Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 4:33 am on June 10, 2013 Permalink  

  Can't Outrun Mother Nature 

  Today is truly the day the Lord has made.  How could we not be happy with it?  After listening to the rain fall all night on our house awning I had hoped for a chance to have morning coffee out on the patio.  Not so much.  The rain gauge noted another inch of rain had fallen.  Dennis decided it would be a good day to take a short road trip and as the sky was clearing in the south — south it was that we headed.  Neither of us had been in Fairmont, Minnesota, for quite awhile and it is only a 40 minuted drive.

  I had a short grocery list and I also knew there was a great greenhouse to the far southeast of town.  As we drove and the sun peeked out both of were thinking the same thing, how great to have the sun shining in the morning when we got up and have it shine right up to sunset. We had no more than commented to each other and the clouds descended.  The Janzen Greenhouse was loaded with plants. I couldn’t help but wonder where they would all find a home before the middle to the end of July when greenhouses usually close for the season. I knew as tempting as it was to fill the holes in my gardens from the winter kill, I had to stay on track.  I couldn’t look at the perennials as about that time the clouds opened and the open air garden hoop was being drenched. My conquest was two tomato plants, a bush cucumber plant and a Boston Fern to hang under the lilacs branches. That last item was not a necessity, but dang, so enjoyable for the summer right up to the killing frost.

  The HyVee grocery store was our only other stop and we came on home with windshield wipers just a going.  We again noted the clearing of the skies and by golly if we didn’t drive into our driveway with the sun shining. I put on a fresh pot of coffee and then took a full cup out to the backyard to check out the status of some small self seeders I had hoed around. As I got to the far end of our lot I had to hustle to make a dash for the garage porch as the rain that was falling was diluting my coffee. Today the clouds have opened at will with little warning. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and Lord I do thank you for this one.

   
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  Noreen 10:44 pm on June 8, 2013 Permalink  

  Indoor Activity for a Cool Day 

  Though I have the soul of a farmer the cool temps of 60 degrees and very gray clouds are driving me to seek indoor activities. It’s always nice to have a fabric project in the works for days such as these. There are no deadlines for my projects to be finished and that means no pressure. I have no idea where my fabric projects will end up at some point in time. The purpose that they serve is quenching my creative side.

  The wall hanging I am currently working on is called “Too Many Men” aka: snowmen.

  

  Wall hanging called ‘Too Many Men’

  During the recovery of the shoulder replacement I revisited hand quilting and found it very self satisfying. It didn’t matter how many stitches per inch I accomplished it was relaxing and allowed for quiet time for self reflection: so important for good health. The fabric was printed with the blue sky dotted with white dots to represent snow. I found just the right size of white buttons to replicate the snow flakes. It adds an additional dimension to the project as light reflects off of them. This is just one portion of what will be the completed project and that will be for a later posting.

  Today I can tell you that no matter how thick the clouds get or how much additional rain we get I am O.K.

   
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  Noreen 2:51 am on June 7, 2013 Permalink  

  My Surgery Success Story 

  I believe this is the longest that I have stayed away from “My Stories” in several years. A lot has happened since April 17, 2013.

  All of the preparation for the Reverse Shoulder Replacement that took place on April 25th was totally worth it. In the seven weeks since I have been amazed almost on a daily basis. Twenty four hours after awaking from the actual surgery Dennis and I were on our way home to St. James and everything I had organized for the both of us back home gave me a sense of quietness. The instructions before being discharged where very simple: “Wear the sling as close to 24/7 as possible and wiggle your fingers as often as possible.” I kidded the surgeon if he had put a bit of Super Glue onto the ends of the screws. He went on to tell Dennis and I that the screws were in fact hollow so they would fill in with my very own tissue to truly become a part of me. Wow! I left the hospital in one of Dennis’ large button shirts with the left arm safely kept tucked into the inside. Once home, for the first several days I was either in the recovery chair (wooden chair made of 2 x 4’s), pacing the floor or lying flat on my back in bed.

  One pain pill a day taken before bedtime was sufficient as I am not fond of the “out body feeling” that the drugs allow for. I know I was relying on the bedtime pain pill to help me settle in for the night. The bed had been made up to allow me to sleep with my head on the foot end. My grandmother’s rocker was put close to the bed so when I would rise out of the bed my right arm would be able to seek the wide arm rest and help propel me up and out, keeping the left arm immobile. Two days out and the blessing of having the washer and dryer in the bathroom made it possible for me to take care of our laundry. One arm to literally sling it in the washer and again after the wash cycle to sling the laundry into the dryer. The rocking chair in the bedroom was the gathering spot of the dried clothing and either Dennis folded it or we pulled out what we wanted when we needed it. A pretty laid back routine.

