Intrepid Fiber Wizard

Linger

Tonight’s thought as I was knitting was: what if we had all the time in the world?

I was just now knitting again on a sweater that I had thought I had finished a week ago, yet when I tried it on, it was more of a shrug than a real sweater...hmmm.

I had to tink back about six rows of edging to return to the lace pattern so that I could add more inches. Some might become so frustrated with this (and I must admit in the past I probably would have as well) but tonight, I was grateful to again be knitting with glorious yarn (silk, merino and alpaca blend) in a lovely denim color, and a very intriguing lace pattern.
When I thought I had finished the sweater a week ago, I was a bit adrift, not having an ongoing project to knit on. And now, the gift returns. So fascinating.
And thus the thought , what if we had all the time in the world?

I’ve worked with a few fascinating clients this week. Two are women who have enormous things happening in their lives. Both are living with huge urgency, and yet, none of the urgency is concrete and “real” in fact, it is in their perception of their current process. And? It is very real to them. I have such compassion for the place they are in. I too have felt the urgency before and I remember well the depth of pain I was in. I meet them where they are and reflect my understanding.

perception is so much of what we live.

and today I linger. 

In fact, I notice that I have been wanting my morning coffee routine to linger another hour. 
to wait just a wee bit longer until I make dinner, as I enjoy the completion of work for my day.
and then, as the evening comes around I am wanting to stay awake longer.. sip one more glass of wine or whiskey than I normally would, while staring at the night sky in the quiet.

and then glorious sleep... oh how I would like each moment to linger on and on.

I am not wise enough to know if lingering is “right” or “helpful”. It is simply where I am. Lingering in this moment, and then the next.
Leaning in. 

 

 

Revive the Blog! (Or should I say shall I?)

Wondering how to write - edit - insert photos - and post to a blog is a daunting task for this “boomers brain”, yet here I am, taking a stab at it once again.

it’s been almost seven years since last I wrote. I wonder who is out there, who might still be reading, and who might care.

the format of life has changed so radically from when I first began this blog, and I feel like the pieces (having all been tossed ever so high in the air) are beginning to land within my reach. 

and so I begin: Writing, knitting, gardening, adoring my cat, and aging on towards eventual retirement. These are my musings.

Sock magic

There is a moment I truly love while knitting a sock.......

that magical moment when the heel appears 

I knit quickly as I can up until this point, wanting only to arrive at the place where it begins to take form.

For, up until the heel appears, it's just a clever tube - unique and beautiful of course (especially when you are knitting with amazing fabulous stupendous fiber such as this Cascade silk merino handpainted wonderous yarn!)... but it is still just a simple tube... and then, all of a sudden, you knit the flap.... and then, once the heel appears, it is magic. 

Socks are pure genius, and never cease to amaze me. Someone long ago solved the puzzle of knitting a sock to fit our feet. (no small feat.. pun intended). And we now carry on the tradition of their creativity, adding our own color and design.

 

And thus I return, from my almost year long hiatus. 

It's been a year filled with knitting - shawls, socks, sweaters, scarves, summer tops, hats, and more socks. A year of mostly portable projects as I continued to travel back east to help my family settle after my Mom's passing. There were closets to go through, letters to be written, services to attend, and finally the burial of her ashes in the family grave site on a hill looking over our beloved Keuka Lake in New York.

The knitting of a sock felt like the perfect way to re-enter blog world... I am changed yet the same. Filled with the magic of those who have gone before me, carrying on their traditions and adding my unique flare.

I have made my world quieter since my Mother's passing, slimming down on the 'to-do's' and 'hurry-hurry' and adding more of the quiet walks on the property of a friend that is perched beside a wonderful river. I've narrowed all the daily tasks, ruthlessly trimmed my facebook connections and blog reading to the point of near nothing..... all in an effort to simply be more alive and aware of this day, this moment. I've tried to pay attention to anything that creeps into my brain as a 'must-do' and seriously question if that is true. (thus you may well find that not all my photos are perfectly organized, and I most likely won't post on a regular basis, and I may show you knit things from a year ago, or I might ignore that all together....) 

I've cried and I've laughed and I've fallen very much in love again. I turned 60 this year. All in all, my world is beginning to grow and bloom once again in this spring...

and you? how have you been?

