June 27th, 2009 by admin

Halle with a pillow in the background

Toile Pillowcase Front

With Halle by my side I undertook my first real physical project since I’ve been well. I made these fitted pillowcases for my mom’s shaped Tempurpedic memory foam pillow.

It would have been an impossible task just a couple weeks ago. I haven’t started exercising yet, but hopefully I can start soon with something easy.

I got a Tai-Chi video from the library and a Hip Hop dance move DVD too.

I’m humbled (again) by the fact that my greatest achievement in the last two months is being able to make these pillowcases.

Side of Shaped Pillowcase #1

Back of Shaped Tempur Pillowcase #1

The photos below are of the same essential pattern I made, but with the Teddy Bear material.

Teddy Bear pillowcase for memory foam pillow

Side view

Back view

June 22nd, 2009 by admin

I was sick from May 16 – June 16. I, my family and my doctor all feared I might have something chronic. I was finally agreeing to get a battery of tests done when I woke up on June 17 and felt markedly better for the first time.
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I feel like I am now 100% and even weathered an afternoon of manual labor and some late night work.
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I can’t tell you how great it is to be able to get out of bed and not have to depend on others to do everything for you.
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After four months of cadiology rehab, my dad is feeling 100% and his last set of tests confirms he has made a full recovery, so Father’s day was particularly celebratory this year.
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Enough babbling. Here are the Father’s Day photos:
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This is the spread my sister got my dad for Father's Day. I was the personal shopper and delivery person. The flowers are coral peonies and green poms.

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Dadi is wearing the shirt I bought him

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Mom and Dadi

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Bumper on the back porch

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Halle in the Peony field at U. Michigan's Nichols Arboretum

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The peony flowers were bigger than large grapefruit

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The peony garden at U. Michigan is said to be the largest of its kind in the world. I arrived at the end of their blooming period, but they were still amazing.

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There is a dog drinking fountain next to the one for humans.

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This is the dog drinking fountain closer up. It's hard to see in this photo, but the words inside the bowl read: "HAVE A DOG GONE GOOD DRINK - dogs only".

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Halle takes a drink

Peonies are flowers that are both gorgeous and considered an auspicous symbol in Chinese history and culture. It was not a coincidence that my dad received peonies for Father's Day and we went to the peony garden.

June 6th, 2009 by admin

I got the dreaded call tonight. When I answered the phone, a young female voice said, “Hi, do you have a dog named Willie?” She was calling from a campground in Colorado near our property.

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I’m currently in Michigan but all our dogs’ tags are printed with a toll-free number that forwards to my cell phone. It was after midnight in Michigan when I got the call.

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“Do you have her in your possession?” I asked.

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“Yes. She’s on my lap.”

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I called Ron. He was asleep and unaware that Willie was missing. Russell our Morkie was curled up in bed with him.

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He immediately got in his car and retrieved Willie, but I felt angry that he had fallen asleep without making sure Willie was secure. She has run away on my watch too, and I’m not mad at Ron anymore. I just felt so helpless being in Michigan fielding the call from Colorado.

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Here is a photo of my 8.5 pound escape-artist runaway:

She loves to run like the wind, but is usually on leash or hooked up to her 100-foot runner, because if you know anything about Min Pins, letting them off leash is like letting a sight hound off leash in a field of rabbits.

Now that Willie is safely back at home, I can go to sleep.

June 6th, 2009 by admin

Due to the sudden onset of chronic fatigue along with the sore throat, head and body aches, it’s probably the flu. I just never thought a flu would last two weeks with bedrest.

A friend at Princeton told me last night that it seemed like a third of the university was out with a similar lingering flu lasting three to four weeks.

It took everything in me to get out of bed and take my immune support supplements.

The dogs are fine and keeping me company.

June 5th, 2009 by admin

Here’s Halle at the hotel in Denver right before our road trip to Ann Arbor:

After I drove back to Michigan from Denver with my sister, I thought I was just sleeping to recover from the long drive, but that was twelve days ago. I have since continuously experienced the following symptoms:

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-Extreme fatigue. My head feels like a ton of bricks. Having been an insomniac my whole life, it’s very strange and kind of awesome to not have to take sleeping aids and be able to fall asleep in seconds, but now I can’t stay awake and fall asleep at all times of the day and night.

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-I have a low grade sore throat and low grade headache all the time

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-I have mild but constant body aches

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-I feel like I have a very low grade cold or flu, the way I would feel right the full-blown version kicked in.</ul>

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I can’t believe how debilitating this chronic fatigue is. It is not the same as regular tiredness. I’m unable to focus or concentrate on cerebral or mental tasks. I do better with mechanical and physical tasks but get exhausted easily and quickly.

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I started taking supplements yesterday to boost my immune system. And today I started taking another supplement to cleanse my system of toxins.

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I had some energy for the first time today, but crashed at the end of the day.

The vitamins and supplements must have helped because it’s the first time I’ve had enough stamina to even put a post up.

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My dad bought me a book on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome today and I scheduled an appointment with a care provider later this month.

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Halle keeps trying to wake me up. She has even left her fluffy down dog bed to cuddle right up to me when I am sleeping.  It’s nice to have her company and presence.

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If dogs sleep on average about 16 hours a day, perhaps I’m becoming a dog.

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Even though I feel like a zombie, the extra sleep seems to make me look younger and younger. That’s the only silver lining I can find so far, though I have to say that the absence of the migraines with nausea (that was plaguing me in May) is incredibly fabulous.

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I’m procrastinating on getting the prescribed blood tests done because of my phobia of needles.

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Speaking of phobias, today I walked in lumpy unmowed grass full of mushy-looking geese-turds. I felt anxious and naseous because of the textures and poo, but kept telling myself everything would be fine as I tiptoed through the minefield. It was unpleasant, but more productive than building up the terror and running away screaming.