Farewell to May 2010

The past six months have been a blur - travel, knee replacements, physical therapy, and very little quilting studio adventures. Except for the month we were in Asia, I have spent a lot of time in my bedroom - sleeping, physical therapy, icing with my recirculator. It's a room I love, and of course I have quilts for all seasons.

My oldest and favorite is a Blues Trip Around The World that I tied. It's our lightest quilt, so we use it in the summer. Then there my Log Cabin in Blues, which I made in 1992 during a couple of snow days. I still remember the joy of being in my old studio, snowed in and sewing to my heart's content. The third quilt is my Myrtle Beach Quilt made from shirting cottons that I bought in Beijing. It's huge and light and beachy and airy. Mani, my college roommate's daughter, has its twin, made in celebration of her mother's life. My bedroom is full of blues, white furniture, and a beadboard ceiling. It's what I imagine a summer porch of a beach house to be like, and this quilt suits the coziness of this room. The newest and heaviest quilt is the one we use in the winter - it's the twin of the quilt on the home page of this blog, Jinny Beyer's Around the World quilt in dark, rich colors.

I'm at peace in this bedroom. But now that I'm 6 weeks out of the second knee and healing nicely, the bedroom will again be used for its original purpose and no daytime lolligagging. The past 6 months have gone by quickly enough, and June 1 will mark a new page in rehab and sewing and getting back to normal.

Here's to more Quilting Studio Adventures!



Note about artwork: The Four Seasons lithograph is a piece I bought 35 years ago and still love. The Charcoal Three Gorges piece is something we bought in Beijing after being in the artist's home.

Kharma - and Ethnic Fabrics

The past 18 days have been totally self-centered. My routine has revolved around taking drugs, doing physical therapy, and icing my new knee. My dependence on John has never been greater although I have been able to carry my own coffee to the living room. But that's been it. Just 2 days ago I ditched my walker and have graduated to a cane. I'm getting up to the studio but have no stamina to do anything once I get up there. Compounding my frustration has been my quilting buddy Wayne who has been going through one of his most prolific and creative periods. Every quilt he does is one that I want to try!

I've received some wonderful gifts in the past few weeks. Terry made me the best turkey salad. Wayne and his wife Wendy sent Lou Malnati's pizzas. Daughter Julie made us some stuffed peppers. Neighbor Pam Caes and her mother made us a roasted pork dinner. My parents delivered lunch one one day from Chuck's Southern Diner. Cecilia sent a wonderful fruit basket. Paula gave me an afternoon visit, complete with snacks and flowers.

Then there's all the non-food gifts. Janet gave me the gift of an in-house ortho-bionomy session. Ed Sheehan drove me to and Midge picked me up from a massage session; Midge was also my attitude adjuster. During what I thought was my down week, she would have none of it and coaxed me nicely out of my blues. Chris and Jerry gave me flowers. Laurel and Richard gave me the new Paula Deen cookbook.



And there's Chandra from Paulsen Rehab in LaGrange. She's the physical therapist I worked with in January and February. She is a woman whom I love. The day after my new knee was installed, she came to my room with a piece of her pistachio cake and a little get-well visit. Yesterday she and her husband delivered a sewing machine (never been used!), some fabulous pound-rum cake, dal, rice, and a wonderful chicken dish (like tandoori chicken minus the tandoor). I'll resume out-patient rehab with her on May 24th; and despite the pain that will ensue, I'm looking forward to working with her again.
Even though I'm counting the minutes until I can take my next dose of Vicodin, I am finally coming out of this self-centered period and ready to think about contributing with the household chores and giving back. I've been on the receiving end of Kharma for the past 5 months, and it's time to get back on the giving end of Kharma. I may not be sewing yet, but at least I'm touching fabrics and thinking about what I want to sew. Chandra has a daughter who is interested in ethnic fabrics. When I do start to sew - and work on my Kharma - a bag for Lavina is at the top of my list!