Friday, March 14, 2008

Nearing Normality

I repeat – we are nearing normality.*

Well, as close as this nest ever ventures to the realms of normality. For the first day in a week I did not - obsessively clean the bathroom, wander aimlessly from room to room, or sit staring at the phone waiting for it to ring. Instead, I slept until almost 10:30 (sorry hon) and poked around on the internet.

I also received several pieces of items over the course of the day... some good news, an amazing gift, and a possibly journey into a new surreal sideline.

The good news regarding little Grace continues. Good and slightly unnerving really. My mother called this afternoon to let me know that she is gaining in strength and things are really looking well. Her mother has begun to heal (thank heavens, I thought we were gonna have to dig out the elephant gun and tranq her nervy butt.) as well and will be settling into the Ronald McDonald house along with her husband and their two year old son. My mom's voice took on a slightly manic note as she continues with the news, “Grace is getting SO much better, they believe they will be able to finally sew her back together perhaps as early as tomorrow.”

If you ever wonder what dead air sounds like... have that little bon mot dropped into a conversation. While I understand intellectually they can't just go cutting and sewing up an infant repeatedly, and that the factory installed human zipper is a long way from production lines... its is still a bit disconcerting to hear that my cousin's child has, effectively, had her internal bits swinging in the breeze. I can deal with a certain amount of blood and gore – but that tidbit of info had me swinging between nervous laughter and a real need to put my head between my knees.

“You mean...”

“Yes. Don't ask. I still have to repeat it to another 20 people on the phone tree and if I have to think about it I'll scream” came my mother's fast reply. (Mom's blood and guts tolerance is a lot lower then mine.)

Right. Okay then. But the good news continues and I finally feel safe enough to mail a small peach sweater this weekend.

The gift came right before the good news regarding Grace. On a day where I had hit a real low point, when I was having a hard time seeing much brightness in the world... a box hit my doorstep. I had recently began an online friendship with a women I had met on the knitting supersite Ravelry. We'd had some rather wide and far ranging conversations, finding some rather startling similarities between two people almost a country apart. She had offered to mail me a drop spindle to try my hand at spinning.

What I got was not just a drop spindle. This amazing woman had generously and sweetly crammed that cardboard box with spindles, instructions, samples of a near dozen fibers**, even some of her favorite tea. Simply packed with little more then a note hoping I liked it. Now, I'm not much for “things”, honest. But to have someone who I really hope I'm building a lasting friendship do something so kind... well. Tears of happiness took over the river of misery I had been floating in. I have to send her my thanks still; I'm trying to think how to best express how much that box meant to me. Thankfully, she takes a break from the web on the weekends... so I can take a tiny bit of time to plan out a box of my own. I don't have many close female friends, and the ones I have I treasure. Looks like I got another jewel in the box.

And for the last. The surreal sideline. Now most who know me, know I sew/knit/garden/craft/etc. I've have even begun to talk to a few about the hope of finding a way to pull all my distractions into one cohesive unit and to tie my greening leanings into this as well.

What's more Naturally Nerdy then making the cloth you sew?

(Running now before I have to explain. Tomorrow night will be the deciding factor one way or the other.)



*Anything you still can't handle is therefore your own fault. Heavens, but I miss Douglas Adams.

** I had no idea what the fuss about alpacas was about. Now, I have no idea why more people are not caught riding them naked!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think alpacas can take the weight of human... but they might be huggable.

oonagh said...

mmmm.........alpacas......

sorry, back from dreamland....heeheehee..........

quoth the drogo "that was a wonderful mental image"........and thanks you for it....

great to hear about all this hon.....and great to hear that things are getting back to normal, and you actually got some sleep!!!!!

hugs......

Mary said...

** I had no idea what the fuss about alpacas was about. Now, I have no idea why more people are not caught riding them naked!<<

LOL!!! They are too small to carry weight - they are raised only for their lovely fiber. Of course, if you found a really friendly one you could strip down and give full-body pets instead ;-)

I'm glad you liked the box. I owe you a note, too - I received your lovely gift and will "talk" at you later today.

So glad to hear about Grace's improvements and that things will be getting back to "normal" for you now.

Weaving? Uh, huh. Me, too ;-)