MALABRIGO KNITTING CRUISE, PART #2

Sunday was spent getting used to the ship.  This was our view as we pulled out of port.  Ft. Lauderdale is beautiful from the ship!

Our room had a balcony and I have no hesitation to say that this is the only way to go!  It opens up the room and gives you the opportunity to sit and gaze in private.

Closet with shelving and other shelving located throughout the room.  Small bathroom but more than adequate.  And our steward was wonderful.  She checked in several times a day and on several days left towel animals.  The first night there was a turtle but we failed to get a picture.  This penguin showed up.



Every night when we came back to the room we would find my teddy, Andy, tucked snugly into bed.

And then there was the monkey, who looked a little distressed about hanging from a coat hanger.

The view from our balcony was breathtaking!

and . . .

The yellow you see is a lifeboat directly under us.

The ship has so much to offer that it will take another blog post to cover it but here are some delicious teases.  Deck 6 is the Boardwalk complete with ice cream store/doughnut shop, cotton candy, candy store and this wonderful carousel.

There was a teen club and a camp for the younger kidlets as well.

The view of the promenade deck is absolutely wonderful.  Ship?  What ship?  We're downtown!

And this magnificent 1935 Mercedes Benz has pride of place right there in the middle.

One pair of grandparents put their little darling right inside the wheel well on the back for pictures.  I know those pictures were adorable!

There was art, paintings, sculptures and artifacts, all over the ship and all were mind-boggling wonderful.  One of my favorites was this stack of marbles?, stones?  Don't miss the tile on the floor.

So much to show you and tell you about.  I've only just begun.

MALABRIGO KNITTING CRUISE, PART #1

Kathleen Prater Taylor and I have been friends since high school many moons ago.  We reconnected on Facebook in 2009 and our friendship has grown by leaps and bounds.  Kathi is a master knitter and teaches all over the country.  She has written a good number of books on the subject and her finished projects are gorgeous! She has gifted me with two pairs of her beautiful socks.

The socks on the right are an original design just for me!

Official disclaimer before I start:  The following pictures are a conglomeration of those taken by both of us.  Kathi graciously gave me permission to mix hers in with mine as we both took different pictures on many occasions.  

Last year she was invited to teach on a Carnival Knitting Cruise to the Bahamas and I jumped at the chance to go along.  We found that we are perfectly matched as roommates and that our "rhythms" matched very, very well.  And we had an incredible time!  Both of us decided that cruising is amazing.

This year the knitting cruise was on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Sea and was sponsored by Malabrigo yarn.  Friends and Fiberworks, based in Asheville, led the cruise and planned the classes.  And once again Kathi was asked to teach.  Since her husband is not a fan of cruising, I was thrilled to be able to go with her.  And after seeing and hearing about knitting so much, I decided to step back in the pool after 40 years.  I decided my first project would be for Kathi.

And Kathi knit me what she calls a Leftie.  Beautiful yarn that I had received on the last cruise and which matched one of my formal dresses perfectly.  When you look close, you can see it sparkles from teeny tiny sequins.

I can't express how proud I was to wear it!

Kathi arrived in Ft. Lauderdale midday on the Saturday before we were to embark.  My flight was delayed several times and finally the plane I was supposed to be on was diverted, causing me to take the very last flight out of Raleigh-Durham.  My phone had died a terrible death so I wasn't able to keep in touch with either her or my husband, Butch.  I finally arrived at the hotel room at midnight.  When I knocked, Kath through open the door and grabbed me!  Shortly thereafter she fell asleep and I got ready myself.  When I woke up the next morning, this is what I saw at our hotel.

and . . .

And we had our first opportunity to really say hello and let everyone know we were safe and together at last!

After leaving the bad weather in North Carolina, this was a very welcome sight to see!  The Holiday Inn handled transport to the port very smoothly.  After we got through check-in, which involves passport, linking my credit card to the ship and having our pictures taken so that they would show up on the computer whenever making a purchase on board (no cash purchases; all were made with the Sea Pass), we got our first view of our home for the next 7 days.

and it is BIG!!!!!

When we boarded, we were on the 5th deck, known as the Promenade Deck.  Lots of restaurants and shops line each side of this deck including a Starbucks!  We had lunch at the Promenade Cafe and it was a delicious introduction to the food we were about to stuff ourselves with in the coming days.

