Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2026 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 1:40 pm on October 1, 2026 Permalink  

  The Sun 

  The sun decided to make a showing this afternoon.

  Within 24 hours our home has been washed off and the yards have been mowed.  Both tasks look like someone enjoys living on Stauffer Avenue.

  A design is stitching out and it is quite a large one.  Keeping in mind the design needs to reflect what it is being stitched on.  Can’t have little mushrooms stitched on a 60″ x 12″ table runner.  12″ designs on either end works.

  While I was waiting for thread color changes, I glanced through some items on my shelves.  The most recent that I picked up was the Schafer Family History by AL Schafer.  It is lengthy and bound in an epco binder.  His sequence of events does get bifurcated from time to time.  I will say that Megan and Nicholas made it to print in family genealogy, so it brought forward recent additions.  I now wish I would have copied Art’s obituary as he was the last and added it.  I will tuck Al’s manuscript back onto the shelf for now.

  I have chicken salad for sandwiches and potato salad, both heavy with onion for our supper.  Maybe a nine pm apple pie snack. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:13 pm on September 22, 2026 Permalink  

  Pantry 

  In the recent past, our basement pantry for extra food items has become gaunt.

  Medical appointments are not as frequent for Dennis, thus we found ourselves doing very little shopping at Sam’s Club.  The size of the some of the product containers was proving to be hard to handle.

  A lone can of Campbell’s tomato soup was found in the pantry.  As I decided to take it upstairs, I began reading a recipe on the back.  Hmm.  I could do that skillet dish as all ingredients were on hand.

  Campbell’s Tomato Soup Skillet Dish:

  I lb. ground beef browned

  add, into same saucepan six 6″ tortilla rounds cut into 1″ or so

  add 1/2 cup of water

  add 1 cup Picante, I had mild on hand

  bring to boil and steam for five minutes

  serve and top with 1/2 – 1 cup shredded cheese

  …………………………………………………..

  I put the ingredients, less the cheese, in my blue speckled round roaster and will heat in the oven for supper at 325 topping it with the cheese when it hits the table.  We have some King’s sliders to go with this.  The sliders are sliced and not as large as their rolls. 

  This was worth a try for something different than using the usual stand-by pasta.

  We are getting company on Wednesday.  For the last time this summer season, I fixed the ring/spam/etc. cold salad.  I had the kitchen mess going, so a two-fer was a go.  This cold salad always does well if fixed a day ahead for flavors to mingle.

  Dennis got up from a nap just in time to help with prep dishes.

  The sky, this afternoon, has purple clouds that look as if they are holding rain.  When Dennis took his small gas cans up to DP for Tom’s next mow, he took a whip around the town.  He commented that there was water standing in the bean rows.

  I will let you know how our skillet dish is received.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 1:57 pm on September 14, 2026 Permalink  

  Rain 

  And the rains came for the whole day.  So welcomed and much needed as a soaker it was.  Our front yard immediately took on a wonderful hue of green.

  I can share that our oven meal of last night was wonderful.  The pork loin was seasoned with teriyaki.  The sweet sauerkraut with caraway seeds married great with the teriyaki.  Who would have thought.

  Now that I am in the 4,800 something of posts to this dribble, I tire not of it.  I think of it as a re-cap of singular days.  Forgetting what the day has held is not in my wheel-house.  Each day may very well hold a memory that will stay with me for as long as I can remember.  Each day can never be replicated . . . no do overs.

  It may very well be that the events in a single day holds enough content to be a short story all on its own.

  I remember sitting at a dinner table with Megan and Nicholas decades ago.  Something had crossed my mind that brought to the fore-front a recalled memory.  I was about to speak to it when there had been a comment that there was always another story coming. 

  Yes . . . we should all be so fortunate to have stories in our lives to recall and keep alive.

  Remembering times in my life still allows me to be very present every single day making room for more stories.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:01 pm on September 13, 2026 Permalink  

  Visitor 

  Today we had a visitor from Mora.  Dennis’ niece Jean had come to town for her class reunion.  She made a good weekend out of it by stopping in at as many family members as she could squeeze in.

  I know we had a bit of rain, but not enough to keep the cement wet past ten.  The yards are showing. it.

