Not Funny!

Gack, I have become a cartoon character in my own life.
Frame one: Frumpy Old Lady yelling from her bed "Get away from my window you big mouthed loud faced obnoxious putz of a Blue Jay"

Frame two: Old Lady with her hair sticking up in irritated tufts " I'll send my Fat Cat out to deal with your squawking" Fat Cat doesn't flinch

Frame three: Red faced Old Lady with mad tufts of hair "My Good Dog will chase you outta here" Good Dog looks up from sofa and says "Huh"

Frame four: Gimpy frumpy irritated Old Lady with angry face, tufed hair and smoke coming out her ears " I'll shake my cane at you, you rotten bird"

Back to the Beginning- Spinning

I am spinning again! I think of myself as a felt-maker and I teach felt making professionally but I was spinning many years before I learned to make felt. It feels so good to be able to spin now especially as I recover from some surgeries that have limited my activity.

I learned to spin when we first moved to the country and got sheep, about 23 years ago. I loved it, the feel of the fiber in my hands, the growing length of yarn filling the bobbin , the rhythm of plying, counting the yards on my niddy noddy and the beauty of the twisted skein sitting on my shelf.

Then I started going to several different spinning groups. Some were guilds, some were just living room spinning groups. And because of spinning I made friends that have been with me for 20 years or more. Spinning introduced me to my tribe. The first fiber festival I went to I took my daughters with me and the youngest told me they all looked like me, long skirts, Birkenstock shoes and spinning wheels. I think she was exaggerating just a little, not all of them wore Birkenstocks.

Spinning has become a fixture in my life. It frames my year and tells me what season it it. Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene opens summer. Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival signals fall. The Aurora Colony Handspinners Guild Christmas party is the beginning of the holiday season. A weekend spinning retreat the first weekend in January with my NWRSA Area group is my New Year celebration and Madronna Fiber Arts is a warm spot in the middle of  winter's cold. I keep track of my month by which group I am spinning with that week.

The women I spin with have become my sisters. They cheer me on when I bring something for "Show and Tell" and they encourage me when I tell them of a new project or process I'm trying. Since my knee replacement they have supported me a lot. They have sent cards, flowers, coloring pencils and most recently an electric spinner on loan.

So because of a friend I am spinning again. I'm getting stronger but I can't treadle yet.  An electric spinner is the perfect type of wheel for me to use and since I tire easily spinning is the perfect activity. I don't have to focus my eyes to spin, I can trust my fingers to feel it. I don't have to count stitches like I do for knitting or concentrate on putting a cross stitch in the right place. I hold the fiber in my hands, let the spinner hum and I pinch the twist then let it slide, pinch the twist then let it slide. Just like I did when I learned to spin in the beginning.

Two in One Day

OMG what is this? Two blog posts in one day? Nothing for months then two. Better watch her, she is getting pretty wild with all this sharing.

I have a recovery throne in my living room. It's a sleeper sofa with an air mattress. It gives me a place to sit with my leg elevated above my heart. If I'm tired of sitting I can lounge or nap as the mood takes me. It has made my convalescence much more tolerable. I have my Nook, my tv remote, my computer, stitchery projects, well wishes from my dear friends, my Ipod, room for a dog or two, comfy pillows and windows to look out.

I am spoiled and it time to wash to dye out of my hair.

Goals in July

Hey I didn't know I could share my blog posts on Facebook! I think that will mean I can post the important stuff one place and all my friends will get the info. But it may mean I get long winded. Feel no obligation to read all of this.

As I move into my third week post surgery I am setting some goals. Yesterday's goal was to go to the  Spinning Guild Dye Day and Picnic. With Tim's help I got there, yakked with my spinning buddies, saw some of the beautiful colored concoctions coming from the dye pots and ate nummy stuff at the potluck. Then went home, fell onto my recovery throne in the living room and took a good nap. It was a very nice day.

Today's goals are to:
1. walk outside 3 times to build up my endurance and strength- this will be an on-going goal
2. brush Mila thoroughly (ha ha did this already this morning even got her tummy) Yay!
3. dye my hair- let's talk about this

I am vain about my hair, I love it's texture and the color it gets a week after I use a box of dye. I'm vain about my smooth skin and love scented lotions. And I'm vain about my feet, yes they are short and wide but they look sexy to me when I look at the sides of them. Silly, I know, but there ya go.

So the last week of May I planned ahead, I got my hair cut and colored before the first surgery, I wanted to look my best while feeling my worst. I expected to be up and around by the time it needed to be done again. Well the second and third surgery kinda put a crimp in my plans (boy howdy did they ever). So here I am eight-nine weeks out, the gray is showing and I'm wearing a bandana on my hair to disguise that it is too long to be curly.

So for today's goal, dyeing my hair. No big deal right? Stand in the bathroom, mix the dye, put on the funky  gloves and apply it to my hair, about a 15 minute exercise. Then hang around with the smelly gunk on my hair for about an hour. Well right now standing up for a 10 minute shower is a test of endurance. Once I'm done washing I grab a towel and sit down to dry off. Catch my breath, get up get my lotion and sit again to apply it. It's best if I plan what clothes I want to wear before I start so I can continue to sit and recover as I dress.

I realized yesterday hanging with my spinning friends, that many of them have gone through similar health challenges, some have on-going health issues and are facing more hardships than I am. It was very reassuring to me to hear about their trials and reminded me that I am not alone in my pity pool. So I am off to the bathroom to get out my box of hair dye.

Dyeing my hair

Me pre-surgery post- salon visit