Thursday, January 10, 2013

Easing Gingerly into the New Year (with a little moan on the side!)




2013. Ten days in and all is, more or less, well! Happy New Year to all my bloggy friends.



5:30 a.m. and I'm sitting on the porch, in the dark, hugging my coffee cup, staring at the stars. My Stargazer has returned north after spending a week with us, so I have no idea which stars I'm seeing, but they sure are pretty and they sure are bright.

I can hear the hum of the world waking up, the distant murmur of traffic, the trundle of the garbage truck, early birds whizzing by in their cars on their way to work....But that's all in the distance. Here on the porch, it's peaceful and quiet, all dark tree silhouettes, velvet sky and glistening stars. I hear a cricket off in the bushes---yes, it's that warm! Should we worry? Headline in the newspaper yesterday ---"It's Winter, Right?"---over a picture of tourists baring their bones at a local beach.

"What an early riser!" you're thinking admiringly? Not! I'd rather be sleeping! Put it down to a stiff neck which makes sleep elusive,  even tossing and turning out of the question. Wah, wah!
Diagnosis: wimp. At the grocery store yesterday I stepped out of the way of a young woman in a wheelchair, her face permanently contorted with pain. Reality check. If I were in her situation I might  have something to be grumpy about! I've told the children already that, if and when my conversations start to be mostly about aches and pains, as The Prince's famously were, it'll be time to take me out back, like Old Yeller, and do the deed.

On a positive note, I've read three books since Christmas (see "on my night table") and thoroughly enjoyed each of them. And I've started knitting socks, 'cause the good lord knows I don't already have enough projects underway, and when a friend asked me to join her it sounded like a good idea. Yup. Almost a week and I have two inches done. Stiff necks do not make for speedy knitting!




Today is oldest grandson's tenth birthday! How that happened or where the last ten years went is a mystery to me......but Happy Birthday to you Tommy! Please try not to turn twenty as fast as you've made it to ten!

And before the month is out there should be a new grandchild in the picture. Brit Boy and the Lovely Natalie are about to provide a sibling for Little Brit Boy! No word yet on girl or boy, which gives me fodder for procrastination.....Do I make a wild guess and start a girly quilt (oops! Is my bias showing?? Four out of five so far are boys and while we love them all, it would be nice to bring a little balance to the picture!) or do I start two quilts----one for a girl and one for a boy---so I've got all the bases covered? And I know all you super-organized quilters out there are aghast that I don't already have two quilts finished, folded and ready....I'd shrug, if it wouldn't set off torture, and tell you it's too late for me to change. I need that down-to-the-wire thrill to do my best work!




The sun climbed higher as the ghost of a fingernail moon sank behind the trees. Time to ice again--- chiropractor's orders---the only way I would ever willingly put ice on a body part!  Between you and me and the wall, I'm not 100% sure it's a great idea to hammer on ancient bones with something that sounds and feels like an attack by an enraged woodpecker, but I'm in wait---fingers-crossed---and-see mode.Time will tell.......And then, groan, I must try to motivate myself and my stiff neck to wrap up all the tree ornaments and stash them away for next year. Fun, fun, fun!

 But first perhaps, a wee nap?

16 comments:

Relatively Retiring said...

Ouch! Happy new year and a lot less pain in the neck.
I love the descriptions of your early morning vigil.

dianne said...

not being a super-organized quilter, i am certainly NOT aghast at procrastinating on starting a quilt for an unknown grandgender - if you make two, you end up with an extra ... and then you have to figure out what to do with it ... or one of your children decides to make another baby because you have an extra quilt ... and that extra quilt is still the wrong gender, so you end up with TWO that are wrong ... no - i think waiting is the way to go ... and two inches on socks sounds like a LOT to me - i don't knit anymore cuz it gives me a pain in the neck...

Ali Honey said...

Sorry about the pain the the neck. Note I did not say the words, you are.
Cause your not. I love reading what you write. I too get a stiff neck - work related from looking skyward for hours on end.For me stretching and exercising it does help. Stopping work is even better.
Best Wishes for a productive year - quilts and other things!

