Llamas at the Manor

Llamas from Whitewater, 17 of them, are owned by Kathy and Glen Stanko.  Kathy and Glen were kind to bring two of them to visit the manor yesterday.  They were certainly a hit with residents.  Julie loved seeing them, and even made me drive her chair out to the parking lot to wave them off back to their home forty-five minutes away by trailer.

 

They ate iris and parsley planted in the herb garden, but that was ok.  There are plenty more iris I planted there last fall, while the parsley is taking more than its fair share of garden space.

 

White llama above: Phoebe Snow.  Her fur is a natural white and is spun at Fire Mountain Fiber near Hotchkiss, Colorado at Bad Rabbit Farm.  Her fiber is lace weight.  Kathy wants me to drive out to the ranch and see all her fiber for sale; I might take her up on it as I would really like to dye up some more fibers in acid dye baths.  Like last year!

 

Julie is trying to touch Phoebe's neck as Phoebe patiently waits for it.

 

Here is the location of the Stanko llama ranch on Kannah Creek Road near Whitewater.  I might just take a drive out there soon to purchase some fiber.

 

 

 

Sunday Tidings

Results of medical tests showed that cancer is not in the cards for me in the near future. Thank you all for your concern.  Gene was relieved, of course, but his wry comment during our discussion after results came in was "God is not letting you get out of here that easy."  Meaning we still have Julie to guard, and his mother to bury, although she is closing on to 90 and has been dying for more than a decade, in her estimation.

So that is all I can report on the tests, other than that odd lump is undefined, and that rib pain continues.  Costochondritis?  Who knows...

The sun shines through!

A Health Concern

"Colorado Aspen"

Acrylics, 16" x 20"
painted by N. McCarroll and

Gifted to Eva this week

Today I go in for an MRI to determine the cause of rib pain, left side, under previous breast cancer site.  It kept me awake while I was in Maine since I could not sleep on my side, but it did not keep me from having a very enjoyable time playing Scrabble, visiting with friends, and savoring lobster and the gorgeous views of water and greenery.  It was a wonderful week.

This health issue is worrying, of course, and I will post results when available.  Thank you in advance for your caring.  

Psalm 103:2-4 “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

Main Fun Times in Maine

Summer Solstice with a Strawberry Moon outside our cabin

Sunset on Penobscot Bay Sail

Castine Cottages where we occupied four cottages

Lupine Showing Off

Lobster traps

Sailing on Penobscot Bay

Lobster 

Lighthouse in Castine

Lobster traps on a haul

Relaxing at Andrea's house

Andrea, right, a most gracious hostess.  We all had a marvelous week playing Scrabble!

A few of us before departing Castine...

Tea Party

Tuesday was the Tea Party for four manor residents.

Gene went to the grocery store for most of the party fare and bought cookies and cucumbers and thin white bread for buttered tea sandwiches.  He even found the Queen's recipe! 

For my part, I cleaned the patio and cut roses and whipped up scones, and made an ice ring with silk flowers frozen between layers of water.  During The Purge of Kitchen Doodads several years ago, our ancient handed down punch bowl, cups and ladle were dismissed with fond farewell.  So for tea, other utensil improvisations were in order. It all worked out.  More or less. Except we limped along without a ladle, pouring sherbet and 7-up punch from a pitcher into clear plastic cups.

This week I accompanied Julie when she went to her long awaited appointment with the ophthalmologist.  After the exam, he launched into a speil about how she would be having corrective surgery on her crossed eyes later in the summer at Children's Hospital in Denver.  I stopped him in his tracks when I brought up her winter flight to Denver for medical reasons, explained issues with pressure sores, the ambulance ride home that exacerbated the wounds, and ended my diatribe with the declaration that it would be very difficult to get her transported over to Denver.  

 

Long story, but the female ophthalmologist who corrected her eyes back in 1993 is still practicing in Denver and this current specialist with confer with that woman, reaching back 23 years into Julie's medical records and will likely, hopefully, be doing the corrective eye surgery on Julie in August.  Yes, Julie definitely needed a change in lens prescription but will wait for new lenses until after the eye surgery.

I am leaving today for Bangor, ME for the Cineast Scrabble Tournament in Castine, Maine.  It should be lots of fun, and I will be glad to get away for a week. Julie has been testy.

Father Isaac and Very Reverend Father Don Malin

It is our privilege to have become members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Parish this year.  Gene and I have grown in faith and have acquired new friends and spiritual partners in this parish.  The two priests serving at the parish are the Very Reverend Father Don P. Malin, V.F. and Father Isaac Kariuki, originally from Kenya. Here are a few pictures  of them over the past months.

Father Isaac Kairuki, fall of 2015 at RCI

 

Fr. Isaac, June, 2016

 

Fr. Isaac and Gene, June, 2016 at dinner

 

Father Don Malin, January, 2016, blessing our house

 

Father Don, March 2016

 

Father Don, March 2016 at Easter Vigil

 

 From this week at IHM:



'Just Believers'

Fr. Don Malin's band, 'Just Believers' will be performing after the 4PM mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Saturday, June 11th. The Knight's of Columbus will have a cook out and offer hot dogs and hamburgers! Come offer Fr Don and Fr Isaac a Happy Birthday!  

Fr. Don and the Just Believers, June 11, 2016





The Just Believers performed about a dozen pieces last night to an enthusiastic crowd.  Great meal, fun time

It is June

It has been a year since Julie has been back in Colorado and I was reflecting on May 30 a year ago.  (back post here)  

Personally, since last May, I am now able to eat and my appetite has returned.  Last year at this time, I was not sleeping very well, and now that problem too has somewhat dissipated.  My relationship with the Lord is stronger, perhaps through much more prayer.  And I became Catholic!

