Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from September, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Noreen 2:51 pm on September 13, 2025 Permalink  

  Summer’s Back 

  Well, well, well.  The best laid plans of mice and men.  Not happening today.

  It was eleven this forenoon when I left Maria’s salon.  It felt so wonderful to be primped with a haircut and let me tell you the pedicure was good, but the foot and leg massage was wonderful.

  My plan was then to go to the grocery store.  I can share with you that my supper is going to be a roasted veggie pizza.  I know it has gotten hot and yes I will be heating up the kitchen with the 425 degree temp.  Well . . . who cares!

  With the few groceries tucked away, I discovered my zest for the north window washing today was gone . . . totally gone.  When I turned on the kitchen faucet, a huge amount of air blew out before the water ran.  I realized the Watson boys had been here in my absence to take care of the water leak in the basement.   There would be my next clean-up, the basement floor.  I could not believe my eyes.  The sponge mop had been used and the floor was ready to use . . . dry.  The wet rug by the floor drain was in a pail that had been under the sink.  I took the rug in the pail and put it on the bench by the back door to dry.  Talk about hometown heroes.

  During the first part of the week, I finished the latest counted cross-stitch design.  I like designs that are monochromatic.  I can pick it up and go with just one color of floss to get into the needle.  

  

  This was called “Christmas Silhouettes.”  I never tire of it.  I liked the idea of the white not being pronounced in the design.  There are many white snowflakes as well.  The last thing I did was to sew a red bead on Rodolfo’s nose.  I did find a frame in the basement for it.  That may well be on my list of to-dos when I have Megan’s project done.  

  I thought about working in the studio on the morning I discovered the water leak.  Not a good idea with using an electric sewing machine or electric iron, all in the same vicinity.

  I do have a new stitching pattern in mind.  I have so much of the silk embroidery thread left of Grandma Schafer’s.

  

  I really would like to use more of it.  It is heavily variegated going from blues to tans to a rich copper and mauve.  Each needle length would have all those colors showing. 

  As the day is winding down and my feelings of being lethargic remain, I may fix that veggie pizza and call it an early supper.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:26 pm on September 5, 2025 Permalink  

  Sweater Weather 

  When I reach for a sweater, you know there is a chill in the air.  Couple that with a brisk wind and we are reminded we are on the last quarter of 2025.  With these cooler temperatures, the two patio kitties are sticking tight to their baskets.  Even the wandering fool, Snuggles, knows what is best for him.

  With the medical appointments we had yesterday, I did hear the often used phrase, “due to your age.”  Yup there it was . . . out in the open, not even able to be debated.  With that in mind, I did ring up Amazon last night.  I will be adding over the counter Vitamin D and Calcium upon the doctor’s recommendation.  Three months ago there had been visiting about taking something for continual bone growth and repair.  At that time I did have the bone density x-ray.  The results were minimally changed from the x-ray in 2022.  Check that off of my list.

  The fabric that I had ordered from Michael’s came yesterday.  A split shipment from Texas and Arkansas.  I had banked on it being billed at $3.50 per yard.  Some of it was at $1.99 per yard.  For what the project is geared toward, I didn’t need the quilt fabric quality of $10.99 a yard.

  With a new blade in the rotary cutter, I did make some end-rows in the studio with KNUJ playing in the background.  The plan has been formulated.  One thought out step at a time so as to not make an error.

  Tomorrow we will head to Mankato.  The quest is for a gallon of Behr black opaque deck stain.  The lateral surfaces are indicating a new coat is required.  The hot sun does a number on it.  At that time we are also going to choose a leaf blower and a weed-whip, with both appliances using the same battery.  I know we will find something doable at Home Depot, as that is where we are getting the stain from.  The detour is still in effect through Lake Crystal, so Dennis has found a route to the south on hard surface roads.  The actual detour is a two-lane highway and the traffic is merciless with a lot of trucks using it.

  That’s all for now folks.  Enjoy this wonderfully cooler weekend.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:13 pm on September 1, 2025 Permalink  

  Stauffer Alert 

  It isn’t often that Snuggles does the disappearing act.  Last night was one of those occasions.  Dennis went to the back door often and called and called.  Dennis then went into the patio porch and called for Snuggles.  Every time Dennis would call out, Harriet would give a sorrowful “meow.”

  It is now mid-day and Dennis and Harriet are still waiting for Snuggles.  When the kitties have free-range to come in and out of the patio porch at will, who know what may have tempted Snuggles.

