Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from July, 2024 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 1:59 pm on July 30, 2024 Permalink  

  Intermittent Sun 

  The sun is not the determining factor for my comfort.  Mostly I like to wear cotton tops.  The bottoms are not that important.

  Dennis has nothing but cotton tees to wear.  His important factor is that they have a pocket for his cigarettes.  That is generally why his cell phone is next to his computer in the house.  I used to answer it when I would hear it, no more.  If its important, they know where he lives.

  The warm summer has kept my soap pods in use.  Clean clothes is the next best thing to good hot robust breakfast coffee.

  My goal is to have my main floor local effort done by noon each day.  Of course by the time I roll out of bed at eight in the morning, noon comes quite soon.  After that I have free range until supper time.

  This afternoon, the studio was put back into an organized state.  Extra fabric tucked back into the tote of the color choice.  Thread spool also back where it belongs.  The most important part of the afternoon was cleaning, oiling and de-fuzzing the sewing machine.  I have various picks and tweezers to go underneath the top plate.  It is amazing how much can accumulate in the space and time of one quilt top being pieced.

  The studio always looks very welcoming when everything is in its place.

  I dug out my old protractor after I was done with the tidy, tidy.  I wanted to see by using the radius what the top of Ester Schafer’s wood box was.  I won’t be ready for some time for finishing as I still have a lot of embroidery to do.  Due to the condition of the wooden box, I will be using mat board to some extent for a very flat even top.  It is what it is.  

  Lena used to take a wooden bushel basket and line it with oil cloth complete with the fitted bottom for a laundry basket.  That is my goal for the inside of the wooden box.  It is what it is.

  Supper is Johnsonville pre-cooked beef brats to pair with the cold salads that are left.

  Dennis had no great amount of news after his meet and greet at McDonald’s.  Too warm for the older bunch to accumulate any.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:59 pm on July 29, 2024 Permalink  

  Hmm 

  Well, I did not see that coming.  Dennis asked me to download an application form for a VA home last night.

  I did some reading first.  With an application form on file, the application can be immanent, meaning as soon as possible or kept on file.  If a unit becomes available and the veteran is notified and the veteran is still able to live independently, his form is put back into the rotation.  That is no different than the housing units here in St. James.

  I agreed to print off the forms today and Dennis went up to the Veteran’s Service Officer and got a copy of his discharge from the army.  I will go over the form and with Dennis’ help fill it in.  Dennis then wants the form to be mailed to the Veteran’s home in Silver Bay.  Silver Bay is home for his daughter Sue and Sue’s daughter and her family of five.  I don’t have a problem with any of this.  If something happens to me expectantly, Dennis will be taken care of.  Actually, as Dennis’ wife, I am eligible and can live there as well.  After Dennis’ passing in any other of the various VA homes throughout the state, which is eight.   Yes, Dennis and I do talk things over and then do as much as we can for the “now.”

  Dennis went to have coffee with his friend Lyle that lives in one of the apartments here in town.  Lyle doesn’t drive and always welcomes Dennis.

  I worked in the studio this morning and finished the log cabin quilt top.  After giving it a good pressing, I laid it out on the church table and closed down the studio.  Tomorrow it will be measured and labeled and tucked in with the other two tops I have done.

  This evening’s supper is a cold salad supper of elbow macaroni, coleslaw, Lena’s way, and potato salad that I have doctored up.  Dennis commented he felt the heat more so today than the weekend.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:10 pm on July 27, 2024 Permalink  

  My, My 

  I was at our grocer’s by 10:30 this Saturday morning.  Vanilla ice cream and several jugs of distilled water were the highlights.  Dennis also thought some prepared coleslaw, macaroni salad and potato salad would be good to have on hand.  I didn’t argue as meal times do come around.  The oven meal of last night need not be finished off this evening.  It will keep for tomorrow’s supper.

  When I got home, I changed out the cotton long sleeve shirt for a cotton t-shirt.  I really felt the heat and humidity.   I had gotten too hot one time and the black spots and dizzy stuff took me to a chair quickly.  Don’t need a repeat of that any time soon.  I do sweat like my dad . . . drip, drip.  Neighbor Jan doesn’t sweat, so she really watches herself in days such as this. 

  It is mid-afternoon.  Before I came down to the studio after Dennis and I had a half sandwich each for noon, I looked out the east bathroom window.  All three of the porch kitties were sprawled out on the sidewalk north of the patio porch in the shade.  Concrete on their bellies must feel good.

  Our two sweetcorn venders were at it this forenoon.  Dennis and I do not care for sweetcorn.  I am sure their usual customers will be happy to see them.

