Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:57 pm on March 16, 2026 Permalink  

  Bright Monday 

  The sunshine is so bright it can be blinding.

  Here it is a bit after three in the afternoon.  

  My quest for this day was to work with the snow as much as I could.  The first thing to start the day was to clear the back door.  When my small pink shovel went into the snow I could push and clear concrete presented itself.  The salt that we had put down yesterday after Randy had left, to make a path from the back door to the service door of the garage, had done its work.  There had been drifting but not severe.

  I brought the shovel into the house with me.  My next, was to work on the front deck and its steps.  First thing first was to put a rug down as I would be taking breaks and I would have snow on my boots.  I knew when I could see no delineation where the steps actually were, this was not going to be a quick job.  The front screen door pushed enough snow that I could get myself and the little pink shovel out.  The fierce north wind decided the breaks for me.  Randy and his long green line were working on his yard and I knew in time he would be on our drive as well as the north side of our garage where Dennis’ overhead garage door is for the little red pickup.

  I had nothing to hurry for.  In time, the sun was already letting me know that once I had the majority of the snow off of the black planks, it would take over.  Mission completion.

  My muscles were warmed up, so I headed to the studio.  Any small amount of stitching makes for the path of success.  I listened to KNUJ as the Twins won their game over . . . .hmm.  I don’t know who they were playing against.  A win is a win.  After there were three 14.5″ x 14.5″ completed quilt blocks each made up of seven different fabrics, I called “uncle.”  Twenty one remaining to be constructed.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:20 pm on March 15, 2026 Permalink  

  A Sunday 

  A blowing and going Sunday.  Thew snow was forecast.  The wind was forecast.  We are safe and sound.

  I was going to use the leaf blower to get the back door area cleared.  That was a waste of effort.  I knocked the snow off of our shovel and with a push, clear wet concrete showed.  By that time Randy was here with his long green line.  I pushed snow far enough so he could grab it with his bucket that he had tipped down and take it further.  That was about at eleven.

  I came up from the studio at three thirty and the north wind had been busy, swirling snow around the northeast corner of the house.  I used the shovel again by the back door area, just enough to let Dennis get out the door and onto fresh snow as I thought where Randy had scrapped there could be ice.

  I can’t really tell if it is still snowing or if it is the wind whipping up the snow.  This snow would clearly be called a “heart attack snow.”  it is heavy, heavy.  Hmm.  Years ago, a good man, David Tiegum, died shoveling snow. 

  I called the ophthalmologist’s answering machine in Mankato and left a message that Dennis would be canceling his eye injection for tomorrow and allowing them to call us with a new time and date.   We are not taking any chances, not only on the roads but other drivers.   

  I was in the studio with not much to show within the first hour.  I had stitched in error for a stretch of 44 inches.  Pick, pick it out.  The second effort went better.  About after two and a half hours, I closed down the studio. 

  The wind is howling.  KNUJ did mention that the winds would be picking up. 

  Dennis is getting the hang of using my studio computer for his solitaire and Facebook.  Tuesday his new laptop will be on our front deck.  $499.00 and free shipping.  That amount of money brings me a whole lot of peace of mind . . . oh, I meant Dennis!  Tee Hee!

  To all my peeps, please take it easy during this weather event.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:23 pm on March 12, 2026 Permalink  

  Getting Prepared 

  If there is such a thing as preparing for a wind storm like no other.  There has been fair warning for what is to come during our night times hours.

  Last night after supper I was fighting sleep.  A full morning of cutting fabric for Nicholas’ college quilt would have been a done and done for a total day.  Dennis had an eye and ear to the weather.  If we were to make a trip to Gibbon to see my cousin, Dennis felt yesterday’s afternoon would be the best.  

