Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from September, 2024 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:33 pm on September 5, 2024 Permalink  

  Hi Thursday 

  A great sunny day with temps just as nice.

  As I watch YouTubes, I do learn a bit.  I have picked up that there are table lamps that also have an option of a magnifier that can be pulled over.  I do not like the price tag.  I really like my light that neighbor Jan gave me after Randy’s mom passed away.  I can pull it to where I need it and it takes up no table space at all.  What I was ready to pay for from Amazon was a purchase of $16.98.  I have used this purchase repeatedly and like it just as much as I did the first time.  It came with a case of five different magnifier lenses that I can pop on.  It does have a light with two different settings.  I can recharge the light.  These glasses are very comfortable and the nose pieces are adjustable.  My prescription lenses are not worn in conjunction with the magnifier glasses. I don’t need the magnifier for all my stitching.  It just comes in so darn handy when I want to stitch with Ester’s silk threads on the bell pull I am working on.  Sweet.

  Sometimes the best purchase is the one, that in this case, was used successfully by a stitcher that is also resourceful with prices.

  We are having chicken tenderloins with boiled potatoes and green beans.  Both Dennis and I like green beans. 

  Hard to believe that September is in full swing as school buses from various schools are bringing kids for sports after the school hours.

  Dennis checked our car today in regard to the oil and cleaned the battery posts.  I still have 2,0oo out of the 3,000 miles that the sticker shows.  But . . . there is an idiot prompt that we should change the oil.  I think the idiot prompt went by the fact that it was August of 2023 that I had the oil changed.  Can the car keep track via the calendar?  Inquiring minds need to know.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:14 pm on September 4, 2024 Permalink  

  Peace 

  Peace and comfort today for us.  Dang those trips to the big town can really wear us out.

  After Menards and Sam’s yesterday, I had some items on my list for Hy-Vee but I was tuckered.  Those items I know I can get in our local grocer’s paying a bit more, but so be it.

  I could not believe when I looked at my phone this morning it was 9:15 . . . for sure time to get out of bed to start this Wednesday.  Truth to be told, I often don’t act like a retiree.  Around our home it is I spy and I do and look for a bit more.  The more need not be much but it keeps the home tidy.

  Dennis’ agenda was at the courthouse this afternoon.  Our car was due for new tabs and his driver’s license needed to be renewed.  When he came home he mentioned he felt sorry for the gals behind the counter.  Those that don’t speak English or not well can really make it frustrating.

  Dennis then went on to Radio Shack to have multiple sets of keys made for his son, Jeff’s, apartment.  When Sandy comes back from Mankato, one set will be hers.  God willing our set will remain on the hook here in the house.

  Slowly but surely I am charting on graph paper something I want to put down in counted cross stitch.  It may be a counting to the right and then counting down and then time to scratch that and start over.  I am making headway.  After all, where do I have to be going in a hurry.

  This evening we are having tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  We have not had that combo in a long time.  There will be ketchup on the table, but none for me.  I have no idea where that ritual started.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:03 pm on August 30, 2024 Permalink  

  Reprieve 

  With the 1.10″ of rain towards evening yesterday, that gave us a reprieve from mowing today.  The ground would have been quite soft.  The sun today gave the grass a chance to stand up tall for tomorrow.

  I did do some stitching today . . . very satisfying.  I can share it is the peace that passes all understanding.  Yes the length of thread can knot up on the backside of the pattern.  All that is needed is to take the thread out of the needle and work through what got looped and caught in the wrong way and re-thread.  Sometimes I don’t get the “x” put through the fabric right.  All that is needed is to take the thread out of the needle and pull out the thread from the fabric and re-thread.

  My stitching has given me patience that well carries over into my ordinary day.

  I called the heart center in Mankato this morning.  I had a message on the patient portal that there were two appointments that needed to be made.  When I called I was told that my cardiologist, Dr.Sarraf, did not have any openings until after the first of the year.  The echocardiogram needs to be taken in close proximity, day wise, to the TEE.  The TEE is the appointment with the camera being swallowed.  The receptionist is going to call Dr. Sarraf’s nurse for a possible appointment yet this fall.  I do not need to do anything as scheduling will call me if and when I can get in.

  Dennis is doing a late afternoon run to Mountain Lake White’s Drug with Jeff.  There seems to be one drug that Jeff is on that Lewis Drug does not carry.  Very unusual.

  I am doing chicken tenderloins and boiled potatoes for supper with a side salad.  I get a hankering for plain boiled potatoes.  I can taste them now.

