Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 7:02 pm on November 4, 2018 Permalink  

  Today has felt like a very long day. I have not heard anything from Michael’s family at the hospital since this mid-afternoon. Dennis and I have both been at the spot that Michael’s family is now. Hurry and wait. Wait and pace.

  I found myself keeping busy in the sewing studio. I didn’t even find myself frustrated when I had to throw in the towel of a “what if” that didn’t work out. Dennis was cleaning up some older pieces of metal and glass, making multiple trips up and down the basement steps and then out to the garage and back inside again. Denis and I know how painful the waiting game is . . . what a moment of hope can feel like . . . when a finger of fear creeps in. Letting go . . . let God. It’s easier said than done. The day is ending but the night can seem long.

   
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  Noreen 5:58 pm on November 3, 2018 Permalink  

  Not doing well this evening. I checked in with my kids and know they are o.k. Michael needs all my attention right now with prayer. His family is with him. God speed his recovery. I know he has more to do here with us.

   
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  Noreen 3:20 pm on November 2, 2018 Permalink  

  When this ole hen gets rousted off the roosts before six a.m. it is rare . . . and I have decided I don’t like it. I don’t always get to do what I want when I want it, so that calls for sucking it up and literally putting on my big girl bloomers. I hate driving for several hours in tight clothing . . . just saying.

  There is a portion of the world that is looking forward to going hunting for Bambi tomorrow. My sewing machine technician in Bird Island did have a full slate and I was penciled in at 9:00 a.m., take it or leave it. With daylight saving time starting this weekend, I knew that this was my best option of having my sewing machine serviced as sleet, rain and snow was forecast in the week coming. I would either drive in the dark this morning or perhaps be driving in the dark next week with less than good roads in the late afternoon. For this one time getting up early obviously didn’t hurt me.

  Visiting with Amanda and hubby Kelly is a treat while he works on the sewing machine. I always come away with several good tidbits of using the machine to the fullest. I think it will be a long time before I have crafted all the options available.

  I surprised Kevin when I hit his shop at 11:00 a.m. and I was already on my way home. We had a great visit and getting home a little after 12 Noon felt good having hit the targets that were set for the day. Dennis had kept the home fires going and being greeted by the four footed occupants of the patio porch was a plus. Who doesn’t like to be missed when you are gone for a portion of the day?

  The sewing machine is back in the sewing studio, plugged in awaiting some stitching for perhaps tomorrow. It was noted on the repair slip that the needle has stitched 315 hours to date. I have met the list of dish towels that Dennis wanted for his daughters and granddaughters for their gathering the day after Thanksgiving. They are stacked, wrapped and bagged. I am already working on a few other creative projects that I have had on my to-do list. That list will also need to be worked into the washing of windows in our home. Sunshine is wonderful. When looking through dust- and corn chaff-laden dirty windows, sunshine feels like a punishment.

  It is a treat to have leftover hotdish for supper.

   
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  Noreen 2:53 pm on November 1, 2018 Permalink  

  In the fall of the year, my thoughts go to good apples, bright red leaves from the Northern Red Oak and . . . finding dust bunnies. Yesterday I cracked the glass bubble and found dust inside. Once cracked it cannot be ignored. With my Swiffer duster, Pledge and Windex in hand I followed the south wall of the living room. High and low, all was fair game.

  When I stood straight up and gave the back a break, I looked out into the kitchen. Who was that man? He needed to identify himself! It was Dennis! He was at the kitchen sink washing up some of the glassware and had a film of cleaner on a piece of metal that needed a polish.

  This fall he has been busy and on the go seeing things that needed some TLC nonstop.

  Late yesterday afternoon we did head back outside. It was too nice to bypass any last minute projects. I wanted to use the electric tiller one last time to dig out the north side of the sidewalk giving a bit of a trench for next spring snow thaws that drain towards the sidewalk and will wash over the sidewalk a little too close to the north wall of the patio porch. Dennis pulled batteries off of the Cub L0-Boy and the Sears mower as he keeps them in the garage over winter. Yup . . . he is one of very few fellows who enjoys his garage never getting colder than 40 degrees during the winter.

