Notes from church.

So, yesterday I cleared off the bed. The following was the inspiration that came to me during my friend Andrea's talk in sacrament meeting. I listened with one ear and thought with the other.

Set goals that will enable me to finish the month of July with a room that is neat, clean, and orderly.

I don't understand why homemaking is so hard for me. When the kids were little, that was one reason. I was outnumbered, overwhelmed, and underfunded. As the nest emptied, it didn't get much easier. But it was all my own mess.

Anxiety meds have helped, significantly. And now two of my kids have moved back. They brought a lot of stuff with them, and their stuff is only a very small part of the problem. The mess and the clutter and the chaos is mine. With Heaven's help I can do better. I might even be able to conquer this before I go Home.

(At which point I resumed taking notes on the talks my friends were giving.)

I'm pleased to say that I had a great, relatively brief nap this afternoon. I've read a few articles in The Economist, listened to a couple of General Conference addresses, a podcast about insincere apologies, determined that a reference book on the Gospels can go back out into the bookcase in the living room since we start on Acts tomorrow, finished a chapter in the first volume of Saints, reneged on my intention to write members of Congress about the warehoused children on our southern border, read an article by Dr. James Dobson that gives a slightly different perspective on the problem, and pondered the uproar among liberals for Wayfair selling mattresses to provide for those kids. Which seems to me to be a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. I'd be happier about it if they'd donated the mattress, but I can't fault them for remembering that they are a business.

There's a lot bouncing around in my head right now. I need time and space and peace to think about it all. But for now I'm going to take 15 seconds to clear off my bed (because it shouldn't take much longer after yesterday's efforts), turn off the lights, and let Heaven and my subconscious wrangle with it all.

Gack.

This will probably be written in stages. The alarm clock said that I slept for seven and a half hours. My body said otherwise. And my dreams were more weird than usual. I was attending church in an unfamiliar building with a huge parking lot, on Easter Sunday, wrapped only in a towel. I left the meeting right after taking the sacrament, because I didn't want anyone to notice(!). And then I couldn't find my car. And it was raining and very, very dark. My dad drove up to help me look. He's been gone almost 30 years. I have no idea what all of that means. I just woke up feeling dazed and slightly dark.

~~~

In which your intrepid heroine spends a couple of hours listening to "Revisionist History" while turning worn out, unsalvageable items into rags. Because she needs to clear off the bed, dust the headboard, throw away the old cheap comforter that's been living inside the nice Pottery Barn duvet cover since after Beloved's funeral, likewise the flannel sheet with holes engraved into it by her alligator heels, wash and put away the duvet cover until winter, when maybe there will be sufficient progress on the honey-do list to justify a nice duvet filler from IKEA.

All this because a cup of the sherbet from hell tipped over and spilled mango raspberry fire onto the partially shredded sheet (and the otherwise impeccable duvet cover). Thus forcing her to finally deal with the archaeological dig which is her bed.  PSA: the raspberry mango spicy sherbet from Braums is evil, and you have been warned.

~~~

I've spent the better part of the day sorting out my bed. Clothes hung up; compression socks that had escaped my notice are now matched, rolled up, and in the sock drawer; old comforter extricated from the duvet cover, which is currently tumbling in the dryer; a load of whites washed and waiting their turn; half an issue of "The Economist" devoured and almost ready for recycling; a few rows of knitting; etc. etc. etc.

I learned something while wrangling the duvet cover. It has ribbons sewn into the inside corners to hog-tie whatever one chooses to insert.

Old dog. New tricks.

I am going to need my muscle relaxer tonight. I've been using my phone as a Fitbit. It thinks I've only walked seven steps today. My feet would argue otherwise, but my pajama pants don't have pockets. So it really is true about lies, d@mn lies, and statistics.

PS: I'll have to do a bit more reorganizing in my boudoir before I can lay hands on the lambswool duster. It's around here somewhere...

Sundry bits of progress.

I think I mentioned in my big, catch-up post that I'd received a certified letter about Lorelai's having been towed. I was finally able to connect with an authority figure at the towing company to determine that the registered owner (no longer me, for something like two years) has also been contacted.

There will be another certified letter in the next few days, because I'm still listed as a former owner on the state's system, and I can safely ignore it.

I just didn't want to be the reason that the new owner never got notice of whom to contact to free Lorelai from car jail.

I've lost another two pounds through improved diet and increased movement. Furthermore, the weird drowsiness and incessant appetite have disappeared. I think my wonderful doctor will be pleased when I see her in August.

I've struggled for years with being on time for work, averaging slightly over one tardy per month. In January I was successful every blessed day. I rewarded myself by splurging on three new lipsticks and two lip pencils.

