Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from June, 2024 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:44 pm on June 13, 2024 Permalink  

  Never Know 

  You never know if the rain showers are over or not.  Our last heavy one was just past noon.

  Today I finished one of the three hand stitching projects I had going.  The hand stitching is done, but the rest of the story, not so much.  Each of the remaining four of the six pin cushions or small pillows will need to be trundled down to the studio.  A backing fabric will be cut and all pieces will have stabilizer ironed to the back.  The sewing around the perimeter will need a small opening left for the filling.  Some will have crushed walnut shells to fill them and some with fiber fill.  A trim around each of them will deem them finished.

  Yes, I did stock up on crushed walnut shells as well as fiber fill.  When I can get what I need with free postage, it beats spending gas money to fetch it, let alone to find it.

  A quiet day in the patio porch.  Dennis needs to pick up Jeff at 6:30 in the morning heading to Mankato.  They will be expressing fluid from his left side and doing a biopsy.

  As things turned out, Dennis got a call from the Limb-Lab that his new shoes with the orthotics came in.  Dennis will drop Jeff off at the hospital and then go on to his appointment. 

  I have chicken tenders out for supper and Idaho instant potatoes and green beans will round it out.

  I did have an issue with uploading a photo.  Better luck another day.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:00 pm on June 11, 2024 Permalink  

  A Tuesday 

  The first floor of local effort was accomplished. 

  Quite a haul to our recycling bin.  I needed to call the Handi-Medical in Mankato and order my 90-day supply of catheters.  Our kitchen floor needed a Swiffer job followed by a damp mop.  Yesterday I picked up a small American flag to strip over a steel post on the northeast corner of the front deck’s sidewalk.  That’s always been a staple at our home.

  Counted cross stitch fabric can ravel very easily.  I had mentioned some time back, I had a healthy stash of said fabric from a time Carrie and I both stitched.  What I had caught on one of the YouTube channels was a pattern that I then ordered.  One of my emotionally attached items in my studio is a wooden circular box of Grandma Schafer’s.  I have no idea what the original contents had been.  It’s been with me for many decades.

  The pattern I ordered was a six inch wide ribbon of a lower and higher case alphabet interspersed.  The pattern also included a circular round pattern for a cover.  Hello!  The promise of a finished project is on the horizon.  Braided trim will tie everything around and together.

  Out came the Singer Ultralock Surger that Kersten’s grandma had handed down to her mother that was then handed to me.  Super sweet.  Of course it is not the latest model, but I had downloaded the user’s manual.  I may never change the color of the four spools of thread as the threading of it is quite arduous.  Black it is.  Improvisation can be achieved.  

  The pattern is 27.5″ long.  The circumference of Ester’s box is 34.5 “.  At that time, I will improvise some smaller stitch designs to make ends meet. 

  I have had a great afternoon getting this project towards a beginning.  It will be added to the other three projects that are in the works.  It never gets overwhelming if I switch off from one to another.

  I have an interesting bit of information.  At one time at a family get together we talked about jaws that can click while chewing.  As I have been going through the dental process and experienced his 360 degree X-ray, I asked Dr. Pitcher if something had shown up on the X-ray.  Why oh why would I not have suspected it.  Little bones in the jaw are susceptible to arthritis.  I asked him if others can hear that clicking if sitting beside me while I eat.  No.  That clicking noise is so close to the my ear drum . . . it’s just for me.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:56 pm on June 9, 2024 Permalink  

  Windchimes 

  We have two old pieces of metal hung in the evergreen on the northwest corner of our home.  Nothing fancy.  On a day such as this, sitting in my bedroom porch, it can very well lull me into total relaxation making me believe it came from a high-end nursery.

  Yesterday, it was the straw that crimped my patience.  My cherry red reading and sewing chair hugs my back to perfection in my bedroom porch.  It was a gently used Bernina chair the Fairfax team had found at Goodwill for Mother’s Day of 2023.  The rollers were a bit stiff.  Dennis took the chair out to the front deck and de-frocked those rollers with a whole bunch of sewing threads and carpet threads.  As I have said this chair is fantastic . . . roller wise . . . not so much.

