Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 5:01 pm on February 15, 2020 Permalink  

  Thinking Spring 

  We finally have a sunny day with just a light breeze.  During the night I did pull my blankets up a bit higher as I thought that would be the only protection I would have once the west porch roof blew off.

  Have you ever thought there would be a day when you would do nothing!  Stay in PJs or a bathrobe all day long.  I had the best of intentions.  But . . . there were birds singing.  I found myself dressed before I realized it and I was stripping the beds and heading for the laundry.  

  Once the buttons have been pushed on the washing machine I meandered down into the basement.  I had been thinking about cleaning that small refrigerator long enough.  It was time to pull the plug and do it.  We use it for extra cold storage.  I enjoy a cold bottle of water, a cold bottle of green tea and an occasional cold beer.  Sad to say I don’t utilize the small freezer space like it should be.  Obviously that is where the work needed to be done.  It had more ice in it than should be. When I pulled the plug I put some extra towels in the cavity and let it begin the thaw.  Why not!  It was a thawing day outside.

  Laundry was going, thawing was in progress, I decide to load and look at a design on the sewing machine.  This will be a “what if.”  About 20 years ago I worked with man-made suede and made Dennis’ daughter some western vests. As I have mentioned, 2020 is the year that I am using what is on hand.  Low and behold I found a fairly good sized piece of that ultra suede. The first thing I did was throw it into the light load of laundry to freshen it up.  It was touted to be washable.  With the washing of the product to be done, I decided to finish up a pillow I had been working on.  The suede project is still forthcoming.

  When Megan was a baby, I had made Carrie some curtains for her bathroom.  She provided the plaid fabric and away we went with the project.  Sure enough there was some of that great plaid fabric left in one of my stashes.  I found a spring time design and began working my whiles on it.  Today was the day to get it done.  

  When Dennis’ nephew gets done doing a quilt on his long-arm the extra in width and length of the batting gets stuffed into a plastic bag and when the bag is full I get it in my sewing studio.  There was enough that I could make a pillow out of that batting and then sew a cover over it.  Perfect.  Now to finish the stitched pillow to fit into that pillow form.  Mom always worked with prairie points.  They are folded small squares to form a whimsical addition to a quilt, or in this case to my pillow.  Mom often had prairie points in the binding of the quilts, to take the brunt of the oil from hands when the quilts were tugged up around chubby chins.  When the afternoon shadows began, I was happy with the entire project today.  Yes . . . it made me think spring.

  When Dennis came in for a bit this afternoon it was time for me to keep him close by.  My small refrigerator that sits on the basement floor was ready to be gutted of shelving and cleaned in the inside.  I had all my supplies on hand and they were all at arms length handy for me to work with.  I also knew when I was done and wanted to get up off of the basement floor, I would need moral support from my favorite ole cowboy.  I know my titanium knees and I know how to protect them as I get up and down from a floor.  It would make for a very good segment on “Funniest Home Videos.”  As I type, the ultra clean refrigerator is humming and regaining the temperature for my beer that I may have this evening . . . or not.

  The sun is getting lower in the west.  It’s time to take all that fresh bedding and get the beds made up for a good night’s rest.  Just like in the old days . . . Saturday night baths or showers and then tucked into clean beds.  Lena would be proud.

   
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  Noreen 6:56 pm on February 13, 2020 Permalink  

  Can’t do Anything about the Cold 

  I put an extra layer of a sweater on today.  The thermostat is set at 70 degrees and Dennis is in agreement.  In the sewing studio today it cleared at 60 degrees.  I don’t mind the cooler area.  I am popping up and down consistently when I am on a roll.

  The York Peppermint Patty candy bar box is empty.  It was one of Dennis’ favorites after supper each night.  This morning the two of us worked on making a pan of brownies.  A few short-cuts and it remains a sweet treat with less sugar.  

