Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from January, 2022 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 6:25 pm on January 28, 2022 Permalink  

  An Aunt 

  What a dose of “need.”  When nephews have no moms or mother-in-laws . . . there comes the need for an aunt to pitch in.  That would be me.  Eric now has a price range to know what to sell his mom’s sewing machine for.  Larry tapped me for one more Christmas stocking to sew.  His son, Alex, brought home a girlfriend for the family to meet.  As it were next weekend there is still some Christmas to enjoy for the family and a Christmas stocking with her name on it would be just one more way of saying “Welcome to the family.”

  I don’t mind helping family out as long as family know my kids come first with my time and energies.  There will be a package at the UPS depot on Monday and arrive in rural Stewart in plenty of time.

  Dennis knew I was busy in the studio so he brought out his culinary skills.  Canned stew over mashed potatoes . . . I will take it any time.  Dishes are done and I did frost the scones that he had baked.  A very good end to a very good productive day.  On another good note, I did find the missing two pieces of the broken sewing machine needle from yesterday.  It would be just like me to forget about it and have it end up in my stocking when I would go down there for a quick errand and not have shoes on.

  Who doesn’t enjoy a break in the cold!  This weekend looks promising.  As frigid as it has been the concrete drive froze clear of snow.  

  Dennis has turned a corner with pain from his foot surgery.  I am so happy for him.  In six days we will meet with the surgeon for stitches to come out.  I have read on the Mayo Portal that the biopsied big toe has no sign of osteomyelitis, a fancy name for no infection of the bone.  That would have been big time cruel if there was another surgery right around the corner.

  We have no plans for the weekend.  I flew that past Dennis and I got no argument.  Sweet.

   
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  Noreen 4:18 pm on January 27, 2022 Permalink  

  Yesterday 

  Yesterday I got a phone call to see if I could come into the eye clinic today as Dr. Pinke wanted to visit with me in regard to the tests that he ran last week.

  Needless to say it did cause some concern.  Why would he need to speak with me!  What I was in for was images in full color of my actual eyes.  Whatever a doctor can see when they dilate your eye, I was seeing on his computer screens.  I could see the thickness of the cornea, the macular and what impact the pressure was in each eye.  The end result was that these tests were now the base-line of glaucoma going forward in each eye.  Right now there is no concern.  My left eye is stronger than my right eye.  In time to come, it may mean eye drops of some type.  In six months I will have an appointment and these same tests will be run again to see if any factors have changed.  I went home feeling much relief.

  The temps are falling just as they said they would.  I spent time in the studio this afternoon.  All went well until the thread jumped out of one of the tension disks.  What it does is called a “bird’s nest.”  Also known has a huge mess of threads under the bobbin and in this case it also broke the needle.  That hadn’t happened in a long time.  I cleaned up the mess and finished that block . . . lights out in the studio.

  We are doing Subway for supper.  A treat indeed.

   
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  Noreen 3:11 pm on January 25, 2022 Permalink  

  In the Cold 

  When Dennis came in at noon he said he had tried.  He had tried to let a big yellow kitty into the porch to get it in out of the frigid cold.  It would not come in.  Dennis just felt so bad for it.  It may have a hideaway where it takes refuge, let’s hope so.

  Our three kitties don’t even sit in front of the patio porch doors.  They are tucked into their baskets.  Harriet and Snuggles curl up together into one tight ball.  Honey Bunny is up in the rafters of the pickup garage.  She is no one’s fool.  Heat rises from the furnace Dennis has going.

  Ironically, Dennis’ daughter, the nurse, in Mankato is home for five days with covid.  Her twin sister in Silver Bay, northern Minnesota, works in a VA health facility, is also home with covid.  Go figure.

  Dennis is doing better each day.  Keeping busy on a slow scale allows for less thought on the discomfort of the foot.  It does work.  He got the ice knocked off of the furnace vent.  Yippee, we will continue being warm and snug in our home.  Staying busy . . .  I would be speaking from experience.

  It is mid afternoon and the studio is closed for the day.  Closing it down is the best way to take a break before I mess something up.  Tomorrow is another day.  I would have thought that the dream I had last night, the project would have been done.  Two of my stitchers were at our home with me in the studio.  Wishful thinking.

