I am so enjoying the cool temps. The gardens have had a break from the heat and it’s amazing how everything has perked up. Catch ya later.
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Noreen
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Noreen
A Kersten Treat
A Treat Fit for Kersten
• 1 tube of Crescent Rolls
• Mini Marshmellows
• Cholcolate Chips
• Graham Crackers
Muffin tin or foil lined cookie sheet
Unroll each roll and place in tin
Add the next two ingredients
Sprinkle with some crushed graham crackers
Fold over the crescent roll
Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes
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Noreen
Road Trip Day
Believe it or not I almost have no words left to either verbalize or to type. My sister and I took a road trip and covered multiple stops to see family members that we proudly call cousins. My cousin Vernie’s daughter has a coffee shop in Dassel and it was a great lunch and the talk just flowed even though I had only met Caryn via Facebook. Caryn’s parents stopped in and what a great time sharing the now, the then and the what if. Why do we put off keeping up with those that we share so much history with?
We took the back roads to Hutchinson and lo and behold cousin Arlan was out on the John Deere mowing his yard. Arlan and his wife Vonnie invited us in and the visiting just became this steady hum that soon put their dog Sprinkles into a nap at our feet. Arlan did say that he was reluctant to bring the mower to the area we had parked at on his yard as he thought we might be from the Jehovah Witness unit. Silly man.
After Elvera was deposited safely at her home in Stewart I back tracked a bit north to see my brother Michael and his family in Boon Lake Township. JoAnn is a nurse at the Hutch hospital and Mike is delivering lumber for Simonson Lumber in Hutch. Their daughter Laura and her family have just moved back to Minnesota from North Dakota so that was a plus to catch up with Laura.
It is time to get out of my traveling clothes and get comfortable. It was a huge day for this docile introvert.
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Noreen
Leave The Horse Alone
For decades I have heard the adage “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” Being the stalwart German that I am there is no way I won’t get the horse to drink when I want him to or when.
Yesterday a light bulb went off via the wise words of someone that I taught some of the life’s lessons that he lives by: my son. It was as if Kevin was taking me by the ear and sitting me down for “the talk.” “Mom, if you get the horse to drink when you want you are getting what you want with no regard for what the horse wants. The horse has to feel he is in control and it was his idea not yours.” Humph. “Everyone needs to know that they are allowed to have a treat and the treat is different for everyone.” The whole while during this conversation the horse was silent.
Don’t ya just hate it when the youth comes up with the real deal on sound advice? At this stage of the story the identity of the innocent need not be protected any longer. I am here to tell you Dennis, aka: the horse, I will stop pushing your head under water and trying to make you drink. Your time, your treat and you and I will contend with the consequences if and when they occur. Let’s just give this one — and I repeat one score — to the younger generation. This does not bode well for my credibility.
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Noreen
Wonderful Rain Fall
At first when I woke up this morning I thought the day would literally be a wash. The 1.2 inches was a Godsend. Though it’s nice to get a break from mowing the yards, eventually the brown grass doesn’t have much eye appeal.
The sun broke through the clouds about the time Kevin and Kersten came for a visit with Bell and Sophie. It’s so hard on the grand pups and their noises to try and follow all the new smells when they come to visit. The best part for them was running head long into the long mud puddles on Stauffer.
No way I could resist having a bit of a fix-it list as extra hands are available. O.K. I admit it. Dennis and I don’t know how to go about fixing some items and it comes second nature to Kevin, and Kersten knows just which tools to hand off to him. I don’t take his skills lightly as I know he has had to work hard time and time again to acquire and then hone those skills. Kevin and Kersten’s property and vehicles benefit tremendously from not having labor amounts added to materials and parts.
Dennis hosted brats on the patio for a great meal after all was repaired and tidied. Bell and Sophie were not left out of the picture by any means. Rocking chairs do wonders to settle a full stomach as the conversations that ensued touched all bases. We didn’t find any answers or solutions to world issues but we did visit long enough that the pups were lolled into naps at our feet. When the Ford pickup headed back to Fairfax the mud puddles all had had time to have soaked into the hungry dirt and gravel. As the pickup headed out two faces peeked through the pickup topper and I know that the tails were doing double time. It was a great day right here on Stauffer. The sun setting on green grass and the air smelling fresh just makes one want to smile and stay quiet for a bit.
