Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from July, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 1:52 pm on July 21, 2025 Permalink  

  On Site 

  We had an on-site farmer’s market on our front deck this forenoon.  I knew immediately who had left the cucumbers and new potatoes.  When we had our spa date on Saturday, Dennis was visiting with Maria about his love of creamed cucumbers over boiled potatoes.  It was quite the surprise and very much appreciated.  Both will be with our supper this evening.

  I had a very satisfying day in the studio.  I completed two projects.  Neither one was to be a hurried one.  When I have other people’s items in the studio, I feel better having completed them.  After all, no one would know what to do with half finished items if I couldn’t get back into the studio.  It brings me peace beyond understanding.

  Going forward, I had several  works in progress of my own items that are now completed, meaning the stitching has been done.  That portion, makes them finished.  Now I want to push into them being totally finished, meaning they are ready to hang in our living room or ready to pass along to someone else.  Amazon is right on schedule for the delivery on the 23rd or 24th.

  Sometime in the future, it will be a lot harder for family to throw away totally finished items than finding a bunch of stuff under my bed that they can’t make heads or tails out of.  The only thing to be found under my bed at that time are dust bunnies.

  One of my completed projects was that I had offered to make Maria another apron that she wears at her beauty shop with her name and some butterflies embroidered on it.  A good, kind deed done.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:32 pm on July 20, 2025 Permalink  

  Sunday the 20th 

  Sunday the 20th with the Grace Lutheran Church service on in the studio.  Great start for a new week.

  I can piddle away more time in the studio than I had initially planned.  Quiet time well spent.  Time for reflections, time for memories that pop up if I happen to pick something up off of the mirid of shelves.  Oh yes, I actually have  a few empty spots where I have been sifting and sorting.  Tomorrow will be the day to get the lights on in the studio as well as the lights on the sewing machine.  Looking forward to the next challenge.

  Dennis’ grandson AJ was out from Mankato this forenoon.  He and Dennis always can while away the time over . . . who knows what.  It’s very good for Dennis’ soul to have that connection.

  Dennis is making supper this evening.  The fare is a package of Johnsonville’s beef brats . . . plus.  Yesterday I picked up a container of Gerry’s potato salad.  Got it home and emptied the contents into a refrigerator container and began adding to it.  Three eggs were boiled and then chopped to be added.  A half onion was sliced and diced to be added.  Over night the flavors have co-mingled to perfection.  Coleslaw and bread and butter pickles will round out the offering.  I am staying out of the kitchen until I am summoned.

  I have finished a stitching project.  It was called Congress of Eagles.  Five designs of various sizes to honor the 250th celebration of our nation in 2026.  Part of what is coming from Amazon will go into putting a finish of the five separate stitching’s. 

  The afternoon found me digging in my very old stash of stitching fabric.  I found a piece of 20 count, 20 “x” stitches per inch.  With the help of the magnifier that is next to my right elbow, I think it will work after I check through my file folder for just the right design.  Once I am out of bed in the morning, that could be anywhere between eight and ten, I cannot “just sit and veg out.”  You know darn well, I will find something to get into, do or try out, to fill my day until bedtime.  Idle hands are the work of the devil.  Yes, Grandma Laura, I will have something tangible to show for the day my Lord God has given me.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:15 pm on July 19, 2025 Permalink  

  Puddles Everywhere 

  The thunder rolled during the evening hours after I was down for the night.  There is no shortage of rain this season.  The weather map indicates we may have a bit more late this afternoon.

  This Saturday had been anticipated.  It was time for haircuts and pedicures up the street at Maria’s salon.  It is a monthly date for Dennis and me.  If the feet don’t feel good, it affects the entire body.  Maria takes extra time to message Dennis’ left foot.  The toes on his right foot get a good looking over.  Short hair is my best defense in getting it looking tidy.  The curling iron has been out of my life for quite some time.  The blow dryer does come in handy for various kinds of help around the homestead.

