Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:24 pm on August 1, 2023 Permalink  

  Tuesday the 1st 

  Hello August 1st.  Where did you come from?  The pages of the calendar seem to have a breeze that continually flips them at a fairly high rate of speed.

  This morning we checked with each other as to if all parts were moving, albeit a bit slowly.  From bending over and over and over, I could feel a bit of tightness in the ham strings from yesterday’s events.  It still felt good.  No yard work today.

  I have been known to eat cold pizza for breakfast.  I can now add the remnants of a Subway’s tuna sandwich.  I am not a fussy eater.  Bring on the leftovers.  Dennis not so much.  So be it.

  On one of my scribble pads are the notes comprised of a possible scrappy quilt.  I have thought long and hard for a sewing machine project.  I have the idea.  I have the sizes of the fabrics, 8 pieces needed within the block.  It would be a 52″ x 64″ top.  The next item would be going down into the studio to check the stashes as this would be a no-purchase necessary project.

  In the meantime, I have finished one of my books and am working on my hand stitching.  After today, I may have a photo to share.  By no means close to a finish, more like a work in progress.  I am not easily put off by timely projects.

  So . . . I am off to the studio.  It has been a long time since the lights were on.

  Hump day is in the sights, may you all look forward to it.

   
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  Noreen 1:47 pm on July 31, 2023 Permalink  

  Well, Well 

  Well, well.  The two older ones on Stauffer still have it.  Dennis and I worked side by side on the blue barn acre over the noon.  It was amazing how much we achieved by picking up small sticks and branches and added that to the huge pile Brett had made with the skid loader.

  What will be interesting in time is seeing all the Kudzu vines that will be turning brown.  I and our lopper sniped off countless vines that were rooted at the base of trees.  Many of the vines that have already turned brown since we began working on the lot will need to be pulled out of the trees with the help of the little red pickup.  I think securing the end of vines, with I am not sure what at this time, and having them pulled out of the trees will make a huge impact.  Some of the vines are as round as a quarter with a spindly root going into the ground no larger than a piece of twine.

  So that was our two hour exercise for this Monday.  No one was was injured by this.  It felt good to work side by side in the shade under the canopy of huge trees.

  I am enjoying the last of the breakfast coffee and will soon settle into my bedroom porch, perched on my cherry red chair, reading a bit.  I will admit my hands are weary and there will be no hand stitching this afternoon.

  We have agreed on a Subway supper.  Sweet!

   
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  Noreen 1:34 pm on July 30, 2023 Permalink  

  Sunday Surprise 

  This was full gear into a quiet Sunday.

  When I got a phone call from my cousin Mark this early morning, it was a total surprise.  Mark lives near Canon Falls and had been on a campout at Jackson to see friends of a time that his family had lived there.

  When Mark arrived with friend Tamie in tow on a three-wheel Harley, it felt like this would be a pit stop on their way home.  At the time of the call, Mark’s were just going to leave the Windom hospital where the fellow that was biking with them was waiting to be air lifted to a Sioux Falls facility.  A deer had ran out causing an accident to the friend and his bike.

  Needless to say, the pair coming to stop in, needed some breathing room before making the rest of the trip home.

  I am thrilled that neither of my kids were biker enthusiasts.  Things can happen so quickly with so little protection.  

  At two, Mark and Tamie had gotten their second wind to continue onto their way home.  I cannot imagine the adrenalin that had kicked in.  Hugs for safe travels.

  So our Sunday has been anything but ordinary. 

  Today has been a great day for patio sitting.  Just as Mark’s were leaving, the black flies had found us.  Ish!

  My ole cowboy and I are thankful that we enjoy the peacefulness that settles in after the dust of excitement took a right out of our drive.

   
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  Noreen 1:49 pm on July 29, 2023 Permalink  

  Good Morning 

  It was a good morning for coffee on the front deck . . . might have even felt a bit cool.

  Out came both walking sticks and I headed east on Stauffer Avenue for a walk.  It felt great.  As I was coming back home, I did feel that the dewpoint was rising.