  I checked with Dennis.  We are good for one more night, the last night, of the bean and ham soup.  Nothing warms the innards like hearty soup.

   
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  Noreen 4:03 pm on January 24, 2022 Permalink  

  Sunny and Bright 

  I keep my eyes on the sunny yard and not on the temps.  If I don’t dwell on it, this too shall pass.

  Grandson Ryan is over today to use the snowblower to clean up around doorways, recycling and garbage bins.  After that, the big red bow will be coming off of the front door.  That will be the official end to all things Christmas.

  Bean and ham soup is going to be tasty for supper.  I might say that the studio can be a bit chilly on days such as this.  Good shoes on the feet takes care of leg cramps.

  I do have reading material for the first floor to take up some time, but my heart is in the threads and fuzz right now.  

  The first nice day I will be getting my car’s oil change done in New Ulm.  I have heard of the Sewing Seeds Quilt Shop that sounds intriguing in New Ulm.  I have no needs, so that stop is still up for debate. 

  With this winter being both of my kids’ crack at owning their own businesses . . . what a cold winter to cut their teeth on.  I believe they will be doing just fine.  All that can be done is keep chins up and take it one day at a time.

   
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  Noreen 3:43 pm on January 23, 2022 Permalink  

  The Other Shoe Fell 

  Dennis’ surgery was Friday.  Last night during the early morning hours, the other shoe fell.  I had been telling him to stay off of his feet and keep the foot up at all times.  Last night when I went to bed I commented “If you didn’t have that wooden shoe you, you would act like you never had surgery.”  Sure enough, the strong numbing solution that had been injected into the foot and around the incision site wore off.  OMG!

  We were up and as soon as possible there was a pain pill taken.  It was actually two extra strength Tylenol.  Dennis was tucked into his recliner and he slept until eleven this forenoon when the pain woke him up.  At that time a stronger pain pill was given with food.  He . . . we . . . will get through this.  Yesterday when I checked on him in the patio porch, he was in the garage getting the snowblower gassed up as he heard we would be getting measurable snow.  At that time I took the key to it as well as pulling the key from his pickup.  What a fellow.  Today he knows full well what I had been counseling on.  If the foot is kept raised there is not near the amount of blood going to the incision and the throbbing will be lessened.  

  He didn’t want his phone in his pocket as he hated the world.  I have been there and done that.  I am working with him and not fighting against him.  In between time, I am giving him space by being in the studio.  

  I had been doing some work on a project that needed a bit of concentration.  Today was a good day to dig back into it.  The block with the fireflies is stitched with those in the glass jar having a clear piece of plastic stitched over them.  The pitcher of Lemonade has three lemon circles free floating under clear plastic that has been stitched over the pitcher. It takes a bit of trimming after all has been stitched down.

  I will keep plugging away on this project as this next week we have no appointments.  Sweet.  Dennis does agree, we need to get to the bottom of medical appointments.  A very good reason to mind the “Ps” and “Qs.”

   
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  Noreen 4:00 pm on January 19, 2022 Permalink  

  Cold Day 

  It might have been a cold day, but there was some heat building in the studio.

  There is much to be said for resilience.  It does not happen often, but then once in a blue moon is often enough.  The sewing machine bucked and bucked and bucked.  I finally decided to take it apart down to the last straw.  The first thing I did was to raise the sewing machine table so it was eye level.  One part after another was set aside.  Out came the bobbin and I rethreaded it.  Off came the throat plate and with it a stray thread was found.  Out came the magnetic hook and while it was out I oiled it.  With my mini LED light I looked behind the hook area.  In the depth of the chase that the hook sat on, I spied several threads.  

  At a gun show that I attended with Dennis decades ago in Iowa, I purchased some used metal tools that were akin to the fine dental hooks that a dentist would use to pick around the base of teeth.  That metal hook was fine enough that I could get down and in that narrow track and hook out those stray threads.

  As I didn’t know if I had found the problem, I went ahead and cleaned the cutters that usually automatically cut the thread when thread colors change.  With a new needle put in, I was going to give it a try.

