Just a note.

Didn't take the muscle relaxer last night. Not drowsy at work today.

Also, another ten rounds or so added to the sleeve.

And I played with the dead people for about an hour and a half.

Calling it all a win. Night, y'all!

My BP is normal again!

A lovely 102/65. I am elated. I take this as a measure of how stressed my body was, lugging around all of those polyps. I have also lost six pounds since my surgery. I'm guessing four of them were the various bits and pieces scooped out of my uterus.

I discussed going off the muscle relaxer with my doctor this morning, and she reassured me that I was safe to do so, and that I could do it without tapering off. So I didn't take it an hour ago with my other nighttime meds, and I'm hoping that that relieves the drowsiness. Because while I adore the taste of Cherry Coke and have missed it enormously, it is not in my best interest as a diabetic to consume it on anything like a frequent basis.

We also discussed my origami toenails, and she asked if I needed or wanted help wrangling them. She said it ought to come under the heading of diabetic footcare, and she's recommended a podiatrist. Maybe when I lose the "significant amount of weight over the next three to five years" which my surgeon strongly recommended, I will easily be able to reach my toes. And maybe when that happens I will regain sufficient flexibility in my hips that it is not painful to do so.

A girl can hope.

Did a lot of dovetailed errands today. Doctor's appointment. Picked up Fourthborn since I was in town and dropped her off to deal with some paperwork of her own. Went to La Madeleine and got a personal-sized quiche Florentine to break my fast. (That spinach counts as one serving of vegetables, right?). Picked up Fourthborn and took her home. Found the UPS Store and returned an electronic something for Middlest. Drove to the bead store and bought four colors of beads in two sizes for the hem and cuffs of this sweater. Came home and took Middlest to the doctor for some lab work and a quick consultation. Came home and slept for six hours.

I've now been up for approximately two hours, have eaten another three servings of vegetables and a spoonful of ice cream, and came out here to double-check my knitting chart. The dishwasher is humming. I am not, because Middlest is asleep. Going back to my room to knit until I'm sleepy again.

Tomorrow could be an interesting day at work, but I'm hoping that between the nap and one less medicine, I won't be fighting drowsiness all morning. Wish me luck!

Good day at work. Much happy knitting at various times.

I need to go to bed half an hour ago, because I have my quarterly diabetes checkup tomorrow morning. I also need to reset my alarm, because I don't entirely trust myself to spring out of bed when the alarm goes off, and I need to bring in the trash and recycling bins before I scoot on down the road.

I'm a little crabby because I submitted two medical bills for reimbursement, and they were denied. I will have to resubmit them when I'm back at work, because I don't have the ability to make comments on PDFs here at home.

I might have mentioned it last night, but I'm going to ask my doctor if I can go off the muscle relaxer. I had to leave church after sacrament meeting on Sunday because I was so drowsy. And today I had to go down to the deli and buy a 20 oz Cherry Coke because the drowsiness was even more pronounced. (I only drank part of the bottle.)

My evening meds have kicked in. I'm outta here.

Moral heroes.

I want to be one when I grow up. I found this article in the NYT (my last free article of the month), and because I've disabled my platform on Facebook, I can't share it there. So I'll share it here.

In knitting news, I'm about 4.5 inches along on the second sleeve. It goes a lot faster when you know what you're doing.

In family history news, I spent about 4.5 hours linking records, mostly on my Elliott line. I thought for a minute that I'd discovered my fourth great-grandfather, but the record was for a soldier who'd fought in the Civil War, and my third great-grandfather had been gone for two decades. So, nope. But I did discover that one of my third great-grandfather's sisters was a knitter, and her daughter was a weaver (census records).

I spent the rest of the evening finishing the third Magnus Chase novel, and now I am going to listen to my scriptures, brush my teeth, and go to bed. I have to work tomorrow. And I hope to have enough spoons to go to Knit Night afterward.

