Winter's Last Hurrah

Dear Mandella,

We've had a fairly mild winter compare to other years. There have been some heavy snowfalls, but no blizzards (i.e., snow storms with wind speeds in excess of 35 mph and visibility of 500 ft or less and all of that lasting at least 3 hours), and none of the storms have caused massive power outages or road blocks. We just had another snowfall on Friday/Saturday which left about 4" of snow at my house. By the time I went out around Saturday noon the main roads were merely slushy, the Interstate highway was bone dry, and the sun was shining.

Still, I could have lived a full and complete life without this latest snowfall and without the attendant chilling temps. I seem to be fighting a cold or flu virus. I had a sinus migraine all day on Sunday (it went away around 10:00 p.m. and then only after another dose of Exedrin and my husband's chai), then today after lunch it started in again with a feeling of nausea as well as aches all over. Yes, I could have lived a full and complete life without all of that, too.

I'm knitting on several things, among them the Kimono Scarf, the Manos del Uruguay scarf, and a sleeveless cotton pullover that I haven't photographed yet. On top of that, I've been working on quilt tops at my mom's. The king-sized one has the binding on, my mom is hand-stitching the binding to the back of the queen-sized one, and that just leaves the fat quarter quilt and the "Jane Austen" quilt that need bindings.

I also started sewing a simple top and pair of shorts for my niece Marky who will be 10 in March. We are planning a big family party to celebrate the twins' 60th birthday as well as Marky's birthday. My sister Kathy will be coming down from Canada. Her son (my nephew) Mark, who lives in Iowa, celebrates his 40th birthday in March as well. It's a big year for milestone birthdays in my family.

So, I am waiting for the cold weather to give way to warmth and I'm waiting out this cold or flu or whatever virus that seems intent on taking up residence in my body. Sadly, I don't have much patience for hand work when I feel this poorly.

I hope spring is well on its way to your house. Thanks for the updates. I'm thinking about you and hoping you all are well.

Hugs!

Judith