  I put on all the lights in the studio and got serious about picking up a project that has been in the works for some time.  I say that, as the five counted cross stitch patterns of the Congress of Eagles is going to be incorporated with yardage.  When Megan was here, she gave me good ideas as this is for her fellow.  I never know what I will find in my stashes for the best choice in color or design.  I took down each box to take a look-see as to what yardage may work.  The boxes are labeled: red, blue, gray, black, etc.  Not a taker in the lot.

  I did realize it may be time to put a scrappy quilt top together as there are many pieces of fabric that are less than a half yard.

  My next move was to visit some online contacts for yardage.  The Michaels site came up with what seemed to be the best choice.  Labor Day sale of $3.50 per yard. Michaels is really trying hard to be  similar to the “no more JoAnn’s.”  The one fabric designer that they are going to be carrying came in multiple colors of the same mottled look that may well work.  I have the four colors coming, two yards each, no postage.  I could have driven to the Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn tomorrow.  I know from experience that their yardage generally is $10.99 a yard. 

  I am now in a waiting room.  There was no rush on this particular project.  I think this is the first purchase of yardage for 2025.  When I had done the two-sided tee-shirt quilt for Sadie, I used what I had in my stashes.  I only used half of the Mountain Morning Mist quilt batting.  This project is going to be about 45”x 45″, working just fine for the batting that is remaining.

  We are having a quiet holiday as we wait out the Stauffer Kitty Alert.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:40 pm on August 31, 2025 Permalink  

  Sneaky Bugs 

  When Dennis and I were at the acre doing some weed-whipping, I didn’t realize till much later how many bug bites that been bestowed on me.  And . . . oh how they could itch.  Thank goodness I had a small tube of Cortisone.

  Last week when we dropped off items at Sandy’s in Mankato, I could not believe how many Boxelder bugs were on her home and patio.  As of this afternoon, I did see nary a one here on Stauffer.  Now that is unusual.  I had better not brag about that.

  This afternoon I had a call from Calvin.  He thanked me over and over for the photo album.  We had a wonderful conversation over the next ensuing hour.  It made me feel good that I had taken the time and effort.  How could I not do that for family.  In life, we never truly know what, if any, impact we have from what comes naturally . . . at least to me.   

  After the phone call, I did take the time to see how far Eric, in Saginaw, is from his dad in Cloquet.  Taking side routes, it is about thirteen to fifteen minuets.  Sweet.  I know Eric’s wife has been battling cancer but I did not query that.  Calvin’s youngest son, Jason, does over the road hauling out of his base in Georgia.  Again, I did not query.  Sometime, I will on both counts. 

  This morning before my first cup of coffee, I had our crock pot going.  Inside was a three pound pork butt roast lying on a bed of baby carrots.  I used the last of the hefty marinade that I knifed into the meat.  The top was covered in thick slices of onions.  Now, at mid-day, the aroma is filling the house.

  As I would keep an eye on Dennis, I could see through the window that he has been doing the tidy, tidy in the patio porch.  Tom decided to mow the properties.  With the abundance of rain, it still remains to be needed once a week.  That schedule could shift dramatically with September coming tomorrow. 

  With many emotional feelings fliting in and out on this Sunday, I am doing some stabbing and poking of stitches.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:21 pm on August 26, 2025 Permalink  

  The End 

  Is there really an end when the sifting and sorting begins?  I think not.

  Today, I checked things out and we only have to keep 3-4 years of income tax forms.  Thank you!  We have several cabinets in our living room with drawers.  Yup!  Even drawers no higher than two inches can hold a lot of paper stuff.  A plastic bag next to my chair and one by one items were gone through.  

  Dennis thought all of his items were ready to hand off to his daughter Sandy . . . not so.  More photos that can trace his grandchildren from 0-present day.  Even some photos of his time in Korea.  I was very happy when he took pen in hand and put the date on them . . . 1955.  The photos gave him pause and I am sure along with memories.

  We are both pleased with our endeavors.  Do this sifting and sorting right the first time and it may not have to be repeated.  You now that is not true . . . I know that that is not realistic.

  In between time, I poke and stab a few stitches.  That time allows me to ponder what the next step is going to be and where will it be.  I was always one to keep info manuals when we bought something for possible replacement parts.  That filing cabinet in the studio is the next on my list.  I would bet money that some of the items are no longer on board here at Stauffer Avenue.  I glanced at the cabinet when I took our paperwork from yesterday down to the Harbor Freight storage container on one of the shelves.  When I snapped it shut, I couldn’t look the other way.