  We headed in and Dennis headed right down to the cistern closet that is our pantry. When he came up, he had: Alfredo sauce, a can of corn, two cans of chicken and a bag of Penne Pasta. He was going to make a hot dish for supper. I pitched in wherever he would allow. Sure enough after a busy day we had a delicious meal. Best part is that the leftovers tonight will be as good as the original.

  Dennis is feeling healthy good this fall. It is amazing! After lunch I decided to do a bit more of the cleaning thing and Dennis was off to take some of his magazines out to the VA clinic for their waiting room. Dennis has a subscription that deals with issues of the Korean conflict: then and now.

  As I tackled the last project of cleaning for the day, Mom came to mind. Every Saturday when we cleaned the farm home, Mom made us take an old knife and scrape off the bottom of the legs of the kitchen chairs before the floor was scrubbed. Shoes were not taken off as Dad and the boys and anyone else came in the house. The floor took the brunt of whatever may have been on the bottom of the shoes. The bottom of the kitchen chairs legs collected a bit of this and a bit of that. My project this afternoon was to clean the rollers off of the three chairs that we use in our dining room. Yup . . . there was stuff on them. I dedicated a piece of the Heavy Duty Scotch-Brite for the job. Tipping the chairs on their sides and taking one roller at a time, scrub a dubbed what had been collected and rolled over.

  We have had another great day here on Stauffer Avenue. One bit of Mom’s advice had always been, “Idle hands are the work of the devil.” Enough said.

   
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  Noreen 4:26 pm on October 31, 2018 Permalink  

  My Parenting Skills 

  I feel I am in a time warp when I observe Dennis’ granddaughters’ approach to their infant children.  It’s not a bad thing, it’s just so foreign to me.  There was a post on Facebook yesterday that got stuck in my brain and sprang to the forefront this morning.  The post was photos of taking an 8 month and a three year old to the Mavericks hockey game.  I cannot fathom what the noise level would be for tiny ears.  I cannot imagine the physical level of energy around the wee ones.  Yes, it’s wonderful that they do events as a family, but how do the little ones come down from the over stimulation?  I have seen these granddaughters taking their small children out in kayaks, riding on three-wheelers.  Hmm.   It’s all good . . . as I don’t have to take part in the fallout of kids being exhausted beyond being reasonable, not acknowledging when the snacking is done and it’s time for a sit down meal.   

  Now, in my day . . . Orlin and I were about setting schedules for Carrie and Kevin that would set a timetable in their minds for rest, for meal times and such that would carry them through from infancy and going forward.  Perhaps pretty fuddy-duddy.  What did we know!  All I can say is we tried our best.  Maybe times have changes and I was standing behind the door when it happened.  

  So . . . what might you say brought on this train of thought this morning.  I have no idea.  I was busy cleaning the dirtiest corner of our house this morning when all this “over thinking” flooded in.  The corner that needed some serious cleaning was where the cold air returns are in the corner of our living room.  It is the corner where my home office resides along with my HP notebook.  We have had the fan on within the central air unit of the home. A home full of air, lint and household dust has traveled through this part of the living room leaving some tell tale signs of an active home.  Maybe I am as much of a fuddy-duddy about cleaning as I was with my parenting skills.

  All I am sure of is this: my babies needed quiet and rest so that interacting in the world could be done on as fair of a playing field as possible.  Oh my gosh, to have some of those wonderful quiet days back again when a blanket on the green lush grass of a fall day opened up a wealth of experiences for my wee ones, all the while having the family dog adding to the day while the kids shared their crackers with it.

