The Rest of the Story

Have you ever had an MRI? Thank goodness it was in an open one. Never had to do this before but when My legs kept getting numb and tinkly and my hip was hurting some times and then my back. Even after Hubby was in the hospital and I got some good nights sleep, I just had to go to the Doctor and insist that something had to be done. I could sit and quilt in my lounge chair for a couple hours with no pain but get up and hardly able to stand let alone try to walk standing up straight. He punched and prodded my bones in my back and hip and found some very sore places so figured I should have an MRI.

What a place. 8 AM and by my self. In a part of the city I had not been to. A new industrial area. Nice new building with several doctors of the Spine and nervous system and even a Chiropractor. She asked if I had been to one. So I guess they approve for some things. Oh, there is a Physical Therapist also. So they have it all.

Was surprised I didn't have to disrobe only take off my /bra , No metal.Oh and my watch. You have to step up on this big table with this huge thing over you. But she put a pillow under my head and something to rest my legs on with them bent up, so was really fairly comfortable. Good thing since she said it would take about 35 minuets and it would be noisy. I asked for some music which you really couldn't hear. But helped when it was a little quiet.

That was it. They gave me a CD which I thought I could put in the computer and see. But then thought better of it. Wouldn't know what I was looking at anyway. The next day I stopped in the doctors office to see if they wanted the CD and she had just gotten the report from them. The Doctor wanted me to see a specialists, Yep right out there at this same office. I was to call and get an appointment. She also said when I asked what it said that I had a bulging disk and Arthritis and some other stuff I didn't recognise. That disk thing was bad enough.

So I now have to wait until April 8 to find out what is wrong and Hubby wants to come home if he can at the end of the week. He is doing good but still hasn't started to walk at all. At least they have his sugar at a good level.

Thought I would show you the last thing I finally finished. Marcie's Star all finished and quilted. Just in time for next Christmas. I do think I will put it on the spool cabinet in the living room for awhile.

Have been finishing up a few other things. Like making the label for the back of the ChexMix quilt.
I also have a Sunbonnet Sue quilt that a friend asked me to hand quilt for her and I have it all marked except for the border. Then to get it basted and ready to start as soon as I finish quilting my Christmas quilt. Pictures for that one will follow later.

That's about all for now. Had another nice weekend with my daughter and grandson. She spent a couple times yesterday and then at noon today with her Dad. So thankful she is close enough to come and help a bit. Thanks for all lthe comments we appreciate it.

It's a long Story

I know I have been a long time getting back to my blog. But isn't this rose arrangement beautiful? A good friend brought that to me last week as she had two of them left on her doorstep by her close friend. He was working at the right place. She kept the red one. But that is just the beginning of my story. Wanted to put some pretties into this tale.



About two weeks ago my hubby got so weak from High blood sugar that he couldn't get out of his lift chair. I had to call 911, they are getting to know us real well. Had them take him to the hospital and wanted to make sure they got that blood sugar down. I knew if would be a long haul. He spent 4 days there before being transported down here to the nursing home for rehab. Fortunately they have gotten his numbers down in the 100s.

So this beautiful arrangement on the kitchen table looks real good.



Yes, I am getting some very good nights sleep, trying to get relaxed and some things done here at home. Am only going to the nursing home once a day. even though it is less than two miles from here. I just have to have some time to myself and my online friends.

My daughter was up last weekend and we had a good visit and she would go in and spend lots of time with her Dad. She's having a good time with her very first class of special kindergarten students. Has gotten two of them reading.



One thing I have gotten done is moving some leaves from the front and out of the perennial garden at the back and this is what is blooming already

The first primroses . I wish all of them I've planted there would have grown like this. There is another couple plants in there that haven't started yet. You can see some leaves weren't taken away either. The light is the sun.

On the north side of the house I have two nice size Rhododendrons. But it looks like the deer got really hungry.

See that naked limb sticking down. There is a bud on the end. They are not suppose to like those leathery leaves. In fact they are like the mountain Laural, poisonous. But guess not this year. I had removed all the leaves that pile up under and around the bush Here's another view

and another naked limb. There is a couple other bushes in the garden at the back of the house that they eat some leaves off also. Those I don't care.