  Dennis is on a five day program of Prednisone to take out the inflammation in his right hand.  Prednisone has been around a long time to help for short term issues.  When Kevin needed to take it for an occasional asthma attack it was welcomed.  It is one of those meds that are not to be continued for a long time.  I do remember that Kevin’s appetite increased dramatically while he was on the short program. 

  When I went down to the sewing studio this forenoon, the doorway into the room caught my eye.  Good grief!  Calendar pages do need to be swapped out for people to stay on track.  Apparently the two of us loose track of time by the months.  It seems we don’t miss appointments or important dates.  We are for sure more than those that need to mark off each day in order to maintain their lifestyle.   

  Sadly our neighbors have ceased feeding the deer.  It made me feel very good when Dennis said we would continue.  The young females need our help if they are to have healthy babies in the coming months.  Dennis did tell me we would be doing some yard work this spring as the deer have stepped some of the pavers off of the surround under the Maple tree.  Now there you go!  My thoughts of cutting back on flowers has just had the affirmation of the deer giving me a head start to tidy up the area.  Oh for the seasons that are within us throughout the decades. 

  The good news for the night is that the north winds have settled down.  Last night I felt that we would loose the roof on the west porch.  It is also encouraging that daylight is lasting a bit longer.  We’ll make it through this winter in good stead.  When I watch the news of the weather that other portions of the United States are having .  . . I feel blessed.

   
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  Noreen 6:18 pm on February 12, 2020 Permalink  

  Prepared for the Brunt 

  The wind is from the northwest at 29 mph.  Being sheltered in town, I am sure that those on the open highways have a difficult time seeing as well as watching for slippery road surfaces.

  I was to have company today.  My nephew’s wife, Jennifer, and her mom Rita, were going to come for a visit.  Last night at this time I did text them that perhaps next week would be better.  Many things have been canceled or put off since Thanksgiving.  That was the first time I canceled an event and it seems that has happened quite often since.

  First thing that needed to be done in the sewing studio was Swiffering the cement floor.  Someone sure did make a mess of threads and scraps.  After finishing up the quilt yesterday it was time to take some of the sewing machine apart to oil and clean down under.  With a new needle in place, I poked around in the sewing studio until I found a project that would carry me through the day.  Dennis popped down quite often during the day.  He had a good run of Solitaire on the sewing studio laptop.  Dennis has a schedule that takes up his day.  It would not be my cup of tea, but it works for him.  This winter the Rural Television station has been a Godsend for Dennis.  There is bound to be either a rodeo or a tractor auction.  I do well if I remember to turn the radio on in the studio.

  As of six this evening the blizzard warning is over for our area.  That is not to say that the winds got that message.  I can remain a hermit through the nastiest part of weather, but many are out and about and unfortunately they may not realize how vulnerable they are. 

  Everyone be safe.  I would rather think about you than read about you.

   
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  Noreen 6:40 pm on February 11, 2020 Permalink  

  It is Finished 

  The scrappy quilt blocks I started last summer have been haunting me.  Nothing threatening, just consistent like a bad cough in the spring of the year.  I did get waylaid several times.  It brings balance to the sewing studio.  We sure wouldn’t want anything to become humdrum and boring.

  The entire quilt has 49 blocks, each with a flange border.  Why?  Because I could.  A flange border is a piece of fabric that is cut at 1″ wide, folded in half and sewn in at the same time that the bordering sash is sewn on.  It ends up being a scant 1/4″ wide border, aka: a flange.  I wanted to see if I could pull it off consistently.  Experimenting keeps a passion alive decade after decade.  My mom, Lena, would have been right in there with me.  Mom had her own sewing studio set up in a spare bedroom.  She had the best of the fact that there were windows.  Daylight beats fluorescent lights hands down.  We have one fluorescent four foot fixture to replace with the LED option.  The two LED lights have made a great difference and they don’t hum.  That in itself is very annoying.

