Over There

I'm putting up my (sort of) annual Count Your Blessings posts over there on my other blog.

Thanks for stopping by; I'm planning to be back in business in the new year.

Taking a Break and Regrouping

After my detour, I'm feeling much better overall. I still have moments when I'm not sure what my heart is doing, but I take it easy when I have to, and work hard when I have the energy.

I'm taking a break from blogging here for a while and getting some other things done that have needed doing for a long time. Feel free to explore and look around at the past posts.

Enjoy the change of season and I'll be back sometime.

Detour

Thursday, July 30, I managed to move all the rest of the books over and set up the final two bookcases. It was hot, sweaty work but I wanted to get it done. I was going to take pictures on Friday and post them. Thursday night as I stood up to go to my bedroom I felt the room spin and said this is not good! I had an attack of vertigo complete with nausea and vomiting. Yuck! Worse though was the fact that my heart was thumping around in my chest. I told TopDad that something wasn't right and I wanted to go to the ER.

What they found was that my heart was in atrial fibrillation, which simply means it was out of regular rhythm; racing, pounding, pausing, etc. They got me on some medicine to slow and strengthen the heart to help it get back to normal. Unfortunately, the drug worked too good at slowing my heart and I had episodes of the beat dropping into the thirties. I felt like I'd been beat up, exhausted and tired. I was admitted to our local hospital and observed overnight. In the morning the attending physician ordered me transferred to Crieghton University Medical Center in Omaha for further evaluation by a cardiologist. Just before the EMT's got there to transport me, my heart "converted" into a normal rhythm. I still got transported and evaluated. I spent another night in the hospital in Omaha and underwent more tests. Nothing was found, no cause, no other problems, my heart is structurally in great shape. The cardiologist wants to me follow up with a stress test, but I got away with no meds, except I have to take a baby aspirin daily to prevent any clotting. My resting heart rate still goes quite low and the risk is for the pooling blood to clot and then get squeezed out with the next beat, which could cause a stroke. Lovely.

I'm home and other than some tiredness, I feel fine. There is no history of heart disease in my family. I asked if it was contagious? Perhaps I caught it from TopDad. The doctor laughed and said no. Then I chalked it up to cumulative stress and aging; the cardiologist agreed.

In the hospital I was tethered to an IV, an oxygen monitor, a heart monitor and blood pressure cuff. Not fun. Here I am in my fashionable hospital get up.

I really appreciate the many prayers from family and friends in my behalf and know that they were answered. I am so not ready to graduate yet.

Noble's Birthday

Tuesday evening we celebrated Noble's twenty-sixth birthday. She fixed Bibimbap (Korean food) for her birthday dinner. Bibimbap is a bowl of rice, veggies and meat, topped with a fried egg, then red pepper paste is stirred in. Yummy!!! Korean meals are always served with several side dishes, Noble served Fresh Cabbage Kimchi, dried squid, and chopped and seasoned seaweed.

Bibimbap as served

With pepper paste (After I took this picture I added more red pepper paste) -- so delicious!

(L_R) Toasted Sesame Seeds, Red Pepper Paste, Cabbage Kimchi, Dried Squid, Seaweed

(L-R) Dandylion, TopDad, Noble and Mr. Movie

Photos of my loved ones!

Dandylion -- glasses are his fashion accessory!

The Birthday Girl - Noble

TopDad - The Provider and Protector of us all

Mr. Movie - caught smiling for once!

I did my usual sterling job of wrapping presents in brown paper bags:

Noble with Wolf Puzzle (purchased at a thrift store for 99 cents.)

Noble was delighted with two children's books by one of her favorite authors!

Purple canning jars! For use in the kitchen instead of plastic leftover containers.

We had cake later -- (actually I frosted the two pieces of cake I'd cut off to make the layers even and then cut that into five pieces for some "pre-cake" which made everyone so full no one was ready for cake until much later!)

While the boys did the dishes, Noble and I watched an episode of a Korean romantic comedy called Producers. The curtains behind the TV were open and we noticed the changing light as the sun went down. It was so beautiful we paused the show and went out to take pictures.

The very air glowed yellow!

I believe the air was yellow because of the dense moisture and the refraction of light. I've seen this phenomenon before, especially in Mount Vernon, Washington. It's magical as well as gorgeous!

One More Step, and Some other stuff I've been doing

I'm really spoiled having a woodshop teacher for a husband. He has all the tools and knowledge to help make my vision come into being. I'm also really glad our sons all took woodshop in high school. Today Mr. Movie drilled additional holes for shelf supports in a bookcase so I could finish putting books up, and for the first time in twenty-seven years I can actually use all six shelves on both bookcases. We purchased these two unfinished bookcases at the beginning of our marriage with a profit sharing bonus I got from a former employer. They've held up surprising well through eight moves.

Now I even have some extra space should I need it. (Watch how fast that will fill up! LOL) See how nice the back corner of my living room looks with bookcases!

As for the other things I've been doing:

TopDad and I spent the week of our anniversary (June 25) in Cedar Falls, Iowa; he attended a post-graduate class at University of Northern Iowa, I stayed in the hotel room and alternated between exercising in the swimming pool, sewing, and reading. It was a wonderful vacation. (See here for the difference between a vacation and a trip. Some of the things I completed:

Five placemats to add to the seven I completed years ago.

A hanging towel and matching dishcloths.

I designed the top part, the towel is made from a linen shirt.

Another set, this towel started life as a cotton dinner napkin. I like to give a small bottle of Joy dishwashing liquid with the gift set so the recipient knows that the knitted things are dishcloths; some have thought they were hotpads.

I love the vintage button on this one.

We attended the local July 4th Parade to see Dandylion's last time participating in the marching band; I love my two veterans: Noble, recently discharged and returned from Korea, and my favorite Retired Marine, TopDad

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Giving respect to the passing colors.

Dandylion is the tall bass drum player in the middle.

                                           

Then just a week and a half later TopDad had his right knee replaced. We tease him about being a cyborg, or the bionic man.

I asked him if he got the license number of the guy who hit him!

He's actually doing much better and the bruising (and pooling blood) is much less today; when he concentrates he can walk almost normally. He gets the dressing off on July 28. The surgeon "super-glued" his incision. I had that done with a very minor surgery and it leaves almost no scaring. I'm eager to see how TopDad's knee does.

I have two more bookcases to move over and put up; then I can hang some plates, and other decorative items. I think then the living room will finally be done. I hope!