I haven't really fallen off

the face of the earth blog-o-sphere, despite what the last month would lead one to believe. Needless to say, life has been full of all sorts of changes, trying to find our new normal, for all of us. My dad is slowly adjusting to living in the memory care place here, instead of being in his own home, in his own town. Some days he remembers what is going on better than other days, but that is the nature of the beast. However, he continues to be very happy to be in the same city with us, so that does help a lot. I am sure one can imagine that there is a lot of life adjustment going on for me as well.
Sadie came through her surgery on January 6th just fine, and was scared enough of the "cone of shame" that we only had to set it down next to her stop the messing with her stitches. Most of the time she was way more interested in the area on her front foot that had been shaved for the IV than the two areas full of pieces of thread. The evening after her surgery, I drove DTY and a friend of hers up to St. Paul so the two of them could catch the train back to school. DTE went along for the ride so that I wouldn't be driving home alone late at night in a snowstorm by myself. The next next day we made sure Sadie had her medications on a regular schedule so that she wouldn't be in any pain (in addition to the cysts that were removed, they had to pull several teeth)as well as doing the general "post-major surgery" eye on her, but she spent the majority of her day sleeping. Late that afternoon I took DTE to the shuttle stop so she could go meet a friend and head to Fargo for the weekend. I was gone for all of twenty minutes max, but could hear the poor suffering Sadie as I pulled into the garage! After I got inside and her all calmed down (which took at least ten minutes!), I realized that those twenty minutes were the first time in her thirteen-and-a-half years of life that she had ever been left completely alone! Because of course a cat that had managed to get herself locked in a closet does not count as company! (Not that Sadie would consider Oribel to be much company no matter where she happened to be.) She still doesn't like being left alone, but is slowly adjusting to it. We have found that it helps a lot to leave the radio on for her, but someone still come home several times a week to a very upset and lonely dog.
I have been doing some knitting, and have finished my first pair of socks (from stash yarn even!) for the year.
Pattern: Groovy Socks changed to be toe-up.
Yarn: Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Colori Socka Color
Started: December 27, 2009
Finished: January 14, 2010
Sock count: 1 of (hopefully) 12(+) from stash (aka, yarn purchased before 2010 or gifted anytime)
Made for: My mom's birthday in January. She said she loves them, but I am kind of hoping she doesn't take them to the hospital tomorrow when she goes for surgery and several days of post-surgery pampering from the nurses. (But if she does, and they happen to disappear, I do know how to make her new ones.)
I have started another pair of socks that have involved restarting several times due to the two-color knitting causing sizing issues. They are supposed to be for Hubband as they remind him of a camping trip with DTY and the loons they had to listen to several nights running. Unfortunately, the first try wouldn't even go over my heel, so I started over on bigger needles. These fit me, but there is no way they will fit him, so if the other member of the camping party is interested, they will be for her; otherwise I will be happy to keep them for me! I will be making them again for Hubband but will add another pattern repeat or two for proper fit. I am enjoying the pattern, challenge, and new stuff that I am learning while making them.
I also made myself a cowl out of some yarn that a friend dyed for me last fall to remind me of one my favorite first signs of spring, crocus flowers. (I took that picture before it was blocked, thus the curly edges.)

 

I shall leave you with a couple of pictures of my latest learning venture. Saturday I drove north to The Big City and DTE took the bus south to the same Big City and we took a cooking class together. These are my first ones, start to finish, at home. Not as pretty as Chef Carrie's, but in time, I am sure I can make them look much nicer.

(For the record, croissants turn out to be pretty easy to make!)