  I did have success in going forward with some stitching.  It pays to be resilient as there is no one else about and I surely can’t be running to Bird Island which is 60 miles away for a not-so-quick fix.

  I think Dennis might have seen the smoke coming from the studio and he had offered to make supper.  It is one of his comfort food suppers: canned stew over instant mashed potatoes and a can of cranberries.  I will joyfully take it.

  Dennis did brave the cold today to go out to the clinic.  He had to have a covid test three days prior to surgery this Friday.  He was thankful to get back home.

   
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  Noreen 3:48 pm on January 17, 2022 Permalink  

  Busy Medical Day 

  Today was the day that Dennis was scheduled for his pre-op for the foot surgery on this Friday, the 21st.

  I always accompany Dennis to appointments as two sets of ears is better than one.  The first thing Dr. Eatwell did was check my cane over to make sure it was safe.  The Hurricane canes that pivot at the base he would not recommend.  My cane is solid at the base and got the nod of approval.  Good news for me.

  What I appreciate with our family doctor is that one or the other of us may have the appointment, but we both get a mini check up.  Priceless.

  Dennis passed the test with the little sticky buds that got put on his chest and read his heart and it is in good shape.  On to bl00d work and a chest X-ray.  Wednesday Dennis will need a Covid test.  We will then be goo0d to go until Thursday night when we phone to see what time we need to be in Mankato on Friday for his surgery.

  Dennis asked Dr. Eatwell about a handicap hanger for our vehicle.  Considering Dennis’ age and my physical walking which can be a bit tottering with my eye on the winter surfaces, it was not a problem.  Dennis has the paper to take to our motor vehicle office tomorrow.  Had it not been for the holiday closing today, it would have been taken care of by now. 

  Though the afternoon was short, I do have several items laid out to tackle tomorrow.  Having a new needle in the machine, a full bobbin and the grease ports taken care of, it will be a great start.

   
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  Noreen 3:30 pm on January 16, 2022 Permalink  

  Lena 

  I am so like my mom, Lena.  There was nothing that she wasn’t up for in the world of sewing.  One thing I am not . . . is the baker that she was.  It would have put Martha Stewart to shame.  Confectioneries of all sorts were at our home to enjoy at Christmastimes.  During an average week she could very well hand donuts for Raymond to enjoy for afternoon coffee.  The donut holes she saved for us kids.  The water from boiling potatoes during the week was saved for the white yeast bread that was baked on Saturday.  The enriched water with the nutrients from the potatoes being boiled added extra taste as well as the homemade bread staying a bit more moist.  In today’s grocery stores the potato bread from various high name brands will likely sell for $3.89 a loaf.  

  What I do resemble in Lena is my curiosity in fighting my way through patterns in the studio. Many need to be read over and over to get the full drift.  And . . . sometimes a prototype needs to be made to get the kinks out.  Lena would use bleached muslin for her “what ifs.”  I have some fabric pieces that have been given to me that would not work well in a finished piece I am working on.  The thread count and the grudge fabric that the printed design was printed on, would not wear well in a quilt that I would be working on.  On the flip side, there have been many quilts made out of printed feed sacks that were purchased with chicken feed concentrate inside a 100 lb. sack.  It was not unusual that there would be a request of the farmer, from the home front, to pick out more than one sack with the same design on it, this yielding several yards of usable fabric.  

  Today, I toughed it out in the studio, though a bit chilly.  You’ve guessed it.  We have kept our home a bit cooler this winter.  As long as I had on good shoes, my feet didn’t draw the cold from the cement floor.  Kevin offered a hemmed carpet piece that he has in storage, but with pins being dropped and threads that weave themselves beyond what my Filter Queen vac can handle, I do prefer a bare concrete floor.  My Swiffer can do a great job.  When stitching a project it means a lot of moving from the sewing machine, to the ironing board and to the cutting table.  It is when I sit for too long of a period of time, that there can be problems in the back and hips.  Gotta keep moving.

  As cloudy as it is, it might not feel like 33 degrees out, but there are bare spots showing in the sidewalk.

   
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  Noreen 3:20 pm on January 15, 2022 Permalink  

  Saturday the 15th 

  With much of the snow lying where it fell, it is super bright outside.  Every make of vehicle that can pull a trailer with a snowblower on it is out and about.

