Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from March, 2026 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:17 pm on March 28, 2026 Permalink  

  Progress 

  Progress is upon my church tables.  All of the needed blocks in Nicholas’ collage quilt have been arranged.  There is madness in how the blocks are turned in order to see the full effect.  Sewing the blocks together will be for another day.

  The last of the small Christmas stitched projects had been on the corner of the ironing board long enough.  It did not take long to put red thread in the bobbin and in the top thread.  Getting it turned right-side out is always a challenge.  It may look as if I put too much stuffing into the elongated pillow.  I know when I plunk down a heavy book on it, that will take out some of the air.  Wonder Clips are holding the end secure as I used Aleene’s tacky glue to seal it up.

  I didn’t think there was anything left that was loose enough to blow from one lot to another today. The 30 mph winds from the southwest have the whole house quaking, yet the leaves are blowing across Stauffer Avenue from the northwest.  Hmm.  The metal mail slot gets caught with a wind gust and can really clatter.  Thank goodness for an interior cover.

  Last night when I sat in my recliner, listening to a pair of floss tubers from Bloomington, they were talking about going to a shop in Blue Earth.  I didn’t think Dennis had been listening.  He didn’t think it would be a bad idea to make the trip to Blue Earth sometime and I could check out the ship called “Welcome.”  The ole cowboy still has a surprise or two up his sweater’s sleeve.

  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 2:16 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 2:20 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 2:20 pm on March 15, 2026 Permalink  

  A Sunday 

  A blowing and going Sunday.  Thew snow was forecast.  The wind was forecast.  We are safe and sound.

  I was going to use the leaf blower to get the back door area cleared.  That was a waste of effort.  I knocked the snow off of our shovel and with a push, clear wet concrete showed.  By that time Randy was here with his long green line.  I pushed snow far enough so he could grab it with his bucket that he had tipped down and take it further.  That was about at eleven.

  I came up from the studio at three thirty and the north wind had been busy, swirling snow around the northeast corner of the house.  I used the shovel again by the back door area, just enough to let Dennis get out the door and onto fresh snow as I thought where Randy had scrapped there could be ice.

  I can’t really tell if it is still snowing or if it is the wind whipping up the snow.  This snow would clearly be called a “heart attack snow.”  it is heavy, heavy.  Hmm.  Years ago, a good man, David Tiegum, died shoveling snow. 

  I called the ophthalmologist’s answering machine in Mankato and left a message that Dennis would be canceling his eye injection for tomorrow and allowing them to call us with a new time and date.   We are not taking any chances, not only on the roads but other drivers.   

  I was in the studio with not much to show within the first hour.  I had stitched in error for a stretch of 44 inches.  Pick, pick it out.  The second effort went better.  About after two and a half hours, I closed down the studio. 

  The wind is howling.  KNUJ did mention that the winds would be picking up. 

  Dennis is getting the hang of using my studio computer for his solitaire and Facebook.  Tuesday his new laptop will be on our front deck.  $499.00 and free shipping.  That amount of money brings me a whole lot of peace of mind . . . oh, I meant Dennis!  Tee Hee!

  To all my peeps, please take it easy during this weather event.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:20 pm on March 5, 2026 Permalink  

  Birds 

  Do the birds think spring is here?  They are all very busy fliting from tree to tree.  The squirrels never did acknowledge our winter.

  This afternoon the house is filled with the aroma of cinnamon rolls that just came out of the oven.  The frozen Rhodes can’t be beat.  They come twelve to a frozen package.  Doing six at a times works best for Dennis and his breakfast box.  There are two bags of cream cheese frosting included.  I had this bag in the freezer for some time and today I checked the expiration date . . . Sept. of 2o26.

  The diced pork roast oven dish of last night was a win.  Leftovers for this evening . . . can’t beat it.

  As we, mostly me, take notice of our first floor, decisions needed to be made.  Furniture designed for larger homes than what our 720 sq. ft. can handle works for only so long.  It may be that Dennis has been prone to falls and thus furniture with sharp corners has been put out of his reach, as much as possible.  That is not to say that the situation may flip in times to come.  Being realistic is what I do . . . for the both of us.

  Today, I sifted and sorted much.  Not necessarily throwing anything out, just using what room we have wiser.  Putting things where they were taken from is the key.

  I feel very good about making the best and the most of our home.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on March 2, 2026 Permalink  

  The Secret 

  The secret for me getting up before eight in the morning, is to drink a glass of water when I do a bathroom call at three in the morning.  I do enjoy getting up earlier than eight, but it just feels so comfy, I can look out the window and the evergreen boughs lull me back to snoozing.

  All of the laundry was done by noon.  In between swapping out loads, I filled the last of my mini pillows with crushed walnut shells and glued the openings shut.  What remains is a bit of trim around all sides.  My mini pillow phase is nearing an end.

  The next chapter in the studio is going to be a quilt.  I know just what box to take off of the west shelves in the studio.  I am seeking orange fabric and that which may be companion hues or colors.  Orange is the color of Nicholas’ University of Tennessee.   I have researched the motto.  This project may well keep me out of trouble for some time. 

  This evening we are having the remaining Manwich meat with the remaining beans, mixing both together for a supper with some spinach dip and chips.  Kind of like a home on the range supper. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 4:03 pm on March 1, 2026 Permalink  

  Hello Sunday 

  This scattered winter has moved right on into March 1st.

  Though nothing earth shattering occurred this winter, I feel as if the time has gone swiftly.  When I look about there have been quite a few finished stitched items hanging about.  They have been completed by one “x” at a time. 

  Dennis brought up the idea of us going back to The Furniture Mart in Sleepy Eye for a new chair for me.  I have him on pause with that.  Dennis’ Lazy Boy recliner . . . I cannot sit in, as I cannot get myself up and out of it independently.  Secondly, the head rest is puffy enough that it tilts my neck forward just enough to cause a headache.  

  There are two items my chair must insure:  I can get out of it and having the neck support.  In thinking, the chair need not be a recliner.  A soft chair with a high enough padded back that I could lean my head back and have it fit my neck.  That spurred on an experiment.  My teak rocker’s seat is the perfect height for me to sit down on and get up from.  Truth to tell, I didn’t sit in it for any length of time as a headache took over.  I dug out two of those support bands that medical people use to stabilize patients.  Dennis worked the buckles while I held a stuffed small pillow in the area of a head rest.  Trial and error we got the fit right . . . for now.  As I use the rocker with the captured pillow, time will tell.

  Calvin called this afternoon.  Nothing exciting for either of us to report, just a good old catching up.  Eric, now a widower, left for a job trip down to the southern states.  I know his job has something to do with hard metal detection and he travels a lot.

  We are doing Manwich’s and beans for supper.  I browned the hamburger, added the can of sauce and put the kettle in the oven at 250.  It is a way for flavors to really get co-mingled without scorching the kettle as it would on the stovetop.  The gas flame doesn’t like such a low setting.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