Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from January, 2022 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:27 pm on January 13, 2022 Permalink  

  What a Group 

  What a great group of gals to get together with.  All of us are stitchers and we all enjoy different niches in our projects.  It doesn’t hurt that Baker’s Square doesn’t mind that we stay for three hours while we chew, drink coffee and visit.  Show and tell doesn’t hurt either.

  When I came home this afternoon, the house smelled oh so good!  It was a pan of blueberry scones that Dennis had made.  They may be made up from a frozen state, but they are Dennis’ go to yummy for his breakfasts.  They are a bit too rich for me. 

  When I left Mankato it was 34 degrees and as I drove into our drive it was 26 degrees.  The snow is scheduled to start during the early Friday morning hours.  We have nothing where we need to be this weekend and we will take the weather as it comes.

  It’s time to catch up with Dennis and see what he has been up to while I was gone.

  It will be a more newsy day tomorrow as I am at a loss for words after having three hours of chatting.

   
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  Noreen 3:10 pm on January 12, 2022 Permalink  

  No Snow 

  Hard to believe we have no snow to speak of on the ground.  That may change on Friday.

  I took advantage of a great sunny afternoon with good road conditions to deliver some items to the Fairfax team.  Kevin was surprised to see me, just as Kersten was when I stopped in to see her at Casey’s.  

  Today would have been a day that Raymond and Lena would have had decades ago.  Dad had a small pickup and on a moment’s notice they would be on the road for the merest of errands.  This is what parents did then and this is what I did today.  I treat myself for little in comparison to what I hear about town.  

  Dennis encourages me to get out and about.  Considering what the first half of 2021 had in store for me, my spur of the moment trips are minimal.  It literally does my heart good to score hugs in the middle of the week as well as one when I get home. 

  The oven dish from last night made a huge batch.  Dennis took a dish to share for his friend Lyle’s supper this afternoon.  It will be a treat compared to leftovers from the community’s noon Meals on Wheels.

  All three of the patio porch kitties flew the coop this afternoon.  Who could blame them.  42 degrees in mid January is priceless.  I plan on following suit tomorrow to see what my fellow stitchers have to share at Baker’s Square.  Making miles while the weather holds.  Sweet.

   
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  Noreen 4:08 pm on January 9, 2022 Permalink  

  Contentment 

  I have the same degree of contentment in my studio as Lena did in her sewing room.  She had the advantage of natural daylight from the north windows.  LED lights that are in my studio were not even thought of in her day of sewing.

  Dennis had made plans to go to the Northrup school for a trade show.   I knew he would find plenty of buds to catch up on.  Seeing what is for sale gives him food for thought on the items Dennis still has in his collection. There is something about these trade shows that make the offerings of potato salad and Bar-B -Qs taste extra inviting. 

  Before I came down to the studio there was plenty to keep me busy on the main level of our home. I had boxed up the jigsaw puzzle pieces and it was time to take down the card table from my west bedroom.  It had taken a fair amount of real estate.  Hello . . . I couldn’t get the legs to collapse.  Out came the silicone spray and those hinges that had some rust . . . worked like a charm.  I will be making room for it in the basement.  The damp air in the garages does not help and they are too pricey to replace.  There is one more in the garage that needs to come in.  The two oldest ones I give my blessings to remain in the garage.  When and if we have large Curry picnics the kids can carry them up and out for the event and then put them back.

  It didn’t take me long to find my niche in the studio.  As the embroidery module stitched I did do some tidy, tidy.  It is always more desirable when it looks as if I am entering a brand new studio to spend time in.  Would I like a larger home so I could stitch with natural lighting on the main level?  No!  I would be all over the area and not have enough control to keep it within any range of normalcy.  Dennis would be eating off of his lap in one corner.  The way our home is now, makes me more responsible to keep things in a balance of order.  When thing get out of hand, I get crabby.

  I do believe I will have to get some groceries in the house tomorrow.  I know I am out of my essentials for breakfast: yogurt, flax meal and apple sauce.  The apple sauce does wonders to absorb into what would be very dry flax meal.  

  Is there snow in the future?  I could not tell you.  Waking and sticking my head out a window is as serious as I get for long range forecasts.  Contentment will follow as the day is taken as it comes.

   
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  Noreen 4:16 pm on January 8, 2022 Permalink  

  A Different Day 

  When the temps are reasonable it feels like a different day. . . in a good way.

  It was a very gray day but who cares.  I had better energy than I have had for some time.

  I hit the studio running today.  I had a shirt to hem and also a pair of PJs.  Everything went so well it was fun and I was sad when both items were completed.  I will resume with some embroidery blocks in the Red White and Bloom project.   All I need to do is put the embroidery module on and change threads.  All of that will be for tomorrow.  Giving the hands and arms a break from sewing goes a long way for feeling like tackling the next day’s project.

