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Sunday, November 19, 2023

Big Changes

Laura dropped by, with a bouquet of flowers. She called me, a month or so ago, to announce she was back, no longer in Greece. She ended her term prematurely, for two reasons. Her asthma, souvenir of one of her several bouts with Covid, seriously inhibited the twenty minute uphill hike from her residence to her classes. And, she was homesick.


She still intends to go to Australia, "which will be very different," but first she has fences to mend and bridges to rebuild with her university advisors. This won't happen for at least a year.

Well, the towels sure are winding down. I began probably my next to last set of towels, garnet. I love this color, and my fond memories of childhood vacations, squatting in North Carolina creeks with my dad, looking for garnets. Fun little stones. My grandma had a garnet necklace I really admired. I'm sure it wound up with my cousin, who never understood that his grandma had another set of grandchildren!


The garnet I started this morning, after a serious round of housekeeping. The only task I cannot do well is to vacuum, and I set about doing laundry, and folding and putting it away, emptying wastebaskets, cleaning sinks, blablabla, with determination.

This is all that is left of that warp Caroline and I wound on last January. Enough for the garnet towels, and possibly a few more cream towels. The black towels are done, on the web site and on the shelf.


In less boring news, I must give you an update on life at the Atrium, a year and three months later. In spite of that time, it's still hard to believe I am stepping out the door into Portage County, not Summit County. It is half an hour to forty five minutes back to anywhere I need to go in Summit County. And since most of those "needs" are doctor appointments, I decided some time ago to find doctors who practice closer to home.

I saw the first of these "new" doctors Friday, a new kidney doctor. He told me I presented well, certainly not like an eighty year old. Who recommended me to him, he wanted to know. And I told him he'd met my basic requirement, the first available appointment when I'd called scheduling, months ago. 

He warned me about trusting to luck. And I told him another requirement had been fulfilled when I scheduled a new primary. The scheduler told me the first primary available next February was Mary Grace..."Tell me no more," I said. Mary Grace Charisma, repeated the scheduler. When I finally looked it up, the spelling is totally different. But who cares.

And last, and least, a look from my window (and Kitty's):

My green area grows smaller and smaller. That's not just a drive way to the two back doors. It's a parking area for about five cars.


29 comments:

  1. Greece is very definitely one steeply uphill country. Sorry to hear Laura's asthma proved to be an impediment to getting around there. I hope she can get back in the university's good graces and make it to Australia.

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  2. I hope Laura gets everything squared away. The asthma is hardly her fault, after all.

    I can't blame you for seeking doctors closer at hand, particularly before winter gets under way. Your assisted living doesn't include housekeeping? I never heard of that. Even where people have their own apartment, here, cleaning services are part of the deal.

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    1. Apartments are cleaned every two weeks. I had a bad between week.

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  3. I'm so sorry that life is gone sideways for Laura but it sounds like she has a plan to get back on track. You're tempting me with those towels! My doctors are all within about 15 minutes which is how I prefer it.

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  4. When she comes to Australia, Perth is the best place! I can keep an eye on her for you and my granddaughter at UWA can show her around.

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  5. Lots of changes indeed. I hope your new doctors are wonderful - and wish Laura healthy , happy travels to my country.

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  6. Hari OM
    Laura gave Greece a good go, though... broke the back of international travel! Those are lovely flowers... and towels... and the parking space is not so bad if you can still look through to that treeline. YAM xx

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  7. You're not going to use all of those lovely colors on the shelf to make towels?!?

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  8. That is unfortunate for Laura. Hopefully she can get back on track and go to Australia too. The construction around your building is progressing. The new parking lot still gives you a view of the trees in the forest. Seeing green and sky is always good. All my doctors are local as well.

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    1. Sadly, all the trees in the forest are on a vacant piece of property, up for sale.

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  9. I hope Laura has a good year ahead! And you too, Joanne!

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  10. I hope Laura is able to get to Australia. I'm sure she'll be more mentally prepared at least.

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  11. I'm sure Laura will figure it out. She seems very capable (and caring). As for the doctors, I find having them close and available is best especially as we age. But of course, finding ones we like and trust isn't always easy... and those we've had for years are at retirement age like ourselves. Several of ours have already left. And I never knew that about garnets and North Carolina creeks.

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  12. Poor Laura... So she's had COVID more than once? Ouch! I hope she gets back to normal quickly. We've been to Australia and New Zealand and know she'll love it there.
    I'm always impressed with your weaving, Joanne. I can imagine how beautiful your garnet towels will be.

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  13. You gave Laura an excellent foundation for life and she will succeed.

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  14. Laura will get there.. its tough with asthma though.
    Sad to see your green patch diminished..is there a green view from anywhere else in the building?

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  15. As Yael said, you have given Laura an excellent foundation, mostly as a role model. I am sure she has observed your persistence and determination to live the way you want and besides all of those years of living with you and observing you, she has your genes as well. She will do much, that one.
    Good for you for finding new doctors.

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  16. Isn't it amazing how quickly time flies by? You have gotten a lot done and have adjusted nicely to your new home. Wishing your Laura a happy life filled with fun adventures.

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  17. Dear Joanne, I love garnets too! The sister of my mother had a beautiful collier - and I admired it often. Of course her daughter got it, (and that is utterly ok, though she never wears jewels - but also wouldn't sell to me - which I can understand too)

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  18. At last I can comment again! That was rough luck for Laura....perhaps an English speaking country would have been easier for a first trip. Those garnets took me back to losingmy grandmother's garnets in a burglary at our student flat...I still remember them.

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  19. We will welcome Laura if she comes down under - she’ll just have to watch out for thunderstorm activity. Thunderstorm asthma is a real thing with warnings from the BOM (Bureau of Meteorology).
    There’s something special just for you over at my blog today!

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  20. sorry to hear Laura has lingering effects from covid, such that she felt it necessary to leave Greece early. or maybe it was really the homesickness. she was there for just one semester, right? I guess I'll have to get one of the garnet towels since none of the blues or purples rose to the top.

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  21. Lovely flowers, but I'm sorry Laura found Greece difficult, but Australia will be very different and I think she will find it worth going there. It's a big plus also that they speak English. It can be surprisingly wearing when people are always speaking a different language from the one you are comfortable in. And Australia is more car friendly, so hopefully the asthma won't pose such problems in getting around.

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  22. Oh what's in a name? I don't know but maybe my electrical engineering career might have been worse if I was named sparky or shorts.

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  23. Change is such an inherent part of life but more so in old age it seems as our bodies deteriorate more rapidly. Good luck to Laura and to your towel sales.
    XO
    WWW

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  24. Glad to know your new health professionals are okay. It's always a gamble signing on with new doctors in a new location. They might or might not be competent - or likeable.

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  25. You know what I really love about you? The fact that you can sit back, what your grands do what they are going to do, and not lecture. I want to be you when I grow up. I am always fighting myself not to try to 'fix' stuff. Sometimes things just have to happen the way they are set to happen.

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