Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 6:15 pm on January 27, 2018 Permalink  

  In time to come when people talk about the “good old days” I am quite sure it will consist primarily about working through situations of cell phones, modems and any and all computers problems.

  Mediacom did have to resolve the problem with our land line phone. It was my joy to work with my HP Notebook consistently dropping the wireless printing option. No, I don’t print out a huge amount of items, but dag-nab-it I want it when I want it.

  Earlier in the week when I was contriving to embroider the fabric for the black 12 Days of Christmas, I must have screwed up something in the download of a design from the online site. Yes, I made sure that I had clicked the option that let me remove the USB stick safely. After that download I had lost 75% of the designs on my Bernina USB stick. With the phone issue fixed, the printer was printing, I had promised myself to get the USB problem resolved. I have all the designs saved in a folder in the File Explorer. I had been working with the HP Notebook and the USB flash drive in the living room acknowledging the message that the device was corrupt. I must have missed a prompt at that time. Even though I had tried it several times I did not see a prompt.

  I happened to be in the sewing studio this morning and sat down with the old Dell laptop with Windows 7. I inserted the USB stick and immediately there was a prompt that the device was corrupt, ya, I knew that. What popped up next was a prompt to “scan and restore.” You bet I clicked on that. I watched that green line move across the screen and I don’t think I blinked or took a breath. And then . . . there it was. Done. Totally scanned and restored. Amazing grace. I was leery but you betcha all the folders with all the designs within each folder were intact.

  That was it for me. The sewing studio was shut down for the day as I was content. My stuff was o.k.

   
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  Noreen 4:59 pm on January 26, 2018 Permalink  

  It was errand day in downtown St. James. I was surprised how messy the parking lots were with slush. Several cars were caught up in the slush to be stuck. I am sure it was a crapshoot as to whether the warm temps would take care of it or if it would pay to have someone come in and clear the area. I chose wisely where I parked.

  We are down to 11 days of getting Dennis into the pre-op scheme of things for his carotid surgery. Today, out of the blue, an RN nurse from the Veterans Health Care facility here in St. James called to check in on Dennis. Whenever I hear people bash the service that veterans receive form the VA health care service . . . I wonder who they are or where they’re from. Dennis has always had the highest regard for the gals out here in St. James.

  We are awaiting for a great “Dennis Hotdish” for supper. I am also keeping granddaughter Megan in my heart as she is entering competition in Duluth this weekend. When I texted her, I allowed her to know I had been practicing my lunges and would be right behind her on the ice. We love that gal.

   
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  Noreen 5:26 pm on January 25, 2018 Permalink  

  The Quiet is Over 

  Today is a Thursday and what with the snow that we had on Sunday and Monday we had managed to keep busy.  It wasn’t until Tuesday evening when Carrie popped off an email that she had tried to call us but always got a busy signal.  Humph!  On thinking about it we realized we had not had any tell-a-marketing calls since the weekend.  That also tells the story of how little Dennis and I use the phone.  I had been keeping busy working on a binding for a scrappy quilt and Dennis was surfing his Facebook, checking out the RFD television channel and napping.  

  Wednesday evening I finally contacted Mediacom with the land line phone problem.  Using my cell phone I checked multiple items that the gal on the other end of the line prompted me through.  It was finally down to having a fellow stop by.  This afternoon a Mediacom fellow spent a lot of time checking things in our home.  Two old people and we have six options for picking up a land line phone.  We don’t believe in needing to rush to pick up a phone call.  Considering that we hadn’t even noticed the phones weren’t working, it brings a chuckle.  Three are wireless, one is hard wired into the kitchen, one is hardwired into the bathroom and the sixth is a phone with a phone jack in the garage porch.  Bringing in the phone from the garage porch and plugging it into the modem finally told the problem.  The problem was the modem.  It allowed internet and cable television but no land line.   So here we are . . . totally hooked up.  Within an hour, the tell-a-marketers were at it.  The quiet is over.  We have talked about letting the land line go.  For the $19.00 a month we had decided cell phones are not what all the people our age are accustomed to.  Amazing what can happen to our little world, and . . . we still getter done. 

