Monday, February 19, 2018

Sunny Monday

Happy Monday!  This is what the sky looks like right now behind our house looking toward Mt. Spokane.  Gorgeous!
 This is how it looked Friday night.  Looks ominous doesn't it?
We ended up with between 17-18 inches of snow at our house since I posted last Wednesday.  And it's -3F here right now.  Really?  I actually thought, silly me, that spring just might be on it's way.  Nope.  COLD, COLD, COLD is predicted all week.  After all, it is only mid-February.  What was I thinking?  I've had to snow-blow twice since I last wrote.  Dennis was so sick there was no way I was letting him out there.  I don't mind using the snow-blower, I'm just really afraid of falling again.

Dennis seems to be lots better today.  His voice still doesn't sound quite right but he's much better and at work.  However...Larry and Nita both got the flu while on their cruise.  They spent the last 3 days in bed in their room.  Apparently Carnival cruise's room service leaves a lot to be desired in comparison to Princess.  Oh my goodness they were miserable.  They flew home Saturday and they are both still sick.  I took Sophie to them yesterday along with some supplies.  I didn't go in, because after avoiding it so far with Dennis, I didn't want to be with the two of them.  I set everything on the floor of their laundry room and left!  Run, run like the wind~~~  :-)

On top of that, Larry stepped into a hole while on an excursion earlier in the week and twisted his knee.  It is twice as big as the other one and he came home in a wheelchair.  Nita was in one too because she's supposed to have her hip replaced next Tuesday.

I made her a welcome home present on Friday.  The poodle pattern was designed by a lady named Vicki.  All of the information is on "Stitchy McFloss" blog on my sidebar.  Nita reads a lot and so I made her this bookmark, even before I knew she was sick.  It looks a bit like Sophie.
In other news, the sweater fit Miss Piper!  Yippee!  She was so excited.  They face-timed with me while she opened the package.
 I also sent her the pin that says, "Very Special Person."  She wrote her name on the iPhone photo.
Mandy says she insisted on putting the sweater on when she woke up the next morning before she even got dressed and wore it to school that day.  That makes this Grandma very, very happy.
I finished another baby blanket for the Crisis Nursery.   Made with Caron Simply Soft, it was a great stash buster.  I think it will be good colors for a little boy.
 One pair of mittens done last night and another pair begun.
 Dennis' socks are coming along.  I only work on them at my Weight Watcher meetings and at church so the progress isn't very fast.  The yarn had some interesting pooling going on in the leg section. :-)
Yesterday was a day of not great news.  It started with a lady falling in the church parking lot.  We had gotten so much snow and ice on Saturday night and it was so cold the ice melt did nothing.  She thought she had dislocated her ankle but after being checked at the emergency room, she had broken the small bone in her leg just below the knee.  And dislocated her ankle.  She is in surgery as I write this having 4 screws put into her leg. She's only in her 40's and told me it happened so fast that she was on the ground before she knew she was falling.  Boy, do I know how that goes! 

Then, a wonderful friend from church passed away in the early evening.  She was 80 years young, but the youngest 80 year old you'll ever meet.  Three months ago she could literally run rings around most 30 year olds I know.  Vibrant, full of energy and loved by everyone.  She taught first grade for years and years.  She and Bill married when she was 18 and he was 19.  They both went on to get their Masters Degrees and PhD's. How unusual is that?   Married for 62 years and raised a wonderful family who we know very well.  Then she realized she was tired one day a few months ago.  Diagnoses was leukemia.  She did every treatment imaginable and kept on with all of her activities until last Thursday when she collapsed and ended up in the hospital.

Oh my goodness, Myrna will leave a HUGE hole in our church family.  Please keep her husband Bill in your prayers.  She was well known and well loved throughout the Spokane and Spokane Valley communities. 

THEN.  As if that all wasn't enough, I got a call about an hour after the news of Myrna's death, that my Aunt Joyce had also died.  She was in poor health but still it's hard.  She is the last of that generation.  Now all of the Aunts and Uncles on both sides of my family are gone.  My parents have been gone for years.  It's hard to think that now we are the older generation.  I'm only 58 for goodness sake!  I am so, so, so happy that when I was back in Omaha in October my sister Melanie and I drove the 100 miles to visit Aunt Joyce.  It was a great visit and I had no idea at the time that it would be the last one. 