Flying by the Seat of my pants

I've been down in southern FL for almost a week now, caring for Mom and Dad. It's good to be here, in many ways, and not on the other side of the country "wishing I was here" (soft smile)

The photos here are old, as I haven't quite learned the knack to download my current ones.

I cannot recall the last time I posted any updates - but here's the rundown:  Mom finally (after a year now) obtained an accurate diagnosis, and it was discovered that she has "Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus" (water on the brain). In layman's terms, this means mostly that excess cerebral fluid built up around the brain, causing pressure and a myriad of nasty symptoms. The pic of Mom is from about 2 years ago.

They did brain surgery, and placed a shunt in to regulate the fluid levels, and she has made such a remarkable comeback, its astonishing! She can walk again (for the first time in 8 months) and is regaining her strength... She's in intensive rehab in the hospital for another ten days or so. We are so delighted and proud of her! 

Meanwhile, back t home, on the Western WA front, my computer died. totally dead. no resuscitation possible. And thus I have been without - until I got down here, and found that my Dad had gifted me with an amazing Mac notebook !!! wow! It practically flies! It's a refurbished 2009, with all the latest bells and whistles. and one day, it will decide that it wants to alow me to figure out how to use it, (and then maybe we'll have new photos!)

 In the meantime, I'm here with dad, cooking, cleaning and driving him around. It was going great until this morning when he got smashed physically with some nasty huge infection (we are suspecting kidney infection but will wait for test results on monday) It's quite alarming to watch "superman" (aka my Dad) be flattened by illness. He's like the energizer bunny who never quits. So please add his name (Donald) to the lists of prayers, and hopefully he will be up and around again soon. Thanks so much (again the photo is from two years ago)

 

I am currently knitting three different cotton tops - perfect Florida knitting. Here's the link :

Athena Tank, Sizzling Summer Top and Open Vest   *think easy, lots of garter or stockinette stitch!

The three tops I'm working on are from June 2011 Knit 'n Style .  And hopefully I can upload photos soon. I'm not sure how long I'll be here in FL this time.. but at least til the 18th of July.

I'm feeling pretty scattered across the US these days, and time will tell what kind of care my parents will need soon. Until we know, the family is staying flexible. It's good to be here. 

 

And the sun came out..

Things here have continued as before.

Although, with the added benefit of the sun finally shinning with the Pac NW. (hurrah) and thus many garden blooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There is truly nothing quite so peaceful as wandering in the garden... small as it might be, it brings me joy.

 

 

My Mom continues to struggle for her health. It is an uphill battle, with a step or two forward, and then a slide back down the hill. My youngest brother and his wife will be there mid-June, and I wlll go back for most of July, then my oldest brother will be there most of August. I am so proud of my Mom and Dad for all they have done to improve her health. It is a never ending chase to follow after the doctors and their mistaken orders, and illogical medication changes, and better health care.... Blessings to all who fight this battle.

Getting old is not for sissys.

 

Thoughts 6. travelling back and forth

I was fortunate enough to take another trip to see my parents in Florida this month (thank you Dad!). I feel blessed to be able to be there and help out, yet it is so hard to leave them when I go home.

Mom is still in the Manor Care facility, working hard to improve her strength so that she may one day go home. Dad and I visited twice most days for 2-3 hours at a time, and puzzled long hours over her declining health and what the causes might be. She has continued to decline in health most days, with only an occasional "bright day".

We were able to take her out to lunch a couple of times and for a drive around Naples, yet it was exhausting for Mom, and the mystery of her mental confusion and weak muscles continued. Dad and I searched and investigated all the various medicines she has been on, and we suspect that we have found the 'culprit'.  And now Dad is working on getting her off that one medicine. Fingers crossed fervently that this is the solution for her current troubles. Diagnosis in the elderly can be truly complicated, and care facilities move slower than molasses.

While I was there, I worked on kntiting socks (the photos look much like the last time, since I am working on sock two of both sets).. and so I won't bore you with those reruns - Socks are remarkably comforting to knit.

Yet I will show you some of the lovely sights from Naples and Marco Island FL.

Banyon Trees are amazing - and long ago, they were reputed to be used as jails.

Poinciana Tree  and close up of these fabulous

'flame trees'. The leaves appear first, then totally drop off as the tree flowers, leaving it aburst with the glorious red flowers!

