Monday, January 25, 2016

Monday Miscellaney

Last Monday night the pain in my left leg was such that I could NOT get comfortable. Tossed & turned, just knew that I'd done something terrible to my hip (you know, the one that was mostly replaced 4 1/2 years ago), cursed myself for not losing weight... It was pretty bad. The next day I realized that I didn't have any trouble walking or standing - but whenever I sat down or tried to sleep it was pretty painful. Very weird. That gradually faded mostly away & I put it down to the cold temps. But it turns out it was the opening salvo in getting shingles. After I saw all the spots on my left leg I had my suspicions, and confirmed it with a visit to urgent care this morning. Sigh. But, you know, my hip is fine, so that's good!

This is actually my second bout with shingles. I had it on one hip in high school. Peering back into the murky depths of time what I remember mostly is that I had to keep some sort of salve on it & when I went back to school it was itchy & goopy under my jeans (why did I wear jeans??? because 1980?). I don't remember the horrible pain that everyone talks about. And I don't really have horrible pain right now. Let's hope it stays that way!

So, moving on to my other obsession (other than my health), here are the first squares for the two blankets I'm making this year. As usual, my pictures don't really show the true colors, so I'm including some screen shots I grabbed from the internet. I'm not too sure about my choices this year, but I pre-bought all the yarn, so let's just hope I get a better feeling later. Ha!




In other crafty news, I made this very orange hat (to match the fingerless gloves I made before Christmas). I couldn't resist getting a picture before I braided the long chains - ha! I'm not all that sure about this hat either (the buttons are really too big) - but I already have someone who wants it if the intended recipient isn't interested.


Finally, the kind of pictures that you really want to see - Dr. M did his usual moon thing.


And he saw were-squirrels!


We didn't get even a snowflake from this latest storm - I hope all of those who were buried in snow are successfully digging out now!

23 comments:

  1. I'm sorry you have shingles again :( Hopefully you'll heal quickly and not experience the severe pain others talk about.
    I love the IDEA of crocheting (and knitting), but not the reality of it :) I just can't seem to keep my mind on the task at hand and end up with very wonky items. Ha! Actually, none of my yarn related projects turn out quite right. Made some of those wool dryer balls. Started with six; down to two. Two disappeared (down the black hole with all those socks?) and two disintegrated into loose piles of yarn over time. SO... I am vicariously enjoying the IDEA of crochet through you! :) I really enjoyed the addition of the screen shots of individual yarns. So tactile looking!

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    1. I tried the dryer balls too - not very successfully. They worked ok in summer, but didn't really help with static in the winter. And they unraveled frequently :)

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  2. I know several people who have had the shingles. re the yarn, I like the bottom combination of colors and the patterns are lovely. is that a black squirrel or does it just look that way cause it's night.

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    1. Regular old gray squirrel - it would be interesting to see a black one back there!

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  3. I hear that is so painful... I'm so sorry you are going through it again :( I hear the commercials about it & it scares me to death I'll get it one day. Sorry I'm not very encouraging :) haha

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    1. That's ok - my Facebook friends already freaked me out - ha! I'm definitely exploring getting a vaccine once I'm able to!

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  4. Mrs. Chatterbox suffered with shingles a few years back and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I hope this doesn't bother you in the future.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, it's MOST uncomfortable. Not to mention annoying. Sigh.

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  5. I think my father-in-law had shingles. I've heard they're terribly painful in a full breakout.

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    1. I hope I've caught it in time to avoid a full breakout. We shall see.

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  6. Oh, I am so sorry you have shingles. I had shingles last spring and it was every bit as awful as everyone says it is. Loose pants and soaks in the tub were the only things that helped. Glad your pain doesn't seem as severe as others. Did you start an anti-viral early?

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    1. I'm afraid that I didn't start the anti-viral early enough. I first noticed some bumps on my knee on Thursday night. On Friday I found a LOT more of them. And then on Saturday I finally thought to ask a couple of nurse friends for advice - by then Urgent Care was closed & I didn't get in there until yesterday morning (Sunday). We shall see!

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  7. Yikes, shingles! Hope you feel better soon!

    On a lighter note, a new family of squirrels have appeared close to my house. They are robbing my wife's birdfeeders blind.

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    1. We just gave in & enjoy the little thieves :)

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  8. Ugh, shingles. I had a very, very mild case once about ten years ago, and those little spots DID hurt. Fortunately in my case there weren't very many. I hope that's true for you, too!

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    1. Oh, they're increasing by the day. Sigh. But so far the pain hasn't been HORRIBLE. Except at night when I'm trying to sleep.

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  9. Oh, I'm terribly sorry about your case of shingles. I live in dreadful fear of it, having had chicken pox at the age of 15 most severely. I hope it is a mild bout.

    I like brown and blue together; I'm currently knitting a Hipster Slouch Hat for one of the boys in chocolate and turquoise. Crochet looks so much faster and easier. I am sorely tempted to try it.

    Take good care!

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    1. I like the brown & blue too - it seems to suit my mood these days. I found basic crochet really easy to pick up (as you know, I taught myself using youtube videos), but every time I make something I learn something new that makes it easier/neater/more durable. Knitting, on the other hand, just looks dangerous. I'll put my eye out! :)

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  10. My mom had shingles, and they were terrible. It was the worst year of her life, bar none. I got the vaccine el pronto, believe you me. Yes, it was expensive, and Medicare didn't cover it, but who cares? I'd not want to experience that.

    Mom got the shot once hers weren't active. Getting immunized doesn't mean that you'll never get them again, but it certainly reduces the severity. And given their ability to show up anywhere -- especially around the eyes, where you could be blinded -- well, let's hear it for modern science. Get that vaccine!

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    1. That is definitely on my list as soon as they let me (the doctor said in about six months or so).

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  11. Much of my home decor is brown and blues. Like.
    Like the buttons on the orange very much.
    Don't like your shingles at all! Hope you get rid of them soon. :-(

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  12. Yikes...after reading all the comments about shingles (the possibility of them around the eyes and making you go blind - gah!) I'm positive I'll ask about a vaccine next time I go to the doctor. I hope you have the mildest case possible and they disappear quickly!

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  13. I love that orange hat. It's the cutest thing.

    I've been so out of it lately. I'm finally catching up on blogging. I'm so sorry you have shingles. Now I'm going to your most recent post to find out how you're doing. Fingers crossed. I know how bad shingles can be.

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