Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:58 pm on May 7, 2019 Permalink  

  Dennis is on the Road 

  

  Dennis worked the barter system and today he headed out on the road. Kevin handed off several snow removal machines that he had no use of. We have a nice snowblower that Kevin gave us quite a few years ago. Snow that is deeper than that snowblower can handle is the clear indication that we have next door Randy handle the snow with his long green line. Dennis and his Cub Cadet headed out north about ten miles. The barter system involves that the mower will be taken off of the Cadet with new blades to be installed. The country fellow, Charlie, will take the snow removal items in the trailer. I am awaiting a phone call to go and pick up Dennis. Charlie will have time to work on the mower blades. The next time I take Dennis out to Charlie’s the mower will be in the trailer and Dennis will drive the Cadet home with the mower off. Dennis wants time this summer to really clean his 50-year-old Cadet and perhaps do some painting. This useful two-wheel trailer came from Kevin. It was a trailer that came specifically fitted for a fiberglass boat that came with it. Dennis found a new home for the boat and reworked the trailer for our residential use by putting a study steel floor onto it. There have been plans to make new side boards . . . sometime. In the past Dennis had scored a piece of cedar wood paneling that’s 12′ x 6′. Need I say more. Dennis is always ready for a good challenge with bartering to finish up the project. It’s all about the challenge for my sweet ole cowboy.

   
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  Noreen 5:15 pm on May 6, 2019 Permalink  

  Delivered 

  

  Spring themed bag ready to travel at will.

  Yesterday Carrie and Megan came for a visit.  Carrie loved her Mother’s Day gift.  I felt success in completing this project, and knowing it is going to be enjoyed makes me ready for the next project that comes.

  Today I went to Mankato for a noon luncheon.  There are three of us that are retired and now have the time to stitch at will.  Embroidery stitching is what we share the most experiences of.  It isn’t about the quantity that we get excited about. The excitement in sharing comes with what each of us has done that has challenged us.  I look forward to seeing Sharon and Anitia next month.  Today we met at Panera and next month we will try out Baker’s Square.  Both places allow for long, long luncheons in the quiet of the back areas.  Finding friends that share one’s passion is not always that easy.  I feel very fortunate to have these two gals in my world.

   
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  Noreen 6:01 pm on May 5, 2019 Permalink  

  A Lazy Day 

  The yards were mowed and the patio porch was ready to receive whatever or whoever would drop by, so today, it was a lazy day.  It was a bit too cool to sit outside.  So . . . the second choice was to put something on the television that didn’t require a lot of concentration.  Sitting in my favorite chair with my feet up I took a few naps.  I could vaguely hear Dennis come and go from the house, but the noise resumed.  It isn’t often that I just collapse.  Truth to be told, this cold has lingered for a week and the naps may help.  There’s a new week coming and I will be ready for what comes.

   
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  Noreen 4:58 pm on May 4, 2019 Permalink  

  What? More Rain Overnight! 

  Sure enough, there was another 2/10ths in the gauge this morning.  Dennis was tickled that he had mowed yesterday.  Dennis was very tempted to wander over to the new sewn area of the backyard.  When Kevin tilled there were some perennial Allium bulbs that got scattered.  The Allium is from the family of onions.  Their stalks can grow as high as four feet tall with a globe of tiny blossoms.  They are used in dried flower arrangements.  I can tell you Dennis steered clear of the newly sewn area and we will need to be patient if the Allium do indeed come into bloom.  I can share that the older the bulbs get they are not quite so enthused to bloom, much like some varieties of tulips.

  This was the day that the patio porch did get all the windows washed.  There were kitty nose prints on the inside too numerous to count.  On the outside were a few deer nose prints.  As we look out the bathroom window, we will now be able to see through the slider doors to make sure the water pump is operational in the Kio pond.  When the windows are clean there is no enjoyment greater than taking in the back part of the acre.  