February, March, April, and May were pretty sad. But I met my goal for June, and this month's reward will be art supplies. There's a YouTube artist I follow who draws Zentangle tiles. To shade some of them, she's used aquarelle (watercolor) graphite pencils. I am charmed! I already have a healthy supply of colorful aquarelles. I've been playing with them for almost 30 years.  I've also been trying my hand with Zentangle. It's slow going, because I have to be in the mood, and mostly I'd rather knit.

I think of it mostly as a way to train my hand and eyes. I've seen a charming landscape created from various doodles, and once I have a better grasp of how to draw and combine them, I'd like to try doing still life drawings incorporating them. They appeal to the part of my brain that likes math, logic puzzles, and whimsy.

My phone wants to call it a day. It's down to 29%, and frankly so am I. Looking forward to a good night's sleep and some solid puttering tomorrow.

Mad dogs and English ma'ams.

The kids are playing some sort of video game behind me. So I have access to the computer.

It was a really, really good day. I took a little time before lunch and walked to the Records Building with various pieces of paper. Diana is now titled in my name and reflects the lien from my credit union. I could have had another baby* in the time it took to get the paperwork straightened out.

*Well, if Beloved were still mortal, and I were two to four decades younger.

I still have not been able to speak with the one person who theoretically can help me get information to Lorelai's new owner about where she (Lorelai, not the owner) was towed and how to get her out of car jail.

But for now I'm going to take my meds and try to be asleep in ten minutes or less. I only got five and a half hours of sleep last night, because of distraction. I'm hoping for eight hours tonight. I did compensate for the lack of sleep by logging almost 5,000 steps throughout the day. Tomorrow I'd like more rest and less trudging.

Night, y'all.

Productive day with no nasty surprises

I've eaten sensibly today, traveled safely, and gotten stuff done at work. Right now I am contemplating a plate with the last four strawberries and a fat handful of cherries. It is balanced atop a mug of V8.

There's been some knitting, with time to do a little more before bedtime if I choose. I don't have the ambition to draw or make music tonight.

Today I submitted this month's medical receipts for reimbursement. I was a little surprised that it won't entirely use up the balance in my fund.

And I finished straightening out some weirdness with an old, closed credit card. That account has been closed for over fifteen years. When I got the notice, in my prior married name, regarding opting out of their arbitration agreement, I thought at first that I'd been hacked.

I went to a local branch yesterday, where I was informed by a teller that the account was closed but had been racking up interest over the years with a balance now owing of $3700!!! So I waited and waited to speak with the only banker on duty, and he gave me a number to call.

I did that today. She reassured me that the account was closed, that I had paid the balance in full, and that I owed them nothing.

Whew!

So all I need to do now is get word to Lorelai's registered owner on who towed her and how to get her out of car jail. Because the notice got sent to me. Apparently s/he never bothered to get me off the title.

We've all calmed down about the pending dental work and are waiting to hear back at wonderful dentist's convenience.

It's been a much better day in my neighborhood.

Still breathing.

Andrea, thank you for the lovely comment that you left.

I miss blogging. I'm trying to figure out how to shoehorn all the things I want to do into my day, and great chunks are falling to the wayside.

Part of this is because of how much time I'm spending in the scriptures because of "Come, Follow Me." Some of it is because we moved Fourthborn in, in stages, and that took up a bunch of April and May.

She's all moved in, and I'm delighted, as is Middlest. We haven't had the chance to do the garage remodel, so currently Fourthborn is camped out in the living room, as she has been when she's visited ever since Middlest moved in. She's no longer sleeping in a pallet on the floor, or on one or the other of the geriatric cots that I inherited from Beloved. We have a very nice secondhand mattress for her, and she's significantly more comfortable.

However. Her bed is about two feet from my computer, and all three of us are on significantly different sleep schedules. If you can call them that. I learned to type on a manual typewriter, and I type loudly. Right now I'm swyping on my phone, which has its own challenges.

I'll try to bring y'all up to date before my evening meds kick in. Earlier this month, Middlest and I visited our friends in Tennessee and brought home the last dab of stuff. The living room and dining room look like an active game of Tetris.

We saw the ducks march at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. I could get used to valet parking and five star service.

I bought the lap harp that I fell in love with on our previous visit. I've tuned it and am learning to play "Rock of Ages." I bought two skeins of souvenir yarn.

I've downloaded an app and am tracking all sorts of stuff. Because of that, I'm making better choices about what I eat. I've lost a (very) few pounds.

We had an active shooter in downtown Dallas a week ago Monday. They evacuated our building, which is kitty corner to the Federal Building. I went home and dug out the banjo and knitted.

This Monday we had some clueless guy who parked his semi by the Federal Building  and wandered away. That shut down the central business district for about four hours. I was able to get into our parking garage, and before it was time to log in, they told us to evacuate. No bomb in the semi, and we reopened at 11, which made for a short and frustratingly unproductive day. I was rather cranky on the way home.