  We left home about 1:30 and headed north.  How could I not make that trip.   It had been just two years ago when Wayne’s son, Michael had hit me up for two fireman’s tee shirt quilts.  Wayne and his wife, Jean, came with Michael both times during that project.  At the assisted living unit, Wayne heard my voice long before he saw me and beckoned me into his room.  I did have to blink twice as he had lost over 80 pounds quickly.  Long story short we had a great visit.  A son, Todd, was also with his dad.  We didn’t wear out Wayne with a lengthy visit.  Wayne and Todd both thanked us over and over for the visit.  I knew I would be the only family member of Wayne’s for a visit.  I came home with feelings of gratitude and thankfulness for my family’s health.  Weariness from the emotional visit had set in.

  Today, a new day into the studio.  Yes, Nicholas’ fabric met me at the church tables.  But . . . I spied with my little eye the seven Christmas placemats that were waiting for the prepared snowflakes to be sewn on.  I took it slow and one by one with many twists and turns under the needle to allow the sewing needle to follow the shape of the snowflake . . . mission completion.  It felt so good to finish up what had been started in December.  At two, the studio went dark.  I tucked the placemats under my arm and headed to the first floor for some coffee I had saved for just this event.  You may ask, why the uneven number of seven.  That was what the red fabric allowed.  Using from my stash is what 2026 is all about.

  For the college quilt, I did rustle up half of the fabrics from the stash.  Amazon, via Etsy, delivered the remaining of what I needed.  A little retail therapy does feel good now and then.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on March 2, 2026 Permalink  

  The Secret 

  The secret for me getting up before eight in the morning, is to drink a glass of water when I do a bathroom call at three in the morning.  I do enjoy getting up earlier than eight, but it just feels so comfy, I can look out the window and the evergreen boughs lull me back to snoozing.

  All of the laundry was done by noon.  In between swapping out loads, I filled the last of my mini pillows with crushed walnut shells and glued the openings shut.  What remains is a bit of trim around all sides.  My mini pillow phase is nearing an end.

  The next chapter in the studio is going to be a quilt.  I know just what box to take off of the west shelves in the studio.  I am seeking orange fabric and that which may be companion hues or colors.  Orange is the color of Nicholas’ University of Tennessee.   I have researched the motto.  This project may well keep me out of trouble for some time. 

  This evening we are having the remaining Manwich meat with the remaining beans, mixing both together for a supper with some spinach dip and chips.  Kind of like a home on the range supper. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:23 pm on February 27, 2026 Permalink  

  Friday the 27th 

  Not much doing here on Stauffer Avenue on this Friday.

  Nothing worse than getting a bill in the post that has already been paid by a check that has already been cleared by our bank.  Never can you take your household accounts for granted.

  Dennis used the leaf blower to clear leaves, twigs, and pine cones away from the back door this noon before we get snow to muck up the mix.  Right after that the wind came up from the northwest much like a dry blizzard.  It didn’t keep up with that velocity, but it hasn’t simmered down either.  Dennis might tell me when he comes in this afternoon that it has all blown back into the back door area.

  I didn’t leave our first floor today.  Completed projects brought about contemplation.  Now that I know Nicholas will be attending the University of Tennessee, I will soon be starting a quilt for him as I did when Megan was at that point.  Mulling things over.  Making good plans and not rushing into anything.

  With that plan in the mix, I am going to make an appointment to take my sewing machine in for its yearly checkup.  It has actually been a bit over a year.  I checked and Creative Stitches is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the month of March.  I will give Kelly and Amanda a call on Tuesday to set something up.  My machine has given me zero problems and I would like to leave it that way.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:38 pm on February 26, 2026 Permalink  

  Thursday the 26th 

  We are rounding down on the shortest month of our year.  A month of some cold interspersed with unusual warmth.  Today there is a patch of snow no larger that six inches square on our front yard.  Even where snow had been pushed and piled . . . there is nothing.  How blessed we are.

