughtful pick-me-up kind of gift and greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, Amy. Pk said he was a little jealous but thought it was so nice that I had friends who would think of me like that. I told him I was indeed a lucky woman.


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If the warm, sunny weather holds through this evening, we are planning dinner in the park. Just sandwiches and chips but they taste so much better when we are sitting by the river watching the sun go down. We have no real plans for the long weekend. There are assorted chores to do but I think we'll take it slow and make sure there's plenty of time to play and nap and eat and relax. When I was a kid, our family had large Memorial Day barbecues and we always went swimming. it didn't matter if it was warm or not, Memorial Day was the first swimming day of the summer and we didn't want to miss it. I'm pretty sure we won't be swimming this year. I think we'll probably take down the pool. It's an expense to open it up and it takes some work to keep it clean all summer. No one seems to want to do the work and we just don't use it as much as we did when the girls were little (I used to call it my "playpen filled with water"). I am torn about this because I have always had a pool, ever since I was a kid. I guess I figured I always would have one. It feels like I'm letting go of something I've held onto for a long time. It's making me think of other things that maybe I hold onto because I always have, things that hold no real importance other than the fact that they have always been there.


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Ok. Backing away from the deep thoughts. It's only 8 o'clock in the morning. It's time to check the phone messages and get set up for my group this morning and to write treatment plans. I have about 10 more to do in May (I've already done 20). Treatment plans are written for everyone who takes a psychotropic medication (although I'm not sure why I as a Case Manager write them and not the doctor who prescribes the meds) and they are updated every 17 weeks. I have 103 clients so you can see that I spend a lot of time writing treatment plans. Each one takes about a half hour on our new system. I'm getting comfortable with it but it's cumbersome and not user friendly.
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So, have a good Thursday! (it feels like Friday and I'm going to be really disappointed when I get up tomorrow and realize I have to go to work).


7 comments:

amy said...

Tell PK I was thinking of him too but couldn't figure out what to send to him! I'm glad it was a nice pick-me-up, although I wish the train hadn't added to an already long day.

Interesting, on the pool. We do tend to just hold on to things out of habit. I am trying to clean up and move things out, but it's a very slow process with a baby around.

Bezzie said...

My two sisters and I were musing on the whole Lower 48 pool/swimming phenomenon. People think we're crazy for not knowing how to swim. But in Alaska, it's too cold for outdoor pools, indoor pools are few and far between, and you simply do NOT go swimming in the ocean (some lakes are OK...). You grow up knowing that if you fall in the ocean/water--you're dead of hypothermia in 7 minutes anyway.
It's a novelty to me to have neighbors with pools!!!
When you get rid of yours I'll dub you an Honorary Alaskan ;-)

Galad said...

We've never had a pool in all the years I've been in Arizona. We are not good maintenance kinds of people and pools do take some upkeep.

It is hard to make changes from traditional habits and practices we have become comfortable with!

As for yarn - never thought you were making a plea. I was just offering fibery support for making the electrical fix a priority :-)

DrK said...

its friday here when i am reading this, if that helps xx

Amy Lane said...

What a lovely, lovely gift from amy! (Sometimes having a smooth, quartz rock in your pocket can be really soothing. I have one from my daughter that I wear all the time!)

Bells said...

those sorts of surprise packages full of kindness and good thoughts are so invaluable. I love hearing your thoughts on being strong. They help me feel stronger.

We are strong, resilient women and we need to remember that.

MadMad said...

Loving the thoughts on the pool thing. It is funny how much of life we do "just because." I will be thinking today about what things I do only because I've always done them! Have a great weekend.

Happy Sunday!  I am sitting here working on my sweater made with the cashmere yarn my husband gave me for my birthday last year. I’m further...