  With the quilt top having been sewn together since I have been down here this afternoon and pressed, I am ready for the borders to be chosen and cut out.  Those borders will be using some of the same fabrics that the 14″ blocks are made up of.  That decision being made, the studio lights will go out as soon as as I am finished with this posting.

  I have Terro ant poison out in several spots in the bathroom and kitchen.  They are to enjoy the snack and drag it back to their starting point.  The pheromones of the ants must be ragging this summer.  Dennis sprayed by the back door after lunch.  The two sizes in the bathroom and kitchen were small to tiny compared to the sidewalk-sized ants by the interior of the back door.

  I really enjoy the AM radio station from Jackson and Spirit Lake.  I don’t remember the call letters.  It is non-stop country western and not country rock.

  I am heading to the first floor of our home.  Of my three cross stitch projects I have going on, I put aside the Esther Schafer wooden box stitching last night.  This afternoon I will pull out the white floss on blue fabric that I am working on.  Variety makes for a balanced feeling of my days here on Stauffer.

  Oh yes . . . I got my bra on right-side out this morning.  It feels good.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:10 pm on July 26, 2024 Permalink  

  Struggle and Strive 

  Each morning I strive to begin a new day with a good attitude.  Some mornings it can be a struggle to strive.  

  This morning my struggle and strive ending up with me having my bra on in-side out.  Hmm.  The hooks and eye closures are really tiny.  I wiggled around a bit.  Nothing totally uncomfortable so that is how it has stayed for this day, the 26th of July.  Tomorrow is another day to struggle and strive for a better outcome.

  My morning was going great.  I will have fresh bedding to sleep in this evening.  I don’t do both beds on the same day.  The gymnastics warrant one at a time.

  I have an oven meal for this evening.  After purging the refrigerator for last night’s supper, I was ready to get my supplies out this morning.  Dicing an onion is the closest to being blind I ever want to come.  I literally cannot see through the watering of the eyes.  From the sautéing of the onion things went better.  One pound of hamburger browned and drained.  Two cups of uncooked pasta . . . no elbow macaroni for my oven meals.  I like the elongated ones.  Once cooked there is a goodly amount.  One can of drained sauerkraut.  Those four ingredients combined in my round blue speckled roaster that has been sprayed with Original Pam.  Clean up with Original Pam is a breeze.  Knock-offs leave a burnt residue.  One jar of Alfredo sauce poured over and commence folding the ingredients.  One half jar of heavy whipping cream and continue folding.

  Of course there was enough to fill a glass baking dish for the freezer for another time.  I know that what remained in the round blue speckled roaster will be good for two suppers.  About 4:30 the oven will be set at 325 degrees for a five thirty supper.

  All of this before twelve noon.  That is when we were going to begin mowing the blue barn acre.  I didn’t get one round mowed before the zero-turn died.  As it was there was a loose connection under the seat.  When the mower was with the Park Mode the connection caused the mower to die.  I wasn’t able to help Dennis with the mowing today, but . . . the mower has been tweaked by neighbor Randy and it is in the back garage waiting for me for the next time.  Sweet!

  I felt bad for not being able to help out.  I felt I needed more local effort, so I went to the studio and pressed seams of the quilt top.  The six strips are ready to be sewn on another day.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:54 pm on July 25, 2024 Permalink  

  It Went Well 

  Dennis and I tag teamed today and our original acre was done by 1:30.  It goes very well with the two of us working together.  We have a lot called the “Clark Lot.”  In times past it had a home and a detached car and a half garage.  The home had a serious fire and we purchased it . . . took down the house and called it ours.  It is 100′ x 150″.   That is my lot to mow with the zero-turn.  To the northeast of Clark is a 75″ x 75″ that we purchased on a tax forfeit sale.  Dennis mows that with the Sear’s rider plus our original lot of 50″ x 260″. 

  With all the rain, mowing once a week is pushing it.  A side-rake could be used.

  Dennis has the mowers all tuned up for tomorrow.  Tomorrow the blue barn acre will be mowed.  My area is the east half from north to south.  There are two deep holes that I have earmarked to avoid.

  Dennis used to do it all by himself and when he pushed it, all in one day.  That was unacceptable to me.  I maybe can’t walk a straight line but I can surely sit on a mower to help out.  I believe with me helping he is afraid I will over-do it, so it is now broken down to two days.  Why Not!  

