This is one of the views from my couch with a pretty quilt I really love.

Here is another view with a bummer situation!

I have water damage. When it was first identified the so-called expert thought replacing the damaged door jambs would be enough since that’s where the damage was. No one was thinking at that point!  Argh!!!  I tested it with the hose and water continued to leak in.

When you get closer you can see where the water is seeping over the threshold. This particular view is exaggerated because it’s raining buckets and my gutters are down (to be replaced) but this is part of what’s been going on for quite some time.

If you look here the carpet tack will show you just how long.

I’m over the point of having people out to look at this. People have been out. Now I’m waiting on my new door and replacement gutters. The damage happened basically because the gutters were too small and weren’t set up with something called a gusher guard. I’m going to skip all the technical stuff beyond that. This sort of thing happens. I don’t know that I could have stopped it. I mean, I didn’t know about the gutters. So, I’m into this about $1300 so far and that’s before someone pulls back the carpet. But you know, the carpet can dry and right now I’m all about stopping the leak.

So about the wrist… I was planning on seeing an acupuncturist [is not covered by insurance] before anything further with my surgeon but as you might imagine, financially that plan is out the window. I’m going in for physical therapy and tests from here with it. I’m recovering from that blasted needle procedure but still not sewing. Not even short stints of straight lines. I can read and do chores though and that’s good enough.

Just as an aside, I’m not turning this into a homeowners insurance claim in case you’re wondering about that. I’d prefer to be claim free until something really serious happens. Say, like… my water pipes that run through the ceiling burst. That would be a claim.

Not the surprise I was talking about in my previous post, friends. Not even close!

Until the next fun-filled update…

***

I had the cyst removed Wednesday. My doctor doesn’t think that’s the fix. Likely going back for more tests but we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t present with typical symptoms of carpal tunnel but he’s leaning in that direction since there’s no where else to lean and by the way he’s not a very good leaner. He wants it by the book. The guy was a real downer to be honest.

So the clock.

I can only think about what I can do now. That’s good enough. I think I can be happy with bits of time, lots of rest periods and straight lines. Behind the scenes I have been. It’s not like nothing at all is going on. One of these days I’ll surprise you.

Until surprise day…

***

Yellow roses can have many positive connotations including friendship, steadfast love and enduring relationships.

This is the first bloom of my rosebush, of any rosebush, here at Leehaven. My neighbor brought it to me from across the lake one day in late January – just a couple sticks it was and together we planted it.  Well… I sort of just watched.

I’ve cared for it, talked to it, kept the bugs at bay and waited patiently for the bloom.  I have just one flower. I’m so joyful gazing over the beauty and it smells amazing. This bloom has continued to expand even after I brought it inside. I placed it by my coffee pot since I hang out there a lot.

As an added gift I find my thoughts often drift towards Miriam half a world away. It’s the little things…

***

Let’s have some news from the home front, shall we?

The 15 year Spring Cleaning effort is just about complete. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I mentioned this began back in October. Notice how I timed that just after my wrist problem surfaced? I noticed. I had a lot of time (not sewing) to notice the shape things were in around here and I couldn’t take it. So many clothes, shoes, bags, hangers, boxes, books, papers, boxes of papers, boxes of cards, boxes of ribbons, boxes of trinkets, and all variety of stuff’s. It had to go.

So the Spring Cleaning commenced. Unreal what I’ve been holding onto all these years and unreal what I allowed myself to let go of. What you see is only a snippet of what was hauled out. I didn’t take a lot of pictures. Probably I should have. There was stuff and nonsense from the 1970′s that finally got thrown out. Things from my childhood that had sentimental meaning but no practical use, just taking up space. I did well letting go of so much. I even moved the quilting room from the kitchen into its own room!

Hard work and little by little with the help of my friends dropping by from time to time, Lisa and Kim and Brenda (and even my brother one day) and before you know it we really made progress. So much so that we had the last big Spring Cleaning push about 10 days ago.  My friend Lisa and her husband John came by and took the garage to task!

Together they cleared out the garage ( for reference, the “last push” is what you see in the photo on the right above ) and I can park in there now. It’s been years! Now I can unload my car without getting drenched when it rains. As if that wasn’t enough, and is was more than enough, they were able to reach the bed that was hiding behind the junk for a couple of years and set it up in the front bedroom—>

The room itself isn’t ready for primetime and the entire bed is impossible to see here but I have a quilt on a bed in the spare room. Not pets allowed.

I love the contrast in my life between what was and what is. The support of my friends has left me breathless. I’m so thankful for what they’ve done since I would not have been able to heal my home and my life without them.  I’m thankful for what they’ve done here in contributing and allowing me to move my life forward.

I remember the last time friends gave huge to my life and talking with my Dad about it I said that was so huge, I didn’t know how to give back. A thank you card didn’t seem to cut it. He advised me “…you just be yourself since that’s what got you where you are. People receive their appreciation watching your joy and watching you flourish.” So, knowing my Dad, that means (1) don’t trash the house, (2) don’t trash the garage and (3) keep moving forward in a positive way with your life. Build on the success.

Okay, Got it!

***