New Apparatus 12-19-08

On Tuesday I saw a hand doctor and on Wednesday I saw the hand therapist. Talk about specialization - at least they do both hands. No specialist for the left hand and the right hand! I suppose I am fortunate that it is my left thumb that is killing me, because I am right handed. This is really an ongoing problem which derives from the arthritis I have in my hands ....and my hip.... and ...and ...and!! It finally came to the point that I can't hold anything in my left hand. At the beginning of this year someone suggested that it wasn't arthritis at all, but carpel tunnel syndrome. And, it turns out, it is a combination of the two.

This is a daytime splint.

Another view.

This is the night time splint.

And another view.

The most amazing thing about all this was watching the hand therapist make the night splint. She put a rectangular piece of the hole-y white plastic in a flat apparatus that looks like a banquet serving hot tray. She drew a very rough sketch (like five little lines) of my hand on a piece of paper. When she took the plastic out it was malleable and using the hand 'pattern' she had made, she cut it in the shape that she wanted and, when it had cooled a little, she wrapped it around my hand to shape it. Then she trimmed and smoothed and applied the Velcro tabs and voila! a splint made just for me. I'm not too crazy about the ragged knit piece that I wear under it, but if I don't wear it the splint sticks to my hand and I have a hard time getting it off. I'm trying to find something else that will work. This is an open ended deal, so I don't know how long I will wear the splints, or if it will be sufficient. The next step is surgery and anyone who knows me at all knows how diligently I avoid surgery! I'm tying to figure out ways to do things without using my left thumb. I'm not ready to give up on the computer yet.

I have a lot of sympathy for the people across the nation who are suffering from miserable weather. I had planned to go to the desert this week, but the weather reports deterred me and I am glad. Thousands of people were stranded around SCalifornia due to snowy road closures. I will try to go on Xmas day or the day after, but will be home by the 30th. Meanwhile I will try to blog.

Sorry 12-18-08

I'm sorry I have been missing days on this blog. I have been having problems with my arthritic hands, I suppose it is the cold weather. My left thumb in particular is very sore . Sometimes it is difficult to type.

Hurrah, they have decided this is not a spam blog! Takes out a couple of extra steps each time - so a little bit less typing and no "weird words" to figure out.

Christmas Shopping 12-17-08

Everyone is concerned about what is going to happen with our economy, apparently even Queen Elizabeth II. Artists are especially hard hit because what they have to offer is not vital to life and limb. Many are offering specials on their work and some are making smaller quilts to accommodate smaller pocketbooks. Lend your support by shopping artists' offerings.

Jeanne Williamson organized a site with offerings from many artists in different disciplines: http://www.smallartshowcase.com/

Elizabeth Barton added another 'page' to her blog: http://ebartonstore.blogspot.com/

Karen Stiehl Osborn has a page of collage pieces on sale at: http://www.karenstiehlosborn.com/Gallery/HolidaySale.htm

Fiberart For A Cause has merchandise related to this project to raise money for cancer research on their Cafe Press site: http://www.cafepress.com/virginiaspiegel

Virginia Spiegel has a series at a special price: http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/PeaceSeries.html

I am sure there are other special offerings. If you send me the URL I will post it on my blog. I don't have a huge exposure, but every little bit helps.

Book Group Xmas meeting 12-15-08

I don't remember when we added dinner to the Book Group December meeting. We haven't done it for 35 years, maybe 25? As with all of our meetings someone volunteers to have the meeting. She also makes the main dish and asks the members to bring different things. The meal is usually okay, but this time it was very, very good. We also exchange small Xmas gifts - always an interesting and eclectic selection.

Our hostess Carol Bednar serving salad. Notice the bottle of wine? There are always two bottles and one never gets opened - we are just not drinkers.

Verna Wheeler and Teresa Malinowski worked together at the CSUF Library - along with Carol, and Kathy Frazee who couldn't be at the meeting last night. Notice that Verna is eating a bowl of soup - she has been on a medical diet and lost over thirty pounds since the first of October. We are all cheering her on.

On the other side of the table were Ann Morgan, Nancy Mastroianni and Marlita Bellot. I guess Nancy was just sleepy because in both the pictures I took she has her eyes closed!

Isn't this a lovely plate? So colorful and so delicious. From top right: green and wax beans, carrots w/parsley and a very light sauce, apricot halves in a cold salad, stuffing, and a fabulous butterflyed turkey breast - cooked to perfection. For dessert we enjoyed a Tiramisu cheesecake. Yum-O!

Sunday at Spinnaker Bay 12-14-08

Corky was going to be alone yesterday whilst his parents had Xmas events to attend, so I went down to stay with him. We had a lovely walk about 4:30 pm when it was starting to get dark and the Xmas lights were on.

This is just a few streets down looking along one of the "U"s that stick out into the water. The houses here are all zero lot line so they only have a very small yard/patio on one side of the house and a patio in back on the water.

It was a spectacular sunset which disproved the old saying "Red sky at dawning, sailor take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight". In the foreground is a Duffy electric boat with a blue canopy - they don't go out in the ocean, just in the bays and canals. These boats are moored around one of the "U"s behind the houses.

When we finished our walk I looked out the back windows overlooking Marine Stadium and the sunset was different but still awesome. the lightest portion is out over the ocean beyond Belmont Shore.

In the last few weeks I have take over a dozen pictures of these light wrapped trees on the street that goes past the end of the Marine Stadium. They are beautiful and gaudy - not close together so there is space to "rest your eyes". But I still don't have the trick to taking night pictures. I've braced the camera a number of different ways, but guess I should dig out the tripod for my old 35mm. That will probably be steady enough. A neighbor down the street from me always wrapped their olive tree this way and my husband and I always called it the "Festive Broccoli", but they stopped doing it two years ago. I miss it!

It started raining about midnight last night and rained most of the day, both light and heavy. The closest reporting town to Placentia had 2 inches by 11pm. More rain promised for the rest of the week with a severe storm on Wednesday. Hope those sailors are listening to the TV weather and not looking at sunsets!

The Book Group had their Christmas meeting, dinner and gift giving this evening. One of the best we have had in our about 35 years. I'll write about it and show some pictures - maybe tomorrow.

Another quilt from TCQC 12-14-08

If you see a quilt you would like to buy and it doesn't have a "for sale" sign or a price, just track down the artist and ask. She can say yes or no - you don't know until you ask. She also might offer other similar quilts that are not currently on display and you might like one of those better!

"Durban Dreams" Rosalie Dace 2006 33" square

I saw this quilt in a special exhibit of Rosalie's work at Pacific International Quilt Festival 2006 in Santa Clara. Rosalie was teaching that year, so I went to her classroom during lunch break and asked about this quilt. Fortunately, it was available and I could afford it. She had already promised it for another exhibit, so I had to wait until it was available and she shipped it to me. Her work is unlike that of any artist I know and reminds me of the Hmong applique work, only much richer because Rosalie uses silks and adds beads, rings and other doodads. Interesting quilting.

Here is a detail of the center of the quilt. The square w/the pastel 'log cabin' outlined in rose/violet is a loose flap hanging down over the half circle of yellow.

Rosalie's website: www.rosaliedace.co.za/home.html

Her work can also be seen at: www.fireworksart.com/dace.html

a site showing works by So. African fiber and textile artists.