  To top it off, what good are clean windows if the rest of the porch’s items haven’t been given a kiss with the dust Swiffer and also the vacuum on the carpet.  Shortly after the vacuum was hung up Dennis made a big deal of crossing the patio towards the alley.  Shoulders slumped and partly dragging his jacket on the patio. His feather filled black jacket was heading for the garbage.  It had suffered several holes from cigarettes.  I know the cats like to sit on Dennis’ lap and every once in awhile a claw would catch just right.  Something sharp had caught the left hand sleeve and it had been adorned with silver duct tape for most of this last late winter.  Early next fall we have to keep an eye out in Sam’s Club for a replacement.  They usually have an assortment for $19.99.  I myself will be looking for one as they slip on so easily over any type of long sleeve shirt. 

  We toddled off to the Home Town Cafe.  They have the best soup and any type of sandwich to go with it.  We are calling it a day.

   
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  Noreen 5:12 pm on May 3, 2019 Permalink  

  Stauffer Team 

  The day had no schedule.  Early on, I knew that the home needed some TLC.  There is just that moment when your vision is extremely clear and . . . you see it all!  Dennis went about getting gas for the lawn mowing that we hoped to get in today.  We were going to get it all done today.

  I had all this angst energy and it couldn’t stay pent up.  I know just where it stemmed from.  Yesterday I attended Doreen’s funeral and I took Judy with me.  The three of us had spent years together in courthouse work and in our private lives.  The funeral was appropriate.  I couldn’t grieve in saying goodbye to Doreen as I know how much she had suffered the last several years with the cancer.

  The angst energy came from my day with Judy.  Judy is blind from Macular Degeneration.  Judy has had two small strokes in the recent years.  Her energy is be savored.  I can only imagine how much energy it takes to navigate the days when every step is uncertain, even within one’s own home.  When I got to Judy’s home, her husband had already left to have coffee with his friends in town.  Judy was ready and waiting for me.  How could her husband not have given her a once over before he left to make sure that the clothing she had put on was clean of food spills.  How could her husband not have made sure her hair was combed and set with a bit of hair spray.  Judy was going out to spend the day with others that we had shared our work careers with.  There would be countless of our working peers there all to remember Doreen’s life.  Judy deserved to be ready and waiting in the best step forward her husband could have afforded her.  

  Judy couldn’t stand for long during the church service and she fell asleep in the one hour drive to her home.  It was foreign to me to partially disassemble her walker that has a seat attached to it, but  I got it in and out of the trunk when needed.  As we were on the last step of their patio to enter the home with Judy and the walker, Judy’s husband opened the door and the first thing he said was “Are we out of club crackers?  I’m hungry and haven’t had my noon lunch.” Hmm.

  I would have stayed with Judy longer after we returned to her home, but I could not bring myself to spend anymore time with her husband.  I have to acknowledge to myself that Judy is a vulnerable adult in her own home with a husband that is capable of much, but not honoring the life of his wife in her failing health.  I have known Judy’s children since they have been toddlers.  All five are now parents and even grandparents, some living very close by.  You can bet your bottom dollar, I will share my concern with Judy’s daughter in a very caring visit.  The family may be assuming things that are not to the mom’s best interest. 

  On a lighter, brighter note, we did get the yards mowed today.  It looks so sharp outside.  My angst is gone, my spirits are good, and Dennis and I enjoyed some patio time after the Stauffer team was finished with the hard portion of the day.  It did alleviate my angst by sharing with Dennis as he knows Judy and her husband.  When Dennis went with me to conferences and took in spouse activities, Dennis was far, far away from Judy’s husband.  As I headed into the house to make supper, I took note of the Fairfax Tulips that are coming into their own.  There are more buds popping out and should give a good showing for some time.

   
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  Noreen 3:43 pm on May 2, 2019 Permalink  

  The Sun is Still There 

  Finally, the sun is out and shinning brightly this afternoon.  It has been a long time coming.  Even if the air is still cool, the sun can talk us into feeling spring.

  I attended the funeral of a close friend today.  I chose to pick up a companion that also shared a friendship with our friend, Doreen.  No matter how long we see and know that someone is suffering from cancer, we really are never prepared for the final goodbye.  Oh for the sweet memories.  

