A cool temperature day. A trip to the library for several books. I do enjoy reading in the evening hours when the television viewing options are less than good. Renee came over for afternoon coffee. I do forget how many years ago she came to work for me. Her son Joe was just five and he is now a father of two with a Master’s degree working for the DNR in North Dakota. According to her, she has 12 more years to go before she can retire. Bless her heart. I should really sleep well this evening with windows cracked on both ends of the house.
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Noreen
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Noreen
Today would be a good day to put a brick in my bloomers. The wind is having its way. In years past, during a wind this strong for the last week in September, we would have had our garage roof bombed with Black Walnuts from our neighbor’s tree. This year: there are no Walnuts to be blown off of the tree. Hmm. Perhaps the winter will be so mild we don’t need food for the squirrels . . . or the winter will be brutal and the squirrels will suffer. Hmm.
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Noreen
1,392
On the left shoulder, the little devil was saying, “Just leave this on the quilt. It doesn’t really matter.” On my right shoulder was the little angel named Kevin. “You are going to take the stitches out . . . aren’t you mother?” 1,392 stitches were picked out and 1,392 stitches have been put back in, in the correct spot. I do feel better. I do feel satisfied knowing that it was the best that needed to be done. When I am applying an embroidery motif, my sewing machine allows me to know how many stitches are within the pattern. Picking them out, it sure felt like more.
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Noreen
Today a packed St. Paul’s Lutheran Church said their goodbyes to Elvera Helen Trettin. I am trusting all the greetings that Elvera’s family received from family and friends will take them to a softer part of their mourning. With my children: Carrie, Kevin and Kersten with Dennis and I, I felt the comfort that I needed going about my days without Elvera. Sisters are a rare breed. Elvera and I had a deep relationship on many different levels. I feel blessed.
I will go on with my days and be thankful that today is the oldest I have ever been and the youngest I will ever be.
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Noreen
Times Remembered
Today, not unlike many days, I was in my sewing studio. Nothing heavy going on. Just preparing some quilt batting for the next item on the list.
I did spend a lot of time remembering the fun times with my sister Elvera. Elvera was not quite six when I was born. Most likely a huge infringement. On my fourth Christmas, I do recall the fright when in my Christmas sock, right on top, was a dead mouse. It was a good thing, the bits of treasures from Santa were wrapped. Elvera was my Dad’s right hand man. She was able to help run errands for Dad. It didn’t take long she was able to run the hand clutch on the tractor when her and Dad went out in the spring to pick rocks up that the last winter’s frost had brought to the surface.
When Dad cut wood for our home’s winter heating, we knew what MEA school break had in store for us. Elvera was at the tractor getting the loads of wood pulled up to the house from the pasture where Dad had his saw set up. Calvin, Michael and I were in charge of unloading it into the basement and stacked before she came back with another load. Elvera and Dad filled the next load as we were using two wagons. It kept everyone humping. All four of us did make fun of it all. It didn’t hurt that Mom had cookies and Watkins nectar for break time.
The six year difference was apparent with Elvera and I until we both had kids and lived only six miles apart. Both of us were doing farm work right along side of our husbands. When we had a chance to visit each other over a cup of coffee it was always with an eye on the clock. Afternoon livestock chores started around four in the afternoon. School buses around the same time of day would be dropping kids off that would be hungry.
I enjoyed sewing clothing right out of high school. I was sewing Carrie and Kevin’s clothing from the time they got out of their 24/7 sleepers. Elvera slowly picked up the bug as Tim, Kay and Larry started school. It was always a fun trip when Mom, Elvera and I headed out to Hopkins on the outskirts of the metro to ravish one of the fabric warehouses. I am not sure what our husbands and our kids thought, as one Christmas every last one of them sported either a smoking style jacket for the boys and dads, or a jumper for Carrie and Kay out of the same plaid. It was a fantastic buy on the whole bolt of fabric.
Who knew how much fun it could be going to “Bumps” in St. Cloud! Mom, Elvera and I would head off to the damaged freight place. It was dented cans, and any type of dry goods a pantry would like to hold. There was no “use by sell date” importance. Elvera and Orville had a station wagon and the three of us loaded it down with the back bumper no doubt dragging. To top it all off, McDonalds for a treat.
