Whew! It’s been a long time since my last post.
We’ve been busy, but we’ve been staying close to home this summer. Girlfriend is (and dAhub and I are) still struggling with her extreme anxiety over peanuts. She’s moved into full-blown OCD over it and is now seeing a child psychologist. It’s heartbreaking to watch her go from a happy, exuberant person to a terrified person who sees danger at every turn and who wants to stick as close to home and mom as possible.
It turns out that the medication (Singulair) that she started taking after her asthma attack in June is suspected of creating extreme anxiety, mood changes and thoughts of suicide in children and adults (the FDA started investigating this in March). After finding this out this past weekend, we immediately took her off of the medication (on Friday) after speaking with her doctor. We’re waiting to see if this lightens her emotional symptoms. Sigh.
Don’t get me wrong–we have been having fun. In June I got together with Chris from Vermont, who was out here with his boyfriend on a Pacific Northwest trip. We originally met on Ravelry and I was so thrilled to meet him in person. We met up for dinner at a local Asian grocery store/food court, Uwajimaya, for dinner:
We then proceeded to a teahouse in my neighborhood, Teahouse Kuan Yin. This was just perfect because we met via the Cuppa Tea group on Ravelry (of which he is a moderator). We then spent a few hours chatting, knitting, drinking tea, and being goofy–it was a wonderful evening.
Here’s Chris showing the proper way to pour tea:
And the proper way to drink tea if it’s late and everyone is punchy:
Then dAhub, Girlfriend and I went to Winthrop, WA for a weekend of sun and fun. The tiny downtown part is built like a street from the Wild West. Apparently, they did this to match old photos from a hundred years ago:
We stayed at a resort with a couple of other families from her school. It was so fun to just relax, hang out at the pool, ride bikes and relax some more. It was a perfect getaway!
We’ve been spending some time at the beach, which is always wonderful:
We’ve had some backyard fires in the evening, which are heavenly. Girlfriend and I sit out and chat, read, and drink tea. Heaven:
The chickens are growing bigger. We’ve started letting them free-range in the yard. They love to be under the bird feeder to get any dropped sunflower seeds:
And Rosie has re-discovered her first egg laying spot from her young adulthood–in a fern next to the coop. You can see her snuggled deep in the nest she created. She laid an egg there this weekend–which was very sweet:
We’ve spent a lot of time with dAhub’s parents, who come out from Indiana and stay at their place on Bainbridge Island for a couple of months. We had a terrific time with them and are always sad to see them leave.
I attended a fundraising luncheon for our Governor, Chris Gregoire, which had Michelle Obama as the keynote speaker. Wow! I love this woman! She has a great presence and is very down to earth in her speaking style. She’s also clearly intelligent and compassionate and I want her as our next First Lady! And, I got to shake her hand! Yay! I took this picture:
Also, my dear friend Sara came for a quick visit from Chicago. We had a great time!
And, don’t forget the knitting. Yes, knitting has happened this summer. I’ve been a scattered knitter this year and am working on several projects at once. I’m still working on the Forest Path Stole by Faina M. Letoutchaia from Interweave Knits, Summer 2003, in Zephyr 50/50 merino/silk, in the Basil color:
And I started the Baltic Sea Stole (also by Faina M. Letoutchaia), which has been on my “want to knit” list for years. It’s in Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace in the Tahoe colorway:
I finished a pair of socks for my friend, Carrie:
Pattern: Merino Lace Socks, by Ann Woodbury
From: Interweave Knits, Summer 2003 (and Favorite Socks)
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, Red Rover colorway
And I started a pair of socks for Girlfriend. The are the Ribbed Lace socks from Charlene Schurch’s Sensational Knitted Socks in Koigu KPPPM. I have finally learned to reinforce the heel and toe on socks made with 100% merino yarn, so I’m doing that on these socks.
Finally, I’ve been gardening. This is one of my roses, Golden Wings:
More later!
