Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from May, 2018 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:49 pm on May 25, 2018 Permalink  

  The Good and The Less Than Good 

  Surprisingly our phone rang at 6:30 this morning.  It took both of us a time to come out of deep slumber.  When we reached the phone it had already gone to messaging and their wasn’t a message left.  What to do but get up and stay up.  It was a good thing for me.  I went for the earliest walk ever.  It was already at 70 degrees with humidity and dewpoint both in the 60s.  I donned my straw hat and a long sleeve shirt.  I don’t need anymore exposer to the sun.  Other than seeing a whole new run of traffic it was a good thing to do it early.

  With the higher heat, Dennis needed to put water in the Koi pond to combat the evaporation before he left for his appointment at the VA Clinic here in town.  The monthly checkup is a good thing.  By 9:30 we were both on the patio having coffee and checking out the traffic going past our home.  There were chainsaws going off to the south and our neighbor to the south, Bob, was mowing his lawn. 

  Bob is a trucker and has only two to three days at home to get things tidy.  In the recent past Bob has acquired a dog.  Peaches was a tiny little thing, only six weeks old, labeled as a Beagle when Bob got her from someone giving puppies away at a truck stop.  Fast forward . . . Peaches is huge and has the look of a pit bull mixed with mutt already 70 lbs. or more.  The less than good to our day is that Bob doesn’t hesitate to beat Peaches when she does what Bob doesn’t think she should do.  Peaches is still a puppy and loves to do puppy things.  This morning was the second time that I have called across the alley and let Bob know how I felt about beating the dog.  It hits me in a place that I really can’t explain . . . Oh yes I can . . . it’s not humane.  If you don’t have the patience to train a dog, you don’t deserve to have a dog.  I am sure Peaches is company in the truck with Bob.  Bob commented back to me that Peaches comes right back to him after a beating.  HELLO!  What choice does a dog that is tethered have?  Perhaps one day when Peaches is full grown she may retaliate against the beatings and the 150 lb. bully posturing as a pet owner won’t stand a chance.  I have lost all respect for Bob, though we have been neighbors for over 20 years.  I don’t need that in my life and I can’t change what is happening across the alley.  Turning him in is an alternative, but it may also mean retaliation to our home sometime to come from him.  It’s no win and I need to let it go.  

  Working hard to put the good back in the day, I checked out some blooms that will have their work cut out for them to remain beautiful with the hot winds. Gardening is satisfying and the short-lived blossoms are part and parcel to it.  The antics of the cats under the lilacs lifted my spirits as well as how tender Dennis is to those four critters.  Priceless. The afternoon has been spent in the sewing studio.  Being in my element has made me feel happy and good.

   
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  Noreen 5:35 pm on May 24, 2018 Permalink  

  Twelve noon is my limit for being outside when it is as humid as it was today. I had ordered some towels for embroidery and they came on Monday. As I loaded a recipe to stitch out on one of the towels for Peppermint Bark I was banking on the cold weather recipe to help with the mindset of today’s level of outside comfort.

  With the embroidering well on its way, I pulled out my ever faithful Filter Queen vacuum. I do try to keep the threads and fuzz under control in the sewing studio. When I notice bits of thread in various colors on the living room floor I know where the shoes drug them up from. It seemed today was time to touch all corners. As we have no carpeting in our home, the Filter Queen has a permanent home in the sewing studio. The main floor of our home is serviced by the Swiffer mop.

  Unfortunately I am hearing on the six o’clock news there may be bad weather to the north of us. Extreme heat brings warnings to be heeded. Time to send up a few petitions for safety for all.

   
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  Noreen 4:42 pm on May 17, 2018 Permalink  

  Road Trip Day 

  This is the time of year when invites come in the mail.  When one particular invite came for a graduation I knew I was going to ask Dennis to take this one in.  We don’t usually travel 149 miles for a graduation but this invite triggered an emotional attachment.

  In 2004 a young fellow walked into my office at Watonwan County.  He introduced himself as a local resident and asked if I had any openings.  No, I sure didn’t.  He went on to say he had been laid off at Crysteel Manufacturing in the nearby town.  What a sharp looking young man he was.  I shook his hand and he went on his way.  He had made an impression on me.  In the next year, I had an appraiser that was going to throw her hat in the ring and run for Watonwan County Recorder in the coming fall months.  I went right to my desk and  pulled out Mike’s phone number he had left.  Mike worked under me for five years.

