Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 5:36 am on May 19, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Lilacs   

  A busy social weekend threw us off of the Saturday lawn mowing schedule. An inch of rain left our yards lush. We would have had a front yard with heavy layers of cut grass to dry and smother what was underneath. if not for the very strong winds that took the grass as fast as the mower blew it out and took it far, far away. Today was the first time of me mowing a lawn that my ears got so cold that they actually hurt. Yup, May 18th, 2015, and the high for the day was 44 degrees.

  They are talking of the possibility of frost these next several nights. Dennis and I needed to take all the potted plants in. The huge Schefflera had no more than been set on the floor of the porch, than Snuggles tried to climb the branches. He got cuffed away from the plant. When I came in with a second pot he was digging in the dirt of the Schefflera. During this time Butter Ball was lying under the table watching it all. Thank God kittens turn into cats that love to sleep for eighteen hours a day. We could just visualize the mayhem with all those choices of pots to play in.

  That settled it . . . the thirteen pots from the three tiered planter are in the back of the pickup. The huge fern that hangs and graces the lower branches of the Lilacs is sitting on the backseat of my 1999 Lincoln. I will have to take my chances with the the Palm plant and the Schefflera as they are too large to take into the house. We have had both of those plants for six years and they sit on the edge of the Koi pond during the warm seasons. During the winter, the temperature in the garage porch never goes below 44 degrees. A perfect fit for plants to take a break until they are put out again in the spring.

  Last winter Snuggles wasn’t around until late February. As a kitten, he had a lot to adjust to on ground level. It’s not as if Snuggles doesn’t have the the entire acre to take his antics out on. We were of sound mind when we took Snuggles in. What does that tell you about the older ones on Stauffer? If word gets out that Dennis and I are so easily played by four legged, cute critters . . . we are so screwed.

   
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  Noreen 7:13 am on May 18, 2015 Permalink  

  My oh my, what a day. My cousin Art’s funeral was today at the Forest City Thresher’s site, north of Litchfield. Art was a founding father of the organization and I could tell, he will be hard to replace within the group.

  Dennis and I left home before noon and the sun was brilliant. For two old farmers such as we are, it was interesting to see how tall the corn was and how much water was standing in the rows from the recent rains.

  Just as several times before on the open highway, we met Kersten and Kevin heading south as we were heading north. We didn’t stop for a chat this time, we made due with me texting, followed by a phone call from Kevin.

  The clouds above were turbulent the entire time. We stopped at a Casey’s store in Litchfield and before I could return to the car, the rains started. We didn’t think anything of it as Litchfield had just gotten four inches the night before. How much could be left to fall? The six miles out to the thresher’s site was driving at 40 mph as you couldn’t see for the rain coming down.

  I enjoyed seeing many family members from my Mom’s side of the Riebe clan. Bitter sweet as we just had a Riebe reunion at the thresher’s site last year, hosted by Art himself. He was so proud to show off the dining hall adjacent to some of the warehouses full of goodies. Taken too soon at the age of 61, he was a memorable fellow.

  We arrived home about 7:30 this evening, again often times driving through rain and very strong winds. With strong winds howling, the first thing we did was check out the yards to see if we had any wind damage. Dennis cleaned seed pods out of the Koi pond, but didn’t spend any extra time under the large trees. Older trees often have damage that is not detectable until it, or a part of it, hits the dirt.

  After we got home, I offered a prayer of thanks for having a safe day of traveling. Then, standing on my driveway, clicking my heels together, the neighbors could very well have heard me say, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”

   
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  Noreen 6:09 am on May 17, 2015 Permalink  

  Took in Dennis’ great grandson, Oliver’s second birthday in Mankato. Lots of activity for us older folk to sit back and enjoy. We aren’t accustomed to sitting around that much, and we both came home more weary than if we had worked in the yard all day.

