Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 5:17 pm on May 31, 2018 Permalink  

  Though rare, I do hit Minnesota State Highway 60 solo from time to time. A group of us that do machine embroidery met at one of the quilt shops in Mankato to share tips on stitching, materials and projects. YouTube videos are wonderful, but you can’t beat open conversations. The group is of various ages using various brands of sewing machines to accomplish the end result. For the most part I am self-taught. Several of the gals have traveled as far as Seattle for workshops. I continue to take part in these gatherings as at a unique moment a grand tip can be picked up. My end game remains the same . . . I am having fun doing it.

  While I was in Mankato, Dennis finished up the mowing that we got rained out on last night. We started the mowing late yesterday to give the grass a chance to dry out. We had agreed that a late supper would be the plan. When the clouds began dumping rain, we had supper right on target. That rain tipped us over three inches within the week. The week went quickly and as usual the weekend will be taken as it comes.

   
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  Noreen 4:56 pm on May 30, 2018 Permalink  

  Supper time on a Wednesday and again the skies are dark with droplets of rain. We had 1.85 inches last night with winds that meant business. Monday night there was damage west of us. Last night a barn went down south of us. We have been so fortunate.

  When I came home from my walk this morning, I had missed the action in our yard. Snuggles had been acting strange and when Dennis investigated, there was a huge opossum waddling away from our yard and heading to our neighbors yard north of us. By the time Dennis had gotten his gun, the possum was not to be found. They are so nasty. I am happy Snuggles had not tangled with it. It would have meant a trip to the VET ER.

  I think we have had our share of rain and heat. It does make me wonder what June will bring.

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on May 29, 2018 Permalink  

  I had bugged off of walking the last several days but this morning I had my walking shoes on and ready to go . . . I just didn’t go as far as I usually would. By the time I got home I had soaked through the waist band on my jeans. . . and beyond. Another high 90s day and the dew point and humidity are also high. I was already past comfortable so I decided to clear off the patio of Oak blossoms, airplane seeds from the maple and small sticks from the wind storm that blew through at supper time last night. We were fortunate as there were buildings that went down about eight miles to the southwest of us. I finished up by doing some vacuuming in the patio porch. Local effort . . . completed.

  I admit it . . . I got real and spent some time in the basement where it is cooler and I have a small fan . . . in my underwear to totally cool down. I sweat like Dad did. Not to worry, I had the house doors locked. After an hour, I was ready to wash up and tidy up to go with Dennis to his doctor appointment here in town. Dennis is in the process of going off of some of his meds that he has been on for some time. The opioid prescription is no longer. There is one other that was at 3,200 mg per day and today he is at 1,200. The carotid surgeries have been successful in fewer meds. Priceless. It is still a work in progress.

  Noon had us back at home and all errands taken care of. We currently are in a storm watch. It has been raining quite hard and for all practical purposes it should help the lawn fertilizer that we just put down. The granules for the ants also likes the rain for effect. Heat, humidity, dew point, rain . . . we take it in stride and I get stitching done when it’s not a good idea to push my luck outside. It’s a win, win.

   
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  Noreen 4:13 pm on May 28, 2018 Permalink  

  This is Us 

  

  Yes indeed . . . this is us! It doesn’t matter how hot it is outside. It doesn’t matter about the physical challenges that God puts in our paths. We believe in each other. We challenge each other, we laugh at each other and more importantly . . . ourselves. Each evening we thank the Lord for the day we have had, even if that evening meal is a bowl of oatmeal as we are not interested in fussing, and pray that we may be given another day and to do better with it than the one before. We know life is not easy. We never claimed it would be. We do know that working together, loving together, laughing together makes the bitterest of events doable. It allows us to be there for our children and our children’s families. We are never far away. Yes . . . this is what “Us” is.