 

And although I did not go walking on the beach at all this trip, we did make a brief stop at the Naples Beach so that I could photograph the resident pelicans...

 what pelicans you say?? Here they are, only feet away from sun bathers.

 

 

And then I walked a little ways out in the water to get a better picture:

 

 

 

 

 

 

They didn't even move at all as I walked close. It's wonderful to see that they are so comfortable there, and that no one harms them.

 

And directly across the street from Mom and Dad's house, there is a nest of Burrowing Owls. One afternoon, we noticed that a post had fallen over (these posts have warning signs to caution people, and to protect the owls, since they are endangered.) I grabbed Dad's hammer, and my camera and set off to right the post.

Can you see the little owl yet?

It's the Dad owl, and the Mom and two babies are inside..  let's get closer...

and now, you can see him looking at me, sizing me up.

I kept talking to him in a soft voice, saying I only wanted to fix the post..

He kept looking at me, then away, but he didn't move.

I got within about 2 feet of him then, and right up to the post.

 

 

 

Here he is pretending that I am not so close, and he isn't moving at all.

that hole is their burrow.

 

And Dad told me that normally when people get this close, the Dad owl will pretend he has a broken wing, and drag himself off away from the nest, hopefully having the "predator" follow him, and leave his nest alone.

Yet, as I continued to speak to him, he remained still.

 

And it wasn't until I began to pound the broken post back into the ground that he flew up to another post to observe me.

Mind you, he is still only about 2 feet from me as I am pounding.

He's a small thing, probably about 10" tall, yet very handsome, don't you think!

And after I had replaced the broken pole, a neighbor came out and said how amazed she was that he let me close by, and that her husband had tried to fix the post earlier, and the owl had flown at him, attempting to attack him!

I love owls - and I guess that they know it :-)

 

 

 Every day, on our way from Marco Island to Naples, we would see this sign - or one like it. I tried to get a couple photos, but Dad took this one, and it came out so great I decided to use his!

I thought it was very cool, and I kept hoping to see one while I was there, yet alas, it didn't happen.

Dad says that there are only about ten left in the wild mangroves region that separates Marco Island from the rest of the towns. This sign is less than three miles from Mom and Dad's house.

 

It is a shame that their habitat has been so destroyed, yet hopefully, as people are more aware of them, they can rebuild their numbers.

 

 

 

the very last day I was there, it was around 8 am, and the sky was looking ominous. The winds picked up, and hundreds of friggett birds were floating / soaring on the winds on Mom and Dad's street.

It was like they were having a blast playing with the strong winds coming off the Gulf Coast, and they must have beckoned to all their friends to join them.

 

Here's another photo :

 

Dada and I got in the car, and headed up towards Naples, and within minutes, the sky opened up and poured rain. I mean truly came down so hard! He was driving about 20 mph, and we could barely see, even with the wipers on high.

We slowed down even more, and it took about 25 minutes to get up to the hospital where Mom is...

when we got there, it had stopped raining, and the sun came out.

Dad told me later that day, he looked in his rain gauge, and it accumulated 3 1/2 inches in that short time.

whoa...

The Gulf Coast of Florida is still a specatcularly beautiful place, and as I have flown back and forth across this huge country,   I have been contemplating moving to that area to help them out even more. I am considering Naples, (which is only 20 minutes from their home).

Working with my Dad to attempt to get Mom the best possible care has been an education in futility. The care facilities are overworked, and understaffed, and people are neglected every day - some with serious consequences. More than once, my Mom was badly neglected, and without intervention from Dad and me, it could have gotten very bad in a hurry.And, interestingly enough, the facility she is in is considered one of the very best.

The goal is to get her home. as soon as possible. Dad's health has improved tremendously (for which we are all grateful!!), yet caring for her or anyone recovering from serious injury  every day is too much for anyone. And the options of at home care at not always reliable.

Thus, with every stitch I knit, and every thought that crosses my mind, I am praying for answers to difficult questions. What would be best? Where am I meant to be? How can I not be there? and how can I leave my life here? It's all very challenging, and thus my silence in blog world. The choice appears so clear when I am there - yet when I return home, confusion sets in once again, and the inevitable questions as to whether or not I would be able to re-establish myself there professionally, and whether I would once again need two jobs to make that transition again.... too many questions.

