Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2022 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 1:58 pm on October 20, 2022 Permalink  

  Indian Summer 

  With two killing frosts under the belt . . . here comes the reprieve.  The frosty mornings got our attention to get with the preparedness while we can. 

  Dennis did break out the mower to swipe at some leaves.  I think he decided to wait until he could actually see some results.

  For the last several days I have felt claustrophobic in our first floor living.  Putting something down where I thought it should go, to only pick it up and move it when the item for the intended spot reared its head.  No . . . there is no more physical square footage that is going to appear.  The answer is to sift, sort and eliminate that which I have no emotional attachment to.  Ya, right!  I will deal with this.  I will not carry anything up to the attic.  I will not carry anything into the studio. 

  The problem lies in the closet of the bedroom.  When I put things in the closet after laundry day, my eyes wander.  Kevin put up some wonderful extra shelving over the clothing rods.  Those shelves are now full to capacity.  I am making lists of what is going to go home with a number of people.  Some items have been earmarked decades ago.  Mom, Lena, made a quilt for Carrie and also one for Kevin.  Nothing that would be entered into a quilt show, just miles and miles of hand stitches in scrappy quilts.  I know one of them was started by Grandma Schafer and Lena finished it. 

  Quilts are to be used and abused, the whole while they emit memories of who cared enough to make it.  A quilt does not need to be on a bed to be enjoyed.  Wrapping up in a quilt on a chilly day works, even if the tail ends drag on the floor.  Quilts have been used as wall, window or doorway covers.  I have a quilt made by my grandmother Laura.  It sure does show wear. That only makes it sweeter.   

  With the quality of the fabrics I have used, they will last through wear and tear and also laundry.  The washing machines of today are not as harsh as the old wringer wash machines.   

  I have made quilts for each of the two kids.  One of Kevin’s quilts, he used when we lived at South Branch and somehow it ended up at my home.  Carrie will be receiving a quilt done in my choice of colors.  Kevin’s has a predominate theme of red, white and blue.  Years ago when a quilt was received, there was no thought of “that really isn’t my color theme.”

  I will not make anymore quilts for my two children as there is no need for more.  I don’t plan on ceasing my work with threads and fuzz.  There are some blankets that I have made in using up my stashes that don’t qualify for quilts.  There it is . . . its ready to be used.  I do have two such blankets that will be sent home the next time Dennis’ grandson Ryan comes to help us and also one to grandson AJ as he is always ready to help his grandpa. 

  Having made some decisions with my threads and fuzz stuff, I feel so much better.  Whew! 

  Indian summer will be here for the weekend.

   
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  Noreen 2:33 pm on October 14, 2022 Permalink  

  Friday the 14th 

  It is truly a fall feeling day.

  I know both of my kids have had quite the week.

  It began last weekend when Kevin and Kersten traveled to Wisconsin to pick up a waste oil burning furnace to add to their wood burning furnace for the huge shop.  Dennis could relate to that as several shops here in town do the very same thing.  As late as yesterday, Kevin had concrete poured into his shop area for the expansion of adding a second hoist.  Working smarter rather than harder.

  Every Thursday morning, I catch Carrie’s live Facebook 30 minutes where she features new inventory that has come into her shop in Edina.  Her Main Street Boutique is a busy shop due to her and the wonderful location is a strip mall.  What she would most like to feature is a new employee.  Like everywhere else, people are not wanting a job.  I know Carrie would enjoy a partial day when Nicholas needs someone to run him to and from school.    

  My week in comparison . . . well, there can’t be a true comparison.  Considering all that I am . . . yes, my week has also been quite eventful.  As late as this forenoon, I have an oven meal ready to pop into the oven.  I have found that Dennis and I do well with an oven meal that has the variety of vegetables and protein.  I stand a better chance of getting vegetables in Dennis when they are in an oven meal than vegetables prepared on top of the kitchen range.  If an oven meal is not desirable, he can take his little red pickup up town.  Nah!  He will stir the oven meal around on his plate until one or two non-desirables are on the lip of the plate.  So be it.