And it came to pass(port)

We got Middest's passport photo taken yesterday. That was the one thing that absolutely needed doing, as far as I was concerned. And we did it. We'll take care of the paperwork after I get my Social Security check next month.

I did not quite finish the first sleeve on my sweater, but it's now the proper length, and the stitches are collected on a holding thread and cinched tight with the last of the ball of yarn inside. I've decided to finish off the cuffs and hem with beads, to counteract the tendency of stockinette fabric to curl upward at the top and bottom. In my stash there are beads of the perfect color; unfortunately, they are meant for laceweight yarn or tigertail or multiple strands of silk thread. So I will hit the bead store after my quarterly diabetes check later this week.

Meanwhile, I have begun the second sleeve, and if I follow my spreadsheet, I won't get lost and end up with mismatched sleeves. (Unless, of course, my gauge goes wonky.)

Best thing that happened at church today was one toddler's clear and enthusiastic "Amen!" at the end of the first sacrament prayer, followed by echoes from several other toddlers in rapid succession.

Less-good thing that happened was that I fought sleep all through the last half of sacrament meeting, notwithstanding my interest in the talks that were being given. I went home before Sunday School, texted my RS president to that effect, and was asleep shortly thereafter. My surgeon did warn me that the progesterone could make me drowsy. Several of my other medications could do the same, which is why I take those all at night. I might have mentioned here that I am feeling no pain, tension, or anything like unto it in my back. When I see my doctor next week, I'm going to ask if I can go off the muscle relaxer, and if so whether I need to taper off.

Time to go play with my knitting some more.

Blogging from my phone

Because I'm almost ready to call it a day, and I don't want to go back out to the living room and fire up the laptop.

Work was hard and intense and good. Hardly any traffic on the drive home.

Dinner was mostly leftovers from lunch, plus the last burger patty. Middlest sat across the table and kept me company.

Dessert was something like an hour of linking records to the husband of the great great aunt whose records I linked last night, and their kids, and their kids' spouses. I learned that Auntie was the second wife. First wife died young, and her two little girls didn't make their first birthdays. Sometimes this work breaks your heart.

I'm still soldiering away on the first sleeve of my sweater. I think I might have a little something left of this ball when I get to the cuff.

In really boring news, I trimmed my nails. Am hoping to get them painted this weekend. And get my hair trimmed. Big goal for tomorrow is to get Middlest's passport picture taken. Everything else is negotiable.

Night, y'all.

Tired but happy.

The "We're Related" app says that my friend Linda and I are possibly 7th cousins twice removed. Common ancestor back in 1668. Only problem is that back about 200 years' worth or so of generations,, there's some sloppy genealogy, and neither of us can find one of the links. Also, I find it hard to believe that one of the ancestresses, who was born in Maryland, wed in Maryland, and gave birth to several children in Maryland, made a quick hop overseas to have a daughter in England, then had several more children in Maryland. I look on that (as Dad would have said) with love and suspicion.

On the other hand, I spent half an hour or so linking records to a second-great-aunt, discovering her husband's name and the names of four children. Next time I jump back on Ancestry, I'll link records to him and see what pops up for their kids.

And I hope that Linda and I do find out that we're related. She's good people, and we've been friends almost 20 years. I'd be honored to claim her as kin.

I am thoroughly worn out by this snippet of obedience.Time to grab a snack and my knitting and a book.

Feeling human again.

Not-hurting is a wonderful way to feel. My workday was one of almost uninterrupted productivity. No, I'm not entirely caught up, and yes, I'm looking forward to a long weekend.

Knit did not happen. At least, it hasn't happened yet, and I'm almost ready to go to bed. Instead, I read and read and read, here a little on the laptop after catching up my spreadsheets, but mostly on my phone. I made a healthy dinner: salmon burger, sensible portion of mashed potatoes, and an Envy apple.

Last night I emailed the health club that I used to attend.

Me: Do you offer a senior discount?

