Towel Posted

 

100% cotton towel

Finally found the spoons to get the latest towels posted to my ko-fi shop.  These are part of the group that I used the 6/2 cotton on, and I toyed with keeping them.  Truth to tell, pretty much all of my smaller towels are handwoven, now - I had to ask myself if I truly needed more.  

But the past couple of weeks were also fraught with all sorts of medical appointments, plus I finally gathered up enough energy to deal with getting my hair cut - something that was woefully long beyond needing to be done.

I rarely post photos of myself.  I have what is called 'bitchy resting face'.  My 'neutral' expression is one that appears to be 'stern' or 'bitchy'.  The older I've gotten, the more this has increased - wrinkles, lines in my face, etc., have gotten more prominent.  

But I was waiting in the truck for Doug to finish picking up a few things from Costco (I had zero energy left after a very busy day with *lots* of talking - something I still find difficult) and decided to post a photo of myself to Facebook with my freshly shorn hair.

Most of the people who commented on my post were kind, and encouraging.  If they are regular readers of this blog, they are well aware of what I have been going through and they left lovely comments.

Two (so far) urged me to smile.  I nearly wept.  By that point I was just barely able to hold my head up, every energy spoon used up just doing a few errands that I could have managed without thinking about, just months ago.

There is a saying going round that chronically ill people are not faking their condition, they are faking being 'well'.

Right now?  There is a whole lot of 'fake it until you make it' going on in my life.

The brain bleed on top of the back issues (plus the other medical conditions) I was dealing with before I fell had been 'manageable'.   Just.

The face plant and brain bleed I had on August 28 nearly killed me.  At the very least it might have left me in rehab for months, with no clue how much of a recovery I might make.  

Instead, the surgeon pointed out that I did not go to rehab, but I was sent home.  The fact that I was already weaving, able to begin writing again (with copious help from a dear friend) was almost a minor miracle.

But almost every medical professional I've talked to after Aug. 28 have told me that a brain injury like this (17mm when they saw the CT scan in Vancouver) usually leaves people severely disabled.  The recovery such a severe injury to the brain takes up every bit of energy as the brain tries to heal itself.

When did society begin insisting that people smile for a photo?  If you look at early photos, no one is smiling.  When did that switch?  I don't know, truly.  

My mother was a great one for always putting a happy face on, no matter what was going on in her life.  I'm not inclined to do that, which makes me a bit of a wet blanket, I suppose.  

Anyway, I am here, still weaving (as best I can), hoping to write more so I can keep teaching.

In the meantime, the world is going through a very tough time.  If you live in the US and have been thinking of buying some of my towels, you should be aware that your new president has promised to enact legislation that will make *every* thing coming into the country, be charged a 'tariff'.  Right now you get a currency exchange 'discount' of about 30%, which makes my prices a lot lower than they appear on the ko-fi site.  

I suggest that if you were thinking of buying some of my towels anytime soon, now would be a good time.