  I have resources in the studio that serve me well.  Older picture frames that I had hung on a nail in the cistern closet.  I re-measured my stitched design that was inline to be stretched and pinned.  Short memory that got a jog.  It measures 14.50 x 10.50.  After stretching and pinning, I have a scant quarter inch showing of the width of the base fabric and a half inch on the length showing.  I am very happy with that.  There was a piece of foam board that was cut to put on the back.  The frame that I used already had the saw-tooth metal hanger on the frame.  Hmm.  Above the thermostat in the living room was a nail.  I feared the length of the frame needed more room than there was.  Nope, there is even a few inches to spare.  Everything fell into place.

  This newly hung project is the second such project that took months to stitch.  I did enjoy doing them.  It brought great satisfaction that I could manage getting them from a wrinkled finished stitched piece to a framed addition to our home.  

  I know I will have a new stitched design in place before long.  My break of doing heavy duty stitching, brought about mini pillows that are also finished.  Having items finished is important to me.  Going forward it will be more difficult throwing out finished items than a wrinkled mess with frayed edges. 

  All of my endeavors are about keeping me content with having something to show for my days.  My grandmother, Laura Wendlandt, who lived her days of 90 plus while being wheelchair bound, always, yes always, stressed to me that if God gave you a day, you had to show something for that gift.  As she dispensed her wisdom she would be rolling back and forth just by inches in her wheelchair.  I cherished her.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on February 25, 2026 Permalink  

  Night’s Rest 

  A good night’s rest brought kitchen duty for tidy, tidy.  Our preferred method of cooking is either via the crock pot or the oven.  We do however use our cook top.  This morning it was bubbles and elbow movement.   Dennis needs to stand against something solid to get his jacket zipped up to head out to the patio porch for his breakfast routine.  It works to prevent falls.  This morning I surrendered.  All of the remaining items left on the front of the refrigerator after a goodly amount hit the floor as Dennis and his jacket swiped on by.

  The best way to allow safety is to have nothing on the front of the refrigerator to be swiped or pushed off.  It was also a way for me to do a full frontal cleaning of our Samsung stainless steel refrigerator.  The surface is streak prof.  All of the removed items are in a far, far better place.

  The studio went well.  Working with crushed walnut shells and glue in somewhat of the same vicinity can be problematic.  My fingers could resemble a suet treat.  As of today, all of my small pillows have reached the finish line.  The WIPS:  works in progress: mission completion.  My next course of action is to stretch and pin the last stitched design that measures 10.75 x 5.75.  I have my foam board for the design to be pinned onto, to fit a frame I have saved.  That will be a slow process.  Two pins on all four sides and then adding more pins on all four sides.  Let the stretching begin!

  I am fixing baked porkchops for supper.  Two boneless chops, I couldn’t believe how thick they were, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 package of Lipton’s dry soup mix.  I did brown the chops in the fry pan a bit.  I am also using some heavy cream into the combination for baking.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:03 pm on February 24, 2026 Permalink  

  Warm Up 

  Warm up . . . but not by much.  The strong winds again from the northwest didn’t let the 39 degrees feel its best.

  I went out to Lewis Drug to pick up several prescriptions and I made my way carefully through the wind gusts hitting the sidewalk.

  My enjoyment of KNUJ was cut short as they broadcast the Twin’s game at one this afternoon.  That worked out fine as I needed to concentrate on my task.  The task was filling up my small pillows with crushed walnut shells.  A steady hand.  It can also be a messy task.  It doesn’t take much of the coloring of the shells to get onto your hands and then get transferred to where you for sure don’t want it.  After the fill-up was done, I carefully glued shut the tiny opening that was left.  The Wonder Clips secured the opening with the least amount of the fabric caught in the clips.  Tomorrow may see some trim put around the edges of them.

  I came up from the studio for a snack.  I have enjoyed the Golden Delicious that I core and slice.  With just a dab of peanut butter on each slice.  Yum.  I will have one avocado ready to enjoy for tomorrow’ snack.

  Last night we had a can of Progresso’s creamy chicken with broccoli and brown rice.  That with a half sandwich hit the spot.  It was the first time we had tried that flavor of soup.  We will do it again some time. 