Foccacia and caprese salad sandwich!

Another of the wonders of the Promenade Deck was The Cupcake Shop.  That's right, scratch made and hand decorated cupcakes of all different kinds.  We started with the Dreamsicle and Turtle Praline varieties.

The cinnamon was also crazy good.

More to come . . . .

Supper Club 09/12

Last night Butch and I attended 1020 Restaurant's Fall Supper Club.  As usual the food was spectacular.  And Steve Hyman, the smoothest bass voice ever, sang standards as we ate.  He even came over and directed "Happy Days Are Here Again" to me.  Perfection.  The rest of this blog will be, as borrowed from my dear friend Kathleen Prater Taylor, almost wordless.

This is the rockfish sculpture outside of 1020.  I like to give her a pat every time we go in and leave.

This is Steve Hyman, the master vocalist and perfection when singing standards.  Petey was entranced!

First course, an amuse bouche -- mushroom pockets in a wonderful tomato sauce.

Second course, oh my!, was a vegetable cheddar soup with wonderful croutons.  Perfect!

Already partially consumed  (we forgot about the camera), is the Fall salad.  Cranberries, apples, walnuts and greens.

Once again, the refresher course was tackled before we remembered the camera!  Burgundy and mango sorbets.  So good!

Butch's entree was a pork loin chop stuffed with raisins and apples served with roasted root vegetables.

Mine was crab stuffed chicken breast with the delicious vegetables.  No flower on my plate because . . .

Petey swiped it and wouldn't give it back!

My dessert was a deletable pumpkin mousse that caused me to make noises all the while eating it!  Our dinner companion, Mr. Ed Hagger, did the same! 

Butch had the poached apple with caramel sauce.  And, as I always do, I had a taste.  So goooooodddd!

And this, my friends, is our chef, Kim, and her husband, Ed Hagger.  They are a complete delight and Petey was thrilled to have his picture taken with them. 

Once again, the food was exceptional, the music was sublime and the evening was perfect.  We came home totally satiated in all of our senses!  Next month I am having cranberry-orange game hen and Butch is having Beef Wellington!

6 Months and Counting

I've been verry, verry quiet for a long time now but with good reason.  It has been a tough several months and my beloved daughter-in-law suggested it would help in processing if I wrote a blog about it.  So here goes.

Our bed is high and I am short so if I attempt to get out of the bed quickly in the middle of the night I have been known to fall.  On December 29, 11 years to the night I crushed my ankle, I fell forward in a perfect trajectory into the edge of the wall and broke my collar bone.  We were going on a trip to see my sister and her husband the next morning and the ER doc said no problem.  So off we went driving for 12-13 hours.  I ended up in the ER in Mississippi on Saturday because I thought I was having a heart attack, the pain was so overwhelming.  They medicated me and sent me on my way.  We returned home Monday and snagged an appointment with the ortho on Thursday. He took one look at me and shook his head.  Long story short, I should never have traveled, the clavicle was crushed and I had to have day surgery where he inserted a plate and several pins along with bone grafts.  That incident knocked the stuffing out of me for a while.

Towards the end of March I began feeling distended, bloated and having a lot of abdominal pain.  I had an appointment with my regular physician who sent me to the day hospital for a CT scan.  The radiology tech told me that I would have to drink a bottle of the usual nasty stuff, wait 1 hour and drink another bottle before she could do anything.  I fell apart.  I mean I was almost hysterical.  So it was decided that I be taken to the ER.  The nurses there tried 5-6 times to insert an IV.  I am not fond of needles but I am also not a noise maker.  You could probably have heard me on the West Coast.  This was on Wednesday.  And that is all I remember until two Sundays later.

My husband has filled me in on all of the details.  It has taken this whole time for him to remember all of them.  On Thursday they tried shots in my belly and another of those awful drinks but nothing was working.  So on Friday they decided I needed surgery.   Butch was waiting in my room when the surgeon came and told him that he did not believe I was going to make it.  It was pretty good odds that I would die.  I can't imagine how Butch must have felt.  Especially as he had to drive back home to take care of the furbabies.  My blood gas level was 82 on 100% oxygen . . . very bad odds.  I was then placed on a ventilator. 

