Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from February, 2026 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:15 pm on February 5, 2026 Permalink  

  Mud Puddles 

  With mud puddles abound, I am thankful that Dennis has concrete to get from his patio porch to the house and back.  The nice weather did prompt him to go uptown and get his pickup washed.

  I had a great forenoon doing what makes me content and happy.  The studio . . . what can I say.  There are enough resources down there for my life expectancy.  Grant it, at one time or another I purchased those resources perhaps not knowing what I would do with them.  Now as I look at this or that I am coming up with ideas I never dreamt of before.  Sweet. 

  I don’t walk for the exercise as I had in the past.  I feel steady on my feet in the studio and am on my feet sometimes for two hours at a stretch.  I found walking outside of my home, the walking cane is a must.  If I walked on Stauffer Avenue, I would need both of the walking canes.  And then, guess what . . . gripping the canes was not easy on my hands.  Those self same hands I need to cherish for more uses in our home and for myself than I can count.  Yup, there is always a trade-off.

  Dennis rarely comes down to the studio.  The steps are steep.  His interest in threads and fuzz only gets his attention if it is the flannel sheets on his bed.  Just saying.

  We got a letter in the mail from the city.  Our acre is now in a portfolio created by the city of lots to share with developers, builders and other interested parties.  This is great.  It beats purchasing “For Sale” signs to promote it.  Over the last several years by keeping the acre trimmed and mowed, the good grass has really stooled out.  We had Spring Touch treat it once last year for weed control and we will do it again in 2026.

  Soup and grilled cheese for supper.  The waffles last night were yummy.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:39 pm on February 4, 2026 Permalink  

  Gray Skies 

  I am not bothered by what the skies are doing.  Past are the decades that mandated how I needed to be aware.

  I clocked into the studio at 9:30 this morning.  KNUJ had an interesting visit from New Ulm’s City librarian.  It doesn’t matter if you want to learn how to play chess or if you want bring your stitching along and visit with those of like interests.  Very informative.

  With the steam iron just a cooking, I got the 194 inches of binding folded, pressed and wound around some stiff cardboard for the six placemats I am putzing with.  I fought with fabric to get the salvage cut off before I went on to cut the sizes I need for the additional placemats.  Nothing pressing.  Perhaps just something prepared to share with someone that happens to stop in for a visit.  What used to be fusible foam and now is not has also been cut.  That about did the rotary cutting arm in.   

  Twelve noon and the remaining morning coffee was enjoyed.  I had had an avocado for breakfast with a slice of buttered toast.  There is nothing like a cookie to have with a cup or two of said coffee.  The cookies had been as hard as a brick.  Yesterday when I had had an apple, I put a wedge of my apple into the cookie jar.  Yup, success!  The cookies were now tender to the point of being enjoyable to nibble on.  Thanks for the tip Lena.  That tip had taken Dennis daughter, Sandy, by surprise. 

  Dennis went to the assisted living unit here in town to visit with his literally, life-long friend, Lyle Grove.  Lyle is several months older than Dennis but has not fared as well.  He is very hard of hearing and nearly blind.  The hearing challenges in that era of time when he was young were not taken to heart for help.  Dennis did a good deed.

  We have decided on the Ego Fluffy Waffles and sausages for supper.  Our four slice toaster does its magic and two waffles each works.  Unfortunately, the waffles come six to the box.  I buy two boxes at a time guaranteeing that sometime down the road there are two additional meals ready for us.

  The book I am reading is The Tin Man, one of the free books from the library.  I can pick up the threads in the story line very easily, so I am not fussy.

  With that I will take my leave.

   
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  Noreen 3:14 pm on February 1, 2026 Permalink  

  Snow 

  We did get an inch or so of snow.  Very wet.  Even the leaf blower had a hard time blowing it off of the front deck.  And then . . . the sun comes out and makes fast work of what was remaining on the driveway after Randy had scrapped it.  The streets are sloppy to the max.

  Lots of deer and rabbit tracks in the new snow.

