Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 1:49 pm on July 31, 2026 Permalink  

  Not Thirsty 

  Our yards are no long thirsty.  It will be interesting to see what the rainfall amount has been since last night when we watch the news at six.

  Dennis came in this forenoon with the news that we lost another large limb, this on on the far back Hackberry.  Years ago this area was a huge pasture and these trees are getting some age on them.  I have put out a text to have it taken care of, so time will tell.

  We were given garden produce of cucumbers and tomatoes.  Each of the three tomatoes were larger and perfect in size larger than a baseball.  They were also as green as grass.  The Lena solution was put in place.  All three were lined up on the east bathroom shelf soaking up daylight.  Every day I would give them a quarter turn.  It took some time, but I have enjoyed two of the three days apart.  I diced each one and with a scant teaspoon of sugar and I ate them as I would a sauce.  They were very tasty.  The third one began to blush yesterday.

  Tomatoes are not the best for arthritis.  How could I not indulge in the gift of summer fruits. 

  With that I will take my leave. ♥  

   
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  Noreen 2:43 pm on July 30, 2026 Permalink  

  Nice Weather 

  Dew point and humidity worked it out for a fairly good feeling day.

  I went out for a gab session this afternoon and came home weary but it was good.

  Tom mowed the yards today, neighbor Jan mowed today.  Everyone is counting on the rain that is forecast for later today.  Our grass looks thirsty, but the weeds needed topping before they seeded out.

  When I do the hand stitching, my mind wanders to: the small window when my parents were healthy, my kids were little and chubby and everyone could get together.  It felt like it would last forever.  Hmm.

  No, I do not live in the past but it’s not a bad place to visit every so often.  Each nuance, each event that I am blessed to remember is who I am today.  Yup, the present day is given and I am very mindful of what each day may hold, what is needed and what will come into fruition . . . it may well become a memory.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:24 pm on July 29, 2026 Permalink  

  Feeling It 

  Today is a day that I am feeling it, and what is that it?  And . . . it’s not a bad feeling.  Shifting lifestyles is not as easy as flipping calendar pages.  The decades of having a stringent schedule every day are not easily put aside because now you have reached a certain age.  The times a silent petition went up praying decisions would work out to be what was best in the long run.   The transition takes a whole lot of time and energy, both physical and mental.  My end transition, that of being no longer working for the W2 form but being in retirement. I wanted and have a secure life, not of what a phone call might be or what the letter carrier would bring.  Yes, the feeling of it.  There is no “this needs to be taken care” of  . . . or it should be done in a certain way.  I am 82 and I know my certain ways, I trod them every day, not just for a few hours every month or so.  No one knows me better than I myself and if someone tried to follow, it might scare the wits out of them. 

  In those decades there was much life that was lived.  Good bad or otherwise, those calendar pages were flipped only to have another calendar at your disposal to start all over.

  I am not in a position to explain my days or how they have or are perceived.  I am just so God awful blessed and grateful to have the feeling I have today, which is “all is well with my soul.”  Everyone gets to go through their own calendars to have that feeling for themselves . . . just leave my calendar alone.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥♥

   
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  Noreen 2:55 pm on July 28, 2026 Permalink  

  Another Cooker 

  I stayed put in the comfortable house until I heard otherwise.

  The otherwise surfaced this late afternoon.  Dennis needed distilled water for his CPAP.  The Meow mix was slim to none.  Dennis had run out of Lemon Heads, a hard bitter candy, from the Family Dollar.  The deal was, he drove so he could keep the car cool.

  While I was in Family Dollar, I asked the fellow behind the counter if I bought two “Light Litter” containers, which still weigh 20lbs each, would he take them to our car.  No problem.  No, that was not on Dennis’ list, but I knew it would be before long.  I don’t shy away from help with ungainly items more so than Dennis will.  I’m always be sure to allow them to know that sometimes Grandmoms need a bit of help. 

  Super Fair always puts the groceries in the car for me.  Some of the carry-outs know the groceries go to the car where the ole cowboy is waiting.

  I enjoy choosing my own groceries even though the Super Fair will deliver.  I have used them once with no problem, as well as having Lewis Drug deliver once.

  We got home with the kitties having been taken care of.  The Family Dollar had only four bags of Dennis’ hard candy and I took them all.  Not long ago they could be found on the $1.00 spindles.  They have moved up in is world and are now on the $1.50 spindles.

  I nabbed some fresh apricots from the produce isle. First ones for the season.  My all time favorites to eat as well as the apricot jam Lena and I would make when she would visit us for a week during this season.  Memories! 

  As strawberries were two cartons for $5.00, I knew Dennis would top them and crush them for us.  So of course a pail of vanilla ice cream also topped out the cart along with three gallons of distilled water.  Since Dennis was given a new mask for sleeping, he is really going through the water for a good night’s sleep.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:55 pm on July 27, 2026 Permalink  

  Wonderful 

  Dennis and I both agree that seeing Megan and Nicholas yesterday did a slap happy to our beings.  As it worked out neither one realized we were rapid firing our inquires.  Nick was here at Christmas and Megan in mid-March, a lot was going on with these two.  The kids did great filling in the blanks for us.  Nicholas will be heading to college in Tennessee.  Megan continues working at the Park Nicollet Health Center, stashing her pay away to help when she decides to go back to Virginia for her masters.

  Dennis sat next to Nicholas at the table and no matter what Dennis passed to him, Nicholas put a goodly amount on his plate.  Several beef hotdogs with buns, baked beans, potato salad, topped off with a root beer float that Nicholas built on his own.  I guess one doesn’t get to be 6′ tall on an empty stomach.

  Great visit with promises to come back.  Sweet.