I was on that ventilator from Friday, 03/23 through Monday, 04/09 being given Propofol (Michael Jackson's downfall) and kept in a pseudo coma.  I ended up with pneumonia in one lung but that was cleared up in a day so the weaning off of the ventilator wasn't delayed very long.  I had a dream that I had had a stroke and Butch and the furbabies found me in the den.  In fact, my sigmoid colon was only scar tissue and the digestive system was completely blocked.  The surgery done is called a sigmoidostomy where the bad colon is completely removed and the rest of the system is run through your abdomen.  Think Sigourney Weaver in "Aliens" when that thing protruded out of her.

I started coming to on Sunday and couldn't figure out what was happening.  Butch had been there every second possible.  He actually went through 3 very large books while sitting with me, worked 1/2 days and drove back and forth, 45 minutes one way, to take care of the puppies.  He was a rock!  I know that he kept many, many people informed through Facebook and I know for a fact that a lot of prayers and strong positive energy went up in my name.  For that I will be forever grateful!!

On Easter Monday Butch showed up and I saw him for the first time.  I tried to talk to him but I didn't realize I was ventilated and taped all over my face.  So even though I tried desperately to get him to read my lips, he couldn't actually see them!  He just kept reassuring me that it wouldn't be long.  When the ventilator was finally removed, I could only have little sips of water, could barely speak and couldn't use my hands.  They had forgotten what they were supposed to do.  Liquid meals were introduced and I fell in love with popsicles.  I think I actually scared a nurse when she started to take my tray on which there was still refreshment.  I said, "DON'T take my food!"  She turned around and stared at me and she said she could bring me more.

Tuesday I was taken up to the 3rd floor and installed in a room.  By Friday I was ready to go home, walker, bedside commode and anything else be damned.  It took them all day to discharge me but when we hit the car and I saw the outside for the first time in 17 days, I was in heaven.  The puppies were thrilled when I crawled through the door!   And so was I.

On the 17th of July, Tuesday, the ostomy was reversed.  It took about 3 hours and I was in the hospital until Saturday morning.  I discovered that I have a horrible reaction to morphine involving hallucinations, nightmarish dreams, paranoia and on and on.  Not fun and it is now a huge red flag in my chart on my insistence. 

Because of the surgery and the pain killers my system blocked up again for about 2 weeks.  Finally went to see the surgeon on the 9th.  He promptly admitted me again and started aggressively treating the problem.  The CT scan was clear of any blockages, the blood work was good and I was home on Friday.  However, since then it seems as though my system still needs retraining.  Lots of fiber, Fiberchoice, Activia and Miralax are staples in this house now.

It boggles my mind that I actually came so close to death.  Say that out loud.  It doesn't feel real.  I've always believed in miracles and prayers and strong thoughts.  This episode proved to Butch and me that it is true.  My husband was incredible.  He stayed in touch with all of my loved ones on a daily basis and has been uber wonderful as usual but in a much bigger way.  No more bag but I have several pretty major wounds on my abdomen  so the dressings have to be changed and he is right there. 

On a much lighter note but not one to dismiss, I have lost 35 pounds since this whole thing started and it is NOT going back on!  My diabetes is better.  And there is no place like home!  We will be going to Asheville at the end of October to play, eat delicious food, and check out the fiber festival that our dear friend, Kathleen Prater Taylor, will be teaching classes for.  When she is finished on Sunday, the fun will begin.  And we are going to San Diego for Christmas.  I will consider each of those trips a celebration of life for sure.  But waking up each day is a celebration all it's own.

Fair and Serious Warning

The incident I am about recount to you happened a couple of weeks ago but, to be honest, I have had a hard time processing the total evilness and cruelty of the perpetrator.  So I decided about 10 minutes ago that if I don't write this right now, it might not get written.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter are very dear to me.  They are an elderly, retired couple who would do anything possible for the ones they love.  They are private people, not mucking about on the computer like the rest of us.  So whomever pulled the stunt I am about to tell you about hacked someone, somewhere very deliberately in order to put the pieces together.  The Potters received a telephone call on a Monday afternoon at about 1:30 p.m.  The caller identified himself as Fletch, their grandson, and said he was calling from Spain.  The man didn't completely sound like Fletch  but the phone line was a tad distorted as would be possible with an international call.  He said that he had gone to Spain for a wedding and talked in detail about said wedding and the events leading up to it.  Then he related that he had run into another car and caused a lot of damage.  However, his insurance company would not cover the damage, estimated at $2,000, and he couldn't leave Spain until he had compensated the other driver.  He then asked his "grandparents" to help him with this money.  He said that he didn't want to call his parents because he knew that they wouldn't be able to help. And he needed to get home.