  I did work in the studio working an embroidery design that is now a pin-up poster.  Yes, it took a bit of time, but I happened to have that.  It’s not about the rarity of this, but more to the fact of Megan getting something in the mail.  

  I don’t think we are going to get much in the way of warm temps beyond the high 40s or low 50s.  I have been listening to KNUJ and the farm forum.  It is interesting when they include young men and women that farm right beside their parents.  

  Today past our home, it was a race between cement trucks and grain trucks.  The harvest must be dwindling down.

  Enjoy the weekend days.  There should always be time for relaxing a few minutes and doing a mental rewind of the week we have had.  Thanks be to God for what we have accomplished in good health.

   
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  Noreen 1:47 pm on October 12, 2022 Permalink  

  Winds and a Chill 

  The winds have switched and now the leaves are blowing from the north.  When I looked out the east bathroom window . . . there was Snuggles in a pile of leaves.  I watched to see what had his interest.  Last week when I weed whipped the Hosta, I took a fair amount of catnip out as well.  In the pile of leaves, there was some catnip being pulled by Snuggles.  He was determined to save some of his favorite snack before the wind took it all away.

  The lights are on in the studio.  I have a project under the needle.  I had to take a break as I got a call from my brother in Decorah, Iowa.  I shut down the stitching.  I knew this could be a long one.  I did “due diligence.”  I realize he has no family in the area and both of his sons are not near.  After an hour, and when I had hung up, I put the phone on the charger.

  I started up the stitching and then sat back watching the needle and reflecting on the phone conversation.  My brother focuses on what was.  Ya, there are a lot of things I used to be able to do.  There are many more things I can no longer do.  His cup is half empty, mine is half full.  I can’t sell my brother on my thinking.  If it was ever possible, that ship sailed decades ago. 

  So . . . my thoughts and days are filled with the things I can still do.  Oh my gosh!  I have even found out ways to do things that are not the usual and customary.  Over these last several years I have realized this little tidbit:  the hurrier I go, the behinder I get.  My solution . . . I have no reason to hurry.  I have no quota for each day, not like it was eighteen years ago.  If I do hurry I may either drop what I was holding, or I might hurt myself.

  When Megan worked at the Mustard Seed Nursery during high school, Megan would take home the plants that were destined for the garbage bin and bring them back to health and greenery.  Her bedroom had a full window view for them which to heal.  It was a marvel as to how many were in her bedroom.  Megan had heard that plants bring good indoor air. 

  Come to think of it, Megan never had as much as the sniffles.  When Megan was taken to college in August, there were quite a few favorite plants that made the trip with her.  Her roommate in the college dorm shares the love of plants.  Today, I found an embroidery design using some fabric that looks like suede that I want to make into a poster for her.  It will be about 8″ x 11″. I think getting something in the mail from Grammie and the sewing studio that she spent a fair amount of time in, will bring a chuckle and a smile.  When I send it to her, I will include a Command Clip.

  It matters not how long it takes me to find what I think is the perfect project.  It is very self-satisfying.

   
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  Noreen 2:48 pm on October 11, 2022 Permalink  

  Blast of Summer 

  It may be one of our last days in the 80 degrees.  I am ready for whatever comes.

  Today I finally got to turn on all the lights in the studio.  Work comes before play.  Dennis and I agreed we have had a successful fall of taking care of the acre.  The potting shed doors have been secured.  Yes . . . we checked to make sure all three porch kitties have been accounted for.  It is not surprising that one may had snuck in to check all the corners.  The way the wind is blowing from the south, it may take a few leaves with it.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I had the embroidery module on the sewing machine.  I had finished the Long Time Ago scrappy quilt and then jumped into the purple log cabin quilt top.  This last week I had a post from the Bernina sponsored embroidery site: OESD.  The design tripped my trigger and before long I had snagged it and also had it loaded on a USB stick.  Picking through my stashes, I found a fabric that could do justice to the design.  The finished design is 8″ across and 7″ in height.  I put it on a large enough piece of fabric that it would work to make up a pillow.  Time will tell.  It felt good to change the thread colors out, sit back and watch the stitching.  Sitting back and sitting still was a welcomed change.  When Dennis came in for a fresh cup of coffee, he thought my sitting still for a change was great.  I encouraged him to follow suit.  We are, after all, retired.