  Dennis is hard at work in the garage fixing something that has taken him to Fleet/Farm several times.  Good to keep the economy going.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:07 pm on February 22, 2026 Permalink  

  Finagling 

  When in my studio, sometimes the finagling could dumfound the average crafter.  Small narrow 2.5 x 7 inch double sided projects that need to be turned with right sides together takes patience.  Slow and steady.  It all brings me contentment.  I Actually had seven such little weasels to turn inside out.  Some were machine embroidered designs and some were hand stitched designs.  A good knitting needle helps to poke out the corners, but not so much poking that the fabric is punched through.  Giving them a good pressing afterwards tidies them up a lot from being crumpled.

  The next item on the agenda was to glue enough of the opening shut so I have just enough to wedge my little plastic funnel into it for the crushed walnuts to fill them.  After the gluing, the studio lights were shut off.  Enough is enough.

  I was surprised when I came upstairs that we were having snow flurries that were being blown around by the 25 mph northwest wind.  The wind does not cease.

  Our small flag on the end of our front step never gets a chance to rest.  In times past we would purchase the little flags in a big-box store that were imprinted with the stars and strips.  In short order they were shredded.  This last spring I ordered two via Amazon that could be stripped onto our steel electric fence type rod.  Each faction of the flag was double sewn.  I put the cap of a Sharpie on top of the rough rod.  One of my quilter’s Wonder Clips held the width of the flag tight onto the rod.  Both the top cap and the clip has held tight throughout this entire windy winter with no signs of wear.  Our history with those little flags had not been great so I had ordered two.  The second one is still in its wrapper.

  Dennis had called me up at noon to have a sandwich with him.  We had hot bacon sandwiches.  Yum.  We haven’s discussed supper yet.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:11 pm on February 21, 2026 Permalink  

  Saturday 

  Saturdays on KNUJ are predominantly sports.  I have not minded listening to the wrestling tournament stats of the various schools.  Dedication to maintain weight for the class the boys want to remain in.

  I am on a mini pillow kick.  I didn’t realize that at first.  Using up hand stitching fabric is perfect for small designs, thus small finishings.  Big, small it doesn’t matter to me.  I stay busy and I stay mobile.  What I did realize today was how long my iron takes to get to the green light to use.  And where am I going?

  Using the embroidery module and letting it stitch while I am at my prep table to the left of the sewing machine works slick.  I have never gotten comfortable to leave the embroidery module running with me not close by.  The 770 model of the Bernina sewing machine that I have has its own Facebook group.  The horror tails that I read by women leaving a machine run without being close by is unbelievable.  You’d think it was a sewing machine that they snagged in a gumball machine.

  Dennis’ grandson AJ spent a good session with Dennis in the patio porch this morning.  AJ has a steady girlfriend but has no plans for marriage.  His brother Adam is doing likewise.  Both boys have very good jobs that come with a lot of responsibility.  Happy for them in what they seek.

  Our oven meal of the cubed meatballs and hashbrown potatoes with cream of mushroom soup was very tasty.  I realize that round meatballs are not cubed.  Too funny.

  My last avocado was breakfast this morning.  That plus a few other items may mean a trip to the grocery store in the near future.  Avocados are tricky to purchase.  I will take the ones that are very firm knowing that by putting them in the refrigerator they will not all be ready at one time.  Then I will pick out one that is semi-firm allowing it to sit on the kitchen cupboard, ready to eat in two or three days and then take out one I know I will have for breakfast the next day.  Moving them from refrigerator to the cupboard is all in the feel.  Slicing avocadoes in half is easy.  Taking the sharp tip of the knife and casting out the pit is something else.  Years ago, a friend of ours in Buffalo Lake, Elsie Webb as in Frank and Elsie from the best hometown restaurant ever, would try to raise avocado plants.  She would have the pits suspended in water glasses with them being held up by toothpicks.  Sure enough there were some in various stages of shooting out a spear.  It took forever.  I don’t have one every day but it is a pure form of fats and fiber in the healthy diet.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