As often as Orlin and I moved, Elvera and I stayed connected for the most part. There was a several year period where a conflict within our family separated us. The death of my father brought Elvera and I back together. We realized how much support our Mother needed.
In the years when our Mother was in a health care facility I made the trip north every several weeks. Elvera and I always shared that time with Mom. After Mom passed away, I did not head north as often on the highways and the highway south for Elvera to travel to me was seldom. Perhaps we visited in each of our homes once a year in the recent past. We did try to call each other once a week, seemingly taking turns for the three o’clock in the afternoons, with each of us having a cup of coffee as we visited.
Elvera was on the go non stop in the recent years. She loved being “someplace.” I have been one to enjoy being in my home. As different as Elvera and I were in so many respects, we did come together with our joy of quilting and reminiscing when we visited. Elvera will no longer have her days “double booked.” Elvera is home and at peace. I am within my home, content and thankful to have had Elvera as my “big sister.”
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Noreen
Hmm
Today I spent quite a bit of time finishing this scrappy quilt. I needed to spend time positioning embroidery motifs using the virtual positioning tool. Computer loaded designs can be manipulated not only in actual size, but can also be turned 90 degrees at a time. If, by chance, I did not get the project into the embroidery hoop at just the right angle to the dangle, I can move the needle to allow for adjustment.
. . . and then when I am multi-tasking; boiling my catheters, running a load of laundry while the embroidery machine is set to run, I run-a-muck. It is kind of like . . . measure twice, cut once and it’s still too short. No, I did not pick it out. This is me. This is who I am; striving to get it done right, but knowing I have foibles.
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Noreen
Multi-Task Gadgets
Many gadgets came with my sewing machine. One of them was to give me the option of using my knee to control my stitching rather than the foot pedal. Either my legs are too short or the table is too high, it didn’t appear that I would be making use of it so on the shelf it went. Nothing is more bothersome to have yards and yards of binding fall to the floor during the application process. It would be twisted and be a real pain for smooth sewing. Out came the knee control for the sewing machine. I stuck it into the machine just enough so it wouldn’t fall out and it has become my most favorite of gadgets. The binding doesn’t fall on the floor for me to roll over with with my sewing chair, it doesn’t get twisted and it continuously unrolls as I sew. I do so appreciate gadgets that multi-task.
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Noreen
A quiet day in my sewing studio. A bit of hand hemming, trying out thread combinations for a project that is peculating in my mind. Mostly, allowing family memories to flit in and out. I have spent a fair amount of time on the phone and also emails visiting with family members who have questions about my sister’s passing. Mostly I hear, “How could this happen?”
I have no clear answers, I do know that with Elvera just finishing up six weeks of radiation, the radiation continues to work withing a patient’s system for the duration of three months in the future. The heart valve perforation may be repaired, but no surgery when the radiation is active and thriving.
The answer for myself is in the knowing that the good Lord has his plan and man will not derail it. I know that I feel quiet within my insides and that is a good thing.
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Noreen
A day on the road for a VA appointment in Minneapolis. All went well and it is always good to be safe and sound at home.
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Noreen
Dog-gone Cat
We have a cat named Snuggles. His hair does not match his name. His hair is more like a hogs; bristly. On one of the nicer
summer days, I had driven with the rear passenger side window open . . . and forgot to close it when I put the car in the garage. UGH! I swear Snuggles checks out the windows each and every time when we have parked the vehicles. Sure enough, he got me.
A time back I had bought a lint roller in the grocery store labeled “effective for pet hair.” Not! The next time we were in Sam’s Club my all time favorite Scotch brand of lint rollers was featured on the end cap. Today was the proof in the pudding, so to speak. The vacuum cleaner didn’t want to lift 
enough hair to make a dent. The Scotch lint rollers sheets are similar to the weight of wax paper and man, talk about sticky pickup ability. It made cleanup of the car mats a breeze. You can only guess who was sitting not far off waiting for me to abandon the project for him to make his way into the car. That dog-gone cat Snuggles. Sorry, not this time. I have learned my lesson; stick with what you know works. It saves a person a lot of grief.