Slick salesman: Good evening, I just received your email. When are you looking to get started? The reason I ask is because we have a promotion where it’s 50% off the joining fee. It started Monday and ends *tonight*. If interested, I can send you an online join link. Yes the membership gets you access to all the wonderful amenities you enjoyed before.

Me: Not ready to join yet. More like the middle of next month. Is there a senior discount? I'm 66.

Slick salesman: What’s your price point?

Me: Just give it to me in black and white. Regular dues. Senior dues. Thank you.

Slick salesman, after I'd crashed for the night: The lowest I’m able to go is $62 a month.

Me, after waking up this morning: Thank you for your time and courtesy. I will look elsewhere.

Not at all interested in paying slightly less than I paid before, when I couldn't get a straight answer to a simple question on the first try, and when I know there are several gyms around here that offer Silver Sneakers at less than half of his best price. I will also see if there's a discount through my corporate perks.

Time to listen to my Book of Mormon and maybe get in a round of knitting or two. I slept like a rock last night. Hoping for a repeat tonight.

Speed bump.

I did, indeed, go to bed early last night, setting the alarm for an hour after I normally take my evening meds. Woke up, medicated, and staggered off to the loo. Where I discovered a weird and tender bulge in my privates. Went back to bed, slept fitfully, and awoke to a seriously crabby perineum. Hurt to walk. Hurt to sit. Hurt like blazes to pee. And the bulge was significantly larger.

I discussed this with Middlest over breakfast. (There are very few topics off-limit chez Ravelled.) We agreed that I should call my doctor's answering service and see what could be done. I finished breakfast, showered and shampooed gingerly, dressed even more gingerly, put out the trash, and got into the Tardis. Called the answering service and left a message the good doctor. He called me back within a few minutes. I told him that I thought my pelvic floor had dropped. He told me that the surgery which had been scheduled for this morning had cancelled, and to please be in his office at 9:30.

I called in, said that I was going to see my doctor and that I'd be in afterward. I got to the clinic about 45 minutes early and spent that time reading articles on my phone. When he examined me, he discovered that the problem was a sponge that got left behind after my surgery. He carefully fished it out. Instant relief. Poor man was mortified. And furious with himself. I couldn't be angry with him. He noted my chart and made a note to himself to take it up with the doctor who assisted. "This should not have happened to you. And we need to make sure that it doesn't happen to any other woman under my care."

And then we discussed the pathology report. No cancer in the samples. However, what I have is endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, complex. What this means in layman's terms is that my obesity stores excess estrogen, which thickens the uterine wall. If I do not make significant changes in diet and exercise, I am at high risk of developing uterine cancer. In fact, he said, I had been as close to that line as it is possible to be without actually crossing it.

There are two ways to treat this. The conservative way is to begin taking progesterone and to lose a significant amount of weight in the next three to five years. The risks associated with taking progesterone are an increased chance of developing breast cancer. (And, given my experience with The Pill in the early 70's, plus all five of my children's reactions to progesterone, a high chance of developing some level of psychosis. I was hell on wheels when I was married to FirstHubby.)

The second way to treat this is to remove the uterus. I'm pretty sure that that is what I will ultimately choose, but I don't want another surgery this year, and I want to use my remaining PTO for fun things like vacations.

So tonight I will add progesterone to the other five pills that I take, and Middlest and I will monitor me for changes in my mental health, and part of next month's Social Security check will be dedicated to a gym membership.

My doctor said that some of the positive side effects of progresterone can be lessened anxiety, better sleep, and a more relaxed body. Make it so. And if I could have the fuller head of hair that I enjoyed during my pregnancies, I would be elated.

I need to do more research, but that's it for now. I am nowhere near as exhausted as I was last night, but I am tired, and I need to put my feet up, and I want to read, and I want to go to bed at a reasonable time. Later, gators.

First day back at work.