  I did take some breakfast coffee and finish the jigsaw puzzle.  I enjoyed the challenge.  So far I am 2 for 2 in doing a puzzle in each of the last two January’s.  I know I won’t repeat doing this one again.  I was pleased that I had not lost a piece.  On last year’s puzzle, when I finished, I had to draw an area on the box as there was a missing piece.

  Dennis is making supper this evening.  He has been coasting on being hands on in the kitchen since Christmas.  I think when we had soup last night for supper, I might take a second run at soup and he was ready for something more substantial.  I am staying out of the kitchen and giving him free range, literally.

  We may have a cold snap but then a reprieve.  A day such as today gives us hope.  I think it is 60 days until spring.

   
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  Noreen 2:14 pm on January 2, 2022 Permalink  

  Yippee! 

  Yippee, we made it above zero!  The bright sun is doing its best to help warm the windows facing the south.

  It was time to oil the sewing machine and put in a new needle.  Winding five bobbins didn’t hurt either for future embroidering.  Embroidering is easier on my arms and hands than piecing.  Over time, the piecing has to ensue to finish up what have been embroidered into portions towards a finished project.  Slow and steady.

  I have a project called Red, White and Bloom.  After the machine was ready, I did do one block to “let it begin.”  Reading instructions doesn’t hold a candle to dipping your toe and making several cuts into fabric.  With one block stitched out successfully it will become easier each time I visit the studio.  With a heat run open in the basement, it makes it doable as long as I have shoes on.  Concrete floors draw into feet not covered, causing discomfort in the legs long after being away from that floor.

  Dennis caught a John Wayne black and white movie on the RFD television channel.

  I made a few strides on my 1,000 piece puzzle.  I have many mini areas put together matching up portions according to the picture on the box.  There will be no quick fixes.

  Alarms will be set this evening as we will be in Mankato at 8:30 tomorrow morning for Dennis to have a MRI of his left foot.  There is bound to be a solution to an angry bunion bone.  We will be meeting with a podiatrist the week after.  In the meantime, in between time we dress the wound every night.

  Thank goodness for a 9″ x 9″ pan of hamburger pasta in the freezer.  Super . . . nailed it!

   
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  Noreen 4:03 pm on December 19, 2021 Permalink  

  Sunday the 19th 

  The chill of days gone by is now a sun-filled sky with temps at 31 degrees.  A roller coaster to keep us guessing.  

  Today I did an obligatory load of laundry so my PT uniform is ready for Tuesday.  It is a softer than soft, washed out pair of yoga pants and a shirt that mirrors it.  Nothing harsh or stiff.  I also caved and made an oven dish for supper.  It beats the last ditch efforts.  Dennis is a creature of habit.  Dennis likes a hot meal for supper . . . and who allowed that habit to build over decades of time?  Me!  I have no bitches coming . . . but . . . sometimes I like to stomp my imaginary foot.

  My heart always enjoys a visit to the studio where I can be whoever I want to be.  Today I enjoyed a muffin taken out of the freezer, a cup of cold coffee and Christmas music on the radio.  I dug around and found several more zippers I could use to make the cork zippered “what nots.”  

  I got out an arsenals of scissors and cutting tools ready to find out which would work best for cutting out the narrow strip of cork for the zipper to be put into.  The tool that worked the best, the one closest to the bottom of the photo, is a spring loaded snippers that was sold as a tool for making rag flannel quilts.  The snipper is sharp right to the tip for making a clean curve of a cut on the cork.  For the rag flannel quilts, all the seams of the flannel squares were on the outside and this tools snipped into the seams.  The quilt was then washed and dried and the seams became fuzzy shreds.  Flannel loves to ravel.  Sister Elvera found out that the clothes drier got very very hot with all the loose shredded threads . . . very hard on the heating element. 

  I managed to putz the afternoon away.  The days end well when I have something tangible to show for my time.  In total I do have four of the zippered cases done.  Working with this small project wet my whistle and I may attempt something larger and more complex with the cork fabric.  Even to not decided is to have decided.

   
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  Noreen 3:38 pm on December 15, 2021 Permalink  

  Canceled Visit 

  We were to travel two hours to the northeast today to visit a nephew.  On the other end, Larry cautioned about the forecast.  On this end, Dennis agreed.  These two old timers decided to stay safe at home.  The worst of the forecast may not evolve, but why take a chance in relationship to what has happened elsewhere with storms.

  It is 52 degrees out this mid afternoon with gray, still air.  Tornado watches are in effect.  When the ice cold air whips up and meets this warm air . . . it is anyone’s guess.

