Yes, It Really Does Sound Like a Freight Train

If you've been tuned into the news and/or weather channel(s) this week, you've probably heard our city's name a few times.  High Point was hit by an EF-3 tornado on Sunday night during a wave of severe thunderstorms that dumped nearly 2.5 inches of rain on us during the evening hours.  What a night!

We are among the fortunate.  The worst strike was in area about a half-mile from us, where houses were damaged in several neighborhoods, including Blairwood.  (If you know where we live, you will know how close we are to that area.)  We were watching the constant weather reports (thank goodness we still had electricity), trying to figure out where the danger was, when both Mr. T and I heard the proverbial freight train sound, roaring through the back yard.  We have Duke Energy transmission lines going through the back, so we surmise that the leveled ground...no trees...allowed the sound to be magnified.  Anyway, we hustled N/M/E and the three dogs into the laundry room to wait out the warning...which brought a couple of thoughts to the surface:

1. I never thought I'd say it, but I miss my MO basement.  Basements are rare in this area (although we did have one in our former HPNC home, oddly enough).  But, in the "be thankful for small mercies" category, I'm glad our laundry room is as "large" as it is (relatively speaking, of course) because many who were interviewed on TV reported taking cover in their pantries...or under a stairwell. We had already discussed what we would do in case of a tornado, and the laundry room had been designated as our refuge.
2. I'm glad we no longer are facing tornado activity in the Midwest.  There, with everything being so flat, you have danger all around you for 20-30 minutes or more, after the tornado sirens sound.  Here, it was over almost before we knew it.  Swoop!  The tornado spun out of the thunderstorm, did its destruction, and was gone again.  No more than 5 minutes (for that one).  Of course, this means that you'd better know where the counties and communities are around you...when they mention that a tornado has been confirmed in Welcome, NC, for instance...you need to know how close that is to you...cause it will be on top of you before you have time to look at a map.  Trust me on that last point.

Anyway, yesterday was a day of discovery.  We got the first pictures of the destruction...and were shocked at what we saw.  As we are under a State of Emergency here, and they have asked that we not go into any of the areas just to "take a look," we haven't seen Ground Zero yet.  But, as we were leaving our neighborhood to head to the vet (for Duchess), I snapped this blurry shot across the lake near the intersection of Skeet Club, Waterview, and Kendale...where there was a constant traffic jam caused by the redirected traffic.  The blue tarp on the roof of this house and the raw wood on the tree trunks are a visual indicator of how much destruction can occur in just a heartbeat.

Yes, very fortunate indeed.

Oh, What a Week

Mr. Dickens said it better than I can:  it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Let's start with the best...

I had a fantastic time last week at the 2010 MESDA Textile Seminar, "'Trees of life bear fruits of love,' New Research in Southern Needlework and Textiles."  I learned so much, as this was a "scholarly" seminar...plus, I had fun.  Period.  It was the first seminar/workshop/class that I've attended in years, just for the fun of it. 

As I am more of a hand's-on learner, I would have to say my two favorite sessions were the MESDA Research Center Exploration on Wednesday, where we were given an assignment and got to play "treasure hunt" throughout the Research Center; and, the Coverlet Turning on Saturday, where we got to see (up close and personal) more than 25 coverlets and quilts from the MESDA collection...many that have never been exhibited before.  The photo on the right is of one of the quilts we saw on Saturday.  It is an applique, c. 1850, from Baltimore, credited to Alice Baynes, in pinks and greens (with the pink-est fabric being added at a later date as a replacement). Beautiful!

While at the seminar, I also got some information on my great grandmother Holland's coverlet, although not a definitive pattern name yet.  I did learn it is called an Overshot weave (as there is a float on the reverse, wool over cotton...learned about that, too...:), and I got some names of reference materials for more research.  I learned how to fold it for display (in 1/3's, over a clean, cotton sheet; refold it 2-3 times a year to keep from damaging the fibers by putting too much stress for too long).  And, I got other vital bits and pieces of information that may come in handy for another project...down the road.

Of course, it wasn't all serious.  I had to laugh when I approached the main entrance to MESDA...and was met by a family of guinea fowl.  They do their best to get inside the museum...and on occasion, they make it!  I had to snap this shot of a guinea hen greeter (left). 

Anyway, that was my best of times for the week past.



On to the worst of times...

