Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:11 pm on April 7, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Carrie ( 12 ), Jeremy, Megan ( 9 ), Nicholas ( 6 )   

  Megan’s Woodworking Project 

  

  Megan is in 7th grade and there is no longer a class called Home Economics. I remember my friends Renee telling me about this when her Gabby was in junior high school. It is now a varied year that does include woodworking, some DIY, no cooking or baking, but with some sewing, weaving and sketching. I need to ask Carrie what this course is actually called. This was the last year that Nicholas’ school class would be doing anything for Valentine’s Day. He was so over making paper valentines and coming up with unique wording. At that time Jeremy helped Nicholas with a candy vending machine to have candy for his classmates. The plans were developed in the workshop in February. There was nothing stated in the class curriculum that it had to be an original, just that it included wood. For Megan it had to be a a home project detailed with photos of the various stages of work and a descriptive report followed by the finished project. It was Megan’s turn to get herself full of saw dust and a bit of glue and wood stain. Megan also told me she had never really looked at her dad’s shop before this. Jeremy may find it a bit crowded in his workshop in time to come. Fun times with their dad.

   

   
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  Noreen 5:57 pm on April 6, 2018 Permalink  

  There doesn’t seem to be any let up in the phone calls that start in the morning hours through the late afternoon. Dennis does answer his cell phone when it rings. I think he has something going on with a gal named Elizabeth who tries to give him a cruise. I am thankful that family members send me a text if they need me and then a phone call may ensue if my response is going to put my fingers in a permanent cramp. For the cost of $19.00 a month we did decide to keep our land line. Many folks our age still use the antiquated tool.

  More threats of snow coming for the weekend. I have decided to take advantage of it being too nasty for anything outside and get as much stitching done as I feel like. Yesterday when we were in Mankato we stopped at Mills Fleet Farm and I stocked up on dish towels to machine embroidery. My favorite quilt shop “River City Quilts” was also visited. All sewing accessories were 30% off. Fusible web is always handy to have on hand whether an actual project or to help with a tough mending problem. No . . . I did not purchase any fabric.

  The north winds really whipped it up yesterday. In 2015 we purchased a new solid wood front door. Upon the installation it was noted that the door frame is quite skewed. Some decades ago it was an open porch with spindled posts and the slated floor for the rain to run off of. Out came the Press and Seal product . . . the one that advertises you can put over leftovers, tip the bowl over and it will hold the contents. What do you know . . . it also works to put over the crack between the door and the door frame. Why did I not think of this in the winter of 2015 and going forward. It is never too late to work through the little things in life that really just pisses you off.

   
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  Noreen 4:53 pm on April 5, 2018 Permalink  

  Dennis has been using a CPAP machine for sleep apnea for nine years. It is a condition where the patient will stop breathing during sleep. I wonder how many people in times past died in their sleep and it was listed as natural causes . . . Hello! From not breathing – I guess that is as close to natural causes as you can get. Those who snore and those who live with someone that snores know that many times there could be a long duration where the person snoring is not breathing . . . sleep apnea. It does not allow for a restful night of rest regardless of how much sleep the person thinks they are getting. It is exhausting for the heart having to rouse the person by a hard jerk to get the body to respond. Dennis went through the sleep study by staying overnight in the hospital being hooked up to multiple machines giving readings. It was severe durations during the hours of sleep that Dennis stopped breathing. Dennis never goes to bed without the mask on. Dennis never travels without packing the CPAP.

  Keeping the product clean is a pain. The long tube that is hooked to a humidifier via the machine that causes the burst of air that rouses the patient is corrugated. They have not as yet manufactured a brush long enough to properly clean it. The gasket that is worn each night is of a latex that is meant to be taken off the hard plastic and cleaned. The soft gasket has multiple pliable areas that are hard to clean.

  Today we went to Mankato to the medical supply store and we purchased a “So Clean 2.” It uses activated oxygen with oxidizing properties for complete sanitizing. Each morning Dennis will be cleaning his unit and it is timed and will be ready for him to use by bedtime. Totally cleaning of the hose, the humidifier and the face mask. I read reviews for hours on the Internet. We thought about this long and hard until we found out Dennis’ nephew has been using this every day for over a year. Never needing to fill our sink again with hot water that has bleach and non-detergent soap and then getting it all rinsed is going to be wonderful. It is a 30-day refundable product.

  Prior to Dennis having this last carotid surgery, the lung X-ray indicated several spots of congestion in his right lung. That played right into the fact that Dennis usually has phlegm to get rid of . . . which is not socially acceptable. When I have heard him sneezing or having a cough into the face mask during the night, it meant an automatic cleaning the next day. This is so worth a try. Personally I cannot imagine having to wear a mask over my face every night much like a gas mask. Putting that aside it would bring peace of mind that the unit is totally cleaned for every night’s use.

