Ta-DAAAAA--another finish for November

 Ann Kemp 1815, aka A Fancy Basket, is done!

I had only two goals this week: to get enough sleep to function and to finish Ann Kemp.

Ann Kemp first: I thought I was so close to finishing her that I could get it done in a day. If I stitched all day. 

So I stitched all day.

She wasn't done. The garland around the bottom of the basket was, but that was all.

So I stitched a good chunk of the next day.

Nope, didn't happen. 

This continued. I was beginning to wonder if the gremlins were coming out at night and either removing things I had already stitched or adding things to the chart that I would have to stitch. I mean, I know I stitch more slowly than I used to--that electric needle has rusted out--but really!

I finally decided to stay up last night until she was completely stitched. And I did. There was much rejoicing.

And then I thought that maybe my weird sleep patterns were partially to blame.

Sleeping has been a problem. I've fallen back into sleeping for about four hours, then waking up and being totally unable to get back to sleep for a couple of hours, then falling back asleep--hard--to the point that when I finally wake up much later in the day than I want, I am stupid and cranky. I've tried getting up and doing things--I've had just enough sleep to get into motion but not always enough to know when to stop--or I've spent the time staring at the ceiling and making plans--which I have then mostly forgotten by the next day. So I have tried getting up at the time I originally wanted to be up and just pushing through. By the end of the second day of this, I'm able to sleep through the night, but then it starts all over again the next night.

I have heard from various friends that they, too, have similar problems. It may be an issue for people of a certain age. The male of the species does not seem to have the same difficulty. I swear, Dearly Beloved can lie down, pull up the covers, and start snoring in 2.5 seconds.

It is infuriating.