  After the salon we went on to the grocery store.  Distilled water for Dennis’ CPAP machine and laundry soap were on the top of the needs.  It no longer bothers me to be paying a bit more to shop in our local store.  Making a trip to Mankato for a list of needs entails most of the day being used up.  Also shopping in Sam’s Club was more desirable when Dennis and I were both working and we went through the staples of the kitchen more quickly.  Even the pantry cupboards in our basement look gaunt.  I now look at the physical size of the products I purchase so as to make sure I can handle them safely.  Yes, those of the age that we are adapt to being realistic.

  Well, well. Last night as I closed down the laptop in my bedroom porch, I went into the living room and announced that I was done shopping for the night.  I got a quizzical look from Dennis.  For several months I had looked forward to getting to Michael’s or Hobby Lobby.  Last night I got realistic.  I found what I sought on Amazon.  I had spent several months stitching the Christmas Quaker.  It has been folded up waiting for it to be finished and enjoyed on our living room wall.  I ordered the foamboard from Amazon.  Enough to also do the stitched Hardanger jewel that Kevin’s had given me some time back.  After being displayed for more years than I can remember, it needed to be laundered and re-mounted.  These projects is what makes my two church tables so handy.  Plenty of room to finagle it all.  Dennis totally gets Amazon rather than burning shoe leather in Mankato looking for what we need at the time.

  The two on Stauffer Avenue have had a great day and we both are quite beautiful after our spa date with Maria.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:19 pm on July 18, 2025 Permalink  

  Gloomy Day 

  The air is heavy.  

  Last night after I had gone to bed, I knew I would not be staying there.  The restless legs were jumping.  The best thing is to try and walk it off.  It doesn’t happen often so there is no reason to add angst to it.  I didn’t feel like I was alone.  Our county fair is in progress and the loud-speakers on the grandstand were really barking and the breeze carried the noise north, as well as the sound of the event that had a lot of horsepower behind it. I hope they had a good turnout.

  I got up at six this morning for a bathroom trip and decided to lay back down for just a little bit.  I awoke at 9:45.  Hmm.  Dennis was in his recliner napping as well.  It was one of those mornings when it felt as if I was retired with no schedule to rush for.  Dah!

  After I had my self-allotted 1.5 cups of coffee, it was time to take part in the day.  If I partake of the day, I also need to participate in the day.

  When I got into the studio, I was just in time to hear the news of the day on KNUJ.  Nothing serious going on there.  I do have a project that will be in the works soon.  I do like to keep busy. My strategy is to make an assessment of what I want the end goal to be.  Making sure I have all my supplies before I get serious as anything missing needs a haul to Mankato, or in this case an order from Amazon.

  Many times, those that visit the studio, remark on how wonderful it is to have the two church tables to work from.  What makes it even better is that my sewing table has the ability to be raised high enough to put it on a level playing field of the church tables.  Add to that, a multiple amount of weights to manage where I would like a project to remain while I work with it.

  Lots of food for thought.  With that the studio went dark and will stay dark until the mail delivers the missing element.

  Our neighbors to the south have planted several Sunflowers last year.  This spring, they let all the volunteers from last year’s seeds to propagate around the front of their house.  I really feel sorry for the mail-carrier wading through dozens of plants that are now six feet tall to get to the front door’s mail box.  I think it could be a case where it was decided that the mail delivery was being compromised.  Several blossoms have opened.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:06 pm on July 17, 2025 Permalink  

  Another Nice Day 

  The birds were loud this morning.

  As I lay in bed, listening, I was putting together my agenda for the day.  I have a notification that an order from Amazon may be here later this week. 

  After my two cups of coffee, I headed to the studio to check out my sewing machine.  It had really done wonders with the last quilt.  Fuzz and loose threads can cause a whole lot of problems going forward.  I had not had the radio on for several days.  Of course the broadcasts are all about the county fair taking place, with Redwood being the first.  Watonwan County fair began yesterday with entry day.  I hope they have a good turn-out.