Today I'm off, because we had our every four month dental cleanings. Our wonderful dentist is quite ill, but there is hope. The substitute is very professional, and she recommends a boatload of work on each of my bipolar bears, to the tune of approximately ten grand. I was ready to weep by the time it was my turn in the chair.

I've quietly requested that our dentist review the treatment plans and X-rays, determine how much of this is urgent, and prioritize everything.

It looks as if Fourthborn will be camping on the floor awhile longer and the garage revamp may get pushed back until next year.

That's all I've got for you at the moment. I need to swig more buttermilk, as dinner is sending up a few fireworks. Imagine that!

What I've been up to.

Discovering that I really, truly, do not like jazz. I knew that last week's concert was not going to be bluegrass, because Chick Corea is not a famous bluegrass artist. I knew that Bela Fleck pushes the boundaries for banjo, because I read a lot. I am glad that I went. And I left after the first set, because my feet had begun their "get me out of here" dance.

The Majestic Theatre is a beautiful venue, and I hope that future adventures take me there again. The seats are comfortable, and the acoustics are good. My two favorite songs they played were improvisations on two piano sonatas by Scarlatti. I'm not sure that there's any Italian (instrumental) composer I do not like. Respighi is almost but not quite too modern (i.e., shapeless, dissonant, and painful). I like his "Pines of Rome" and companion pieces, and I don't know if I've heard anything else of his. Rossini, Scarlatti, and Vivaldi? Bring it on!

We've already established that I don't have much patience for opera, largely because of how uncomfortable the seating is at the Winspear Opera House. I loved Carmen. Even though I found the choreography a bit shocking. I loved "The Marriage of Figaro," because it was simulcast, and I got to see the singers' faces and the costumes clearly.

So I paid a modest amount to hear technical virtuosity, and I learned more about what I do and do not like in music, and I had an adequate but unmemorable dinner out beforehand, and a great experience with the valet parking, and I met another fiber artist in the loo after dinner. We exchanged contact information.

I took Thursday off, because I'd been expecting to be out later than I was, and I slept in, and it was delicious. Later in the day, I took Fourthborn back to the apartment for a second load of stuff, and I bought five books on Zentangle techniques, and we had dinner at IHOP.

Saturday I finished the sashiko-inspired mending of the holes near the hem of my favorite teal skirt, and Sunday I wore the skirt to church. Yesterday I wore it to work. Saturday I also began basting the lace to the hem of my tunic. I haven't touched it since then, but I'll probably work on it some more tomorrow night.

Saturday we made one last trip to Fourthborn's apartment, and she left the keys in the kitchen for J. He and his mother will be cleaning up the apartment. Our part is done. (Fourthborn has helped him move his parents more than once, so she's already done her share.)

I've already adjusted my withholding at work, but it probably won't take effect this pay period. First of the month, I'll add Fourthborn to my healthcare reimbursement account.

I'm starting to fade, so this will have to do.

I have reservations.

Actually, only one. Yesterday I purchased a ticket to next Wednesday's performance at the Majestic Theatre by Bela Fleck and Chick Corea. (For about half of what it would have cost me to sit on the grass and listen to Joan Baez a few weeks ago.) I've never been to this venue before, and I understand that it's a good one. Since it's not far from my office, and I have three hours between the time I get off and the concert begins, I did a quick scout of nearby restaurants and found one with food I will probably like, at a price that I probably won't flinch to pay, that's a very short walk from both the venue and the parking garage, and I made a reservation. I will take my knitting and a book and see what feels most appealing once dinner is down the hatch.

Earlier this week I had two free tickets to a performance by the Dallas Winds at the Meyerson Symphony Center, because I am a "Friend of WRR." The music was largely out of my wheelhouse, and the middle piece was something that would have inspired me to turn off the radio or switch stations, but there is something about being "forced" to sit and be polite and listen that is eye-opening. Or at least ear-opening.

I handed out three pairs of baby socks at church on Sunday. I'm working on the second sock for another pair of Frankensocks, where I cast on half of the stitches in one color and the remainder in another, and then I spiral around until it's time for the heel flap. It's a lot of fun, and it productively uses up various yarn remnants

I've also been watching one or two Zentangle videos on YouTube in the evenings. I am really drawn (yes, I went there) to the technique, and I'm making myself finish two sewing projects before I allow myself to buy supplies and books.

My turquoise maxi skirt has had the hem chewed in several places by the wheels of my chair at work. I'm going to try my hand at sashiko. Heaven knows that I have enough fabric scraps for backing from one quilt top or another.

I'm actually feeling brave enough to start the first patch. Wish me luck.

