I am glad that I grabbed up more yarn before we left on Tuesday. What was supposed to be a day surgery kept us overnight at the hospital. Knitting the mate to a pair of socks only took me through his surgery. Several people were interested in what I was doing. One lady reached out and touched not the socks I was knitting, but instead, the ones I was wearing. Because I was knitting socks and wearing handknit socks, more than one person felt compelled to ask if socks were all that I knit. Because I was more than a little sleep-deprived and stressed, I am sure they did not ask it in the way it came across to my frazzled mind.Tired as I was, and with the thought that I had the long drive home to prepare for, I made my way to the ground floor for some coffee. There is a little coffee counter where they serve up a bit of Starbucks. On the menu board, it states that the drinks are also available iced. Apparently, this is not something conveyed to the employees. The cashier was bewildered on how to ring up the sale, but the drink preparation specialist recovered well enough to prepare a regular caramel macchiato, and dump a scoop of ice in it. Although it was not what I was trying to order, it was still pretty good.
After venturing out and exploring the exciting Chinese cuisine within walking distance of the hospital (greatly resembles that which you might encounter at the mall, by the way), I returned to the seemingly endless wait between the five o'clock visit, and last of the day, nine o'clock visit. The socks completed, I reached for some wool and the Baby Surprise Jacket pattern. While I have not finished the blanket, it is not good for waiting room knitting, and I was in need of a treat. I cast on and knit away. My husband was out of it when I looked in on him at nine, so I returned to the hot, stuffy waiting room. My progress was slow, and my mind even slower. By the time we turned off the lights and locked the door, I did not have much to show for all of my work. My mind kept puzzling through the numbers. I could not knit another stitch, and I was so tired. I drifted off into a restless sleep, where I would wake to the numbers in the pattern, roll over, and sleep more. Finally, I awoke and the numbers made sense. It is really just simple math, and not complicated at all. I was sure that I must have gotten a good chunk of sleep despite the way I felt. I looked at my watch, and it was just 11:30. I wanted to cry, or curse. Also, the Old Navy commercials inspire me to blurt out bad words when they announce their offering of fair isle starting at twenty-four fifty. But that is a rant for another day. Anyway, we are glad to be home.
Earlier today, I joked that I had reduced my husband's post-surgical care routine to knitting pattern format. I had written it out to read: *soup or mashed potatoes, sugar-free popsicle, pain meds, repeat from * every six hours. Of course, this is life, so it is a bit more complicated. I needed to include those words so often missed, at the same time. There are so many things that must be done, both related to his recuperation, and the life and world that goes on outside. I was rewarded for making my way out into that world with a fabulous offering of samples at Costco today. The Ghirardelli brownies, turtle cheesecake, and Cinnabon were my favorites.
Now, it is time for sinus medicine for me. They have been spraying the cotton fields with defoliants. It stinks so many ways. I like that they do not spray the field next to my mom's house. Anyway, I also must set up the vcr to tape, because if I do not, the phone will ring endlessly, and I will be needlessly annoyed. Yes, I am old with my vcr and no cell phone. I need to knit and spin.