  I helped Dennis fill two small half gallon sprayers with roundup.  Last Sunday he and I had been at the blue barn acre with the same recipe.  When he came home today, he commented the next batch was going to be used on some burdock.  When he mentioned the huge leaves that looked like rhubarb, I knew right off the bat what needed to be taken care.  Slow but sure, progress is being made on the acre.

  There is no urgent news to report.  I am very accustomed to blocking numbers from various states.  Hmm.  I had never had one of those calls come from Iowa.  On a whim, I answered it.  Lo and behold it was my brother from Decorah.  He had a new phone number.  It was one of the shortest calls I can ever remember getting from him.  No news on his front, just called to see how we were doing.  Short and sweet . . . nice.

  Tomorrow is to be be better than today.  Relish it!  Rest yourselves.

   
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  Noreen 1:42 pm on July 28, 2023 Permalink  

  Light Show 

  When  a bathroom call got me up at two, there was quite the light show in the northwest.  Hopefully someone, somewhere got a rain shower or two out of all the lightning that was seen.

  The quiet has settled in here on Stauffer for me.  Dennis is up and he and Dwayne were at McDonald’s this forenoon.  I did hear him get up a little after six.  Me?  I drifted back into slumber until eight.

  Reading and stitching is keeping me going.  The sewing machine is getting some well deserved time off.

  For a time, there was talk that Facebook would be implementing a fee.  Nope.  The same mindless posts that I know were flooded in on my site by me “liking” something.  The same goes for emails.

  I do enjoy the YouTube subscriptions I signed on to.  A bit of air time and I am content.  For the most part the house is totally quiet during the day.  Dennis has two televisions in the patio porch until the outside air doesn’t have a breeze, then he is in with the remote in hand.  Even these days the kitties have been stretched out on the bare concrete floor of the garage. 

  May the weekend treat you well and may the temps take a bit of a dip.

   
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  Noreen 1:33 pm on July 27, 2023 Permalink  

  The Summer of No Rain 

  It has been unusually dry this the summer of 2023, that coupled with bouts of high temperatures.

  What does this retired couple do on a hot day?  Dennis and I drove several blocks from home for pedicures.  This is such a better plan than driving to Mankato.  Patronizing one of our small town businesses feels good.  Like many small towns, there are far too many vacant store fronts.

  It can come with personal irks.  Such as me telling Dennis after he is already in his little red pickup that the cap he was wearing needed to be swapped out for a clean one.  How dare I?  Yup.

  The pork roast in the crock pot is filling the kitchen with wonderful aromas.  The roast, even after this evening’s supper will give me options in the coming days.

  As I was reading this afternoon in my bedroom porch, perched upon my cherry red chair, there were farm vehicles going by that indicated somewhere there was a cutting of hay that needed a side rake followed by a baler.  I can easily remember hot days on the family farm in Boon Lake Township.  No one dared to comment on the heat.  We just got it done.  Us kids switched off as to who would be stacking bails five high on the hay rack behind the baler, and who was stacking bails up in the haybarn.  It was share, share, share alike.  No fatalities then, but perhaps issues in our later years.  God bless titanium implants.

  Even the front deck smelled of heat this morning and for sure . . . no sounds of lawnmowers at any time today.  The grass crunches under foot.

  Be kind to yourselves and give ample rest.

   
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  Noreen 2:24 pm on July 26, 2023 Permalink  

  Hmm 

  At 6:15 this morning the rain shower came.  At 6:30 the rain shower was history.  Just enough to feed the uncomfortable day that was dawning.

  Nephew Brett came over this forenoon with some work for Dennis.  It is a gun that needs a lot of cleaning.  Right up the ole cowboy’s avenue.

  I had a thawed pork roast with bone in that went into a baggie with Worchester marinade.  I sliced into the roast with a sharp knife to allow the marinade to seep in during these next 24 hours.  Tomorrow morning, it will hit the crock pot.  It will just be too dog gone hot for anything more than that.