  Dennis was doing double duty from the start of my recovery as twice a day he was driving out to son Ken’s farm home to check on Ken’s wife who is on Home Hospice from brain cancer. The importance of Ken keeping his job and the remaining family members all punching into their places of employment, Dennis and his red pickup were enlisted. Dennis made sure before he left home that I gave him an itinerary of my plans and we both were manned with our cellphones. My only edict from Dennis was not to even think about going into the basement.

  We never went hungry. I served up quite a few batches of cold cuts and cheese for the noon lunch and Dennis manned the kitchen for supper. Whatever was fixed we enjoyed. Dennis had the job of being dishwasher and he did a fine, smart job, but, his most important job was neatening up my underware and elastic waist slacks as I pulled and tugged to the best of my ability and the rest waited until he could assist. It may have put a whole new slant on wedgies.

  I have learned a lot about being patient with myself. Try, try and try again as the weeks went on and I ventured into other activities. After the first three weeks I could move the left elbow and below as long as the arm stayed close to the body in the sling. I soon got needles threaded and tackled a few dishtowels. I am not saying it went slick or quick but where was I going? I soon reacquainted myself with hand quilting and thoroughly enjoyed it.

  The weather has not been all that great during these last weeks but the patio has offered a place to check out the robins and the nests they have built close by. As the Meow Mix bowl is always set out for any neighboring cats that need a snack I was amazed how many birds helped themselves to the cat food.

  After the sixth week the sling is no longer a mandate. I did continue using it during the last several days as I took back my flower gardens from all the wonderful green weeds that offered to take up space. With the sling on it was a great reminder that caution was still needed. I will admit after the sling was no longer a 24/7 item, the arm did feel very heavy as I was able to use it for light duty. Nothing serious, just making sure all the muscles and tendons knew that their vacation was over. The best thing is I can pull up my own pants as often and whenever it is needed. Oh, the little things in life that we all take for granted. The patio is my favorite place for enjoying a cup of coffee and doing some reading in between the fits of gardening

  I am so thrilled that I did not accept the palsied condition of the left arm for the rest of my life. As it turned out the rotor cuff had been entirely severed thus causing all the pain. The surgeon made sure during the surgery that he found the exact location of the Axillary nerve that had been damaged in the initial dislocation injury. It was embedded in the muscle with a bit of scar tissue around it. In no way was he going to disturb that nerve and have any portion of my recovery jeopardized. It was only after that nerve had regenerated itself to the point it was prior to April 25th that allowed for the surgery to even be done. I was a bit frightened of the entire procedure as it seemed like something out of science fiction. I do realize that the health of that Axillary nerve at the time of the surgery is what it will be after all my recovery is completed. It was not 100% then and my mobility that depends on that nerve will not be 100% now. It will be interesting to see what the rotor cuff replacement adds to my mobility in the left arm. I do know that the lack of pain stemming from the severed rotor cuff is already evident 100% and so appreciated. That is my update and I deem it a success story. It is important to take stock and know we don’t want to settle when it comes to the quality of our lives.

  In life, please give and have no memory of it, or take and remember it always.

   
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  Noreen 3:54 am on June 6, 2013 Permalink  

  Ready to Enjoy 

  Even after the half inch of rain yesterday the gardens were fit to work in. I was in my hay day. In years past I have enjoyed creating gardens where it was impossible to grow a good crop of grass.

  

  A clean slate of dirt ready to show off the young plants

  Once perennials are established the maintenance is minimal. The secret is that the maintenance needs to be done in the spring of the year. There is no end to the trash that blows in with the snowstorms. Flooded areas have new weed seeds deposited and birds love to share weed seeds in their droppings.

  As of today my gardens have all been tended to and they can now work on producing lush foliage and even a bit of color from some plants that bloom. Several plants shot out of the dirt and took off like a steak of lightening. A few I found on these last days were just breaking through the soil. It does take a watchful eye. Many of my neighbors put down bark mulch to prevent the weeds from taking over and some even go through the expense of coco bean hulls. You’ve got it. It does smell like chocolate. The draw back on the bean hulls is that they mold if we have lots of showers of rain. The draw back on the bark mulch is that some perennials drop seeds for new plants in the next year and the seeds need to find their home on dirt to take hold.