I have been trying to get some things done. Have completely finished the Chex Mixx quilt. That is the binding. Still need to make the label. We all sent in 3 inch square siggies which I will sew together and make a large label to sew on the back of the quilt but in the mean time the quilt is resting on hubby's bed
This is more of a closeup and the next one shows the whole quilt. I'm proud that I machine quilted this myself. But still like the hand quilted ones the best.
I'm trying to get my Christmas quilt finished so am spending a lot of time in my lounge chair watching TV in the living room. Watching the programs I want to watch. Like my soap in the afternoon. Right now I feel like a nap. Don't go up to the home till around five. They don't take the trays down to the ones that don't go to the dinning room until after everyone is served up there. He will not go down there to eat. Likes to watch his Mash at 5 till 7. So I am there for his supper to help but he has to eat by himself. I can't baby him like I did before. He has been standing up a bit more each day and says he's getting stronger. So we will see if he gets strong enough to come home. But I know I am going to have to have some help.

Have been having more problems with the pain in my legs and hip and back. So while I had the free time I got an appointment with my Dr. and after telling him I needed some help He sent me for an MRI yesterday but that is for another day. Glad you stopped back. I want to try to get more written. Thanks for stopping.

Spring Is Here

See the birds are flying north,I finally finished quilting and binding this little Mini. I showed it a good while ago. Just takes time to get these things done. But Spring has sprung. This was the first sign of it to me. Before I got the leaves off the front bed. This little thing had poked through and was blooming.This got me to looking around here on the mountain. Never know what you will find blooming this time of year.

The first crocus and here along the lower drive where I planted the naked ladies last year. Many may remember. A whole line of leaves coming up. I hope you can see them if you click and enlarge the picture. This really makes me happy. The thick leaves come up in the spring and then die back and then in August and September the shoots of flowers pop up out of the ground.. I want to get some ground cover like creeping phlox growing around them. Right now there is only rotten wood chips.

Looking up under the big oak tree in the front I saw something else which comes up every year. It is a wildflower but have not been able to identify it. Looks like a buttercup and has a distinctive leaf.

There are several here among the vinca. Again click to see closer. I have a closeup below.

Don't click on this closeup as it is very out of focus if you do.

When we first built up here on the mountain we soon realized that about all the gardening you could do was rock gardening so that's what I had up at the other house. But this is one wildflower I don't remember seeing until we moved down here along the road. Our 7/8 of an acre is heavily wooded and pretty rustic. The leaves lay where they fall until they blow to the neighbors, she thinks, But I do get them away from the house and shrubs.

Now they say that we are due some rain so that's where we get our spring flowers.

I also have something to show that isn't completely finished. Need the binding whipped down which I am doing while watching TV tonight.

This is the Chexx Mixx quilt. Swapped blocks from a couple years ago and I finally got it quilted. The one I was doing in the basement on my Juki. I'm not sure you can see the quilting but the border is plain to see. I did a free motion of a round of hearts in the setting squares of blue. Not very good I'm, afraid. Mainly because I couldn't see some of the markings on the lighter blues. I do want to go back and repair a couple but it's done. Also very heavy. I used an old Polly batting to get rid of it and it has been so long since I used this type that I didn't realize how heavy it made the quilt. I'm binding it in the light beige.

This is all for tonight want to watch the Amazing Race so hope you enjoyed looking at my little bit of Spring.

Open House at the INN

-This is the day I have been waiting for. Nora Roberts has graciously opened the INN BOONSBORO to all the citizens of the town that wanted a peek inside. We've watched for well over a year the tragedy of the fire and the the rebuilding, better than it had ever been.

My daughter was home for the weekend so we went down early expecting a crowd early. Not. We were the second ones there. This is the entrance to the patio area in the back. The entrance for guests is just to the left of this. Going into the newer part of the building which is all brick. I was surprised how small the room seemed to be. But a fireplace was on the back wall with a fire going. Well, gas logs but good heat. Two big inviting chairs and a table with flowers which the Inn keeper said was their check-in area. You could sit , have a glass of wine and enjoy.