  At Easter Kevin replaced one of the rollers on my sewing chair in the basement from a five pack from Amazon.  I remember Kevin mentioning that chairs with rollers use pretty much universal rollers.  Dennis helped me pull four of the five rollers off of my sewing and reading chair.  At first I thought, I was too heavy for the chair to roll easily.  When I read the box that contained the four rollers we were going to swap out, the label listed “Up to 1,000 lbs. each.”  Well, well, well.  The swap-out went well and I am amazed in the difference of the chair moving from point A to point B.  The fifth old roller of the cherry red chair is going to have to keep up until such time an Amazon order is placed when the rollers of the chairs at the dining table give out.

  After a nap and a snack, Dennis is off in his little red pickup to see what is happening around town.

  I had boiled eggs, diced onions and mixed in some bought Gerry’s Original potato salad.  Dennis says its my extra touches that make it almost as good as starting from scratch.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:12 pm on June 6, 2024 Permalink  

  Under Attack 

  The strong gusts of wind are lobbing pine cones right and left onto our west awning.  It does make quite the bong.

  There was one run to Lewis Drug today.  Dennis and I are quite content to spend time right here on Stauffer Avenue.  Dennis had a huge day of mowing yesterday, I encouraged a nap in his recliner. 

  Last night for supper I enjoyed a soft egg on butter bread.  Very tasty.  Vanilla ice cream later on wasn’t shabby either.

  Neighbor Jan popped over this forenoon to see how I was doing.  She was surprised in the over-all process.  I assured her it all went according to expectations and skill set of the dentist.  Dr. Pitcher, at the on-set, said he could and would refer me to Oral Surgery Of Mankato as extractions of roots could be a challenge.  I immediately told him, I would do just fine under his care.  All that referral would have done is added mileage and extra expense as they would have put me to sleep, with possible stitches.

  I checked in with daughter Carrie as she is two weeks out of her cancer lung surgery. 

  Text messages . . . where would we be without them!  I do very little on Facebook.  Very little brings news via emails.  I do have a smart-phone with no internet connection, neither does Dennis’.  We seem to get along just fine.   

  I would have thought once school was out, the traffic passed our home would have lessened.  Not a snowball in hell chance of that.

  Right now there are leaf tips, flower pots and litter flying south down our street.

  JoAnn’s Fabric has apparently solved their filing of bankruptcy.  That was proven today as the box containing two bags of pillow stuffing at a hugely reduced price and a $1.27 shipping fee was delivered by FedEx.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:01 pm on June 4, 2024 Permalink  

  Gray Skies 

  With fairly strong winds you would think the gray skies would be blown away . . . not.  It looks like rain.  The winds are bringing the cotton tree’s fluff down.  They make a mess on window screens and also air filters on the lawn mowers.

  I went in for my 24 hour check up with Dr. Steve Pitcher.  He was very happy with how the bottom gum looked and surprised my speech was so clear.  When he did the litmus test on the bite:  first the right side, then the left, and once in the middle. He said he would see me next Monday.  When the swelling goes down, things can be different.  He did say my black and blue chin may become a darker bruise yet.  I paid my bill and got the discount for it.  Sweet.  No bill coming in the mail.

  July 1st, Steve and Kris will have their daughter Morgen join the dentistry family team.  She will be moving here from Salt Lake where she attended college.  Wonderful to know that our community will continue with great medical professional caregivers.

  I made Dennis a hot meatloaf sandwich for noon.  I got a piece of butter bread down.  For breakfast I had had an individual cup of apple sauce.  Both tasted good.  After lunch I sat in my rocking chair and dosed off.  Not my usual thing to do, but I can’t say it felt bad.

  I am working on a counted cross stitch.  Monogamous white on mottled blue.  I have three items that I can switch off and on to.  Having a book going is also a good thing.

