Spring Tease Weather

A friend and I walked our dogs around the canyon today--beautiful glorious sunshine. It is supposed to start raining tomorrow and then snow again on Sunday through next week. We do need all the water we can get but I  know spring isn't far behind since I have crocus blooming already. When my tulips begin their big show I will post a photo. We put out the deer repellent this week since those guys seem to think tulips are the best snack ever.

I am nearly half finished with the second long side. I haven't decided what batting I will use yet but I have picked out the backing. I have written this before but the quilting is my favorite part, even now when neither my eyes nor my fingers seem able to make the small stitches they used to. There won't be much marking to do on this top either so getting to the quilting will be quick once I finish all the applique. Since my husband is going on a business trip next week I will have tons of time to simply sit and sew. He is at his cardiologist today for a post-procedure visit with the surgeon. I hope he wrote down all the questions he wanted answers to.

One Long Side Complete

My mind often works in very odd ways, making connections where others see nothing. A quilt saluting Napoleon can have a variety of elements but if it also uses elements common to other quilts it may not seem to connect to Bonaparte at all. I fixed on making a Winding Ways before I went to Paris and saw Napoleon's tomb, but the block does have some attributes in common with Napoleon's life. His path from Corsica to Elba to St. Helena was tortuous with vistas opening up and closing constantly. The outside border has elements suggested by his life and also by the stone floor around his sarcophagus. Laurel leaves surround the beautiful outer stone shell of Finnish porphyry so my border has those laurel leaves, there is a huge sunburst of rays around the laurel circle so I have included that as well, and the famous paintings that show Napoleon with the diadem he placed on his own head suggested the shape and color of the laurel leaves on either side of the sunburst.

  I used many of the greens from the center portion of the quilt, sometimes incorporating reverse applique on the leaves. The shorter sides will only have the center and the first spray of laurel leaves.

Random Thoughts On Insurance

Since I use this blog for more than quilting stories, I am going to chronicle my health insurance woes both to keep a record and to give fair warning to others. Because of the ACA, my husband's "retirement" was not delayed since we knew that I would be able to purchase insurance despite numerous pre-existing conditions. I had always been insured under his company policies (first warning to women) but now would have my own insurance for the two years until I turned 65. So I went on the healthcare.gov website and signed up with the very same company I had been insured  by for the past decade or more. I had no problem with the government website, picked a silver level policy, and after waiting a week for all of the information to make it into the records, paid my first month's premium on 12/13. I was assured that I would receive my new ID card and user manual within five to seven business days. Well I waited two weeks and then called. The sweet young thing on the other end of the line assured me that she would get it in the mail that day--another five to seven business day promise. After waiting again, I tried contacting the company via computer messaging. Once again I was assured that the card would go out that day--5-7 business day wait. In the meantime I got a letter from the CFO of the company (not addressed to me specifically but to all subscribers) informing me that the company policy had changed. Now if a payment was not received by the due date, the company would cancel the insurance with no possibility of reinstatement.

Given all of the 5-7 business day periods, I had already paid two monthly premium payments, but given how unresponsive the company was actually being, I thought I better take more direct action. Who knows, they might claim I had never paid since I had no ID card. So I wrote a letter to the CFO who to that point was the only person who had given me a full name, title, and address. I explained that I had already been waiting six weeks for my new ID card, it was past 1/1 and I had a dermatologist appointment coming up and wanted my ID. The CFO got this letter, passed it on to a subordinate who assured me that he would personally see to it that I got my card but that once again it would be another 5-7 days since the printer they contracted with was in the midwest. Well I waited but by the time my appointment came, I still had no ID. I contacted the subordinate person again who assured me that my card had been printed but was only going in the mail that day. He said that my subscriber number would be honored by the doctor and not to worry.  It turned out that wasn't true, but since I had been a client for more than a decade the medical receptionist let me see the doctor, assuring me that everything would work out.

I finally got my ID card about a week later (keep in mind that if every time I was promised an ID card I got one in response I would have gotten 4 ID cards rather than just the one). Silly me, I thought that meant all my coverage issues were over since by this time I had paid three months worth of premiums. Last Friday I got an "Explanation of Benefits" statement saying my visit to the dermatologist had been denied because of pre-existing conditions. I had paid more than $1300 for insurance so far and they had denied my claim even though I had been a client for more than a decade and had been a patient of the dermatologist nearly that whole time. I called the company right away and asked for an explanation. The sweet young thing said that it hadn't been "denied" but merely delayed, then backtracked and said that it would probably be denied when the process was complete. She asked if I had any questions. I asked her how it was that I had seen this dermatologist twice a year for nearly a decade, each visit had been covered by the company, and suddenly I had a pre-existing condition. "Whoops!" she exclaimed, "Let me talk to my supervisor." After being on hold the length of a symphony (love that  background music), she came back on the line and said that the company had made a mistake and that they were going to pay the bill right away.

We'll see.

Good To Go

The PA and the doctor both gave my husband the thumbs-up for resuming his normal activities. That's great news  for both of us and great news for our dogs as well. It's not that my husband takes the dogs on longer walks--he takes them to the off-leash area and they get to smell and mark as much as they want. Tomorrow we will go to the gym for the first time in February.

I have been working on the applique border for the small quilt. As someone who works with students to improve their writing skills, I am beginning to see this project through language as well as through fabric. What started as a salute to Napoleon with French fabrics and images from Napoleon's tomb is becoming metaphorical as well as having other elements of language peeking through. Synecdoche and allusion are coming to the fore in my mind while I am sewing on laurel leaves in the shape of an emperor's diadem.

