Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from January, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:43 pm on January 28, 2023 Permalink  

  A Labor of Love 

  On this most chilly of days, it was indeed a labor of love that needed to intercede.

  Dennis came home yesterday with one of his refills that Lewis Drug had filled for him.  I expected him to put a pill bottle on the counter when he came home.  A flash of copper colored tin foil caught my eye.  A total of 60 pills were on sheets of this copper colored tin foil.  Each pill was to be pushed out of its surround when needed twice a day.

  Dennis commented at supper that he had not gotten a pill pushed out.  I told him I would get one for him.  I couldn’t get the pill to push out through to the foil background.  I got out a small scissor and cut around the pill.

  Last night while watching television and sitting at the dining room table, the labor of love ensued.  It took me quite some time to tackle the project of getting 60 pills cut loose to put in a pill bottle for Dennis. 

  I thought to myself, how dumb was this latest move from a drug company.  If there had been another 80 plus person living on their own, realizing a scissor was needed to access a pill, those pills could easily be shaved down to a less than metered amount of the drug that was needed.  It took me very carefully getting the pills to pop out of the protective covering.  Mission completed.  The gal at Lewis Drug told Dennis that this way of packaging prescription is on the horizon.

  Today is cold.  Today I spent some good time in the studio.  It felt like my home sweet home. 

  This evening, we are having Johnsonville Beef brats and pork and beans for supper, giving the kitchen a feel of summertime . . . maybe.

   
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  Noreen 3:27 pm on January 27, 2023 Permalink  

  Bright Sun 

  The sun is so bright today.  If I don’t look at the temps, I would think spring has begun.  Not so fast!

  This weekend has a cold snap planned that should and would keep everyone safe and sound within their own homes.  Not even brand new vehicles are hardy enough to ensure safety in the bitter cold.  This would be a home sweet home weekend.  The strong winds of today are making travel risky north of us.  Amanda at the sewing shop in Bird Island, closed the shop due to road conditions.   

  Last night we had a sampling of our hearty beef soup out of the ever humble crock pot.  It was tasty.  The carrots, potatoes, and green beans were tender and the perfect addition.  I was happy I did not add the celery.  Celery really overtakes in the flavor department.  After supper out came my containers for putting a bit of this tastiness into the freezer.  We will have a second helping of this soup this evening and then move on for supper fare for the weekend.

  This morning I was pumped to get into the studio.  I had previously everything cut for a log cabin pattern in the hues of tan to brown.  I stitched six inches and all stopped.  I began checking out the electrical aspects.  Sure enough the box on the post in the center of the room had no life.  I double checked the power strip that had been connected to it.  It worked fine when I plugged in across the room to that existing box.  

  At noon I called our electrician, Dale.  Dale will be over next week and we will be back in service.  The box that went kaput has the old fabric covered wiring going to it.  Better to be safe than sorry.  Much depends on those items that I expect to work when a switch is flipped.  I do have the two most important items, the sewing machine and the iron, rigged to work until next week.  Nothing running across the walkways on the floor.  I have until next week to check over the studio to see where extra boxes would be needed.  

  Life is always open for challenges.  I do like the fact that self reliance serves me well.

   
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  Noreen 2:04 pm on January 23, 2023 Permalink  

  I Missed It 

  The news at noon said the sun had been out for a short time this forenoon, but I missed it.  I had gone into the studio and tidied up after the segment of putting zippers into the pant legs of several pair of Dennis’ pants.  There is a spot for everything and when everything is in its place . . . all goes so much better.  It is comparable to the tools needed in a repair shop.  If put back when finished with it . . . it will always be able to be found.

  My patient is doing well.  Last night when I dressed the incision, the wound was dry to the touch.  No stitches have been pulled out.  When I was done, there was plenty of padding for protection before setting the foot back in the boot and Velcroing it in.  No rubbing of any sort!  Dennis has been very cooperative.  This morning he asked if he could pick up Dwayne for coffee.  Dwayne no longer drives and was tickled to death.  They picked up coffee in the drive through and drove around the community.   No harm, no foul.  There was very little activity, other than stepping into the little red pickup and then stepping out again.

  This morning I checked out the picket fence.  Dennis thinks two bucks got into a tussle with one jumping the fence, getting its hoof caught.  The bucks have shed their antlers at this time of the year, so it was hard to tell who was what.  We are down one picket.  As luck would have it, we have an extra picket in the garage.  Plenty of time for a repair this spring. 

  Happy Monday everyone.

   
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  Noreen 2:53 pm on January 16, 2023 Permalink  

  Custom Zippers 

  Digging in my stashes, I found the perfect solution for our latest medical need.

  The boot on Dennis’ left foot is very cumbersome, heavy and specialized.  It is built so when Dennis puts that foot out for a step, the built up heel takes the brunt.  

