TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008 - WE FINALLY GOT DRAFTED FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN!!

HELLO all our DEAREST ONES!!

About a week ago, one of our members of I.L.C.S. Group posted a picture of her new finish. It was a McCain-Palin rear view mirror ornament she had made for her husband's truck. Eunice absolutely went wild over this pattern and I asked this very nice lady for direction to getting this pattern. She so nicely shared the link with me!! And, I so much THANK her very much!!

I immediately stitched a OBAMA-BIDEN on perforated paper and attached a pin backing to it for Eunice. She immediately asked could I possibly stitch another as she would be sending the first to her "old friend, Obama"!! I told her I certainly could as she has never made a request of me all the time she has been so ever caring fo Miprezious and I. So, I set to making a second pin. Eunice inquired as to if I could make it any more stronger than the perforated paper. Thus, I stitched the second one, pictured beside this, on 14-Count White Perforated Plastic!! I also cut a second square and made a real neat backing for it and all the while tried to add extra support to it.
Eunice immediately attached the pin back as I wanted her to place it where it would best work for her. And, she very proudly wore this all day today!! Eunice has been very active in the Democratic party locally until she became so ill about eight weeks ago!! I think she is trying to gain strength to resume this soon. I was called by some of the office staff locally to help. I was willing, however, Eunice told me it was no place to be while in my wheelchair as it is a temporary set up in a vacant building. Thus, last I knew I was addressing post cards from home here!! Going to take big toll on stitching time, but..............

We have been doing extremely well!! I have made getting this home, my entire life and most importantly myself reorganized and gone through!! I began on July 16 and was sidetracked when I was most unexpectedly taken to the hospital September 06 and had to have the emergency surgery to correct damage from an "incarcerated hernia"!! Despite this loss of time, I have managed to get my kitchen, living room and "Stitching Sanctuary" completely cleaned from top to bottom and side to side!! Each day is another one discovery after another of things Max left completely undone, cobbled or duct taped!! I became completely livid with him at least a dozen times a day!! He continues to whine and need "more warm clothes"!! This past Sunday he again came which is extremely upsetting to Miprezious. She became physically sick and vomited after refusing to eat any thing the entire day!! I told Max to take every thing and he replied "he could not carry that much"!! So, I volunteered to call Eunice's husband to carry his things to his car for him!! "No, he did not have room at his rooming house" for any thing else!!
Well, he better "reorganize" himself and find room for a whole car load of clothes and golf clubs as I am NO storage unit!!

Some how, probably darn anesthesia again, I reclaimed the "nasty" traits of my old perfectionism!! NOT A GOOD THING!! I can not get every thing clean enough, straighten enough, perfected enough........................!! Thus, far with the help of Eunice and my new part-time Caretaker, Wanda, I have perfected the kitchen, living room, "Stitching Sanctuary" and for the first time that I can recall in probably at least 30 years my Checking Account Register!! And, I have a room, as do most I am sure, that I have labeled "That Room" for probably the last six to seven years!! At one point, about a year ago this past September, this room was filled top to bottom and side to side!! It was emptied out so that our full-time Caretakers would have a place to rest when they wanted to while staying the third shift especially!! However, Max decided to begin refilling it before I knew any thing about this!! Presently, Wanda and I are trying to empty and reorganize it as I have now found I need a SECOND STITCHING SANCTUARY!! The original "Stitching Sanctuary" is full to the seams and there is no more room in the inn!! I can't wait to get the rest of my home in line of perfectionism!! I can then stitch from sun up to sun up if I so desire as Mi and I do every thing we can to keep things just the way I want them!! About two weeks ago, Eunice, Wanda and myself in my manual wheelchair managed to completely empty my attached garage!! Every thing has had the furniture rearranged and completely cleaned!! I just sit and admire the beauty of shine!! Well, there are few "perks" with living alone, but I guess "shine" is one of the few that most people simply can not experience as they have full lives with many children leaving their more precious little finger prints!!

I have also wanted to get myself back to going to church each Sunday!! This past Sunday, Eunice and I started our "comparative shopping" from a long list of churches available locally!!
We picked Granny Lou's First Baptist Church which is located only a few blocks away from our homes!! Granny Lou was out of town visiting relatives and celebrating her birthday finally!! Thus, we did promise to go again this coming Sunday with her, but, unfortunately Eunice and I both felt this just was not what either of us were looking for!! We decided to go out for breakfast after the service and it was most enjoyable!! While we were at church, Eunice's husband, Marion, had to go to Davenport (about 50 miles south of us) to pick up some thing he needed. Eunice and I love a new restaurant that Eunice and Marion introduced me to while we were in Davenport for Eunice's angiogram last week!! This restaurant is called "Barbecue Dave's"!! It is absolutely fabulous!! Marion stopped in "Barbecue Dave's" and brought carry-out dinners home to Eunice, my Mother and myself!! It was a true "pig-out" day for us!! Wanda came over to take me to a special sale one of our stores was having also on Sunday!! Eunice did go with us.
I truly had one of the very nicest Sundays I have had in quite some time!!