  The studio got a day off today.  When I got up this morning, there was a bit of vertigo going on with me.  It’s best to stay on one level.  Not much can be done about vertigo unless it is prolonged and severe.  Mine is not.  There is no getting up quickly for a fast get-away.  It helps to move my head slowly and no quick looking down and then up.  My health is the post holding everything else upright.  My body is not just something I live in, It was given to me to take care of.  Stewardship 101.

  We are waiting for one item to come in the mail before I can do our income tax for 2025.  Tax Act is the program we have used over the years.  That and Turbo Tax are both good with easy to follow programs.  I hear there may be changes.  Time will tell.

  I have an oven meal in for supper with a veggie medley on the side.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 4:05 pm on January 30, 2026 Permalink  

  Snow? 

  An inch or so would be great to cover up the dirt-encrusted snow that is remaining

  For some reason the studio felt cooler to downright feeling cold.  I did have an agenda.  I kept moving.  Yes, the fusible foam did remain fused using the Best Press spray of yesterday.  The sample piece of yesterday was put to the test.  I wanted to see if I quilted the placemat every three inches apart doing a cross-hatch, would the friction cause the two layers to move, null and voiding the fused aspect.  No!  It held tight.  I went on to quilt the top and bottom together of one of the placemats.  I did lay out the second placemat using the same painter’s tape concept for accuracy, but it was just not in the cards.  There is no way the thermostat on the furnace could be high enough to allow the studio to be comfortabe.

  I do feel good that the bundle of foam that I have will be usable by activating the fuse it was meant to have.

  The small pillow filled with crushed walnuts did get hand stitched shut.  Hard to believe that hand stitching with a small sharp needle and a single thread used to come so easily.  Now, the hand stitching that I do is done with a #26 tapestry needle and 2 ply embroidery floss.  That’s ok.  I like what I can do. 

  Yes, there is a covering of snow forecast.  This afternoon was the perfect time to make a trip to the grocery store.  The north wind was raw, but new snow and cold temps was more than I was willing to do.  Having concrete dry and bare under the feet is the ultimate.  A little variety in the kitchen goes a long way taking the edge off of meal preparation.  Besides I was out of apples and avocados.

  After the store we swung around town and we have a 12″ tuna sub on cheese bread for our evening meal.  The dressing of choice is ranch.  Green peppers, onions, lettuce, shredded cheese and olives rounds out the food group.  Sweet.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:23 pm on January 26, 2026 Permalink  

  Well, Well 

  What do you know!  The wind is from the south.  Our mail slot cover was honoring it by clapping all the way.  It’s still cold out make no mistake about that.

  I had the thrill of taking my stitching down to the studio today.  The pattern called Cirque des Cercles by Ink Circles — Tracy Horner is finished.  The pattern is 247 stitches by 185 stitches.  The stitching is now resting on the church tables.  I have my thumb tacks ready to begin blocking it.  I am in no hurry.  It’s an estimated 80 yards of floss.  Of course having to take out some stitches for mistakes would alter that.  I worked totally with Esther Schafer silk hank of the variegated.  Initially I had cut the hank in half.  There remains quite a bit of the half I was using.  Each length that I used contained six fibers.  I used two fibers over each stitch.

  I checked the cistern closet to see what frames I have that may work with the circle stitching.  The blocking will determine the actual size needed.  I do not want to have to make a purchase or to have it framed.  These stitched projects are to keep me busy and not for posterity.  I guess if I offered to hand-mend socks that have worn holes in them . . . that would surely keep me busy as well.

  I will miss having something in my bedroom porch to keep my hands busy.  I will contemplate that and check out what fabric would be available from the carry-0ver stash that Carrie and I squirreled away many years ago.

  While in the studio, I rummaged around in the flash-drives I have for embroidery.  The quilt top is done, my stitching is done.  It may be time to work with embroidery so as to not forget the steps for a good outcome.  I am thinking of doing some smalls that could be made up and donned in a basket.  The Christmas story pillows in the wicker basket worked great.  Easy to have out and easier yet to store.  Food for thought.