It was a good day, all things considered. No real pain, just endless slogging from one task to the next. I did get a surprising amount done, and any glory attached to that goes to Heaven and the guardian angels who were propping me up. (I asked for strength beyond my own, and I was too tired to feel the presence of Beloved or anyone else assigned to keep me out of the pool halls.)

I wore my new Gudrun shoes today. They're very comfortable, and I think I'll love them once I adjust to the difference in my stride.

Hit Costco on the way home, tanked the Tardis, and purchased five items that couldn't wait until Friday. Now I'm trying to decide (A) what to eat and (B) how soon I can go to bed.

Four more days and then a long weekend. I can do this.

Day four - cue the Ventures!

As in, wipe(d) out!

I made it through all three hours of church today in good shape. That was the goal. While there, I finished the heel and got a few rounds done on the instep. Then I came home, threw a sandwich together, grabbed a bottle of water, and headed north for the senior recital of SemperFi's younger daughter.

It was lovely. We met in the sanctuary of their church, and there was a good turnout to support her. That girl has pipes! She hopes to perform on Broadway, and I would not be at all surprised if she succeeds.

One of the songs that she sang was from the musical "Waitress." It was about life and loss and compromise. I might have cried.



And then I came home and slept for five hours. I'm spotting more heavily this evening. But at least it doesn't hurt to swallow, and I can get into and out of bed with relative ease.

Tomorrow I get to go back to work. I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those weeks where I do a lot of praying for strength. Guardian angels: gird yourselves!

Day three, post-surgery

In which your intrepid heroine attempts a field trip and partway succeeds. I'd been wanting to dash into a LYS to get some of those interlocking cardboard tubes designed to corral DP needles while in use. I also wanted to get my hair trimmed. I did a search in my checking account, and today is exactly two months since the last trim. This would have been a good day for it. However, as I walked back to the Tardis, my body said, thank you, and we're done for now. So I took a slightly roundabout way home (because: stubborn), ate a light lunch, and napped for about five hours.

While on the topic of hair, LittleBit is working at Ulta again. (Is it supposed to be all-caps, like IKEA?) And she is supposed to use her discount for family members, much like Squishy where he works. So after the surgery on Wednesday, and after we had refueled, we went to her store, and I bought what we thought was a bottle of fancy schmancy shampoo and a related conditioner but was in reality two different formulas of shampoo, one of which is not quite right for my hair.

I tried the first bottle yesterday, and today I have second-day hair that feels as good and as clean as it did yesterday. Pretty sure that I'm going to have to wash it before church tomorrow, but this is seriously cool. I guess I'm no longer buying grocery store shampoo. I'm still going to buy some of the neat shampoo I discovered when visiting my NY tribe in April, but that can be a treat for another time.

In reading news, I finished re-reading the second Magnus Chase book and have begun the third. Rick Riordan's writing (say that three times, fast) is dependably delightful.

In knitting news, I've turned the heel and picked up the gusset stitches on the first baby sock.

In recuperation news, I can get into and out of bed more easily than I have in weeks. My ab muscles have picked up the slack (tee hee), and it no longer hurts to swallow. I'm an hour past the usual time for my evening meds, so I'll say goodnight.

Day two, post-surgery

Noticeably better. I can swallow with only a shadow of discomfort. I can laugh without wincing. I can lever myself into and out of bed with relative ease, and I've only needed one nap today.

Took Middlest for the monthly checkup, then dropped off Rx's to be filled and delivered next week. On the way home we stopped at Kroger and picked up four cases of bottled water plus some toiletries. Neither of us had the spoons to bring the water in. We both agreed that I shouldn't even try, and Middlest is waiting until it's good and dark, because the temperature reached 94F this afternoon, while heat-sickness kicks in at 75F.

I finished rereading The Sword of Summer at ridiculous o'clock this morning and have handed it off to Middlest. I am now more than halfway through the second volume. I've also gotten the first baby sock to the beginning of the heel flap.