  Fast forward:  I retired in Feb. of 2009 and Mike stepped into my slot that same day.  He had had no training when he started but never missed an opportunity to take a class when offered.  In 2014 Mike took an offer out of Watonwan County and today Dennis and I checked up on Mike in Pope County, Minnesota.   Mike’s staff did comment often of what he had learned from “his mentor” who started him in the assessment world.  Sweet!

  Dennis and I couldn’t make the actual graduation party on Saturday so we did a road trip today to stop at Mike’s office and leave a card for his son.  The day that Mike started in my office, he was told that within the time coming there would be a quilt made for him as I had made one for everyone who worked for me.  Well . . . I got busy, both at work and at home.  Today Mike got his quilt.  He walked us out to Dennis’ pickup and when he opened the door for me, I handed him a large bag.  Right there on the grassy boulevard, Mike unfurled his quilt.  He took no notice of some glances as people walked by.  Mike had his quilt even if it was a bit delayed.  Mike shook Dennis’ hand and I got a great hug.  I know Mike and I will always stay in contact.

   
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  Noreen 3:26 pm on May 14, 2018 Permalink  

  Monday – Done Well 

  There is nothing more satisfying than deciding on the spur of the moment to go out for lunch.  I can tell you the sausage pizza at Casey’s in Fairfax was great.  A slice each with coffee . . . perfect.  As it was, there is a cookie contest going on within the Casey’s company.  Last year Kersten’s Casey’s store came in third in their division.  Needless to say we lent them a hand by taking a few boxes home.  Two of the boxes have already been enjoyed when Dennis took in a coffee gathering with friends in one of the apartment houses here in town.

  We had thought about mailing Kersten’s embroidered shirts to her . . . not.  The spur of the moment I mentioned earlier included taking them directly from the source to the client.  There is a large event taking place this next weekend in New Ulm that Kersten is spearheading. I didn’t realize it, but this Saturday is a world wide Pokémon event.  It was fun surprising her at Casey’s where she was busy with the pizzas and the cookies.  Dennis and I had a Snickerdoodle cookie when we got home.  It melts in your mouth.

  It rained on the drive home.  We had thought of mowing this late afternoon.  We’ll try for tomorrow.  I did walk the acre with the anticipation that a small bed of tulips had popped open.  Not one bud remaining.  The rabbits must have made a midnight raid last night.  I think we’re going to have a talk with the cats.  If they like chasing squirrels . . . why not try for a rabbit?  Maybe next year we will have better success with that batch of tulips.  They didn’t nibble on Hosta.  Most likely they are not quite so delicious. 

  This was a Monday that we feel hit all the markers.  Dennis is checking out his recliner . . . the Casey’s cookies were a success with his people.  All is good.

   
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  Noreen 3:55 pm on May 12, 2018 Permalink  

  Beauties 

  

  A very cold and dreary morning. The cool weather has allowed the tulips among the gardens to last. The Fern Peony is loaded with buds. Today Dennis and I have been very lazy. I finished up an embroidery project yesterday that turned out well and will be sending it off in the mail on Monday for delivery. If this cool weather persists, I may be spending more time in the sewing studio than the month of May usually allows.

   
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  Noreen 5:41 pm on May 11, 2018 Permalink  

  A damp and dreary day . . . that’s what Dennis is telling me. I had not noticed. If I know it’s not fit to be outside, I pour myself into whatever the sewing studio has to offer. I will say it felt good when the furnace kicked in every once in awhile. While the embroidery unit was running I did tidy up a few things in the sewing studio. The one thing that made me feel light and cheery was packing up two different bags of t-shirts from one of Dennis’ Granddaughters. I don’t have the heart for a t-shirt quilt right now. I don’t have the strength in my hands to cut up 40 different t-shirts right now. The hint that I had dropped about having the shirts already disemboweled by Amy and her mother didn’t stick. Hmm. I believe that the age that I am at, I can pick what lands under the needle here on Stauffer Ave.

  I was surprised how many graduation invites we received this year. Time will tell how many we can work into the schedule. Those invites coupled with birthdays for the great grand kids, shower invites and wedding invitations . . . what a crazy schedule it could be.

  Those invites aren’t any different from when I was a farmer’s wife. At that time the invites were over and above working side by side with Orlin to get all the outside livestock chores taken care of, getting the gardens started, the kid’s end of school year functions, etc. and taking care of the home. Do you suppose I had more than 24 hours in each day? Could it be that I had the energy of a young woman and knew no quitting or giving in? Is it possible that today some of my somewhat annoying physical challenges are the results of those wonderful days. If that is the case . . . . I wouldn’t trade any of it. It was a sweet life.