  I am making some headway into turning Ester Schafer’s old wood box into a more desirable with less splinters box.  The embroidered band to go around it needs 9 more inches of a design.  The cover’s embroidery is done.  I also have the paper template cut out for the circular embroidered piece.  I am not in a hurry to do any cutting.  The template for the bottom of the interior is also cut.  I will need 33″ in length for the fabric to go around the inside of the box.  No, I have not measured the width yet.  Many, many steps towards “Mission Completion.”  Tee Hee!

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:24 pm on August 21, 2024 Permalink  

  Thick Fog 

  This morning when I got up at eight, the thick fog signaled that we did get some rain last night.

  Every once in awhile a good night’s sleep is not guaranteed.  I was ready for bed at nine thirty last night and didn’t hear anything from Dennis or even know when he went to bed.  At 12:30 I woke up and then thereafter it was almost like a timer.  Sleep did not want to bring me to the REM level and keep me there.  As I said, it is rare but there are nights when I could just as well have gotten up and read.  I’ll get another crack at it this evening.

  This forenoon, the lights went on in the studio and before long there was a completed quilt top that was getting folded and put with the other tops that I have ready.  Gosh, I love it when the church table tops look naked.  I am not going to be in a hurry to start another such project.  I do have some plans on using the embroidery module of the sewing machine.  I have not used that since I made some items for Megan’s kitchen in Virginia.  Megan and I did exchange a text last week.  All is going well for her.  Hurray!

  I also made a trip to the recycling bin with paper patterns for quilts and other whatnots.  If I have used a pattern with my scribbles on it, there is no way I will use it again.  Every quilter has their own tastes in designs that they want to apply to fabrics.  I have run the gauntlet of quilts for family members.  My time in the studio and in my bedroom porch is for quiet peaceful times but still having something to show for my time.  I pay attention.  I know the days of high nostalgic is far and few.  Bless the hearts of those that still find emotional attachments from times gone by.  Hey . . . I have my hand up.  I am one of those of that rare commodity status.

  This afternoon Dennis drug out the long length of garden hose and washed off a layer or two of dirt.  It was amazing.  We have had lots of wind bring dirt from who knows where.  The rains have been pounding sometimes but it doesn’t cut the dirt on the siding of the house.  According to Dennis the house got a rinse today.  Tomorrow out comes his container that he puts soap in and try, try, try again.  The area that he works on gets a rinse, then comes the soap that stays in place for a short time and then the soap gets rinsed off.  If it’s cloudy out, so much the better as he doesn’t want the soap to dry on the siding.  Dennis buys a large container of laundry soap at the Family Dollar store.

  I will have a chance to tip in the windows and give them a once-over before it gets cold.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:06 pm on August 20, 2024 Permalink  

  Talk of Rain Showers 

  It is 3:45 and soon the lights will go out in the studio.  I came down at one.  The sewing on the quilt top is finished for today.  Total measurement is 52″ x 76″.  I have material and plans to get it to the 60″ x 80″ prescribed size, perhaps another day.

  I had a 45 minute break here in the studio while I answered a phone call.  It was from my brother-in-law, Orville.  Orville calls to reminisce every so often.

  Mostly the call was about finances.  The city of Stewart is planning street repair in his neck of the woods.  Yup, corner lots and lineal footage counts up quick as well as the footage of a rental house he has.

  Orville had a hip replacement that got infected and he now knows about hospital costs and nursing home costs when the days in those facilities exceeds what Medicare and insurance will cover.   

  I know how to commiserate with the best of them.

  There is talk of rain sometime before I go to bed.

  I have supper started in the oven.  I put said dish in the oven at three at 325 degrees for a five supper, give or take a few minutes.  Pork today is not like the pork of yester-years.  It is a very lean product.  I have a pork steak in the oven with a sauce over it, otherwise it will bake dry.  When I started the oven, I parked green beans, jellied cranberries and Stovetop stuffing on the kitchen counter.  I have heard rattling from the kitchen so it sounds like all of the above was acceptable.

  In between sewing sessions, I continue organizing my shelves in the studio.  I had ordered collapsible containers from Amazon.  They are 12″ x 16″.  So far I have collapsed three containers.  As I continue to sew quilt tops to donate, I am looking forward to lessening the stash.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:02 pm on August 19, 2024 Permalink  

  Lesson Learned 

  From here on in we need to be more organized on mowing day.

  I had nothing in mind for supper.  All I could offer in short notice was soup and a fried egg sandwich.