Dear, sweet Elmo had almost a whole week, free of the pain of his primary glaucoma...following the surgical procedure to his right eye last Monday.  We were thrilled to learn that he still had some vision remaining in his left eye, and we continued with the eyedrop routine to protect what he had.  Supposedly, dogs with primary glaucoma who lose the sight in one eye can have 6 months to 3 years before the glaucoma will strike the other eye.  But, it was not meant to be.  Late in the week, he began to exhibit all the symptoms of a glaucoma "episode" in his left eye:  swelling, pain, etc.  We had an appointment for a re-check on Monday with Dr. Nasisse (dear, wonderful fellow), and we were prepared for what he had to tell us:  it was time to do the procedure to the left eye.  All went well with the injection, and we got to bring Elmo home yesterday afternoon, a bit groggy from the anesthetic, but alert and aware.  He's doing fine...learning to navigate around the furniture, walls, and doors...and to follow Gus's barks.  Best of all, he's still got his healthy appetite.  Give him a few weeks, and he'll be able to handle anything that comes along, I'm certain.

So, what's so bad, you might ask?  I'm not sure I can handle much more "that comes along"...on my present dwindling energy resources, that is. I was quite simply drained last night.  I can't help but tear up whenever I think of Elmo not being able to see ever again...so, I guess I wasn't completely "prepared" for it after all. Sigh.

But, a few days of quiet and calm...and hopefully no more immediate issues to deal with...and I'll be back in form.  We've got a party coming up in a couple of weeks...lots of family and friends coming to help celebrate Mom's 90th birthday...and I want to be ready for that.

Stay tuned...

Start of Something New

I really don't want to jinx anything ("You're not superstitious, are you Leon?"  "No, I'm just a little 'stitious."**), but has anyone else noticed a touch of Spring in the air?  I trimmed some branches off our one forsythia (side yard, under our bedroom window...:) and popped them into a vase of warm water...along with some King Alfred daffodils that had opened this weekend...all for the dining room table.  Of course, about an hour after I did that on Saturday, it started to HAIL (English pea-size).  Ah yes, the joys of Spring:  flowers, rebirth, and changeable weather.  It's always something new at this time of the year.

Last Friday brought another "something new" into my life.  I started my volunteer job with the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), a part of Old Salem in Winston-Salem.  It was raining and dreary outside (as you can see in that photo over there that I captured with my phone), but I fell in love with all the beautiful things...and the lovely people...that were inside.  I received such a warm welcome...I got the Grand Tour by two enthusiastic staff members...and I was shown all the "off-Tour areas," too. 

I love that part, don't you know?  When we lived in the Memphis area, I used to be a docent for the Mallory Neely house in Victorian Village (which is closed now, I'm sad to see), and my favorite part was to explore the off-Tour areas (although it was sometimes spooky).

Anyway, I'm excited about helping with the Textile Seminar that starts this week.  I'll also get to attend all of the workshops and sessions, so it's best of all worlds.  I have a coverlet that was woven by my great, great grandmother, Nancy Elizabeth Dudley Holland, who lived in middle Tennessee in the mid- to late- 1800's, and I'm hoping to get some more information on it from the instructor of the session called:  "From Home Looms and Store Shelves: New Considerations of Southern Backcountry Textiles".

An update on Elmo's eye...

He's doing remarkably well, thank goodness.  He keeps both of his eyes open now, even though he only has sight in the left eye.  That means that the pressure in both of his eyes is under control and not causing him pain just to open the lids.  He continues to "get lost" sometimes, walking behind an open door and bumping his nose on the wall.  He just adjusts his journey...sorta like a Roomba...and retraces his steps!  Still doing the drops daily (different kinds in each eye, three times a day.)  Amazingly, he looks "normal" when you look at him, as you can see in this photo of him enjoying the rest of Gus' breakfast.  One thing's for sure, he hasn't lost his appetite!

Have I told you about my new March Madness committment?  No, this has nothing to do with the NCAA Tournament, starting this week.  I doubt I'll even do a bracket since my own Memphis Tigers didn't make the cut...they'll be heading into the NIT, playing St. John's on Wednesday...sad to say.  Anyway, I joined other About.com knitters in making a commitment to resolving our UFO's this month...and not starting any new projects until April 1st. 

So, how's that going, Patricia?  It's killing me!!!  I've recently unpacked all of the boxes of yarn that we moved from MO (...whoa!...:), so I was keenly aware of just how many projects I had on the needles...and just how many were in the wings.  Seemed like an excellent idea at the time I read about it.  But, now, that I'm holding myself to it?  Painful. 

