Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from Noreen Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Noreen 4:30 pm on November 28, 2018 Permalink  

  Snow Removal Time 

  Today was my choice of days to run errands.  Sure enough there was white falling from the sky.  It didn’t really qualify as snowflakes.  It was a very wet sleet that still managed to coat the cement.  Just enough mess to track in.  It didn’t take long, Dennis had the electric leaf blower out taking off the majority of the new.  Unfortunately I had to pick up a prescription for Dennis earlier and had driven the snow down to become a snow pack.   

  

  Yup . . . there is Dennis in his PJs and his garage slippers putting in his time for local effort. Gotta love the ole cowboy.

  Before heading out to the bank and grocery store, I asked Dennis if there was anything that he had to add to the list that I had in my hand.  Dennis had not one thing to add.  Now that is contentment. My goal was to try several different types of apples to bring home.  I have gotten spoiled by the Minnesota grown apples that we got at the apple barn on the way to Mankato.  They closed two days before Thanksgiving.  My first choice is to purchase fruit that is already pared.  Late this fall I opted to having an apple or two on hand each day.  Less cost and just as good for me.  

  Why are Dennis and I so content with not a single need or want to be had?  Our pantry is full of many choices for meals.  Clothing: when you are retired it is optional.  Not so much the wearing of it as the choices that may fill the bill from day to day.  It is not unusual for Dennis, the ole cowboy, to stay in his PJs all day to only change into clean ones for bed time.  Basically it doesn’t matter.  I generally enjoy a cup or two of coffee in my robe and then I have to get clothes on.  Nothing is more annoying than having too much robe fabric that can get in the way when I want to reach for something and end up pulling something over . . . only to make a mess to clean up.  Before I headed to the store there was no needs-analysis warranted. 

  I am still in limbo in the sewing studio.  When Megan finished her large project I did take the sewing machine down to the nubbins for cleaning and oiling, complete with a new needle.  A soft brush can catch a lot of fuzz.  I have several patterns lying on the table but am lacking that burst of “let’s get this going.”  I am waiting for some hardware items from Amazon to try something new.  Time will tell!  I will tell you that hardware may be purchased, fabric will not be purchased.  I have a need to buckle down and use what I have and become creative with it.  It is my personal challenge and I will have fun seeing what I can come up with.  Well . . . then . . . truth to tell, when Kersten’s mom handed off the Singer Serger, there was a second box that included yardage of various amounts and patterns.  Now this next ditty that I am about to share is that the fabric is much like when someone wants to loose weight.  If you share your target goal, it is harder to not stay the course.  I am sharing with you that I will use the fabric I have within our home and enjoy ending with some great finished projects.  So . . . be . . . it!

   
• 

  Noreen 4:19 pm on November 27, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Lorraine ( 6 )   

  I am not one to be on the phone other than acknowledging appointments . . . or if I recognize the number of a family member. The computerized calls are awful. They don’t honor holidays or Sundays. We do not answer them. Thankfully, someone who does need to get ahold of us will leave a message. If I hear a message beginning, I will pick up the phone and thank them for being patient in me getting to the phone.

  Last night the phone rang and it was a number both Dennis and I know. It was aunt Lorraine in Arizona. She was having a very bad day. Due to eye problems that cannot be corrected with lenses, she had to give up her driving that day. Lorraine is 87 and comes to see us every summer and stays for several days. She has been able to use a car of one of the kids to motor around Minnesota. That was until last year when neither of her kids offered a car and Dennis and I didn’t question it. We picked up Lorraine at Chris’ and delivered her to Mark after our visit. Lorraine’s son, Mark, lives in Hastings. Daughter Chris lives in Lakefield. We visited for almost an hour last night and it gave her a chance to vent and share. What more could I do than give her positive support. No one likes change.

  I have no doubt this will be a challenge for Lorraine. Who wouldn’t want to remain mobile at will. It wasn’t Lorraine who finally made the decision. That made it hurt a bit more.

  Dennis and I talked about when Mom gave up driving. One day out of the blue, she told us that her car was going out to Michael’s for them to use and that was that. She was living in an apartment house in Hutchinson at the time. She had realized many of her friends in Park Apartments used the city transport. There was no moving the car when it snowed and all she needed was to step out the front door and she could continue doing errands. I believe Mom was 88 or 89 when she let the car keys go. Come to think of it, that is exactly the same way Mom decided to move off of the farm and take that apartment in Hutchinson. We all came for a Mother’s Day and she made her announcement. She perhaps knew in her heart what her limit was with what had been usual and customary all of her life. She was a trooper.

