Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from Noreen Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Noreen 5:47 pm on July 26, 2018 Permalink  

  I was sure the cool temps this morning plus a brisk breeze would allow me to go out to the backyard and pull some weeds. I had my garden shoes on and in no time I had mud clumped to them. Our backyard may take a whole bunch of time to dry out. As long as my shoes were already muddy I stayed the course regardless of the mosquitoes. I did have about 10 minutes before some little bugger sounded the alarm for the attack. My arms and neck have ridges.

  Late forenoon I came in and tidied up for a trip to Mankato. Three months ago via Facebook, I took notice of a group of machine embroiderers that were getting together to share and vent. I have enjoyed getting together with kindred spirits . . . all for the love of stitches. Machine embroidery can be enjoyed by anyone . . . all that is required is patience. I have only been working at this for two and a half years. I still have so much more to learn. Being curious to find ways to accomplish what is the ultimate end result is very rewarding. Trying to put a time frame on a project . . . that is so not happening. For some of my larger projects, I couldn’t even give you an estimate of the hours that it represents.

  Yesterday I had caught a television show that was having a discussion on Alzheimer situations. It also mentioned dementia as many of the symptoms are similar. At the point where individuals may be brought in for a diagnoses, one of the first items that the medical teams take note of is the speech of the individuals. Often times those who are afflicted have narrowed the choice of words that are used in their conversations or the number of words in a sentence become less and less. Well, my kids . . . I don’t think you need to be concerned at this time. I am still quite wordy. Priceless.

   
• 

  Noreen 11:52 am on July 25, 2018 Permalink  

  Good Job Done 

  

  In times past the adjacent lot had a house fire. The house didn’t make it and we bought the lot for the detached garage. It does sit at the far corner of our acre. A good stretch of the legs to get to it. As it was a separate legal description it does have a driveway right up to the doors. It houses the 1966 Ford convertible, lawn mower, two wheel trailer and many other goodies. Dennis was off with his tractor to locate a bud that does welding. The mower deck needs some repair and Dennis is going to have that fixed before he takes the mower off of the tractor. I headed to the back garage with good intentions and my electric leaf blower. Tidy, tidy is my motto. When Dennis returned home I had a chair for him to sit in and an area more than large enough for the Lo-Boy tractor. For the time being the tractor will be in the garage up by the house as Dennis tweaks, tinkers and cleans. We don’t have the city water connected for our back garage and I know that would be a hardship when deep cleaning is needed. For a short time my car will be parked in the driveway. My objective for the day has been met and Dennis gave me the remainder of the day off. Sweet.

   
• 

  Noreen 6:32 pm on July 24, 2018 Permalink  

  He’s Back! 

  

  After all the medical Ps and Qs have been met for Dennis, it was only a matter of time before he began hunting for a project. While Dennis was feeling less than great with his health he was interested in checking out coins. Now being mobile in his little red pickup there were greener pastures to check into. This 1968 tractor just happened to be available. The mower was thrown into the deal. Dennis was going to get it home via a trailer from the neighbor but soon realized the width of the package was 60″. What to do? Bring it home by driving it. All this took place while I was on a road trip up north to retrieve Mom’s sewing machine. When I got home there were tails to be told. Dennis had is bud following behind him with the trailer empty. They reported that it drove well. It came with a new battery, tires are good and are turf tires, complete with new belts for the mower. What a deal! There will be tinkering, cleaning and more cleaning. It will be a good thing for Dennis to get his hands dirty and check all things that move on this tractor. It would not surprise me that in time to come Dennis and the Cub Lo-Boy will be doing the round-a-bouts up town just like the fellows in their golf carts.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:41 pm on July 23, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Lorraine ( 6 )   

  Today I traveled north to pick up Mom’s sewing machine that I had taken in for repair. Repair people for sewing machines are much like your family doctor. You know them, you trust them, and when you have a good one, you make sure to give them your business.

  I knew Hwy 4 would have a detour as they are putting in a round-a-bout into one of the heavier traveled intersections. I decided to take the detour. Oh my gosh. I was taken from Renville County to Redwood County and then through a portion of Brown County before I was reunited with HWY 4 back in Renville County. I felt as if I had been traveling for days.