  I think soon Dennis will let me get on the zero-turn to help.  I would welcome it.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:26 pm on June 1, 2024 Permalink  

  The Weekend 

  Today I was very content to be in my studio.  Dennis’ daughter, the nurse, from Mankato drove out for some plain talk with her brother, Jeff.  Yesterday I had set up the patient portal so Sandy could read Jeff’s medical info.  I then backed off.

  Sandy is a hard core nurse.  Jeff doesn’t want treatment . . . he will die.  His thinking is that in one month, it will be all over.  No.  Dying could take months and it would be very painful.  Everyone is on the same page, except Jeff.  I know Dennis very well and he will do for Jeff what I am not willing to.  I will work very hard to not let this come between Dennis and me.  I can stay in my corners, keep busy and keep my mouth shut.

  That being said, I worked with my “new to me” padded pressing mat from Kersten and Kevin’s find in Goodwill.  I am enjoying making pin cushions in between reading, sewing and stitching.  Megan took one with her the last time she visited.  Yes, the processes are timely.  I have time.  I have designs to stitch called Stoneware.  Once they are stitched they are squared up on my pressing mat.  A backing fabric deems them to be little pillows that need to be filled.  I am on the fence about that process.  Spun poly can be stuffed into each pillow.  It doesn’t make for a very sturdy pin cushion.  I really like the crushed walnut hulls.  I know in pet stores, it is sold as lizard litter.  Price wise, of course, the hulls are more.  At my wonderful place in life with very few needs in the clothes department or housewares, the price is not the ultimate.  Ease of working with threads and fuzz is sweet and brings contentment.

  I have found gluing on the trim is worth the time it takes rather than over-cast stitching that would not be uniform.  I also found out some of my glue containers need to take a hike.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:04 pm on May 30, 2024 Permalink  

  The Week is Closing Down 

  The last thing we had wanted to do today was to make a trip to Mankato.  Every year Denis qualifies via the Veteran’s Clinic to receive a pair of shoes with the specific orthotics to make up for the lack of toes on his left foot.  The VA sends a prescription to the Limb Lab in Mankato and they allow us to know when we can come to their clinic.

  This morning Dennis, one foot at a time, had a laser image taken of each foot.  The orthotic is thus built.  The right foot also has an orthotic to make sure Dennis will walk evenly.

  Anyway, in three weeks we will be notified when the shoes are at Limb Lab.  It was great to be home by noon.

  There was a huge flat box on the front deck from the mail delivery.  The Fairfax family are frequent visitors to Goodwill.  In the mail they sent me a portable padded mat for pressing.  Wow.  It will be perfect to pin and and stretch stitched items.   Quite a few useful items have been added to the studio via Fairfax.  Kersten thinks nothing of having a dozen or more items each day being sent out via the post office of eBay items she has sold.  I am sure she could land a job in any retail store at Christmas time for special gift wrapping.  I called her to give her a huge thanks.

  As I sit in my bedroom porch using the laptop, I have a full view out to the south.  Our neighbor to the south has been fighting the wonderful aluminum storm windows of days gone by.  It was the in-thing to conserve energy and get rid of the heavy wooden storm windows that needed changing out if you wanted a breath of fresh air from windows being opened after a long cloistered winter.  Oh how those suckers could get blessed.  Been there . . . done that.

  The southeast wind is harsh.  Perhaps we will make it to the weekend without rain.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:26 pm on May 26, 2024 Permalink  

  The Sun 

  The sun stays out for only a few minutes at a time with 70 degrees struggling to maintain.

  Dennis’ two nephews from Windom came over this forenoon for their annual visit.  You can count on those two to bring flowers over for their grandparents’ cemetery plot.  Regardless what brings them over, Dennis enjoys the visit tremendously.  Matt and Mitch are bachelors.  Mitch lives in the basement of their home and Matt is on the main floor.  Matt works at Ag-Co in Jackson and Mitch works at Toro in Windom.