My appetite is a bit more erratic but a whole lot less demanding than it was yesterday. And I feel another nap coming on.

Day one, post-surgery

I doubt that I would have made much sense, had I posted when I got home yesterday.

The surgery went well. My doctor removed I-don't-know-how-many polyps and a fibroid, and samples of various bits have been sent to pathology. When I awoke, my throat was scratchy and dry, because they'd put a tube down it. I coughed a lot while in recovery, and ice chips have never tasted so good. The first few spoonfuls I let melt like a good little patient; the rest of them I chomped, because it was far more satisfying to have something I could chew.

I have no bruising where the IV went in, just one small red dot that is already smaller than when I got up this morning. My throat is still a little tender ~ it hurt to laugh at breakfast this morning, more in my throat than in my abs or my tush ~ and my abs think we're dying every time I try to get into or out of bed, which is why I'm taking a break from rereading The Sword of Summer to sit here and blog. My personal plumbing works just fine, which is a relief in more ways than one. I'm supposed to avoid greasy or spicy food for awhile, so no Pie5 with the doll-folk tomorrow night.

I don't have the attention span for knitting right now. I'm alternating reading with napping, scrolling through Pinterest, watching "Random Acts" on BYU TV on my phone, and playing Sudoku either on my phone or here on my computer. (My scores are abysmal, both in terms of numbers and the length of time it takes me to play a game. It would be depressing if I didn't know it's only temporary, because of the anesthetic and the insult to my body.)

They gave me Tramadol in the hospital, and it is wonderful stuff. I still have a nearly full bottle of industrial-strength ibuprofen from when my chair broke and dumped me on the floor. I took one of those last night before bedtime and another after breakfast, but my most recent dosage was a single regular-strength ibuprofen in late afternoon, and I don't think I'll need any more of it. The niggly spot in my back (the one I had PT for last year) is being humble and quiet, so overall I feel amazingly well, other than not wanting to knit. Or roll over too quickly.

I can feel another sleepy spell coming on, so I'm going to grab my evening meds, another half-mug of buttermilk, a handful of chocolate covered ginger, and see how long I'm out this time. Thank you for your prayers and positive thoughts.

Drama Mama.

No, not me. She was the ringmaster of two one-act plays put on by a bunch of kids in an extracurricular program that the daughter of one of my friends is in. I feel a little OK a lot guilty in retrospect, because a couple of weeks ago I completely spaced about BittyBubba's play or concert or whatever. I was in the throes of appointment after appointment after appointment, and tasks piling up at work and coming home exhausted.

Tonight I laughed hard, and it was fun. I stopped in at Half Price Books on the way home, hoping to find another copy of a cookbook I like, and while this store didn't have it, a nearby one does, and they will send it over. What I did find was a copy of my first treasured vegetarian cookbook, The Vegetarian Epicure, which is where I got my great spanakopita recipe. My first copy has been missing for at least ten years.

I managed to put several rounds on the sweater sleeve tonight, and the sleeve now comes down to roughly the crease of my elbow. I am not taking the sweater with me to the hospital tomorrow. I'm planning to take the baby sock. I won't weep if I have to frog a few stitches ~ or rounds ~ after coming out from under the anesthetic tomorrow afternoon.

Review of the new, lightweight compression socks that I recently ordered: I like the color options. They will do nicely for three hours of church, but they are completely inadequate for a workday. The elastic at the top is a little too snug and digs into my calf. That can't be good. So I will not reorder, and I will keep looking.

I have a little over half an hour in which to enjoy drinking cool, clear water. I'm going to make the most of it.

Oye with the poodles already!

We were short-handed today, so worklife got a little crazy. If by "a little crazy" you mean having to file an answer that was due at 10:00 for an attorney I back up, who I met up with heading to his desk at 9:51. I got that puppy filed at 10:01, technically late but the best I could with what I was dealt.