   
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  Noreen 4:08 pm on January 24, 2018 Permalink  

  Finished What Was Started 

  I started working with the collection of the 12 Days of Christmas in January 2017.  I was curious as to how the images would work with various fabrics.  Off and on over the last 12 months I would take the blocks out of the storage box and begin pairing the blocks with fabric.  Not as easy of a task as I would re-think and second guess myself over and over.  Back in the storage box and I would work on a quilt or some towels.  It was always in the back of my mind to finish what I had started.  How sad to have so much time, energy and resources sitting in a box for someone to come across at a time in the future and toss them as they were not a finished product.

  We did get side tracked from the sewing studio when we received 12 inches of snow on Saturday and Sunday.  Here we are on a Wednesday and the snow project is finished.  Dennis’ grandson Ryan came today with a bob cat skid loader and cleared all the snow off of the area between the driveway and Stauffer Ave.  Buckets of snow have been parked in the far east portion of the lot.  Ryan used the snow rake and took off a huge amount of snow from the south side of our garage roof.  We need to remind ourselves that WW2 pallets were used when that garage was built.  Yes, I agree . . . fragile.  A treat of warmer temps and we have bare concrete showing on the driveway.  Snow at this time of year competes with a variety of thawing and melting.

  So . . . back to the sewing studio.  The last of the four 12 Days of Christmas is done.  The blessing of a home that is over a 100 years old and not having a finished basement ceiling, it is a great place to pound a few nails in the floor joist overhead and size things up.

  

  Each one took on a life of its own as I puzzled through.  Dennis’ favorites were the blue and the black.  The blue did have the designs embroidered on blue fabric with decorative stitching in the sashes.  The rust colored one was what I called Prom dress material in the sashes with brass washers and beads for the quilting.  The gray blocks embroidered with white sashing and red has 57 buttons for the quilting from the button tree.  The gray embroidered blocks with black sashing was a challenge and had to have special embroidered sashing to bring life to the black.  Have I mentioned that I am a patient quilter?  I don’t get bored and I am always up for a good challenge.  I know that come the latter part of the 2018 year, these will find homes.  The sewing studio needed the concrete floor Swiffered this afternoon and it is totally void of anything going on . . . well . . . there is a king sized quilt that is waiting for a binding.  I will think on that tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 4:14 pm on January 23, 2018 Permalink  

  Got it Done 

  Today had the entire city of St. James shoving, pushing, moving and blowing snow.  Stauffer Avenue didn’t quite feel the pressure of snow removal as most folks.  We were so fortunate that as we were having supper last night waiting out the last three hours of the snowfall, neighbor Randy was pulling into our driveway with his John Deere tractor and snowblower.  As he made his first swipe up the drive, it drove home just how deep 12″ of new snow looks.  A sharp slice just as if it was a piece of pie.  Randy returned this morning. Granted, a tractor can’t get in small areas or get up close and personal to structures, we had minimal snow to remove around our garage doors and house doors.    When I spoke to Randy’s wife, Jan, last night she said he was so excited to finally have enough snow to get out and play with his tractor and blower.  This snowfall was what all winter enthusiasts were waiting for.

  After lunch Dennis got his snowblower going and he also played in the snow.  The patio around the porch is now clear of any amount of snow.  As we were taking it slow and steady, the cats sat in the windows of the porch.  When I opened one of the sliding doors two of them came out and checked out the cleared areas.  What was comical was that you could see that they were sizing up checking out the backyard.  With the bank of snow taller than they stood, the anticipated jumps never were executed.  By the time we finished up there were bare spots of concrete showing as the bright sun was strutting its stuff and Dennis was resting in his rocking chair in the patio porch.  Priceless.  It may be awhile before the cats can venture very far, but at least they have the patio to patrol.  It definitely was a good workout for the older ones on Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 3:53 pm on January 22, 2018 Permalink  

  Dennis’ Pathway 

  

  It is so white and it is Dennis’ pathway to his patio porch. The snow is heavy and after nine hours it is still coming with a brisk wind from the north. My snow pusher doesn’t push very far and then it wants to roll it up like a Tootsie Roll. We have no need to be anywhere. Taking it slow and easy on Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 3:05 pm on January 21, 2018 Permalink  

  It’s Here 

  It’s here and I don’t mean the snow that is to come.  Nephew Brett unloaded a huge bag of what he said was scraps of batting.  Dennis went through the bag and I know I can and will be patching pieces together for some time to come.  Quilting is all about perspective and patience.  I have both of those nailed.  