  Late yesterday a trip to the grocery store was needed.  Dennis positioned himself in the handicap parking stall on the corner of the store.  It allowed him to see everyone coming and going.  Milk with the longest sell by date I could find was one item on my list.  I was in need of fruit.  Sure enough when I followed the carry-out fellow Dennis was visiting with his niece’s son John.  John’s mother has the Curry Comb here in town.  My fruit consisted of red grapes, black grapes, six avocados, three pears, three peaches and three apples.  Bummer. I was visiting while shopping and I got the wrong apples.  The three I bought were bright yellow just like the Golden Delicious I like, but were labeled Lemonade.  The Lemonades are as hard as rocks and I don’t think they taste at all like lemonade.  Those three apples will be peeled and dice before I eat them.  The Golden, I can eat from the first bite to the last without a problem.  So be it.

  This afternoon I fixed an oven dish.  The 1.25 lb. pork loin seasoned in sealed tubes were on special.  Out came the round blue speckled roaster.  I cut the pork loin in round medallions and placed them in the roaster.  On top went a can of sweet sauerkraut to cover all the medallions.  We like the sweet sauerkraut with caraway seeds.   350 degrees for an hour and half should do it.  It’s the time of year to bring back oven meals. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:12 pm on September 9, 2026 Permalink  

  A Report 

  On this hump day, I can report that all is well on Stauffer Avenue.

  After our city water crew was left off the hook for poor water pressure yesterday afternoon, the Culligan Man was here to service our rental unit for soft water.  It was the resin tank that needed to be replaced.  I thanked him for the quick service.

  I did a load of laundry and I could not believe the short period of time it took to fill the washer for a large load.  Me thinks the resin was the culprit for a long, long time.  Success.

  This afternoon Tom stopped in to check on us.  As we were visiting, Dennis reminded me to have Tom look at the hand-held shower unit.  I had reached up to the top of the shower-head to spray WD40 to allow the hand-held to work.  The push-botten to turn off the hand-held was a no go even with the WD40.   Tom sprayed in a huge amount and kept working it back and forth until my hands could do it.

  The shower stool and the hand-held is there when and if Dennis or I need it.  We have all on hand for the needs we may have.  

  A very sweet report.

  We are having a smorgasbord for supper.  Some pan fried left-over mash potato patties with diced sausage patties, plus one or two scrambled eggs . . .  all mixed together.  A smorgasbord fit for a king and a queen.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 11:18 am on September 5, 2026 Permalink  

  Different Saturday 

  Maria had appointments early today for a wedding.  We will be primped and styled this afternoon.

  It gave me a lot of time to get Saturday items done.

  Our oven concoction is now a crockpot concoction.  Browning the pound of hamburger was the first step.  Draining the excess grease off and while the kettle was still warm, I took advantage of being able to easily fold in the cream of mushroom soup and white cheddar soup.  Next came the Simply Diced Potatoes to be folded in.  The package of the California Blend out of the freezer is microwaved a bit.  Cutting up the contents while still firm was my game.  All the ingredients folded until I could not do one more fold.  To transport this mixture from the kettle to the pot of the crockpot, I set the pot in the dry sink to give me a better lower height for my arms.  Last but not least an even sprinkle of fine crushed bread crumbs to seal the goodness as it heats.

  Before we leave this afternoon the crockpot will be turned on low as all ingredients have been pre-cooked.  As I walk by, my hand will brush across the outside of the crockpot to feel the warmth as it begins to prepare our supper.

  A time ago we were gifted the opportunity to have meals delivered to our home after we chose from the online menu.  Everything included:  spice packets, packets of sour cream, potatoes to peel, carrots to peel and the protein we had chosen.  When the funds of the gift were gone, I called the company.  I wanted to make sure there was no more delivered on a pay as you go method.  The gal asked why we were closing the account and I told her elderly people with physical limitations found the peeling and prep difficult.  She apologized as there were gift packets for just such customers.  Hmm.  I declined trying that.  Goodbye.

  I like what I can concoct in my kitchen and the ole cowboy never complains.  We’ve never gone hungry as I prepare meals much like what Lena prepared for Raymond.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:01 pm on September 1, 2026 Permalink  

  Much Has Been Done 

  In the span of 24 hours, both trees that needed to be take care of, have.  The crew pulled out this morning at 9:15.  The areas look as if they have been swept.  Actually, they have.  A skid steer loader can hook up and unhook attachments as fast as I can change feet on my sewing machine.  Now comes the waiting . . . for the bill.  It’s called life.