I'm praying for certainty, and clear guidance.

Socks, Socks, and Baby Sweater

FInished up some things recently - a cute little baby sweater that was for a young friend who is pregnant with her first child.

It's called Lazy Rib Baby Sweater

Knit with Superwash Merino Tencel Yarn, hand dyed by sweet grass wool, colorway "Baltic"

Knit up on size 1 and 3 needles.

It was a very fast knit, and washes up well (machine wash of course)

And one of my favorite features on this sweater is the I-Cord knots instead of buttons. Totally perfect for a little someone to nibble on without any choking dnager. Oh so clever.

I made the small version (since the baby is due now, and I think that this will fit come September) - and there is a larger version available.

Here's the link to the free Ravelry download:

Lazy Rib Baby Sweater

 

I also finished up the first pair of plain knit socks I have ever made. (yes, don't gasp.. it's true) I normally go for patterns, but I loved this colorway so much, and it was not shown off well with a pattern.. It's another Hand dyed superwash merino (my fav yarn for socks) dyed by The Artful Ewe. 

Knit on size 1 needles - will fit a women's medium. I didn't have hardly any yarn left - so I doubt the skein would be enough to knit for a fella - but it was lovely anyway ;-)

 

 

 

Also on the needles still is the lovely vest I've been working on - yet it is silk and merino, and won't travel well to southern Florida. Yes - I head out on Friday for another couple week trip to help out my parents. Mom is still in the phsycial therapy re-hab unit, and she is slowly gaining some strength. And my Dad is improving as well,yet the lovely big home they live in is just too much to care for all alone.... It's very hard on them both to have Mom still so incapacitated, and so far from home. So, lucky me, I get to go spend time with them both, play "cheer-up-princess" and "nurse-jane-fuzzy-wuzzy'. And it's certainly not a hardship, since there will most likely be sunrise beach walks involved, and evening swims in their pool.

 

And so - travel projects are once again socks, and more socks.

 I had gotten this one past the heel on the first foot, but decided it should be called 'ugly sock' since the patterns looked lousy with the yarn and the yarn was hidden by the pattern : The yarn is a gorgeous skein of hand dyed yarn by Chameleon Colorworks in colorway : September, yarn is called footsie.

to the left is the first sock I made - and is now frogged..

and now, to the right is the newer pattern

called Staggered Squares by Charlene Schurch in one of her amazing sock pattern books (which of course I cannot find now as I type)  - knit on size 1 needles. I will have to wait and see how bad the pooling is on this one after I get to the heel flap... yet I think that I will continue with this pattern, since it is just socks.

 

The second pair that will be traveling south with me is probably the most favorite sock I have knit in a long long time.  My friend Lisa (Dicentra Designs) dyed this colorway up and it's called "Steel my Heart" and it is squooshy and rich and divine to knit with. I am using the slip stitch rib pattern (also from the fabulous Charlene Schurch.. gotta love that woman!) and everyone who touches this yarn just squeezes it and says it's amazing. (and I agree)

 

 

 

 

 

One more note to add - is that my oldest daughter Erin just opened her own Etsy shop !!! She is selling prints of her watercolors - and they are fabulous.  Her shop is called ErinAnnesArt . Hop on over and add her as a favorite. And she's also on Facebook under the name " The Art of Erin Bohlmann. "   

 

 

It's been kinda a rough week here in wizardland - heart break and challenges. And while I wish that I was visiting my parents when they both were healthy, I shall still look forward to the escape from all that is happening here. Their love for me, and mine for them will go a long way towards soothing my heart.

 

Two for the road.... thoughts 5.

  I've been knitting socks. They are such a perfect, portable project - entertaining in their simplicity, and very useful as gifts (since both daughters and I wear the exact same size). They squish nicely into my purse, carry on for a plane, glove box in the car, and can be picked up and set down quickly.

I've been spending time with my parents in Florida, assisting as they work through various health difficulties. My dear Mom was discharged from the hospital mid March, and within a week and a half, had fallen three times, and had some rather serious heart irregularities - She thus went back to the hospital, had a zillion more tests done, and is now back at Manor Care (a physical therapy care facility that prepares people for returning home).

