Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from March, 2026 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:15 pm on March 21, 2026 Permalink  

  Let the Sunshine In 

  The sun means business today.  The boxelder bugs are basking in it.

  Today, Dennis’ daughter Sandy and Tom came out from Mankato.  I knew what the visit was for.  Sandy had sent pictures plus dimensions of a skirt she wanted to go around the raised base of their wash machine that sits over the floor drain.

  I pulled out fabric for it and that is as far as I had gone and was going to go.  Watching her as she used the rotary cutter was like watching someone use a chainsaw for the first time.  She cut through the multiple layers of the 93 inches as I knew I couldn’t.  I wound the bobbin and threaded the machine.  Believe me, it was more difficult watching her go through the paces than running the machine myself.  She got it done and felt very proud of herself.  All she needed to do was run 1/2″ elastic through the top casing when she got home.

  Tom took with them all of the empty plastic dry litter containers.  He works with concrete and the jugs are just the right size for water for hand and and tool cleanup.

  I had a great phone call from Sharon.  The Sharon that lives in the north country in a sweet “shed-house” with her daughter and family.  Always a treat to swap air-time.

  The afternoon has left both Dennis and me kicking back for some quiet time.  Hmm.  The dreaded word . . . “supper” has not been mentioned yet.  I think I will let the clock run on this and see where it takes us.  Life lived vicariously!  

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:20 pm on March 19, 2026 Permalink  

  Get it Done 

  The agenda for the morning took precedence over the first cup of coffee.

  The washing machine buttons were pressed on my way out of the bathroom.  The oven was turned on to 325 degrees.  While it pre-heated that first cup of coffee was poured.

  Several weeks ago, our grocery store had Farmland thick sliced bacon on sale for $5.20.  I checked out the expiration date . . . May 30, 2026.  I took home four packages.  My favorite flat cookie sheet covered with tin foil would be the host for the slices of bacon.  Of course five pieces didn’t fit.  I have saved the cover off of the forbidden aluminum cake pan.  Covered with tin foil it is the perfect size to fill in when cookie sheets just aren’t large enough.

  Coffee tasted really good in between swapping out the washer’s contents to the dryer’s.   I always save junk mail to put down with a few paper towels over it to drain the bacon when it comes out of the oven.  The bacon had been rendered just enough that when we want to enjoy it, a few seconds on the microwave finishes it off.

  The final treat from the kitchen came after the bacon was done.  I covered the same pans with parchment paper.  The last of the frozen chocolate chip cookies that Carrie had brought were popped into the oven.  I made sure to stay close as to not have them over-bake.

  Kitchen duty done, I headed to the studio for some seam stitching, taking a fresh cookie with me.  For every seam sewn, there is a steam iron press to be had.  I call it a good session when I don’t have to take out stitches that went haywire.

  All of my activity was carried out while Dennis had company in the patio porch.  Doug Gappa from Madelia had called me to make sure Dennis was home.  Why call me?  Most people in Dennis’ rehem know he doesn’t carry his phone.

  To my way of thinking, both Dennis and I have had a great Thursday.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on March 18, 2026 Permalink  

  Disappearing Snow 

  The power of the sun is fantastic.  The covering we received last night is allowing our concrete to be bare . . . once again.

  We did have an energetic individual in a powerful pickup see how much he could slide and spin down Stauffer.  Idiot.

  The stitching in the studio went well today.  I thought it was about time, I checked to see what the size was of an average/normal dorm sized bed.  38″ x 85″ is what did come up at various sites.  Length and width to be added for drops.  I am on the correct tract.  

  Dennis’ HP laptop is running smoothly.  I have loaded Klondike card games and Facebook.  Each in the easiest “click away” as possible.  A post-a-note is on the wall right next to him for his pin and password.  Whew!  My sewing Dell is back in the studio.  I have mentioned before how important I think it is for Dennis to have computer access for what he is interested in.  The “market place” and the “reels” give him untold hours of enjoyment.  It beats sleeping his time away. 

  I have a lean pork steak in the oven.  Lawry’s seasoning on top.  Covered and at 325 degree, it should be ready for our 4:45 supper.  Dennis is in charge of what will be going with it.  Spread the joy!

  I have my arm exercises left to do before supper.  I am in it to win it!

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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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.  ♥