Well, the Potters explained to this man that they didn't have $2,000.  Fletch asked if they had a credit card that they could use.  They said "no".  At this point he asked them if they could borrow against their house (!?!).  They said that they would see if there was anything that they could do but did question if he had called his wife.  At this point the man got very quiet and didn't really answer.  They asked for his phone number so they could call him back when they had any information.  He said that he had left the phone in the wrecked car and would have to get back to them.  He would call them again in an hour or so. 

Mrs. Potter, by now very worried and upset, called the bank and after explaining the situation was told that the bank would loan them the $2,000 and to let them know where to send it.  These people do not have money.  These people are not in good health.  But they were willing to put themselves on the line for their grandson because they love him so much. 

Hours went by while the Potters paced the house.  The phone did not ring.  They waited until the next day, Tuesday, at which point Mrs. Potter was beyond frantic.  She called one of her sons who lives locally to make sure she had the right telephone number for Fletch.  After telling him the story, Arther said, "Mom, it is a scam."  Mrs. Potter tentatively agreed that it probably was but she desperately needed to speak to Fletch.  She had to hear his voice.  Arther gave her the number that he had.  After repeated attempts and repeated voice messages, the Potters had still heard nothing. 

Of course, during this time the couple discussed the phone call endlessly trying to pick out clues.  First of all, there was no way Fletch would have gone to Spain without mentioning it to his parents.  They are a very close knit family.  Secondly, why in the world would his wife not have gone?  Well, maybe she had to work.  And then there was the fact that the man kept calling Mr. Potter "Grandpa".  That word has never been used.  In fact, Mr. Potter has always had a very specific name used by his grandchildren and great grandchildren, always.  And finally, at the end of the conversation as is the absolute norm in the Potter family, Mrs. Potter said, "We love you, Son."  There is always from all of them the same response.  "We love you, too."  The man said nothing for an extended pause and then hung up. 

Unfortunately, in this case, Fletch has two phones.  One he uses for work, the other he has had for a very long time but doesn't use very often at all.  On Wednesday, 2.5 days after the original phone call from "Spain", he happened to notice that there were messages on the older phone from his grandparents.  So he called them back.  The first words out of Mrs. Potter's mouth were "Where are you?"  Fletch said, "I'm walking the dog."  She said, "No, where are you walking the dog?"  And he replied "At home".  She related what had happened and after a long discussion during which Fletch talked about other things as well, the Potters felt relieved and much better.  Fletch then passed along his new number as well as the number of his wife which they just simply had not gotten before.  He also said, "I would never call you for money.  Why in the world would you have it when my parents don't?  And I would have called them first no matter what, if simply not to upset you!" 

Long story short, some evil, cruel, nasty person tried to scam the Potters for money they don't have by scaring them half to death about the safety of their grandson.  Thank God that creep (and I am struggling not to use bad language here) never called back.  But this couple's health was put in severe jeopardy.  Mrs. Potter has spent the last two weeks trying to recover from the terrifying incident.  They didn't call Fletch's parents because he asked them not to.  That was the only thing they did "wrong" by trying to protect their children.  Instead, Mrs. Potter has had severe repercussions health-wise.  After seeing her physician the other day he said that this could, indeed, have been  caused by the fear and anxiety they endured.  Mr. Potter, in ill health himself for quite some time, stepped up and took over while she was unable to do her regular activities.  It is highly possible that Mrs. Potter actually suffered a silent stroke.

I am beyond enraged.  We in North Carolina had heard of this sort of scam in the last year because it happened in the area.  But the Potters had never heard of such a thing.  These monsters are preying on older retired people because they are so vulnerable, from a different generation where this kind of evil was unheard of.  What is totally confounding is that Fletch and his grandparents live states away from each other.  How in the world were they connected?  Who could possibly put them together?