My brothers and I have been playing pass-the-baton and staying with my parents for the last month, since my sweet Dad also seriously reinjured his back and knee while lifting Mom. :-( A very difficult situation for my wonderful parents. Yet they have done well with allowing us to assist them - and we all hope that with time, their health can be restored.

In the meantime, I've been working a lot here, preparing for a huge Mozart Concert with the fabulous chorus I sing with, and making plans to fly back to Florida to be with Mom and Dad once again. My youngest brother and I have been sharing our thoughts every night (as he is there with them now) - and we both agreed that it is an easy gift of love to be there caring for Mom and Dad. And heart wrenching when we have to leave.

 

I have been dreaming of someone making a molecular transmitter so that I can zoom back and forth every day! Yet until that dream comes to fruition, life will be a creative dance between here and there. I am considering opening a part time practice down there on Marco Island - and am looking into licensure there this week.

 

 My daughters live on both sides of the country  (one here, one in Georgia, my parents in southern FL,   brothers and Sisters-in-law spread from LA to Detroit to Tampa, dear friends and my work and the chorus here on the west coast....

 

 

 

 

  and I learn the heart ache of how to choose where to be. Deep thoughts wrestle throughout my being - about what truly makes a life "significant', and how the choices that I am attempting to make will affect the remaining years of my life.... 

 

 

In truth, I do not think that there is any way of 'predicting' or knowing with certainty what the correct decision is...

My personal style, when faced with such a challenge, is to become very quiet. and move slowly through each day. I share my feelings with my beloved close friends, I knit a lot, 

 

 

 

I take long walks and pray for clarity.    The pictures in my mind fill with images of where I might be when I am in my mid-late 80's and what would bring me comfort, and I easily am called to move to FL....   yet then, I think of my small world here, which is filled with closeness to Erin and my beloved friends, and my tiny cottage, and I cannot imagine leaving it, yet then I am pulled up short by what has always mattered to me the most.......... loving the people who matter to me.

And I pray for clarity as to how to proceed in the best, most truthful way I can with this, to live my own integrity. Most of me believes that there is no perfect solution, and no 'wrong' answer... instead, that I may continue to find the way to travel back and forth... the best of both difficult situations....

Please enjoy the photos from my sunrise beach walks on the Residents Beach of Marco Island.... my walking companions were Heron, sand pipers and pelicans (whom my brother calls the beach patrol). 

Catching up - Showing FO's

I looked at the calendar, and saw the last time I posted, and said 'wow.. has it truly been that long?'... indeed it has.

And so, hold onto your hats, here is a rapid fire "catch up" of the past month and a half - (and thanks for still hanging around and reading this blog!)

 

In January, I quit the job at the store (which I had been my "saftey" net for the past three and a half years.) It is both scary and wonderful. The scary is the fact that I am now 100% relying on my counseling practice to support me through the seasonal changes. The wonderful part is that I finally am not working 7 days each week. wow.

Also in January, I made the decision to rent out one of the bedrooms in the small cottage I occupy here in Olympia. A lovely woman I know has moved in, with her fabulous cat (to add to my two). Again, it's been fabulous and challenging all at once. I love her dearly (that's the great part) and it's also been about 35 years since I had a "room mate" (or cottage-mate as my sweet Dad calls her).

I went to Madrona Fiber Arts Festival - and it was great (as always).  Got to see many dear friends from the past ten years - (and naturally didn't take photos of either them nor their booths.. sigh... I was too busy giving them hugs and catching up on news)...  

One of the things I love the most about these shows is that it is a constant "fashion show" of Finished Objects. Everyone ooh's and aahh's at each other, and people stop and say 'oh, what yarn is that?' and give high praise. It's inspiring.

I was fortunate enough to get in to two classes.

 

 

 

Sally Melville's "Knit to Fit and Flatter"  Where we learned about the perfect length sweaters for our body shape and type, and how to make adjustments if the pattern isn't quite right. I love Sally's classes and take one whenever I can. I can highly recommend this class.

 

   The other class I took was a disappointment, mostly because I had pictured something totally different in my brain when I signed up for it. The class was called Knitting Tapestry. And here are a few samples of things that the teacher made. Unfortunately there was absolutely no "instruction" per say in this class, but rather a lot of her talking about her website and her mother's art and showing her lovely creations.  After an hour of this, she suggested that we "cast on and begin knitting " Ah well. I left early, and went shopping instead (not hard to do with all the GREAT vendor booths.

