Pastel Strings Top And A Week In Review

It's a top!

Pastel Strings

40 x 60

Strings was the April theme in my sewing space to move UFOs and scraps forward. I didn't get very far because that month I called the ambulance for hubby John and he ended up an hour away in MICU and Respiratory unit for a week. And the reason he got aspiration pneumonia that put him in he hospital is because he has a fractured jaw and jaw bone infection. And since he can't swallow a lot of infection and blood built up and tried to go down his throat but couldn't so instead went to his lungs. The infection also tried to get out of his jaw and made a little hole under his jaw so  gunk could ooze out.  Reason he can't swallow and has fractured jaw is because long ago when he had oropharyngeal cancer he had radiation and all these years later the side effects of radiation are still taking a toll on him. 

I made a few string tops in April but still have quite a few that need attention. Since the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) "color" of the month is pastels I thought I would sort out all the pastel strings for a little top. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

***

And now for the "Week in Review" part of this post...

June 12 - we made a trip an hour away to the University of Iowa (UOI) hospital and clinics for a presurgical evaluaion and ENT appointment.  John was hoping for a free flap restoration of his right jaw like he had on his left jaw in 2016. At that time they took his fibular and blood vessels and made it into a jaw bone.   This time they had told us they might take a bone from his arm to reconstruct his right jaw.  John's goals were to get rid of infection in jaw and keep it from coming back, fix jaw fracture so he was not in pain.  The jaw bone fractured because it is necrotic from long ago radiation.   After much discussion it was decided that they would remove the bone but not rebuild it so he would have a "hang jaw".  He doesn't need jaw to eat since he will always have G-tube so doesn't really need it. He will still be able to talk. The surgery will be easier on him as will be recovery. He was agreeable with all of that. Of course they placed a lot of emphasis on "quality of life over quantity of life".  No date has been set yet for the surgery. 

***

June 10 - 16 - A lot of John's family were in town for a family reunion/camp out at the county park down the road.  I took John over to the park several days for a few hours so he could visit with everyone. Thankfully the weather was beautiful most of the time.   John(1st generation) is the oldest of 8 children. 3 are now deceased. He and his siblings and spouses had 25 children (second generation). Those 25 children (second generation) are still having children. I think the oldest of that generation is 54 and the youngest is probably 3.  And we now have Scarlet who will be two in a month or so and the first of her generation.    We took family photos on Saturday and 47 showed up that day although a lot of families came and went at various times so were not in the photo. A lot of the second generation and their families did not attend. They are all scattered across the U.S. from Oregon to Texas to Arizona to Missouri to Florida and probably other parts unkown. 

A small fraction of the family.

***

June 17 - I took John to UOI for Mohs surgery on the squamous cell carcinoma on his nose. Appointment was for 9 o'clock and they did not finish with him until 4 o'clock. It was an hour drive and in the morning I had to drive right into high winds and heavy rain. Thankfully I was on an interstate; however, at one point I drove with my hazard lights on at 35 miles per hour. And thankfully it was sunny and clear when I drove home.  John's nose is so bandaged up that he can't wear his glasses for a few days. Sunday afternoon we take off that bandage and then I start wound care and thankfully for his follow up appointment on Wednesday I just need to take a few photos of his nose and add to his chart, they will review them and then follow up with a phone call. 

Poor guy.

***

Also this week the storms took down some trees  I need to have my son help me clean up. And this morning I saw a raccoon on the garage roof I chased away. I think it has been sneaking into my garage. And I read four books. So more on all those things and the state of the gardens later.