  It would have been perfect if I had had enough of the deep teal color that was the outside border of the quilt for binding.  No such luck.  I had to resort to using the lighter blue in conjunction with the back fabric.  Pulling the near black with blue flowers to the top via the binding really was a stark contrast.  I decided to do the flange one more time in the binding.  It gave a chance for the light blue to pull the same blue in the flowers out of the very dark that was used in the backing.

  I believe the extra putz work was worth it.  No one else needs to see that it was what was needed.  I needed it.  If Grammie isn’t happy with a project . . . it may never see the light of day.  Actually . . . I have always come up with a “Hail Mary.”  It’s for the creative side of the brain.  Truth to be told, I am too frugal to throw away good fabric.  I remember how Mom cherished every printed chicken feed sack she had.  Waste not . . . want not.  

  There will need to be time to Swiffer up all the threads that seemed to have eluded the waste basket.  A tidy shop, be it mechanical or sewing, is always a joy to enter into.  With tidy surroundings, those juices in between the ears begin spinning out all sorts of “what ifs.”  After today, nothing is spinning let alone being juicy.  I am counting on that to take hold tomorrow.  It’s time to heat up the beads in my hot-pack for my neck and put the feet up.

   
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  Noreen 3:14 pm on February 8, 2020 Permalink  

  No Set Schedule 

  When I awoke the sun was shining.  Did I kick it right into gear?  No.  I took my time, letting the eyes adjust.  

  Of course Saturday is dust bunny chasing day.  Where do they all come from!  As the laundry was humming away I started at the far end of the home and kept on going east.  By twelve noon, the laundry was done.  The fresh bedding was in place for snuggling into tonight and the kitchen and bathroom floors were drying from being mopped.  All on schedule.

  I had planned on getting the lights on in the sewing studio right after lunch.  Dennis got a phone call that his daughter and family were in town from Silver Bay.  We would be getting company.  They had traveled here yesterday to take in their granddaughter’s basketball tournament.  We had thought of taking it in initially to watch great granddaughter, Addison, who is in seventh grade.  Both of us climbing bleachers and sitting upon them for four to six hours, we passed on it.

  We spent the later afternoon visiting with the up north family in our home.  Totally enjoyed catching up with them.  They had planned on leaving tomorrow but the snow forecast had them packing it up and leaving this early evening.  For them driving in the evening hours tonight was advantageous from thinking of driving in now and blowing snow tomorrow.

  I did go down into the sewing studio to tidy up from a project I had been working on for the last week or so.  The Kimberbell kit that I won at the Bernina shop in Bird Island before Christmas is done for . . . 2020 Christmas.  It was a lot of putz work.  There were 24 blocks that needed embroidery in addition to having applique on them.  As time went on, I was able to use all the remaining batting from the scrappy quilt that had just been long-armed.  It was a challenge and something that I would never have thought of purchasing on my own.  Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone.  I will be sending Amanda and Kelly a photo of the completed project as it was a generous kit to be put into a drawing.  

  I stuck a pork roast in the oven this early afternoon for our supper.  It sure is beginning to smell good.  I know Dennis will pull together some instant mashed potatoes.  We have not had a batch of them for some time.   Dennis has been laying low today as the right hand of his is letting him know it did not appreciate having needles stuck into it yesterday.  With that situation, I hope we are on the downhill slide for a solution.  He comments that it feels like he has been handicapped for long enough.

  When the day arrives and there are no set schedules, it’s amazing how the day rolls by.

   
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  Noreen 6:14 pm on January 31, 2020 Permalink  

  It’s Getting Old 

  The gray days are getting old.  The month is closing with very few hours of sun.  It may be an old wive’s tale . . . or perhaps not.  My metal parts are bucking.  Whatever has been attached to the screws and joints are not playing well with the “whatever.”  What I have been doing is ramping up water intake to flush inflammation out of my body.  Taking many potty breaks hardly gives me any time to settle in in the sewing studio.

  The sewing studio had company today.  The morning visitor had much to visit about and it was like a breath of fresh air.  A new perspective for the morning.  This afternoon the visitor came with two dozen fresh farm eggs.  Marcia is awaiting neck surgery.  The kicker is that she needs to be nicotine free for 30 days before they will approve the surgery.  

