Update

I've been having a rough time lately.  It has been one thing after the other causing me pain so I haven't been doing anything fun.  I feel like things are starting to improve so my focus is on doing whatever I can to help keep that momentum going.  I started the day with some yin yoga and I feel like my body really needed that.  I feel like a got a nice adjustment for my posture that helped relieve some pain.  After spending a lot of time in bed or slumped in a recliner unable to focus on anything, the yoga really felt good.  Well, it was a little tough going at first and I had to adapt some poses with yoga blocks but then things loosened up. I need to keep doing that on a daily basis.  I let the habit of doing nightly yoga slip but I was doing 30 min on the treadmill instead.  I think I'll add in the yoga in the morning.  I use Yoga With Kassandra on youtube and she's great.  

I'm also playing music today instead of turning on the news or other TV.  That is helping to lift my mood.  

I picked a project to focus on and I decided to paint my little metal table with two chairs that goes in my yard since it is finally not raining or super wet from recent rain.  They are a little rusty so I'm trying to sand some of those spots and then get them painting today.  Winter is just around the corning and I can feel it in the air.  I haven't seen many yellow leaves yet but I am pretty sure fall will be short this year.  I hope I'm wrong.

I haven't been reading because I'm having trouble focusing on a book.  I recently listened to a few Alex Cross books.  I'm trying to catch up with that series.  I have finally read all the James Patterson books I have.  I am going to listen to a Clive Cussler book from the Isaac Bell series as soon as my brain reunites with my body.  

I have been knitting on the baby blanket occasionally but it is slow going.  I keep messing up or dropping stitches and having to tink back to fix it.  I am determined this blanket will not be full of mistakes.  I didn't take a picture because it really looks the same but just a little bigger.  

I did buy some new yarn for a new crochet project and I'm excited to start that.  My yarn ball winder broke about a year ago so I finally ordered a new one.  I should get it on Friday and I want to try to figure out a place to put it where I can leave it out.  I'm just not sure if that's going to be doable though.  Maybe my husband can figure out a way.  He's better at that.  I need to take a picture of the beautiful blue yarn I bought for it.  

Another one of my fish died and I have no idea why.  He wasn't really that old so I'm sad.  He was a little rubber pleco so one that doesn't get real big.  He crawled up in a hole in the bottom of a tank decoration and my son thinks he may have gotten stuck in there.  Maybe that's it.  My son pulled him out for me and I really appreciate him for that.  Maybe that decoration thing needs to go.  I'm bummed because he was such a character.  Also, the only pet store we have here is having trouble getting shipments of fish now.  The tanks have been nearly empty so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get another one.  I think I'll rearrange the tank and enjoy the fish I have right now.  I need to make sure no one else dies.  

And knittin', knittin'....

  "I am not the weather. I am the wide and open sky, and so I can let pain move through me and out of me." - Josie George

Let's get it started....  

song by the Black Eyed Peas  

I have not been feeling so hot lately but I am doing my best to do life.  I haven't been able to knit or read much for a while until last night.  I picked up the baby blanket I'm working on and got some done.  I've been knitting on it today in between household chores.  I have finally gotten the groove of this pattern.  I made so many mistakes when I first started and took it out several times but then I looked at the pattern repeat and counted the stitches.  I put in markers between where each repeat should be and that has helped a lot.  If I have extra or too few stitches I'll notice before I move on.  At first I was counting after each repeat to make sure I hadn't missed a yarn over or something.  Now I don't have to do that anymore.  There are 16 rows to the pattern but the even rows are easy (just knit the knits and purl the purls & yo's).  I think this will be a very pretty baby blanket and the yarn is so very soft.  I like that it is a light weight yarn because it can get hot in Alabama.  

• The pattern is Bernat #778 Cable and lace Blanket (intermediate level) 
• The yarn is Loops & Threads Soft Ombre in Plum/Periwinkle/White (light 3 weight)

I have gone on a few small adventures that I will have to post about later.  I did not go very far but found some interesting historical things close by.  A few of them I have seen before but didn't really explore in a thorough fashion until recently.  

I did listen to an audiobook although not the best.  It took a crazy long time to listen to an audiobook I would normally have finished in 1 or 2 days.  It was James Patterson's Cross My Heart (Alex Cross #21) James, I'm not thrilled.  It was really only half the story.  I'm continuing on with the next book, Hope to Die.  I hope it is better and less depressing.  I'm sure he didn't die though since the series has more books lol  

I've had a few medical adventures that were not nearly as fun.  I got a new med, it started working and then I had side effects so had to stop taking it.  I got a different new med and when I added it to my Samsung health app on my phone where I can set up reminders it popped up a warning about a serious interactions with another med I take.  It said it can cause heart rhythm problems among other issues. I called the clinic and the doctor was out of the office.  The nurse there did not seem to take me or my health app warning seriously.  While talking to her I just googled it and got the same exact warning.  She said, "oh but that's google.  You can find anything on google."  She wasn't interested when I said I could check the source (NIH).  I told her I would call my pharmacist then and my Rheumatologist who prescribes the other med I have been on for years.  My pharmacist is phenomenal and really went to work for me calling different doctors and other people.  Now I have a new doctor who is apparently skilled at figuring out the best meds for people that won't cause interactions and hopefully without side effects.  To be fair, I am a tricky patient but tricky patient does not want to die from a drug that is supposed to help.  

Off to another day...  hopefully full of fun adventures and chocolate.