  I have done no local effort today.  Shame, shame . . . not!  I don’t have Lena’s favorite Sunday afternoon task to do.  Mom would sit at the round oak kitchen table and darn socks.  I don’t think dad was that hard on them, but mom could weave the softest patch possible.  Sunday afternoon naps were on dad’s agenda.

  I have been diligent watching traffic, doing a few stitches while reading in between time.

  Dennis has gone on to changing the oil in the mowers.  They have been getting a work-out and will continue so with this cool weather after having the roots of the grass totally soaked. 

  I am looking forward to seeing the Eden Prairie family tomorrow afternoon.

  With that I take my leave.♥

   
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  Noreen 2:47 pm on May 23, 2024 Permalink  

  Thursday 

  My oh my.  The ole cowboy is in the mowing gear.  I assume it is going to be all or nothing for him today.  When I got a small bottle of Sprite for him, his clothes are dripping with dandelion fuzz, clipped grass and anything else that shot out of the mower from the cutting side.  He uses a bungee cord to tie up that which would keep the grass and such blowing down when it comes off of the blades.  Where does it go if not down . . . but caught in the breeze to cover the operator.  As I am not using the old Sear’s mower or doing any mowing, I have no beef. 

  Jeremy has been keeping me up to speed on Carrie.  Jeremy is forthright and no drama.  Tylenol plus is the pain med being given.  Jeremy said they would be going home from Rochester as soon as the doctor had made their morning rounds.  I have not asked any questions whatsoever.

  I have been in the studio today and enjoying it.  I can also report to the Watson boys that the toilet is cycling every fifteen minutes and needing about nine seconds to refill the water in the tank.  Burk said he would be back as what had been done earlier in the week was apparently not the rest of the story.  We are in good hands.

  It is clouding over and I think I heard something about rain showers.

  The one baby Robin that has been fed non-stop, actually made it out of the nest today.  We will be able to enjoy sitting on the front deck without the mama badgering us to leave.  Her mouth would be so full of food for the one baby, she still had a way of guilting.

  It is beef meatballs, instant mash potatoes and jellied cranberries for supper.  The sell-by-date of the milk was the 20th.  It will do just fine for the potatoes.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:39 pm on May 16, 2024 Permalink  

  Birds 

  This spring the birds are happy to be around us.  We have had enough rain that the sump pump on the north side of our home provides the perfect pond for the birds to bathe in.  Last year was so terribly dry, the sump pump never ran . . . not once.

  By the way, that also speaks as to why the studio was so comfortable to be in the early part of 2023.

  We have a pair of Cardinals that flit among the lilacs.  The Blue Jays have not been plentiful.  The Thrush have nests in the evergreen on the northwest corner of our home.  Sitting very still on our front deck is rewarding for bird watching.  Mrs. Robin is busy feeding her babies in the nest built on the brackets of our awning on the west side of the house.  Neighbor Jan mentioned there is also a pair of Red Birds that she has noticed.  The sump pump pond welcomes them all.  I have noticed no one in the neighborhood has a Martin house up.

  My dad built some great Martin houses that looked more like a Martin hotel.  Martins were notorious for enjoying biting bugs as a snack.

  Some of the birds and maybe it is all of the birds, begin singing by 4:30 in the morning.  

  Don’t worry, sometime in each day the three porch kitties check out the watering hole as well.  Birds . . . beware.

  Dennis announced this noon he has spent more money these early months of 2024 on the gas for the mowers than all of last year.  The .32″ of rain from last night will keep the yards lush.

  The highway #4 going south out of St. James is detoured to Sherburn.  The traffic with side-dump trucks hauling fill begins past our home as early as the birds waking for the day.  Deadlines for that type of work gets crazy.  Prevailing wages for a MN Dot project is huge per hour.  For the truck drivers it gets to be a short night for rest.

  We are doing Jimmy Dean pre-cooked sausage patties and Bisquick pancakes for supper. 

  With that I take my leave.  ♥