   
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  Noreen 4:38 pm on May 27, 2018 Permalink  

  To acknowledge the temperature today . . . not nice. Today we were asked to Paynesville for a noon picnic. Great nephew Justin was home on leave from the Marines and his family wanted a family get together as it may be some time before he will be home again. My brother, Michael and his wife Joann, and Dennis and I stood in as grandparents for the day as well as the fact that Justin’s dad could not make it. It was a good thing of family support. Michael is a Vietnam veteran and Dennis is a Korean veteran. It was good sharing support from two veterans as Justin travels on in his aviation training. In time to come he and a team would be airborne traveling to wherever they were needed to keep other airborne aircraft abled.

  Was this what Dennis and I would do on a day when we would be welcomed back into our hometown late afternoon with the bank’s flashing temperature at 101? Usually not. What can I say? We do what the heart leads us to and are thankful to be safe at home after a great day.

   
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  Noreen 4:20 pm on May 26, 2018 Permalink  

  Out of the literally blue sky last night we went from blue to purple. At supper time we commented that those north of use would most likely be getting some rain and or storms. Not a half hour later, Dennis was putting down the umbrella and batting down the hatches in the patio porch. The wind whipped the heavy rain in every direction. Every side of the house had lilac and crab tree petals stuck to the siding when all was said and done.

  I was hoping the rain would have cracked the heat that was forecast for today . . . not. I blew off the patio this morning, picked up tree branches and righted the patio chairs. After a storm, no matter how long lasting, I am always thankful there was nothing severe in damage to our home.

  We had forenoon company when Dennis’ niece and her husband from Morris stopped in. It’s always a good thing to catch up with family. When Jean and her husband left, Dennis decided to check his eyelids for cracks and I headed down into the sewing studio.

  Jean is three years younger than I am. She was just recovering from having cataracts done on both eyes. Her vision is still recovering. Jean also made mention of meds to control the shaking in her arm and neck, also known as onset of Parkinson’s disease. Needless to say I said a prayer of thanks for my health as I whiled away the hot afternoon in the sewing studio. Dennis says I am too mean and too suborn to get the chronic stuff. Lord, oh Lord, I hope he is correct. Personally, I think perseverance is a more apt for what I practice than Dennis’ terminology. Tee Hee!

   
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  Noreen 2:49 pm on May 25, 2018 Permalink  

  The Good and The Less Than Good 

  Surprisingly our phone rang at 6:30 this morning.  It took both of us a time to come out of deep slumber.  When we reached the phone it had already gone to messaging and their wasn’t a message left.  What to do but get up and stay up.  It was a good thing for me.  I went for the earliest walk ever.  It was already at 70 degrees with humidity and dewpoint both in the 60s.  I donned my straw hat and a long sleeve shirt.  I don’t need anymore exposer to the sun.  Other than seeing a whole new run of traffic it was a good thing to do it early.

  With the higher heat, Dennis needed to put water in the Koi pond to combat the evaporation before he left for his appointment at the VA Clinic here in town.  The monthly checkup is a good thing.  By 9:30 we were both on the patio having coffee and checking out the traffic going past our home.  There were chainsaws going off to the south and our neighbor to the south, Bob, was mowing his lawn. 

  Bob is a trucker and has only two to three days at home to get things tidy.  In the recent past Bob has acquired a dog.  Peaches was a tiny little thing, only six weeks old, labeled as a Beagle when Bob got her from someone giving puppies away at a truck stop.  Fast forward . . . Peaches is huge and has the look of a pit bull mixed with mutt already 70 lbs. or more.  The less than good to our day is that Bob doesn’t hesitate to beat Peaches when she does what Bob doesn’t think she should do.  Peaches is still a puppy and loves to do puppy things.  This morning was the second time that I have called across the alley and let Bob know how I felt about beating the dog.  It hits me in a place that I really can’t explain . . . Oh yes I can . . . it’s not humane.  If you don’t have the patience to train a dog, you don’t deserve to have a dog.  I am sure Peaches is company in the truck with Bob.  Bob commented back to me that Peaches comes right back to him after a beating.  HELLO!  What choice does a dog that is tethered have?  Perhaps one day when Peaches is full grown she may retaliate against the beatings and the 150 lb. bully posturing as a pet owner won’t stand a chance.  I have lost all respect for Bob, though we have been neighbors for over 20 years.  I don’t need that in my life and I can’t change what is happening across the alley.  Turning him in is an alternative, but it may also mean retaliation to our home sometime to come from him.  It’s no win and I need to let it go.  