   
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  Noreen 4:19 pm on October 30, 2018 Permalink  

  As Promised 

  We promised ourselves a quiet day and today began with us two older ones sleeping until 8:30. In the fog of sleep I heard the garbage man, the side dump semis, the gravel trucks and I cared not one iota.  The coffee pot was full of hot coffee awaiting us.  When I looked out the bathroom window, Snuggles was looking back at me through the slider window of the patio porch.  On the outside of the slider window of the patio porch was Honey Bunny who missed curfew last night and cooled her heels outside for the night.

  I picked through some items for the epileptic drive that will be coming through town tomorrow.  I have some items for kitchen use as well as some clothing items.  Those items are then transferred to the Saver’s stores that are in various towns for the veterans to shop from with little or no resources needed.  

  I think Dennis and I will need some time to wind down and realize that there may be many days where we do not have a job jar pulsing, waiting to be emptied.  I am hoping for some warmer days after the farmers are finished with their harvest and thus the pink corn chaff will be gone.  Dennis has several coffee groups to frequent and I have my sewing studio that always has something for me to poke at.  

  My next “what if” is a piece of woven fabric that looks and feels like cork.  It has the slick finish on the cork side and the woven aspect is on the back side.  Will my Cricut cut it with the heavier blade?  How will it be to machine embroidery on?  It’s always fun to see what can come from being curious.

   
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  Noreen 3:28 pm on October 29, 2018 Permalink  

  How many leaves can 100 year old Maple and Oak trees drop after hard frosts? Enough to keep Dennis and me busy for five hours. I had raked some yesterday. Today Dennis was on board with the Sears riding mower to mulch. We have twenty feet of Hostas under the lilacs that are under said Maple and Oak trees. Those packed leaves needed to be raked out and over the back patio into the path of Dennis and his mower. We got it done. Whatever there may be for leaves that have a thing about hanging onto mom’s limbs, they have our permission to fall at will.

  We were dirty so we felt we might as well take care of the Koi. They are now in the horse tank in the car garage with the bubbler going. It is amazing how difficult they are to net. All of the filters and pumps have been washed in Dawn dishwashing liquid and are drying before being stored for the winter. Dennis is now taking it easy in his rocking chair in the patio porch watching the sump pump empty the Koi pond onto the backyard.

  I am currently busy screwing up chili. It’s bad enough that 2lbs of 85% ground beef was $8.14, without my hand putting in too much salt. We now have chunks of raw potato floating with the hope of absorbing some of the salt. I have bought packages of chili seasoning to add to ground beef. Within those packages is white rice which is also a good component to soak up salt. We will have some unique chili for supper. I can also tell you that it will be eaten as there is no way this will be thrown out. Dennis is a good sport. In days of old a very strong dose of salt water was given to stave off worms within the frontier children.

  There is never a dull moment here on Stauffer Avenue and we wouldn’t want it any other way. When I am very weary I either sleep deeply or I can’t get to sleep. It doesn’t matter as I am hoping for a slow quiet day tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 4:09 pm on October 28, 2018 Permalink  

  It’s “Hang on to your bloomers Day.” The north wind means business just not enough to take away the good feelings of sunshine.

  I have been keeping an eye out on our backyard that has been tilled and seeded. Today was the day to go and take a peek. It did surprise me how deep the Oak and Maple leaves were on the new area. There definitely was a layer that was quite sodden. That layer if left till spring always reminds me of the manure that was in the calf pens of our barn. Layer by layer it had built up. That did bring to mind about snow mold in the spring of the year. As I ventured onto the area, the soil was soft but not sinking soft. As I brushed away the layers of leaves, just as had been predicted, there were fine needle like green sprouts springing forth. There will be some level of success next spring.

  With a wide rake I did swipe off a heavy layer of wet leaves. A bit of fresh air surely couldn’t hurt. As I looked up I knew that there would be a fresh layer of leaves yet to come from the Oak and Maple trees. The north wind took the leaves to an older established portion of the backyard that Dennis will be able to mulch with the mowers.