  The sewing machine has been retrieved, I got some good tips from the Bernina gal and I walked down the sidewalk and checked out the quilt shop. I had taken several fabric swatches with and picked the creative juices of the gal. She was very helpful and it will make my time here with my aunt Lorraine next week go quite smoothly. Interestingly enough, the quilt shop is for sale and my Bernina people are trying to work with the city’s Economic Development so the Bernina Shop could move down the block a bit and purchase and combine the quilt shop with the Bernina Shop. Each of these businesses have added much to the small town on Hwy 212. I hope it works out for each of them.

  When I returned home I drove within a mile of the detour and took several miles of gravel roads to work myself around the detour. In that area, there seems to be very few roads that go around sections of land squarely, but meander. My detour on the main detour was still an experience, but it worked.

  It’s great to be back at home and enjoy what seems to be several nice days coming.

   
• 

  Noreen 4:22 pm on July 22, 2018 Permalink  

  Last week there was a wind that came through on the early morning hours of Thursday. A rather large limb from the top of the Hackberry Tree on the east edge of the acre bit the dust. Nothing else showed any signs of the wind. Hackberry is a very dense wood and by all accounts it was not rotted in any manner, that limb was green and wet. Man . . . Dennis and I both grunted when we were going to drag it home. To the rescue came Jan, the next door neighbor, with her little electric chainsaw. Enough of it was cut up to make it dragable. It will be some time before it is dry enough to burn. But . . . we didn’t mention that to neighbor Bob who has the burning pit. While Dennis and I were having egg salad for noon lunch, Bob had the limbs drug to his burning pit and there was smoke . . . a lot of it. It may be in the burning pit for some time. Perhaps the fire that Bob did get lit will hurry along some of the drying. Most had best be cautious here on Stauffer Avenue. Neighbors young and old pull together. Priceless.

   
• 

  Noreen 6:07 pm on July 21, 2018 Permalink  

  What a great day today. Dennis and I were outside till mid afternoon. Yes . . . that is when the mosquitoes got the news that there was fresh meat about.

  In passing this morning we were visiting with the next door neighbor Jan and Dennis relayed to her that he had been out at a farmer friend’s home and the farmer had the worst infestation of moles ever. The entire yard was infested. Both the neighbor and us were thankful we weren’t bothered by them. Dennis and I got busy and before long the neighbor was back. She invited me to see her front yard lilac bush. Oh my gosh! There were actual rings around the lilac of mole activity. The ground was like walking on sponges. She was shocked. There had been none when she mowed last Saturday. Jan went out to Fleet Farm and returned with treated peanuts. I watched as she took her trowel and channeled down on of the holes until the trowel hit the loose tunnel . . . and in went several of the peanuts. When I left Jan she was really peppering multiple holes. Dennis and I will be on the watch.

  I did get Dennis’ flannel quilt hemmed this afternoon. Got that done and tidied up the work surfaces and the floors and shut down the sewing studio for the weekend. Ya . . . I say that but in a heart beat that could change. I like options and I have many. Tomorrow may be another day of us being able to spend some time on the patio.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:15 pm on July 20, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis ( 40 )   

  Lots to Smile About 

  Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my abilities.  I fell in love with a quilt pattern that led to finding wonderful flannel fabrics in a quilt shop in Bird Island.  Hmm.  The snow was flying in January and it seemed like the perfect project.  Dennis is never satisfied with the heft of blankets.  I was sure this would fill the bill.  It is surprising how much weight the threads add to the quilt top.  I chose a flannel for the backing and a poly batting.  I had to wait until July for Sharon to long arm the quilt.  I got it home this week and then I bit myself in the butt.  I don’t like to have UFOs, unfinished objects, in my sewing studio.  Today threatened rain off and on and I went in the sewing studio to work on cutting, ironing and sewing on binding.  Let’s get this done!  It is supper and I am calling it a day.  I have  a lot to smile about as there is one step left to finish this winter project and that is sewing down the binding on the right side of the quilt.  In a perfect world the binding should be sewn on by hand . . . meaning lots of tiny stitches each pulled through one at a time.  My hands can no longer do the hand sewing, thus it is under the needle of the sewing machine.  There is no way I could sleep under anything this heavy.  Dennis will no doubt sneak the polar fleece blanket either under this quilt or over it.  I don’t mind.  I made it for Dennis and how he chooses to use it is up to him.  I am smiling as I am so close to putting this mound of flannel to bed . . .  literally.  I will be smiling right up to bedtime.

