Hotspots

Hmmm. I know, I've been missing-in-action again. My health remains good, though insomnia has returned with a vengeance.

My hand/foot adventures continue, and I'm ashamed to admit that I'm squarely to blame for the huge blister on my right heel. I wore the wrong socks one day, could feel the irritation starting, and didn't take steps right away to correct it. So now I think I may be faced with another life-long flashpoint, and it's my own fault. I guess I have "matching feet" now, with a distressingly bad spot on each. You may ask "what's the 'right sock'?" - my answer, anything that has a padded foot. ThorLo socks are pretty wonderful and come in a variety of padding styles, so I should be able to cover all situations. I've completed my week-long cessation of Nexavar, and most of the problems have cleared up - nice to know that the pattern and results are predictable. (And it was a great excuse to buy a new pair of clogs!)

I've been keeping busy with a local Elderhostel network program, taking classes and volunteering on the steering committee. It's fun, not too demanding, and stretches my mind a bit more than the usual routine of knitting/laundry/cooking/cleaning/pilltaking/doctors' visits. And beyond that, I'm teaching some of my former co-workers to knit socks, and have written a couple of "new" sock patterns myself in the last couple of weeks. I don't claim that they are startlingly original, but I think they'll be easy enough for novices to work and learn a few new tricks. When my hands bother me, I switch to a sweater in progress for friend and sister C2 - I only promised it 10 or 12 years ago, and it took that long to find a pattern we liked!

I am, reluctantly, preparing to return a book borrowed in Saint H's name from OSU Libraries. Bombers and Mash: the domestic front 1939-1945 by Raynes Minns is a fascinating summary of "women's war" in Great Britain during World War II. I'd no idea that rationing continued in Great Britain until at least 1950; and oh, the things that people could do without! No soap - no sugar - no paper - no fuel - no meat; the list goes on and on. The book is liberally illustrated with contemporary advertisements, with infuriatingly cheerful "make-do, brave little woman" messages, and there's a fascinating section of recipes. I don't plan to serve baked pickled pig's cheek anytime soon, but the recipe is there if I need it ...