   
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  Noreen 5:23 am on May 16, 2015 Permalink  

  A Funk Twarted 

  This morning I knew from the first cup of coffee, my head was in a funk. I also know myself well enough that if I don’t nip it in the bud, it’s a slippery slope and it is not good. Dennis volunteered to do the poppy displays for the VFW in the small cities and I was on my own. I got dressed, and gathered garden tools and attacked the windrows of Maple seeds that had dropped with the rain of yesterday. The dirt was plenty wet, but using a rake I did make huge inroads in the 100′ lineal feet of flower beds. As the bushel baskets got full, the seeds hit the garbage bag.  I do know that those that I didn’t get will soon have little hairlike roots.  By next year those little buggers would be hard to pull out.  Very aggressive seed pods.

  After several hours with shoes that seemed to weigh a ton with mud hanging from them, I took a break and the funk was thwarted. Call it a funk, or call it mild depression; I do not allow it to get the best of me. I know by physical exertion, to the point of it being hard physical exertion, I can beat it.  No meds can do what working up a sweat can do.

   
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  Noreen 5:21 am on May 15, 2015 Permalink  

  Days like this with slow-falling rains are needed . . . but man, the darkness brings with it a gloom that even an unexpected nap while reading the junk mail won’t lift.

   
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  Noreen 4:58 am on May 14, 2015 Permalink  

  A Great Day to Get Dirty 

  

  Wax Begonias are the favorite for the three-tier planter. Dennis and I first saw planters such as this when we drove through Pella, Iowa, in times gone past. It wasn’t long after that, we noticed Johnny Hill’s Standard Gas station site in Hector, Minnesota, was selling them. At the time we put in the patio we had the stand cemented in place. Today was a very windy and cool day, but there have been years when I would do battle with gnats to get the plants in place. If the squirrels don’t get too curious, the pots should begin filling in nicely and continue to bloom right through and beyond the first frost of the fall of 2015.

   
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  Noreen 6:29 am on May 13, 2015 Permalink  

  What service! I called Mediacom yesterday to voice my concerns over our televisions tiling out (distorted image) over the last two weeks. Today a little past noon, technician Michael appeared representing Mediacom. The black box where all the magic happens from, appears to have had an electrical surge move through it. Though we have not had an electrical storm or have not been home when something may have happened to compromise our electrical within the home, there was evidence of a problem.

  The cable attached from the back of the black box to the place where it entered through the living room floor appeared to have been sliced with a knife in short spurts for that enter length that compromised the smooth surface that the cable should have had throughout. There were areas where the steel of the cable showed through. At the entrance of the cable to the box the cable had been melted.

  We now have a new black box that is ready for a high definition television for some time in the future. Michael replaced connections on all four televisions that we have hooked to Mediacom. The remote was replaced complete with batteries. Every component in the box on the outside of the house was replaced. We had a great once over and though Michael could not be certain the tiling was corrected without sitting and watching television with us, he encouraged us to call if more support was needed.

  I know Mediacom and such companies get a lot of negative publicity, but today we had a service technician that scored 100% and we addressed that when we received a follow up phone call in regard to the visit today.

  We really don’t know if the condition of the cable indicated that something worse might have, could have, happened within the home, but we are thankful that after Michael left we had a clean bill.

   
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  Noreen 2:19 am on May 12, 2015 Permalink  

  Cools Temperatures Rely on Warm Memories 

  Yesterday was Mother’s Day 2015.  The day was delightful and busy as only days can be with family getting together.

  Just as Grandpa Dennis predicted, Megan and Nicholas loved getting to know the newest feline on Stauffer, Snuggles.  They arrived from Eden Prairie and there was a dash out to the garage porch for them to take a quick peek to see which of the cats were awake and who was still sleeping in their beds.

  There was no sun to be had, and with intermittent showers, we had an in-door picnic.  I didn’t have a chance to take notice of the temperatures yesterday, as I was more in-tuned to the chatter and the antics of those around me. Dennis had turned the furnace up in the porch before the kids arrived, knowing full well where the action would be.  Megan and Nicholas ate and postponed having desert until after they would come back in from the porch.  From the bathroom window the view through the patio doors of the porch was priceless.  Both kids were on the floor of the porch and a ping pong ball could be seen bouncing around as well as a black and while blur of Snuggles.