BTW, "resolving" means to either finish the thing...or frog it.  I've finished knitting N/M/E's Entwined Shawl (still have to weave in the ends), and an I-cord necklace with buttons (I'd done the I-cord/knitting...I just had to sew about 20 buttons on it for decoration).  I'm working diligently on a belt for Missy M (sock yarn on US 1's...going slowly).  I also have a baby blanket that I'd started crocheting a couple years ago that I've been working on.  Actually, I have two of these baby blankets started; but, in the spirit of things, I'm trying to finish one before I pick up the other one again.  I've yet to frog anything, as I'm putting the ripping out off until the last week of the month.

And, where are the pictures of these things, you ask?  Well, it appears I've misplaced my camera...yikes!  I wish I could ring it up like I do my cellphone when I "lose" it temporarily.  No such luck.  Soon as I can put my hands on it, I'll be back in business.  Until then...stay tuned.



**A great line from NCIS...Special Agent LeRoy Jethro Gibbs to Director Leon Vance, followed by his response.**

Yes, Things are Looking Better Around Here

If you've been reading my posts lately, you may think things seemed pretty bleak around our abode.  Woe was us.  The Winter of our Discontent.  Well, now with some lovely warm temperatures and Carolina Blue skies, I can misquote the Bard by saying it has been made glorious Spring by this sun of High Point.  I ask you, how can things be bad when it's 65 degrees, the sun is shining, and the daffodils are starting to bloom?  That's the first one (left) in our yard...a King Alfred...the first of many, I hope.

Yesterday brought some resolution to Elmo's struggles with primary glaucoma, which is a breed-related defect in the fluid drainage system in the eye(s).  After a particularly trying weekend where he barely raised his sweet head off the sofa...not eating at all on Sunday...he went in early for his appointment with the wonderful Dr. Nasisse, Veterinary Ophthalmologist at Carolina Veterinary Specialists.  We reviewed the options for treatment that he had outlined at our last appointment and decided the Intravitreal injection of gentocin was the best choice, as Elmo could no longer see from his right eye.  With this procedure, he will no longer have pain from the pressure, and he will keep his own eyeball which will eventually become smaller than normal since the fluid-produing cells will stop working permanently.  The procedure was quick and only required a short sedation; the complication rate is very low, we were told.  Although one of the other choices (evisceration) may have provided a more cosmetically-pleasing result, we were concerned about the discomfort and swelling following that type of surgery (synthetic intrascleral prosthesis...a silicone implant)

Good news!  He sailed through the procedure with flying colors, and we were able to pick him up later in the afternoon.  He continued to be a little sleepy from the anesthesia, but was up-and-at-'em by 6:00 p.m...devouring his supper (and some of Duchess').  We continue to use two kinds of drops in his left eye, twice a day...as a temporary measure.  Dr. Nasisse says Elmo can still see out of the left eye, but it will eventually be affected (6 months to 3 years)...we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  We also are using an antibiotic eye drop in the right eye 3 times a day for the next 10 days, along with administering a liquid Meloxicam solution...or, trying our best to...to help relieve any pain or inflammation from the procedure.  Elmo just won't take pills...and yes, we've tried to hide them in cheese...in peanut butter...wrap them in ham or turkey or chicken or roast beef...coat them in bacon grease (yuck!)...no luck.  He's too wise to our ways.  So, they gave us this med in liquid form...with this squirty-syringe to aid in getting the medicine in his mouth.  Imagine trying to penetrate a stone with a straw.  It took two of us to get about 1/4 of a dose down last night.  I'm less-than-eagerly looking forward to doing that again tonight...by myself...as my DH has deserted me gone out of town on business.  Ah well...it's all worth it.

Here are the Boyz (Gus on the left in the photo, Elmo on the right) enjoying our new storm door.  I took this shot today, so you can see that Elmo is doing really well; although there is still some swelling of his right eye, it is much less-noticeable after his procedure. You can also see a reflection of our other enclosure to prevent wandering Bassets:  a wire closet shelf, turned on its side, slipped into (and easily removed from...) anchors that are screwed into the porch posts.  It's a perfect solution to the problem.  You may not realize it, but Basset Hounds are fast when they want to be...that is, when an unguarded door is left open.  Free Bird!

Speaking of Bassets making a mad dash for freedom, Duchess (AKA Queen Houdini)...who is doing very well these days, recovering nicely from her ordeal with the cyst...was lounging on the sofa at the time.  Usually, she is the one in the window...watching the world go down her street...waiting for just the right moment...

Here We Go Again

Can you tell what that is in that picture over there to the left?  Well, since it's Tuesday in HPNC, then it must be SNOW, right?  Right.  All right, already!  Surely this is our last snowstorm of the season.  Surely...