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Florida at crack of dawn sounds wonderful ! But I do hope you recover quickly and don't sit through it too often .
You'll have a lovely quilt made in seconds when the baby's born and you know who you're making it for . Once you've seen the photos and got a name , exactly the right design and colours will appear like magic . Looking forward to seeing it !( quilt , I mean )

Secret Agent Woman said...

I was having dinner with someone the other day and the conversation turned to a "kids these days" sort of place. I said, "You know, this clearly marks us as old people. The next step will be talking about nothing but our physical ailments. When we get to dental work, we're doomed."

molly said...

RR---Lovely to see you back around blogland! And I loved my vicarious trip to Moscow on New Year's Eve!

Dianne--Ha! You knew I counted you among the super-organized! I think I'll line up fabrics and pattern for each possibility. then sew like a demon as soon as I get news!

Ali--How little I appreciate my usual total lack in the aches and pains department! Your neck must be good and strong from all that reaching upward into fruit trees! Best wishes to you too for a productive year---avocados, kiwis and of course quilts!

S&S--Yes, I don't mind waiting. I don't think I'd want to know the gender either before the baby is born. That was half the thrill---not knowing until it was obvious!

SAW---I hear ya! I'm done moaning now!

Gillie said...

I am sorry, Molly, stiff necks are awful so hope it disappears soon . No sitting on the deck in Michigan yet, still a bit brisk. I have a 15 year old grandson, how did THAT happen!

Elephant's Child said...

Ouch. I hope you get some relief soon. It is amazing how fast you feel just what is connected to de neck bone, when it is out of sorts.
Early morning is about the only time I can sit on the veranda at the moment. Our heat wave (and fires) are continuing. The grass fires we were experiencing here a few days ago are now out, and I hope the rest of the country is as lucky. Quickly.

Pauline said...

Hope by now the stiff neck has eased. You could make a quilt with pink elephants and blue bunnies and your bases would be covered...

persiflage said...

Molly, Happy New Year, and I hope your neck gets better soon. And here's hoping for a granddaughter. I have only one granddaughter, with five of the other variety. and I have granny square blanket lying there waiting for someone (has to be a niece of nephew doing this) to have a girl, as evidently moving parts would be endangered if anything pink came too close...
And if your children are still producing babies, you can't be all that old.

Wisewebwoman said...

I've never understood gendering clothing and other baby artifacts. I never have and never will. Primary colours are fabulous for infant stimulation. My toddler girls wore black and looked stunning.
I do hope your neck clears up Molly and soon, how annoying. Have you tried toes down socks? I haven't yet but others rave about it.
XO
WWW

Pam said...

Poor old ... well, relatively old... you. Neck pain is horrid.

New Year's resolution to blog a bit more frequently....? Please?

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Followed you from WWW.
Early riser
because I love the beginning
of a new day.
I have 3 grandchildren in their
20's and 2 little ones.
Life for this 3 score and 10 plus lady is going by might fast.
Hope you soon feel better...

molly said...

Gillie---you could bundle up in your mukluks, your bearskin hat and your your sealskin coat, but better to be warm and cozy inside!

EC---Wishing cool breezes for you soon, and relief for the rest of the fire plagued areas too...

Pauline---I have to enjoy making it---that's the first rule of Molly quilting! If not, it'll never get finished. Blue bunnies and pink elephants----nah, I don't think so!

Persi---A healthy baby is what everybody wants, naturally, but a healthy baby girl would make me doubly ecstatic! And I reckon you and I are about the same age----'48 was a very good year!

WWW---When my second grandson was on the way I asked the Stargazer and his partner what colours they'd like in a quilt for him. They chose, to my chagrin at the time, black with primary colours. Took me a long time to get my head around that, but it turned out absolutely stunning....

Isabelle---I'll see what I can do---though you may get so bored you beg me to stop!

Greetings One Woman, thanks for visiting! I think you are right, early morning is the best time of the day...But, I do love my sleep!



Julie's Journey said...

2013: 24 days in and I am finally catching up on some things. Happy new years to you.
I had a very sore neck towards the end of last year and my GP did acupuncture. I remember sitting there thinking this is never going to work but low and behold a couple of hours later the pain had lessened considerably. It took a while but he made it bearable and now pain has completely gone.
Hope you are better soon.

molly said...

Julie---I may have to resort to desperate measures, as you suggest, as I feel like a stiff old robot....