Great Improvement

Over the last two days my husband has begun to feel much better. His heart has stayed in rhythm, he is flushing all the anesthetic residue out, with the dosage cut in half he is keeping his food down. As I wrote before, he is essentially quite healthy and fit. Prior to the surgery the doctors performed a cardiac stress test and multiple electrocardiograms as well as checking for blood clots and blockage. He is participating in a research study to test the efficacy of ablation over drugs and I think the doctors were delighted that they had a candidate who wasn't already 83 with end stage heart issues. Certainly all of the other men on the ward were old and enfeebled except for the one guy next door who had been smoking since age 5 and drinking since age 14. Even though he was only 51 he looked 80 and has such bad arteriosclerosis that the doctors couldn't even get a stent in. So everything is beginning to look pretty good.

Do You Believe in Magic?

Here is the nearly completed center portion of the Winding Ways Napoleon Magic Circles top. The name is still up in the air so I am simply listing the sources. The colors are better here showing the olives, teals, and corals rather than washing them out to pink and blue. The circles show up more clearly in person. I tutored a young lady on Tuesday  who exclaimed after seeing the top, "How do you make those circles appear?" It must still be magic.

He's Got Rhythm

Sometime during the night my husband's heart went back into rhythm. That's very good news and our fingers are crossed that this will last far in to the future. But (isn't there always a caveat?), the arrhythmia drug is very toxic with horrible side effects and the doctors already told him that they didn't want him to stay on it very long. He called and had his dosage cut in half since he has been vomiting all day long. Now the sleep specialist that he consulted (sleep apnea is a corollary and a danger in atrial fibrillation) did say that he should lose ten pounds but I don't think he would recommend this method.  The pounds went on when his activity level dropped so perhaps there is hope that all of this will work in harmony with increasing good health to make him a fit and happy guy again.

I have finished all the small blocks except for one blade on one square. That was done too but when I checked everything after the work was done that one blade was wonky so I took it off. I won't get it put back on until tomorrow since a son is coming to dinner and I am making osso buco and risotto milanese. It's too bad my husband's stomach is somersaulting.

Not So Fast

Yesterday was a good day, good heart rhythm after the ablation, slow but complete recovery from the anesthesia, even ate dinner. Today was not so good. Around 6:15 am, before breakfast was served at the hospital, my husband went into atrial fibrillation again. The cardiologist said, "Well, we will just go back down to the surgery floor and do a cardioversion. That will bring you back into rhythm and then you can go home." So back downstairs, a different type of anesthetic and they tried the cardioversion. They tried five times (the protocol is for three attempts) and then stopped. So when my husband started to come to, he said that he felt as though an elephant had stomped on his chest. Now the plan is to try a stronger beta blocker along with his previous medicine and adding the blood thinner but not one of the ones that requires blood draws. Everyone seems to think he will improve dramatically once the beta blocker takes full effect but so far no change. The only bright spot is that we are both home with beating hearts even if one is out of rhythm.

So Far So Good

My husband's cardiac ablation went well today. The surgeon said that it was straightforward and did not present any surprises. So now three months on extra meds--a blood thinner and prilosec--and maintenance on his previous meds that didn't seem to do any good at all. As the nurse said, he is generally in good health so all the signs point to an uneventful recovery and a successful outcome. If all goes as planned he will climb El Capitan next summer with our son. They climbed El Cap 25 years ago when my husband turned forty and our son was 15. Now the son is 40 and the husband is 65 but he couldn't do any exercise to speak of this year with the atrial fibrillation. So fingers crossed for that good result, he is just happier when he is active. The only fly in the ointment is the diet restrictions with the blood thinner. There are some days when we eat spinach for each meal so going without those leafy greens will be tough.  

Damp But Nice Weekend

My husband and I just returned from a trip to California for the weekend. We stayed a couple of days in San Francisco, met a friend, ate some great new meals, bought some new shoes, went to Britex. If I lived in SF I would never have enough money or enough space since I would buy shoes and fabric.

After that we drove down to Monterey for a couple of days. No particular reason except I used to live there 50+ years ago and we had never seen the aquarium. Well it was the 30th anniversary and all local residents got in free (quite the deal since adult passes are usually $39 so it was very crowded. In the exhibits we especially liked the "jellies" but outside the window we had fun watching the big fat sea lions and harbor seals and the sea otters.

It hadn't rained in 8 months before Thursday in either SF or Monterey but it rained the entire time we were there. I am not complaining since I understand completely how much they need the water, but all the rain made it tough for me to wear my nice shoes that I had packed--the red satin Charlotte Olympia cat shoes and the black satin Christian Louboutin. I don't know what it is about shoes that makes some women, including me, weak in the knees but it is a terrible vice.

I got a couple more blocks completed in the airport and in the hotel rooms. Now I have 16 left to do for the center section. Then it is on to the double border--a two inch band to incorporate some quilting from a stencil I got in Paris and a broader band featuring laurel branches, probably starting with Ellie Sienkiewicz's border and adapting from there. 

In Sickness And In Health

My wedding anniversary is Friday. We will have been married 44 years. Although no one can claim that their marriage is perfect or that every moment has been bliss, my husband and I have been remarkably happy--a good team. On February 13, my husband has to have a cardiac ablation. While this procedure is well tried and reasonably safe there are always concerns. One point in the procedure's favor is that it should take care of the persistent and deepening atrial fibrillation. Our doctor friend who teaches at Johns Hopkins wants him to stick with the drug side but both of us are ready for the next step.