6.7. How on earth did that happen?

This has been a wonderful, amazing day. Errands and self-care in the morning: podiatrist (hoof trimming and diabetic foot check); La Madeleine for quiche Florentine; Costco for muffins and granola, as we were out of both; Supercuts to get my ends trimmed; Goodwill to re-home a large grocery bag of clothing that no longer sparked joy; post office to drop off Easter cards to the sisters I used to visit teach and now, theoretically, minister to.

My amazing sister made me a quilt!!!!! I'll share a picture (eventually), but first I need to clear off the bed, dust it, and decide where all the stuff that hangs out on the fallow side of the bed wants to be, instead.

Last month I spent two to three weeks rehabbing my favorite 20 year old skirt. I wore it and have washed it and will probably iron it in the next day to three months. Because ironing is a thing that has to be done (a) when the mood strikes and (b) when my lower half feels like cooperating (not so much head and shoulders, but definitely knees and toes). I am currently embellishing the pockets on a black and grey striped Gudrun dress. I'm doing individual lazy daisy stitches, about 1/8" long, and it's s*l*o*w going. At this point I haven't decided if there will be other stitches and, if so, what color they will be.

I'm also knitting yet another pair of baby socks, using red variegated Regia and orange variegated Three Irish Girls. Also very slow going, and not really car knitting.

And I'm reading a real book. One I bought year before last and couldn't stay with but now makes perfect sense as I read it. My attention span is a weird and special thing.

Time for me to take my evening meds and, notwithstanding the four hour nap I had earlier today, go back to bed.

Hi. I've missed you.

It's Sunday evening. I'm back from taking Fourthborn home. We had a good visit. Virtually nothing got done in the garage while she was here, but what did get done, she did.

I prayed and pondered all the way home, and the only thing that came to me was to come here and make a list.

Things I want/need to do:

1. Study the New Testament.
2. Not neglect the Book of Mormon. (It's definitely taken a back seat to "Come, Follow Me.)
3. Pray without falling asleep, or wandering off mentally.
4. Make music.
5. Mend/embellish my clothing (boro/sashiko/visible mending).
6. Clear off the fallow side of the bed. This is somewhat urgent, as the plumber is coming tomorrow to unplug the sink in Middlest's bathroom and make that commode stop spontaneously flushing and get my shower to start draining again. I don't want him to get caught in an avalanche.
7. Clear a path on the floor in my room, also relating to access for the plumber. And my general mental health.
8. Read for information. I'm three months behind in The Economist.
9. Read for pleasure. I keep putting things on my Kindle. I have no idea where my Kindle is. Probably on the fallow side of the bed.
10. Learn to draw.
11. Blog.
12. Make most of my own jewelry.
13. Buy more Gudrun Sjoden.
14. Minister to my elusive ministering sisters.
15. Sleep.
16. Exercise.
17. Spend more time in the temple.
18. Exercise (that would be a need, not a want).
19. Family history research.

Rinse and repeat.

I asked Heavenly Father what His priorities are for me. Still waiting for an answer. I should probably take that to the temple in the next couple of weeks and ask again. Meanwhile, I'm going to pop on a New Testament podcast or related General Conference talk and knit. Later (probably much later than I'd like), gators.

And they're still busy.

I miss writing. I am overwhelmingly joyful in my new study mode, thanks to this year's New Testament study guide. Spiritually, I often feel the way I did when I was immersed in institute the first two years after I was baptized. The study guide is absolutely inspired, and it is exactly what I needed, when I needed it. It is also enriching my daily reading in the Book of Mormon.

And I miss writing. I do write in my study journal, and I'm the admin for a small Facebook group devoted to this year's course of study, so I post there a few times a week. I'm trying to remind myself that studying more deeply is better than studying quickly. There are days when I come home from work and can't wait until I can curl up in my bed with the study app and my journal.

I've fallen way behind in reading The Economist. I'm allowing myself to read just a few verses in the Book of Mormon at a time, but I'm highlighting and tagging and making notes in the app, so I'm feeling strangely not-guilty about that.

Have I mentioned that I miss writing? I'm also not getting a whale of a lot of knitting done. LittleBit's baby shower is tomorrow, and thank goodness I've gone in with Firstborn and Secondborn on a gift, because the second baby sock that theoretically should have been done last night so I could wet-block them and have them dry by tomorrow morning? I just finished turning the heel, and the first sock is hiding somewhere in a pile of clean(ish) clothing on my bed.

I'm spending minimal time on Facebook and Pinterest of late. I try to keep up with my friends' birthdays and good news. I throw the occasional pin onto one board or another, and I've somehow acquired several followers, which I think is hilarious.

OK, my two new tunics that I got from Gudrun for 70% off are lovely. I like the patterns. I like the colors. I like the fabric. And I'm less than thrilled with how they look on my body. There is a sort-of waistband that hits nowhere near what's left of my waist, and as either Middlest or Fourthborn remarked when I asked for an honest opinion, the tunics make me look lumpy in places where I'm not. I've worn both of them, and spilled soup on one of them, so I can't in good conscience return them. I'm thinking of trimming off the bottom parts and attaching them either to the bottom of a tank top or one of my spare slips, so that I have a fetching ruffle peeking out under other tunics.

