It's Wine-Thirty!

Can we have some cheers for my husband?

As you know, my husband lost his job last September.  Because he was in a field where most of the employment has gone overseas to China or India, he was a candidate for retraining.

When he was last in college back in 1987, he quit 8 credits shy of the 64  he needed to graduate.  Now the current college wouldn't accept all 56 credits, but they did give him 30 to apply to his degree.  He has  from January 2007 to December 2007  to get the remaining 34 credits, so this past semester, he took 4 classes, including International Business and Intermediate Algebra.

I am happy to announce that Dale passed all 4 classes with a 4.0 GPA!   I'm so proud of him because I know how hard he worked at this, and how much he wants to succeed.

He starts his new round of classes tomorrow.  He will have a 4 hour class in the morning, and a 5 1/2 hour class with lab in the evenings, 4 days a week.  I've been joking with him that his class schedule will be just like it was when he was working full time at mold making; we didn't see him much then either.    :)

In Loving Memory of my Dad

November 30, 1924 - August 13, 2006

We'll miss you, and love you always.

It's working!

What you all have been doing for my uncle has been working!  The latest news is that a physical therapist was in today to see what they could start doing for him.   He has been able to move his leg a bit, his thumb and his big toe; all on the side that was paralyzed.  He has a long way to go, and isn't out of the woods yet, but this sounds like good news.   :)  Thank you all for the positive energies and good thoughts sent our way.     :)

DH and I are off to see the Red Sox tomorrow night.  We are going with another couple who are good friends of ours.  I haven't been to see a Red Sox game since I was 13, and DH has never been to see them play in person.  Provided that it doesn't rain, I know we'll have a great time.  We've got a babysitter for the kids (we are actually going somewhere without them!).  I'll be bringing my camera along to take pictures; look for them on the blog on Saturday!

Peace in the knitted stitch

I've been trying to keep my posts upbeat sounding, but sometimes I just have to share.

My Uncle Heinz had a massive stroke last Wednesday night.  He is my Aunt Helen's husband (I'm named after her and my grandmother). 

Uncle Heinz's passion was sailing.  He owned a sailboat called "Black Magic" which was his pride and joy.  He had me make the stencil for the name of the boat because he liked my artistic abilities; all this when I was just 14.  In 1980 and 1983, I was able to see the America's Cup races because Uncle Heinz and Aunt Helen rented a beautiful home in Newport, RI.  The home overlooked Lily Pond and Gooseberry Beach, where we could see the boats going out each morning and coming back each evening after a day of racing.   In the evenings, we would go down to the docks and look at the boats.  I even remember the New Zealand boat's hull being covered with a tarp so that no one could see their winged keel.

Uncle Heinz used to take my brother, dad and me sailing on the Black Magic.  At the time, I had never felt such freedom, flying over the water as the boat caught the wind.

Anyway, now we wait to see what happens.  Uncle Heinz is on a respirator, but able to hear people.  He is paralyzed on one side too.  Today some difficult decisions will be made, and my heart goes out to Aunt Helen for being the one who has to make those decisions.  Only God knows what will happen, but I hope that what ever happens is best for Uncle Heinz.

This year has been especially hard on my mother's side of the family.  First her oldest brother dying in January, my father getting sicker each day, and now Uncle Heinz.   And for me, add my MIL's passing into the mix, and you can see why it has been stressful here. 

I'm thankful I have my knitting to keep me occupied.  Right now, knitting is the only thing I want to do as far as a hobby goes (I never did get started on the Tour de Fleece).  I'm finding a sense of peace in each stitch I knit, knowing that I'm sending good thoughts to each person that I think of while I knit.  And no matter what happens, I know that when I wear the garments I've been making, I'll know that they gave me some comfort during the creation process, and hopefully, my thoughts and good wishes gave some comfort to those people I also love.

Any good thoughts or

prayers directed towards our family and my father would be greatly appreciated.  I spent 4 hours at the Soldier's Home with him today after being called there by my younger brother and mother.  My dad isn't doing well and we are wondering what is the next step for him and for us (like, do we put him in Comfort Care, or have him stay in familar surroundings while his health continues to decline?).

I'll be really surprised if my dad lives through the summer.  It is a difficult and terrible thing to watch happen to someone who was so smart and energetic at one time.

I'll be bringing my knitting with me tomorrow, as we continue to spend as much time there as possible.