 

One of the fabulous friends that I saw at Madrona was Lisa ! (waves hi!) She is  a dear friend and the artist/owner of Dicentra Designs that I have spoken of so frequently. While she and I were chatting the first day, I feasted my eyes on some of her Nova yarn (a superwash merino in her hand dyed colors)... And what popped to mind was the pattern from Classic Elite's newsletter the "Lowell Cowl". 

We had some fun, plotting and playing with colors, and calculating yardage - and we came up wqith three colors to blend: Fire, Ole and Dahlia. I used a little under one skein of each (185 yards) knit on size 7 needles to make this fabulous cowl. It can be worn long, or wrapped double around your neck.

I absolutely love it, and it was whipped up in three days (yes.. I knit it during Madrona!) Hop on over to her Etsy shop and snag some skeins, and download the free pattern from the above link. I plan on making a bunch of these in many colors!

 

 

 And yes, I have been knitting other things as well - there's been progress on the Cloud Chaser vest I am kntting in Alchemy. (another project which I am loving!) It's a very creative design, which makes the knit just fly by. I am just about to the place where I will begin attaching the collar-  

Last but not least, on other updates, My Mom has  still been hospitalized, yet 'graduated' to a transitional facility where they have been building her strength back up, and working with her in both occupational therapy and physical therapy. She's gained a bit of weight back, and there is a possibility that she might get to go home this weekend (fingers crossed..) Thank you again for all the healing prayers and thoughts.

And I have been back to fighting a nasty germ of sorts - I suspect that my immune system just wasn't strong enough, and I was vulnerable to a few things which otherwise I might have fought off.... so, a couple of months of testing, and I am back on the nasty (but very helpful) strong medicine.... and I am looking forward to being able to be my energizer bunny self again soon. Fortunately, I'm still able to ride my bike a couple times per week - that has been a blessing. ;-)

And now, off to hit the "mark all read" button on my pages and pages of google reader notices... (sorry dear ones, it's outta control) I've missed you all -

 

On a roll

Finally finshed up the Embrace sweater - and it has been a love-hate relationship. Love the pattern, hate the yarn (it's one of those ten strand rolled type that looks pretty when knit, yet it splits while you're knitting it and pills upon completion:-P )

The color is a deep chocolate, best depicted here:

I love the way the fronts curl and twirl.

and the cuffs and hem are rolled as well. These are features of some of my most comfy sweaters ever.

What I didn't care for is that it is not nearly as "long" on the sides and back as depicted in the photos. sigh. I was precise about following the pattern, and made the obvious assumption that the photo acurately showed the way an appropriate size would fit the model (heh heh.. you know what they say about assumptions.... ahem)

here's what others have made  Embrace    and here's what the model in the book looks like: 

well, let's just say, I won't be modeling this one for awhile. (maybe the issue is that I need to be built like a twig? nahhhh.. that can't be it ;-)

Yet despite the fuss, I do love wearing it. It is cozy, comfy, floppy and warm. It will be a perfect cuddle-up-with-a-book on a chilly day sweater.

 

 

And here's a small photo of the completed Twisted Vines scarf -

highly recommend this one (with Zauberball yarn) luv it.

 

 

 

And, while the needles are still warm, I cast on for a new project. (one I have been fawning over for a year or so now) It's Amy Swenson's Cloud Chaser Vest. (cables... ahhh... swoon..) 

The yarn I am using is from my stash, a merino silk blend from Alchemy Yarns. The color is a rich red wine.

This is a most unusally constructed vest, the sides are stitches picked up from the back, and then knit horizonatally. I love these great designs. Here's what it looks like : 

 

 

Last, yet by far not least, my Mom is still in the hospital. They have been trying most everything to reduce all the pain she has from her fall last summer, and I think that today they might be making a bit of headway. (fingers crossed) The physical therapists have her walking the hall once and sometimes twice now (yay) and she's been a good mommy, and eating her chocolate ice cream first (like I told her to!) (the fact that she is now eating again is huge progress... three steps forward, two back - yet baby steps of preogress are being made.

It's a difficult time to hold her spirits high within those clincial hospital walls - and we all appreciate the healing thoughts and prayers that you all have been sending. Keep 'em comin. (and thank you)