Insomnia, Pain & the Great Toe

Sometimes a convergence of awful things happens, and all you can do is duck your head down and hope it all washes over you quickly. Usually people call it a "perfect storm," which is an actual meteorological phenomenon. Unfortunately, there's a really awful movie about this phenomenon starring Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney (off their "Three Kings" high apparently) also called "The Perfect Storm," so I hate to use that term.

But let's just say there's an "ideal confluence" occurring around my left foot right now. I think you need three separate events happening concurrently to rate a "perfect storm," and I do meet that requisite:

1. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed the muscle that attaches/connects/inserts at the base of my left big toe nail feels likes it's tearing off every time I point that foot. To make matters worse, I've noticed recently that much of the surface of that same toe is numb. So, there's nerve damage. Why? No clue.

2. I've suffered insomnia off and on for years, but I was able to sleep through the night much of the last half of 2011. This particular problem has returned, although not in its usual form. It used to be that I just couldn't get to sleep. Now, I wake up (usually around 4AM) and then I'm up till 6:30... about 30 minutes before Shanti's alarm goes off. I can't explain insomnia to anyone who's not suffered it. It takes over your life in that you start planning your whole day around in order to put together some chain of events that will end with you soundly sleeping a full 8-hour night. You don't want to nap, because that will throw your cycle off. My worst case had me not sleeping for two weeks -- I can see how that would drive someone mad. "The Matrix" starts to look like a documentary at that point.

3. Last night was unusually awful when the pain in my toe became a constant pulsating burning sensation. Constant pain you can trick your mind to ignore, but a pulse that happens regularly every 20 seconds (I timed it) is just as bad as a leaky fawcet.

So, my predilection for insomnia, a burning pain in my toe, and the worry of what the hell is the matter with my toe (gout? toe cancer? gangrene?) meant that I was up from 1AM to 5:30AM. My emotions and nerves are raw today, and I'm both wired and exhausted.

I am seeing a chiropractor for this toe issue (and for other issues up and down the left side of my body), but it will be a while before true results show up. And yes, for those of you with good memories, this is the same left foot that stopped working in the face of stress, and the same left foot that suffered (and eventually recovered from) nerve damage after the 3-Day.

In the meantime, I wish you all a good night's sleep!

2012 Garden Plan

I haven't just been crocheting! I got outside today (damn, it's cold!) and figured out what the hell I'm planting where this year. Shanti constructed some new raised beds for me, so the architecture of the garden is a bit different (and more convenient) than previously.

Specifically, the 4 beds in the shape of a "U" are the biggest changes. This configuration makes the most sense and allows for maximum use of the trellises along the back fence. Also new is the larger, enclosed box in the upper right, as well as a reconstructed box where the left-hand patch of tomatoes will be going. The greenhouse now has a roof, and we've doubled our asparagus beds.

This year is sort of a special year for me in the garden. While I did plant things in 2007, '08 was the first planned out "I know what I'm sorta doing" year. And, since garden rotation calls for a 4-year cycle, this is the first year I get to go back to my initial layout. Kind of. I've added many vegetables to my repertoire since '08, so a few adjustments had to be made. Even so, I'm happy to have cucumbers and the bean family along the back fence again.

What's not on this map? The long green box along the back fence in the back lawn (where our outside table is) -- I have onions & shallots growing in there for spring harvesting, and I'll just plant more onions, as well as leeks, as I harvest. Artichokes now have their own garden bed in the giant side lawn, and I'll be planting winter squashes (maybe some patty pans too) along the edges of the garden beds in the side lawn this year. Rogue squashes have grown there successfully before, so why not plant some?

Lastly, there is a garden box built from an old cabinet up against the chicken coop. I haven't had much luck there with anything, but I did toss the remaining carrot flowers there... and about 9 bazillion carrot seedlings sprouted up. I'm not watering them, I'm not covering them, I'm just letting them do their own thing. If they make carrots, great!

So, would you like to know what exactly I'll be planting? No big surprises...

FABIACEAE: Blue lake pole beans (these seeds are from previous years' harvest), Cascade snap peas (again, our own seeds), shelling peas (what was left over from the Kew Gardens set my mother-in-law brought back for me), and black pearl edamame (our own seeds).