  Marcia is trying something that her surgeon offered for advice that he has given to severe asthma patients. I had never heard of this before.  Why would we not have heard of it as asthma has been in our vocabulary for many decades.  The advice was to take 1/2 of a measuring teaspoon diluted in a cup of orange juice.  The solution is to take inflammation out of the lungs.  For a smoker the cleansing of the lungs, it make take away the urge to smoke.   I did look it up on the computer and it may have merit for both instances.

  The days go well when I remain busy.  Busy hands demand a fair amount of concentration.  It is very difficult to dwell on aches and pains when the mind is preoccupied.

   
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  Noreen 5:59 pm on January 30, 2020 Permalink  

  One More 

  This “one more” day is the culmination of my tick list.  Today, I traveled to Bird Island to see my Bernina people.  Amanda and Kelly run a great shop.

  It had been since April of 2019 that I had had my sewing machine serviced.  It’s been a busy run. There were 1,000,000 more stitches put on since that time in April.  I now have 438 hours of the needle going up and down on the five-year-old machine.  It works as well as the day I brought it home.  The reason I knew it was time for Kelly to work on it is the simple task of cutting a thread.  The blades were telling me . . . they needed to be replaced.  

  I don’t have any large projects looming in the sewing studio, but it does all count up and Kelly did mention that it was not all that dirty in the down and under of the machine.  While Kelly was working on the machine I noticed that he was tethered by a coil and no one would go into his work area during that time for fear of an electrical spark.  When I could peek over the counter I got a look at what is under the hood.  The entire right side of the machine is nothing but multiple computer boards.  No wonder it is such an amazing machine.

  Dennis passed on going with me today.  His hand is improving and as long as he continues to take it easy all will be good.  As Dennis commented, it’s so easy to stick out that right hand to lift something or push something.  The patio porch is the best place for the ole cowboy . . . just a few more healing days.

  It did spark Dennis’ interest when he saw the box of heart-shaped treats I picked up in Fairfax when I stopped to say a “hi” to Kersten. 

  There seems to be some mixture coming later on Friday.  Either sleet, rain or snow, I am home for the duration.  I have no wants to take me anywhere.  As I said, this one day allowed me to have everything I need in my home to be content.

   
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  Noreen 6:24 pm on January 29, 2020 Permalink  

  I Remain Impressed 

  I have seen many changes in the world of sewing and quilting. 

  My gosh from the time I can remember, small children played under the expanse of a quilt frame that would be put up in the living room of homes waiting for the expert hand quilters to sit around that frame.  Those expert quilters were Mom and my aunts. It was not unusual for hand stitches to number from eight to ten per inch. The needles were sharp and they were amazingly short.  It was the up and down motion of the wrist of the right hand to bury that needle through the layers of the quilt while the left hand was underneath guiding it right back to the surface. 

  I did work with Mom on quilts but I was not a fast quilter.  Keeping a thimble on the fingers to assist with the jabs and pokes in itself is an art. I would end up with band-aids in multiple layers to protect my fingers until I got the thimble thing down pat.

  When we lived in Madelia, Orlin put a quilt frame up in the dining room.  I had pieced a quilt top called Jacob’s Ladder.  I was determined to hand quilt it.  It was a good thing we had an adequate table in the kitchen or we would have been hard pressed to eat our meals.  Orlin, Carrie and Kevin walked around that frame for many weeks.  Mom did come one day towards the end to help me finish it.  That quilt got good use and as of today, I have it safely stored in the closet.  Sweet!   

  When hand stitching became more than I could handle, using yarn or floss to tie quits worked as well.  