  Dennis waited until Randy had blown the driveway off before he suited up to tidy around our doorways.  It took until noon before it was above zero.

  Today the Christmas wall hangings have been taken down and tucked away and the Christmas valences are also down.  Dennis thought I had better look through my totes for some wall hangings to put up as the house looked bare. 

  The wall hanging over the front door window is called “Let it Snow.”  Decades ago it was the perfect pattern to use up dozen of the small buttons from the Fairfax button tree.  When the heat run is going the four panels do a bit of a wiggle.  The front door may have a bit of a draft and the wall hanging acts as a buffer.  Homes that are a hundred years old are allowed a few infractions.

  The living room north wall is ready for all things spring like and sweet.  This is one of a few that I still did all the hand sewing an inch apart for the waffle weave appearance.  The applique work of the hearts and the basket of flowers were a challenge, even at that time.  It was done when the hands were nimble and tired little.

  Several years ago while us stitchers were on a retreat, my friend Sharon clued me in on the packet of designs for machine embroidery barns.  I couldn’t wait to get the packet downloaded.  I did three pillows for family, as well as a three-barn design for a table topper for my nephew’s home.  I had to make a wall hanging for our stairwell.  The wall hanging designs were done on synthetic suede that I had had in my stashes for a long time.  It worked up great. 

  With Dennis spending time with his walk-behind snowblower, I decided to see what was in the freezer for supper.  Though we had a Dennis-made chicken oven meal earlier this week, there were some frozen chicken breasts that needed to get out of the bottom of the freezer, along with the last bag of frozen carrot rounds.  Dennis had used canned chicken which can be a bit bland.  I diced up my chicken and pan fried them after tossing them in seasoned breading that had turmeric powder, Bisquick and cinnamon in the mix.  The egg noodle pasta took second fiddle to the chicken, carrots and bright green peas.  Talk about a bright fresh looking oven dish that had Alfredo sauce to blend all. 

  All is well on Stauffer Avenue.  I do plan on spending some time in the studio tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 4:03 pm on January 14, 2022 Permalink  

  So Much Whiteness 

  We were told about this storm, so no surprises.

  After getting some bedding going, I retreated to the studio.  Yesterday I was invigorated to put out a few stitches today.  A group of like-minded individuals can do that for me.  Getting together with stitchers is not a new thing.

  When Orlin and I were farming in Boon Lake township, my mom, Lena, had gotten me involved with the Riverdale Quilting Club.  Once a month we met at someone’s home that had a quilt frame up for either hand sewing a quilt or yarn tying a quilt.  Often a dining room table was pushed to the side and there would be three of us to either side of the length of the quilt frame.  As we worked the length for as far as our arms would reach across, the quilt frame was rolled for new area to be worked.  For the most part a group of five or six of us could get a full sized quilt done in a day.  Whomever hosted the group would have a hot dish or sandwiches for a quick noon meal.  On rare occasions when fancy stitching was called for the hostess would have finished it on her own in days to come.

  I would join the group after morning chores and after Carrie was on the Hutchinson school bus.  Kevin would get packed up with me, complete with his choice of toys in a bag.  Of course the place that we quilted at would have a basket of grandchildren’s toys that would be fresh for Kevin to play with.  I was the youngest of the quilters and I enjoyed learning the tricks of the trade.

  Even after we had moved out of the area and Lena had a quilt up, I would enjoy helping her when we visited.  After we moved to the Madelia area, Orlin put together a quilt frame for me.  There is a variety of red fabrics that constitutes a quilt pattern called Jacob’s ladder in my closet.  That is the quilt I pieced and hand sewed for Kevin’s bed.  Oh so many stitches.

  My enjoyment of getting together with the group of women once a month at Baker’s Square, harkens back to the decades ago when the same kind of enjoyment was had at the Riverdale Quilting Club.  

  The heavy snow we are having today will allow for a quiet world as the wind may pick up.  Neighbor Randy is already doing a swipe at what has fallen so far.  Jan had shared with me at Christmas that Randy was just itching for snow to move with his long green line.  Randy is getting his wish today.