  Right now it is 38 sunny degrees and we are prepared for what they say is coming.  They have been mistaken in the past.  We can only hope.  The front yard is totally free of snow as is the backyard.  Surprisingly all four cats are in the patio porch.  It is said that animals know better how to prepare for weather than humans.

  I have a huge kettle of soup on the burner.  Dennis came home from the Korean Veterans luncheon last month and commented on the hamburger sauerkraut soup he had had. Well . . . it is now on low heat simmering.  Time will tell.  I added some sautéed celery and sautéed yellow bell pepper, balsamic vinegar, black pepper and beef stock.  When Dennis gets up from his nap, he will no doubt give it a taste test and we will doctor it up from there.  

  Hmm . . . the sky to the southwest looks a bit different than the sky to the northwest.  It is a wait and see type of evening that we will have.

   
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  Noreen 5:39 pm on January 20, 2018 Permalink  

  Relaxing 101 

  

  This is relaxing 101. My Santa blanket, snacks, remotes and RFD television channel. There is always bound to be a tractor auction of some kind.

   
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  Noreen 5:24 pm on January 19, 2018 Permalink  

  You know it’s a great sunny warm day when Dennis leaves the east patio door cracked during the day to allow any of the four cats to escape and see if anything has changed in the back yard. Good times for them.

  We are seventeen days out from the pre-op for Dennis and the carotid surgery to then be set for the right side. Taking it one day at a time. There have been tell take signs that the 6th of February can’t come any too soon. What does a tell take sign consist of? Walking and talking as usual and then the tremors start in the left arm and follows down to the left leg as the leg wants to collapse and then it does. There is no sense that Dennis can work with my voice. We just wait it out and I try to make him comfortable. We are so thankful that thus far no broken bones during the collapse. I do believe the saving grace in regard to the bones is that his body is so limp it does protect him.

  The October 17 surgery on the left carotid artery that was blocked by 90% plus brought about great success. The right side that is blocked by 70% plus couldn’t be done any sooner than February as too much increased blood supply to the brain could very well cause a stroke or a heart attack. Dennis is ready to lay down and have it done even if it means “right now.” Needless to say we take each day as it comes and very thankful that we have “each day.” On the plus side, we haven’t lost our sense of humor, our appreciation of each other or seeing the good in each day: save the best and leave the rest.

   
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  Noreen 5:12 pm on January 18, 2018 Permalink  

  Sunny skies and we decided we needed to make a house call to Dennis’ nephew, Brett. He had been calling with questions on his quilting projects. I needed to see first hand what was in the works. Dennis was my chauffeur. Brett watches multiple YouTube videos and rewinds them as often as it takes for him to get the gist of the stitch. Brett’s wife Molly works at one of the banks in town. When Molly is home she has threatened to take the multiple rewinds and . . . well you get the idea. One of Brett’s issues were taken care of when Amazon delivered his order of sewing machine needles. 200 machine needles in size 16, and 200 machine needles in size 14. Yes, when a YouTube gives the tip of sewing over stick pins, he takes it as gospel. I must be tuned in to a different YouTube. When Uncle Creepy’s YouTube tip tells me it is a “No, No,” I listen. Brett does need to realize that the quilting projects that he is watching is time lapsed. It doesn’t go as fast in real life. Patience, patience is the best tool a quilter can use.

  It was good to get back home and settle in for some stitching on my own turf. I can suggest and I can advise and then we get along to Stauffer Avenue when time seems to stand still in our sewing studio. I say “our” as Dennis has picked up quite a few tips just quietly observing as he plays solitaire.