Not that I am any kind of expert on the new fad of pet portraiture, but I don't think this qualifies as mosaic piecing. My understanding of that is that various tiny pieces go together to form a picture that depends on the persistence of vision, as Salvador Dali called it. This is usually but not always achieved with some sort of glue product whether it is iron on paper or some other type of non-sewing application. This is clearly hand pieced and appliqued.

My son's rescue dog is a miniature schnauzer. His flyaway hair was hard to show. I asked my son whether he wanted a small wallhanging or a throw pillow because at this point this can be either.    

The House Republicans picked a very odd duck for the new speaker. He is a Southern Baptist to the roots of his hair and believes entirely in the Bible. As one whose own grandmother, also a Southern Baptist, declared my marriage to a Japanese American an abomination and against biblical teachings, I worry that a new Savonarola will be leading that wing of the right. Then there are the other cultural biases associated with a biblical world view. It's always amusing to me that hard core biblical adherence has to require the suspension of logic and fact.

 The continuing saga of how bad health care is here will soon be over for me. The practice manager for the internal medicine department of PennMed/Radnor called me on my birthday (how sweet) to tell me that there was no room for me at the inn, metaphorically speaking. A year ago, I changed doctors because I was still losing weight dramatically (yes, I did believe I would get better care). I saw one physician two times. During the first visit she ordered a full body scan. During the second visit she told me that nothing from the scan showed any reason for my continuing malaise and that I had lost even more weight. She also said I needed to take Fosamax to prevent fractures. I told her that my DEXA scan that had just been done did not indicate osteoporosis but she insisted. I told her that I didn't think it was a good idea as Fosamax can cause both femur fractures and necrotic jaw bones and that I had already had necrotic bone in my jaw from a very bad wisdom tooth extraction. She still insisted.

Of course I had a bad reaction even after one pill so I went to the patient portal to ask if I should continue to take the stupid pill. Her response was to address me in third person (who does that?) and to  tell me to take extra vitamin D, one of the suspected culprits in my ongoing physical deterioration. So I complained to her superior. All that got me was nothing, though in a chaotic conference call, I asked if I could change physicians and was told they would handle it.  No response until finally I got a letter from someone who said she had been assigned to be my liaison with the system. Two days later I asked this person a question through the portal and immediately got the response that she no longer worked there and I should simply call hospital information. So for 12 months I waited to see what would happen next. 

That twelve months ended at the very beginning of October at which point the physician's assistant for the doctor who was inattentive and incompetent contacted me to tell me that I needed a physical. I asked her who my physician would be and she said it was the same person I had complained about. I told her I wasn't willing to go back to that doctor who wouldn't listen and was enormously insulting. So that's when I got the call from the practice manager who told me that I didn't need to change doctors and that even if I did believe that I needed to, there was no one available. I then asked if that also applied to my husband who had switched physicians when I did. She couldn't believe that he would leave the doctor just because I was dissatisfied but that's how it goes with us after 54 years of marriage.

Now neither one of us, both cancer survivors, has a primary care doctor and no way to get one or at least no way to get one in a timely fashion. So much for what is touted as the best medical care in the area. Their stats probably look really good if they can get rid of all the dead wood like my husband and me. And that's what we will be without medical care. I don't think bad care is better than no care but I sure don't have a clue how to get good care.  

 The flimsies for the two crib quilts for the twin granddaughters of my current dentist are done and I will layer them today. As crib quilts they don't need a ton of elaborate quilting but they do need to hold together for washing so that is my guide.

These started as orphan blocks so it didn't take that long to make two 40x40 inch quilt tops. Other than the variety of animals there is no theme and doesn't need to be for a baby.

 Trump's NY trial opened today with Trump at the defense table although his presence was not requested or required. I don't doubt he wants his minions to see him "defending" himself even though the part of the trial that deals with guilt or innocence concluded when Engeron entered a summary judgment against Trump. All that is left in this trial is what punishment fits that crime.

But Trump being Trump he couldn't help using any available mike to insult the court, insult the people of NY, insult the judge, etc. But while he was in court being a jerk, Mike Kelly, his longest serving chief of staff, finally opened up about what it was really like for an honorable man like Kelly, a man whose own son was killed in combat, to work for a man who has no clue what sacrifice is.

The tales that Kelly tells should change some minds, but Trumpettes being who they are, they probably think Kelly has been bought and sold. Regardless, please read this fairly short article:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/john-kelly-donald-trump-us-service-members-veterans/index.html