I know we all hear it all of the time, but please don't take life for granted.  So many things happen so quickly.  The news is not all bad.  Both Myrna and my Aunt Joyce were Christians and I know they are now in Heaven with no more pain.  The difficulty is for the ones left behind in adjusting to a new normal.  Especially Bill.  I can't imagine being married 62 years and then being alone.  They did everything together.  He was a city councilman and she faithfully went to every one of his meetings with him.  They were the epitome of a happily married couple and it showed.

Evelyn is another story.  I think her road to recovery will be long.  The doctor has already told her there will be no weight bearing on that leg for three months.  I can imagine how frustrating that will be for her.

I don't mean to be a downer.  Life is full of ups and downs.  Birth and death.  We all know that.  It just seemed that yesterday was one thing after another.  I hope I haven't depressed anyone.  Most blogs I read are full of happy, happy, happy.  I just share my life with you all.  Most of you don't seem to mind....and if you do, well, just click on by and come back another day!  :-)

I'm hoping you all have a wonderful week full of God's blessings and love.

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for your are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."  Psalm 23:4

Blessings,
Betsy

17 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to hear of all your snow and frigid temps.. we have snow but it's sunny and gorgeous outside and we're having no trouble getting around. No shoveling here! I'm also sorry to hear of your friend's fall.. terrible results there. And my condolences for your losses. I hope it's not my blog that is happy happy happy. :-) I try to be real with what is going on here. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  2. I am SO sorry for your losses. You are right . . . it is hard to realize that we are the "elders" in our families now.

    My thoughts are with you and Dennis as you go through this difficult week. On the happier side of things ... could Piper be any cuter??? I don't think so.

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  3. ❤️ the photos of Piper and her sweater: her smile says it all.

    It's bitter cold and snowing here, too. I've shoveled twice today. Perhaps, I should look into purchasing a snowblower for next winter.

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  4. I'm so sorry to hear of all this bad news, Betsy. My thoughts are with all of these people. I hope Dennis is back to normal soon and that Larry and Nita are well soon too. How unfortunate to get the flu on a cruise. I'm glad Piper loves her sweater, she looks very pretty in it. I think we're having the same storm you got, it's super windy here today and we're having on and off rain and hail, then it will be very cold the rest of the week. I hope your weather picks up soon and feels more like spring. Take care.

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  5. So sorry to learn of the string of difficult challenges and losses swirling around you, dear Betsy. I pray the Lord will comfort you and all those suffering loss and rapidly bring healing to Dennis and those you mentioned who are facing physical illness. I admire all your stitching and Miss Piper wearing the lovely sweater you made for her :-) Our temps here are falling into the low 30s at night but we are having lots of sun and need some rain! The Lord bless you. xx

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  6. Wow...this seems to have been a hard winter for so many and I don't mean the weather. I guess we get to a certain age and it's all goodbyes. With families so scattered it's hard to get the support you need when you go though times like these. I sure hope spring is a new beginning. I could use some good news.

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  7. I'm so sorry for losses. We lost a sweet lady from church last week too. She went in for open heart surgery. She developed complications and never regained consciousness. Her friend who was visiting from CA says of her that she went to sleep on the operating table and woke up in Jesus's arms.

    Piper is such a cutie pie! She's growing into a young lady!

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  8. Sincere condolences for your losses Betsy, sending you a hug. I will ask for prayers for Bill at our prayer meeting tomorrow. Miss Piper looks adorable in that beautiful sweater made with love, such a lovely colour. Hope Dennis is still on the road to recovery and that your friends too feel better soon. Take care of yourself.

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  9. Oh sweet friend, what a horrible day it was for you yesterday. I am so sorry for your loss of your Aunt. And for your dear friend, and prayers sent for Bill (and your family). Grief is always so hard to deal with, no one really understands until they go through it. Oh little Miss P looks adorable as always in her new sweater. You did an outstanding job on that sweater. :) Sending prayers also for your friend that broke her leg at church. How horrible to have to deal with all that and it still be snowing, too. Also praying for your friends back from the cruise, too. Prayers sent for you all (and that you don't get the flu, too!). :) Wishing you a day filled with blessings sweet friend. ((hugs))

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  10. So sorry for your losses Betsy. You are right - it's hard to realize that we are the older generation now. Yikes!!

    And your weather! That is a lot of snow. Please be careful.