Then SemperFi got assigned two new cases with the answer due next Monday, and I won't be here to work on them after tomorrow. I'm hoping to get them wrangled so that somebody can file them in my absence. And my new attorney got a past-due case where the answer was due at 10:00am but the people who were supposed to get us certain information so we could enter the case, didn't provide it until sometime this morning. And it was on the other half of her docket, but my partner in crime was out today, so I got to take care of it. I'm almost done cleaning up discovery for the paralegal and am determined to finish it tomorrow. Then there were reports that got sent to claims over the weekend, that I had to do my bit on. And a report for the attorney I back up, who always leaves things until the last minute, that I had to wrangle.

Miraculously, my shoulders are in fairly decent shape, and my back didn't go into spasm.That one's taken care of. But if I were still a drinking woman, today would have been a day for it. I blasted zydeco in the Tardis all the way home, and I'm about to grab a Ben & Jerry's slice and head to my room with my knitting and a book or three. I am one tired mama. Middlest is sawing logs in the middle bedroom. I hope to be asleep by 10:00. Wish me luck.

So, I've had a blessing.

I won't share the details, but it was as specific and as detailed as I could have wished, and I am now, finally, entirely at peace about my surgery this coming Wednesday.

In knitting news, I'm continuing to make progress on the sweater sleeve. I've just spent most of the afternoon finishing the third book in the "Trials of Apollo" series. I love Rick Riordan's writing. I'm also reading Stephen Fry's Mythos, which is an entirely different irreverent retelling of the Greek myths. But for now I'm about to get back to work on that sleeve.

Mother's Day at church was actually enjoyable. My friend Beth gave a great talk, as did one of the good brothers. Best part was the Primary children singing a song I'd never heard before, "Courage to Be a Mother." I'm not finding it on Google, so it may have been written by a brother in our ward. There was no traditional candy bar at the end of sacrament meeting, and I was thinking "What gives?" all through Sunday School, but after opening exercises in Relief Society, the Young Men came in bearing trays with bowls of ice cream, slices of bundt cake, and plastic-ware.

I'm hungry again. Later, gators.

Thought you might like to hear something positive.

The stomach pain has abated. I am grateful (and hope to remain so) for however long that lasts.

The sleeve is not arguing with me. The new 16" circ that I bought on Wednesday is exactly the right length to accommodate those stitches for now, and I have a 12" needle should I need it as decreases continue. Also, I checked and rechecked my work, and I did not work the cable cross on the wrong round. I am zipping along, listening either to scriptures or Conference addresses on my phone. This one, from President Nelson back when he was one of the newer apostles in 1989, seems equally relevant for today:

LittleBit has confirmed that she has next Wednesday off and will be able to get me to and from my surgery. We've worked out a timeline that builds in plenty of room for error, in case of additional complications to normal rush-hour traffic. My stress level is significantly reduced.

Bills are paid or scheduled. Cosco run happened this morning, and I've enjoyed a lengthy nap. I'm going to grab one of the many books which has arrived in the past week or two and read until I'm ready to sleep.

Night, y'all.

Bleagh.

From yesterday's post on FB:

Another day in which a ridiculous amount of stuff got done in 3.5 hours at work, followed by multiple appointments in the afternoon, followed by a light breakfast-for-dinner at IHOP while waiting for rush hour to end, followed by a leisurely and mostly stress-free drive to the one yarn shop in BigD that's open late on Wednesday to pick up Chiaogoo circs in the size I'm currently using but in different lengths, followed by picking up dinner for Middlest, followed by great conversation, followed by jammies and bringing in the laundry that I hung to dry in the garage [Tuesday] night, followed by a stomach that wants me to get dressed again and go out for steak and a baked sweet potato.

Me: if you'll accept the ginger cookies and buttermilk that I'm sending down now, instead, and you and Bladder let me sleep all night, and you don't grumble about a healthy breakfast and sensible snacks at work tomorrow, we can go to Saltgrass on the way home tomorrow night and have steak and sweet for dinner tomorrow and leftovers for Friday night.