  Our dehumidifier has a filter screen mounted on a stainless steel frame.  There has been a lot of fuzz and threads going on in the studio.  Megan’s sewing project alone looked like a hen had been in molt.  All I needed to do was unscrew the panel holding it and take it to the sink to run water over it on the backside to flush off the stuff.  Got that done.  The next was the furnace filter.  I need to make a reminder that I put in the last replacement one.

  My day is closing and I have had a successful one.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 10:29 am on August 24, 2025 Permalink  

  A Sunday 

  It’s a Sunday of mild temps with a breeze strong enough to rattle a windchime in the northwest corner of the house.

  Today, looking out the south windows of my bedroom porch, there is activity.  The neighbor’s sunflower plants are and have been in full bloom for awhile.  The stalks are strong enough that little birds perch on the bloom for a treat.  Oh for the innocence of it all.

  My bedroom porch is a combination of eight windows and two doors.  Very little can get past me either looking out or keeping tabs on the inside of our dwelling.  Sweet.

  The grass is glistening this morning.  The sump pump is running.  Son-in-law Tom can be heard mowing the acre.  All is right with the world.

  Me?  What am I up to.   I have had a cup of coffee with some breakfast nourishment.  I am dressed with my hair combed.  I am on a roll.  My stitching is laying on the 1960s sewing table under the south windows of my bedroom porch.  The stitching is a monochromatic worked with black floss.  I usually have magnetic markers laying in the formation of a “L” so I know where I left off.  Hmm.  I didn’t do that at the last Saturday stitch.  I have been sitting here hunched over trying to discern where that “L” should have been placed . . . count, count, count.  That winds up the gray matter for the day.  All is not lost.  

  The neighborhood has a shingling job in the works.  What great temps for that kind of work.  It is a great feeling that our job jar of large projects would echo if a penny were dropped into it.

  I have soft plans for this day.  The week has met quite a few of my objectives.  The best part is that none of them will need to be repeated, done and done.  It is now on to the usual and customary.

  Oh my goodness, there are several very yellow canary type birds enjoying some sunflower seeds.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:11 pm on August 20, 2025 Permalink  

  A Wednesday 

  Today seemed as good of a day as any to find the bottom of the laundry basket.  Humid or hot, shed the days clothes at the end of each day and let the shower do a refreshing act.  Nothing feels as good as having clean clothing await one.  If the washer and dryer quit, I would be making sure of a one-day delivery and set-up.

  While everything was humming along on the first floor, my studio needed a tidy, tidy in the worst way.  The embroidery module will be taking a well deserved break.  My tool kit came out on the church tables and I was hunting every last bit of thread and fuzz.  When the sewing machine needle pounds away on anywhere from four to five layers in the embroidery hoop, there is chaff hiding and I mean to find it.  I am not a fan of the canned-air that can be purchased.  The last thing I need is to have threads and fuzz blown in places I can’t get to.  I have some old dental tools that Dennis had for some of his gun cleaning and repairs.  One in particular has a wicked hook on it.

  Needles are very inexpensive and I don’t shy away from replacing them . . . often.  A good needle, a bit of oil in the right places makes for a good experience the next time the studio lights come on.

  With the machine attended to, the next item on the church tables was putting away all the various spools of thread in every color imaginable.  Isacord is the brand of thread Bernina recommended when I bought the sewing machine and I have stuck with it.  The Swiss made a great sewing machine and the Germans manufacture great threads.  I store the threads away from windows.  Sun is not a good mix.  I also store them in numerical order with the tail end on each spool tucked around the base and the base then snaps holding the thread securely.  Can you imagine the mess if there were tail ends measuring in inches and stored willy-nilly.

  The next time I visit the studio, everything is in its rightful place, ready to enjoy. 

  Nicholas started school this week as a six foot tall senior.  Megan shared with us that a testing score that is used for college placement, Nicholas was short one point from the test being at 100%.  Good for Nicholas and perhaps good also for college grants.  Physics . . . I can’t put a spin on that in my real life here on Stauffer.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 1:55 pm on August 19, 2025 Permalink  

  Job Jars 

  I love it when I can knock off a job jar or even better . . . two.

  With all the rains, there was a small spot where the sidewalk meets the west patio right off of the garage’s service door.  That spot was now sporting thistles, nettle grasses and everything in between.

