Apologies for a lengthy absence

Well my goal to blog every other day and post a weekly progress report each week-end has been laid low by an especially virulent intestinal virus combined with an unrelated but equally painful infection that laid me low for eight days start to finish. To indicate just how bad it got, I actually dragged myself to the doctor ... something I do only when at death's door [in my imagination, of course] or when my pharmacist will no longer renew my prescriptions without another doctor's scrip. In fact, at first, I thought the virus was a reaction the antibiotic I had been given for the infection. I had my first full meal last night after living on a dozen or so saltines daily and slowly sipped ginger ale or warm green tea since Tuesday. Not a bad way to start Lent, I suppose, but you'd think my body would have had the decency to attack stored fat in the meantime. Only lost one pound over the duration and given all the distress I went through to do that, I consider myself roundly cheated. While I was just dealing with the infection, I did what I call "clean-up" stitching, i.e.: stitching the backs for ornaments, backstitching and the like. Once the virus hit, though, I had little energy for anything but the illness, escaping into sleep between bouts. But yesterday, I emerged from my stupor and with a sore diaphraghm supported by pillows, sat again in my rocker and stitched.

I celebrated with a new start, Workbasket's Mermaids Singing. Not on my February goals list, I know, but I needed the cheerful colors. Stitching with WDW Blue Bonnet, Ocean, Blue Topaz, Peoria Purple, Aztec Red and Navy ... I am still working the border ... gave a lift to my spirits. I didn't use the recommended fabric because the color, a particularly acidic looking yellow green falsely called lime, was not to my taste. As a consequence, I may have to change out the color of the seaweed slightly ... the charted chartreuse will probably not look good against the blue green with hints of purple linen I am using. The fabric I am using is saddled with the rather Halloweenish name Monster Mash but is actually a lot prettier than that would imply. All the other fibers seem to work well with it ... but the chartreuse will have to be saved for another project ...

Sometime in the middle of the week, I received a wonderful gift from Casa Pearl, the chart for CHS The Gilded Cage, which I had admired as a WIP and finish on her blog. Also in the mail, my order from 123stitch with more 32ct flax Belfast linen so I will be able to get started on my February Bride's Tree SAL ornament. I'll be kitting it up soon. In the same order came all the DMC floss I needed to finish up a UFO that I plan to resurrect while the weather is still cool enough, the Jacobean Motif Afghan I started many years ago while still subscribing to Celebrations magazine.

Pictures will follow of all this ... but not today ... though no longer an invalid, I still consider myself a convalescent and am taking all things very easily. After all, I'll have a whole week's backlog waiting for me at work tomorrow.