Also, I got the spring catalog yesterday, and I'm frustrated that the cutest leggings are not available in my size. I don't know if the solid colored ones made from recycled nylon will be opaque enough to cover my garment bottoms. I am cautiously optimistic about the new compression hose in wild colors.

Speaking of compression hose, the white ones that I bought several months ago to wear when I'm in the temple, are working for me. It is wonderful to complete a session and not have my ankles pooling down over the tops of my shoes. I've been to the temple twice this month, which is better than I did last year. I went last night, asked for and received an accommodation regarding seating in the session, and was significantly less achy when I went home, though not enough to avoid a muscle relaxer and pain pill. I've been dealing with that hangover all day and can't wait for dinner to finish cooking so that I may put on my PJs and make an early night of it.

Dinner's done. Later [who knows how much?], gators!

Things got a little busy around here.

Perhaps I should say, even more crazy-busy than what passes for normal. I finished President Nelson's  challenge to read through the Book of Mormon before the end of the year, noting all of the references to the Savior. My app has beaucoups of little aqua highlights. It was a good experience.

Also good was our Christmas celebration. Another year wherein nobody went home crying.

I'm falling farther and farther behind in reading my issues of "The Economist." The new Come, Follow Me study program is wonderful and absorbing. I'm not getting much else done in my free time at home. The techniques I've learned through the Book of Mormon rereading and my new attention to footnotes and cross-references are blessing my daily study of the Book of Mormon as well. I would really appreciate having more hours in the day. I don't want to miss one iota of the spiritual growth I'm experiencing. And my creative life is suffering, although I did finish knitting Leftie and have returned to Middlest the small ball of orange sock yarn that I used for four of the leafy stripes. I've cast on a pair of baby socks for LittleBit's baby, who is due the end of next month. With any luck, the socks may be done by then.

More news: at Christmas, Fourthborn told us that she would need to be moving out of her hellhole apartment by the end of May. Was it possible to make room at the inn? I spent about ten days studying and pondering, and Middlest approached it from a different perspective. And we came to the same conclusion, which was that not only was it the right thing to do, it was the right thing for us to do. And that we needed to prepare to move her in sooner than the end of May.

So after work on Friday, I picked her up, and she is spending the week with us. On Saturday we gathered up a bunch of household chemicals out in the garage, and I took them to the drop-off. She and Middlest widened the path from the front of the garage to the back, and today we emptied boxes and bagged things that were not salvageable and took several items out to the curb, as tomorrow is trash day.

I should probably mention that I'm off work today and tomorrow. Today is my seventh wedding anniversary, and tomorrow is Beloved's sixth angelversary.

The nice couple who remodeled my loo two and a half years ago came by to discuss what it will cost to seal up the garage and turn it into a studio for the three of us. I'm wanting to do this without dipping into my 401K, so what we (the kids and I) are now talking about is having them do the basic shell and upgrade the wiring, we do the painting and flooring, we maybe just go with IKEA sewing tables instead of a long shelf at the right height, etc. Right now we're looking at $3K - $4.5K with all of the ideas that we floated. If we can take it down to $2K and then install the refinements a bit at a time, I would feel much more comfortable with that.

At this point I'm not sure whether I'm getting a tax refund and if so how much, how large my bonus will be, how large my raise will be, all of which will make this infinitely more doable.

At this moment we are all achy from the day's labors and excited about the future. Fourthborn will move into Middlest's current room. Middlest will take over the studio. We will have a place to create if we wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall right back asleep.

For the flooring out in the garage, Middlest has suggested bamboo over cork. We are thinking about a traffic door like restaurants have, but Fourthborn just priced one at $700, so we might just have an open doorway for now. We've figured out how to fit three of the four steel shelving units next to the dryer in a C-shape for our food storage.

There will probably be lots and lots and lots of ramblings on here, thinking out loud, rethinking, overthinking. You know, the usual.

I had myself a wound concealed.

Tuesday I took the day off to get Middlest to the dentist for three fillings. It was a much needed break for me, and I didn't get too far behind at work. I've been struggling to keep up. It helped that last week I only had two attorneys to wrangle, not three.

On Thursday after work, I drove to Arlington to pick up Fourthborn for the Dollidays party on Saturday at our friend Lisa's.

Friday was a little more than half a day of work, as we had our Christmas luncheon at a restaurant just east of downtown. The venue was on the rooftop of the restaurant. During fair weather, the sides are rolled up so that you can enjoy the view and the breeze. On Friday we had mist with intermittent drizzle. I sat with my back to a gap but have thus far managed not to take ill from getting chilled and dampened. It was two long flights of stairs up to the venue, with no elevator, and two long flights back down again. We got to leave early. I took my coworkers back to our parking garage afterward and drove home to drop off most of my stuff.

