I did not want to start my day at 3:45 this 'morning' ~

so I took something 

and then very happily slept in until almost 7:30!

I'm trying hard to limit myself to using just one crutch.  While that does put considerable weight onto my right foot (which of course is the entire point) it does cause my foot to 'talk' to me about the ensuing pain.  Those complaints fall somewhere in the orange range.

Pretty sure I've found my limit to how much I can be up and about before I need to sit back down.  

With heat upon us (only 99 today, though we expect 103 tomorrow) today's first chore was to water the plants on the front porch.  Most were looking okay, though the pothos was more than ready for a drink.

Next I did some much-needed sweeping inside. Brownie is definitely shedding, though thankfully not nearly as badly as this!

Just got another chore taken care of: I finished setting up with a new pool service since we'd been experiencing issues with ours for quite some time.

Now it's time to add rows 7 and 8 (which I sewed together yesterday) to the main section of the quilt, and then work up (the final?) rows 9 and 10.  

And, since I don't have any plans for the weekend - 

I might even get around to putting on the borders!  

Yesterday I found some perfect fabric for borders, Dipsy Dots already cut into 2 1/2" strips!  It will coordinate with the black (with white dots) fabric running across the center diagonal of  each block, as well as "match" all the random colors of the scrap strings.  

My goal is to be able to pass along a completed top to Monica 

on May 12, when I expect to see her at Busy Bees.  

Before I can do that I will need to find enough yardage of something for the backing.  Unfortunately most of my fabrics that fall into that category are being 'saved' for a Stack & Whack.

Ryan intensified some of my exercise at PT this afternoon by upping the weights around my ankles.  He also did some cupping, which could help break up the scar tissue lump. 

My new Easy Spirit summer shoes arrived today - in case I ever get walking again!

I'm still experiencing quite a bit of pain when I try to put weight on my foot.  With two weeks of PT behind me I had been expecting (and was certainly hoping!) to see more substantial progress.

As of this morning I attached another couple of rows of string blocks.  

So now on to the next two, rows 7 and 8..

While sewing I watched this uplifting documentary.

You Can Do It

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age two, Abbey Curran never accepted her physical limitations. She admits her disability comes with lifelong challenges, but none that hold her back, playing sports (she "just falls more") and driving a car with a special steering wheel and brake. Curran's resilience and determination to pursue her dreams led her to become the first woman with disabilities to compete in the Miss USA Pageant® in 2008.

Miss You Can Do It highlights the extraordinary work Curran is doing with the pageant she founded. Curran and a team of enthusiastic volunteers give participants a chance to be celebrated for all they are inside, not just defined by what the world sees on the outside. For one special weekend the young girls, along with family and friends, some who have traveled far distances, spend time in an oasis of fun, femininity and celebration.

This afternoon I have my next PT session scheduled. 

And yes, I have been doing my homework.

 I've been catching up on Tom's Science News magazines. 

Two of the articles in the Feb 27 issue were of particular interest to me.

Cajal embroidery project

In the late 1800s, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, a Spanish brain scientist, spent long hours in his attic drawing elaborate cells. His careful, solitary work helped reveal individual cells of the brain that together create wider networks. For those insights, Cajal received a Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1906.  Now, a group of embroiderers has traced those iconic cell images with thread, paying tribute to the pioneering drawings that helped us see the brain clearly.

The other was about knitting - as it relates to physics!

Unraveling Knitting's Math Secrets

There are two types of stitches (knit and purl) which can be combined into a hundred or so basic patterns.  By varying stitch combinations within patterns, a knitter can alter the elasticity, mechanical strength and 3-D structure of the resulting fabric. Yarn on its own isn’t very elastic. But when knitted, the yarn gives rise to fabric that can stretch by more than twice its length while the yarn itself barely stretches.

Sometimes you get lucky.  

First I scored a parking spot right in front of the door to the lobby of the building. Finding a place to park in the afternoon can be a bit of a nightmare... 

