Best Buddies

After banishing Bib,the cat, out of the house a couple of weeks ago, for fear of her mistaking Jack for a mouse,we decided yesterday to let her back in. First of all Jack now weighs close to two pounds and certainly is not the size of a mouse anymore and secondly temperatures are in the single digits and even below zero with the windchill that i just could not leave her out there anymore.I propped the door open to the studio for her to go into but its not heated so its just as cold in there.

Anyhow, after letting her back in the house we introduced Jack to her. After a curious sniff and lick (its a little fuzzy):

she took right to him (i think the smell of milk on his breath helped too):

even sharing the couch with him for a nap:

I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

I'm so pleased with this little cat,she is so easygoing and gentle, I'm glad she came to our family.

On the yarny side of things there is nothing new to report. I'm working on a steady string of custom sock orders which keep me very busy. I've not had the chance to do any weaving or spinning, or dyeing or carding for that matter.Maybe in the spring things will slack off a little, i really would like to get to weaving a little, I've been using the kitchen towels i made last year and i absolutely love them.I also want to make several for gifts for the coming ( yes, it is coming again ,even though a while off) Christmas. This time I'll be prepared!!

I'd also like to get to spin a little,i have this very luxurious ,super soft,merino/silk/polwarth/alpaca/corriedale mix I'd like to dye in some fallish colors and spin up into a fingering weight yarn and weave into a soft ,light shawl.

But,for now, knitting socks it is and I'm very content doing it.

Boniva Disaster/Order Delays/Jack

So far not a good start into the New Year!

I had to go get a "BONIVA" shot last Tuesday and it didn't turn out so well.

Since i can't use my left arm for that (no no 'cause of the lymph notes i had taken out ) only my right arm is available .Unfortunately over the last 5 years I've been stuck so many times that I'm running out on veins.

I also made the mistake not drinking enough that day so i was a little dehydrated by the time i got to the doc's office.

I'll spare you all the gruesome details of the many tries by the nurse (who is usually a good sticker) to hit a vein.
Finally after the third try at different places (blew one vein on the side of my elbow) she hit one at the left side of my wrist. It hurt like hell when she squeezed the medication in but i just sucked it up 'cause i wasn't going to be stuck again. By the time i got home my thumb was totally numb.ODD! Next morning i was in somewhat of a little pain and my arm had swelled up around the injection site.I put warm wrap around it, took some Motrin and hoped for the best. Wrong!!

By next morning, more swelling, more pain and my arm felt hot to the touch; more Motrin and warm wraps. By Thursday afternoon i got scared,my arm and hand had swelled to more than twice the size was tight as a drum ,red ,very painful and hot to the touch.

normal hand:

not so normal hand:

of course by now the doc's office is closed until Monday .Great!

couldn't use my hand/arm at all. John did the cooking, washing dishes and everything else. On top of that we had both grandbabys over new years .Fortunately they are good babys and it worked out all right.John helped out a lot.

I was debating Friday morning to go to the emergency room at the hospital. I called both local hospitals for an estimated waiting time and was told between 4-6 hours!! No way!!!

So i just took some more pain pills and laid on the couch all day because by now i didn't feel so good all around.By Friday night i felt a little better and it seemed that the heat in my arm had gone down some.By this morning it's a lot better but i think it'll take about another week for it to go all the way back to normal, my thumb is still numb.I'm supposed to get one of these shots every three month. Guess what?! It's not going to happen!!! Doc 's gonna have to think of something else or i just have to live with my brittle bones!!! (can't take the Boniva pills since I've already got a bad tummy and the pills are very bad for that).I googled about those kind of problems and found a lot of people have severe sideffect on this stuff.So if your doc mentions this to you as an IV 'beware'.

At least i can hold a knitting needle again today and i apologise to my customers who have orders waiting, I'll get them done as fast as possible.

On the good news side, Jack the bottle puppy is doing great. he weighs 1#3 oz, and has his eyes open:

he'll be three weeks old by next monday.He still sleeps most of the time. can't wait until he gets more active. Theire great fun when they get to be about 5-6 weeks old.