A New Year

2023.  I survived 2022?  I am not sure.  I know it was an interesting year, especially if you take it in the form of the Chinese curse, may you live in interesting time.

I have no guarantees that I will be in this space more this year.  I do find I record recipes here well because that way I can use my phone in the kitchen.  2022 was a lot of learnings about health.  My Beloved's digestive system really does not digest carbohydrates well.  It has not been just him avoiding gluten but all carbohydrates.  I have done research for myself and my health which points to the Mediterranean diet is the best to decrease inflammation. 

This all means there is a big push for lots more vegetables and animal/fish protiens in our lives.  My Beloved is not digesting beans well at all and I chose not to cook two or three different meals for dinner.  I have added animal/fish proteins back to my diet because of this.  The few times I eat dinner by myself, I am still eating plants.  I find being creative around animal/fish proteins in this house are pretty boring.  Children of all sizes are really the reason.

My arthritis is still what it is.  Good days, bad days.  The diet sometimes help.  My eye is a different story.  I have a diagnosis which is good.  ICE syndrome.  The fix is a partial cornea transplant.  My ophthalmologist moved practices to a city I have no access to which meant that I had to find another ophthalmologist.  I found one I like at Ben Taub, which is a teaching hospital.  He said I was rare but not interesting.  You do not ever want to be interesting in a teaching hospital.  I let all the residents who wanted to look at my eye because they only see about four cases a year.  Because my case of ICE syndrome is not very extreme, we are going to do a wait and see.  I need to go back about every three months currently so they can have an idea of progression and I am supposed to call them directly if the vision in that eye suddenly deteriorates.   I like this path.

One of the things I am trying to be good about for my health is walking every day.  Not just a little bit but 15000 steps.  Sometimes that is easy, other days not so much.  It helps keep everything on an even keel.  I am also trying to be consistent with yoga.  Bleah!  As my best friend's teacher said five minutes a day can make a difference.  Some days that is what I get.

This portion of my family is its crazy normal.  Business is busy and has all the problems and joys of a small business.  The new display room and work area are still being worked on.  When that is done, the house starts to get remodeled.  I am not looking forward to that.  I really do not like change in my living space.  Adding all the short people four years ago was enough.

My Dad is 94.  His health is declining.  The holidays and all of my siblings families visiting were a lot for him.  It showed.  I got caught in the flight problems and went up a week later.  I could see where they made him tired.  Not that they tried but it was a change of routine and rest.  He does talk that he is ready for the next step.  He just wants to die with no pain.  He does not want to wake up from sleep at some point.  It is hard but I do understand.

I do not think I shared this coat but if I did I apologize.  I made myself a waxed cotton work coat.  It has many names if you were to look for a pattern.  I took it to Homer with me and I loved it.  It is not very heavy but with a sweater underneath it, it is warm and dry.  

There are many things I love about this coat.  One of the biggest things is that I can keep changing it to make it work better for me.  I have changed the position of the button pockets and I have added length to the sleeves.  I rewaxed it from the original fabric and it is even more waterproof and wind resistant.  I find I have to be careful not to get over heated!  I have another jacket I bought that has different pocket placements and I  think I am going to add some more pockets to this one.  It is what I love about this coat.  I can keep modifying it until it is perfect for me.  And mend it.  

I was talking with my best friend and Koda Bear about meditation.  I do not really meditate in a form that is sit and do nothing but meditate.  I am a chop wood, carry water person.  All my meditiations are done with my hands moving.  When I hand sew for mending or alterations, I find that is true.  Crochet can be a meditation.  I treated myself to some embroidery patterns I have been looking for a while just for that.  Moving hands meditation. 

I find gardening can be the same but with the going to and from my Dad's, I am not sure that is going to happen this year.  Part of it also is I am tired.  But in the last few days I have thought about digging up my beds and doing something simple but expensive.  Buying the starts for my vegetables and then adding seeds around them.  No beans this year though.  I still have not eaten all I have grown.  What I can grow, I seem to be able to grow in abundance.  Like the year I grew 37 pumpkins.  Those took four years to eat.  I love my pressure canner.

