Sylvia's Simple Shots

 As women we need to pay attention how our body is feeling.  Symptoms are often ignored or not considered as heart symptoms.  Back pain is common in women having a heart attack.  I wore red to our first meeting in 3 years of the quilting group.

I finished this book recently Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton.  It is a collection of short stories with her famous female investigator - Kinsey Millhone.  

As the author puts it - it is a challenge to set up the characters, the crime and solve it in a short story.

A Little Missionary Work was my favorite of these short stories.

There is some autobiography information on Sue Grafton's early growing up years which was difficult with alcoholic parents and all the comes with that.

It was a nice change of pace with Kinsey and enjoyed the stories.

If you are a fan of Kinsey it is definitely worth a read.

I headed out to the north end drugstore because my local one did not have any inventory of these bands. With the increase in the amount of leg and arm exercises I have been doing I needed some bands in different tension strength.  I am using the blue one for some leg exercises.

I was lucky to have decaf tea on sale - 2 boxes for $10.00 which a savings of $6 so I picked a couple of those as well.  I have not been able to get this tea at my regular grocery store since before Christmas. 

I finally did a Google search and my drugstore carries it.  I am there regularly so I will just keep an eye for the sale again.

I underwent a vertigo assessment by my physiotherapist this week.   I had about 10 days of bad dizziness around mid January. It started right after my big pain in my knee. I felt it was musculoskeletal and it was related to extreme tension between my shoulders.  There was a spot on the right hand side that I just could not release the pressure in that spot.  I passed the vertigo assessment.

I had a deep muscle massage which addressed the knot in the middle of my back.  That is exactly what I needed.  The pain is gone and I feel so much better.

I was also given cupping massage which felt great.

Back exercises were added to the leg ones to address the tight back muscles.

The Cat Cow yoga pose works well then I was given a deep stretch for that area which feels better now that the knot in the muscle has relaxed.

The shoulder rotation is very good.  I used pillows for my head and my knee.  

The back squeeze feels good as well.  I wrap my elastic exercise band around the door handle, wrap the two ends over and above the latch and shut the door.  Now I can pull really hard on the band and it will not let go.

I bought myself another African Violet at the garden center last week.  I am hoping to keep this one alive.  The last one was just too close to the window during the deep freeze and it succumbed to the cold.

I used to grow these in my twenties when I did not even have to try.  They sat in a large north window and bloomed and flourished.

I have set this one on the shelf near the window and hopefully just a little less light and much less cold will be the magic formula.  

I will keep an eye on it and always water it from the bottom and keep  my fingers and toes crossed.

Nice to have a bit of life in the house until spring returns.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I made an overlay cloth for my navy tablecloth.  

The fabric is 100% cotton and was not quite square.  

I squared it up to 23 inches finished size.  I hemmed it with a fancy stitch and white thread.

I finished this book - Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  It is set in Paris, France during in July 1942 and Second World War is coming closer. When the knock came to the door Sarah locked her small brother in their safe cupboard and promised the come back for him later. Sarah and her family were part of the great round up at Velodrome d'Hiver, where 13,152 Jews were arrested. Jewish families were locked up there for days, in appalling conditions. Then sent to Auschwitz. Then gassed. 

Julia Jaramond in New York is a reporter assigned the 60th anniversary of the great roundup. The round up was performed by French policemen and not the Nazi soldiers.

This was an excellent read and hard to put down. The turns that take place to connect these two women are amazing. A story of love, hate, sadness, doing the right thing and being true to one's self. 

I bought myself a thermometer to test meat when cooking.

I started physio this week for my sore knee. 

I suffered a subluxation of the knee cap which hurt like crazy!! With elevation and icing the pain got better.  The knee cap (patella) returned to it's place but the muscles in the thigh need to be strengthened to keep that little thing where it is supposed to be.

I do my exercises every day and things are getting better.

Another great book - Mercy House by Alena Dillon.  This is set in Brooklyn New York where a renegade Sister Evelyn and her fellow nuns preside over a safe haven for abused and abandoned women. 

The nuns no longer need to where habits so they blend into society more easily which helps in their work. The word spreads that safety can be found at the door with the angel door knocker.  The nuns are street smart and deal with women who have lived a hard life. 

When Evelyn finds out that the house will be investigated by Bishop Hawkins which she has known early in her novitiate life she is determined not to have her life's work terminated.

Steps are taken to bring the house closer to the Catholic standards of the 1960's. The women's stories are touching, the love the nuns pour into their hearts to allow the girls to believe in themselves again, retrain, get work and move back into society is wonderful.

Sylvia Simple Shots

I booked my 4th COVID Booster shot with health services and was given a pharmacy I had not been to before. I needed it done so I agreed.  I carefully walked the block and entered into a space with no one else in there.  Different for sure. I was quickly given my shot and waited my fifteen minutes. 

I limped home and all I had was a sore arm for a day.

I had been limping since the 6th of January but managing but not getting any better. 

