2017 - It's a wrap!

Favorite photos and memories day!!  Today is our 45th wedding anniversary!  We had other plans - but we're hanging out here on the coast - it's varying between sunny and cloudy.  That's the coast in December!

This is my 'card' that I woke up to - Rick said he couldn't go shopping for a card!  So true!

Before Rick had his 'episode' I was in a Bonnie Hunter Pineapple Blossom class.  We had low lighting in our space, mood lighting, but we made the best of it! 

  

Finished blocks at the end of the day - there were two sizes.  My pink ones were on the left in the left photo!!  But I loved the pink and grey ones in the right photo too.  They were all gorgeous!

Here's A's crew come to visit Papa in the Hospital

Here's Mr M showing Papa a video game.

Here's our breakfast before the Portland contingent headed for home.  Don't you love Black Bear Diner!!  Those are "Get Well, Papa" signs they are holding up. The waitress came up, tapped me on the back and told me to get in the shot! and took our picture for us!  Thanks!!

They say it's important to let hospital personnel know about your life - that you are a person, not just a patient.  I think Rogue Regional knows this well, but it never hurts to be sure!  J2 gathered and organized this for us. It was a great conversation starter with staff.

Surgery's done, and we're moving back to the ward!

The night before we were dismissed and headed for home, I made 2 large buckets of chocolate covered pretzels for the two heart units.  Everyone was so wonderful - we wanted to do something.  I wondered about ordering fruit plates ... but Adam - the pediatrics nurse at the same hospital said, "Everyone loves homemade cookies when they come in!"  He's the expert! - and these are favorites of ours too!

After a whole lot of knots in the rewinding of the embroidery floss, I learned a trick!  So I'm going to tell you!!  Take the bands off, and separate the 'circle' - as you can see - there's one loop not cooperating. 

  

But I persuaded it to circle out.

Now for the simplest way to rewind it onto the plastic card ... put the loop around

your wrist!  Be sure to start winding with the 'outside' end and off you go.

Sometimes it tries to get tangled, but just give it a shake and it will sort itself out.  But don't wear a watch when doing this!!  Murphy's Law taught me that when I was showing the trick to my small group!!!

 Miss E is in the Holiday spirit!  On Dasher, on Dancer ... oops lost the rest of them!!

Wishing all a HaPpY NeW YeAr! With health, happiness and quilts for all!

A December full of Surprises!! But all is well at the end!

Hi! Wishing everyone an uneventful Holiday season.

That's not happening here!  December 7th, my DH failed a stress test spectacularly!  Three ambulance rides and a Life-Flight took us from his visit at our Medical offices here in Brookings - to Curry Hospital in Crescent City to Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford.  On Friday he had a very revealing Angioplasty test and Monday he had Quadruple Bypass surgery!

We were lucky - the only pain he had was during the stress test and again during the Angioplasty. His heart was not damaged.  In fact, when one artery was blocked it made it's own capillary into the heart to keep it's blood supply going!  It's true - my DH has a good heart!!

When telling anyone that DH had heart surgery, the most popular answer is "Him?  Seriously??"  A total surprise to all of us - even DH thought it was GERD!

Rogue Regional is a top 100 US hospital and you can tell.  The facilities are great, the doctors are top-notch; the nurses are patient; the CVAs are awesome. Even the housekeepers were friendly.  It was so reassuring to be there and be 'coddled' as we learned about this procedure.

The best thing about being a 'younger' Baby Boomer is that they have it all worked out by the time we have it!!  We came home Saturday!(Just 5 days after open heart surgery!!) And he's doing great!

I must admit I missed a step walking out of the Medford Walmart last week - where the big sign said "Only X days until Christmas"!!  WHAT?  The whole world isn't in limbo with me - time is still moving??  Oh dear!

So we're going to see if Doni can do 'low-key' Christmas!  No more cookies; I am decorated - did that the weekend before! We won't be traveling to the kids or having them come here - we hope to open presents with them all later next year.

A quiet Christmas - that will be a new experience, but oh-so-much-better than it could have been - if that episode would have happened outside a medical facility!

I'm putting a giant bow on his head - that's my present this year!!

Many thanks to our kids who made everything as easy as possible for us.  From B&Bs services to hand-holding during the hard parts!  We couldn't have asked for any better support.

Everyone should be thankful I'm not doing our letter this December - I have some really interesting photo possibilities ... that I'm absolutely not using!!

We discovered my DD is quite squeamish!  She turned a little green just seeing the Black Marker lines on DH's legs marking the veins!

Here's to a new healthy (and quilty) New Year for all!