The Kindness of (Sorta) Strangers

I realized the other day - with a bit of shame to be honest - that I have been extremely remiss.  This past summer, when The Big Fall led to the Partial Kidney Removal, I was the recipient of some wonderful gifts from fellow knitters.  Some were friends and acquaintances who were local, but the things that surprised me the most were amazing packages that arrived from those I know only through my blog and theirs.

It's a surprisingly good feeling to come home from the hospital and find such things awaiting you.  You feel incredibly crappy, but even just getting the packages makes you smile.  Then you open said packages, and you realize that people can care a lot, even if you have never ever been in the same room with them.  At a time when I was wondering just what the h--- had happened and why, and felt like I just wanted to take pain meds, and go to bed forever, I received things that were unbelievable then, and appreciated even more, now.

One package was from Lorraine, in Toronto, Canada.  (International!  Canada! One of my favorite places in the universe!)  I was thrilled with them then, and even more so recently, during a pretty dramatic cold snap here in Philadelphia.

Look at the wonderfulness of these socks!  Lorraine took time to knit a pair of socks, and send them to me, hoping that their warmth and coziness would make a difference.  From the moment I opened the package, I loved them - the color, the squishiness of them, the fact that they are a little bit heavier than my usual socks, and therefore perfect for wearing when my feet are cold.  

I wore them a couple of times when I first got home, because even though it was hot outside, my feet got cold at night sometimes.  They fit perfectly, and are so cozy, I would happily never take them off.  In the past week, the temperature has dropped to single digits at night and early in the mornings, along with the ever-popular wind chill factor.  

But it doesn't matter to me, because my feet are cozy, warm, and comfortable, due to the kindness of Lorraine.  (And in case you were wondering, I'm not a complete Philistine, only getting around to thanking her now; I did write a her a thank-you note shortly after I was able to put a coherent sentence together.)

Even better than being the recipient was the reminder that it's not hard to do something that will brighten someone's day, even if you have never met them in real life.  I am trying and want to continue trying to keep this in mind, so that the next time someone I know could use some happy, I will actually think to act on it.

Thanks, Lorraine - you're the best!

For Me ... But Then For Someone Else

Aren't these pretty socks?  These are the socks I originally started for myself for a pair of summertime-looking socks.  They turned out to be really lovely.  But nowhere near a size to fit me ...

So what happened?  Well, I started them shortly before The Big Fall, and then didn't work on them again until the time I was recovering from my surgery.  I think I was a) freaked out by my surgery, and b) not paying attention, because in the end, they were just way too small for me!  Which was disappointing, but The Tim suggested they might  be a lovely Christmas gift for my oldest great-niece, and therefore turned lemons into lemonade.  :-)

Here are the details:

Project: Wissahickon Summer Socks
Pattern:  Classic Socks for the Family, by Melinda Goodfellow (aka my go-to socks pattern)
Yarn:  Black Bunny Fibers BFL Tight Twist, in the Village Green colorway
Needles:  Size 1 US
Modifications:  None - at least none that I was aware of making!

They are pretty, soft, and will hopefully be loved and happily worn by my great-niece.

Tonight:  When Knitting Goes Bad - on Fox.  :-)

Not really.  But I was disappointed they didn't fit me.  Not disappointed enough to rip them and re-do, though.

I'll be glad in December ...

Quiet For a While

This post is the last you'll hear from me for a while, probably a couple of  weeks at a very minimum.

Remember The Big Fall in June?  Well, they did about a thousand different tests and scans on me during the two days I was in the hospital.  And though I didn't break any bones, and it was determined that the fall was not due to any cardiac problems, they did find a tumor on my right kidney that was determined to be cancer.  As it turns out, falling was a lucky thing, since the dr told me that by the time I had symptoms, there might be very little they could do for me.

So on Monday, July 28, I'm having surgery to remove the tumor.  Hopefully that will take care of it, but if not, I have every confidence in my doctors.  I've been told that there is a good chance that I'll be just fine, I just need time to recover.  I'll be off work for 6 weeks, and I'm hoping that soon I'll at least feel good enough to check in here, and read all of your blogs.

If you would, please keep a kind thought for me, and if you are the praying type, I would appreciate a prayer.  I'll be back as soon as I can be.

Have a good rest of the summer!