Julie has been hospitalized four times over these past 12 months, with another one upcoming.  She continues to live, and dare I say, thrive in her new environment. Caregivers, now friends, yesterday took her across the street for a meal out.  She loves that.  How kind these women are and continue to be.  After a long shift, they all gathered round and wheeled her not only to the hospice restaurant, but also for a blood draw at the nearby health care office.  They went above and beyond their manor duties.

This is a picture of Julie on Tuesday.  And one of Mercy.



Last year it was if I were just going through the motions of daily living, but now I am painting again.  Usually on Wednesdays at the manor, but sometimes at home as well.

Yesterday I made German Chocolate Pie (Pinterest link here). Gene is making bread and a main dish since tonight we are having dinner with two couples from the neighborhood.  Last year, I did not have the energy for entertaining.  Another positive change since last summer, energy-wise, that is, as Gene continues to share and provide with his excellent cooking abilities.

In two weeks, several residents from the manor are coming over with the activity director and several staff, now friends, for an afternoon tea.  We are scouring up hats for party time for the women to wear; they look forward to a few hours away from the manor, and I want to make it special. 

source

Life is returning to a new normal.  God is good.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
(2 Corinthians 9:8)

Views from the Porch

Flowers planted in 2012 for my wildflower garden have grown. Some have not flourished, and a few have succumbed to over-watering and too much sun and summer heat.  The picture above shows most of the original plantings, plus a few others. Bluebells, where are you? Was the soil not to your liking?  I have been putting used coffee grounds around the wildflowers every morning to increase acidity uptake.

Iris are blooming

Penstemon are almost ready to bloom

Jupiter's Beard *transplanted two summers ago from slips*

Phlox that will go into earth at the end of the season

A new painting started (oils) from this reference photo:

And from the kitchen:

Rhubarb for this recipe (a yum, thanks, Marianne)

Mrs. Tittlemouse, do you recognize your pretty crochet?

Julie is coming over today from the manor.  We have had quite a few days, and maybe that is why I have neglected blogging for a while.  Last week, she had an optometry appointment that was a bust.  Her wheelchair would not go through the door of the examination room because of its width, 36 inches.  The optometrist was a bit embarrassed since his offices were supposedly "wheelchair accessible".  But she did finally get a referral to an ophthalmologist, which she needed to begin with, but the manor Powers That Be would not listen to me.  It might take another few months to get that scheduled, however.

Then there was the issue of dealing with Julie's headaches that lasted a few days...nothing more to report than worry resulting in a natural resolution to her headaches.  And then another visit scheduled to the surgeon who first helped out with the diversional colitis resection, which has still not been resolved.  That appointment will happen at the end of the week.  Perhaps infection is still evident?

I leave you with this verse that struck me from Sunday's homily, referring to Romans 5:1-5:

...affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts...

source

Freya Hite Shares Art

Prolific artist Freya Hite has won numerous awards at the Brush & Palette Fine Art Shows. Hite paints landscapes, figures, portraits and abstracts. Freya believes that art is a strong form of communication of ideas, emotions, and states of being. And, of course, it feeds the soul.

Hite demonstrated her abstracts using a product similar to water based oils (Flashe paints). Her painting might look "random" but her composition is far from random as she lays down paint on the canvas.

Some highlights to remember from the Hite demonstration that you arty people might want to refer to in the future:

• Using the Golden Triangle in art composition... link here for the Rule of Third
• and here for more information and good examples (a Vermeer painting is cited
• Flashe painting was briefly mentioned, using transparent type acrylic paints
• Source: The FLASHE range, distributed since 1955 by LeFranc & Bourgeois, is one of the first modern painting materials to give artists other means than oil painting to express themselves. Its optical characteristics allow the effects of old tempera paints and primitive painting grounds to be reproduced. The paints are matte, velvety and opaque.
• Hite mentioned the Zorn Palette, named after Anders Zorn, as he used the following four colors for his palette, resulting in good skin tones and varying shades of greys: : Yellow Ochre, Crimson, Black, Titanium White. "That's it! Just 4 colors. You can vary your palette by the type of black and red that you use." (source Gagnon Studio)  
• These are some of Hite's small canvases where she used Zorn Palette colors:
  
  
  
  
  
  

Thank you, Freya!

Mini Art Show Winner for the month of May was Cynthia Grover, shown here with her painting:

Reyna Shawl and Lunch Out

Linking with Ginny, here is the finished Reyna Shawl.

Comments: Giving myself a C- grade on this one. Instead of knitting a slip slip knit, which is tedious, instead the trick for me was to knit through the backs of two stitches (after the center spine). Note to self: too difficult to maneuver this and dropped too many stitches along the way, thinking I had caught them up when, in fact, they elusively slipped from sight.  Then I saw the dropped stitches too late.  Bad knitter.  I will not knit this scarf again.  The colored clips denote places that need to be fixed.

On other notes:

Yesterday was the first time in a year, since Julie arrived back in Colorado, that we went out for lunch at a public restaurant.  I was apprehensive on many levels.  But the excursion bypassed most of my worries, and even the sun came out for a while. Julie, of course, has no qualms about anything. She merrily drank a marguerita and had her meal with just a few mishaps that certainly did not bother her in the least.  I came home weak kneed (Gene went, too, bless him) and thankful I did not misbehave with too many aimed corrective behaviors.

Going to the manor now for our little art class so will look at other YarnAlong entries later.