So if any of you have elderly relatives or friends, it is essential that you are aware of this scam.  It is dangerous and, I'll say it again, cruel and evil.  And I, for one, would like to personally take out "Fletch from Spain" with my bare hands!

Big Mama and the Earring

This is a true story, every word.  And believe me, Butch and I are still shaking our heads! 

We live in the home that Butch's grandparents built in the early 1940's.  Over the years it underwent some renovations.  The room in which we spend the vast majority of our time, the den, used to be a bedroom used by Butch's great-grandmother known as Big Mama.  Since the first day I moved into the house in 2001 I have frequently felt a presence here, especially when I am in bed.  I can feel someone coming down the hall and walking around the bed, sometimes sitting on the edge of it.  Now call me crazy if you want to but Butch has felt that very same presence and says he believes it is Big Mama.  When my sister and her husband visited for several hours the night before Thanksgiving one of the first things she asked me is if there were any ghosts.  I was surprised but said "yes" and she said she wasn't surprised at all.  Actually at one point during dinner Pam gave out a small gasp because someone or something had touched her behind through the chair but the dogs were nowhere to be seen.  Wes said he hadn't done it and Pam responded, "No, you would have been much more assertive!"  It was almost as though someone wanted her to move over so she could join us!  Big Mama is a benign presence, one I believe is watching over us. 

On our first anniversary Butch gave me a pair of small oval diamond hoops, really diamond chips.  We laughingly called them my "Oprah starter set".  Those have been my go-to earrings for daily and dress up if nothing else suited better.

One morning a week or so ago when I was sitting at this desk I realized that the right earring was gone.  I panicked and went over the bedroom thoroughly.  There was and still is a little knot in the lobe because obviously it caught on something and pulled out.  But even after Butch took that bedroom apart, the bed completely, and swept within an inch of his life, no earring.  He swept up at least 2 extra dogs from under the bed (but that is a weekly occurrence because they are, after all, furry babies).  He pulled out the nightstands and swept.  Nothing.  I was heartbroken.  And I felt very bad because I didn't know how I had lost it.  So I took the other one off and put it on the glass tray on the dresser.

Saturday night I was getting ready for the supper club.  I stood next to the chest of drawers and looked down as I pulled on my undies.  There was my earring!  I leaned over as I screeched for Butch and picked it up.  But as he got there I realized that this earring was from another pair.  Same shape but not the same earring.

Once again my spirits sank.  Butch and I looked at each other and questioned how in the world this earring had been on the floor.  He had thoroughly swept and I lean over every morning to pull on my undies but had not seen it before.  However, I decided I would wear that pair since I was wearing a black top.  So I went to the travel jewelry box where I had seen them last.  It was closed securely and when I opened it and rummaged through you will not believe what I found.  The other diamond earring! 

Please tell me why in the world I would take an earring out, put it in the travel box when I keep them on the glass tray and how in the world did the black outlined one land on the floor?  Butch and I looked at each and in one breath said, "Big Mama".  Butch looked upward and said, "Thank you, Big Mama!"  Say what you will but if you can come up with a better explanation I am more than willing to listen.  However, if you read the last several paragraphs again, I believe you will come to agree that any other explanation does not hold water!  The black earrings stay in the travel case.  The diamond earrings live on the glass tray but were in my ears and they have a locking clasp on them.  The floor had been swept and I had been bent over every day in the exact location where the black earring was found.  And there is no way I would have put the one earring in the securely closed box and left the other in with no memory of doing so. 

So all I can say is "Thank you, Big Mama!  We are glad you are here!"

Supper Club Evening

First, let me say that Butch and I rarely go out.  If we get food from a restaurant, it is take-out.  The reason for this is not just economic but the fact that the vast majority of restaurants in Roanoke Rapids are chains.  The menus don't change and the food is not necessarily (!) good for you.  However, several of Butch's family members opened a restaurant called 1020.  That is actually the address on Roanoke Avenue.  The building used to house The Jewel Box, a RR landmark.  Butch's relatives readapted the historic building into Timeless Tea, a wonderful place with a vast and beautiful collection of teapots, cups and saucers.  Unfortunately, they found that men were a bit put off and didn't come.