   
• 

  Noreen 4:58 pm on July 19, 2018 Permalink  

  It was haircut day in Mankato. Great Clips does such a great job. We . . . Dennis and I have never had the same hair stylist at Great Clips, but each time we come out with the same cut as the time before. The gals said their secret is the notes that are taken the first time a client comes in and each return visit the note card is reviewed. No matter to me how they do it, it is a win, win.

  Our “to do” list included going to Lowe’s and picking up two down spouts for the patio porch. The five footers that we had didn’t really take the rain very far from the north side of the sidewalk on the north side of the porch. Hmm. Ten feet of down spouts is a lot of spout. Out to the pickup we went with them. Putting them in at an angle still left quite a bit hanging out. Dennis angled them so the excess was on the right side of the pickup, less of a chance of side swiping someone, staying on the right lane of the highway. We could have used them on the porch today as it poured rain to Mankato and on the way home. The spouts are on the porch and they will take the water quite away under the lilacs and allow more dirt surface to soak up the rain before it hits the gutter of the sidewalk.

  We did have to stop at one point in the rain as the wind was working against the angle we had put them in. To the rescue! I had visited the quilt shop that is closing and within the plastic bag was the fabric I had purchased to keep my aunt Lorraine busy when she comes in several weeks. The weight of that plastic bag divided and draped over the spouts made for a secure ride the rest of the way home.

  Dennis commented on the miles left before we reached home that for two old people we do get things done . . . one way or the other. I agreed. I can’t understand how some people similar to us in age or situation complain about being bored. NOT!

   
• 

  Noreen 5:39 pm on July 18, 2018 Permalink  

  By golly . . . I do believe my ole cowboy is feeling better than in some time. How do I know? He and his life long bud, Lyle, went on a road trip looking at old tractors. There must be a glimmer of an idea for one of the two. I wouldn’t mind if Dennis did find something that interested him enough to bring one home and begin the tinkering. Everyone, young or at the age of 81 needs to have their creative juices wetted.

  We will be having my aunt Lorraine from Arizona coming for a visit towards the end of the month. In times past she has dug right in to helping me with a sewing studio project. Right now I am in need of finding a project or creating a project. Lorraine is 87 and has the zest for all things sewing. Last year while she was here enough fabric was cut for a queen sized scrappy quilt. It took me some time to get it all sewn together and quilted. Dennis’ daughter Sandy took the finished quilt home this early summer. I have some time to get my creative juices going and have something lined up.

   
• 

  Noreen 6:07 pm on July 17, 2018 Permalink  

  Recently my brother Michael shared a recipe book that had once been Mom’s. Initially it looks as if it was an autograph book. It was interesting to read the recipes . . . those that still could be read on the faded thin pages.

  An entry:
  “Feb. 13, 1934
  I know of a peaceful eventide; and when I am faint and weary, at times with the journey sorely tried, through hours that are long and dreary. Then often I yearn to lay me down and sink into blissful slumber. Dear Lena when you read these lines, think of me as your friend. Mrs. Hans Jensen”

  An entry:
  “Feb. 13, 1934
  Dear friend Lena, I wish you health, I wish you wealth, I wish for you heaven before death. What more can I wish for you.
  For-get-me-not.” Your Friend, Al. Alice DeMenge.”

  Mom and Dad were married in 1937.  Most likely Mom was working as a hired kitchen hand in 1934.  It was almost as if on that 13th day of February in 1934 some friends were together to share recipes and thoughts. Mom was 18 at the time. So many special memories in a tattered little book.