  I admit I don’t drive as much as I used to when I was working or when Megan and Nicholas were small and I would travel to the metro to help out when needed. It’s one thing to only drive once in a while compared to not being able to drive that “once in a while.” Actually, tomorrow is my “once in a while” to do some banking and grocery shopping here in town.  Snow is forecast and I hope to be ahead of it.  I don’t drive at night. My depth perception is not good. Car lights, reflective road signs all have a halo around them and it is quite difficult to remain focused. If I can’t get my crap together and get it done in daylight, it must not be very important. In the recent past, Dennis has even commented that if we go somewhere, he would like to be home before it gets dark. For us older ones . . . smart move. Yup, we continue to get smart to protect what we have for a wonderful life right here on Stauffer Avenue.

   
• 

  Noreen 4:48 pm on November 26, 2018 Permalink  

  Grammie Pulled It Off 

  What’s not to like about a day to take challenges on: toe to toe, eye to eye.  In regard to the serger (previous posts) that was given to me, it was left last night as a re-do on the threading.  I pulled out all four spools of tread and started over while the YouTube video was loading: “A Man and His Serger.”  All was stepping right along until the video referred to a small hook for the upper loopers.  There was no small hook to be seen.  Dennis came down: watched the video, looked at the serger sitting on the table . . . no small hook.  It was time to get out the LED flashlight.  Dennis with his tiny eye spied a small hole.  It took a very small sewing needle poked into it to realize that it was the target for the thread.  Dennis exited: stage right.

  I decided a cup of coffee would be needed.  Thread is soft.  Thread is limp.  Thread that needs to span a space of 1.5 inches to be threaded into a small hole is NOT going to be completed on the first try.  I trimmed the thread.  I wetted the thread.  I cursed the thread.  Actually . . . I think that did it.  That one important step was what allowed the scissor action to work for the overlocking of threads.  I think someone in solitary confinement devised this little machine.  After the threading process we felt pretty smart about ourselves.  It was when I turned the next page in the written manual and also pushed the “play” button on the video that the rest of the story was revealed . . . the tension settings.  Dennis wished me good luck and declared he was going out to have coffee with his friends at the apartment building.  He knew what was good for him.  Tension of an ordinary sewing machine can be difficult.  Setting tension for four different spools of thread could bring anguish and the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

  Fast forward: It is now time for the sun to be setting and the serger and I are one.  It is working perfectly.  It was worth all the deep sighs, heavy breathing and cussing under my breath . . . and some out load.  It will take its rightful place in the sewing studio and be on hand for working with whatever any day may bring.  Priceless.  Megan, I am hear to tell you I also have reached success at tenacity.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:18 pm on November 25, 2018 Permalink  

  My Turn at Tenacity 

  Thanksgiving Day when Kersten and Kevin arrived, Kersten brought my sewing studio an addition.  Her mom, Nancy, and I had visited and Nancy was ready to hand off a Singer Ultralock Serger, that was not being used at her home or her mother’s home.  

  Yesterday I took it out of the box and Dennis was right there with small brushes, soft cloths, etc. to give the machine a once over on the outside and taking a look under the hood.  A can of air was also requested.  I got busy and downloaded an owner’s manual for it.  It is a 1987 Singer Ultralock #14U34.  I read the while Dennis cleaned.  I was then ready to see what I could do.  Four spools of thread at one time with two needles seemed daunting.  One step at a time.  One try at a time in the threading.  It truly was a challenge using every bit of my tenacity.  When I shut off the lights last night in the sewing studio, it was threaded and I left it at that.

  

  There is the little beast complete with a sample that is not correct. The machine is perfect for sewing seams of knits, putting rolled hems on light weight fabric and best of all Kevin . . . putting new knit cuffs on favorite jackets . . . when it is threaded correctly.

  This morning, I plugged it in and putting my hand on the electric foot pedal, I took it for a spin.  Ironically it spit out a sample.  It stitched and cut off the far right edge of the fabric.  There are two knives within the workings of the machine.  The sample did not look 100%.  Today I have surfed YouTube on various types of similar units.  Late this afternoon I happened upon “A Man and His Singer Serger.”  The twenty four minute video was with the exact same machine as I had sitting in my sewing studio.  Hells bells.  I do not have it threaded correctly.  All four threads are coming off of the spools going into the top of the machine incorrectly.  Of the four threads going into the belly of the machine, only three are correct.  It is amazing that I could even have a sample to take the photo with.  Tomorrow I will pull all the threads out and begin anew.  You know I will have this same video on the Dell computer in the sewing studio and pause and play, pause and play until we are one.

  This fellow that made the video has been sewing for just a year.  He found his little Singer in a trash bin and began working with it complete with purchasing a few parts. His main love is making his own caps.  All the pie shaped pieces that take the cap from the brim to the top are using his serger.  He claims it will be one item that will serve anyone well once they take the time to get it threaded correctly.  Ya, you bettcha! I even found a second video that he has put out labeled as “an update.”  Sweet.

  I think I did match Megan with tenacity today, but unlike her, I have yet to score success.  Tomorrow is another day.