I hope all the best in 2023 for anyone who reads this.  It feels like I am putting my thoughts into the universe and that is okay.

sanity

I find when I am stressed or depressed, I like to sew.  Currently it means making clothes.  Black dresses in particular.  But I really do not need to make myself anything.  During the winter storms, I spent a lot of time at my sewing machine.  That treadle machine I purchased when I was 18 because I always wanted to live off grid.  It always works.

I ended up making three dresses.  I hand sewed most of the hems so to make the process last longer.  Letting creative last longer.  I made the black dress that was wandering around my head.  I sewed the red jersey dress I had already cut out and it had been sitting to be sewn for six months or more.  I made a linen dress as a gift for a friend.

All of these helped my state of mind.  More so then crocheting.  I need to cut out squares for quilts but I will also say that is not really were my head is either.  Lots of little bits.  I may play with some bigger bits into scene quilts.  Just ideas.

I am off to my Dad's.  More doctor visits are need pre-op.  But it is forward moving.  I should check the weather.  I was walking this afternoon and wishing I was in the shade.  The weather changes fast here.

black dresses

I have had been having a need to wear more black again.  So I took out the black linen I had and made two black dresses.  Very basic and something I can wash easily.

I was given Christmas and birthday money and I am thinking about making a couple more.  Whether they will be linen or a nice cotton, I do not know.  I just know that I need more washable then wool.  Though I am wearing the clothes that I used to wear to the office around the house.  I am playing with dye with some of them too just so they are darker.

I do not need more clothes.  I need to wear out what I have.  Which means it will really be years before I need new clothes.  What I make lasts until it falls apart.  Nightgown and slips are what fall apart the fastest.  I have been mending those by cutting off the falling apart bits and adding a new section.  I just do not wish to look tattered.

And I want more black.  And I do not really like RIT dye.  With the pandemic, many dyes that would give me a very dark brown or black are out of stock.  It makes life interesting.

This week is about grinding axes, working on chef rolls, and making more face masks.  I am waiting for the doctors to call about my Dad's next appointments.  The valve replacement is coming.  I am hoping to have enough quilt squares cut out at that point that I may actually work on a quilt while I am there.  Or maybe finish the sweater I am working on?  The stitch is hard on my hands and I have to count.  The quiet helps.

linen wrap shirt

Years ago I used to wear Gap wrap shirts and jeans almost exclusively outside of work.  Then I started wearing more dresses.  And also finding jeans was hard.  But I loved those wrapped shirts.

An artist friend of mine introduced me to a Korean clothes designer who spoke about how she designs her clothes on the traditional Han Bok.  Making everyday clothes that were modern and traditional at the same time.  She spoke about how the clothes were based on rectangles so less fabric was wasted.

I decided to try to make myself a wrap shirt.  I took my favorite sheath dress pattern.  Yes, dress pattern.  I cut out one back and two fronts.  I then I sloped the front to make it wrap. I added a shawl collar and long sleeves.  A tie and a button for two different closures. 

I used linen from Sand Snow Linen from Etsy.  I bought two of their scrap bundles thinking quilt but the pieces of fabric that put in those bundles let me cut out the whole body of the shirt.  It is a coarse weave then most of the linens I have in my stash and it has a wonderful drape.

I really love this shirt.  If I make another, it will be slightly different because I did not use a true pattern.  The measurements and the fabrics will be a bit different.  I have traveled in this shirt and it is very comfortable for traveling.  Or wearing around the house.  I have two wrap skirts that I like wearing with it.  In this picture, I am wearing it with stretch jeans.  I still have not found the jeans I used to like to wear.  Oh well.  I may end making those in the end too!

Life matters.  I keep thinking that it is getting to a place where I may have a bit of a schedule but it is every changing.  Being comfortable with change and having patience are themes for this year.

I am well

This is just a quick note.  I have been spending six to eight hours a day on my sewing machine making masks.  The rest of my day is taking care of family.  I do believe I would like a stay in a Hermitage when leaving the house is a saner decision.

Well.  Back to teaching second grade for Koda Bears online school.  And do not get me started!  Baking buns so I have a breakfast I would like.  Sewing.  I am grateful for every stitch.

I hope every one is well.