Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:12 pm on March 27, 2026 Permalink  

  Friday 

  All play and no work . . . just doesn’t work.  

  Once I had our hefty little vacuum out, there was no stopping us.  Being hopeful that the snow and ice have subsided, it was time, that what had been tracked in was cleaned up . . . big time.  

  How great that we have only 720 sq. ft. on the first floor to gather up all the dust bunnies, threads and fuzz.  It was wise to halt the studio for awhile and pay attention to where the rest of our lives are spent.

  I had a clinic appointment at 1:45.  You could have shot a cannon down the main isle.  Only one reception person on board.  Maybe this was a Friday that gave everyone the day off . . . except me and the food guru.  More on that another time.

  Carrie and Megan are driving out this Sunday.  Sounds like a good visit is coming.  Yes, Grandpa Dennis, I will feed them.

  The north winds are becoming second nature to us on the planes of Minnesota.  The chilly temps of today begged for jackets to be used.

  I promised Dennis supper for this evening for the help he gave me herding the length of the shop vac’s hose.  That would be the only bad thing about that little jewel,  the long length of a hose beckoning one to trip on it or over it . . . not today my pretty.

  With that I will take my leave.♥

   
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  Noreen 2:22 pm on March 26, 2026 Permalink  

  A Plan 

  I always have a plan.  Sometimes I have more than one.

  I have been known to do a lot of the counted cross stitch stitching and sewing machine stitching.  I find quiet comfort in it.  Nothing goes to hell around me while I do stitching.   Work first and then play and more play.

  Hundreds of hours of contentment with very little financial resources needed.  Right after 2021, I had tried my hand at cross stitching.  I had ordered a kit.  I worked diligently on it.  The kicker was that of the six stranded embroidery floss, this design was worked with only one of the six strands.  Is it any wonder I found it on the bottom of my thread stash last week?   I brought it out for an airing.  I have since found quite a bit of joy in tackling it again.  During the evenings sitting in my cherry red chair in my bedroom porch with the 5x magnification lamp to my right.  Do I need the magnification lamp 100% of the time, no.  The fabric is 20 stitches to the inch and as there is quite a bit of floss demanding room to be made into a “x” and help is a good thing.

  I was lamenting yesterday about a machine embroidery design.  This forenoon I found it.  Yup, all 2″ x 2″ of it.  I preferred it being 5″ x 5″.  I downloaded the 2 x 2 onto a flash drive.  On the Dell laptop, I opened the Bernina Tool Box software.  I downloaded the 2 x 2.  I kept increasing the size until it was 5 x 5 and loaded that on the flash drive.  I stitched out a sample to see how fragmentated the stitches were.  Pretty sparse.  With the flash drive loaded into the sewing machine, I increased the density by 140%.  Not a bad result at all.  I could have chanced increasing more, but . . . stitching that design on one of my quilt blocks, I went with what would stitch out smoothly. 

  I have had a good day but I can’t help but hear the wind gusts driving the windchimes crazy.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:45 pm on March 25, 2026 Permalink  

  Some Wins 

  With creativity there are some wins and some fails.  Thankfully I have racked up more wins than not.

  Each day finding appropriate downloads for the digitized embroidery takes you to many sites.  Depending on how bad you want to find exactly what you are looking for, there can be some angst.  “You know what you want and you want it now”  doesn’t always compute.  Patience, patience.

  I did find success to the point that I even stitched out a prototype.  Knowing the various prompts and the responses needed make for knowing your final forever stitch with be a good one.

  My partner in crime, aka: the ole cowboy, knows what he wants and needs and he is going to get it via tapping me for it.  Grr.  Let’s just say it’s easier complying as soon as possible rather than stalling and getting those reminders, much like the nasty little bill that can come in the mail over and over.  Gratefully, we are not in that reminder category. 

  Today the huge leaf blower has been removed from the back entry.  I do believe there will not be any more heavy snows that we need to engage it to blow ourselves out of the house.  It did come in handy.

  I did get my arm exercises done for the day.  Who knew that when you engage your arm to be raised over your head or doing other arm exercises, your thumb pointed up from your hand maximizes the muscle movement.  Amazing.

  Thumbs up to you!