Hit Costco on the way to McKinney to pick up rolls and tomatoes for the ward Christmas dinner on Saturday night. Drove around and around downtown McKinney, trying to find parking for the concert. Thankfully, there was a shuttle car in the parking lot, and I thoroughly enjoyed the All Star Jazzy Christmas concert. I will definitely become a season ticket holder next year. These guys are amazing, and in the meantime I have February's concert to look forward to: a polka band is joining the chamber orchestra!

The shuttle was elsewhere or absent when the concert was over, so I walked four blocks to Diana in the same miserable mist/wind/drizzle I'd "enjoyed" that afternoon. About two blocks in, my right hip was screaming. It was audibly popping, as my knees do when I do a forward fold (but the knees have enough sense not to hurt me). I think I may be bone-on-bone in that hip.

I came home, slept, helped clean the meetinghouse yesterday morning, then delegated the making of the brownies to Fourthborn while I took a 600mg Ibuprofen and a nap. We went to the dolly Christmas party. Middlest was in pain, crabby, and reactive. I inadvertently provoked some unpleasantness. Party ended, we came home, I took another nap, and then the three of us went to the ward Christmas party. Another low-key spat, inaudible to others, but we stayed until the kids all trooped over to get their faces painted and the general melee over the desserts had ended.

Took Middlest home, took Fourthborn home, came home, and popped one of the pain pills that was prescribed for the plantar fasciitis. Slept for ten and a half hours (without setting the alarm), leaving me just enough time to inhale breakfast, scoop my hair into a bun, throw on something clean, and walk into the chapel while the bishopric was making announcements but before our opening hymn.

I'm in significantly less pain today. After church I slept, not sure if I would make it to the stake Christmas musical offering tonight. But I did. I saw a dear friend from Fort Worth, there to tend her daughter's two little boys so that her daughter could play in the orchestra (daddy was home, ill). We caught up on each other's lives before the music started.

The greatest surprise was having the younger twin's wife come up to me with a huge, delighted grin, and wrap me in a bear hug. I walked over to her husband a few minutes later and wished him a merry Christmas and shook his hand. He responded without quite turning around to look at me. I'll take my miracles any way that I can get them. He also gave the closing prayer, and I could hear echoes Beloved's voice as he prayed.

Beloved has been gone almost six years now. I know I'll recognize his voice when I see him again, but the sound of it has pretty much faded from my memory. So this was a sweet and tender mercy, all around.

For part of the concert tonight, my friend's older grandson was trying to edge out of her reach. So I got up and stood just behind where he sat on the floor, hoping that my hip would cooperate. I may have stood there for half an hour or so, until he, of his own volition, scooched forward on his derriere three rows and returned to sit with his grandmother. I sat down gratefully. When I walked out to Diana after the closing prayer, I walked without pain.

I'm a little achy as I write this, and undecided whether I'll take another pain pill tonight. I will definitely be setting the alarm. My mashed potatoes are done, so I'll portion them out, reheat them if necessary, and grab my evening meds. I'd like to sleep for about three days, but I have work all week and other concerts on Tuesday and Friday nights. I'm hoping to say in my pillow fort all next weekend except for church. Wish me luck.

A great weekend, and a good day at work.

Loved the brunch on Saturday with 80% of my kids plus BittyBit (who is now nearly as tall as I). Picked up a few items after brunch while we were still at IKEA: bathmat for Middlest's bathroom, new area rug for his bedroom, a gnome/tomten for me to take to work and brighten up my cubicle, and maybe a couple of other things that I've already forgotten. Oh yeah. Red seat cushions for the straight backed chairs in the living room.

Then we went to the bead store in BigD, and I bought the makings for two pairs of earrings. While organizing the box that holds most of my beads and beading supplies, I found two larger Murano glass beads (red, of course) that I've popped in with the others. I made up the Christmas tree earrings from the kit (Swarovski crystals that are more bling-y than my usual preference but still cute). The other pair will have to wait for more inspiration. And maybe some gunmetal findings. I am almost equally into gunmetal and rose gold. A foolish consistency, and all that...

Went to a singles potluck followed by the First Presidency's devotional last night. Made brownies. Brought only half a dozen of them home, so Middlest got three and I took the rest to work for part of lunch today. Also brought home two slices of Marie Callender's coconut cream pie, but since I've had brownies today, my slice will have to wait until tomorrow.

I'm continuing to make progress on Leftie. I'm almost done with my third repeat of the seven color stripe sequence. Those tiny leaves just make me grin.