  In time, Megan and Nicholas did come in and, I swear, they had played hard enough that when I brought the rhubarb dessert and the ice cream to the dining room table, they each indicated larger portions then I would have given them credit for.  Without saying anything after they finished their dessert, each went in different directions and came back together with toys to play with.  They must have hatched out a plan before they came in.  It tugged at my heart.  Both had brought their tablets with, but they were lying on the dining room table.  The kids were still interested in playing with the toys that they have played with since the time when each of them were toddlers.  Priceless.

  From the time Megan had been a toddler, we would take her along as we ran errands, and at some point we had visited the Fleet and Farm Store.  With her little nose hanging over a display she found the Schleich animal collection.  As she picked each one up and looked it over, I told her she could pick out two animals.  It was very hard for her to decide.  At that time I told her the next time she came, she could pick out two more animals.  It seemed to be a good plan.  The next time Megan did come to stay with us, and we brought her toys our for play, the two animals from Fleet and Farm put a twinkle in her eye and she said, “Two more?”  What can I say?  It has become a tradition that was passed on to to Nicholas.  Just too fun.

  

  There is nothing as pleasing to Grandpa Dennis
  and me as seeing Megan and Nicholas putting aside their
  tablets and playing with toys from days gone by.

  Yesterday, to top off the play, Megan had a request.  The last time Megan was here she had followed me up to the attic and had spied something and had asked if it could come downstairs so she could play with it.  I had brought it down and it was a winner. Yesterday, Megan was requesting the same red and green barn to play with as Nicholas had never seen it before.  Out came the Schleich animals, which by now has come to be quite a collection.  For the afternoon, some of us visited, some took naps and the two kids played on the floor creating all sorts of scenarios with the animals and the barn. There were even a few items pulled from a doll house to finish it all off.

  

  I couldn’t resist pulling up a 2009 Mother’s Day
  photo when Megan and Nicholas had Uncle Kevin pulling
  them up and down the driveway.

  I couldn’t resist pulling up a photo Mother’s Day 2009 when Megan and Nicholas had their Uncle Kevin pull them up and down the drive on the garden wagon.

  I am going to back up a bit about how the red and green barn happened to be.  When Kevin may have been in kindergarten, Orlin and I knew that the coming Christmas, Carrie was going to be getting one of the Barbie Doll items. I don’t remember if it was the camper or the plane.  I contacted my Great Uncle Roy Grunwalt, who was very handy with his hands.  The request was for a barn with a hay loft to be made for Kevin.  We asked him what he would charge.  We ended up doing a barter.  I would paint Great Aunt Agnus a table cloth with my Tri-Chem oil paints in exchange for the barn.  The deal was struck and all we needed to do was paint it without the kids catching on.  Over the decades, the barn has quietly been waiting in the far southwest corner of my attic, most likely dreaming about all the play times it and Kevin had had.

  Yesterday was a great Mother’s Day.  We had put the day to rest as night fell, when we had one more surprise.  Dennis had rummaged around and found a treasure he was bound and determined to send home with Nicholas.  It’s hard doing for grandchildren and keeping it a bit fair.  We had shared a sewing machine with Megan a time ago and today was Nicholas’ turn.  The treasure was an old telephone that at one time was a promo advertisement for Pepsi.  It was on a free standing unit and on the receiver was Pepsi – 10¢. Dennis had hooked it up and knew that any phone jack would result in an operational phone.  Nicholas went home holding the phone on his lap.

  Eight o’clock last night our phone rang and it was for Grandpa Dennis.  Nicholas was on his Pepsi phone thanking Grandpa Dennis for his treasure.  “—-oh, and if Megan wants to use my phone, she has to pay me 10¢.”

  Just how many special memories will my mind be able to hold?  I believe with all that is within me, my memories will keep me alive and vital for some time to come.

   
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  Noreen 5:10 am on May 11, 2015 Permalink  

  Yes, today was mother’s day. I just can’t imagine how one day could possibly be the sum total of the experience of being a mother. Someone figured out how to make being a mother financially advantageous and it became commercialized. That logic aside, I so enjoyed the text messages, the emails, the phone calls and the hugs of this entire last week. Love is just the best gift of all and it is priceless.

   
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  Noreen 8:05 am on May 10, 2015 Permalink  

  Very good day on Stauffer. The acreage is mowed, some needed gardening filled out the time we had. It was hard to come in and tidy up to work at a VFW event. More another time.