  Up until yesterday Dennis had a pair of cut off sweat pants to wear.  The boot was to stay on 24/7, but I did take it off Wednesday night to allow him a piece of clothing he could manage in and out of the bathroom. 

  It has been mild outside, but his little white legs even gave the white snow a run for its money. 

  In my stash, out came what is called zipper by the yard.  When purchasing a yard there are several of the zipper pulls included.  Custom zippers can be created.  It is not the easiest to thread the zipper pull on the two sides of the zipper.  Nonetheless, Dennis now has two pair of pants that allow the left leg of each to have a 20″ opening to fit around and over the boot.

  It is time for me to take care of the livestock chores as well as to get the garbage bin out to the edge of Stauffer Avenue.  As soon as I enter the garage, the kitties plop down from the rafters.  It does not get cooler than 51 degrees in the garages, and of course, heat rises.

  May the new week bring all that is needed for all of us.

   
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  Noreen 3:25 pm on January 15, 2023 Permalink  

  Success 

  As of this afternoon Dennis has a pair of pants that will fit over this humongous boot.  The zipper went in well though it could have been longer.  This boot with tons of Velcro also has the ability to be pumped up . . . or have a release of pressure.  Lefty, loosey.  Righty, tighty.

  Tomorrow, I may take another pair of older pants and do it up with another zipper, so Dennis can have a wardrobe change of two.

  Outside, whatever has something to thaw and drip . . . is.

  I have had a day of sewing success and am going to enjoy my rocking chair before supper.

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on January 14, 2023 Permalink  

  A New Challenge 

  Today I am working on some sewing skills.

  Dennis came home from the hospital in what was a pair of good sweat pants that had a zipper on each side of the legs.  The nurses had a heck of a time getting Dennis ready for home as the zipper was not quite adequate.  I got those pants off by hook and crook, but he needs something more than his undies for next week’s appointments.

  Today with using the oldest pants he has, I am opening the side of the left leg.  Some time ago I had bought three yards of zipper length with individual heads to make your own zippers for the length you needed.  Thankfully I have one head already threaded onto the length.  I think I will cut off a 16″ length and make a pair of pants that are doable to fit over this huge clumsy boot that goes up mid point to Dennis’ knee. 

  Pants that have been laundered umpteen times have stitches deeply embedded with navy on navy . . . hard to see.  Enough for that today.  I will hit the studio tomorrow and see how I do.

  I have the livestock chores done for the day and have made a trip to the store for cough drops, carrots, onions and a rotisserie chicken.

  Boning out the chicken will give me a good batch of chicken for an oven dish sometime soon.  Fixing a dish that will provide us with a good nutritious meal for three evening meals is better for me than coming up with something night after night.

  Dennis is doing quite well . . . all things considered.  He is staying ahead of the pain while keeping the leg up at various locations within the house.  He has not asked if he can go out to the patio porch . . . I believe he already knows what the situation is until next week Tuesday when we see a medical team.

   
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  Noreen 2:59 pm on January 4, 2023 Permalink  

  Winter! 

  We have not had a winter such as this for one long time.  The depth of the snow is quite the sound barrier.  The evergreen’s boughs outside my bedroom porch window are laden beyond belief.  I know we have a wind of 10 mph but it is not enough to take the snow.  

  I dressed up at noon and made a path from our back door to the garage door.  I have been doing this every several hours so as not to have so much each time.  It is very wet and heavy snow and what has been falling all day is half rain.  Randy will be over after five to clear the drive.  Grandson Ryan is coming over later with a skid loader.  The city has plowed Stauffer Avenue on a once through and that has not allowed much for Dennis to back out of his garage.  Each time the snow opposite the garage gets taller and much falls back onto the surface.  Ryan will take the snow and pile it in the backyard.  After all what is a little red pickup if it can’t get out of the garage?

  I spent time in the studio puttering around mindlessly.  I need to get myself centered and dig into something . . . even if it is wrong.  Come on Grammie . . . you are better than this.  I have more on my mind than what is needed.

  I did stick my head into the refrig to see what I would be scaring up for supper.  Hmm.  What I spied was half of a huge white onion.  That would have been Raymond’s solution.  My dad could have a raw onion sandwich on white and call it good.  I think we will be having scrambled eggs with buttered toast.  I had heard that an 18 count of eggs was $11.00.  Seriously!

   
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  Noreen 2:29 pm on January 2, 2023 Permalink  

  To Decide 

  Yesterday I posted a photo of a pillow I had stitched out.  I was thinking about gluing buttons on to fill in the “O”.  As I did several loads of laundry this morning I kept thinking on it.  I made a kettle of soup . . . still thinking on it.