  Dennis left in search of the food trucks that have been in town on the weekends.  

  Dennis returned with a Styrofoam container that held our supper.  He didn’t know what he had bought, but it was hot with a baggie of lettuce, tomato, and onions complete with a topping sauce.  It wasn’t until this morning when I googled it to find out what it was called.  The proper name was Salvadoran Pupuses, also known as a stuffed tortilla.  The photo was spot on.  Tortilla stuffed with pork and cheese and heated on a very hot grill.  One serving contained two tortillas and that was plenty.  Inside the baggie, I scored a little round of a green pepper.  Oh my gosh that was hot.  Beggars can’t be choosey. 

  Next time we need to plan better.

  Monday brings laundry.  I never mind doing laundry as I enjoy wearing clean clothes and Dennis does as well.  He has been known to change tee shirts in the middle of a hot, humid day.

  I did do some stitching in the studio.  One more day and it will be a completed quilt top.  The next step will be measuring it . . . hopefully a 60″ x 80″ top.  I am prepared to add to it if needed.  It will not be the generous borders I would usually put on a quilt top.

  After supper, I plan on doing some counted cross stitching.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:52 pm on August 17, 2024 Permalink  

  Four Legged Friends 

  Our porch kitties are for sure the four-legged friends that are our sweet spots.  Hark, there is some competition in the backyard.

  The last several weeks we have had two young fawns hanging out enjoying munching on clover.  When we first noticed them, they still had their white spots.  Yesterday, they were showing mostly their rich tan color.  When Dennis came in at eight last night, he said they were bedded down under the Hackberry tree.

  And what, would you ask, are the porch kitties making of all of this!  The sliding screen of the east patio door is barely wide enough for all three of them sitting on their haunches keeping watch.  All they want to do is watch from their safe spot.  Amazing.

  Sleep came easy for me last night.  At 8:30 this morning, I had to fight to keep my eyes open.  Once the feet hit the floor, I was running an agenda through my mind.  As I enjoy the first cup of coffee, I do check everything over on my HP, including the weather for the day as well as banking information and obituaries.

  As Dennis was heading to the Dollar General to buy several gallons of distilled water for his CPAP machine, I headed into the studio.  The 24 quilt blocks were waiting on the church tables.  My goal was to sew half of them together . . . four per row and three rows sewn together.  At a bit after three, all lights were turned off in the studio with my goal having been met.

  Our supper is going to be a smorgasbord of items from last night’s supper tied together with scrambled eggs.  It will meet all of the major food groups.

  Nothing news worthy to report.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:12 pm on August 16, 2024 Permalink  

  Spitting Rain Showers 

  Very unusual temps for mid August.  I will gladly take the cooler side of a month that could be blistering.

  I had a very busy morning on the main floor of our home.  Dennis’ bedding was stripped off for a usual freshening in the laundry.  

  I had chosen a six pound bag of frozen chicken tenderloins at Sam’s Club last week.  I was planning on chicken, instant potatoes and green beans for supper this evening.  While I had the six ponds on the kitchen counter to take several tenderloins out, I decided to get the quart freezer zip-lock bags out and do the reasonable thing.  We now have meal-sized tenderloins in individual bags in the freezer.  So much easier to grab an individual bag than wrestle the huge bag each time we decide on chicken for supper.  Mission completion.

  I don’t know what Dennis was up to in the garage, but by twelve noon, his bedding was back where it needed to be . . . on the bed.

  It is three in the afternoon and the lights have been turned off in the studio.  I got done what I wanted to.  I have the blue log cabin’s binding sewn, folded in half, pressed and wound on a piece of carboard, ready to hand off to the church in time to come.  The four log cabin tops with their bindings will be the last of how I go forward sewing quilt tops.  In the future they will measure the 60″ x 80″ as desired with no bindings needed.  Sweet.  The pinwheel will be the first of the new prescribed size.

  Me and my cross stitch.  It is so relaxing, even if stitches need to be counted for a design that will match the directions.  Hmm.  I was coming around the width of the fabric to do the flowers and I was one stitch off for them to attach to the stem.  It was time to realize the original stem was dying and time to graft on fresh growth.  Perfect solution.  There is always a way to correct a situation when it comes to tiny squares that require an “x” to be put in it.

  The skies to the east are purple, filled with rain, and the sun wants to shine.