  Neither Dennis nor I are up for eating out often, shooting darts or bowling.  We don’t feel that we need to be joined at the hip with other couples.  We tend to be homebody hermits and it suits us just fine.

  Tomorrow Dennis has an appointment in regard to a recall for his airbags in the little red pickup and I am sure his friend Dwayne will ride shotgun.  My home has been tidied as of yesterday and as of this morning, the laundry has been caught up.  I may well have a second day in the studio.  Sweet.

   
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  Noreen 1:44 pm on October 10, 2022 Permalink  

  Mightier than the Sword 

  Dennis with his vacuum is mightier than any sword.  I can only imagine how many Asian Beatles, Box Elder Bugs and black flies he has captured in his shop vac.  How do I escape them?  I prefer doing in the early cool morning hours what needs to be done before they are active.  They just creep me out when I feel one crawling on me.

  What started for me this morning, was to have Dennis shake the kitchen and entry rugs for me and I would give the floors a Swiffer treatment.  Not!  I am not a neat freak.  I do not have dirt phobias.  When the dribbled orange juice all but waves to me from the floor in front of the kitchen counter . . . it is time to act.  Our factory finish flooring has been through the test of times.  The flooring needs a bit more TLC than it did twenty years ago.  The Mr. Clean Erasers do a great job.  It may also mean getting down and personal.  Not this Grammie.  I plop a damp eraser under the bare Swiffer mop and work some magic.  I have also been known to use a nylon scrubby under the bare Swiffer mop with a bit of the Mr. Clean kitchen spray to fight the grime.  It is very evident where the high traffic areas are in the kitchen.  Let’s face it, as small as our kitchen is . . . it could be the entire floor.  No back was going to be harmed during this task.

  For as long as it may or may not last, the kitchen has been tidied.  I don’t expect myself or Dennis to take off shoes coming from outside.  I feel we deserve to use our home as we see fit.

  Dennis gave me a ride to our city library after we had herring, cheese and crackers for our noon lunch.  The city has some streets so tore up, the allies are the best mode of transformation.  Long term parking is not an option, so it is best if the driver of said little red pickup is ready if it needs to be moved for equipment.

  The studio didn’t get much time after my cleaning.  It was important for me to rest the wearies.  The wearies could be anywhere from the neck down to . . . wherever.

  I do have a piece of fabric cut and pressed for an embroidery design.  On the church tables the spools of thread are lined up like troopers that the design calls for.  Before supper I hope to have a new needle in the sewing machine along with an oil and lube job.  I am sure I will find a few balls of thread and fuzz under the hood.  I am getting closer to beginning a project.

  The oven meal of last night will put on a repeat performance for this evening with cranberries on the side.

   
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  Noreen 2:42 pm on October 9, 2022 Permalink  

  Sunday and No Resting 

  When the spirit moves one, it may very well be Sunday . . . just no resting.

  There were a few odds and ends that needed to be tucked into the potting shed.  Once I had had my walk down Stauffer Avenue, I was ready to help.  We don’t leave much out in the yard.  Nothing is sadder than having something bite the dirt after blowing snow, heavy tree branches falling . . . you never know where.  Tidy it up and when the spring of 2023 appears, we can then decide if and where our treasures will be put.  The chainsaw Eagle always is put into the potting shed sitting on concrete pavers.  We have had a spring flood that did indeed flood the potting shed.

  It was warm enough today that we took care of the garden hoses.  Letting them get soft and pliable in the sun and then wound on the reel, getting the last of the trapped water out . . . good deed done.

  Of course then the reel of hoses needed to be put in the car garage.  We never put that in the potting shed.  We keep that close and sheltered.  Who knows when it would be needed in the dead of winter.  What ensued was moving a few items out of the way.  The car was backed out of the garage.  The final event was the leaf bower attacking everything that needed to leave the garage that would and could be moved with air.  

  I could not believe it!  Dennis was satisfied that we had gotten the tick list of his done.  As I mentioned, when the spirit moves us, we get it done with no would have, no could have, no should have.

