My friends, it has been a hard month, but first things first...two more blocks finished for my "Repro Madness" swap with Ola and Mary. They were actually finished weeks ago, but I forgot to take pictures. We will get together soon so I can distribute in person.
They will finish 6 inches square. This one I borrowed from a Lori Smith pattern, and the following one is adapted from something I saw on the Internet. "Everybody likes cake," (said the Donkey in "Shrek").
These will join the few others I have barely managed to get finished in the last few months...
"Motor Mary" and Ola have made many more swap blocks than I have, mostly pieced, so I am eager to get my rear in gear and continue with more applique blocks...some day...
Now the rest of the story...lots of you have been emailing me to get updates on Mr. Weasley's fate...our fates are now painfully connected.
We are moving to Alabama and cannot take our handsome little 9-year-old gentleman with us.
Well, one of my friends from church and her family wanted to adopt him. This required getting him into a kitty-carrier. Well, Mr. puss does not like kitty-carriers. We finally caught him (he knew what we were up to...). As I was holding him firmly, he bit into the knuckle on my right-hand index finger right as I was putting his little rump into the carrier. Ouch!
Two punctures on top and one underneath. It started swelling immediately. But off we went in the car to transport him as quickly as possible, to try and keep HIS torture and discomfort to a minimum. I was mad at him, but still sad at having to give up my little buddy...I cried the whole way home. (If you are squeamish, look no further...)
That was a Sunday evening, and it got more swollen overnight. I was at Urgent Care at 8 AM Monday morning where I got an antibiotic shot and a script for oral antibiotics. By the time Steve got home from work that evening, my whole hand was badly swollen, and the redness was growing (the ER doctor kindly drew around it with a sharpie...). We went to the ER, immediately started I.V. antibiotics, and I was admitted late that night and rushed into emergency surgery the next morning.
The surgeon had to open up my finger, top and bottom, to clean out the infection and repair my tendon...all the way back into my palm! The infection had already started to damage my tendon. He had punctured my knuckle joint synovial sac.
I stayed in the hospital another couple of days then came home, wrapped up to my elbow, with a power port in my other arm to receive 3 weeks of I.V. antibiotics. I had no idea that cat bites were so dangerous, but they are serious, serious, SERIOUS! MUCH worse than dog bites...
Fortunately, by the luck of the draw, I had the best hand surgeon in Ann Arbor. I came home for a week of being COMPLETELY useless where moving was concerned. I was doped up on pain killers until I weaned off due to stomach upset. Riley was still in Europe, so she missed all the excitement, than goodness. Steve worked from home and was amazing.
Piano movers came to remove my piano...
...this was the extent of my usefulness...just posing for a selfie.
They disassembled, wrapped, padded, and lugged that thing out, right past the partially filled second POD in the driveway...
One week and 2 days post-op, I was back to have the first peek. The surgeon was thrilled, but I was completely shocked and wondering if I would ever play piano or sew again! I have never had surgery and had only previously been in the hospital for childbirth (both mine and Riley's), so I was not prepared for what I saw. I was still terribly swollen...it looked like someone else's hand.
Another week to go before stitch removal and he put me in a cast...I picked lime green to cheer me up (no "repro-looking" option).
But even though my out-of-state move and world had come to a screaming halt, life everywhere else was going on and on.
Thinking I had entered the Houston International Quilt SHOW a few months ago, I had accidentally entered a SPECIAL QUILT EXHIBIT that was to be hung there during the Festival and show (it was a very confusing web site...). My "Baltimore Rhapsody - Symphony" album quilt was enthusiastically accepted and needed to be shipped off.
It will still be hung during the show, and that is better than a sharp stick in the eye, LOL!
They were very particular about a sewn-on label even though I had inked directly on the quilt backing previously. Despite gaining two fingers, hand sewing was difficult, but Steve helped me. I started out doing it right-handed, then gave up and sewed left-handed (how do you lefties do it?!).
Even after all the effort, we still got the date wrong and we had to write on the label to correct it...crazy!
Then, "Miss Emilie's Garden" was accepted into AQS Chattanooga and AQS Des Moines, so that meant a sleeve was needed...
...and, of course, that needed a label...but after getting the cast off and stitches out, I could do a little more with my new splint (that I don't have to wear all the time!) and I could do it right-handed!
My finger is sore when I push its limits and very stiff. Rehab to bend (or straighten!) will be long, but I hope to get everything back to normal size and function with time.
The move is delayed but I still have much to be grateful for...Riley got home safe from Europe, and the I.V. antibiotics end tomorrow so I can actually still go to move her into college in Alabama this week. I was afraid I would have to miss that. I won't be very useful, but I can now do a few things and can drive one of the cars (the push button one!).
Then, Steve and I will come home to Michigan to finish packing the second POD before it has to be picked up on Aug 21. Still much to do here, but I now realize that I have no power over the schedule. It will happen when it happens. I packed the last few sewing things yesterday (things that I had held back to make labels and sleeves), so I now feel like a junkie without a fix!
Sorry this post was so gruesome, but I wanted everyone to know how bad cat bites are for us two-legged owners and lovers of the little fur balls! Be careful, keep up with their vaccinations, and if you do get bitten, seek help immediately! I miss Weasley terribly, but he is getting used to a new family...and two others cats! I guess he got the last laugh by biting me! I wish us both the best!
Some time I will have to change my header, but I am not quite ready...
In stitches,
Teresa :o)