And, I know you all are quite aware of the medical care, or I should rather say the lack of medical care, in this one-horse town!! Granny Lou went to have her eyes examined to make sure she had the correct prescription in her glasses. This doctor told Granny Lou she needed to have cataracts removed as soon as possible. This "doctor" even had an appointment all lined up with a Quad-City (about 50 miles south of us) "doctor" almost immediately. Granny Lou's daughter has got a very full Autumn with her husband having major surgery and told Granny Lou she really felt she could have this cataract surgery locally instead of going out-of-town!! Both Eunice and I did not want to see this happen and assured Granny Lou we would make sure she got transported to Quad-City and we would take care of her!! We did not want Granny's decision to be based on lack of transportation out of this town!! Well, Granny Lou went to a second eye doctor this morning. We expected a call from her to pick her up as we thought she would not be able to drive home with having her eyes dilated!! Well, we got a call from Granny Lou, however, she was home on her own!! And, she had very shocking news!! This second doctor told Granny Lou that her eyes were absolutely fine, totally unchanged, and that she did not even need a change of prescription in her existing glasses!! Granny Lou does NOT need any cataract or any type of eye surgery!! If Granny Lou's daughter does not have "very strong words" with this first "doctor" and his associate "doctor" most willing to remover cataracts I WILL!! This is just horrific!! Granny Lou has been doing extremely well and just celebrated her 84Th birthday last week!! (Despite well circulated "rumor" that this was 85Th!!) I can't imagine what this "Surgeon" planned to do to dear Granny Lou!! After doing some extensive checking later today, it is well known that the first "eye doctor" is attempting to get this "eye surgeon "doctor" to come to this town and become an "Associate" with him!! And, this hospital would like to see a certain number of surgeries performed by this "eye surgeon"!! Granny Lou's daughter has a real, real bad temper!! And, I am sure hoping she gets it totally fired up and really lets go on two more of our fine "local" medical community!!

Well, my stitching for this week is above and it would be times two except Eunice already has given the other one to some one to get it to Mr. Obama!! I am going back to my "Ark Teacup" after ending this epistle!! I also want to do some real long hours on "Scream House" and my "FrankNOrt"!! My stitching will take off shortly and I have very great hopes of several finishes yet this year!! I ended up taking my "twenty-five" pieces that make up my rotation and reorganizing them!! I had a stack of small baskets from the Dollar Store. I placed all the threads and embellishments in each basket. I took one of those heavy paper portfolios and placed the original pattern in a clear protector and clipped it into portfolio. I then took the working copies and also placed them in pockets of portfolio. I thought this would clean them up and make them more organized and looking much better!! Well, it was better, but not perfect!! So, I got about twenty-five of the new (at least to me) "green" bags you can purchase at almost every store presently to take the place of both paper and plastic. I placed each basket and portfolio in a "green" (they are actually black) bag and then lined them up on top of my great-great grandmother's hope chest. I paper clipped an index card to the front of each with the name of the chart I have in the bag. Now, I just take the front bag and stitch a day and then return it to the end of the line and then take the next bag that is in front the following day. This plan is working splendidly!! I am most happy with it!! And, miraculously I can see some for sure finishes in the near future!! I have been working on the perforated paper for the past few weeks and it seems to be just the thing I needed to get myself retaught some speed in my stitching!! I have great hopes for the fabrics next!!

Miprezious is a bit "miffed" at her large collection of toys and blankets, etc., etc., and etc. she has being moved again!! She also does not care for the furniture being changed again either. But, this little one will adjust!! She got groomed today!! Eunice and I both went and picked her up from the groomer late this afternoon. The only real bad thing about my present home is that my garage JUST fits a vehicle only!! Thus, I must transfer from my van lift out in the driveway!! This is fantastic in pleasant weather such as we had this afternoon, but it is down right nasty in rain days and winter!! And, as usual, Mi wants to ride the lift and was in my lap. We got on the ground and I had made my transfer to my walker and Mi decides she is going to go over to Granny Lou's!! Mi just took off almost dragging me behind her as this particular walker goes very smoothly with little effort!! I got down the small incline between my home and Granny Lou's and Mi just stopped, looked at me and sat down on the edge of Granny Lou's driveway!!
Mi would not move as she had decided she evidently wanted to show off her new ribbons and
scarf!! It took both Eunice and I to get her to change her mind and go into the house!! Granny Lou gets my mail from the curb side mail box and my newspaper from garage frontage newspaper box every day and brings them in to me!! She never forgets a single day!! I have two steps to get in and out of my kitchen garage entry door!! They are just simply "nasty" and the less times I have to navigate them the better for my legs and back!! So, Mi finally got to "strut her stuff" for Granny Lou a bit later and oh how she did!!

But, we are doing absolutely fantastic and OKAY!!

Love and Hugs!!
Deborah
and
Miprezious, too!!