  I felt Dennis needed a break.  I toddled into the house.  We now have an oven meal ready to pop into the oven for later on.

  Monday will soon be upon us and as luck would have it, it is a quiet week for us.  On Thursday we do have an appointment with the wound doctor for Dennis’ left foot.  I think she is going to be very pleased in the healing that has been taking place.  We still do every other day with fresh dressing.  It is paying off.  The bummer . . . I will miss our stitchers luncheon.  The wound care comes first.  It has been one year this week that we have been doing all that has been prescribed.  We are oh so close, and that does beat being oh so close in a game of horseshoes.

  I sure do have a project sitting in my studio.  Maybe tomorrow is the day for fuzz and threads to return.

   
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  Noreen 1:24 pm on October 8, 2022 Permalink  

  Nippy Morning 

  Due to a nippy morning, I had to hunt up some gloves.  I headed down Stauffer Avenue.  Generally walking against the sun is a challenge.  This morning, I welcomed the warmth that I felt.

  Dennis did check and we do have some days in the 70s still to come.  That is what I will target to put the last patio items in the potting shed.

  Our noon snack was crackers and Herring.  We had not had any for some time and it was tasty.

  This afternoon, I spent time on the laptop in the studio.  Seek and you shall find.  I found several exercises for the L-5 and L-6 for my lumbar spine.  Walking is always a plus, but a bit more is needed.  The doctor’s note on the x-rays of last week indicated that the degenerative situation has progressed to some degree since the last checkup for the spine in 2004.  The good news, no surgery is indicated as well as no injections for nerve blocks.  What I am experiencing is normal wear and tear that can be managed with medications of several types and to keep on moving, moving, moving.  It might be better on some days than others.  What is key for me is that I have several interests to continue for a balanced day . . . like getting my library books returned on the due date of October 10th.

  What was a bit more fun to look at, were several sites for machine embroidery.  My intent is to put the embroidery module on before I begin another pieced quilt top.  A little variety in the studio keeps everything fresh.

  This evening we are cleaning out the refrig of a bit of this and a bit of that and calling it supper.  If we did have a pet to help with leftovers . . . they would get pretty darn hungry.  Waste not, want not.  Dennis talked about an oven meal to make on Sunday.  I am all for that.

  The sun is bright this afternoon and does warm coming through the south windows.

   
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  Noreen 1:55 pm on October 7, 2022 Permalink  

  Feeling the Chilly 

  This morning, no one could help but feel the chilly air.  I do believe tomorrow morning is going to be chillier yet.

  I did turn the furnace on and set the thermostat at 60 degrees.  Just enough to take the chill off.  Lena used to open the oven door on mornings such as this and set the oven at 250 degrees to take the chill off.  Same difference.

  Dennis headed to Madelia Ford this morning with his letter in hand.  There was a recall on the air bags for his little red pickup.  Dennis needed to make an appointment for October 12th.

  My time was spent in the studio.  There now is quilt binding cut, folded and ironed for a time when the purple quilt has been quilted.  There was also some much needed organization that was on the docket.  When organization is done correctly, I do not need to get rid of any more items than I already have.  It’s all about the eye appeal.  Standing on the bottom basement step, first impressions tell the rest of the story.  Yes . . . I think I could also sell ice cubes to the Eskimos. 

  When Dennis came home, I hitched a ride with him to the grocery store.  My one big ticket item was a dozen of eggs . . . $4.69.  Wow.  I can understand why there are quite a few small cities pondering ordinances to allow chickens in the backyards.

  Supper is going to be some Hormel Beef Tips in gravy and instant mashed potatoes.  I still have some brussel sprouts to adorn my fare.  Dennis will brighten up his plate with a piece of strawberry jam bread.  To each his own.

   
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  Noreen 2:40 pm on October 3, 2022 Permalink  

  One Swipe 

  This morning before the Asian Beetles and Boxelder bugs had the sun to warm them, I headed for the Hosta plants.  We have two batteries for the weed whip.  I exhausted one of the batteries.  That was all I had for strength in my hand.  The safety on the weed whip mandates a button to be engaged while a second button operates the actual weed whip.  As it is, both buttons engaged is a physical stretch of the hand.  Tomorrow morning I will hit it again.