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:29 pm on March 24, 2026 Permalink  

  Tuesday the 24th of March 2026 

  Our day in Mankato for Dennis’ eye injection took much longer than usual appointments for that procedure.   There are multiple steps to prepare the eye.  The first step is completed with a numbing swab.  Dennis said there are three stations all processing patients.  Two of the stations’ computers went down.  Super big backup as Dennis and others had the numbing effect wear off during the wait and the process began over.  Events can happen when computers are utilized.  Thank goodness there are procedures to save eye sights.

  It was a longer day than we had anticipated, but in the end, Dennis’ procedure did get done with excellent results.  His next injection is June 8th. 

  We went on to pick up groceries from my list while in Mankato.  Coming home and taking care of doing the stashing of groceries where they needed to be . . . I was weary.  

  Today at 11:30, I had PT for my shoulders.  I did the arms on the bicycle that can be set at various tensions.  While my arms were busy, the therapist was working on the tendons and muscles in my neck and across the shoulder blades.  The goal was for me to do the arm exercises while keeping my neck and shoulders relaxed.  After achieving mobility over the last ten years or so using the humping of my shoulders to give the strength needed for my arms to get done what I needed getting done . . . therein lies the work I need to do for more arm strength while shoulders are relaxed during the work.

  It actually hurt so bad, it felt good.  My at-home exercises for this week will be done twice a day.  It all made sense as the session wound down.  For as tight as the muscles are, it stands to reason for the headaches.  Who knew! 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:30 pm on March 23, 2026 Permalink  

  Safe 

  A late day in the big town.  It is 4:30 and we are safe and sound at home.

  More tomorrow.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:16 pm on March 22, 2026 Permalink  

  A Good Thing 

  A good thing to do after the sewing session of yesterday.  Out came my tool box to clean fuzz and threads caught where they are not wanted or needed.  Oiling and a new needle puts the machine in the ready mode.

  Sandy asked me yesterday when I had learned to sew.  I told her about six or seven.  She commented what could I possibly sew at that age to be finished for anything.  I have seen some carpet rag rugs in her home that she had bought at a flea market.  I went on to tell her that I would sit and tear the strips of old clothes that would go into those rag rugs.  Using the treadle sewing machine I would then sew the strips together for my mom keeping like colors together to roll into a ball.  It taught me about using the sewing machine needle for a seam that would carry me through much more to come. Her comment was that she wondered how those rugs were made.

  Oh the difference in how families did things and how children learned.  I wouldn’t trade my up-bringing for anything.

  I called Aunt Janet and we had a very good visit and a lengthy one.  I have mentioned before that she is my dad’s youngest and only living sibling.  Being about ten years apart,  we can and do share memories.

  There will be an oven dish for supper.  A pound of ground beef browned, pasta boiled with plenty of life left in it combined with a jar of Alfredo garlic seasoned sauce.  Simple will do the trick.

  Tomorrow at 12:55 p.m. Dennis needs to be in Mankato for an eye injection.  Dennis commented that at his age, maybe he should forego those appointments.  Hmm. I brought him up short.  If he liked his little red pickup and the “get in and take a whip” he would need his eyesight.  If anything would get him pulled over, I think he would be given a ride home and the little red pickup would have to find its own way home.  I like it when a conversation is closed, never to be had again.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:15 pm on March 21, 2026 Permalink  

  Let the Sunshine In 

  The sun means business today.  The boxelder bugs are basking in it.

  Today, Dennis’ daughter Sandy and Tom came out from Mankato.  I knew what the visit was for.  Sandy had sent pictures plus dimensions of a skirt she wanted to go around the raised base of their wash machine that sits over the floor drain.

  I pulled out fabric for it and that is as far as I had gone and was going to go.  Watching her as she used the rotary cutter was like watching someone use a chainsaw for the first time.  She cut through the multiple layers of the 93 inches as I knew I couldn’t.  I wound the bobbin and threaded the machine.  Believe me, it was more difficult watching her go through the paces than running the machine myself.  She got it done and felt very proud of herself.  All she needed to do was run 1/2″ elastic through the top casing when she got home.

  Tom took with them all of the empty plastic dry litter containers.  He works with concrete and the jugs are just the right size for water for hand and and tool cleanup.

  I had a great phone call from Sharon.  The Sharon that lives in the north country in a sweet “shed-house” with her daughter and family.  Always a treat to swap air-time.

  The afternoon has left both Dennis and me kicking back for some quiet time.  Hmm.  The dreaded word . . . “supper” has not been mentioned yet.  I think I will let the clock run on this and see where it takes us.  Life lived vicariously!  