  This morning the Fidiem installer for the new internet service we have signed up for was prompt.  Very courteous.  Dennis was in his recliner with one of his favorite channels via Mediacom.  The television hiccupped and Dennis was watching his same favorite show via Fidiem.  After the tech left, I called Mediacom to find out how and when they would pick up their router.   It’s a seven day cancelation wait, and there is a small charge.  When I get the label, the router will be mailed.  We had been with Mediacom since 2005.  No more pixels to watch over the weekend.  It never failed.

  Our week has started with muggy heat.  These two older ones are staying indoors.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:14 pm on July 25, 2026 Permalink  

  Last Minute Check 

  Dennis has done the last minute check of groceries in the house: ice cream-check, root beer-check.  Yup, Dennis is completely ready.  Dennis is very excited, as I am, about Megan and Nicholas coming tomorrow.  Hmm. They are mobile.  Where did the years go! We have very fond memories of every one of them and we are ready for more.

  The world is smaller for our young people and they are much braver than back in the day.  It’s called progress and times change over the decades.  I am happy for them to experience that which calls to them.  Perhaps when they are my age, their contentment will be as great as mine.

  Yes . . . we are excited for tomorrow.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:11 pm on July 24, 2026 Permalink  

  Yummy 

  We worked on our second batch of creamy cucumbers today.  It’s a very welcoming vegetable dish to pair with another protein dish.  I am in charge of the onions as I can use the chef knife and slice them paper thin.  Dennis does the peeling and using the mandolin to slice the cucumbers.  Peeling cucumbers always reminds me of my sister Elvera.  She never peeled the cucumbers for this dish.  I am here to tell you that peelings add a bitter taste to this dish.  What would Lena think!

  A day of hand stitching is what I am working  on while watching floss tubes on YouTube of individuals doing the self-same thing I am doing.  Why not!  One of my favorites is in New Zealand.  No matter where the subscribers are from, I always glean a bit of the lifestyle of each one.

  The air is heavy this afternoon.

  In short order our front yard has taken on a very thirsty look.  A multitude of different grass seed has been spread over the years and each one does its own show and tell.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:14 pm on July 23, 2026 Permalink  

  Rabbits 

  From My HP laptop, I have a great view to the south where I see a sea of white clover in full bloom in the neighbor’s yard.  There are four rabbits that are in their hay-day.  As I have no plants to tempt them to our yard, I enjoy seeing them frolic about. 

  There were three small Christmas designs I had stitched and in the process of finishing the stuffing.  Today was the day that the ground walnut shells container was brought to the church tables for that finish.  I have a set-up of a small funnel for the majority of the fill into the pillows.  I top it off with poly fill to allow the pillows some stability.  With just the walnut shells it feels like a squishy bean bag.  A great feeling to totally finish that project.

  I enjoy small stitching projects.  It gives me a break from the stitching project I started in 2021 to prove to myself I could still command a needle and a hoop.  It had been tucked away several times.  This summer is the finish by hook or by crook.  An area of 50 stitches by 50 stitches using ten different floss colors.  After all the “X”s have been made, I have back stitching in the 15.5″ x 11.25” to do.  The back stitching is outlining various portions of the stitches for definition in the project.

  Yes, it doesn’t take much for me to put it aside.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♠

   
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  Noreen 2:32 pm on July 22, 2026 Permalink  

  A Day 

  A busy day was had by the Grammie on Stauffer Avenue.  Several errands.  One stop for just visiting and commiserating.

  A second stop at the grocery store found the employees really busy.  The main compressor went out.  The refrigerated shelves looked as if covid was back.  And wouldn’t you know it . . . Wednesday is senior citizens’ day.  A conclave of white haired individuals was everywhere waiting for an employee to see if their request could be found in the back room freezer and or cooler.

  On top of all that the scanner at the tills would not scan cigarettes, they had to be put in manually.  Brenda at the till said what a horrible way to be caught selling in error.

  Getting home felt wonderful.  I had succeeded in my tasks, including checking out the deli selling sausage and potato hot-dish.  You’ve got it!  A different twist for the two of us for this evening.

  Last night before eight, we had a caller at the front door.  I saw the name badge on his shirt.  It was a Fidieum rep going door to door with information about the new alternative to internet, by fiber optics rather than by cable.  He was very pleasant even before he found out that Dennis’ grandson, AJ, was the lead tech guy.  In short order, I signed us up at the cost of $66.00 per month, no installation fee and router furnished.  Paying automatically per month was an additional $10.00 off.  We have been paying Mediacom automatically for years.

  These changes are bound to be an improvement over hours of only having pixels to watch.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:09 pm on July 21, 2026 Permalink  

  Feel Good Day 

  The wind is from the north and as I swept off the back door, the air was feeling pretty good.  Our back door always has a whirlwind effect on anything that the wind can carry.  When I took time to look up Dennis was busy with the leaf blower on the east patio also doing the tidy tidy.

  When the phone updates it always leaves more than requested. I did notice “Oak-Ever” when I opened the phone.  I then opened the Amaze Go!  A brain teaser to wipe out the entire design by not crossing over other lines.  If it were a bad thing it would have let me know by now as the phone is still operational.  Interesting to see what I see and then react to.  Also a good time burner.

  The studio is ready for whatever I desire.  The church tables have been cleared of clutter . . . always a site to see when I come down the stairs.  I used a particular box to do a mailing.  That content needed to find a new home.  Sifting and sorting to lessen while I was at it.  Very inviting to spend some time and energy when all appears to be a place where someone enjoys being.  I am sure much like a mechanic that opens his shop to find everything in its place and a place for everything.

  Dennis’ cucumbers were the best for supper last night.  Crispy and crunchy to pair with the chicken.  Tonight’s offering is still in the thinking process to pair with the remaining cucumbers.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