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Noreen
Funeral days seem to encompass the entire space between my ears. My daughter said it is easier to move forward than wait. I like that idea. Thanks Carrie.
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Noreen
In Real Estate It's About What Feels Right
Over the forty plus years of working in the real estate assessment profession the challenge was always put forth as to the real worth of a parcel or a building in regard to it’s taxable value. It had bearing on the age, the condition and the style. In the end it was all about how comfortable the property felt to its occupant.
The Wren House Designed by Dr. Seuss
In our small community one would be hard pressed to find the perfect property that is so often portrayed in the media. The train runs the length of the town many times during the day and night. One mile on either side of the tracks and you are out of town. Several food processing plants emit the smell of bacon bits that are being processed. In the fall of the year we have pink corn chaff floating every which way via the breeze and winds as they change direction. No one thinks twice about any of those things as it becomes the familiar essence of normal. Normal brings with it tranquility and contentment.
I can tell you that this afternoon our tenant in the backyard couldn’t express enough how content she was in her home. So much so that I thought any moment she would become hoarse and the chatter would stop. Mrs. Wren loves her Dr. Seuss home. It is bulging at the seams with life much like our home. Size doesn’t seem to deter her as generally there are bits of twigs hanging out the front door as she is re-arranging the traffic pattern within her home. Mrs. Wren drove home the point that home is where the contented heart is. I must so agree with her. It would take something quite spectacular for Dennis and I to consider leaving our world of contentment here on Stauffer Ave.
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Noreen
Whew – Can We Stop Now?
It sure has been a good day though it seems to be lasting forever. Dennis and I were in sync today and we got a lot of items sorted and moved and even managed to give a few things away.
It’s not as if we are short of storage space as we have more square footage in garages and a potting shed than in total of the first floor of our home, the basement and the walk up attic. It’s just a matter of the moon being in the right phase and multiple pots of coffee. I admit I have my stuff and so I honor Dennis’ stuff. I just wanted Dennis’ stuff to be all in one location rather than having it dribble over an expanse of — everywhere. The back two and a half stall garage just seemed to be the perfect place to have it all safe and sound under lock and key. The basement is where me and my stuff hang out on a pretty regular basis. The seven hundred and twenty square feet of our home really can’t support more than the normal coming and going of an average day from sun up to nightfall. The size of our home is “if you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” The secret is to keep it tidy with no extra clutter.
We are calling it a day, a successful day. For some reason when we start out the day at the Super 8 swimming pool the burst of energy just keeps us going. As I am looking at Dennis and reading to him what I am typing he is shaking his head in the negative and pointing to me. O.K. I own it. The work out at the pool keeps me going and going and going. Catch ya later.
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Noreen
Pizza by Kersten's Kitchen
Pepperoni at it’s Finest
Pepperoni – Kersten’s Favorite
• One can of crescent rolls
• Mozzarella cheese sticks
• Pepperoni slices (4-5) according to taste
• Garlic Powder
Use a piece of foil on cookie sheet
One third to one half of cheese stick
Roll the crescent roll
Sprinkle with garlic powder
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes
Canadian Bacon may also be used
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Noreen
A Very Good Thing
We are stewards of what we have been given on this great earth. I feel that this earth can always use another great tree. My Dad had a love for Black Walnut Trees. I don’t think it was all about the fact that the walnuts could be harvested and used in Mom’s kitchen, he just liked them. In 1988 when I first happened upon my home here on Stauffer Avenue, within the first year my dad brought me a Black Walnut seedling. After my Dad passed in 1992 my brother Michael brought me one more of the trees that Dad had started in a five gallon pail. Both trees are doing well and I am sure they measure well over fifty feet in height. It’s a good thing that we realize we need trees and their leaves to filter our air.
Squirrel’s Addition of a Black Walnut Tree
Over time I have planted a Northern Red Oak tree and also an Ornamental Crab Apple tree. The Mountain Ash tree made it only twenty years and I have since realized that they do have a hard time in Minnesota. As we added a variety of blooming shrubs in the backyard it became a quest to see which blooming shrub should be the next to be added. I think the biggest success story needs to go out to a friendly squirrel. In the far backyard is the most beautiful Black Walnut that I have nurtured since it was just visible above the grass. This tree has been so successful I found another little fledgling just this week that is a now being sheltered from the ever aggressive lawn mower.
It is very rewarding to see additions to the yard come into their own. Mother Nature at her finest is a very good thing.