Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 4:34 pm on July 24, 2019 Permalink  

  Very Sweet Day 

  The temperature outside today made it feel super sweet.  I decided to make it a bit sweeter by trying something I had never done in my 75 years.  It was time to try to make a batch of tapioca pudding for our dessert this evening.  It was quite labor intensive for me . . . a lot of stirring to keep the whole milk from scorching.  We had not had anything but 2% milk in the house for years.  After two steps of adding a boiling mixture to beaten eggs slowly so the eggs would not curdle, it seemed to be all about the stirring, stirring, stirring.  Dennis sampled after it had cooled and deemed it good.

  We have purchased a prepared container of tapioca pudding at the grocery store but it was runny and very white.  It obviously isn’t prepared with eggs due to the expiration issue.

  While I was in the kitchen being busy, Dennis was out and working with his Harbor Freight wheels.  Our hose carriage is now sporting white walls.  Two of the older inner tube wheels hit the garbage.  The remaining two wheels seemed to have some redeeming life left in them and have been stored in the garage.

  All in all Stauffer Avenue has had a good day.

   
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  Noreen 4:16 pm on July 23, 2019 Permalink  

  The Aftermath of Storms 

  The chainsaws are still buzzing around town from Saturday’s storm.  The compost site has been open every day allowing people to do the cleanup.  Again, I say, we are so blessed that we could take care of it on our own.  The neighbor to the northeast of us has a licensed crew working on his property.  That counts up when there are multiple pieces of equipment being used.

  Today, Dennis and I bid farewell to the decal portion of the tractor project.  Wouldn’t you know it!  There was one full decal for the dash of the tractor.  I could tell that this decal has laid on the patio porch table for several weeks now.  It was apparently not being put in a box and stored.  Suck it up Grammie.  Try and get it done.  No way was the dash going to be disassembled on the 51-year-old Cub Lo-Boy.  No less than six screws, three knobs, the steering wheel and several plugs that had never been drilled out.  Yuck-a-doddle! The original surface was nicked up aluminium and had the finish of cross hatching when the tractor was new.  In other words . . . it was not a smooth surface.

  The dash decal is not my finest work.  Slash this . . . slash that . . . trim out for screws . . . try not to cry.  There was only one ole cowboy that needed to be happy . . . and he is. 

  Hear comes the rest of the story.  “Maybe in half inch white letters on the front where there is a panel right before the mechanics we could put in small letters “Cub Lo-Boy and have them angle like they are cut out of the steel panel?”  What is this “we” stuff?  I told Dennis I would take it under advisement for another day.  Gotta love the guy. 

  The Dennis project might get done sooner than later as in times past, there is a hover that I detect when I am concentrating in my sewing studio.  Might as well squelch the “what if” and get it done before I let it brew into a storm in my own mind.

   
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  Noreen 4:46 pm on July 22, 2019 Permalink  

  I Ran Away From Home 

  This date on the calendar was highly anticipated. There is a varied group of us that meet at Baker’s Square in Mankato once a month to share stitching tales and sometimes woes.

  I do not believe that if I stitch with my fuzz and thread until I can no longer have the strength to turn the sewing machine on, I will not have learned it all. Fresh ideas and tips and tricks . . . what is not to like.  The best part is that Baker’s Square doesn’t mind us lingering on our Noon lunch.  At three this afternoon we bid each other farewell until next month.

  When I got home Dennis had the two-wheel trailer heaped with limbs and branches from the Saturday storm.  In the far back of the acre a fifteen foot tree top was snapped off of one of the evergreens.  Needless to say the new electric chainsaw came in handy.  I changed clothes just in time to ride out to the compost site and help him unload.  Dennis feels good to have everything tidy, tidy . . . tidy.  On that note, Dennis has become quite the homeowner over the years.  Nothing gets left sitting out.  Nothing gets piled up behind a garage.  It’s a good thing.

  The weather today renewed my belief that summer need not be like living in a cast iron fry pan inches above the corn cob fire.

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink  

  A Day Out and About 

  Have the ole cowboy walk for a mile and he might need resuscitation.  Put the ole cowboy on a motorized cart in Mills Fleet, he can ace each and every isle. 

