I still exist! Really! Here I am!

Wow, here it is, almost another year later, and I haven't posted anything in forever.
My apologies.

Here's what has happened that you may not know about:

1.  I got approved for disability, but am still fighting bureaucracy since they keep trying to lower the amount I get.  (Even though the amount I currently receive is below poverty level anyway).  But hey, yay for getting approved.  I am now officially disabled.  I mean, I was all along, but at least now it's legally recognized.  Which helps.  Sort of.

2.  I have gone from a desktop computer to a laptop to a tablet to a smartphone.  Funny how the screens get smaller the more advanced it's supposed to be.  My favorite is the tablet.  It's small enough to be perfectly portable, and just big enough to be cozy.  The phone is more portable, but hitting the tiny buttons makes me feel like I'm typing with bratwurst fingers.

3.  It looks like I hadn't mentioned this in my previous posts, which is weird, but just in case, I'll go ahead and say it:  I wear custom-made leg braces now.  I can hardly walk without them.  I'm so thankful to have them.  Very grateful.  Also I frequently need one of those walker-wheeled things called a rollator.  It folds up and fits in the trunk of my car-- BARELY.

4.  I ordered myself a new wheelchair on eBay last week, and it got delivered a couple days ago.  It's still on my porch, in the box.  I need to figure out a way to actually carry it in.  The box is huge.  I meant to take a picture of it, to show people how frickin huge the box is.  Instead of the rollator type, this is an actual wheelchair.  Because I can tell that if things keep getting worse, that's what I'm going to need.  It's ok.  That's just the way things are, and I accept it.

5.  I fell last week, right in the middle of McDonalds.  In addition to my bad feet/ankles, I've also got a bad left knee.  (Inherited that from Mom.  Thanks, Mom.)  It's very weak and unstable, and has gotten rapidly worse in the past couple months.  So when I got up from my table last Wednesday morning, I took just a couple steps.... and my knee twisted and gave out.  I fell flat on the hard tile.  There was a bruise on my leg about the size of a footprint.  I didn't break anything, but probably tore some soft tissue/tendons/whatever else is in there.  For awhile there, I could hardly stand up.  I'm doing a little better now, but I will always have to be extra careful.

6. Every now and then I get in a mood where I want to crochet things.  I get a whole bunch of yarn and make stuff.  I keep going til I can't stand to look at yarn anymore.  Then a few years later the cycle repeats itself.  Two of the blankets on my bed are ones I made.  (And two were made by Mom, who also has crochet moods of her own).  A couple weeks ago, I finished a blanket and gave it away.  It was a nice surprise, and a fun way to say thank you to someone who has been kind to me.  I plan on making a few more in the next few weeks.

7.  Last year my pipes froze and broke in the extreme cold weather.  Here's a picture.  I'm hoping the same thing doesn't happen this year.  I've got the cabinet doors open with a heater pointed at them (from a safe distance) whenever the temperature drops into the danger zone.