  We did do some errands after the medical store and we are home safe and sound and happy to be home after a busy day in the big town.

   
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  Noreen 3:07 pm on April 4, 2018 Permalink  

  Timely But Satisfing 

  The Bernina sewing machine has been in our home for a bit longer than two years.  I had promised myself that I would not be complacent.  I would challenge myself one step at a time.  For just as long, I have had several design packets that incorporate fabric applique with embroidery stitches.  The latest snow storm was the perfect time to see if I could and would pursue it.  Aunt Lorraine is always a good source of encouragement.  She knew the applique was timely but worth the effort.  She hit the timely on the head.  The packet of designs works with a lot of checked flannel material.  If I had not pieced a checked flannel quilt top for Dennis I would not have been inclined to go and purchase small pieces of various flannel.  Scraps spurred me on.  This packet has thirty designs.  Not exactly something to get done in several days.

  The first applique block took some time and some thinking on which of the flannel scraps to use as the base.  The white fabric for the stars needed to be stitched onto the background fabric while in the hoop as per the steps that the flash drive had programmed into the machine and then I needed to trim it down for the embroidery stitches to finish it off. When the design block is taken off of the hoop, it already has the sashing attached to all four sides.  The grouping for a finished project is done by stitching multiple sizes of finished blocks using a half inch seam allowance.  Each block comes out of the hoop at the coordinating size with the quilt batting already sandwiched between the bottom and the top.

  

  I never cease to be amazed how it all comes together.

  Companies that employ people to digitize designs . . . that’s high tech.   Companies that market digitized designs to people such as myself are a Godsend.  I never in my wildest dreams would have thought when I purchased the sewing machine that I could stretch myself to work with zip files that were emailed to me in a matter of seconds.  I did need some guidance from Kevin and Kersten of getting the zip files into folders on my laptop and then getting the designs within those folders loaded on a flash drive for the sewing machine to read and then stitch.  I am a nooby to all that is out there, but it sure is exciting to learn.

  When I visit with friends and realize how few of them planned for the quiet hours of their retirement, I am thankful.  I never need to find something to do when Dennis and I are each in our own zones.  I enjoy family, community, my faith, reading, gardening, quilting, and sewing and it all makes for a very balanced life.  That is the secret to life . . . balance.  Though I am what some would call being a hermit, I have choices each and every day as to what to do with the God given day.  Life is quite spectacular.

   
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  Noreen 4:24 pm on April 3, 2018 Permalink  

  Snow bunnies are abound. Talk about heavy wet stuff. I went out long enough to get the “stink blowed off of me” . . . as Dennis would say. The concrete is wet underneath. As soon as I pushed the snow off for a path into the garage, it became slick to walk on. The wind from the north is brutal. Neighbor Randy comes home for noon lunch. It didn’t take long he was taking swaths of snow off of our driveway. When I went out at five to push a path open, the far end of our driveway had quite a drift over it. Randy will be back as I don’t think he is ready to park his long green toy for the season. I have allowed him to know how much his help is appreciated.

  I had been in the sewing studio for most of the day. There are still a few leftovers from Easter Sunday to tide us over for supper. I have had some software programs for several years for a twist on appliqueing in conjunction with machine embroidery while all is in the hoop under the needle. When I texted my Aunt Lorraine in Arizona after lunch, she warned me it is slick but very time consuming. Time will tell if I have anything to share here in days to come. With the weather forecast as it is, I have the time to try this.

  In the snow it was easy to spot a pair of Cardinals and also a pair of Blue Jays in the Lilac bushes along with Grackles, and little tiny birds picking at seed pods from last years Lilac blossoms. That made my day. The little things in my day feed my soul. Talk about feeding . . . I think I would be happy with some popcorn for supper. We had a warm noon lunch and neither of us have really done much since. I’ll need to check with Dennis on that.

   
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  Noreen 3:30 pm on April 2, 2018 Permalink  

  Dennis and I are in a relax mood this afternoon. We each had an item on our individual agendas today and once we did all we could do, it was downtime. Complete Basements is coming on Thursday for a visit in regard to our frozen underground drain line of the sump pump and how this can be remedied for winters to come. Our trench that we dug on Saturday is taking the water from the foundation and in time all will thaw out. But . . . you can bet a dollar to a doughnut when their person leaves here on Thursday there will be an appointment on my calendar for their people to be back for a fix.

  Dennis went and had a visit with his favorite nephew Brett in regard to using some of his equipment after the frost is out of the ground. Dennis got it done.

  With the cold week upon us we can be content that we have done all we can at this point and chill.