So they changed to 1020, a lunch and dinner restaurant with incredible food made from scratch.  We love to get soup and sandwiches there, splitting the sandwich.  Their stuffed pepper soup is unbelievably good!  They have placed pictures of old Roanoke Rapids throughout the restaurant with captions explaining their significance.  It is a beautiful place but not stuffy in any sense.  And the staff is awesome.

The owners and the chef decided to start a monthly supper club.  A man named Steve, a baritone of incredible talent, performs every Friday night and also at the supper clubs.  1020 is a FB friend of ours so we know what is coming up.  When they announced that March 3 would be a 6-course meal with a choice of rack of lamb or chicken cordon bleu, I was instantly attracted.  I will admit that since being unemployed and then the shoulder disaster I have not left the house very much at all.  That means for 5 months, unless I am letting the dogs into the yard, I am in our home.  Very reclusive and probably some agoraphobia involved.  This opportunity struck me as a great way to let my husband take me out in public so we made reservations.  Mary had a little lamb and we were going to eat him!

We didn't know what to expect but the dinner was sold out.  The restaurant is small.  The evening started with wine and light hor deurves.  Steve was singing and the place is filling up rapidly.  People came up to us to introduce themselves or to say "hi" to Butch and meet me.  One of the first people to pull me into a conversation, an outgoing and delightful lady, turned out to be the wife of the partner, Dr. Moss, at my orthopedic surgeon's office.  I've seen him in the halls but never met him.  And when he came up, Charlotte, was telling us about their church's St. Patrick's Day dinner and inviting us to come.  Now a fun fact is that the wife of my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Holm, is the Episcopal priest at the local church.  And the St. Paddy's Day dinner we were invited to was at the Episcopal church!  We had met her as we came in and after we sat down, Butch said that he had run into Dr. Holm, Rich, in the hall.  I wandered down there, caught his attention and said "They'll let anyone in here, won't they?"  We laughed and before I knew it I had reintroduced myself to his wife, Marjorie.  She said, "We already met but it is hard when there are so many people", causing me to swat away any embarrassment I immediately started to feel. 

Who knew it was going to be a raucous, fun evening with the tableful of doctors leading the way.  Steven was wonderful, accepted requests and at one point Dr. Minielly stood up and sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" with him.  And actually quite well, thank you very much! 

One of the best parts of the evening was the fact that the Tarheels were playing Dook (Duke but who cares).  And we were all away from the TV screen.  So John Moss would go up to Steve every so often to give us a sports report.  The first was 4 minutes until halftime and the score was 36 to 20, Heels, playing at the Duke house!!! The place exploded and after that John would come up and give us reports from his phone.  It was awesome!  You have to understand ACC basketball to get the import of this but believe me, it almost like religion!  In actuality, if a lot of people had known when they made reservations that the game was the same evening, the crowd might have been smaller.  And, let me add, the Tarheels beat Dook in their house!!!!  We are now the regular season ACC champions.

Couples frequently got up to dance during the meal and Steve would go a capella walking through the room.  The atmosphere was so special and the wait staff was incredible, moving at lightening speed.  Here is what they served us:  An amuse bouche of shrimp in a shot glass, a salad of mixed greens with pears and walnuts, vichyssoise which was amazing and then a cleansing lime sorbet (yummy!).  Our lamb plates were two little racks of lamb with their bones crossed, asparagus wrapped in a little carrot ribbon and phyllo cups filled with mashed sweet potatoes.  Dessert was either an incredibly decadent strawberry cake with whipped cream frosting or creme brulee.  May I say that my blood sugar has been off the charts today.  I'll be paying for last night for awhile but it was worth every single bite!!!  The lamb was exquisitely cooked medium rare and gorgous to look out.

And last but far from least, we were seated with Mr. Hager, one of the owners who happens to be engaged to the chef after being together for 20 years.  Mr. Hager attended Marshall College in West Virginia, "We Are Marshall", and, as another service brat, developed a love of traveling and has traveled extensively all of his life.  Our conversation was so great.  He was the perfect dinner partner.  He is a theater buff so we had a great deal to talk about!

We now have a standing reservation for each month.  The evening was special enough that I can't even express it.  Steve's standards were the perfect touch and many times we were all singing along.  I even got a kiss from my husband, in public (!), during one particularly romantic song.  The furry babies were not happy that we had both been gone for several hours but you know what?  We will be doing it again, over and over.  Thank you, 1020.