  We have had a good run of hot meals with side dishes.  I have kept a can of Dennis’ favorite chicken noodle soup in hiding.  Tonight may very well be the night.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:14 pm on January 24, 2026 Permalink  

  Frigid 

  After several days the frigid air becomes the usual.

  Dennis was feeling some cabin fever.  Too cold to get the little red pickup out for just a swing around town.  He had checked out his Facebook and the local obituaries.  Dennis asked if there was anything he could do that I had put off due to left arm mobility and the right wrist not doing well.  Well, now that he asked . . . I had been daily seeing the washing machine’s interior top of the tub for some time needing a bit of tidy, tidy.  Splashing of the water and that what it holds had left residue.  Dennis asked for supplies and said he was in for the job.  He wanted his walker behind him in case his legs would feel as if giving out.  I would be standing right behind that walker for moral support.

  We filled the hot water as if doing a light load and added some Dawn.  It was a good thing I had saved my favorite paint brush from me doing the front deck this last summer.  It was perfect for Dennis to use the water to dip the paint brush in to clean the rings around the collar of the tub.  Actually, when Dennis was in the hospital after breaking his hip, I had not checked his jacket pocket and a pack of cigarettes had gone into the laundry.  Hmm.  A few . . . actually a lot, of those fibers had found their way onto some of those rings.  I don’t use fabric softener often, but over time the funnel shaped container on the center agitator had more residue in it than was necessary . . . kind of like a wax residue.  Dennis asked for a plastic spoon and paper towel and it got swiped clean.  Mission Completion!  The washing machine had not had that job done since my stroke.  Sweet.

  We both met at the dining room table for a cup of coffee.

  Dennis reverted to the patio porch and I went to my bedroom porch to do a bit of stitching.  I am using Esther Schafer’s seasoned silk embroidery floss for this stitching project.  This time of winter’s cold I have the pointer finger on my right hand that needs a bit of stitcher’s wax worked into it so the floss does not snag.  It works slick.

  We had decided on supper: some Johnsonville Beef brats cut up into sauerkraut with buttered bread on the side.  It worked great for me.  An easy supper that we had not had for some time.  I will admit that that can of sauerkraut had been on the kitchen shelf for some time holding down the recharge cable for Dennis’ cell phone.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:18 pm on January 23, 2026 Permalink  

  Cold Days 

  Even cold days seem to pass.  To pass the time of this day, I decided to stay on the first floor.  Never being short of laundry that seemed like a good start to the day.

  Watching some YouTube mixed in with a little Hulu, the hand stitching seemed to add to the good mix I had going.  It’s cold . . . not a dang thing to do about it but be grateful for warmth where it can be gotten.

  My eyes did wander out of the south windows here in my bedroom porch.  Our neighbor tried relentlessly to use his pickup to jump-start their car.  I think he finally gave up, perhaps thinking a new battery will be needed. 

  Yesterday forenoon while in the studio, I remembered to make a call to Handi-Medical in Mankato for a 90-day prescription of my catheters.  Unbelievable. UPS delivered them this forenoon.  Neither rain, snow, sub-zero, etc., can keep delivery people down.

  This evening there will be a batch of Bisquick pancakes.  I have used that product from pancakes to a dry-mix plus seasonings for rolling chicken in to pan fry.  It even works for pork chops.

  Nothing earth-scattering to report.  Take care.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:27 pm on January 19, 2026 Permalink  

  Good Start 

  When I got up this morning, it felt as if I had just gone to bed.  A good night’s rest of hours of deep sleep.  I had to look twice to realize that the morning was in full gear.

  This Monday was a good start.  It was the start of me getting back into the studio.  It had been two weeks.  I missed my space and I missed the news from KNUJ.

  Staying on the first floor while I had a cold was a smart move on my part.

