Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:14 am on June 9, 2017 Permalink  

  It’s Been a Day 

  

  Quite a bit accomplished today in the sewing studio. It does make a difference by being out of bed by seven and getting the walk in early. Ya well, it was already 70 degrees at that time. Back to the accomplishment of the day: red border material will be cut tomorrow for the perimeter. The shoulders, arms and hands are saying, “Enough already.” Now if only I had a handle on what to fix for supper. I could do celery and peanut butter . . . that would go over like a lead balloon with Dennis. Come to think of it, he has had the entire first floor to himself today. Maybe he has supper covered.

   
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  Noreen 4:45 am on June 8, 2017 Permalink  

  Days like this tell me the lazy days of summer are right round the corner . . . like in this weekend. Dennis and I are so fortunate that our schedules are nonexistent. On warm days such as this, I wish I had Dad’s habit of lying down at noon for a quick 15 minute nap. He didn’t need a watch. Be it the floor or a couch, that nap had him ready for more. I would have a hard time coming to my senses after 15 minutes and only wanting more.

  Via an email, Dennis’ prescription was refilled by our family doctor, ready to be taken to the pharmacy here in town. Ya, it’s one of those that needs to be refilled on a month by month basis and needs to be hand carried to the pharmacy. A few rotten apples tend to spoil it for the rest when it comes to some pharmaceutical drugs. That was the highlight of today’s needs.

  I spent a fair amount of time in my sewing studio and will most likely do that again tomorrow. Yes, I am walking in the mornings but am seriously going to begin looking into a treadmill for the patio porch as it is only going to remain hot and then turn into the winter and ice. No fancy bells and whistles, just a plain Jane. I need to plan ahead.

   
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  Noreen 2:51 am on June 7, 2017 Permalink  

  As muddy as I had gotten this morning, I sure could have saved having to clean off my garden shoes by going bare-foot. Dennis had strung out the garden hose to add water to the Koi pond. A week or so back, the pond was running over from the huge amount of rainfall. The hot winds of the last several days had evaporated quite a bit of water, plus when I do water plants, I take it out of the pond. You cannot beat water that is close to the same temperature as the yard . . . plus fish fertilizer doesn’t hurt either.

  Anyway . . . as long as the hose was strung out it made sense to hook up the Miracle Grow garden hose feeder and give the plants adjacent to the patio a bit extra to thrive on. The fertilized water coming out of the feeder maybe will shoot out five feet. Of course, I went right into the flower beds and made sure even the far back ones got a good dose on the first run. Water on black dirt sure does stick to the shoes. After the soil absorbed the first batch, I went back and used up the remaining Miracle Grow on a second round of watering. As I was dragging the heavy wet hose and twirling it around the plants so as to not flatten them, I had mud from here to there. I cleaned up to make us some fried egg sandwiches and the shoes are still by the back door waiting to be cleaned up for another day of a rambunctious gardener keeping the yards tidy, tidy, tidy.

   
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  Noreen 3:20 am on June 6, 2017 Permalink  

  Summer May be Here to Stay 

  

  With Summer blossoming, out came the  straw hat for my morning walks. The brim may still need some tweaking but it saved from the heat and glare from the bright sun. If . . . and I do say “If” . . . I would get up earlier than eight, it would be a bit cooler, but oh how I love to snooze after I begin hearing the morning’s traffic.

   
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  Noreen 3:47 am on June 5, 2017 Permalink  

  Working the Project 

  

  After a very warm walk, I gladly headed for my sewing studio in the basement. Using a blanket stitch, the t-shirt portions are being sewn onto the gray backing with red thread. Of the 65 blocks, I have 20 remaining that will wait for another day. It is time to head to Subway to pick up some lazy Sunday supper. It’s a good thing.

   
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  Noreen 6:52 am on June 4, 2017 Permalink  

  We are home from a day on the road for a graduation reception for great nephew Justin. The reception was in a picnic shelter adjacent to a lake. The heat that had been touted didn’t seem to bother anyone with the breeze that was enjoyed. A great day but there is no place like home. If I had not kicked my shoes off as soon as I hit the entry of the house, I would have tapped my shoes just as Dorothy did from the Wizard of Oz. “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”

   
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  Noreen 3:30 am on June 3, 2017 Permalink  

  The Heat of The Day 

  They weren’t kidding when they said it was going to be a warm day.  This morning, trying to walk in a fair amount of shade, I headed down one of the side streets that is lined with many trees.  The problem being the traffic with many detours around and about is horrific.  Not all lots have sidewalks.  Those that have sidewalks may not have them in good repair.  Getting the toe of my walking shoe caught on an unexpected tip of a sidewalk block could cause me much recovery time and pain.  I’ll get this figured out.  There may be a need for me getting out my handy dandy straw hat and wearing a long sleeve shirt to protect from the sun as I do my walk on the county road.  That route is so peaceful and enjoyable.  Not so much having to stop at all the intersections of the streets here in town.