But (even luckier) when I got myself put together with my foot re-dressed in the boot and arrived outside the door to the lab (at 7:25), there was only one (!) person waiting ahead of me.  

She said all the labs close to her home (this one is only two miles from mine) required appointments, but those were already full for the next a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately she needed her lab work done before an upcoming procedure.

When I mentioned my surprise at the lack of a line to the phlebotomist, she said it was "very unusual", adding that Monday and Tuesday mornings they'd been particularly slammed.  

So I got really lucky by choosing today to take care of it!

With sewing on today's agenda, here's hoping that luck continues! 

Going for a fasting blood draw this morning.  Since the lab doesn't open until 7:30 (and I woke at 5:00)  I have some time to kill before then.

Maybe I'll do some sewing on the string quilt while I wait. 

Last night I dreamed that I took the Cat in the Hat quilts to Show & Tell.

Expect to have to wait, with all the other people fasting, once I get to the lab - unlike the 'perfect' time I've found mid-afternoon for my non-fasting draws.  

Nothing else on today's agenda, though 'coffee' would have been nice.

In addition to a recent flood of news about various friends falling and sustaining injuries, there's also been a rash of sad pet news. Our furry friends are a huge part of our lives and family, and it's heart-breaking to lose them.

Melodie said goodbye to her dog Max yesterday.

Today we had to say goodbye to our sweet Max, after 12 years.

And Tracy had to say goodbye to her cat Mercy.

After a week of almost daily trips to the vet, our little Mercy could not make her way back to health. We had to let her go. She was just the sweetest, tiniest, little baby. She was loved and we are heartbroken, naturally. Our awesome vet went above and beyond to save her short, precious life. Tears were shared. For such a tiny, little thing she has already left a huge void in our family’s lives.

I'm giving Brownie extra love today!

It turned out that Sherri was out of binding clips (said she hadn't received any in recent orders) which had been my reason for the trip to The Other Quilt Shop.  On the plus side, she did have a spectacular new line of penguin fabric (Stonehenge Magdalena, from Northcott) which had to come home with me!  

No idea what quilt I'll end up making with with it.  Sherri had made up a sample for the shop, and I did take a quick pic with my phone - or so I thought.  But when I got home I discovered that it hadn't 'taken'.

  

Mary bought a cute animal panel, along with some companion fabrics, and plans a Disappearing 9-patch.  Though she's challenged me to see who finishes up a project first with today's purchases, I'm 'reasonably sure' <G> she'll win that one easily; I have NO plans to start another new project since I need to finish others, like the string blocks, and Book Nerd, first. 

When I was checking out, Sherri gifted me a mini-tublet of clips she had stashed somewhere - and wouldn't let me pay for it.  We penguin people stick together?

Mary and I celebrated our successful shopping trip with lunch at Wildflower.  And because I couldn't finish my salad I'll have yummy leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

In other quilting news, both Cat in the Hat quilts are officially finished since I joined their tails when I got home, and then finished binding.

 Mary is out walking Brownie on this "winter" day, and when she gets back we'll be off to the quilt store so I can buy some  binding clips (and possibly some other things... though I PLAN to be good!)

Found another seam ripper yesterday (it mysteriously appeared out of thin air on the floor by the couch) so at least I don't need to buy any more of those!

Mary arrived with goodies.  She'd found yahrzeit candles when she'd stopped at Fry's, so I'm set for the next year, and also a cilantro plant when she'd stopped in at Summer Winds (they don't carry herbs during the winter, when I'd stopped in.)

This arrived today from Sandy, whose birthday is March 29.  (FYI one of those windows is in "my" guest room quarters, and provides me with a lovely view of the backyard and woods.)

Finally had a sunny warm day to put the flag up. We sure get a lot of rain. I put it in the my backyard garden since Pippa helps me there. Thank you again for such a thoughtful gift!