So I spent a lot of my knitting time yesterday correcting a mistake in my solstice shawl. I had to pull back two rows--doesn't seem like a big deal, but since each row now contains 500 stitches...this represented quite a bit of knitting. I've been struggling a bit with this pattern, the graphs are incorrect and this threw me until I decided to correct them. In addition, the continual increases mean that I have to do frequent stitch counts--A bit of a chore with this many stitches. Add in constant interruptions from E and M, and there you go.
We are up at the lake this weekend. There are icicles hanging from the roof and about six inches of snow on the deck from our recent snow storm but the temp today is supposed to get up into the 40s. Spring may finally be here!
This has been a long winter and I will be glad to be through it. It has been a tough few months and I am only now realizing how stressful it has all been. I haven't spoken to anyone in my family in months--a real indicator of how stressed I have been. having learned so well to suppress negative feelings, I can't call anyone when I don't have good things to talk about!
Actually, there are good things to talk about. Karate is going well, and I continue to love it. I will probably get my purple belt the first of May and am loving the challenge of learning all of the new techniques. As I progress, it becomes clear how important strength and overall fitness become if you really want to be able to do all of the maneuvers! Trying to incorporate a regular fitness routine into my schedule has been a bit of a challenge but I am becoming more committed to it. It helps that the days are longer and it is light out when I get up before six in the morning!
Wendy continues to deteriorate. Yesterday, E found her trying to put a shirt on as though it were pants. A recent visit to the dentist revealed that she needs reminders about brushing her teeth. Thankfully, I don't need to do it for her. I am having enough trouble with the fact that when I ask her if she has brushed her teeth, she gives me a toothy grin to let me see how she has done. I find this kind of intimacy so abhorrent! THis has been a large source of my stress. I don't know how I will handle it when she really needs help with hygiene issues. It is bad enough that today I will need to supervise her in the shower.