  Our date for the day was a trip to Mankato.  The net that Dennis has used to clean the leaves out of Koi pond and to move the Koi finally gave out.   Boy . . . nothing lasts anymore.  It was only fifteen years old.  It would almost be a sure bet that a pet store that sells pond equipment would also sell nets . . . not!

  When we decided to visit Mills Fleet in Mankato and Dennis got the motorized cart going, all I saw was his dust.  Dennis had never been into the Mills Fleet.  He was on a mission.  Every once in a while I would see him off in the distance as he crossed from one isle to another.  

  Did we find a net?  Oh my gosh!  The sporting goods department had a huge variety in all sizes and all colors.  By the time we met up at the checkout counter, in his cart was . . . 30 lbs of Meow Mix, light weight clumpable cat litter, cat treats, 9 volt batteries, a bag of salted pecans and a tub of cashews.  Oh yes, the green fish net was the last item out.  Dennis had literally been like an ole cowboy in a candy factory.  Surprisingly, there was no candy in the cart.  Good man, Dennis.  Dennis had tooled enough of the isles that he will be a return customer.

  Harbor Freight was the next stop.  Several weeks ago when we had made our maiden voyage to Harbor Freight and picked up some lawn chairs and an electric chain saw, there had been something that had piqued Dennis’ interest that he had kept in the back of the mind.  Our carriage for the garden hoses has four inner-tube tires that are always in need of pumping up.  Dennis had spied hard rubber tires to swap out on the carriage. He has a project to look forward to.

  I would say all in all we had a good day being out and about.  Dennis’ daughter, Sandy, lives in Mankato and we even got to spend a bit of time with her.  She had worker bees over at her home working on eve trough covers.  We did not get in the way and bid her goodbye after an hour or so visit. 

  Stay tuned for what the older ones on Stauffer Avenue come up with next.

   
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  Noreen 3:50 pm on July 20, 2019 Permalink  

  What a Rain 

  I do believe the 3.5 inches of rain we have had today will last us for some time.  It began raining at six this morning and as the morning went on it got darker and darker.  Dennis weathered the thunderstorm in the patio porch.  

  We were very fortunate.  Many leaf tips cover the acre, but nothing more serious.  We did take a drive around town this afternoon and there are quite a few chainsaws going.

  I can’t imagine how the fairgrounds fared with the high winds from the north.  What I thought was interesting as we made our whip around town and came by the area of the fairgrounds, there was nothing higher than the roofs of the steel clad buildings.  No mid-way rides that shone bright above those roofs.  It is the sign of the times as the companies of those mid-ways need to bring in quite a bit of money.  No doubt they review previous years before signing up. 

  Tomorrow is Sunday.  Dennis announced at the three o’clock coffee break that we were going to take a drive tomorrow.  I agreed.  There is no set destination, just a “get out of Dodge” kind of day.

   
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  Noreen 2:44 pm on July 19, 2019 Permalink  

  My Day 

  This forenoon was my second appointment with the chiropractor in Madelia.  I had no negitives to report from the effects of my first visit.  The positive was that the pressure at the base of my skull was less as well as the headaches had lessened.  Scott does not do deep message on my neck.  With the arthritis that has nestled in, any other adjustment could be harmful.  He uses an Activator.  Now . . . I had to Google this after the first treatment, as you may well need to also.  It was invented by a doctor from Redwood Falls, Minnesota.  At the source of a hard marble like knob of muscle and tissue in the back of the neck, the shoulders and the top portion of the spine, the Activator releases a thump that I can only compare to as what it would feel like if someone shot a cork gun off next to your skin with  definite pressure behind it.  I am not complaining as I have and do feel some relief going forward.  Appointments will follow, and yes . . . my insurance covers it.  Time will tell.

  I had to made a trip to the grocery store when I returned to St. James.  There were many, many small items missing out of our pantry and refrigerator.  The house suffers from using the oven in this heat, so a cold salad needed to be made.  Carrie and Kevin grew up on the ring pasta that after being prepared is pared with small diced celery, small diced onion, small green peas,  and 1 can of Spam diced in small chunks.  Mayonnaise stirred in until it is to your liking, adding pepper to taste.  The Spam adds enough salt to the dish.  Each box of the ring pasta is four cups and I always use a half of a box for my mixture.