  

  These knit items are so characteristic of what little boys wear: colorful and wild.

  Having more than one basket full of eggs is something I can advise for any retired person.  Too hot outside? Down to the sewing studio I can go.  The amount of items needed for this project is 67.  Today I finished putting stabilizer onto those 67 items.  The time has come to cut fabric that will have these toddler t-shirt squares sewn onto.  First things first.  The sewing machine needed a grease job and oil change job after finishing the peachy colored quilts.  Talk about fuzz that was caught every which way under the stitch plate.  That is a testament of the quality of fabric that I used in those four quilts.  Oh, the quilts will last.  My goodness if the feed sack quilts that Mom made are still around, these too will last.  The fabrics purchased in big box stores are printed on a “grunge base” that is less quality and so therefore less expensive than what is sold in a “Quilt Shop.”  You never have to worry about pre-washing fabric that is purchased in a quilt shop.  The colors will not bleed.  Walmart and JoAnn’s . . . it’s a gamble if you don’t rewash . . . and who doesn’t need to wash a quilted project now and again. Bottom line, you get what you pay for.

  Back to Oliver’s quilt: Dennis is going to be on call to help cut the fabric for the base of the t-shirts and he is so appreciated.  My hands and arms can’t thank him enough.  All in all it’s time to call it a day and get those Beans and Weenies ready for supper.

   
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  Noreen 2:42 am on June 2, 2017 Permalink  

  Summer sure did pop out today. I chose a different walking route this morning, one that offered shade periodically. The usual county road’s asphalt reflecting more sun and heat than I thought was wise.

  I came across the area of the community gardens. One lone fellow was putting in tomato plants. I couldn’t resist wandering over to him. I introduced myself and he to me. Wonder of wonder. His grandfather had a boiler’s license and worked in the Hector, Minnesota, school taking care of utility duties during the same time that Carrie and Kevin’s grandmother, Esther, was the head cook.

  Glad to have made it home in the warmer temperatures, I headed for our shaded patio to enjoy the cup of coffee I had put there before heading out for my daily constitution. It matters not that by the I time I get home from the walk, the coffee is tepid. I sat back, enjoying the coffee, but not nearly as much as letting my mind wander back to the “Esther Days.”

  As a mother-in-law, I learned so much from her in regard to raising a family, keeping a home, gardening until you thought you’d have to crawl into the house, crocheting every chance you could find and being a bit of a tough nut to crack. My trip down memory lane lasted a lot longer than my cup of coffee. It was time well spent.

   
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  Noreen 2:15 am on June 1, 2017 Permalink  

  Good Ka-Noodling 

  

  I have had very successful ka-noodling, aka: brain teasers. Some of Oliver’s treasures for his quilt were larger than others. Out came the graph paper. 8″ blocks will surround the larger 10″ blocks. It did hurt to cut up such beautiful clothes for this project. Dennis and I both commented how both of our kids were raised with hand-me-downs and they kept getting handed down until they were mere dust rags. That was then and this is now . . . a work in progress. Ironing stabilizer onto 57 items to then be cut to the correct sized block will be the next step. Slow going. You can bet that as the days progress, I will be taking advantage of a fairly long patio coffee break each morning after my walk. The walks will allow for me to continue ka-noodling as the challenges in this project arise.

   
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  Noreen 3:27 am on May 31, 2017 Permalink  

  We were primed to have coffee on the patio this morning and realized we had to dry off chairs first. Sometime during the night there had been a sprinkle or two. As I was having my first cup of coffee and getting my walking shoes on, I could tell Dennis’ mind was far, far away. I headed out for my walk and left Dennis to his thoughts.

  As I was stepping it off on the county road I could not help but think that if Dad were still with us, I think he would literally be with us. There is so much heavy equipment buzzing around the town and the perimeter with the huge utility upgrade, Dad would find a tree stump that was handy and sit and take it all in. Digging down 20 feet to install new sewer line, water lines and re-routing gas lines has brought in an entire village of workers operating just the type of equipment for someone like Dad to be enthralled by. That doesn’t even take in the site that is next to my morning walk. All that has been taken out of the trenches of the street work has been piled high and now is being ground up for re-purposing for the post-installation.  Oh for the mindset of those creating all of this machinery to make it work.

  As I was rounding the bend returning from my walk, I could see where Dennis’ thoughts had been. Far, far away to the back of the acre to get his riding lawnmower going. That sneaky fellow. The remaining yard work ensued with me pushing my mower and Dennis continuing with the rider mower. Ya, I am now showered and very tuckered out. What a great feeling to sit back and enjoy our home. Jokingly, Dennis commented if we lived in an apartment complex we wouldn’t have to put in all the local effort to keep things tidy. We looked at each other and knew deep down, no matter how tuckered we get there is no other place for us but on Stauffer Avenue.