This is the view from the back of the patio looking into the Inn; In another picture I will show what is on the other side of that large door in the center.

This is a very inviting bench which sits under all those steps. I imagine come summer this patio will be filled with flowers. She has a local florist doing all the flowers in every room,

I just think these stairs look great. Something out of one of her novels. When we finished the tour on the upper floor we came down those stairs.

Leaving the entrance and along the hall was the kitchen. Wouldn't you love one like this? I couldn't get it all but it was in a U shape. She does the breakfasts here and serves them down the hall in the next room. It was the front room overlooking the outside porch at the front. About 4 small round tables with chairs. It was fairly dark so didn't think I could get a good picture. besides there were people in the way.

This was the next or middle room. Looks to the front and to the back patio. Also the two doors are the public bathrooms and what a surprise. I think the bathrooms were the hit of the day. There was an elderly couple with us and the man walked into it and got close to the toilet and the lid come up. It also flushes and is a bidet. All of them are like this. Much to my disgust when I took this picture the little red light came on saying batteries gone. What a time and I could have taken a whole lot more pictures.

Will just have to imagine with my telling you. All the bathrooms had very different sinks, design. Each according to the room. Most seemed to be molded glass of different colors. The one room for wheelchair accessibility is on the first floor in the front. Has two beds and only a shower that you could take your chair in if you wanted. Most of the showers had glass walls, Not very private but--

I so wanted to show the Library as I found out that my cabinet maker had made all the Library and the trims in the whole Inn. It had one wall solid with shelves with a fireplace in the center. Of course many of Nora's books but also other authors. That you can sit on the soft sofa and read or take to your room. Also a desk at the window with a computer and an Old fashioned black dial telephone that works. Of course there are paintings all over the walls. Some on loan and for sale.

There are three rooms on the second floor besides the Library. The stairway is something else. Ever see a iron stair way railings. Goes up the three floors. They were done by a local man and really something several twisted posts together.

The third floor has the Penthouse with a sitting room and the other room at the end of the building has the only Jacuzzi tub, All the bathroom floors are heated tile and the towel racks are also heated. Talk about luxury, Just made for a romantic night out. She says that most of the rooms are booked by men. Guess they don't mind spending that kind of money. But what a night that would be.

The Innkeeper has an apartment on the third floor also. Stop by sometime. Tell you hubby you want a hot night out. in a small rural town with lots of sights to see. Only about 5 miles to the Antietam Battlefield. More information on the website. www.Innboonsboro.com

It's been a long time

See I have been busy, Have finished this Gardener's Touch which I call " Weaving a Garden Path"I really have been pretty busy taken care of my hubby. He has been in and out of the hospital a couple time. Once they put another stint in and the just the other day he went to the ER because his blood sugar had gotten so high. Hopefully we are getting that under control.

So in the meantime I have gotten this quilt top finished. It started last year with Kim sending me the blocks of flowers that she didn't want. Then when I was in Kansas City a year ago for a weekend retreat with my friends one of the things I was looking for in the shops they took us to were pieces of this collection. It is Thinbleberries of course Called Gardener's touch and came with these printed flowers. So this is my version.

I also have been trying to get a quilt machine quilted but my time to go to the basement where it is , is very limited. Hopefully I'll have that to show pretty soon.

About the only other thing I take pictures of is these wonderful sunsets we have . This was just a couple weeks ago. Not quite as good at the one at the top of my blog. But still good I think.

I have been trying to get a blog written about the open house of the Inn but I can't seem to get the pictures right so until I do you will have to wait for that. I just have to say it is spectacular. You can sure see that Nora has traveled the world as she made her Inn as good as any you will visit. More about it later.

Sorry I have been so long in between blogs. Even have one of my faithfuls write to see if something was wrong. Guess I better get something written every week. Really haven't had time to read many blogs either. Thanks for dropping by. More a little later this week.