  This afternoon, the furniture store from Hanska delivered our two occasional chairs.  Free delivery along with a $20.00 check.  I had thought they would need to take the sleeper sofa with them, thus the $20.00 charge.  Our carpenter will enjoy the sofa sleeper in his new home.  Priceless.  Dennis got a recliner in 2015.  These two chairs are taking the place of the sleeper sofa purchase from 25 years ago.  We are not a household that purchases furniture often.  I very much enjoy my teak wooden rocker that was purchased in 2009.  We are set.

  It is very uncomfortable outside this afternoon.  The mail did deliver the five office chair casters that I ordered on Amazon yesterday after we returned from Mankato.  At noon lunch, we decided to take this next step slowly.

  In the mean time, I am switching off from reading to stitching until supper time.  That may well be a chicken salad sandwich.

   
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  Noreen 2:55 pm on July 25, 2023 Permalink  

  So the Heat Begins 

  This morning as I had coffee on the front deck, the air felt good.  I knew what the forecast was for the remaining week.  Dennis made a departmental decision to travel to Mankato this forenoon.  Dennis had an agenda.

  The chair that I have in the studio is going to be eight years old.  It is a sister to the cherry red chair that Kevin and Kersten found for me.  Both have “Bernina” embroidered on the back of each chair.  The chair that the kids gave me had the pamphlet from the company attached.  I went online to see about replacement castors.  They are of the type that look like there is a plastic hood over the casters.  One of the five casters on the studio chair . . . half of it fell off onto the floor.  It was easy to see that each half would push together making one caster that rolled easily.  I would call it a sprocket mechanism.  The company’s website said “not available.”

  Dennis thought casters, much like on any office chair, could be found in Mankato.  Not!  We spent our gas getting to Mankato, so we picked up some groceries.  When we got home, I went on Amazon.  A set of five casters will be at our home tomorrow for $14.98.  Spinning our wheels looking through various stores, and the winner is . . . “Amazon.”  Taking it slow and easy and in time, we will have the chair moving easily.  The full unit will come and there will be a metal prong to fit into the leg of the chair.

  Everyone take it easy in the coming days.

   
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  Noreen 1:20 pm on July 24, 2023 Permalink  

  A Day of Quiet 

  As we were having our last night’s meal of fried egg sandwiches, Dennis and I recapped our day.  Both of us had worked with garden tools to make an inroad on the blue barn acre, and . . . we did.  Neither of us got hurt or fell.

  Today, being Monday, we each pulled into our own selves resting up for a repeat in the near future.

  Shh!  Today felt like the peace that passes all understanding.

   
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  Noreen 12:51 pm on July 23, 2023 Permalink  

  Sweet Sunday 

  An agreement was reached for today.  I would ride along in the little red pickup to the blue barn acre and help refill our gallon pump sprayer with the correct amount of water to the correct amount of Roundup.  

  The areas around some of the trees has a fair amount of volunteer weeds.  There is only so close Dennis can get with a mower for now.   Much needs to be picked up such as pieces of broken off limbs from Brett’s skid loader work.

  Dennis sharpened the lopper yesterday and we were able to take off a lot of spindly new growth from the trees.  Each bit of work does us good and improves the look of the acre from the road.  Anything we cut down is laid in a direction that we can pull it to the larger pile towards the back of the acre easily.

  Now in early afternoon, I can either read or stitch.  The light from the windows aids either one.  I will say, “My Spot” is sweet.  I now have the green project bag completed with the lime green zipper.  The setup allows for my stitching tools to be close at hand near the wooden book holder from decades ago that was sent to the trash when I worked at the courthouse.  It fills my use to the max as I can no longer hold a book to read with my hands.  The cherry red chair has great support for either of my wishes.  The sweet little green metal chair has a coffee cup close at hand.  It came out of Kevin’s shop years ago with the stipulation, that I would enjoy it “as is” with the dents and chips.  Absolutely.  Megan and Nicholas always enjoyed pulling it up to the table when they stayed with us.

  Enjoy this sweet day as the Lord has made.