  Our supper is “raid the refrigerator.”  Some hamburger pasta and cold macaroni salad is enough for a half of a beef sandwich, pickled beets and bread, butter and peach jam.  Dennis also enjoys a glass of orange juice with his meals.  There will also be sugar free Mott’s apple sauce in a small sealed plastic cup for each of us.  Tomorrow we start fresh.  Neither of us waste much.

  I did do some sewing on the quilt top in between time.  Getting six strips sewn of four blocks each allows me to know I have kept them in the correct order.  There will be quite a bit of pressing before strips are sewn together.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:18 pm on July 23, 2024 Permalink  

  Wow Peeps 

  Well peeps I didn’t know if I would make it today to do a post.

  I don’t know if it was a coincidence or a harmful bug in my HP of my bedroom porch.  The day the airlines were touting computer problems, I could not sign in to my HP.  Time after time, no luck.  Day after day, no sign in allowed. 

  Today with my Dell laptop sitting next to the HP, I found a YouTube video I hoped would help.  I got right down to the DOS looking screen of the C drive.  I had not seen that black screen in decades.  I stopped the Dell after each prompt to complete it on the HP.  After a long time of backing up, going forward . . . mission completion.  I had written the pin down for the sign-in for the HP, so I knew I had had it right.

  After I have my blog post completed, I will carry the Dell back to the sewing studio. 

  YouTube is just the sweetest thing since sliced bread.

  I had originally spent time in the studio working on the last five blocks of a quilt top.  The entire time I spent down there I was hashing over how I was going to fix this computer problem on my own with the HP.  

  Hmm.  With a successful endeavor, I am going to try again to load the driver for my cannon camera into the HP.   I have yet to throw in the towel.

  All the ole cowboy needs to do is call for help with a fix-it.  I don’t have that and I don’t think I want that.  Clearing out cobwebs keeps me a happy Grammie.

  This morning I took an oven dish out of the freezer.  It is a hamburger tomato pasta dish.

  With another rain shower complete with thunder and lightning this morning, July powers on.  July has always been known as a heat month.  We have had humid days but the 3.5 inches of rain this month . . . it’s been not so bad.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:41 pm on July 22, 2024 Permalink  

  It Happens 

  It happens that when I need to get up from my sleep and the time is after four, there is already noise out on our street which is a thoroughfare.  Swift Eckrich food processing is only four blocks north of us and there are three rotating shifts.

  This morning, after I had gotten up, going back to sleep was not to be.  It happens.  It happens and it’s not a serious thing.  After we had showered before going to bed last night the laundry basket beckoned me.  I closed the bathroom door and went about my Monday chores, though a bit earlier than usual.

  The coffee pot goes off at six in the morning.  I started it a bit earlier.  When Dennis got up at six, I was on my second cup.

  With the extreme wet, we have had our share of ants in the house of various sizes.  Neighbor Jan north of us has reported likewise.  The best way to not have them is to keep everything tidy in the kitchen and bathroom.

  After the heavy fog lifted and the dew had dried off, Dennis headed out to the blue barn acre with his vegetation spray.  It does take about five days but death by spraying does work.  Dennis was home by 1:30 and he hung is heavier jacket up in the back entry.   It did provide shelter from the mosquitoes.  His winter cap pulled down low helped but when the buzzing about his face got hard to ignore, he called it quits until another day.  I know he will tackle it another day.  His mantra: slow but sure.

  I spent several hours in the studio.  Some containers on the shelf of sewing supplies were able to be combined.  It felt good to take a serious look.  I have three containers left to go through.  

  I am looking out the south window of my bedroom porch and our neighbor is mowing his yard.  Only his eyes are visible from his face mask.  His hoodie is tied tight and he has a straw hat pulled extra low.  He could pass for the Lone Ranger.

  Dennis and I have agreed on Subway for supper.  Sweet!

  I have not napped today and I know sleep will come easily tonight.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:10 pm on July 21, 2024 Permalink  

  Did it! 

  Today is the Sabbath and thus I was blessed to have successfully altered one pair of Dennis’ pants.

  When Dennis was going through the surgeries to have his toes removed on his left foot, it was important to have a pair of pants with zippers at the base of the legs.  There was no choice for length.  They were long to say the least.  They filled the bill.

  Today was the day!  The first thing was to cut out the zippers in the legs.  The serger that Kersten gave me from her grandma’s sewing room is a sweet tool to have and to use.  With four spools of thread to use . . . no bobbin.  My luck was one of the two needles needed to be threaded.  Putting the unit at a 90 degree position on the table, I could get at the tiny spot that was needed.  Dennis now has a nice pair of pants that he need not wear hiked up to his bobbies so he doesn’t trip on them.