Today I wore my cropped Fair Isle sweater (the Michele Rose Orne one I knitted on the train while still living in Fort Worth) over some of my Gudrun Sjoden stuff. Totally knocked it out of the ballpark. I'd like to knit this one again in a plied yarn. The Malabrigo and/or Manos del Uruguay yarns are single-ply, loosely spun, and pill if you look sideways at them. I would also knit it in the round and steek the center front, rather than having a flobbity-jillion ends to weave in, as I did with this one. Oh well. I will keep the "sweater stone" people in business until there's nothing left of this sweater to swipe at.

Tomorrow I take Middlest to the rescheduled dental appointment. I'm taking the entire day off and foresee lots of happy knitting time but no actual Knit Night. I might even attend the Relief Society activity, instead. Don't faint.

When I was a RS president, I couldn't understand why someone who had served in that capacity would ever skip an option to get together with the other sisters. I get it now. I love the sisters in my ward. I don't have a best friend in this ward, but I don't really have time for a best friend at the moment. When I get off work, I want to come home, take off my shoes, my compression hose, my bra, my earrings, put on my PJs, and knit or read until I can't keep my eyes open any longer. My knitting group is wonderfully non-judgmental if I need to nope out on any given night.

I've had a nice visit with Middlest while eating dinner, and now I'm going to scoot off to my room.

Better. *So* much better.

Today I got through everybody's incoming mail, worked most of my ToDo's, sent out or faxed the signed stuff, and had a coworker file something for me, as the e-filing portal has been intermittently glitchy all week. She's had no difficulty. I, however, got one item filed yesterday before their system went Oops! Haha! I forgot I was broken.

My ambient stress level is much lower today. I am still going to pop a muscle relaxer tonight. When I had my mammogram before going into work this morning, the tech asked if my neck were stiff. I told her yes, always. Admittedly, until recently it was relatively relaxed. I think I went off my muscle relaxer three months ago. I hadn't needed it. I hope I won't need to take it for more than a couple of days.

I'm baking a cauliflower pizza as we speak. I'll have some carrot sticks as well, and maybe I'll nuke a serving from the second tub of lobster bisque. If not, I might eat some of the ice cream I picked up after work when I got Middlest's vitamins. Not all of the ice cream. Just some of it.

Ta Daa! My pizza is out. Middlest's pizza is in. And I'm going to go eat my pizza in bed.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were about the same as last week.

I'm covering three full dockets this week. And I am not quite drowning. Today was better, however. With half an hour or so of "recess" for a coworker's baby shower, I worked through the day nonstop and took my lunch period at the end of the day.

It was nice to have more light than usual on my drive home. But I didn't go straight home. I made a beeline for the Kendra Scott store in Uptown (i.e., Dallas just north of downtown but before you start hitting the suburbs). My wonderful sister gave me an amazing necklace for Christmas last year. Very boho, with three large amethyst drops and a whole lot of gunmetal chains and charms, smoky quartz beads, and a few crystal beads. I wore it to work today with one of my Gudrun Sjoden tops and the sterling earrings that I made when we lived in Fredericksburg a quarter of a century ago.

I was hoping to come up with a pair of earrings that were similar in style and tone to the necklace, and I think I succeeded. Pictures, maybe, eventually, but I'll be wearing it all to church on Sunday and maybe to the family brunch on Saturday before that.

There's been some knitting. And Lunch/Dinner almost as soon as I walked in the door. I tried to be sensible about it, but at some point my body is going to realize that it has been robbed. I only hope that that doesn't happen between midnight and when the alarm goes off.

I'm starting to fade, so it's time for scriptures, meds, and lights-out. I'm tired but peaceful. That's a good place to stop.

Monday was OK. Tuesday and Wednesday were Hades.

We were already short-staffed at work. Lots of people took part or all of the week off before Thanksgiving. My attorneys had three answers that were due next Monday. I was out all morning on Wednesday for Middlest's monthly doctor appointment and Rx run. SemperFi was stressed, because he wasn't sure that we would get both of his answers filed in a timely manner. (We did.) Late on Tuesday afternoon I muttered quietly that I could really use a tranquilizer gun.

Knit happened. Reading happened. Sleep happened. Chocolate abuse absolutely happened, and I finished the last third of the Coke that's been sitting in a drawer (capped) for the past two or three weeks.

I did a little research. The turmeric has been wonderful for reducing inflammation in my body. And I have had moments of falling asleep while reading, nodding off at my desk at work. Thankfully, never while driving. I'm on the lowest possible dosage of Metformin for my diabetes. I will ask my doctor if it's time for me to start monitoring my blood sugar. I don't know if I'm blacking out (for want of better words) due to my blood sugar tanking, or if it's spiking without my knowledge.

