Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:50 am on August 22, 2013 Permalink  

  Slim Pickings to Protect 

  

  The Story of Farming Days Gone By

  I almost feel as if a glacier covered our backyard this last winter. The last winter rains came when temps were warm, followed by bitter cold.  Our flower gardens did not fare very well.  In visiting with other perennial gardeners the consensus was the same: winter kill.  I am enjoying what did come up and will wait until the spring of 2014 before I raid a garden nursery for replanting.  This year is a year of being content with what I have.

  Garden art is more fun than decorating within the home.  The fact that dusting is not required tells the whole story. This particular piece of garden art just drew me in.  It speaks volumes of times past.  Hats off to the home welder that saw resources in someone’s junk pile. Though there was not a lot for this garden sentinel to protect this year as evident of all the bare dirt around him, I know he will be primed to be on board next spring after spending all winter in the potting shed.

   
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  Noreen 2:41 am on August 21, 2013 Permalink  

  Not up to much today. The air is heavy with temps stretching into the higher 80s. A trip to the farmer’s market and we are stocked with cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe and green beans. We are so thankful that the market is here three times a week with wonderful bounty. Our yard being 90% shade really doesn’t make for a great vegetable garden. Dennis is tending to some tomato and cucumber plants but it looks doubtful. Most of my day has been in the sewing corner of the basement. Catch ya later.

   
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  Noreen 5:37 am on August 20, 2013 Permalink  

  How Much is Too Much of an Increase? 

  

  Labels Tell the Whole Story

  Today the humidity rose as much as the outside temps and I did not hesitate to find my way into the basement sewing area. Doing some multi-colored patch work quilting is a good way to use up spools of thread that were purchased for specific color-matched items.  It may have been a ripped seam or hemming up a pair of pants or skirt and the amount of thread taken off the spool didn’t make a dent in the 250 yards that a spool contains.

  The spools that reflect their cost each held the same amount of thread: 250 yards.  Each spool was also polyester thread.  I know I am getting up there in age, but to be honest, I doubt that the older spool that were listed for “5 for $1.00” that sold in Woolworths could be too old as the core is compressed foam and no longer the wooden type.  I was taken aback when I reached for an unopened spool from my stash and took the time to see the price.  From $.20 per spool to $2.65 per spool tells me why it is no longer cost effective to sew clothing for the family as all other sewing aids and materials have also soared in price.  This is indeed inflation to the max.

   
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  Noreen 6:48 am on August 19, 2013 Permalink  

  Cousin Reunion in Brownton 

  Oh my gosh, my jaws are weary.  This was the grandchildren of Laura and Christ Wendlandt.  There were fourteen out of the twenty seven originals, some attended with spouses, some with grandchildren.    Over time four have passed away.  The oldest living is seventy five and the youngest being forty five.

  

  Aunt Janet Alsleben and Uncle Kenneth Wendlandt

  Aunt Janet is 79 and Uncle Kenneth is 81.  Two of the original nine remain.

  Aunt Janet had to share with me a story of a time when Christ’s boys worked together during harvest as the machinery was co-owned.  It was harvest time and Dad was absent from our farm from morning to night.  Aunt Janet at age 12 came to stay with my Mom and Dad to help take care of my sister (age 8) and me (age 2) while Mom totally had to do the livestock chores and the dairy milking.  At that time the cows were all milked by hand.  In 1946 there was no electricity on that rental farm. Out of the blue Aunt Janet noticed I had stuck a kernel of corn up my nose.  She panicked as she had no way to know how to work with a toddler that would do nothing but squirm when help was offered.

  Eventually Aunt Janet had to take me down to the dairy barn knowing that Mom would know better than her how to handle this.  By this time I was crying.  Janet said that without missing a beat Mom took the safety pin that was holding up the strap on my romper, pinched my nose very tight above where the corn kernel was – just as if she had to do this on a daily basis – with the pin opened she snagged the kernel with the pointed tip.  Mom went back to stripping the utters on the cows and Janet took a crying toddler back to the house.  Knowing how much mischief I did get into as I child I don’t doubt one bit that on a daily basis I gave my Mom grief.  Janet remembered it as if it were yesterday.  Janet never did have any children.  Maybe I scarred her for life.

  This entire day was spent with many stories of “do you remember when.”  We all agreed that we need to get together again as this was just an awesome time of family.

   
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  Noreen 4:47 am on August 18, 2013 Permalink  

  No Grass Growing Under These Feet 

  I am known to sleep until 8 a.m. and then begin enjoying the day.  This morning I was wide awake before seven and when the feet hit the floor it was all systems go.

  

  Good Eats on Stauffer

  I think it began yesterday when I went to the grocery store and they were literally giving away ripe bananas. I have never seen a grocery cart – top and bottom filled to the brim.  Before I went to bed I had a banana bread recipe laid out.  All during the night of sleep I must have been formulating the plan for today.  By 8:30 the kitchen was filled with good smells as the bread was cooling on the wire rack.  Another pot of coffee was finishing up and that was my cue to take a fresh cup and enjoy the patio before I rolled into making a cold salad for a family gathering tomorrow.  Oh course the batch ended up being large enough for Dennis to sample some this evening for supper.

  It is the year for weddings in our distant families and there can be no wedding without a bridal shower.  It does get to be a challenge for a shower gift when you know that within the month a wedding gift will also be needed.  I went and made nice this afternoon but did hurry home to help Dennis with the yard mowing.

  My job is the push mower and trimming and I must say the yards look good enough to stay home and pretend we are at a resort.  What more could we ask?  A comfortable bed with a familiar bathroom and the food is always exceptional.  As busy as this day was, no grass had a chance to grow under my feet but I managed to accumulate quite a bit of it on my clothes, in my hair and of course the eye glasses really got splattered from the weed whip.  This was a great day.

   
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  Noreen 3:29 am on August 17, 2013 Permalink  

  The Lull of Early Fall Weather 

  Here it is a Friday of what has been just the best week of outdoor temperatures ever.  They are forecasting heat and humidity coming back for the week of August 19th.  I can easily put that on the back burner until I have to deal with it. We have been able to be outside until we decide we have had enough rather than being driven inside by heat and biting bugs.  For right now the house windows are open and the symphony from birds is just filling the house this afternoon.  The huge evergreen on the northwest corner of the house does not discriminate.  The tiers of branches are home for nests of all sizes. I have been in and out of the house multiple times but decided on doing hand sewing in the living room as I didn’t want to miss out on the happy chirping by being in the basement sewing room.

  According to all the music we are enjoying we must have the happiest birds in the entire neighborhood. Dennis and I do have several birdbaths in the backyard but the saving grace for our birds is a creek that runs just a block east from our home. The small amount of water we can offer our feathered friends is nothing more than a quick fix in comparison. The awning on the west side of our home has been the Thrush’s paradise for many years running. Every once in a while something will catch my eye as I look out the west windows and then realize the mama Thrush is cleaning house and we have wisps of nesting materials dangling. Clean on Mrs. Thrush.

  This is just the type of lazy hazy days I wish would repeat itself over and over. It’s the peace that surpasses all understanding. My hope is that many of my family and friends can feel this blessed and peaceful as well.

   
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  Noreen 6:01 am on August 16, 2013 Permalink  

  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 1:30 am on August 15, 2013 Permalink  

  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 7:11 am on August 14, 2013 Permalink  

  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 5:17 am on August 13, 2013 Permalink  

  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.