Fleeting Thoughts:
Just what kind of world would be it without butter?
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Noreen
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Noreen
I knew Megan Had My Back
It seems as if it has been forever since I lost the lower front tooth crown. When I called the dentist’s office, I was asked if it was an emergency. I really had to admit, it was one tooth and there was no pain. I wouldn’t think of going to any dentist other than the one that I have had for the last thirty years, but appointments are hard to come by, so it was hurry up and wait.
I felt myself tense up as the thought of this appointment came closer. The tooth under the crown had been totally worn away. There was nothing jutting out from the gum. Even when a tree stump rots there generally is something to grab on to, to remove the root.
As I sat with the glare of the dentist’s overhead lamp, I knew that the Novocaine was coming and it was going to be more than “This will be just a little prick.” My mind immediately went to granddaughter Megan. Megan had quite a few teeth pulled in the early winter of 2014 for her braces, and her first weeks of the braces were very challenging. Her little cheeks were raw in the inside until the wire situation could be remedied.
During the years of Megan raising Grammie, each time we had a challenge, I would warn Megan that maybe Grammie wouldn’t be able to accomplish the task at hand. The challenges were arrays from mental to physical. With her wide blue eyes looking right into mine, “Grammie, you can do this!” Sure enough, Grammie would come through.
Sitting in the dentist chair with more than just one prick, I knew Megan had my back and she would expect nothing less than being strong. Today was the first step in the remedy of “Grammie with one of her front teeth missing.” Next week after the swelling is gone, I will have impressions made for having an additional tooth added to the bottom partial.
It just goes to show, that no matter what the age or the situation, trepidation is within each of us. Much can be endured and accomplished by the support and belief of those who are filled with the innocence of a child. It is sad when life snuffs out that innocence.
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Noreen
A sunny day that brought warmth with it. Hopefully, this could be a run of more of these sunny warm days. Dennis and I kept moving our spots for enjoying coffee by the rising of the sun as it shone through the trees. We were lulled by morning doves cooing in the distance.
We didn’t set out to have a list of yard work, but by the late morning, we had managed to trim some shrubs as well as low-hanging branches of the maple tree. I raked Black Walnuts’ spears and bits of branches from the gardens to fill the bottom of the neighbor’s burning pit. Dennis cut up the trimmings and branches to fill the pit and the fire cleaned everything up, ready for yard work another day. We always seem to find something that needs tending on our acreage.
The treat at noon was a twelve inch sea food sub from Subway. It was a very generous helping of the goodies. We enjoyed half of it at noon and the remainder will bail me out as to what to make for supper. Priceless.
As I mentioned, we very rarely find that we have nothing to do. It is possible we make busy work where others wouldn’t see it or do it. Dennis looked over the yard and deemed that it was a great place to hang out for the entire summer season. I agreed wholeheartedly.
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Noreen
A Happy Ole Cowboy on Stauffer
Mowing season is Dennis’ favorite time. I must say the acreage always looks very manicured. As far as I am concerned the fuel that the mower takes is money well spent. Happy cowboy, happy Stauffer Avenue.
Dennis just couldn’t hold off any longer. The riding lawnmower was whispering in his ear and he followed the call. Did the grass need to be cut? No, it needed to be trimmed, as some grass was very long and some was not so long. The end result was that the acreage looks wonderful.
I couldn’t very well sit on my hands while Dennis was toiling. I retrieved the clipper and the lopper and tended to some of the branches on the shrubs. It actually was perfect timing, as those branches that hit Dennis shoulder height got clipped or chopped off. Just a bit of trimming to encourage new growth.
With it being the third weekend of April, it could end up being a long season of mowing, only if we get some measurable rain. So far, we may have had three fourths of an inch since the snow melt. It was not enough rain to wash off the dust that remained on the grass from the last of the melting snow. Both of us commented on how gritty we felt from the day. We decided on fried eggs and toast and then hit the showers.
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Noreen
A day of blustery high winds but not much measurable rain. Small branches have fallen from the Maple tree and are just large enough to call for a “pick-up” day. I consider us fortunate as it is not unusual to see around town, fairly large trees that have caused damage as they either fell in total or split during the high winds of the last weeks. I did track down several small plastic tables that took flight. I forget that we get several false spring starts every year.
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Noreen
Fleeting Thoughts:
My memory needs a jar every once in awhile.