  Memories of those who I have said goodbye to are a huge part of my “today.”  How can I put off for tomorrow realizing that this day may be my goodbye.  I am not speaking of the the piddly little things within my household such as pushing the Swifter one more time over the floor or putting out the recycling.  I am referring to reaching out to those that I can and allow them to know that it felt really good to bid them with a cherry hello across a shopping aisle.  Letting my family know that when I close a telephone conversation with a “I love you” is what makes me feel good.  How I am perceived by those self-same people is not a concern to me.  I am doing and being what allows me to know I am reaching out.  Sounds hard, but it’s a “take it or leave it” type of thing for me.

  I don’t hold back my feelings or thoughts.  I have seen way too much of that.  The cloud of guilt that could follow after words cannot be heard, words that cannot be spoken.  No . . .  I am not out at the curb each day advocating but I will take the opportunity when it allows it.  I have taken my “goodbyes” from funerals such as today to allow a bit of Gods grace to dwell within me and make each of my days better . . . how can they not with the sun shinning.

   
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  Noreen 1:40 pm on May 1, 2019 Permalink  

  Then There Was Two 

  In 1988 there were three county assessors that retired, opening up the doors to those who had worked within their respective offices.  Doreen Pherson was appointed the Nicollet County Assessor, Judy Friesen was appointed the Brown County Assessor, and I was appointed the Watonwan County Assessor.

  Over the decades the three of us became good friends in and out of the work environment.  When there were conferences, our fellows came with and they became friends, taking in what was the “spouse program.”  It may have been tours in the various areas of the state or boat outings.  They joined in for the evening events and banquets.

  

  On this trek in 2004, we turned ourselves over to the students at a cosmetology center and they did us up to the nines. Judy on the left, Doreen in the middle and myself.

  On long weekends, us gals would get together and help the other with our gardens by making the rounds to various greenhouses and such.  It may not always have been plants or it may have been finding garden art.  I have one very heavy concrete goose that graces my front flower garden that we scored at a site near Rochester.  How Doreen and I got that into her van is still a wonder each spring when Dennis takes it out of the potting shed.  On 9/11 the three of us were in Waseca at a nursery looking at Hostas.  Kevin had called and was looking for us.  Judy and I introduced Doreen to quilting, but that didn’t take.  Her favorite pass time was putting her families favorite recipes together.  Each year, we would meet for an evening meal at one of our homes.  I remember well the night the two couples came to St. James.  I had just had both my knees replaced and both couples pulled up on their motorcycles with supper in tow.  

  I retired in February of 2009.  Judy retired in 2005.  Doreen was the youngest of us three and she worked until the spring of 2017.  That summer we didn’t get together, as retirees need time to acclimate to a new way of working through life at home and with family.  In the fall of 2017 the three of us got together at Judy’s home for lunch.  By that time Judy’s Macular Degeneration had taken most of her site, and she was navigating with a cane in her home.  Doreen told us at that time that two months after she had retired she had been diagnosed with cancer and would be beginning treatment.  We still celebrated being together and decided to go into Madelia and enjoy the Mexican restaurant.  It was a good day of sharing and catching up with what our grandchildren were doing.  

  This last year, Doreen’s life was all about spending time with family.  Tomorrow I will pick up Judy and her ever-near white cane, and we will travel to Doreen’s funeral in St. Peter.  Now, I thank my God for the life that I have today.  All three of us had our foot on the starting line at the same time.  We enjoyed the journey and challenges as they came on the job.  We created a bond that went beyond the W-2 form job.  How fortunate for me to have all these wonderful memories.  I do not take them for granted.  

   
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  Noreen 3:51 pm on April 30, 2019 Permalink  

  Reflection 

  

  Last Days of April in 2018 we were enthused for perennials to show.

  

  April 30th of 2019 we are waiting for grass.