  I put on my gloves and with Dennis at my elbow, the less than good greens were tackled.  Surprising, a lot of it pulled up by the root.  My favorite hoe is one used by farm workers that work sugar beet fields.  The head is triangular with a long handle.  The closer my hands are to the end of the handle my trajectory will angle the head to slice right underneath the dirt and get at the roots.  Oh yes, it was wet dirt.  After the pile of greenery dries, it will get hefted into the garbage for next Tuesday.  There were some plants that were still showing some green and Dennis followed behind with the brush killer.

  As humid warm . . . hot that it felt outside, I was thrilled to go into the studio and work with Maria’s shop aprons.

  Everything that could go wrong was dealt with yesterday.  When Maria bought the shop on our Main Street during the covid, there was also a shop in Windom that had closed.  Maria’s husband is very handy.  The shop in Windom was called Lilly’s and done in shades of pink.  Those in Windom were thrilled. Even if it meant Lilly’s would only be open three days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday she had eager customers.

  

  Maria loves butterflies.

  Our Main Street shop was closed by the gal looking to retire, so this shop needed some spit and polish.  This shop is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

  Maria is a hard working gal that keeps her LPN license up as well as all the licensing needed for the acrylic nails.  Maria is young enough to me my daughter.  Her youngest child graduates in 2026.  Her two sons have gone on to trade schools for full time jobs.  Where they find time to purchase fixer-uppers is beyond Dennis and me . . . but they do.

  I don’t think there is much that has come easily, including moving her parents, and they are legal, from Texas to live next door to them in one of the homes they have fixed up.  How could I not do something for Maria that she never would have asked for.  The pink shop apron will be worn in Windom.  Her black shop aprons are donned here in the Main Street shop.  Doing something for someone . . . sweet.

  I didn’t count the shop aprons as a job.  I still need to do the second job and that is putting fresh bedding on . . . straight from the laundry.

   
• 

  Noreen 2:12 pm on August 18, 2025 Permalink  

  New Week 

  This is Monday, a new week and a new start in the studio.

  I had everything set yesterday when the lights went out in the studio.

  All that was needed this morning was a check on the outside to see if we were going to float away today.  I was up at 4:30 for a bathroom break and the lightning, thunder and rain was just beginning again.  Oh well.

  When it was all systems go, I had not counted on a bad bobbin.  As the logo was beginning, the bobbin set the screen to a total stop.  I had just filled it but I cut the threads and re-threaded the bobbin and the top black thread.  Try, try again with no success.  

  I pulled out a brand new bobbin and filled it.  Just to be on the safe side I checked if there was any bit of a thread under the hood.  After all that everything worked great.  With a computer that masks itself as a sewing machine nothing really surprises me, it just needs time to find out what is at the bottom of the issue.

  I had a reason to look in the book and I have been working with this machine since 2015.  Oh so many millions of stitches and many more to come.  I have realized that if there is a hurry notation on any project . . . forget it.  I think it’s Murphy’s Law . . . what can go wrong will.

  I am about to close the studio down for the day.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:16 pm on August 17, 2025 Permalink  

  A Sunday 

  Any settling that our home needed to have gotten done, must surely have it done by now.  The claps of thunder that went on for hours didn’t leave anything to the imagination.

  When I did get up the patio sidewalk was flooded over.  That had not happened once this early spring or summer.

  I decided what had gotten wet would eventually subside.

  My place this afternoon was in the studio working with my Bernina Tool Box.  I have done two shop aprons for Maria and I knew the design needed to be scrapped.  As hard as I would try, the one butterfly always decided to make a tiny pucker on one side.  Though it didn’t bother Maria, it bothered me.

  Yesterday, I took two additional shop aprons home with me.  Does she expect this from my studio . . . no.  I want to put out an embroidered design that says . . . I care enough to get it right.

  By this mid-afternoon I am satisfied enough to call it a day.  The one design was too dense of stitching, no matter how much stabilizer I threw at it, it would always pucker.  I went online and chose a different butterfly and have done a “what if.”  Tomorrow is another day. 

  The design has been downloaded from a zip to one that the sewing machine likes when it is loaded.  I have tried the singular embroidery.  Success!  Tomorrow I will download that butterfly onto various locations of the 9″ x 5″ total logo.

  For right now, the kitchen needs to be visited as there is no clue hovering about that would make for a supper fare.  Dang!

  I do know that we have had enough rain that a phone text came through from the county that there are areas around us in a flash flood zone.  Hopefully the storms have gotten it out of their system.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