  

  My favorite hangout for the summer

  As I was using my pusher hoe over these last days I maneuvered around many flocks and bleeding heart plants that are new seedlings. Greenhouses and nurseries generally start their perennials at a cost of $3.99 per six inch growing pot. Being a little thrifty is part of having fun gardening. I do take pride in my tidy gardens. Both Orlin’s mother and my Mother were lovers of flowers and I was a good student. The contentment that I derive from gardening cannot be beat by any tranquilizer a doctor can prescribe. I am now going to sit back and enjoy the fruits of Mother Nature and my labor.

   
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  Noreen 3:25 am on June 5, 2013 Permalink  

  A Day Out of the Gardens 

  The day started out cool and that would have been OK. Being outside working in the gardens keeps the body temps very comfortable. Dennis ran an errand for concrete supplies for his nephew and I took the opportunity to start the day a little slower and had coffee out in the garage porch. The garage cat, Honey Bunny, loves to be outside during the day and always returns after supper. There are some vacant sheds on the adjacent lot (also with a vacant house) that Honey Bunny loves to run to. I would really enjoy a nanny camera on her to see what the heck she does all day. Maybe the sheds are just her first stop of the day as she is out and about. I slid open one of the patio doors for her to decide what she wanted to do for the day. She ventured out to the edge of the patio and out of nowhere the blackbirds just swooped down at her. She turned tail quickly and was right under my chair inside the porch. After the fourth try it was sad to see this fearless creature knuckle under to angry birds. I went out on the patio and called to Honey Bunny and she felt very safe by my feet. I walked off the patio and called for her and she came. We walked a bit farther together and the blackbirds stayed at bay. I ended up walking the cat all the way to the vacant sheds. Good grief! Oh for the life of the grammie that is retired. It was satisfying to know how safe Honey Bunny feels with me and just amazing what we do for our pets. I also now know why Honey Bunny waits until dusk to come home – no blackbirds to pick at her little butt.

  Anyway, it started to rain and sporadic showers that were forecast have now registered a half inch of rain. I turned inward for laundry duties, some bill paying and getting a macaroni chicken hot dish to put in the oven for supper. The weeds will wait after all. I am on the downhill side of that task.

   
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  Noreen 4:39 am on June 4, 2013 Permalink  

  So Weary – It Feels Great! 

  My oh my, too weary to take a camera outside. Stauffer Avenue will be up to snuff pretty soon. Yes, yes, I know – way too many flowerbeds to make sense of. But they are my flowerbeds and I love working in them. I have one more day of taking the beds down to bare dirt and then I can sit in my backyard and just enjoy what each and every moment brings and the Preen takes care of the soil. June 5th may see a ceremonial dig. That is the first day in six weeks that I can go without my sling for the left arm. It’s all been worth it and no more wondering and worrying. It’s done, it’s over and I can say by 90% it has been successful. More another day as this ole Grammie is taking the rest of the day off. Weary, but wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s a good thing.

   
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  Noreen 5:01 am on June 3, 2013 Permalink  

  A Day of Discovery 

  Oh My Gosh – the sun was out and it felt like what the first day of Spring should have felt like. Though I have my left arm in a sling, I have a great garden tool to whack and stack weeds. It is an elongated triangle one at the end of a very long handle. With just a push of my right arm the triangle slides under the dirt to take out hundreds of little weeds that would like nothing better than to be left to their own and become huge weeds. I think a hoe like this may be what sugar beet farmers use when their workers walk the crops. Holding the long handle waist high and the very top of the soil is skimmed. The higher the handle is held the deeper it digs into the dirt. This is not a job for the faint of heart as many perennials do self seed and the newbee gardener may very well take them out with one swoop. I am starting at the flower bed the farthest from the house and working my way homeward. As each bed is cleaned a very nice substantial layer of Preen is also being applied to keep new weeds at bay.

  

  Some of the self seeders paired with a Hosta

  When I knew I would be recovering from surgery I did promise Dennis I would not do anything more than garden with whatever happened to make it through the winter. Hello! Who knew that when the gardens were under water in the late winter and early spring and then covered with ice that many of my favorite plants would not survive, but many new weed seeds were washed in. Slowly but surly the beds will be cleaned and be a fine canvas for that which did make it. Exercise is great and it gives me plenty of time for quiet meditation as Dennis is not a gardener but he keeps the coffee cups filled.