After a urgent care doctor visit on January 12th, I headed for an ultrasound on my right knee/leg to check for blood clots the next day.

At home, on my way up the stairs I felt a pop in the back of my knee and the pain got 10X worse.

I spent the day waiting for ultrasound results, having a nurse assessment, a Zoom Medical Doctor visit and at last a call from my own doctor.  She confirmed no blood clots! Wonderful but what is wrong. After answering another ton of questions she had an idea what it might be. She did not a feel a visit to emergency was necessary and suggested icing and elevating and she would see me Monday, Jan 16th. 

In the meantime, I borrowed a walker and a cane from my sister who delivered it that afternoon. After icing the knee felt a lot better.

I have kept the cane, as physiotherapy has been prescribed but more about that later.

With some down time I finished this book - Sutton by J.R. Moehringer.

This story is centered around a real figure of Willie "The Actor" Sutton who was an American bank robber. So named for the disguises he used while committing his crimes.  During his forty-year robbery career he stole an estimated $2 million, and he eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison and escaped three times. He did not kill a single person during these many robberies. 

He is pardoned Christmas Eve 1969 and he spends Christmas Day with a reporter and a photographer while they revisit the scenes of his crimes and other key events/crossroads of his life. I believe there were 17 marks on the map and they would have to be visited in chronological order.  

This book is very well written and a joy to read. 

Flickr Macro Mondays challenge was "shadows" this week. 

I took quite a few shots of several different things.  I was not able to decide and ran out of energy to actually post an image.

Here's one of the shots.

A glass bowl vase with a ripple edge. 

I am having trouble keeping track of all the stuff that has happened, no wonder I am exhausted.

Recent Photos

Washing your hands is important in this day of the COVID 19 Pandemic. Wash your hands video. 

Dr. Oz did a great break down on his show the other day to explain how doctors wash their hands and why each step is important. I could not find that one so I have included another.

The impact of the corona virus on my social calendar.

Saturday - Juried Art show postponed
Sunday - Church cancelled
Monday - Quilting cancelled
Tuesday - Cardmaking at Compassion House cancelled
Thursday - Welcome to My Kitchen Fellowship cancelled

I will be quilting this week on my Viking sewing machine but soon it will be different.

I got the news today that my new to me Bernina Record 830 machine is working perfectly.  It will be delivered when I have cleared a space for it in the bedroom.

This is my second book by this author.  Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley. The story is situated on Long Island in the 1700's.  Two French soldiers are billeted at the home of Zeb Wilde who has a farm near Snug Cove.  He has several sons and one daughter Lydia.  William the oldest runs a business in New York City and owns several ships. Benjamin who is younger wants to be a sea.  Eventually, he becomes the Captain of the Bellewether owned by his brother.

The one officer, Lieutenant Jean-Phillipe de Sabran only speaks French as he is a Canadian officer.  To keep himself occupied he eventually participates in farm life. 

In the modern period, Charlotte “Charley” Van Hoek has come to work as a curator for the Wilde house whose family has a storied history reflecting the life and times of that colonial period.

It is very well written, the characters complex, and true history is woven with fiction to create a great story.  Loved it.

My grand niece was in a band competition this week so I went to listen and support her in this pursuit.  She is one of over 40 members. They traveled by bus and had an overnight stay which is exciting as a teenager. They played 3 pieces of music. 

She had a fan section of her mom, her grandparents and me.  This was not a public performance but we wanted her to know we see what is important to her.

The event was very well organized as they moved kids in and out of the hall. 

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #71 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Be Present for Christmas - Lesson 3 - Come to the King

With Lesson 3 it comes down to being one to help others.
I chose to make Blessing Bags for our Street Ministry team as our activity this week.  I handed out a list of suggested items I had compiled from the internet and a zip lock bag last week.  We will assemble our bags tonight and hand them over for giving.  You can find the list in my Freebies tab.  Soon homeless here will need warm clothes so I bought a scarf, gloves, a tuque and lip balm.  For health I included cough drops and Advil.  For hygiene I added a toothbrush, (I thought it was important to have a cover for the toothbrush so it stays clean), toothpaste, handi-wipes, shampoo and a microfiber washcloth with a ziplock bag to store it. Sweets are always nice.  Notebooks & pencil just to write a note for someone cause they are not home. Or make a food list when you go to the food bank or notes when at the shelter. Kids came to mind when I saw the pencil crayons.  I could think of so many things that I ended up with 2 bags.

I wanted to include a note for the recipient and with a search on line I decided on this one.

I'm selecting my lessons from The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp.  The book provides 24 lessons for each day of Advent of which I have chosen 7 for this class.  We will have readings, questions, discussion, and an activity each week.

This week the lesson focus is Esther the queen who could act to save her people who live outside the gate of the palace in which she lives. It meant being brave to approach the King. Her uncle tells her "This is the moment you were made for: Use the life you have been given to give life to others."

If not you, then who?  We have so much we are compelled to share it.

We made 12 Blessings Bags.  It was so exciting and a lot of fun!!!