  If Carrie and Kevin didn’t live so far away and so far apart and . . .  it were not really a good idea for me to be on the highways in this heat, I would deliver some to each of them.  It is a refreshing change out for a supper.  

  No . . . I do not know how warm it is outside.  I choose to believe that this too shall pass.

   
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  Noreen 3:52 pm on July 18, 2019 Permalink  

  The Terrarium 

  These last days have felt as if a terrarium has captured us and slammed the lid shut.  I know the heat and humidity will pass.  I also know that my Mama didn’t raise no fool.  It’s a matter of doing what must be done in a way that takes the least amount of exposure to the sun.  In this type of weather no one is racing through their day without plenty of hydration.  On most days I drink half of my weight in water.  Days such as we have had . . . the red Solo cup is catching hell oftener.

  Every year during the fair, there is a tractorcade that leaves the fairgrounds at eight in the morning, drives to LaSalle, eight miles out, and then back to have lunch at Olson Diesel on highway 169, about three miles out of town.  Dennis went and put gas in his Cub Lo-Boy.  I didn’t ask, I didn’t comment.  This afternoon when he and I had our coffee break, he had decided not to take part.  I was very relieved.  There are some things, no matter how good the intentions are, that should not be taken part of.  This is the type of weather where it is stressed to keep an eye on children and the elderly.  If it were a forecast of comfortable weather . . . it would be a different story.

  I got Dennis involved today surfing the web.  Success.  Dennis found a site that had the center hub of the steering wheel for his Cub Lo-Boy.  It had the correct model number and we have an order coming.  There were more sites that he was looking at for a fender mounted radio, but eventually the eyes and the mouse finger was weary.  All in all it was a good afternoon.

   
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  Noreen 4:26 pm on July 17, 2019 Permalink  

  A Bit About Me 

  It seems we have storm warnings every day.  It did rain yesterday after the noon hour.  Who Knew!  When Dennis came home from afternoon coffee with his buds . . . he checked . . . I agreed . . . the grass was dry and we needed to get the immediate backyard and the front yard mowed.   The remaining had been done the day before. 

  Straw hat and gloves, I was ready.  I do bag the front yard.  Dennis empties the bag for me and he restarts the push mower. 

  I am determined to get my neck and the top of my shoulders back in a better working order.  I had a CAT scan last week.  I had asked our family doctor if I could have an appointment with the physical therapy department for some adjustments.  Dr. Eatwell suggested something else.  I took his advice.  The next day I drove over to Madelia with the results of the CAT scan and saw a chiropractor.  I felt a bit disloyal as I have seen the fellow here in St. James off and on for decades.  Yup, a second opinion is a good thing.

  The first day it was a meet and greet as my history and the CAT scan were new to him.  From the CAT scan it was quite evident to our family doctor and the Madelia doctor that the C-6 and C-7 vertebrae have fused themselves via arthritis.  It is not in my best interest to ever have someone work on me in the guise of hard manual adjustments.  I went back this last Monday for my first real visit. 

  I came home Monday from Madelia and for the first time in a very long I felt less pressure on the back of my head and over my right ear.  This situation has been lingering for some time, and yes, I caused it myself by working my shoulders during the winter.  I am going back this Friday.  Time will tell.  Today is Wednesday and the relief I felt on Monday is remaining.  It is not a quick fix, but Madelia is only 15 miles away.  I can do this.  I have the time to invest in my health.  I sure as hell have been through a lot worse than this.

   
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  Noreen 12:46 pm on July 16, 2019 Permalink  

  I Need a Favor 

  When I hear Dennis come into the sewing studio and out comes “I need a favor”  I have learned that I had best allow him to know that I will . . . if I can.  Generally he scores 100%.

  The mower for the Cub has been in the process of being painted in the garage on the east end of the acre.  I have not gotten involved as I didn’t want him to think it was no longer his project.

  Today the favor meant that out of the cabinets in the cistern closet, the Cricut cutting dynamo needed to see the light of the sewing studio.  Dennis needed a decal for his mower.  There had been a name plate on it at one time, but it was so degraded that the information was barely visible.  Dennis knew just what he wanted as the end result.  I invited him to stay for the process.  It was a matter of “hand me this . . . I can’t reach the ceiling electrical outlet . . . pick out the white exterior scraps of vinyl.”  I wasn’t doing it to do for any other reason other than to let Dennis know what it takes for a “favor.”  The end result was that Dennis had not realized how much time it takes to get a project set up before seeing any results.

