Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:48 am on February 4, 2016 Permalink  

  I don’t think anyone in Minnesota is lacking for exercise in the fresh air. Grant it, the 9 to 10 inches of snow that we needed to move in our drive would have been much more of challenge if not for neighbor, Randy. The hard roll of snow at the end of the drive, via the county plows making multiple passes on our street, is much like wet heavy concrete. Randy made several passes by backing into the drive, taking off a huge amount of snow, saving Dennis oh so much leg work. The blowers may be self-propelled, but yet the machine is heavy and bulky to maneuver.

  By the grace of Kevin, we do have a snowblower that is teeny, tiny compared to Randy’s John Deere rig. After Randy headed out, it did take us until noon to clear out snow close to the house, the front steps and sidewalk, plus access to the pickup garage door that faces Stauffer Avenue. We always clear the patio area around the garage porch for ease of access in case of needing to make a phone call for emergency help . . . well, I need not say more.

  The sun is bright today with the wind dwindling down. Already in the middle of the day there is bare concrete showing from the strong rays of the sun. Dennis is the main man for snow removal, and I feel I can still contribute clearing out the areas with the ever-needed shovel. I am very thankful it is lightweight plastic.

  It’s a great day and so very much to be thankful for.

   
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  Noreen 5:12 am on February 3, 2016 Permalink  

  What Is a Person to Do — 

  — when the snow has already piled up eight inches and continues?  Dennis decided to bake a cherry pie.  Yesterday when we went to Bird Island to the sewing shop, we decided to have a cup of coffee before visiting the shop.  The Athman’s Cafe has been on the corner of County Road 5 and State Highway 4 since I had been in high school in the 50s and 60s and most likely much earlier than that.  I had a piece of coconut cream pie with my coffee.  It was the best piece of pie I have had in many, many moons.

  Of course, my ole cowboy knows no strangers, and he had to find out which of the gals in the kitchen was the pie maker. Actually, out came two gals, which we found out were both in their 80s.  Dennis questioned them on pie making.  It tickled me to see how thrilled these two gals were that someone was calling them out of the kitchen for a visit.

  On our way home, we stopped for groceries and Dennis made sure I had a packet of Pillsbury Pie Crust on my list.  When the first snow began to fall this morning, Dennis was in the kitchen bringing the refrigerated pie crust out of the refrigerator to get it at room temperature.  As of late, Dennis has enjoyed being in the kitchen trying his hand at some recipes.  I think it is great.

  

  Lots of cinnamon and a bit of sugar makes this pie look as if it could have been a blue ribbon winner.

  The snow has been piling up and the kitchen has had the aroma of a treat that will be ready to enjoy after supper.  That cherry pie is not the only treat of the day.  About four this afternoon our neighbor, Randy, backed into our driveway and took out two swaths of deep wet snow with his green line tractor and snowblower.  He did say he would be back in the morning.  We are so thankful for kindness.  Dennis walked over a container of chocolate chip cookies to Randy and Jan that we had tackled earlier in the day.  My mom, Lena, always said, “If the oven is going, make good use of the heat and do several things at one time.”

  Dennis just remarked the wind was picking up.  The city had the phone alert go out early this afternoon that there will be no snow removal until sometime tomorrow.  Everyone will be having a quiet evening.  My prayer is that all our family within the snow alert is and will be safe within their homes.  No heroes are needed when the world just needs to honor the weather conditions.

   
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  Noreen 5:34 am on February 2, 2016 Permalink  

  This was just a great day. A highway road trip north . . . always my favorite direction to travel. Our old Lincoln Town-Car is programmed to turn onto Minnesota State Highway 19 for a Fairfax visit with son, Kevin, for a quick visit . . . hug automatically included. We motored a bit farther on and chatted with Kersten where she manages the Casey’s store. That place was jumping getting ready with choices for the noon lunch clients. It may have been a quick visit, but it meant a lot for me to see and touch the kids until the next visit.

  From Fairfax we took a county road north to Bird Island to visit my Bernina sewing shop. Karen and Al were kind enough to assist in going through the steps of loading new embroidery designs from a CD to a USB stick that can then be plugged into my sewing machine. Three collections of designs, each with choices in finished sizes, for a total of 120 designs to be worked either for quilts, wall hangings or towels. I will admit, it was a bit overwhelming if it had not been for step by step instructions. One thing that was not available was just a master list of colors of thread that will be needed. I will be working through the patterns and collecting the thread color numbers and then return for thread on another day. This day was huge.

  We got home in time to hit the grocery story for some essentials. A great day of travel and instructions and now to honker down before the blizzard that is threatening for the next several days.

   
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  Noreen 6:19 am on February 1, 2016 Permalink  

  Just a Glimpse of Spring 

  If we would have had the sunshine for the past several days, as we had today, the snow would more than likely have disappeared in total.  Taking a walk out to the east on the patio, and then the driveway to the west, guaranteed dry feet, I did enjoy this glimpse of spring.  At a time when Carrie and Kevin were small children, this would have been perfect muddy dirt conditions to see how high the mud could splatter when stomped on.  Oh, how I remember those days.  The kids would come in with rosy red checks, and not wanting to get their hands dirty by removing their boots, they would take the toe of one foot in the boot and loosen the heel of the boot on the other foot and then kick with all their might.  How far can mud fly?  Mud droplets hanging from the entryway ceiling and on the walls almost made an abstract visual.  On days such as these after the kids had been outside for hours, their sleep came quickly and deep at bedtime.