Last night Dennis and I were in the porch, rocking away taking in the news on the television. In between time during the chit chat, Dennis made a comment in passing that jarred my memory with a fleeting thought. The thought was about taking a hat to the local dry cleaners and they, in turn, needed to send it out of town to have it cleaned. Ah yes . . . and I had not gone back to the cleaners to check on it.
This morning before we left town for errands, we made a stop, and sure enough, the beaver felt hat was there waiting. The gal behind the counter had put the telephone number down incorrectly and she was hoping that it would be picked up . . . sometime. I checked it over and even the small black grease spot was gone.
While we were in Mankato, I stopped and picked up a cardboard hat box at Hobby Lobby for the perfect fit. Check that off the list of errands that the dusty memory of mine can put to rest.
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Noreen
Spent the afternoon with an individual that I have known for several decades. She has seen the very best of me and the very worst of me. In the late 1990s she came to me in the Watonwan County Assessor’s Office seeking information about a job posting. She sat in the chair opposite from me in a long tweed coat with a little black hat, complete with a veil perched upon her black hair. Renee got the position as my assessment clerk.
I am the fortunate one; I am retired. Renee is twenty years younger than me and has two children in high school. Way back when, her oldest child, Joe, was in kindergarten and now has his master’s degree and is a father of two little boys.
Employer and employee, not always the friendliest relationship to get the job done that was at hand. Somehow, Renee and I have weathered all the years and all the storms. I can empathize with her as perhaps no one else can as she is in the same department, but with more responsibilities than ever before.
It was an afternoon to share, to laugh, and to vent with the promise of getting together again some time.
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Noreen
The Early Bird Did the Plucking
I could not resist plucking just enough Rhubarb for a small dish of Rhubarb Crumble. This is the 21st of April and I hope the plucking season is a long one.
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Noreen
I half expected to see ice on the Koi pond this morning. A blustery 39 degrees is quite the reality check as we headed to the garage with coffee in tow. I keep forgetting that we are only in the third week of April.
The epileptic will be having two trucks in town on Thursday to pick up gently-used clothing and light household items. The items are taken to the Savers stores and I believe the one nearest us is in Rochester. The collected items are stocked and resold. The funds are used for the Disabled American Veterans. The DAV also has a drop off site in New Ulm, but this curbside service in St. James can’t be beat. Dennis and I used the earlier morning hours and went through our home. We will have a nice sized donation for them.
In our home, Mondays represent laundry day and also a trip to the Super 8 pool to limber the body. Being 5 minutes away from the pool, it takes a pretty good excuse to pass on the workout. When we got home and had a bite to eat, both of us headed for our favorite chairs to take in the noon news on the television. It was a combination of being weary from a good workout at the pool, the gray skies darkening the house and the wild winds whistling through the huge evergreen right outside the northwest corner of the house that prompted both of us to check our eyelids for cracks.
With us snuggled into our favorite blankets, the naps were deep and sweet.
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Noreen
Today I had a bridal shower for a daughter of Dennis’ cousin. Some events are obligatory for the sake of remembering family ties. It was a “come and go” event. After greeting the bride to be and taking a cup of coffee I found a table of other attendees. Women can always make small talk and find a common connection.
I had not been in New Ulm other than driving through on route to farther north destinations for a decade or so. Today, I took the time to drive the business district and follow Minnesota Avenue from one end to the other, seeing a mix of residential properties and small town businesses. Community pride in that German-based city is huge. I was surprised that a shop called Elenanor’s was still vacant as it had been in 2000. It had contained every eclectic collectible imaginable and was so enjoyable to stroll through. If I remember correctly, Kevin found the star for the top of his Christmas tree in that shop. Such a thriving main street with this long going vacancy told me there must be more to the story than a shop gone out of business.
I ended up in the Hy-Vee grocery store and stocked up on some produce for the week to come. Of course, I picked up some pre-cooked Johnsonville Brats and a small container of potato salad made with boiled eggs and green onions for supper. When I got home and Dennis saw that I had also bought two cucumbers, he had the peeler out before I could open the refrigerator door. He is set on having sliced cucumbers with sliced onions topped with a light dressing for one of tomorrow’s meals.
No matter the events of the day or times, I can assure you, no one on Stauffer Avenue ever goes hungry.