   
• 

  Noreen 6:44 pm on November 24, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Megan ( 9 )   

  Tenacity 

  I believe tenacity goes hand in hand with logic and vision.  It most likely comes to some of us in an entire package.  I have it.  I saw it in Kevin this fall when we stopped in at Fairfax and were given a demo on the full sized hoist he and Kersten had been working on installing in their residential garage so they can work on and service their vehicles.  It worked slick as a whistle complete with the paint job and newly applied logo.

  

  68″ x 88″ is quite a lot to feed through the machine for the quilting process. She worked through various ways of doing it. Hmm. I have done the exact same thing on large projects. What a Megster.

  I saw tenacity in Granddaughter Megan when she spent the better part of the pre-Thanksgiving days with us.  Megan was determined that the fabric she had brought with was going to go home with her as a finished project Thanksgiving night.  For me, putting together a twin sized quilted project can kick my behind, let alone getting it done from Tuesday evening when she hit St. James to Wednesday evening.   She welcomed breaks and I made sure to keep her hydrated and fed.  When I offered to help out with the quilting grid of 4″ x 4″, she said “Thanks Grammie, I’ve got it.”  We had time to joke with each other and talk about some serious day-to-day issues.  Somewhere in this sewing retreat we even managed a visit to the Old Alley Quilt Shop to pick up several additional projects to put in the hopper the next time she comes to visit.  Megan and I didn’t get to bed until 1:00 on Thursday morning.  We needed showers, food and downtime.  Megan showed true tenacity. 

  Dennis enjoyed seeing her leave the Thanksgiving dining table, quietly putting on her jacket and head for the patio porch.  Dennis made sure it was warm enough that she could take off her winter coat and get comfortable with the cats.  Megan spending quiet time told me that she felt the relief of the completed task and also felt the pressure that she had put herself to see the task at end to completion.  With her being two hours away and the winter season just beginning to buck, she wasn’t going to take a chance of not getting this surprise Christmas present for Nicholas home with her.  Megan has true grit.  

  Having had quality time with Megan and seeing how this soon to be 15 year old handled herself, it made me proud.  Proud isn’t enough, I am thrilled that this teenager liked hanging out with us on Stauffer Avenue.  I have picked up from other grandparents that their teenage grandchildren have no time for them. 

  With this sewing retreat experience how could I not be enthused in whatever I tackle in this season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  When I have an idea of what I want to do, it’s a matter of having everything on hand before I start.  There is nothing worse than a UFO . . . unfinished objects.  I have my orders in at Amazon for a few special items.  I could run my legs off in various stores seeking and searching.  Now I can watch for the mailman.   Hurry and wait.  The most difficult aspect for me.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:37 pm on November 23, 2018 Permalink  

  Oh my oh my, these two older folks on Stauffer Avenue need to rest and regroup this weekend. Yesterday we hosted Thanksgiving for eight plus two puppies for my children. Just a fantastic day of laughter, giggling and being together. Dennis was happy as the food was hot when he had his plate filled with his favorite goodies. Nailed that!

  Today we traveled to Mankato. Dennis’ daughter Sandy hosted the Curry gathering. Within the mix: a railroad worker who is home every three weeks, a county worker from north of Duluth, a nurse, two military people, etc. It was a total of 28 from the age of 82 to 14 months. The decibel level of noise was at times horrific. As winter can bring predictable weather, it was also their gathering as a total family for Thanks-Christmas.

  I found myself loosing a month of days for stitching that I wanted to do for the daughters and granddaughters. The hint had been given to me that they all enjoyed the old fashioned feed sack dishtowels. The six of them were not disappointed.

  When Megan was here for her sewing retreat, her and I talked about being brave and trying to sew a purse that would have good utility. I have seen them at craft shows. With a downloaded pattern complete with a companion video, I was getting a good vib.

  As long as Dennis and I were traveling to Mankato, I suggested we leave a little early and stop at JoAnn Fabric for some of the metal clasps and buckles that the pattern indicated. What was I thinking? The first clue was that there were no shopping carts available. Immediately as I walked in the checkout line caught my eye as it was halfway down the store with various looks on those who had carts in front of them. I saw three tills going. As I walked down the main aisle to where the sewing notions were, I couldn’t help but see the line of shopping carts, some with more bolts of fabric than others lined up at the cutting tables. It finally clicked. Some men got in line with a cart to pull a number that would be called for the fabric to be cut. The men got in line with their cart while the women were cruising the aisles and kept adding to their stashes in the cart that they intended to have cut and purchased. These couples had taken part in Black Friday lollapalooza sales before. That line soon became so congested that they were lining up two wide.