  Our road date last night took us to the megalopolis of Dunnel, Minnesota, which is about 45 miles south of us.  Dennis has a friend in that area that shares interest in all things that take shells.  All that remains in this little town is two pubs and a post office.  The many empty buildings on main street told the story of a town that was thriving in times past.  The pub was busy and we were by far the oldest people in the place.   The food was good, as burgers and sandwiches go.

  As we drove home, the horizon to the south was much as if someone drew a line across the skies and dotted the line with many red lights.  That area of Minnesota is heavy with wind-towers stretching from east to west, with the red lights as warnings for planes.  The gray skies at six in the evening made it real that we were adding daylight heading towards spring.  Yup, our road date had us home by six-thirty, just right for the older folks on Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 3:25 am on January 31, 2016 Permalink  

  Surprise – that’s one on me! Dennis is taking me out for supper to a small spot between here and there. Dennis also said he was ordering for me. Catch ya tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 5:36 am on January 30, 2016 Permalink  

  Zika virus is all the new news. It may be a bit of relief from the politics. I watch the news once during the day and recently, that needs to be cut back. The news moderators are just a pack of hungry wolves. That’s all I have to say about that.

  I am busy watching the sun set. It is beautiful.

   
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  Noreen 4:05 am on January 29, 2016 Permalink  

  We’re Having a Great Day 

  Sometimes Dennis and I just need to pinch ourselves to take in our days.  The new furnace in the garage is purring like one of the kittens.  The Watson boys did a great job for us.  The old furnace has been hauled out and we have gained a lot of floor space.  The tag on the old furnace stated “1973.”  It had served us well as a used installation since 1998.  We should notice a difference in our gas heating bill with this newer efficient furnace, plus with the two insulated garage doors that we had installed in November.

  Yesterday, Dennis got a great report on his CPAP machine read out in Mankato.  The paper report that the machine’s computer card kicked out was a mile long.  Dennis averages eight to nine hours of sleep a night with the machine’s use not missing a night during this last year.  When we left the clinic, the appointment was already made for January 26, 2017.

  Today was new license plate day for both vehicles.  I had been skating along in regard to the car’s situation.  Quite a few months back when I was in Mankato, the front license plate either fell off or was taken off, complete with the plate holder.  After today, Dennis reported he had taken care of both vehicles. There is no chance of us being non-compliant.

  Today, I am in the sewing studio, slowly contemplating seam allowances and several embroidered blocks.  This is not a project to be rushed, but enjoyed.  I have no time constraints.  It is one of those projects that develops one small step at a time.

  Yes, Dennis and I do have many great days that we enjoy to the fullest right here on Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 4:52 am on January 28, 2016 Permalink  

  Fleeting Thoughts: 

  As we get older, we do watch our life partners for signs of less than good health.  This morning out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dennis pause his breakfast eating and swipe this right arm with his left.  Once, twice, the third time I wondered about cognitive situations.  Come so far, there was a thread on his place-mat that was being blown up onto his arm from the furnace register that is located right by his chair.  He thought one thing, I was thinking a whole lot darker thing.  Whew!

   
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  Noreen 3:26 am on January 27, 2016 Permalink  

  An Update 

  Sometime last week during the bitter below-zero weather, I got our very old stray Stauffer Avenue cat to come into the garage porch when she came for food.  In the past, when she would see we were coming out of the house to put the food bowl out for her, she would begin meowing and not stop until her chin would hit the bowl.  Since her time in the porch, she has not meowed once.  Her favorite spot is either the cardboard box she first hid in or up on the chair north of the table.  Of course, Harry was the first kitten that had to check her out.  I did not see it, but Dennis said Tabatha took a swipe at Harry. The swipe did not connect as Harry is quick, but Dennis commented that Tabatha’s claws are like a mountain lion’s: long and sharp looking.

  

  Other than being quite fragile, small and looking a bit scruffy with one ear tip that may have been frozen off, one of God’s little creatures makes us happy that we could help.

  Dennis believes we saved her life.  I believe Dennis is spot on.  She eats, she drinks and she uses the litter box; a perfect tenant.  She comes to the rocking chair as Dennis is in the porch, for a little bit of a cuddle on her head and back.  Dennis commented she doesn’t have much meat on the back bone.  Today I went out to the porch and began visiting.  I didn’t know what her response would be. There was none to my voice or the noise I made.

  Life on Stauffer continues to be very sweet.

   
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  Noreen 4:31 am on January 26, 2016 Permalink  

  Dennis comes in the back house door. “Grammie . . . where are you?” Chances are in a 720 square foot home, I am not far away. “Put a jacket on, I have something to show you and be careful the cement to the garage is all ice.”

  Lordy, lordy, there was a brand new furnace that the Watson boys had delivered for hook up, sometime this week. It may have a few bumps and bruises on the housing, but the internal components are new, thus a great deal for us. The old furnace that has been in the garage since 1998 was a cast off at that time from a fellow that installed a new furnace in his home. The new gas furnace will be more energy efficient. We spend a lot of time in the porch over the winter . . . it wards off cabin fever. There are times when one might think that the Popsicle stand on Stauffer Avenue has to be escaped from, the porch is there for a different point of view of the world.

  We were very surprised how small this new furnace is. Dennis had noticed there have been times when the old furnace was not trustworthy. We are way too old to be at the mercy of a crisis. We have Koi that need to be kept comfortable, not to mention the kittens and cat. We do have our priorities in check.

  We are kind of hoping that the tick list has run its course and the next thing that may need replacing is just a light bulb.