CUCURBITS: Armenian cucumbers (they're just so successful!), Marketmore slicing cucumbers (again, we've had good luck), and maybe Wautoma pickling. Not sure about the last one, though, because the slicers pickle nicely too. Also in this group are melons, and we'll laughingly try honeydews and watermelons again. Out in the yard, I'd like to grow edible pumpkins, patty pans, and maybe one other type of winter squash. Maybe the watermelons should go out there.

BRASSICAS: DiCicco broccoli (with the silver mat underneath to deter aphids), purple Brussels sprouts, and Kongo kohlrabi. Not sure if I'll try cauliflower again -- lots of effort for very little gain.

ASTERACEAE: Some sort of leaf lettuce mix, mixed in with our own arugula seeds. Plus, Shanti requested a butter-style head lettuce. Yes, Shanti requested head -- laugh it up! :-)

APIACEAE: Chantenay carrots, which are our own this time. Yes, Shannon -- I owe you seeds (and Connie, I owe you chive seeds). I'll try parsnips (Cobham improved marrow) and fennel once again. I'll get it right some day!

SOLANACEAE: Oh, the nightshade family; the reason we aspire to have gardens, right? Obviously, Koralik cherry tomatoes will grow everywhere. I guess you could call these our own seeds, although I haven't planted them in 5 years. Shanti asked for Pineapple slicers, and I'll grow Mortgage Lifters for preserving. I may plant Chocolate Cherry, but every year only one plant lives, and I usually give it to my neighbor, who grows it for her grandsons, and that's just too stinkin' cute. Yes, I'm trying sweet peppers again -- but this time, I'm growing them in pots. Of course, Shanti is growing potatoes (Yukon Gold, and some bizarre blue variety for me -- you know me and purple vegetables!).

Add to all this basil, thyme, and maybe dill (if it grows on its own). Plus the raspberries, calendula, feverfew, helichrysum, hyssop, comfrey, echinacea and chives, which come back on their own.

Let's get gardening!

The Un-Stash

I don't stash. Really, I don't. But somehow a lot of yarn found its way to my house and into my collection. Recently, I designated a whole bunch of it for reassignment (i.e., I gave it away), and the next step is to link all remaining yarn with projects.

That is what I'm doing today, and I'm going to share some of those projects with you... just to prove that I've actually been working on this... and also to hold me to some of these projects.

This is the collection. Most of these bags had 1/2 and 1/4 skeins in them. Only 5 of these bags exists now.

Why did I accept a gift of beige wool? I look awful in beige. Nevertheless, I'm going to make something with this yarn (the one on the right)! It is this Peanut Butter Cardigan. What about that navy blue wool on top? Yeah, that one I haven't figured out yet. But the black wool has been assigned! I'm using it to make this Anika vest.

Laceweight Merino... I know, I said I'd never work with laceweight again. But I want to submit something for County Fair, and I think this shawl represents crochet nicely:

This is Diamonds Shawl by Kristin Omdahl, and I should mention this photo belongs to her. A link wouldn't do it justice, and I wanted you to ooh and aah over what I'll be making with that blue laceweight!

SWTC's Bamboo was purchased specifically for a project that quickly fell out of favor with me. I have put the entire project into hibernation, awaiting a massive redesign.

Fingering weight flax in blue, grey and yellowish. Leftovers from a belt I made ages ago. Now, these will be reassigned for Berry Blossom Market Bag. The bag I made for my yoga mat isn't cutting it anymore, so now I'll have something a bit nicer, although it will be in multiple colors.

Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool. These are two WHOLE skeins leftover from the Wraparound Sweater I just finished. How I have this much yarn leftover is a head-scratcher, but it has been reassigned to yet another Kristin Omdahl project:

The Sprout Chains Shawl. Again this is Kristin's photo, and I hope she doesn't get unhappy that I've copied photos from her site. I just think the love needs to be shared, and I want to brag a lot that I'm making such beautiful things!!! (Srsly, she designs the most gorgeous patterns, and they're all NO-sew, with lots of lacy holes and ingenious motifs). Soon I'll have a photo of MY OWN shawl to show you.

Before I start any of these projects, I have the Kristy Cardigan to finish and then the Katharine Vest to start and finish... Although I may do Diamonds Shawl next just to get it done in time for fair submission.

And that's what I'm hookin'! How 'bout you?