I feel like I've been writing this post in my head for quite a while but for some reason, I just haven't sat down at my computer to type it all out. I can't believe it's been a month since I last blogged! Honestly, it's been a bit of a tough summer for me. I really haven't felt very well since we lost Quincie at the end of June. The energy in my house is so much different without her, and I miss her more that words can say. I know that you fellow animal lovers, and pet people will understand. And I think that you all know just how important my little fur balls are to me. I love all my pugs, but Quincie was a very special, not to mention high-needs pug. She demanded a lot of my time, care and attention, but for every little bit that she took from me, she always gave back twofold. I was very connected to her, and while she couldn't talk to me, she always seemed to know when I needed a little extra love and comfort. She was like this little beacon of light, always by my side, and always there to love me completely and to make me smile. She never let her handicaps get her down, and she was a true example of how will power and determination could get you past anything (well almost anything). Anyway, our little grumble is starting to get used to her not being around, and we know that even though we can't see her, she's still here in our hearts, but it's been tough.
And then, I got that huge flare up of (what I now know is) psoriasis which wasn't fun, but I didn't realize just how much impact it would have on my life. I thought it was just a rash, and with some medicated cream, it would clear up. Well, the rash did clear up, but because psoriasis is actually an auto-immune disease, it pretty much sucks all energy out of you (well it did me anyway). I have spent a lot of days just lounging around watching TV and feeling like I was carrying a 20lb bag of concrete on my back. There have been days where I felt like I wouldn't be able to make it out of bed to feed the pugs, let alone do anything else. (I am happy to report though, that although I felt like I wouldn't be able to get up and take care of them, I always did, even if it meant going back to bed or to the couch straight after). My joints have been sore, especially my knees, and the fatigue has been like nothing I've ever felt before. It's so strange to feel so tired and run down, with really no other symptoms. I mean, that kind of tiredness usually accompanies a cold or the flu, or jetlag, so you know what's causing it. We went home to Calgary last week, and I saw my doctor and she ran a slew of blood tests, but I don't have the results back yet. She didn't seem overly concerned, so who knows if anything will show up. It's probably just down to my immune response and the inflammation it caused. I'm sure it will get better.
Now before you get too depressed, and feel too sorry for me, know that mixed in with those terrible days, I have had some good days too. Days where the tiredness isn't so bad, and days where I feel almost normal. So I have been able to get some sewing in, and even some cooking and jam making, but it seems like I have to really budget my energy, so blogging (and getting all prettied up and taking photos) is one of the things that really got put on the back burner.
Anyway, I know that things could be much worse, and I also know that there are lots of people out there dealing with worse things, but I wanted to share what has been going on with me. I have been so grateful for my family (especially my super supportive husband), my view of the lake, my two remaining pugs to cuddle with, Netflix, Instagram (I've said it before, and I'll say it again - the sewing community is the best and all of you guys have been so kind and kept me going) and sewing. Even when I only had the energy to sew for a few minutes, it always made me feel so much better (and still does). I am starting to feel a bit more like myself again, and I hope to get some more blog posts up soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me!
PS: I do have a post up on the Califabrics blog if you want to check it out. The post went live last week, but I made those pyjamas (and wrote the post) back in July, so it seems like a long time ago. The pyjamas have been getting lots of wear! Hooray for matching pyjamas!