  We did a few test cuts before Dennis decided what size the letters needed to be and what font would look best.  It pretty much took the better part of the forenoon.  

  Dennis has done a great job on the Cub tractor and the mower.  The final detail was the mower decal.  Once I had it measured out, wiped down and had put pressure on each of the outlines of the letters, it was no more than fitting then to let Dennis pull the protective paper off for the reveal.

  Oh for the glory that there would always be a project in the works for Dennis that had captured his energy and ambition the way that the Cub L0-Boy tractor has.  Time will tell.  Taking it one day at a time is the best alternative.

   
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  Noreen 4:02 pm on July 15, 2019 Permalink  

  It Told Me Something 

  No matter what you think your schedule holds for you . . . it may be subject to change.  Our weekend was meant to be quiet on Stauffer Avenue and wait out the heat.

  Thursday morning Dennis got a phone call from grandson Ryan.  His pickup wasn’t getting out of the shop as quickly as they had promised.  Ryan was due to leave for Silver Bay Thursday after work to pick up his daughter Addison.  Addison had been visiting Dennis’ daughter since the day school let out in St. James.  Hmm.  Dennis being separated from the little red pickup . . . he stepped up and agreed, Ryan could use the pickup and spend the weekend with family. 

  Dennis still had the Ford Galaxie convertible to get out of the back garage and do his tooling around town.  Ole cowboys need to have that freedom of checking out the favorite places . . . and Dennis does it well.  

  Thursday night we had just bid Ryan a safe trip with the little red pickup when Dennis’ cell phone rang.  Son, Kenny, who trucks out of Arizona had gotten a load to Rochester, MN.  He would be at our home Friday morning for the weekend . . . could he use a vehicle to visit old friends.  Dennis knew he wouldn’t let the Lincoln MKX out of the garage with not knowing where it would be going, so the convertible was the choice.  

  The garages looked forsaken.  Even the three cats roamed around wondering if we were moving.  

  I could tell by Friday evening that there was something about Dennis.  Dennis is usually ready for conversation about what the RFD channel had on or something that reminded him of his farming days.  Dennis was getting quiet.  By Saturday I finally ask him if he would head up to the grocery store for me and pick up some milk and bread.  Did I need it?  No.  Driving the MKX was just not Dennis’ idea of tooling around town with it.  Dennis did run the errand and he was gone for a bit but in the garage the car went.  It didn’t come out of the garage all day Sunday.

  Sunday evening supper didn’t appeal to Dennis, he thought he might have the flu as he felt blah.  I knew where the blahs had come from.  His routine . . . his schedules . . . his vehicles were not where they were supposed to be and accessible for him.  I really felt helpless and bad for Dennis.  It was before 10 o’clock when Dennis went to bed.  He wasn’t feeling too perky.

  I am a light sleeper and at 6:15 this morning.  There was noise outside in the driveway.  First the convertible pulled in and right behind it was the little red pickup.  Brett collected the drivers and off they went back to Brett’s.  Dennis vehicles had all collected at nephew Brett’s late Sunday night and Brett had grilled out for all the fellows. 

  When Dennis got up at 7:30 he couldn’t help but see the driveway as it is right next to the bedroom window.   Oh my gosh!  No time for his usual plaid PJs that he wears out to the patio porch to start the day.  Dennis was dressed with his work shoes on . . .  and he was moving.  I know he barely had put his coffee cup on the table in the patio porch and spent no time at all getting the pickup garage door open and in went that little red pickup.  With the garage door opener he had the garage in the east portion of the acre open ready to receive the convertible.  There was one happy cowboy.

  There is a moral to this story.  We all want to help.  We all want to give.  We want to feel good about the helping and giving.  Dennis gave until it hurt.   As God is my witness, Dennis has and had no clue as to what had brought on his doldrums.  His life had been different for the weekend and it had had an affect on him.  This told me that we are so vulnerable when our beloved life and surroundings change.  I sure was happy to see the ole Dennis back and I did not fault him for mowing a portion of the acre in this heat.  He was feeling good and ready to tackle the day.