  Earlier this week, I received notification that my cousin Shirley Wendlandt Hahn had passed at the age of 76.  Her husband, Ron, had passed away several years ago from complications of a stroke.  Prior to passing he knew Shirley was showing signs of dementia.  Everything was in place for Shirley to be living in a health care facility after he was gone.  Dementia is so hard on the organs of our body.  I will not be attending the funeral and I have let my aunt, Janet, know this.  Janet is 93 and is the youngest of my dad’s family.  Her twin brother has been gone for many years.  Janet lives alone in her home in Brownton, Minnesota.

  Shirley’s father, Lester, was one of my dad’s younger brother’s child.

  In the mail yesterday, Dennis received a summons from our district court to report for jury duty.  Refusal can be submitted after the age of 70 with the pertinent date of birth information.  Dennis put the reply in the mail today.  Nope . . . not going to do that ditty any more. 

  I continue looking out the bathroom window and seeing the barren Hosta beds.  I feel nothing but sweet relief.

  I noted on the news the 7.3 earthquake that hit Alaska on it’s southwest side.  Kodiak, Alaska was in its range.  Hmm.  When we lived at South Branch, Orlin had applied for an assessor’s job in Kodiak.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:36 pm on July 16, 2025 Permalink  

  Lightning Show 

  As I was headed to bed last night there were plenty of lightning flashes.  I did hear it begin to rain about two this morning.

  I had an objective for this Wednesday.  The laundry basket had erupted onto a portion of the bathroom floor.  Not a safety bet by any means.  I added to it by Dennis’s bedding.  Who in this day and age has a linen closet to pull additional sets of bedding from.  I did the bedding first as it gave me a chance to do some tidy, tidy in Dennis’ bedroom.  It then became a game of swapping out between the washer and the dryer.  As soon as the bedding was dry, it headed right back to the bedroom.  Tiny homes make for interesting making up of the beds.  A wiggle here to give a tug, a wiggle there to give a tug.

  By mid-afternoon all is as it should be on Stauffer Avenue, with the laundry done, folded and put where it belongs.

  The rain finished this forenoon, but with the humidity at 96% . . . time will tell.

  When I was in New Ulm on Monday, I had stopped at the Hy-Vee grocery store for some items on my way home.   I literally was “meals on wheels.” The Hy-Vee in New Ulm does something that the Mankato location does not do.  New Ulm always has a variety of meals prepared, ready to be heated and served.  Monday evening we had a prepared meal of meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy.  No kidding, it was enough to be split in half for the two of us.   I had coleslaw on hand to add to it.  Their meals are $8.00 each and are not shy on the flavors.

  Tuesday evening we had a meal of Progresso Vegetable Beef Soup with a tuna sandwich split in two.  Plenty for the two that had not done much for the day.

  This evening, Wednesday, we are having the second of the Hy-Vee meals that I had bought: a full turkey sandwich drowning in turkey gravy with mashed potatoes.  A half sandwich for each and I will pass on the potatoes and rather enjoy the remaining coleslaw that we have.   I have had a full day of Grammie the housewife and will enjoy putting a hot flavorful meal on the table easily.

  Our appetites are no longer what they used to be.  The $8.00 price per these meals is not the draw but it is very reasonable and fills the bill.  We don’t eat out very often as I prefer having a very good indication of what we are eating, rather than the deep fat-fried options here in town.

  We are having a nice reprieve from the heat that has been around.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:39 pm on July 15, 2025 Permalink  

  A Quiet 

  This afternoon, I am in a quiet place.

  Within this last week, there have been closures that brought about this quiet.

  I finished a quilt that needed quite a few hours of contemplation, many hours of application in regard to sewing skills.

  That quilt finish brought about the portion of a barter and the end of any chance that I would do gardening again.  It was a relief.  No more looking out the window and seeing work that was needed but which I could not do.