  By getting back into the studio for several hours this forenoon gave me back a sense of balance for my day.  A routine that allows the feeling that, yes . . . I am able to do what feels good and I can do good at my sewing.  That quilt top that has been under the needle for what seems like months is finally being measured up for some borders.  I have options of fabrics on the table and the goal is to use most of it up.  Not liking unfinished projects, I hope to finish the project up this week.  Of course, I have something waiting in the wings.

  The hand stitching is a good thing to fall back on but not as a full time endeavor for the days.

  Yesterday, cousin Mark shot off a photo to me of a quilt top he had just finished.  He followed up with a good phone conversation.  His friend had requested a quilt from Mark.  Mark found the king-sized quilt kit on the market-place via Facebook.  It included fifteen yards of fabric plus the quilting design for a long arm quilter to finish it by following the pieced top.  That had the $50.00 price tag still on the packet.  The top will be handed off and the finishing will be done by the friend and his wife.  Mark had made a great score.  Mark’s job is as a head mechanic at a huge printing site in Hastings.

  This evening our supper will be hearty bean and ham soup with a side of a fried egg sandwich.

  No appointments this week.  Sweet.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:20 pm on January 18, 2026 Permalink  

  Blustery 

  Cloudy, blustery, windy, cold, snowing . .  all of that.  I couldn’t think of any more words right now to describe this day.

  I am staying in the stitching spot in my bedroom porch perched upon my cherry red chair.

  There is very little traffic today.  What there is every once in awhile are the largest feather like flakes that get captured in a wind tunnel before they are released.

  I had an order coming from Amazon.  It was my luck that the mail was delivered while Tom and Sandy were here.  I had ordered a bed rail for my bed.  There is a tail to be told here.  I had succeeded in making a rut in my bed, sleeping on the farthest north side on my right shoulder protecting the left.  It was a good rut by all standards.  I decided to begin sleeping on the opposite end of the bed.  It was like sleeping on a new mattress.  Sweet.

  I soon found out that my habit of having the door frame to reach out for and to while getting out of bed was no longer.  These bed rail prongs slip under the mattress a good three feet and give a very solid feeling.  This morning it felt good having something solid under the hand.  An easy solution. 

  The good news is that my cold has decided to give up.  Dennis’ cold is close behind.  Dennis bundles up when going to take care of the livestock.

  The tuna sub really hit the spot last night.  I had slipped in the ripe olives on the list of ingredients.  No mention was made.  Several sandwiches ago I had added the green peppers.  Tee-hee!

  This evening we are having chicken pot pies via Maria’s from our freezer. A hardy enough supper from two that have not done much today.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:14 pm on January 17, 2026 Permalink  

  Saturday the 17th 

  With the wicked wind, which way is up.  I was sure that during last night’s rest my bedroom porch would blow away right under me.  The chimes and our little flag never got a break.  The salt we had put down yesterday was still trying to keep the backdoor able to be stepped out of before the snow that had blown in.  It is winter time for sure.

  Randy from next door did a wonderful job on the concrete drive.  With the wind blowing, there may be some drifting.  I had put on my face mask and my gloves and with the leaf blower the front deck and sidewalk got cleaned.  Just let your imagination go for you; the front door can be seen from the street as it opens just a crack.  Then a black snout comes out from the opened door on ground level and there is a blizzard forthcoming.  Yup, within the swirling snow a white-haired masked person comes out waving the leaf blower as if it were ready for the last showdown.  Well . . . you all get it.  The front deck had been cleared.  I’m telling you, the folks across the street are missing out on a great video.

  Daughter, “Nurse Sandy” and Tom came from Mankato today.  Sandy needed to make sure that Dennis was doing well.  Dennis passed the inspection with flying colors.

  It was great visiting with Sandy and Tom, catching up on the world of New Ulm nursing and Tom’s concrete work being dormant during this spell.  Sandy said the job-jar is catching hell.

  This evening we are having Subway.  It being rather dastardly out, Sandy went and fetched the Subway for us before they left town.  They were then on their way to a hockey function in Mankato.

  A good day all around.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