    Congratulations on the darling sweater for Piper - it just looks wonderful on her, and here beaming smile tells the full story. I like the socks you are knitting for Dennis - the stripes look almost diagonal in the picture and that is cool. Stay warm!!

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  11. You were right. The sky did look ominous but the colors....only God could have placed those colors there.

    You know I will continue to pray for the health of you and your family. You have had such a rough winter.

    That sweater is so beautiful on your granddaughter and she looks so happy to have it.

    I will also pray for the others who you mentioned. I love you dear Betsy. I hope this week is filled with Blessings,
    HUGS

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  12. Praying for your family Betsy!!! I LOVE Pipers sweater photo shoot. I think it fits her just perfectly. Someday I think i"ll be grandchild knitting. ! Hope so

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  13. You need to blog more often...by the time I get to the comment area I can't remember it all and I have to go back and reread. LOL! It's a good memory test!
    I certainly hope Dennis is on the mend and your friend too. So sorry about your losses this week...there were many in our nation unfortunately. I love the beautiful photos and Piper's sweater is so sweet. I can see why she loves it! The book mark was so thoughtful and your poor friends being so sick.
    Thank you so much for your sweet card and the dpn holder! Love it! YOu did give me one before but I could use another one because I always have more than one project on the go...as you know! LOL! Get those ice grippers and tell all your friends....mine are Yak Tracs and they grip the ice with cleats. Just put them on a pair of boots and leave them there...they're a little hard to get on and off. Hugs ~ Sam

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  14. Oh, dear Betsy! I am SO sorry to hear of your loss of your Aunt Joyce! I can only imagine how thankful you are for those precious moments spent with her in October. And, your dear friend Myrna, too! SO very sad, but I had to think of how gracious God was to allow her to stay full-strength and full-speed until right there near the end when she was diagnosed. 80 years doesn't seem so long to live, the older I get. It used to sound so very old, but now, I am 51, and I know what you mean, I do NOT know how I got here so fast! Losing both parents and so many others close to me has surely made me realize how fragile and short life really is, and we are all headed in that direction, and we can only do our best to make the most of every, single moment we are given with our loved ones. You are surely NOT a downer, dear friend. You are REAL, and that is one of the many, many reasons so many of us love you so much and keep coming back to your dear blog. Piper looks just adorable in her sweater, and it fits her so perfectly!! I am so thankful Dennis is so much better, and I have surely been praying for you both. SO sorry to hear of Larry and Nita's difficulties, and how sad that their cruise had to end on such a note. I trust the Lord will bless her and allow her surgery to go well. Please take good care of yourself and be so careful in that snow and ice. I hope your poor friend recovers quickly from her fall...she is right, it happens so fast, you just don't realize. God bless her and you and Dennis and all you love! Sending hugs your way!

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  15. The heavens do declare the glory of God don't they Betsy! L8ve your dkies!
    Pray8ng Dennis full recovery, you (and I ) will be kept frim Falls.. nasty things.. your dear friend who fell will heal and for Bill and Aunt Joyce's family too. Lord bless them all. So glad Miss Piper loved her jacket AND fitted too.. how good the Lord is.
    Thanks for praying sis.. the Lord reminded you for a reason.. I'm all s8ces and sevens trying to get ready for trip wedding on Sat.. Lord enabling me.
    Thanks love you praying for you too.. Shaz in Oz. X

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  16. Baby, it is cold outside! We had a bit of snow last night and that was it...maybe some tonight but not holding my breath. It was so pretty this a.m. when I left for work, the bit we had. It was warmer at work today though! Sorry to hear of your friend falling at church and her surgery! Will be praying for her and the loved ones who have gone on to heaven. It's hard when all relatives are gone. It's happened to me as well. We just keep loving and living as we walk with the Lord and leave a wonderful legacy for your family and friends! I'm glad Dennis is finally feeling better. It's been a bad year with so much viruses going around. Have a blessed week my friend and be safe out there in that snow/ice on the ground! Hugs!

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  17. Hi Betsy, 17-18 inches of snow! Wow! And here I was complaining about the little we got. I am glad Dennis is feeling better and maybe you won't havee to snowblow much longer. Poor Larry and Nita. How awful that they got their vacation ruined by flu and then to both be in wheelchairs! That was a sweet bookmark that you made for her. Miss Piper sure looks cute in that sweater! I am sorry for the loss of your aunt and your friend. As we age we keep hearing of more and more of our friends dying. Nancy

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