  Several hours was spent this afternoon sorting through possibilities of buttons.  Some of the buttons would have come from the cards of buttons on the Fairfax button tree.  Some would have come from Lena’s jar of saved buttons.  After getting a cup of cold breakfast coffee down to the studio, I sat and looked back and forth from the pillow as finished and then the pile of odds and ends of red buttons.

  I have decided less is more.  There was a whole lot of food for thought going on.  No buttons will be glued to the pillow top.  What I will do is put the loose red buttons in a bag . . .  just in case something else would ever come up needing red buttons.  The red buttons on the small cardboard cards will continue looking smart as they hang on the button tree.

  As I mentioned, I made a kettle of soup.  Occasionally I will buy a bag of mixed vegetables to steam within the bag via the microwave.  I had also fixed a pork steak in the blue speckled roaster with baby carrots.  The drippings in the roaster of the pork steak were too tasty to pitch.  I felt a home made soup coming on.  I browned a pound of hamburger meat this morning.  I tossed all of the leftover vegetables in a sauce pan with the meat and the saved drippings.  I was short liquid in the saucepan.  I was also short flavor.  No way was a trip to the grocery store to be had to buy a box of broth.  I added water to cover the contents by a good two inches.  Out of the refrig came the jar of onion roasted flavored Better Than Bullion.  Two spoons full got plopped in.  A generous shake of seasoned salt, a guess of ground pepper and very generous shakes of soy sauce.  I put the sauce pan and ingredients on simmer.  We have a tasty soup for supper.  I cook like Lena, not with a recipe.

  The cement drive began showing wet at 1:30, what will follow is anyone’s guess.  We have had plenty of warning.

   
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  Noreen 2:30 pm on January 1, 2023 Permalink  

  A New Year is Here 

  January 1st is here for all to enjoy.  I am not one to make resolutions.  I do intend to try hard to maintain the health and home that I have been blessed to have.  I know I can count on new challenges to present themselves in 2023.  Taking one day at a time with a positive attitude is all that is in my power.

  The sun is out with a balmy 35 degrees.  The snow has had a chance to shrink before more is added.  That may happen by tomorrow at this time. 

  Dennis took a long nap and I have finished what I have been working on in the studio.  I had goofed up one piece of man-made suede that needed to be tossed.  I was left with the one remaining piece that was spot on for a small pillow form that I had.  16″ x 12″ was the pillow form.  I knew I would need every bit of the 18″ x 14″ of the red suede piece.  No screw ups.  Over time I had downloaded the alphabet design pack from the OESD embroidery site.  I was determined to use this fabric up.

  I have always had a challenge when it came time to position things straight when it really counted.  One quick glance was all that was needed to see the item was off by a hair or two or three.  On this red suede, I measured more times than I can recall.  Placing each letter took time as the letter would be embordered right onto the suede.  The first step was stitching on the Tartan plaid with a piece of fabric larger than needed.  The outline stitch then allowed for the extra fabric to be trimmed away as close as possible to the stitching.  The gold satin stitch was the last step for each of the individual  letters to encase the plaid fabric edges, which by the way, is a woven fabric, not printed.  The Tartan plaid is used for the envelope back. 

  I had seen this pillow in an advertisement and it piqued my interest.  What had been then done to the pillow was the letter “O” was filled with with all sorts and sizes of red buttons.  I took a scrap of the plaid stitched onto the suede to see how well it played with buttons glued onto it.  I will know more tomorrow after the glue is totally dry.  I do have buttons from the Fairfax button tree to use if I decide to go that route.  The glue I have is a powerful one.  The buttons glued on would withstand a lot.

  So many decisions sure can keep me guessing and going.  What I can share is that I have always used January to work with making Christmas items.  No stress on a time frame.

   
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  Noreen 3:07 pm on December 31, 2022 Permalink  

  New Year’s Eve 

  Today may be New Year’s Eve, but in reality, another day on the calendar.

  Dennis and I have never done anything out of the ordinary for this evening that always ends up getting a bad rap when some tend to celebrate too much.

  I have spent time in the studio.  Creating a pattern that is an original, thus no given time is allotted.  Measure, once . . . measure twice and then place it under the sewing machine embroidery module.  Tomorrow may show evidence that my thinking is meshing with the stitching.

  This morning I looked out and thought the bare drive was a treat.  No ice to worry about.  KNUJ has just popped my balloon when they reported a storm coming Monday and going through Tuesday with snow and an icy mixture. 

  I have my blue speckled roaster in the oven with pork steak.  Dennis’ blood panel indicted his hemoglobin is a bit low.  We do tend to have chicken often.  Ground beef will be put on our menu for this next week.  I really don’t feel like buying liver right now.  What is purchased in a grocery store is not sliced for pan ready.  A good list of foods on the computer helped.

  Enjoy the first 2023 day tomorrow.  I have high hopes for a very good 2023 for us two on Stauffer Avenue and for all our children.