  It’s a good thing.

   
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  Noreen 1:33 am on June 2, 2013 Permalink  

  Waiting on a Meal 

  These last few days there has been so much to do about me walking through the backyard. The blackbirds are in a snit even though I have no idea where their nests are.

  

  Baby Robins waiting for some fresh worms

  When Mrs. Robin began dive bombing me, it did make me take notice. When I realized where her nest was I made sure to make a huge arc around the area so she could be left in peace. I am not sure if there was no room in the inn or if she preferred the great outdoors for her nest. With all the rain we have had I wish we had put an awning on the birdhouse. The lawns are soft due to all the rain we have had and there is no shortage of worms for the mama.

  I took to a patio chair with a cup of coffee and watched the many, many trips Mama Robin made. There are actually four babies crammed into her nest. Regardless of the multiple trips, the mouths continued to be open and ready for the next treat.

  It will in interesting to see how the babies do when they are about to make their solo flights. We do have several neighborhood cats that cross the yard and they have all they can do to get from point A to point B. Those self same blackbirds delight in dive bombing the cats, so I hope the cats will have their own safety in mind and leave the  babies alone as they take their maiden voyages.

   
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  Noreen 3:11 am on June 1, 2013 Permalink  

  Short Lived Beauty 

  Garden centers offer anything and everything to fill our flowerbeds and gardens. Every once in awhile there is a hand-me-down that grows more precious by the decades. The Fern Peony is a rare beauty and very elusive. When it is found in a nursery or a greenhouse you may find a single stem selling for $40.00 or more.

  

  The Wendlandt Fern Peony shared by many generatons

  This year of 2013 the farm that was my paternal great grandparent’s homesteaded has been farmed by a Wendlandt for 150 years. Ironically, that farm is where my Fern Peonies were gotten from. Peonies grow from tubers and these tubers do multiply. Little by little the tubers have been shared from the farm in Penn Township of McLeod County to untold numbers of decedents. When my mother received her tubers they were sheltered and protected during the growing season and also mulched during the freezing winters. In time to come when my Mom felt she could trust us as adults with garden skills, having been honed, she shared with her four children.

  As the tubers in my garden multiplied, I have made sure to have plants in several locations to insure that if one spot had winter kill, I would have a back up plant or two or three. I did share tubers with Orlin for his Arkansas garden but I have not checked with Martha to see how they are doing. As late as two years ago I started two plants for daughter Carrie for her home. Here is the unfortunate news:  yesterday they came into their glory and today the winds are wicked and the delicate blossoms suffer.

  We need to cherish our beauties while Mother Nature allows and take up the challenge to insure we will have them again for years and years to come. They love full sun and full sun means they are out in the open in our gardens, taking the beating of all of our seasons. Some things we just need to live with in faith.

   
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  Noreen 1:32 am on May 31, 2013 Permalink  

  Seeing Stars 

  As much as I have been walking the gardens, waiting to see what will appear after a nasty winter, I do see more than what pleases the eye. The earliest of greenery in our yards looks a lot like chives. Everyone with a garden would have several plants of chives as that was the perfect finish to a bowl of good potato salad. This greenery knows no boundaries. Dennis pays no attention to it in the lawn as he mows it with never a mind. As my perennials are struggling to get a foothold, they are almost strangled by this early crop of greens. Where they came from originally I have no idea. Birds carry much as they fertilize hither and yon. Strong breezes have also been known to share from yard to yard. As you can see from the photo, the greens are bountiful, much like thick grass. After a bit there appears a blossoming stem, coming out of the soil and the Star of David takes center stage in all of its six inch glory.

  

  Beautiful, but pesky, Star of David

  In time the entire mat of greens and flowers will die off and be left to be raked off as it looks really untidy. I did dig up a bundle and there is no counting all the little bulblets, waiting to be fed by the greenery as it dies off. As I had mentioned, the stars can make one see red. This self-seeding process is nothing new to gardeners. My Mom had Marigolds growing among the cucumber vines and dill plants were not hard to come by when the cucumbers were ready to become pickles.

  So it goes, and I need to remind myself that gardening is anything but dull and boring and you play the hand you are dealt. Each year we find the Stars of David in places where nothing else would take hold and we just marvel. I am quite sure if we tried to cultivate these little buggers we would have a crop failure. Some things are just meant to be.