  I stayed in the studio a bit longer and went through a supply drawer looking for size 28 needles for darning.  Darning needles work great for counted cross stitch.  You do not want a needle with a sharp point.  Oh my gosh!  Businesses at one time gave out bi-fold packets of needles as an advertising tool.  The variety and age of needle packets I ran across is amazing.  I took out what I needed and yup . . . back in the supply drawer they went.

  Last night about supper time, it started sprinkling.  When all was said and done, the patio porch wood floor showed signs of moisture.  Where did that so called little shower of rain come from?  This was definitely the year for no carpeting to be replaced . . . it it won’t be at all.

  **As I look out right now, at three in the afternoon, light rain is coming down with very gray skies.  Hmm.

  As both of us have had a very sedentary day, I have no idea what supper will be.  It’s one of those mysteries of life.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:57 pm on July 20, 2024 Permalink  

  Mowing Team 

  The mowing team on Stauffer Avenue has the blue barn acre mowed.  Sweet!  I do enjoy helping with some of the yard work.  The zer0-turn, from starting it to backing it where it needs to be in the back garage is getting easier.

  This morning while I was waiting for Dennis to give the all clear in regard to how wet the grass was, I pulled from my stash.  I pulled deep from my emotional stash.  All these years I have had a Wonder Bread plastic bag among my sewing items that had been Esther Schafer’s, aka: my children’s maternal grandmother.  I would look at the contents from time to time and then zip . . . out came the twister to close it up again.

  I knew what the contents were as a bit of paper no bigger than a paperclip had scrawled on it “silk.”  An entire hank of silk.  Talk about intimidation!  On to booting up YouTube.  The floss was variegated going from bronze to tan to navy to steel gray.  I knew I wanted to cut it in half.  The beauty of a YouTube video is that you can back it up as often as needed.  I now have it contained and in a zip-lock bag.  Will I ever use that entire hank in my stitching?  On the photo with the scissors there is one thread lying across the scissors.  That one thread is 6 ply.  When I cross stitch I use two of the 6 ply.  By following the instruction, I can take my needle at the top where the knot is and snag one thread of 6 ply and pull it free from the braid.  I had to try it and it worked great.  There will be or should not be any tangle whatsoever.

  Dennis has “people.”  Dennis’ friend Jack has live traps.  Dennis knew where the holes were and from there is was a crap shoot.  Woodchucks eat everything that is on the blue barn acre.  When Dennis was at the back garage after mowing, Jack stopped in.  Within one week, one possum and two woodchucks.  Jack is hopeful for more as woodchucks generally have four in a litter.  Wow!

  On a more somber note.  I do post the ongoing situation with Dennis’ son Jeff.  It is reality when people choose not to be responsible in the care of the body and life God has given.  Five liters of fluid were removed from Jeff yesterday.  OMG!  I did go on to Mayo portal for the summery of the appointment.

  I put in a pork steak in the blue speckled roaster for supper.  Dennis said to next time try bone-in porkchops with white sauce to bake out.  For the life of me, pan frying porkchops so they stay moist . . . cannot do.

  I had bought a small container of Mrs. Gerry’s coleslaw.  I fixed it the Lena way.  Minnie marshmallows and a sliced banana.  Dennis sampled it last night as I put it in the refrigerator.  I got a thumbs up.

  I hope everyone had as great of a day as we have had on Stauffer Avenue.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:44 pm on July 19, 2024 Permalink  

  Yum 

  Listening to the KNUJ radio as they interview people at various local county fairs.

  I could do with a bag of Minnie donuts this afternoon.  I know . . . greasy, greasy but the sugar coated little devils fill the bill. 

  Dennis is gone for most of this day with family affairs.

  I have been up and down the studio stairs taking care of items that need to be taken care of or I will be sorry.

  In between times I am working on building five more blocks for my quilt top.  The log-cabin block can be arranged to so many layouts.  I have chosen the “Build the Barn.”  The top dark is the peek of the barn. The secret is to number each block before you take it off the table.  Each block can be rotated four different ways and the sought after layout can get whankie.

  This counted cross stitch I have in progress is stitched in what they refer to as mono, one color thread throughout.  I like how it is going . . . to my theme.  I am taking my time charting out motifs to add that relate to my threads and fuzz.  The fabric in the hoop represents a quilt block.  Above that was a motif of a sewing machine.  My time stitching perched upon my cherry red chair in my bedroom porch is relaxing.  Like anything else, pacing myself is the ultimate.  That is why I will be beginning a new book this evening.

  I am not making plans to start anything for supper as I have no idea how Dennis’ day is going.  I do not envy him one bit.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