  Fast forward.  I have now relinquished any thought of  working with large quilts right through the finished product.  I have people!  Putting together quilt tops is so enjoyable for me.  It takes me quite awhile.  The nine point pinwheel was started in the summer of 2019.  This Tuesday it has come back to me totally quilted.  I am so impressed with the long-arming quilters.  When I see how many stitch designs Sharon worked into this quilt, it is just plain wonderful and very much appreciated.  The quilt is 89″ x 89″ and it made a dent in my stash.   After I complete the wall hanging project that I had won from Creative Stitches in Bird Island, I will work on the binding. 

  It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if there may be another scrappy jewel coming out of the sewing studio.  Time will tell.  I am impressed with the work Sharon did and I am just as impressed by myself for continuing a family tradition of playing with fuzz and thread.

   
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  Noreen 6:48 pm on January 28, 2020 Permalink  

  The Day Flew 

  The ole adage, “Time flies when you are having fun” is still viable.  The day in the sewing studio was very productive.  The applique blocks for the wall hanging that I am working on are time intensive.  

  I had to shut the lights off at four thirty and get ready for my appointment at the St. James Eagles Club.  As planned Sharon was there at five with my finished long-armed quilt in tow.  I stayed long enough to meet the gals she was having supper with, pay Sharon for her talented work and then take my leave.  In the days ahead I will be working on getting the binding prepared.  First things first. The wall hanging will have to be finished first.

  By the way . . . the Eagles Club was void of people.  It would be hard to justify having the kitchen up and running when there were five people that were ordering food and a lowly two fellows at the bar.

  When us stitchers do get together the topic of UFOs does surface: unfinished objects in the sewing studios.  I do not prescribe to UFOs.  If in the near future, I am not able to be in the sewing studio, it would be horrible for someone else to try and figure out how to go on to finish the project.  I can predict that it would hit the circular file.  Well . . . on second thought nephew Brett most likely could handle it.

  I had gotten a text from Brett that he needed some quilting assist, so that was my next stop.  It seems that he may be short of some fabric and the solution will be for him to drop over tomorrow and check out my stashes.  I am happy to share as those stashes that I have are there as others have shared with me.

  Supper was a bit late for us.  We had been prepared.  Dennis had worked up some potato salad and sliced cucumber with onions.  All that was needed was to heat some precooked pork chops and the meal was complete in less than 10 minutes.

  I had thought it would be warmer today.  We had snowflakes, we had some mist and we had a whole bunch of clouds.

  The neck brace is about to be gotten out as I have called it quits for the remainder of the night.  It is tempting to go back down into the sewing studio after supper but enough is enough. If I overdue it, it may not remain fun.

   
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  Noreen 5:12 pm on January 27, 2020 Permalink  

  A Social Day 

  A ten a.m. physical therapy appointment had me front and center.  I do arrive a bit before hand.  No way am I going to make someone wait for me that is doing well by me.  The gristle in the neck is diminishing and that is evident by the fewer headaches I have been having.  I do wear the neck brace every night.  The first several nights, it didn’t make it until dawn.  It was an acquired comfort apparatus to get used to.  I am on a two week schedule with Mike.  He agrees the neck brace, when worn, gives everything above it and everything below it a chance to resume some semblance of normality.  During the day, I can feel when I need to fetch it and put it on.  Before I go to bed, Dennis can fit it better than I can for the duration.

  After PT, I headed to Mankato for my stitchers group.  Weather had prevented our usual Monday.  It is a breath of fresh air to chew the fat, as Dennis would say, with those of kindred spirit.  I always come home with a fresh outlook on various aspects of stitching. 

  While I was at Baker’s Square with the gals I got a phone call.  I need to be at the St. James Eagle’s Club at five tomorrow afternoon.  Sharon, the longarm quilter from Sherburn is meeting some friends there for their bar menu. . . she has my quilt completed.  Good grief, I only took it to her last Wednesday afternoon.  Sharon thought it would save me a highway trip.  I can just imagine the stools along the bar doing a 90 degree turn as the old ladies pull out a quilt.  Too funny.

  A mist is in the air and it’s dreary out.  Looks to be the case all week.  Better than snow shoveling.