Stomach: I can't promise that Bladder is going to cooperate, but I trust you, and I'll do my best.

***

Here's how that played out:

Stomach: Feeling a little sore. Have we eaten? Please send down food.

Me: OK [eats a little something]

Stomach: Hey, I'm still achy. Please send down more food.

Me: Are you sure? We just ate.

Stomach: Really? I can't tell. Please send down more food.

Me: OK [eats something else]

Stomach: Why are you ignoring me? I hurt. I need some love. Or at least some food.

Me: I. Just. Fed. You.

Stomach: No, you didn't.

Me: Let's take a stroll to the loo, and then a brisk walk around the gallery. Maybe that will help.

Stomach: That didn't help. Feed me, Seymour!

Me: It's half an hour until lunch. I'll feed you then. Although I'm not sure where you'll put it.

Stomach: No! [stamps foot] I want it now!!!!!

Me: Calm down, Veruca. I don't know why I put up with you. [goes downstairs to the deli and orders a chicken salad sandwich, which is light enough to not sit like an anvil in my midsection and maybe, just maybe, sufficient to satisfy Stomach]

Stomach: That was good. Thank you.

Me: You're welcome. Can I get back to work now?

Stomach: Why didn't you get me any cookies? We love her chocolate chip cookies!

Me: Yes, we do, but you don't need cookies.

Stomach: But I want cookies! [stamps foot again]

Me: No cookies. Put on your big girl panties. I have work to do.

Stomach: Ugh. I'm so full. Why did you eat so much? It's not Thanksgiving or anything.

Me: [typety typety type]

Bladder: [quietly] I need to go potty.

Stomach: You're such a drama queen!

Me: [sighs]

Obviously, there was no field trip to Saltgrass after work tonight.

Pretty sure that this is just pre-op anxiety. Maybe Stomach is worried that my doctor can't tell the difference between a stomach and a uterus, and that both are going to get cleaned out next week. I just know that I've had three days now of intermittent bellyache (no nausea, just low-level pain}, and it's wearing me out.

Life is, nevertheless, good. I came home tonight, put on my jammies, set the alarm for when it's time to take my meds, and now I'm going back to bed.

My stomach, however, might have other ideas.

It hurts. Not cramps, but a sharp, persistent OW! which began after lunch and has been lurking in the background off and on all afternoon. I woke up this morning with a deficit of spoons and was still, by the grace of Heaven, remarkably productive. I even managed to scan three receipts for the next flex-account reimbursement.

Messaged Fourthborn and my knitting group that I was knackered and heading straight home. I've drunk a mug of buttermilk, eaten half a chocolate muffin and five or six pieces of chocolate covered ginger, and the ache is back.

When the going gets tough, the tough start a load of laundry. All of my compression stockings and all of my dark Gudrun pieces are dancing an aquatic tarantella. It's probably about time for me to grab a bunch of hangers and shuffle out to the garage.

Well, that was weird. Apparently the cure for a wibbly tummy is to stand in an uncomfortably warm garage, hanging up one item at a time, until the washer is empty. When I go back out there tomorrow morning, I'm reasonably sure that what I want to wear to work will be dry and happy (and if it is not, I have something else to wear). Right now I'm back at the computer, a second mug of buttermilk to my left and the other half of the chocolate muffin to my right.

I still have zero desire to knit, which leads Middlest to believe that I'm coming down with something, or that the malaise that knocked me out last Thursday is coming back for another go. I just need to get through half a day of work, go do my pre-op visits, and come home again. With any luck, the Social Security Administration wasn't kidding when they said that my benefits start tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I'm going to read a little, take my meds a bit early, and try to be asleep around 10:00.

The Cardi is still behaving.

I played a wild game of yarn chicken with the second ball of yarn. Finished a row on the body with about two yards to spare, then put those stitches on hold and prepared to start the first sleeve.

