Good Bye, January!

There has been too much sadness in the last few days. The sadness that came with the plane and helicopter and the loss of so many lives. Then this morning I learned of the unexpected death of one of our Sunday School members. A bit later I found out about the death of an icon in the needlework world. I have never met her, but she is one of the needleworkers, who I follow on Flosstube/YouTube...so it's "as if" I know her...if you know what I mean. Then something good happened...but it still made me sad. My oldest granddaughter has many major health diagnoses...type-1 diabetes, aspergers syndrome, bi-polar...three of five or six diagnoses that she has to deal with. But these three make it very difficult for her to make decisions for herself. She has trouble seeing consequences due to her aspergers...and that is a bit dangerous when you are a type-1 diabetic. And, when her bi-polar kicks in she just can't make decisions...as she is "not herself." Since she has been diagnosed as bi-polar (the latest of her diagnoses), I am so very much aware of what poor mental health care there is out there. There have been problems for Melany and Wade to be able to make decisions for Erin when it comes to times when she is in the hospital. Erin is a 31-year-old adult, so legally her parents couldn't make decisions for Erin when Erin isn't able to make a decision for herself. Her parents have had problems in the past getting the best care for Erin when medical personnel wouldn't let them have input into her care. They needed a conservatorship to be able to make these decisions for her. This was accomplished today so now her mom and dad and brother can make decisions for her when she is unable. I am so glad that they have done this, but then it is sad for me to think that Erin needs to sign over these rights to them. Erin knows that she needs help in making these decisions and told the judge that her parents and brother are taking good care of her and she wants them to continue caring for her. She is the sweetest young lady, but does need others to help keep her on track with decision making and needs extra care. After having the rug swept out from under me, I finally did work out frustrations and sadness by plugging in the vacuum cleaner and vacuuming the downstairs. And, with that the downstairs is back to "normal" for winter months. I have worked on a couple loads of wash and one load is put away and I am waiting for the second load to be finished so I can put them in the dryer. I talked to a friend a while ago and am now ready to have a late supper and then sit down and stitch. I am going along at a pretty good rate with my second Christmas ornament for 2025 gifts. I hope that I will get a bit closer to a finish this evening. To be continued. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! I guess I will turn my calendar page this evening to be ready to welcome in February in the morning!