Same Song, Different Verse

There hasn't been a whole lot of crochet going on around here. I've finished some dishcloths for Christmas, and I've started on some magic square potholders to go with them. My mind just hasn't been on crochet because of other things that have been going on.

This was the view yesterday morning when I got up.

It was much higher this time, and people to the southwest of me had to be evacuated from their homes because of the high water. There was suppose to be an Old Settlers Day Reunion in the park across the street, but the rising waters flooded them out. They had difficulty getting some of the vendors out of the park, and some of the trucks and travel trailers had to be abandoned until the waters went down.

I moved my pickup to the street on the west side just in case the water got up to the house. Luckily, it never got closer than the driveway.

The electricity was off for seven hours which made waiting very difficult. We Oklahomans like to check our weather quite frequently, and not having TV made that impossible. (I've put a weather radio on my shopping list.)

We had a break overnight, but it suppose to rain again this afternoon and tomorrow.

The fences on the farm are gone again and will have to be repaired as soon as the water goes down.

The good news is that we thought we had lost a baby calf that was born during the flood, but Mama and baby showed up yesterday.

Flooding

These pictures were taken last Friday morning after the third straight morning of rain. We had a total of 6 inches in three days. This is the third time the fields have flooded this year. We even got another half inch over the weekend, and today we've had another two inches so far.



When the water went down enough on Saturday an electric fence had to be put up on the west and south side of the pasture because there just wasn't a fence anymore, and the cows were getting out.

If You Don't Have Anything Crocheted....

This picture was taken about 9 p.m. Tuesday night. I thought it was beautiful.

Early Wednesday morning about 2 a.m. it began to rain heavily.
By 9 a.m. Wednesday the area around the house looked like this. (That's Minnie Pearl, the neighbor's miniature horse. She was a little upset by the rising waters.)
There's a park across the street from the house. You can see the pavilion in the background. There's a creek that runs through the park that overflowed its banks.
This is the road that runs past the house.
This area has always flooded during heavy rains, and there doesn't seem to be anything that can be done about it. It's never gotten into this house, but the neighbors to the southwest haven't always been so lucky.

Vegetarian Chili

Pour the following into your slow cooker. Do not drain.
1 can of black beans
1 can of white beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of garbanzo beans
2 14 1/2-oz. cans of stewed tomatoes
1 pkg. of prepared chili seasoning

I also added salt and dried onion, but those are optional.

Cover. Cook on low for 4-8 hours.

I like mine with grated cheddar cheese (2%) and chopped green onions on a hot dog bun.

Even my nephew liked this, and he's one of the pickiest eaters that I've ever met.

Another Doctor Visit or The Year I Meet My Insurance Deductable

Yesterday I had an appointment with a dermatologist that I scheduled weeks ago. He's very popular with the acne age group so there's always a long wait for an appointment. I just had to settle back and wait because he's the only one listed as a provider by my insurance.

Doctors often make me very nervous, so I made a list of all of the places that I wanted him to check. Of the seven on my list only two were suspicious. He took biopsies of both, and the results are suppose to be back next Wednesday. If I don't hear from him, then I can assume there's nothing to worry about.

I've finished the ninety-six centers for the granny rectangles, and I'm moving on to the second round. I only have the one skein of purple, and I want to use it up before I buy more. I figure that will help me estimate how many more skeins I need.

Rectangle Granny and Cardigan

There isn't much progress to show on the ruffled caridgan. I've reached the stage where I need to sew the pieces together so that I can crochet the ruffle. Today I practiced seaming a couple of swatches together, and I think I have the hang of it. I have the sleeves pinned to the cardi, and if I feel like it and can catch a time when the cats are asleep, I'll start sewing the sleeves and sides.






I saw an afghan pattern on eBay for an afghan made of rectangular grannies. I found a pattern here and came up with this. It would be different from any other afghan I've ever made, but who knows if I will ever finish it.





Last Saturday I did get to go with some friends to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. It isn't far from where I live, but I don't visit it often. It's especially pretty there this time of year when all of the wildflowers are in bloom. We saw buffalo, longhorn cattle, and elk. We stopped at Meers near the reserve and had longhorn beef burgers and the best peach cobbler I've ever tasted. Four people ate for less than $40, too. I bet you can't beat those prices anywhere.

Even though I enjoyed the time I spent with friends, I was exhausted when I got home. I had been to the doctor earlier that week because I hadn't been feeling well at all for the past couple of months. I got the results of the blood tests on Wednesday, and I had tested positive for Lupus. Now I realize that one blood test isn't probably enough to say that I have it, but I have some of the other symptoms. I've been extremely fatigued and many days it feels as if every bone in my body hurts. The arthritis medicine the doctor gave me is helping some, but I'm afraid to do anything for fear the pain will worsen. He wants me to see a rheumatologist, but those people are few and far between in this part of Oklahoma. The nearest one is at least two hours away, and I don't think I can make the drive alone. I haven't decided quite yet how I'm going to manage it.