It's slow going at the moment, because I'm switching out circs about every other round, trying to find the best one for the job. What I need is a 16" circ. The 9" circs that I bought are too short at this point; the Addi Natura cable is too stiff; the 40" Chiaogoo is too short for Magic Loop with this many stitches; so I'm using a 60" HiyaHiya and hoping to pick up a 16" needle when I'm off for my pre-op visits on Wednesday.

Work went remarkably well today. I am feeling marginally caught up and only mildly frustrated with a couple of things over which I have no control and minimal influence.

I even managed to do two loads of laundry tonight, one of which is in the dryer, and the other is hanging to dry out in the garage because it was 92F when I got home tonight.

This is the part where I bring my spreadsheet up to date, take my evening meds, and call it a day.

The Cardi is behaving.

Most likely because I am counting stitches every couple of rows. I just completed the sixth cable row, updated my spreadsheet, then realized that I hadn't entered the numbers on my balance sheet (different spreadsheet; if you've been a reader for any length of time, you'll know that I'm mad for spreadsheets) for the end of April. So those are done.

Firstborn and I picked up quilt blocks this morning. Middlest was out with the king of all migraines, and Fourthborn suspected that she was coming down with something, so it was just the two of us. After that, Firstborn and I walked over to the little cafe on the corner and had breakfast and talked about everything and nothing for about an hour. She's busy with work and church and Junior League. I'm busy with work and church and knitting and Middlest.

Most first Saturdays, she brings Fourthborn and I bring Middlest, we pick up our blocks, everybody hugs, we might talk for ten minutes, and then she and Fourthborn go back to Arlington while Middlest and I run any errands between the quilt shop and home, unload the Tardis, and crash. Today we really connected, and it was wonderful.

I've had a shortish nap, added five or six rows to the Cardi throughout the day, listened to a couple of chapters of the Book of Mormon on my phone, and read several chapters in Mythos. I also dashed out just before dusk to Braum's for more milk, buttermilk, and orange juice.

Not sure what I want to do next, other than not-knitting. (No, I'm not running a fever. I just want to do something different until I feel sleepy.) Which, apparently, is now. It seems that my eyelids are as suggestible as my kidneys.

Where did those two weeks go?

Oh yeah. I was carefully tinking back eight to ten rows on my Cardi Cozy. I'm pleased to report that all mistakes have been fixed ~ including the two messed up cable crossings I discovered on Tuesday, which got taken care of at Knit Night ~ and I have finally reached the point where the sleeve sections are on holding threads, the underarm stitches have been added with a provisional cast-on, and I'm two rows into the body of the sweater.

Work has been OK-to-good. I was more or less caught up when I left the office last night after a day in which I constantly fought the urge to sleep. I awoke reluctantly this morning, got ready for work, got about halfway there and thought better of it. So I called in (but to the wrong number), came home, and went back to bed.

I'm bleeding again. Correction: I was bleeding again on Tuesday and yesterday, but it seems to have stopped. I don't know if this the cause of my lethargy or if it's something else. I'm devoutly hoping that the hysteroscopic surgery in two weeks will be a permanent fix, and that I will feel an immediate improvement in my overall health and energy.

I've missed you guys. I've had things that I wanted to say. Creative blog titles. Books I've wanted to read. Interminable meetings at work. A little more anxiety than usual. A body that wants to sleep and a brain that wants to play. Too many nights staying up until almost midnight when I need to get up at 6:00am.

Throughout it all I've felt my Savior's love as well as the normal range of human emotions. I want to get my life back on track (whatever that is) so that there's time for all of the important stuff. But for now I'm heading into the kitchen with the plates from our pizzas, running the dishwasher, and settling in on my bed with General Conference on my phone, and a sweater which is (maybe) the only part of my life that is back on track.

Later, gators. I'm really tired. (But not depressed. I remember depressed.) Prayers and positive thoughts most gratefully accepted.