   
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  Noreen 3:58 pm on May 10, 2018 Permalink  

  It was brisk enough this morning to keep a fairly good pace for walking to stay warm. It is now five in the afternoon and it was too chilly for me to stay outside. I did get one pumper of Roundup applied. It is difficult to get at the tip of roots of the unwanted. I have decided the investment of Roundup will be a one shot solution and not taking a chance of leaving some of the spreading root behind. Speaking of solutions: I make mine very strong.

  I always have time to chat with a neighbor as she does her walk in the afternoon. June is three years older than me and she has been a widow for a year. Dennis and her husband grew up together, though David was three years younger than Dennis. Small town . . . common threads.

  My expected project came in the mail today. As it is now raining, I know I will be taking my sweet time on this project. Measure once . . . measure twice and a third time doesn’t hurt. I know a certain someone who has a sharp keen eye and he doesn’t even have to squint. I believe he has a built-in eyesight level. The sewing machine will have the night off and we will both be up for the task in the morning.

   
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  Noreen 5:18 pm on May 9, 2018 Permalink  

  A Welcomed Rain 

  Yesterday and into the evening we had rain off and on.  Nothing with winds, but not lacking on lightning or thunder.  I believe 2″ is what we did get.  Well after midnight lightning was going on in the northwest.  It wasn’t surprising that this morning was cool and gray.  After I came back from my walk this morning, I did check out our backyard.  It seems as if everything greened out overnight.  No . . . I was not enthused enough to try to do anything outside.  My feet and shoes would have held me down literally with mud.  I headed in and down into the sewing studio.

  I have all my ducks in a row for the task that I have coming into the sewing studio later this week.  Playing with embroidery designs takes patience and a goodly amount of math.  It’s not totally like fitting a square peg into a round hole, but close.  I had a selection of designs and until I stitched out one of them I would have no idea as to how it would work.  I used this kitten design as a prototype.  The detail was good.  The colors I chose were good.  The 18,000 stitches into a 3″ x 3″ finished product was not good.  The design ended up hard and certainly not conducive for a soft white dishtowel.  The design was downloaded onto my laptop and I began working with it.  For a large dishtowel I felt a design that would be 5″ or 6 ” would look as if it belonged on a 36″ square dishtowel.  After playing around with it on the computer screen, I downloaded it to a flash drive and plugged it into the sewing machine.  Embroidering just for the sake of doing it is not my thing.  I want a good balance of design and what it will be stitched onto.  The same 18,000 stitches on this design turned out well and I now know that the remaining collection will also need to be adjusted.  The end result was a soft, pliable, stitched design on an equally soft dish towel. 

   

   
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  Noreen 4:22 pm on May 8, 2018 Permalink  

  Some long awaited rain today coming in fits and starts. Dennis took advantage of the “day off” and visited his long time friend that now lives in an apartment house here in town. I spent my time working through a stitching design. The design made a great 8″ quilt block. After several tweaks and several trial error stitch outs it is going to be just as great in a 2.5″ x 4″ shirt logo on a t-shirt. I must admit . . . as much stitching as I have done, I had never stitched on a t-shirt. It feels great to challenge myself. It is also a nervous feeling when once the green light is pushed and the needle goes down . . . it will no longer be a prototype, but the real deal.

  It was good not to feel that there was work that could be done out in the gardens but rather to enjoy the rain falling. Dennis and I have had a great run of taking care of our acre after the winter. We can now take it a bit easy . . . still working at some problem areas but knowing that mowing can be done without taking out a chunk of the mower blades when hitting a hiding rock or branch.

   
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  Noreen 4:16 pm on May 7, 2018 Permalink  

  A Dirty Day 

  

  As we have not had a cleansing rain as yet, the first mow of the year was downright dirty. I am past the days of going barefoot. You would never had know it when I took my shoes and socks off. My outside garden shoes have mesh and the silty dirt found its way right through my socks and settled in . . . in between my toes. Dennis caught a break . . . under our new umbrella while my idea was a fast track into the shower. The umbrella stand that we have recycled fits perfectly over the hole in the patio where once was an Oak tree. When we saw that one of the patio slabs was tipping due to roots of the tree, the tree had to go. The patio porch benefits from the shade the umbrella brings as the bright hot sun begins to set towards the west. Right on track we are here on Stauffer Avenue. Once I was cleaned up, it was time to see if the sewing studio still recognized me. I have been commissioned for a special project. I need to do a prototype or two before tackling the real deal.