Okay, I am finally getting to write a new post after several weeks that I do not want to repeat.  It has been a very sorry start to the new year.  To begin with, David had been having neck pains and not feeling at all well.  We decided to go out to eat a few weeks ago, and I noticed his driving seemed to be rather erratic. We were planning on going to a restaurant a little farther away until David decided to go to a nearer one which I thought was rather strange, but we picked up some food and headed home and again, his driving was not up to par and he speeded up at our turn and turned into the left hand lane almost hitting a car head on if I hadn’t have screamed and he slammed on the brakes.  I knew something was wrong, bit didn’t know what. We got home and I told home he needed to go to the doctor.  He wasn’t very receptive to the idea, so I said  no more.  Sunday morning came and I got all dressed up for church in what I thought was a very cute outfit, came downstairs and David was sitting there and said to me, “ I think I need to go to the hospital.”  I immediately got into care mode and got him in the car and drove him to the hospital.  Now I had not driven for a long time because it is just easier to let David do it so I was a little nervous about driving, but found I rather liked it.

We got to the hospital and David was checked out and then put in a room so he could get more tests. Turns out he had had a stroke that affected his vision.  His sight in front was okay, but his sight on the sides was affected.  The doctor said it may get better in time. They put him on meds, but kept him another day for more tests.  We had contacted our children and our son and wife came over from Cincinnati to help me. It was such a comfort having them with me. They stayed until David was released from the hospital.

I decided David should not drive for a while so I drove  him to his doctor appointments.

A week or so later, we both came down with coughs and stuffy noses.  Our son and his wife reported that they had, too, which led us to believe we all caught something at the hospital. . David and I both went to the doctor again and we both had acute bronchitis.  I had a really bad cough and hurt all over. Had a fever,too. David had a stuffy nose and cough.  So we left the doctor with medicine for David and medicine, steroids and an inhaler for me.

I’d like to say I am all better now, but the cough just keeps hanging on. David is doing better and he says his sight is much better.  He has a couple more doctor’s visits to check him out and I pray his health is returning.

We also had one of the worst snowstorms we have had in years.  Guess it was a good time to be cooped up in the house.  We didn’t feel like going anywhere, anyway.  I hope we have turned a corner. I hadn’t felt like doing any sewing for weeks, but a couple of days ago I did get out to my shop and worked on a couple of quilts.  I joined this fabric group where I receive 6 fat quarters of William Morris inspired fabric every month.  William Morris was a designer of wallpaper back in the 1800’s and he made some very beautiful designs.  Now his designs are on fabric.  I am making a small quilt every month using that month’s fabric using the same pattern for each one and when I have enough made, I will sew them all together in one patchwork quilt. It is going to be interesting because I never know what colors of fabric I will get.

I felt like baking today so I baked an apple pie. To prove you can teach an old dog new tricks, I just learned this year that pie dough is easier to roll and work with if you chill it for a couple of hours.  It has made my pie making so much easier.  This pie turned out perfectly and it is good, too.

David finished a puzzle today.  A Will Moses puzzle.  Will Moses is Grandma Moses grandson, I think. His paintings are very like hers were.  David said this one was a little harder because there was so much dark in it.

This is what my greenhouse looked like a couple of weeks ago. We have been in a frozen tundra for days, but next week it is supposed to get up to the forties.  Indiana weather. You never know what you are going to get!  I wish you could see the flowers in there.  I will have to get some pictures taken. There is a petunia that has taken up one whole  corner of the greenhouse, the poinsettia is doing wonderfully and I have a couple of huge geraniums that seem to love it in there.  I must say, our little gas furnace we put in there is keeping everything toasty warm.  No insulation at all.

Here is some of that William Morris fabric I was talking about.  It is so beautiful.  I could see it on the walls as wallpaper.  The Victorians loved their wallpapered walls.

We went to our granddaughter’s house after Christmas and this is our granddog.  Another Lab.  She is so sweet.
I think I have caught you up with what’s been happening with us.  I hope I have better news next time and that we are both back to health.  Happy New Year again.  Looking forward to a good February.  Bye.