   
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  Noreen 4:27 pm on April 1, 2018 Permalink  

  There could be no amount of horrible north winds or threat of more snow that could possibly take away the warm fuzzy feelings I have had since Friday. Within a short span of the weekend all of my family has been here on Stauffer Avenue. Smiles, hugs, giggles . . . just about covers what will warm my heart until the next birthday. There was a bit more to today as Kevin and Kersten emptied the Stauffer Avenue job jar. Tweaking here, tightening there, adjusting fittings . . . makes for a safe feeling as the Fairfax team left our home. Dennis and Kersten gave a thumbs up on the new recipe I tried out on them for dessert. It’s all priceless!

   
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  Noreen 3:47 pm on March 31, 2018 Permalink  

  Oh my gosh! It’s so cold outside with a raw wind that could most likely be causing the spring song birds to hide. It also happens to be my birthday today. That, however, does not give a pass to what needs to be addressed. I went out to check on the huge branch of the deep purple lilac that has been twisted to the point of almost detachment. When I turned to go back around to the driveway, I realized the huge collection of water around the sump pump as it egresses the house next to the house foundation. That was not suppose to be there. The underground line that the sump pump is attached to was frozen to the point that the water had no where to go but pump out onto the yard.

  I snapped a photo of the sump pump area and sent it with a text to Complete Basements . . . “is this going to cause a problem that I can’t see at this time?” I soon got a return call. The proximity of the sump pump to the new basement window and the window well is less than two feet . . . “yes it could be a concern if the window well fills to the point that the basement window would allow water to run down into and down the interior basement wall.” Shucky darn! Dennis and I managed to hack a spot through the ice-covered yard area where the sump pump drain surfaces. Dennis went to Fleet and Farm for a bag of salt to be emptied on the surface of the drain. I decided my yard was not as important as my sewing studio. I did the ole farmer, Raymond Wendlant, solution. I begin digging a trench to take the water away from the foundation of the house and sump pump and allow it to run to the north. Thankfully there is a slight incline. I could have used a pickax but made good use of our ax to break through the ice layer until I hit soft dirt.

  We have had a winter of having no snow cover – to having rain with extreme cold temperatures allowing a layer of ice that was then covered with 11 inches of heavy snow. The surface of the yard on the north side of the house is as hard as a rock. It is very easy to see how this freezing of the drain line has frozen. It is the first time in twelve years of having the sump pump installed. Monday I will be contacting Complete Basements with the question as to why there cannot be a rubber boot in place where the sump pump PVC pipe comes to the surface to allow for a temporary dis-connect to the under ground and allow for a secondary hose to be attached.

  We are about to put together my “Happy Birthday supper.” As we are pooped, it may well be fried eggs and Spam with toast. It is still a wonderful day for my 74th birthday. Logic and stamina pull through to get through some tough challenges.

   
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  Noreen 4:22 pm on March 30, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Carrie ( 12 ), Megan ( 9 ), Nicholas ( 6 )   

  So it Begins 

  

  Today was the beginning of a wonderful weekend. Carrie came with Megan and Nicholas from the metro. Will those two kids ever stop growing! Megan and Nicholas were on Spring break and Carrie was in-between showing clients prospective homes. Nicholas and Grandpa Dennis had some serious conversations in the patio porch while Snuggles got some extra TLC from Nicholas. Megan shared with me a software program that allows her to do intricate drawings on her laptop that then can be printed out. Carrie and I caught up with each other and l may well have a plan for some embroidery projects. Just a fantastic day. There is more to come as Kevin and Kersten will be here on Sunday. The gray days and clouds don’t stand a chance of putting a damper on the weekend.

   
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  Noreen 12:34 pm on March 29, 2018 Permalink  

  Hopefully a Problem Solved 

  I finally remembered to get some Lime-a-Way into the house.  Kevin had used the last of what we had when he cleaned the exterior of the window going down into the basement stairwell.  CLR and/or vinegar has also been known to work for loosening everything from water spots to buildup in faucets.  At the time of the window cleaning, Lime-a-Way was the last product we tried that finally did the trick on the hard water spots.  The job I wanted to get done today was not about several attempts.  If I managed to get in place what was needed to soak the shower head for a better spray, there would not be a do-over.  I am not the best at reaching higher than my shoulders.  It wasn’t the prettiest application, but I can tell you the entire shower head is submerged in Lime-a-Way by hook and by crook and by strapping tape.  If the Lime-a-Way hasn’t eaten through the bag by tomorrow morning, I plan on holding a deep lightweight container under the bag, being as far away from the container as possible and then pricking it with a pin or some other such weapon.  I have no intention of telling Dennis or anyone else how I got high enough off of the tub surface to get the project done and not reach up beyond my shoulders.  Sometimes what happens within the home on Stauffer Avenue, must stay within the home on Stauffer Avenue.