  When I click on these photos to enlarge them, I reflect on the decision to have the large square garden tilled up in the fall of 2018. I am still happy about it.  Each year we fought with ground that was flooded about the time the plants were thriving.  Each year, I would wear myself out keeping the weeds at bay.  Each year plants need to be relocated that were getting too aggressive.  This year I am going to be content to watch the tiny spears of grass appear from the seeds that Dennis and I put down last fall and this early spring.  As those spears head out, the carpet of green will become more lush.  We still have plenty of area to work our whiles on.  Hosta may come up.  Hosta may not make it over the winter.  Whatever happens, I know I am going to be content with what I have to tend.  That has been a huge part of being who I am at this stage in my life.  I am content with what I have.

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on April 29, 2019 Permalink  

  Sunday Was a Real Day of Rest 

  The spring cold had really taken me down hard.  It percolated Wednesday and by Thursday evening I was a goner.  Stuffy head, not tracking well, aches and pains completed the downfall of this senior citizen.  Dennis could not believe the fact that when I sat down on Sunday, I would be sound asleep, sitting straight up.  Sitting straight up was easier sleeping than trying to lay down and continue breathing.  Today is Monday and I still am not firing on all burners.  It does not help matters that the outside wind feels raw and cold. It takes time.  

  All things got off on a good start today.  I set my alarm to get Dennis up for his VA appointment.  I sipped a cup of Theraflu 15 minutes before heading out the door for a chiropractor appointment. The hot toddy kept the wheezing and coughing at bay for my 15 minutes of treatment.  The Mediacom people were here this afternoon and Grammie got a refresher 101 on the remote for Dennis’ basement TV that had stopped working.  A Monday seemed to be coming off without a hitch.  Dang things.

  Dennis has been bopping around like a bunny.  He is really feeling good this spring.  His VA checkup this morning attested to the fact that he is right on track.  I feel there is a funny side to his feelings of wellness that I am going to share.  I may be under the weather and feeling very weary, but the instigation of a meal for Dennis . . . that never crossed Dennis’ mind that he might do the instigating.  When I heard “What are you thinking about supper?” I knew that it meant what are you planning on fixing for supper.  Bless his heart.  It is sometimes easier to get it done.  While I am in the kitchen making a meal I might just as well sort some laundry, push a few buttons and keep the laundry basket tidy.  I think sleeping in this morning would have felt good once I did get to sleep last night, but Dennis doesn’t hear the alarm.  In the end I am sure moving around and keeping the blood pumping is bound to assist in the recovery of said malady.  It was good for Lena, it must be good for me.

   
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  Noreen 2:49 pm on April 27, 2019 Permalink  

  Flakes that Couldn’t Cut It 

  I heard the rain during the early dark hours.  When I got up at seven, there were huge white flakes coming down.  The air was too warm and they never made it past being a whisper on the ground.  To say that 37 degrees felt cold this morning would be an understatement.  What a fluctuation of weather this spring.  Last week we had a half inch of rain on the day I traveled to Hutchinson.  Earlier this week Dennis dumped out another half inch of rain.  As of now the rain gauge has one and one tenth inch from today.  What the heavy wet ten inches of snow represented in moisture in the first week of April, I do not know.  I do know that we are soaked.  So be it!

  It has been very humbling for me getting this spring season head cold.  Misery to the max.  It’s amazing what my petite Riebe nose can hold.  The cheap facial tissues are not cutting it for durability.  Drinking lots of water.    

  I mentioned yesterday I would be spending some quiet time in our west house porch today.  The parade of garbage trucks for the city wide cleanup is ongoing.  After the rain, I can only imagine how heavy the sodden mattresses are as well as the stuffed pieces of furniture.  City owned pickups pulling long trailers have made trip after trip with the appliances, I think the auto salvage yard was taking them, though I am not sure.  

  I can offer this . . . the worn out storm door that Kevin took off of our home last Sunday was gone from the side of our garage on Wednesday.  Dennis’ beloved weed-whip plus attachments was gone before the end of yesterday.  Wow . . . our junk was desirable.

  I think soup will be the offering for this evening’s supper.  Hot soup always make one feel better.