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:35 pm on March 20, 2026 Permalink  

  My Task 

  My task for this 20th day of March is to stay awake and alert . . . until it is my usual bedtime.

  Last night as I was just drifting off to sleep, the rental house across the street had commotion.  A lot of commotion.  Horns were blowing, car doors were banging.  I got up and looked out.  They were either moving someone in or they were moving out in the dead of night.  Dennis was sleeping right through it all.

  It was about three thirty when street rods were racing.  Oh for the joy of it all.  At five Dillion from across the street was getting ready to leave for his work, Toro, in Windom.  One bang from him getting into his car, a second band from slamming the hood after he checked the oil gauge.  The last bang as he got into to car and roared off to the south.  Yup, I was wide awake.

  If I had initially gotten into a deep slumber right off the bat, I most likely would have slept through all of it as it was all usual happenings on our street.

  The studio treated me well.  I didn’t get a finger caught under the sewing machine needle and I didn’t cut into anything in error.  KNUJ had good coverage of the farm show taking place in the arena.  The news of the unseasonable heat in Arizona warned of rattlesnakes making early appearances.  Yuk.  I’ll take the early boxelder bugs.

  Again . . . our snow pack has gone by the wayside.

  It’ll be supper time soon and then Grammie will be ready for her usual bedtime.  Sweet.  There had been no napping today!

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:20 pm on March 19, 2026 Permalink  

  Get it Done 

  The agenda for the morning took precedence over the first cup of coffee.

  The washing machine buttons were pressed on my way out of the bathroom.  The oven was turned on to 325 degrees.  While it pre-heated that first cup of coffee was poured.

  Several weeks ago, our grocery store had Farmland thick sliced bacon on sale for $5.20.  I checked out the expiration date . . . May 30, 2026.  I took home four packages.  My favorite flat cookie sheet covered with tin foil would be the host for the slices of bacon.  Of course five pieces didn’t fit.  I have saved the cover off of the forbidden aluminum cake pan.  Covered with tin foil it is the perfect size to fill in when cookie sheets just aren’t large enough.

  Coffee tasted really good in between swapping out the washer’s contents to the dryer’s.   I always save junk mail to put down with a few paper towels over it to drain the bacon when it comes out of the oven.  The bacon had been rendered just enough that when we want to enjoy it, a few seconds on the microwave finishes it off.

  The final treat from the kitchen came after the bacon was done.  I covered the same pans with parchment paper.  The last of the frozen chocolate chip cookies that Carrie had brought were popped into the oven.  I made sure to stay close as to not have them over-bake.

  Kitchen duty done, I headed to the studio for some seam stitching, taking a fresh cookie with me.  For every seam sewn, there is a steam iron press to be had.  I call it a good session when I don’t have to take out stitches that went haywire.

  All of my activity was carried out while Dennis had company in the patio porch.  Doug Gappa from Madelia had called me to make sure Dennis was home.  Why call me?  Most people in Dennis’ rehem know he doesn’t carry his phone.

  To my way of thinking, both Dennis and I have had a great Thursday.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on March 18, 2026 Permalink  

  Disappearing Snow 

  The power of the sun is fantastic.  The covering we received last night is allowing our concrete to be bare . . . once again.

  We did have an energetic individual in a powerful pickup see how much he could slide and spin down Stauffer.  Idiot.

  The stitching in the studio went well today.  I thought it was about time, I checked to see what the size was of an average/normal dorm sized bed.  38″ x 85″ is what did come up at various sites.  Length and width to be added for drops.  I am on the correct tract.  

  Dennis’ HP laptop is running smoothly.  I have loaded Klondike card games and Facebook.  Each in the easiest “click away” as possible.  A post-a-note is on the wall right next to him for his pin and password.  Whew!  My sewing Dell is back in the studio.  I have mentioned before how important I think it is for Dennis to have computer access for what he is interested in.  The “market place” and the “reels” give him untold hours of enjoyment.  It beats sleeping his time away. 

  I have a lean pork steak in the oven.  Lawry’s seasoning on top.  Covered and at 325 degree, it should be ready for our 4:45 supper.  Dennis is in charge of what will be going with it.  Spread the joy!

  I have my arm exercises left to do before supper.  I am in it to win it!

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