  I got the new tabs for my 2012 MKX.  $56.25 every year.  Hopefully that may change to the downward next year.  Last time there was any action was when Jesse Ventura was governor.

  What will still need to be done, is a trip to Subway for a 12″ Tuna.  Working men may do away with a 12″ on their own . . . us older ones on Stauffer do just fine sharing one.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:11 pm on August 27, 2026 Permalink  

  Neighborhood Watch 

  I can’t help but notice what goes on outside my HP window facing south.  Stauffer Avenue has five times more vehicles than population living on it.  Sometimes very suspicious.  The most suspicious is a vagrant on a bicycle cruising for the better part of the day.  That is why we have locks on our doors for the better part of the day as well as during the night.

  A trip to Lewis Drug. While at Lewis Drug, I did purchase the largest bottle/tub of Vicks-Vapo Rub that was possible.  Dennis is a believer of said product.  It also cracks him up that it is $17.99.  

  I then stopped to see Karen at the Collage.  The retail door is closed and Karen is working on cleaning out.  I think the first floor was easy, compared to ten years of clutter in the basement.  That area is beyond my navigation.  Slow but sure she will get it done.  All I can do is offer moral support.

  We are having two quarter pound Schweigert’s wieners cut up into sauerkraut for supper.  The skins are a bit tough to plop into a bun for an easy bite. 

  All is well with my soul.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 1:48 pm on August 16, 2026 Permalink  

  First Floor Today 

  Tidy, tidy for a bit today on the first floor.

  Dennis volunteered to peel cucumber for our favorite cucumber and onion creamy dish.  When he volunteers I stay out of his way as I would not want to be the factor that he doesn’t volunteer again.  I had thinly sliced the onion ahead of time.  The last of a mayo jar had also been taken care of.  Nothing worse than sticky goopy knuckles as the scrapper is swirled around in the inside for the very last bit.  A new jar had been opened just in case more was needed.  We now have a bowl chilling in the refrigerator of tasty cucumbers co-mingling with the onions.

  A while back when I went grocery shopping, most of the refrigerated containers were empty.  A  condenser or some such had gone out and most of the refrigerated items were in the back.  There were signs everywhere to ask for help.  Which . . . I did.  I wanted two packages of all beef hotdogs.

  Out from the back came a flustered meat department person.  He had two packages of beef hotdogs . . . would they be ok?  I didn’t comment, I thanked him for his troubles and in the cart they went.

  One package I wanted to use when Megan and Nicholas had come for a Sunday.  The other package went into the freezer.  A little extra on hand never hurts.

  Today I took out the second package of hotdogs for our picnic type of supper.  Actually looking at the package . . . I never knew these beef hotdogs even existed.  Quarter pound each!  It was a Schweigert’s brand.  I took two out and put the remaining two back in the freezer.  When thawed I cut each one lengthwise.  I am looking forward to putting a half in a hotdog bun.  I will give each a char in the frying pan.  Bring on the picnic.  Live and learn.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:43 pm on August 12, 2026 Permalink  

  An Amazing Day 

  Today, aka: hump day.  An amazing day on Stauffer Avenue.  Things just fell into place for most of the day.  It’s now midafternoon and all has been accomplished.

  The six inch faithful rake of mine, leveled off the evidence that we had internet dug into the house.  Yup, that little house on Stauffer that has 5G is back to normal . . . and just in time as Tom came to mow.

  Tom went on to help Dennis with the end-gate of the little red pickup.  There was a clip that needed to be installed or re-installed.  It matters not.  It’s good to go.

  The kitchen and back entry get a lot of traffic.  It was due for a tidy, tidy via a wet treatment.  Over the decades of this vinyl flooring in the kitchen, there is much evidence that it does not take kindly to having a sharp object dropped onto it.  Around the drip line of the kitchen counter, it is showing its age just like the home operators.  We will let someone else worry about that in the next several decades. 

  I have spoken of the huge rotisserie chickens at Sam’s club.  I had one more bag of diced leftovers in the freezer.  Last night’s supper was cold chicken salad for sandwiches or stand alone on a plate.  It went over so well that there will be a repeat performance this evening.  We love onions and plenty was added along with an ample amount of ground pepper.

  Something has happened here.  Dennis has begun enjoying our one meal a day that need not be hot.  Sweet.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