Sunday, March 19, 2017

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers...and an Unknitted Shawl

Good morning, peeps and peepettes!!  Happy, happy Sunday!

The weather here continues to be beautiful.  It gets down to the 40s at night, but hits the low 80s during the day.  My flowers are going crazy.  I've got orchids out on the patio, freesias and lilacs out front.  And my irises are so tall and sturdy, I'm hoping for lots of blooms this year.  There is more rain on the horizon, this week or next.  That would be great, I don't want to have to water...

My double-whites...the first picture shows how many blooms I've got waiting to open.



My patio cymbidium.  I only have one spike, but I'm hoping for more next year.


And here are my grape irises from Wisconsin.  Waving to Vickie!!  They're looking very healthy.  I love these irises.  They smell so good!


My freesias have lots and lots of blooms.


I picked a few to enjoy inside.  I love this color.


On the stitching front...NOTHING!!

I started working on my wrap/shawl last night.  Got all of the yarn into balls, settled down on the couch. Pulled out a very simple pattern. I just want to do a rectangle and have it be warm.  Here are the directions:  K1 *YO, P2tog* K1.  Hmmm.   Looked easy enough.  Except somehow, I completely read this incorrectly.  What did I do?  K1*YO, P2tog, K1*.  After three rows, it looked more like a moth-eaten blanket than a beautiful wrap.  Read the instructions again...and again...and again.  The holes did not seem to match the picture.  Oh, darn, I think I figured out the problem.  So, pulled it all out and went to bed.  I will be trying again today. Absolutely NO pictures were taken.

My dad continues to lose weight.  His eating has become erratic.  Some days are good, some are not so good.  Last week, the nurse told me that his lungs sounded a "bad".  The diagnosis was possible aspiration pneumonia.  I know that the time with my father is getting shorter.  It is very odd.  I know that it's time, but this life on hospice with my dad is MY normal. My father would have never wanted to live this way, but the end still scares me.  

So I am off like a herd of turtles.  I did most of my inside chores yesterday, but I need to take a trip to town this morning.  Hug your loved ones tight, be kind to one another.

12 comments:

  1. Ok, I will now of course need the rest of this pattern! What do I do after the first row? How many stitches do I cast on? Oh my, you are such a tease! :)

    I am so sorry about your Dad. I send ((hugs)) you way sweet friend.

    Your flowers are so pretty. Everything here is still brown, what buds we had are gone since we had that last cold spell sweep past us...but they tell me it's Spring on Monday....I can't wait. I only hope the weather realizes it's Spring!

    ((Hugs)) to you sweet friend and blessings always. :)

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    1. HA HA HA...evil laugh! It is simple...loosely cast on 60, then follow the K1, *YO P2tog* K1. It is a lot easier now that I'm doing it correctly. LOL It is a little bulky with the yarn I'm using, but I think it will be nice and warm. Oh, and I'm doing it with 80 cast on so it's wider. I will show pictures next post.

      I am loving my flowers. A nice change from the last few years. LOL

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  2. Beautiful flowers. I could almost smell the lilacs.
    Hugs and prayers for you and your dad. There is a special place in heaven for you.
    Lauren

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    1. These lilacs are my favorite. I had two bushes, but lost one in the drought. I thought that this one was a goner, but I cut it back and with all the rain last winter, it's starting to come back. Yay!

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  3. I'm intrigued by your pattern...hate when I make a mistake like that and boy, I do that far too often. Even or uneven number of stitches because I'd like to give it a go.
    Thanks again for highlighting your flowers...lovely and all thriving it seems. Such beautiful weather you have there. We are still waiting for spring and it was above zero(freezing mark) today so that is a hopeful sign.
    Sorry to hear about your dad.

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    1. Believe me, I have my rejects. LOL Somehow I always seem to skip those during the photo sessions. LOL

      I found this pattern on Pinterest. It was shown in a DK (merino/alpaca blend, I think) as a light throw. I think it originally came from Raverly. I'll see if I can post a picture. I'm doing it in worsted because I wanted something for the colder days here. It started with 60 cast on. I'm doing it as 80 and it working out.

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  4. Your flowers are beautiful!!!!
    I'm so sorry to hear about your father's decline. It's so hard to watch and I know how helpless you feel. But you have done everything you can and you are to be commended for that. I'm sure that he somehow truly knows how special you are!

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    1. Thank you. I am so thankful for the winter's rain. I thought that I had lost my lilac bush.

      As for Dad, some days are harder than others...sigh.

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  5. Oh Angela. I am praying for you and for your Dad.♥
    Your flowers are so lovely. A lot of our snow has melted here. Yay!
    Have a super week my friend!

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    1. I am enjoying going outside and seeing a new bloom everyday. The rain is on its way. It will make my plants very, very happy. LOL

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  6. OH my, how I loved to see the pictures of your flowers. Here they slowly slowly start to bloom but there is always a set back like two days ago when I woke up to snow, sigh. But the weekend is said to become very warm and sunny so I hope to see more flowers in our garden.
    That wrap sounds interesting. Can't wait to see the first picture.

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  7. I'm sorry to hear about your father. It is sad to watch a parent go through that. I keep hoping they will find cures for these diseases.

    Your spring flowers are beautiful. They are loving all your weather :)

    Sorry about your knitting. Hopefully the unraveling hasn't put you off the project!

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