I love snow, don't get me wrong.  Nothing like a Snow Day:  pot of soup/stew on the stove; cup of hot tea with lemon by my side; knitting needles in my hand.  But, not this much...not this many...not this often.  And, after the first two or three, well, I'm ready for Spring.  Southerner to the core, I guess.

On my walk yesterday, I noticed several crocuses (crocii?) pushing up through the pinestraw mulches.  And, our own daffodils that we planted last Fall have several inches of green growth above ground...with a couple of brave flower buds in evidence.  Not blooms yet, mind you...just buds.  I even saw a branch or two of forsythia with flowers.  Soon, I hope the whole neighborhood will be awash in yellow!  But, first we have to get through yet another snow.  Predictions are for accumulations of anywhere between 2 and 4 inches.  I'll let you know.

Meanwhile, here's an update from the Drool Care Center. Duchess is doing pretty well today after her ordeal described in yesterday's post.  She's not happy to be wearing her T-Shirt Sleeve Bustle Bandage Tu-Tu...but it's working like a charm.  You can probably imagine her mood from the photo to the right.  After we doctored her rump-bump and wrestled her tu-tu bandage up and over her tail and tush, she flounced up into my chair as if to say "it's mine this morning, you horrible witch-woman you.  I'll show you.  Hhhhmmmppphhh!  I dare you to try to move me.  Go have your coffee someplace else!"  Ah well.

Plus, I now have a new med in my Doctor kit:  I learned from a message on the Basset board this morning about using Preparation H as a healing ointment.  Who knew?  She'll just love that, I'm sure...

Stay tuned.

The Doctor is In

WARNING:  The following post is not for the squeemish.

I'm beginning to think there is a little black raincloud hanging over our Drool Gang (Gus, Duchess, and Elmo). I've written previously about Elmo's glaucoma (about the same as last reported: 3 drops of 3 different meds daily; next Ophthal. Vet. appt on March 8).

Now, I've got the peroxide and antibiotic ointment out because one of Duchess' bumps burst open this AM. This one is located on her rear, fairly large, so we've been calling it her Bustle. Taking a step back here...you probably need to know that Bassets are prone to having skin problems, cysts, and cancerous growths.  Duchess seems to be the only one of our current three Droolers to have these cysts (AKA:  "bumps"), but Boots (our Beautiful Basset babe before Duchess...taken from us at age 11 by kidney disease) had the bumps, too.  Duchess has had 6 of these removed in the last few years (none cancerous, TG). Vet suggested we just monitor the remaining bumps, and she measured all of them on our last visit in September. We knew it was just a matter of time on this one, since it had recently gotten bigger and felt warmer. You can even see it on her rumpus in that photo I took of her out in the last snowfall.  We were hoping that we could deal with this issue after Elmo's upcoming appointment, but wishin' and hopin' never seems to work out, does it? Sigh.

Anyway...nasty, stinky gunk oozing out onto...wait for it...the quilt on our bed. Naturally.

But, Mr. T and I chased her down to clean her up (like wrestling an alligator), compress more of the ooze out (what fun...), and "doctor" the hole. "Yuck" is such an inadequate word. Now, how to keep it covered until the healing begins? Then I remembered a suggestion I'd read on the Basset Board on Ravelry (that knitters' social network site I've told you about): use a T-shirt as a bandage. I got several of Mr. T's oldest t's (he doesn't really need that many, now does he?)...clean, but ready for the rag-bag. Scissors. Cut the sleeves off and made "girdles" for Duchess' ample arse.

Working like a charm! I cannot say thank you enough for this idea. We just keep turning the "sleeve" around as the ooze begins to show. Then, we take the used one off, toss it away; clean the hole with peroxide and apply ointment, then slip a new sleeve/girdle/bandage around her. Imagine if you will putting a tu-tu on a hippo.  Anyway, the place is far enough back on her backside...and she's tubby enough not to be able to twist that far around...that she can't get to it to lick the wound...thank heaven for small favors.

And all she wanted after all this was over? Breakfast, of course. Or, as we say in Duchess' case...brunch. Yes, her record is intact: never missed a meal. She's whining right now because she can't make it up the stairs to Mr. T's office, but otherwise is moving around OK. Has been outside for her business (4 steps down/up on the deck). Even made it up on the sofa (which we raced to cover with towels...:) for a little post-Brunch nap.

I'll keep you posted on how things are going here at the Drool Care Center.