  When Dennis saw me coming out of the store empty handed I could see he had his hands palm side up over the steering wheel as if to say “What . . . they didn’t have anything you needed?” There is no way we would have made it to the family gathering if they had planned on eating at midnight. Amazon and I will be having some intimate time later tonight. I do give some credit for hanging tough. Having to go through what I saw in JoAnn Fabric would totally take the fun out of the sale prices.

  I am home loving the fact that Dennis and I hit all the marks for taking in the family time that we had, having a thankful Thanksgiving.

   
• 

  Noreen 9:05 pm on November 22, 2018 Permalink  

  Being thankful doesn’t begin to describe the serenity and security that having family close can bring. I want more and pray that I will be blessed with it.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:55 pm on November 21, 2018 Permalink  

  It is multi-tasking here on Stauffer Ave on Thanksgiving Eve. The Bernina has been humming via Megan. It is going well, even knowing that the Bernina can poke a hole through the metal of a safety pin. That did take a new needle. The old part of the needle is still in the safety pin and will remain there as Megan wants to keep it as a reminder to watch as you stitch.

  Two pies are cooling and I am heading up out of the sewing studio to get my carrot dish put together for tomorrow. Dennis chopped the carrots for me which was a huge help to my hands.

  I will tell you that Megan and I did take a trip to the Old Alley Quilt Shop this noon. She has heard me speak of it often and she needed a quilting fix. How could you not when you are surrounded by dozens and dozens of finished show and tell projects and bolts of fabric by the hundreds.

  I need to fix us all some supper and see how the rest of the prep work goes.

   
• 

  Noreen 3:17 pm on November 20, 2018 Permalink  

  Dennis is feeling quite proud as he had successfully implanted a brick in my pants for the entire day of Monday.

  We have had such a great run of getting everything done this summer and fall. Neither one of us can do it on our own . . . but together the outside work was whacked and stacked. No branch left lying or piles of soggy leaves left to mold.

  We moved right into the housework. It was a “We” all the way. Dennis recalls a comment I made many years ago: “I don’t ask for much . . . but I deserve to have a clean home.” Thus the ole cowboy steps up, steps into the world of dust bunnies. With a forced air furnace there are always going to be dust bunnies.

  Dennis was busy this fall working with getting his newly acquired 1968 Cub Lo-Boy spruced up and I spent a fair amount of time in the sewing studio. Now it was time to pay the piper.

  The piper has been paid, Dennis’ hands are soft from the Murphy Wood Soap wipes and on the last day of the cleaning frenzy I reached too far. I reached too high and the right shoulder literally pulled me up short. We checked out the range of mobility and knew that the hardware of the shoulder replacement was OK.  There were muscles and tendons that were pissed. Sunday night was ice pack night as I watched the Toy Story 3 movie. Heat brings more blood to the owee and causes more pressure. Ice takes away some of the blood supply and the pressure. Sunday night was hard to find a good spot to sleep on. Making sure I had crackers with the Aleve Gel Caps, Monday my buns were in my favorite chair with more ice packs watching television. Dennis made one of his notorious pasta hotdishes for supper. I slept well last night.

  This morning the shoulder was back in good stead and Dennis can take his brick and . . . ! The experience drove home that from the neck down I have great mobility. From the neck up . . . not so much. The mandated downtime was needed. Dennis’ loving care was needed and appreciated. What works for one, works for both. Today is Tuesday and there really was nothing that needed much tending for Thanksgiving Day. It’s all good here on Stauffer Avenue. I most likely needed a slap of reality . . . AND it has nothing to do with age.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:04 pm on November 19, 2018 Permalink  

  We started out the morning at an early pace . . . at least I did. A dishtowel swiped across the coffee pot settings last night after supper had me up at six rather than at seven. I had the alarm set but it is a habit of hearing the coffee pot that sets the mindset.

  Dennis grabbed a cup of coffee and went to the patio porch to check on the kids. All four were in for curfew last night. The night before Harriet missed curfew and when Dennis went out with his coffee cup Sunday morning, she was sitting right by the back door of the house. She didn’t miss a step as Dennis said she headed for the food bowl.

  As Dennis was getting ready for the VA Clinic appointment this morning, he was telling me about the doves that were in the Maple tree as it was getting daylight. Apparently it was a huge amount that flew in and sat on the branches watching him through the glass sliders. They weren’t in any hurry and more kept coming. Dennis equated it as all the past family members came to welcome him to this new day. Obviously Dennis feels comfort from doves.

  Dennis had a good checkup at the VA Clinic and was off running a few errands afterward. My day was planned to be quiet as tomorrow at this time Megan will be settling in for a weekend of sewing. By the way, we will be squeezing in baking for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, getting the Thanksgiving meal on the table hot and tasty sometime on Thursday. Oh . . . I can’t forget the elfing that will also be going on. Fun times. I wouldn’t want to miss a minute of it. I can have many more quiet days after the weekend and relish all the memories.