  I have achieved much local effort today and am going to take some time before supper to put a few stitches into those flowers that have a waiting stem.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:04 pm on August 14, 2024 Permalink  

  Pinwheels 

  With all the winds we had had this summer, how many of the plastic pinwheels would I have gone through!

  I went down to the studio at ten this morning.  Dennis had left at eight as he and friend Dwayne had a date at McDonald’s for the coffee group.  Dwayne had called last night to see if Dennis was sick as it had been awhile since they had ventured out. 

  Yesterday Dennis had cut 2″ strips for me for the binding of a previous log cabin quilt top I had done in brown tones.  The quilt top had measured 75″ x 105″, doable for an extra long double bed.  I knew it would take at least 400″ of binding.  Today the mission was to sew all the 2″ strips together and then fold them in half at the pressing table.  That is called the double fold binding.  When double fold is stitched onto the edge of the quilt all around, it is then taken to the back of the quilt and sewn down either by machine or hand stitching.  The quilt will end up with a 3/8″ completed binding.  More layers to take the brunt of hands when pulling a quilt up to the chin. 

  As I am donating this log cabin quilt top, I will be sending along the prepared binding for the church ladies to sew on after they have tied the quilt with the batting and backing in place.

  It is quite the process to get the binding ready.  When all was sewn and pressed, I wound it around cardboard to keep it tidy.  You know me and tidy.

  It was then time for me to lay out the latest log cabin blocks onto the church tables.  I chose the pinwheel lay-out pattern for this top.  After visiting with Linda and learning their target quilt top size is 60″ x 80″, I will not be putting on much for borders, if any.  When I sew these 24 blocks together, the ruler will come out and time will tell.

  God bless the older HP computer that is allowing me to load and post photos.  It does do the coffee grinder noise when first booted up as the coolant fan lets me know I am in its favor.  It settles down in time.

  The church ladies have a way to tie the quilts, all three layers, and then bring the backing fabric over to the top and use it as the binding.  When doing many quilts, this makes a lot of sense.  Thus, I need not do any more bindings.

  I have not been on the main floor of the home for some time, so I have no idea if the forecast rain has begun or not. 

  I usually don’t do this stretch of time in the studio, but when I got started, it felt good to have the brown quilt top ready to hand off to Linda sometime in the future.  I had made a log cabin top in blue tones.  That also goes beyond the ultimate desired quilt top for the church, so I do feel obligated to do the prepared binding.  I have the strips cut and I had cut them at 2.5″.  Not to worry.  Some very crafty quilter will know how to sew those bindings on.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:30 pm on August 13, 2024 Permalink  

  Quite the Morning 

  It is quite the morning when I don’t hear the garbage man pick up our bin not 20′ from my bedroom.  I was out like a light.

  I deem success of each day when I have done enough physically and mentally that I can go to bed at nine thirty in the evening and sleep until eight in the morning.  I am not comparing my days to anyone else’s.  They are all mine alone.

  I was in the studio by eleven this morning.  This round of stitching and pressing would complete the 24 blocks of the latest quilt top.  As I sat at my sewing machine taking a sip of breakfast coffee now and then, my eyes wandered over to the shelves on the south wall.

  When one of Dennis’ sons lived in Alabama and we would visit, we got to know a neighbor of their’s, Mary and Max.   Max did woodworking in his spare time and he did a lot of it.  One year, I went back to Minnesota with one of Max’s wooden boxes.  Inside were two lift-out dividers.  The interior had red felt glued in it. 

  Sitting and looking at the box, I could not remember what was in it.  I lifted it down, dusted off the top and took a look-see.  There was a variety of crocheted crosses I had made, plus several bookmarks I had crocheted.  There was also a fairly large collection to tatted medallions.  I do not tat.  When Dennis and I had gone to the Sioux Falls trade shows for quite a few years, the people that had the table next to ours over the years were repeat neighbors.  As the fellows would hawk their wares, the wife would sit and tat.  Her medallions were for sale and each year I would purchase some.  Her medallions were keeping my crocheted items company.  Sweet.  I closed up the box and my mind began working on how to make the most of those delicate jewels.  

  Dennis was feeling less than good today.  I invited him to cut some fabric for me hoping that would take his mind off of himself.  My battery operated radio continued to cut-out until I remembered that that was a sign that the batteries needed changing.  I put that on Dennis’ plate.  He was shocked that the little radio that was a Christmas gift to me from decades ago took six “C” batteries.  As luck would have it, we had just enough.  KNUJ came in loud and strong.  Guess what was put on the next grocery list.

  I will check with Dennis to see what sounds good for supper.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