  I had been concerned about my vehicle driving from home to places I had appointments.  I knew it was not operating correctly.  Monday that doubt was erased by visiting the repair shop.

  This morning, I had a clinic appointment in regard to high blood pressure that I had not experienced since I retired from a rather stressful position.  I was in an exam room with a blood pressure cuff that the nurse put on my right forearm.  She programed it for four individual readings.  She said she would be back in several minutes.  Indeed, I was nervous.  The standing monitor had a screen on it that pulsed as the cuff tightened on my right forearm and then relaxed.  Four times.  After a notification bell, the nurse came back in and programed the monitor.  It then read the average of the four reading.  I was thrilled beyond measure when the monitor read 118/70.  I had been hoping for this and would have been even happier if the bottom number had been 60.  I will check the portal later on if there needed to be a message from my primary

  Within these last two weeks I had cut my caffeine consumption down drastically allowing only two cups of coffee during my waking hours.  I also had been given an additional medication of 2.5 mg of Amlodipine for blood pressure. 

  I came home and decided the remainder of the day would be quiet.  Dennis’ son-in-law is doing the mowing today . . . also a good thing.  For what we pay Tom, knowing that Dennis is not overdoing it, is also a peaceful feeling.  Yup, I like the quietness of it all.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:19 pm on July 14, 2025 Permalink  

  Bit on the Warm Side 

  This morning before Dennis was up for the day, I was on my way to Chuck Spaeth’s in New Ulm.  I had noticed within the last month, that when I was heading down Stauffer Avenue the car would hesitate.  It would do it several times.  I didn’t hesitate when they gave me an early, for me, appointment.

  After about an hour or so of watching other customers in the waiting room, I got a one on one.  It was a wind-something, or maybe an air-something that had not been secured tightly during the last oil change and the sensor for that component was activated.  Believe me, it was over my head.  No charge.  If I notice this same situation again, I am not to hesitate but give them a call and a new sensor will be ordered and it will be under my warranty.  That info is now on my record at their shop.  I was relieved that I would not break down somewhere when I traveled.  Just because we carry Triple-A does not mean it could be very inconvenient.

  About three-thirty yesterday afternoon we got company.  Sadie came to make good on our barter agreement: a tee-shirt quilt for yard work.  I was in charge of keeping Charlie B, a second grader, and Maverick, a four month old dog, out of the biting bugs.  It didn’t take me long to engage Charlie in a computer game that came up on Dennis’ laptop.  It was called “Coin Flip.”  I was tails and she was heads.  She had a paper score card and this was serious.

  Dennis told Sadie where all of our garden goodies were in the potting shed and she went to work.  Using his walker that he can turn around on and sit, he kept his granddaughter company.  Nothing was spared.  From the huge Maple to the far west edge, within ten feet of the house, it all came down via a weed-whip, looper, or a clipper.  Sadie raked it all off and using our wheelbarrow, it is on the burn ring.  When it’s dry, Dennis will burn it.  With all the tours she had had in the military, she was fit for it.  No breaks until it was done.

  After her and grandpa came in the house, Sadie washed up and was ready to see her quilt.  She loved the two sided idea of using the tee-shirts.  This was a wonderful barter.

  When I got home from New Ulm, Dennis had already filled his Harbor Freight pumper up twice with Brush killer.  All the open stems of what Sadie took down will let that brush killer go down to the roots quickly.

  How do I feel about giving up gardening?  I have had the best of it.  Even when Orlin and I lived in Riesel, Texas, I had flower gardens.  It means more to me now that I can be as independent as I am, than putting stress on this body that has done its share.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:09 pm on July 13, 2025 Permalink  

  Sunday the 13th of July 

  The air index from the smoke can definitely be seen and felt today.

  I have been thinking a lot today about an invite the came from the Riebe group posting.  It is a Riebe annual pot-luck get together on Aug. 2nd in the Darwin City community hall at twelve noon sharp.  Surprisingly, the majority of the Riebe family line has settled right around that very same area.