Had a great time at Firstborn's yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. I spent most of the time there talking with the children's father and his "wife?" about this and that, and backing the kids up when they wouldn't let them have more than one dessert apiece. I also made the conscious choice to eat a sliver of pumpkin pie with no Cool-Whip and small portions of everything else, and not the slice of pecan pie I wanted when I'd just told "wife?" that that was the worst possible dessert she could choose for her diabetes. When I brought home our leftover corn casserole, I did slip in a slice of pecan pie, and I ate it much later, happy that I'd not been a hypocritical and rude in front of them.

The corn casserole, as far as I'm concerned, was a success. We left some of it at Firstborn's for the heart-kids who were at the Cowboys game and I didn't get to see. Fourthborn doesn't like corn, and Middlest can no longer enjoy it because of diverticulosis, so it's mine, all mine, and divided into portions to take to work next week. I had some, cold, for breakfast this morning when I woke at ridiculous o'clock and didn't want to wake Fourthborn by running the microwave. It's every bit as delicious cold as it is warm.

Today is payday, and the bills are paid, and I had a nice nap after breakfast and have spent much of the day reading. Time for more knitting, methinks.

Fourthborn is staying with us through Monday night, and I'll take her home when I take Middlest to the dentist on Tuesday to have three cavities filled, after I have my quarterly blood work in my doctor's new offices.

Knitting. And maybe an early bedtime. I'm happy, and I'm winding down.

Oh. I discovered two new musicians/groups today: (1) Vanessa-Mae and (2) Black Violin. I've added both to my Lindsey Stirling station and my Piano Guys station. I also heard a really great version of Vivaldi's "Storm" performed by three saxophones and I think an oboe (like a fat, shiny clarinet?).

A wee experiment tonight.

I decided that during and after dinner, I wanted to read several pages in the CIA History that I shelved as being not precisely edifying while I was on my social media fast last month, and then read again or listen again to Elder Bednar's most recent address, which was our topic in Relief Society yesterday, after which I would read my allotted segment of The Book of Mormon and, if my eyelids were still cooperative, grab my freshly-charged Kindle and do some recreational reading. I've managed the first three and am about to gather my meds, my snack-with-meds, and enjoy a few minutes with my Kindle.

I wore my Cardi Cozy to work today. Observations: do not wear a mohair sweater while also wearing lap and shoulder belts. Pilling does not even begin to describe it. More like miniature tumbleweeds. I also need to lint-roll the front and back of my shirt and my skirt. When the office warmed enough around midday that my sweater was superfluous, all of my curves sported a halo of fuzz.

We get to dress uber-casually tomorrow. I will wear the T-shirt my friend Amy brought back from a business trip, from a cafe called [Beloved]'s that specialized in soul food. That shirt surfaced recently. I'd like to wear it at least once before the tides on that side of the room suck it under again.

My eyes are growing heavy. This will have to do for today.

Greetings from my phone.

This week's issue of "The Economist" came in today's mail. I skipped Knit Night and am already 26 pages in. Ergo, speed is picking up, and I'm recognizing bits of narrative from week to week. Oh yeah, that country. They've been having a problem with X, and they're trying Y as a solution, and it just might be working.

Brilliant political cartoon on page 10, with the POTUS as a raging bison and the Republicans and Democrats attempting team-roping.

The knitting continues. As does my slow, deliberate reading of The Book of Mormon, highlighting every reference to the Savior.

Best meme I've seen this week, shared by a wonderfully quirky shop I used to patronize in Fort Worth.

TEXAS: Hey Fall, you coming?
FALL: Yeah, me and Winter about to pull up right now.

Night, y'all.

Charity begins at home.

A friend in my ward shared a link on Facebook to a locally-run charity which benefits women artisans and their families in Peru. I've put a link here on my homepage. 100% of the sales receipts go to the artisans. All overhead is paid by donations. I can spare $25 a month to make another artistan's life better. Can you?

In less virtue-signaling news, I haven't accomplished much for Saturday. We did the Costco and Kroger run, picked up fresh dairy, and I indulged at Hobby Lobby: an earring spinner, a plaque for my kindness wall at work, and a ball of cordonnet cotton in subtly variegated creams and beiges. I've decided that the beading I began on my 20 year old cotton skirt two or three months ago (but did not finish) is not what I'm wanting, so it will be replaced with embroidery, perhaps including a foray into sashiko.

Mostly I've been reading. I'm about 3/4 of the way through my third issue of The Economist, and I read a little over 10 pages in The Book of Mormon tonight. Knit has barely happened. A lovely nap did happen, and I washed and hung up a single load of my Gudrun Sjoden brights.

When I saw my friend's post on Facebook, I thought, I would like to do that. And when I read King Benjamin's address tonight, he reinforced that impression. (Mosiah 4:16-19, 22-23)

16 "And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

17 "Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

18 "But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

19 "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

22 "And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.

23 "I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world."

Convicted, as our Baptist cousins would say.