Catching Up

This weekend was about catching up in several ways. All four of my siblings were together for the day yesterday -- we ate, we joked, we ate, we told stories to each other and to the grandchildren, we ate, we played games, and we ate some more. Oh, and we shared an experience with the one grandchild who wasn't able to be there (one of our two sons) by watching the Baltimore-Pittsburgh football game. He was watching the game in PA with his rabid Steelers friends while we were watching with relatives who live in MD. Steelers won -- now we can only hope that the Patriots will end up beating them in the SuperBowl. (This might make it seem that I am a football fan. Let's just say that I start to pay a little bit of attention at this time of year and only if it is put right in front of me as it was yesterday.) A rousing game of Pit was played at the same time as the football game, so you can imagine how loud it got at times!

My parents were thrilled to have everyone together. Mom's dementia, however, did play into the weekend and required some serious conversations with the grandchildren and my sister-in-law. I think my brother from MD, who usually sees my parents at their best, may have gotten a bit of a view of what those of us closer by see more often. After posting this blog today, I'm going to order copies of the book My Mother, Your Mother: Embracing "Slow Medicine," the Compassionate Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones by Dennis McCullough for each of my siblings -- I'm finding the description of stages of decline in health in an elderly parent to be very helpful and am sure it will help us frame difficult discussions to come.

The weekend also provided some catch-up time on the knitting front. I finished the hat I was working on with, literally, inches to spare. In a perfect knitting world, all projects would end that way and knitters wouldn't be left with leftovers. I try to corral all of mine in a big glass jar (actually it is a large vase), but am already running out of room. The hat wasn't a good or flattering fit for Don, but looked great on Nate, our other son, who was able to join the party on Saturday and brought his brave girlfriend to meet the family (she was absolutely delightful, by the way). So, the hat is done and has already found a home.

I was also able to pick up and work on the Debbie Bliss sweater, which I haven't touched in a couple of weeks, I think. I finished the front and cast on for both sleeves. I did find out, after knitting the ribbing and 8 rows of the sleeve after the ribbing that I had cast on 4 fewer stitches than needed. But, I have very skinny wrists, so am going to proceed and just work in two extra increase rows along the way to catch up before decreasing for the sleeve cap. I'd love to get this done before the Amy Herzog class in late February in case it doesn't fit the way I think it should, I'll be able to get some advice on how to fix it.
Today is about catching up in other ways. A little grocery shopping to prepare for the week, some cleaning off of my desk as a start to preparing for bill-paying and money management and tax/financial aid season, seeing friends at church, learning some new music in choir since we missed choir due to a snowstorm, and probably going to bed early to catch up on sleep lost by being up later than usual the past two nights (but absolutely worth it -- it is so much fun to be with family!).