  With Dennis being gone this weekend there was one small perk. Grammie got to eat her meals how she wanted to and when. Priceless. Structure is generally attained at Stauffer Avenue on a regular basis. This weekend was mine . . . all mine. I favor a sliced sandwich meat container that comes in a trifecta . . . turkey, ham and roast beef. I felt it was quite a bit of sandwich cold cuts so I had shared some of it. This weekend my main meals were cold turkey, lettuce and mayo sandwiches on rye bread. Yum, yum.

  About sunset the ole cowboy will be returning home and most likely his voice will be hoarse from the non stop talking. I also know that he may very well be wore out as this is the first trade show he has taken in since the recovery of the carotid surgeries. Prior to those surgeries he would not have stood a chance of leaving home for the weekend. Dennis has a medical appointment at nine in the morning and I will be sure to set his alarm for that. Nothing promotes deep long sleep than being between your own flannel sheets. Life on Stauffer . . . can’t be beat.

   
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  Noreen 5:08 pm on October 27, 2018 Permalink  

  Yesterday late in the afternoon I did go and get my flue shot. I will admit today I feel a bit like the helium balloon that is less full of air as it should be. With the thick fog this morning it was a will of wits to get going for the day. With Dennis being gone I am getting the tasks completed with the livestock: a pond of Koi that needs leaves scooped off of the surface of the water and a herd of four cats.

  I did wander into the sewing studio. Yesterday at the Dollar General I bought several three ring binders. Today was a good day to get printed stitching tutorials organized.

  Dennis called this evening from the trade show in Mitchell. All is well with him and I assured him I was following through on this end. If the sun shines tomorrow all will fall back into the normal pace for me.

   
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  Noreen 5:27 pm on October 26, 2018 Permalink  

  Yesterday afternoon as I was walking in the door, Dennis almost didn’t let me get my jacket off. He had a letter in his hand and his look was serious. It was from Minnesota Revenue. Yup . . . those letters are usually serious. We were being notified that we had not filed a 2015 Minnesota Income Tax return. Ya right! As someone, while I had been working, could have had their Minnesota Assessor’s License revoke for such a non-action, there is no way I would allow such a misstep as this to happen to Dennis and me. I assured Dennis I would get on it in the morning.

  This morning I helped Dennis get packed up for a gun show at Mitchell, South Dakota. After the exhaust fumes had left the driveway, I headed for the paper trail of our tax returns. With the 2015 tax info on the dining room table, I went online to see what my options were. I settled on several telephone numbers. It was a good thing I had plenty of breakfast coffee left as I was on hold for some time.

  I answered quite a few questions before we got to the nitty-gritty. There was an exact time dollar amount showing up in our records that is pending with no tax return attached to it. I also had a printed out copy of a computer generated “Pay MN Tax” receipt of the amount needed. It had the last four numbers of the credit card on it as well as the date, March 21, 2016, which would have been the date I electronically filled our returns. Monday morning I will mail copies of all of our info and see what shakes out. In between time, in the mean time, I called our credit card and got a rep on the phone. Our credit card has switched from a Visa to a MasterCard since that time. For the whopping amount of $5.00 I will receive a copy of the credit card statement for that time frame. Time will tell what shakes out. If in fact the amount was charged on the credit card at that time, it will work to our benefit if they want to add on a late charge.

  Ya know . . . I wonder how some of our fellow senior citizens work through issues such as these. As luck would have it, 40 plus years of working with records and numbers has taught me to take fairly good care of our business. What would have been perfect is if I had saved in a folder the emails that are sent out after electronically filling that stated something to the effect that “Your Minnesota Tax Return for 2015 has been successfully been accepted.” You can be sure that next year I will have it nailed down. Ironically it takes about three years before situations that happened in the world of income tax in 2015 to hit the fan. I did not know that. I will also make sure to keep better notes on the copies of future income tax returns. Will I be hearing from the federal . . . I am not going to sweat it. Time will tell.