  We had very little garden art out out this year.  Many trips to the potting shed with one hand holding the goodies, with the right hand on the cane.  I am not taking any chances of taking a fall.  Slow and steady.  

  There is a difference between Dennis and myself.  Dennis still thinks as a 50 year old with reflexes of a 50 year old, rather than the 86 year old that he is with reflexes that mirror that.  That is evident with the things he has lying around to trip over in the garage.  I follow behind and pick them up and put them aside.  If he lifts his feet an inch off of his walking surfaces, that would be it.  A fall waiting to happen.  I think like a 78 year old that has had a stroke with mobility of a 78 year old.  I may be a pain in Dennis’ side, but why take a chance of having to heal from a fall when it takes seconds to be proactive.

  Also tomorrow my plan of attack is to wash the east bathroom window.  Dennis is done washing off the outside of the house for the year.  I have a scrubby that has an arm that can be extended.  I don’t need a perfect job done, just enough so I can see outside in the early mornings.  The remainder of the windows can all be tipped in.  Sweet. 

  The purple quilt top has been folded up for quilting at a later date.  I did cut the fabric for the quilt binding this afternoon.  Putting the folded ironed binding with the quilt top, does make things easier in wrapping up a project.  Why put off something that will need to be done anyway.

  Yesterday, I found out that great grandson Oliver is into Pokémon.  He was so proud to show me his cards.  He made a point of telling me that he couldn’t take them to school.  With the quilt project done, I am pretty sure I have some Pokémon printed fabric left from making Kersten some pillow cases.  I will surprise Oliver with getting a pillowcase in the mail.

  The week is off to the air filled with harvest dust from the grain elevator that is five blocks west of us.  It is a dust that represents the farmer’s reward of a farming year.

   
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  Noreen 1:31 pm on October 1, 2022 Permalink  

  Purple Top Finished 

  A Saturday morning on Stauffer can be busy.

  Dennis was planning on making the trip to Windom for the day’s trade show.  Keeping up with friends when Dennis had set up for the weekend, sounded like a good idea to me.  To make sure that he would be able to smooze the isles easily, Dennis decided to take the walker with that one can easily turn around in and sit down.  Sometimes the legs can get weary and why take a chance of missing out on anything.

  When Dennis had pulled out of the drive, I headed down Stauffer with my walking crutches.  A brisk walk and I knew I would be heading into the studio.

  With coffee in hand and my telephone in my pocket . . . I was set.  The telephone in the pocket is sweet.  I don’t and won’t rush to answer the phone.   No KNUJ radio on a Saturday as it is nothing but sports.  Minnesota 100 has good country music on.

  When I would have least expected it, a good phone conversation was had this forenoon.  That set the tone for the remainder of the day and will carry through for many days to come.

  The purple quilt top is finished.  I have used 8.25 yards of fabric out of my stashes and the quilt top measures 77″ x 105″, give or take an inch.  Putting the three borders on it had quite a bit of heft under the needle by the time the last one was done.  I did the borders by the book, 3″, 4″ and 5″.   Adding the 4″ of olive green picked up the greens in the leaves of the grape vines.  I have had that green in my stashes a long time.  There are just as many greens in the color pallet as there are of whites. 

  When this post is done, the lights here in the studio will be turned off.  Dennis is not home as yet and I might just take that last cup of cold coffee and read for a while.

  Needless to say my studio’s floor needs some TLC.  Threads everywhere.  With this project I got my fill of the fabric by the Maywood Studio mills.  The yardage ravels something fierce.  The price per yard is comparable to other brands and the warp and weft are also the same.  I was really happy the third border was from a different company.  Handling the quilt top from this point to actually quilting it, the edges could have been compromised.  The cleanup is for another day.

  Tomorrow is Luella’s fourth birthday party.  Her and Great Grandpa Dennis share the same date.  This calls for a trip to Mankato for a birthday cupcake.