  I do know that probably sometime this week, I will contact the cousin that is ram-rodding this and send my regrets.  It might sound as if the regret is self-serving.  Hmm.  That would hit the nail right on the head.  At a minimum of a two and a half hour car trip one way for a three hour event . . . that is only part of the refusal.  We have taken part in this gathering several years ago.  Taking in the acoustics for several hours allowed for noise at a decimal that made my brain go wonky.  Wonky as in the fact that since the stroke the loud confusion takes a very real physical effect on my stability.  The chairs are of the metal type that one would find at an event where they are stored for each what is needed for a group.  Having had fourteen sessions with PT, concentrating on the lower back and hips . . . chairs of this type are not a good fit for me.

  With all of this being said, I would be paying too high of a price for this gathering.  I currently am doing very, very well in my home and its surroundings.  Being able to manage with medication for physical discomfort and being able to move from place to place often to offset muscle spasms is working very well.  I don’t want to rock the boat.  With so many people about, there might be a span of five or ten minutes with a meaningful conversation with any one person.  If this event was for either Carrie’s family or Kevin’s family there would not be a moment’s hesitation . . . Grammie would be right there, regardless of what the recovery would entail.  Kenny Rodgers, the singer, had a great line in one of his songs: “You have to know when to hold them, you have to know when to fold them.”

  As a comparison, yesterday for Dennis’ class reunion, it was a ten minute car ride to the event.  The seating was on cushioned support.  We were gone from home for two and a half hours.  Sweet.

  It is very difficult becoming selfish in what works and what does not for just a short time but for the long haul.  I plan on hauling this ole body around as comfortably as possible for a very long time.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:16 pm on July 12, 2025 Permalink  

  A Date 

  Dennis and I had a date for this noon.  We headed to the River’s Edge Golf Course’s restaurant. 

  Today was Dennis’ Class of 1954 reunion from the St. James District 840 school.  I have attended quite a few of his reunions and of course know most of his classmates and their mates that have remained in the area.  I got Dennis’ clothes ready as well as my own.  Nothing fancy, just a bit out of the norm.  Yes!  Grammie even opened up her tiny pull-out drawer of some cosmetics.  

  One small calendrical screw top container has been my staple since Carrie introduced me to the Mary Kay cosmetic line of goodies.  It is a container called bronzing beads.  Multiple colors of beads made from compressed powder, each a hue of a tan color.  You dance around a cosmetic brush picking up a bit of this color and a bit of another color.  I have not been outside to speak of this year, so it was a brush full of color going from the forehead down to the chin and then across each of the cheeks.  Grammie was ready.  

  I remember Carrie went somewhere on a plane fight and of course with her, her cosmetic bag.  The air compression in the plane or such, when going to use the beads at sometime later, unscrewed the lid.  All the beads had popped, leaving a container of loose bronzing powder.  Too funny.

  Well unfortunately, Mary Kay no longer makes the bronzing beads in their line-up and I don’t do glamour very often.  Mine should last for some time.

  Anyway . . . back to the class reunion.  Dennis had a great time.  The girls in his class all came up and gave him a hug.  Someone had their yearbook.  Under his photo was the ditty, “Happiest and jolliest fellow!”  I will say, he had a ball joking with those girls recalling those school days.  The other fellows, men, didn’t seem to be at the same party.  There were group photos taken.  This is the last reunion this class voted on going forward.  In truth, they were all getting close to 90 years of age.  The remaining funds of the class, a whooping $200.00 for postage, will be used in reprinted photos and mailed out to the classmates.  The info sheets that were handed out listed 39 deceased.  Dennis’ class was the largest class ever, through the 60s, 140.

  The food at River’s Edge was wonderful . . . way too large of servings.  Guess who brought a box home!  Dennis will be having supper of lobster mac and cheese and I will be doing chicken strips and fries.

  A great day and it’s great to be home.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