  Working hard to put the good back in the day, I checked out some blooms that will have their work cut out for them to remain beautiful with the hot winds. Gardening is satisfying and the short-lived blossoms are part and parcel to it.  The antics of the cats under the lilacs lifted my spirits as well as how tender Dennis is to those four critters.  Priceless. The afternoon has been spent in the sewing studio.  Being in my element has made me feel happy and good.

   
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  Noreen 5:35 pm on May 24, 2018 Permalink  

  Twelve noon is my limit for being outside when it is as humid as it was today. I had ordered some towels for embroidery and they came on Monday. As I loaded a recipe to stitch out on one of the towels for Peppermint Bark I was banking on the cold weather recipe to help with the mindset of today’s level of outside comfort.

  With the embroidering well on its way, I pulled out my ever faithful Filter Queen vacuum. I do try to keep the threads and fuzz under control in the sewing studio. When I notice bits of thread in various colors on the living room floor I know where the shoes drug them up from. It seemed today was time to touch all corners. As we have no carpeting in our home, the Filter Queen has a permanent home in the sewing studio. The main floor of our home is serviced by the Swiffer mop.

  Unfortunately I am hearing on the six o’clock news there may be bad weather to the north of us. Extreme heat brings warnings to be heeded. Time to send up a few petitions for safety for all.

   
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  Noreen 3:15 pm on May 23, 2018 Permalink  

  Proof of Spring 

  

  Color is popping up and there is no way that there is only one color or shade of green. After a workout yesterday . . . my body told me this morning that I would be better off passing on the two mile walk. My hips felt loose in their sockets. By the time I had vacuumed the patio porch, blew off the patio from the night’s rain and had several cups of coffee . . . I felt better. During the night there was thunder and lightning and I hope the last of the tree seeds have fallen that had covered the patio this morning. If the humidity and heat is as predicted, I will take it one day at a time for the walking. Last year on a hot humid day, I had overdone it. I called Dennis’ daughter Sandy to stop on her way home from the clinic. No . . . it wasn’t my heart, it was dehydration to the max. I have spoke of it in the past and it bears repeating . . . I do need to slow down a bit and give myself permission to take a day off once in a while. Hey . . . my sewing studio is the perfect place to take the heat and humidity while still making a contribution to the day the Lord has given me.

   
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  Noreen 4:19 pm on May 22, 2018 Permalink  

  Fantastic day of taking care of the acre. It started out with a whole lot of wet grass. After a good noon lunch of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup, I headed out to do the trimming and Dennis took a short nap. Using the rider goes oh so much better if I have the trimming done around trees, utility poles and gardens.

  After Dennis had mowed an area to the east he commented on all the ant hills that have shown up. I dug out a product that we had in the garage cabinets for just such critters. The powder is meant be carried by the ants into their secluded haunts. When I walked the area spreading the goodies I know I will be going out to Fleet and Farm and picking up another bag. There are a whole bunch of areas that need treatment. Several years ago we lost a huge area of nice grass before we got right down and personal for a close peek.

  We have a great gas leaf blower that has a lot of power to tidy up the sidewalk, patio and driveway. One bad thing . . . you can also pull your arm off getting it started. I resorted to the old electric Black and Decker leaf blower. It’s easier for me to work with electric cords than having an arm that feels less than good.

  The afternoon flew. Dennis and I finished our tasks in tandem. Here we are and it’s supper time. Crispy chicken tities and waffles. Sounds good to me.