Well, I'm back...

Six+ weeks spent sleeping in my childhood bed on a mattress that's been there since Richard Nixon was in office doesn't do wonders for one's back. Neither does weeding five hours a day, or ironing or washing windows or raking bark (sycamores:  the messiest trees ever!). But it's all been done, and I came back to Chicago with a little peace of mind that the house, at least, was in decent shape.  My parents? That's another story.

Mom's neck healed beautifully, which, at her age (93), surprised everyone. Her refusal to use a walker or wear her neck brace in the car, however, is a great source of worry, given my father (90) is the one ferrying her around, and she has balance issues. His health isn't ideal, either -- the result of some major back issues and dehydration (at what point does the dislike of running to the bathroom more frequently outweigh the sensible intake of fluids? This baffles me.) Anyway, it's the age-old conundrum:  they really shouldn't be living independently, but nobody can talk them into moving until something major happens. So until the other shoe drops, my siblings and I will take turns checking up on them.

I did manage to get pics of my little Urban Indigo lap quilt while I was there:

It washed up beautifully, and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out, except for the two sides quilted more densely. While they look good on the front, I used neutral thread on the back and it's a little too noticeable...which is why the top and bottom are different. It was too dense to rip it out (and on flannel), so I had to commit to at least two sides for symmetry's sake.

Lesson learned, and another quilt finished. 

It's strange to be back in the city. I'd gotten used to the suburbs (though the Japanese beetles ravaging the roses were driving me crazy, I was killing hundreds of them a day), Michigan prices (a dollar goes a lot further there than in Chicago), eating dinner at 4:30 and the convenience of handicap parking everywhere we went.

While I am very happy to be sleeping soundly in my own big bed (Archie too!), even after a few days back it still feels like my shoes are on the wrong feet. It's going to take some time, I think, to find my groove again.