  I sometimes feel like a depository of all things in the realm of creativity.  I have worked with cork fabric from time to time and never amassed a lot of it as it is expensive.  Low and behold in November what looked like a plaid gun case came to me in my studio.  Oh my, oh my!  A friend has given up crafting.  In exchange for some of my embroidered towels, the contents of the plaid case were mine.  As I have no pending projects, today was the day I examined all of the contents of my very own gun case.  I was curious enough that I downloaded an easy zippered case pattern to try my hand at the cork fabric.  All went well.  While I was at it, I downloaded a cork fabric pattern for an eyeglass case as well as a folded passport case that could have multiple uses.  I have a variety of zippers and I may do several of this zippered case and use some coordinating zippers up as well.  I will continue checking out the internet for ideas to use the cork fabric.

  My crafting genes come from my paternal grandmother, Laura, and from my mom, Lena.  Oh, I can’t forget the kid’s grandmother, Esther Schafer.  There was never a scrap of anything that was thrown away or wasted.  Crocheting was in the bag with all three and I learned to crochet from Orlin when we lived in Texas.  I do miss crocheting as the wrists have lost  the swift rotation needed for the hook to make a stitch.  What I do have left, I need to save for day-to-day tasks.  Sewing and embroidery can be manipulated with the entire hand, using more of the fingers than the wrist.

  One minute it looks as if it could rain and the next minute the sun is out bright.  December’s very unusual weather.  If the winds do pick up as they predict, anything not nailed down will be . . . somewhere else.

   
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  Noreen 3:56 pm on December 14, 2021 Permalink  

  Tidy Tidy 

  With a sewing project completed, the cleanup is a must.  Who wants to come down to a studio that has supplies strewn about!  I know after today it will feel as if I am a guest in a studio akin to a well tricked out shop.

  The area rug that my brother Calvin gave me does add a touch of comfort when standing in front of the ironing board.  But man can it collect threads and fuzz and it isn’t fond of letting it go. What I have found to be the best weapon is the 3M lint rollers.  It’s only a 6 x 10 rug and it is doable.  The remaining floor is bare concrete and takes well to the vacuum.  Kevin offered to share a hemmed piece of carpet.  I thanked him, but passed. The area that the sewing machine sits on is concrete and the Swiffer works great until the Filter Queen canister needs to be brought out for the entire area.

  Dennis and friends met up in McDonald’s for morning coffee.  He rolled in right at twelve.  Apparently the fellows from the area kept dribbling in and that meant more news to hear or share.  I think it’s very healthy for them.  Dennis did share that McDonald’s has revamped the front.  A very small cloistered order area and a credit card must be used . . . no cash.  That took these old timers back quite a bit.

  I had PT and could barely walk when I left.  Finding that spot that needs work . . . I am all about Mike working those tendons and muscles to allow them to relax and fight nice.  My quality of life is 99% better than when I went to him for the first time.  Would have, could have and should have . . . yup, I should have turned myself in a lot sooner. Thinking I could walk it off was wrong.

  Arthritis is no stranger in my family.  My grandmother Laura was in a wheelchair during her remaining years only because no help was sought when she may have had somewhat of what I am experiencing today.  Mike knows what I am dealing with and until he says he can no longer help, I am in it for the long haul.  After all, where I am going so as to not see this through!

  ***Just got a text from daughter Carrie.  This afternoon she took over her own boutique in Edina.  Earlier this year I began praying hard as both of my self-reliant children now have their own businesses.  Bring on the “joy” in their lives.

  Thank you Lord Jesus for all the blessings that have come my family’s way this year.  Both of my children saw me through the days of uncertainty with the stroke and the heart surgery . . . my prayers for them is ceaseless. 

  On that note . . . tomorrow Dennis and I have been invited to my nephew Larry’s home in rural Stewart.  I may very well be worn out and not put a posting on.  Though I do know that we arrive at their home in the late forenoon and leave for our home in the early afternoon.  My driver is in charge of time tables.

   
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  Noreen 3:28 pm on December 13, 2021 Permalink  

  Dripping is Going On 

  No matter where you look there is a lot of dripping going on off of buildings as well as trees.  It makes for icy conditions under foot.

  Ice means I stay indoors.  Today I dug out the exercise band and hooked it over one of the hooks that is screwed into a floor joist.  A second one that does not have the molded hand handles will be used under my feet for some type of stretches of the legs.

  The plan today worked slick.  I am embroidering my last white dishtowel for the Riebe picnic in August of 2022.  I can keep an eye on the action of the needle while stretching some bands.  I know that my machine will be puffing as much as I am with this final stitch out. 

  Dennis had the idea of the dishtowel project.  I had wanted to ask him “Are you serious?”  I did not question him.  He had the little red pickup idling in the drive before I had my shoes on. We were going to Mills Fleet Farm in Mankato for white feed sack towels.  I knew they were of good quality . . . 30″ x 30″, hemmed and $.99 per towel. Number 50 is under the needle as I type.  

  Using a software program on my HP, I created a four line document . . . “It’s a Riebe Thing 2022.”  I used a variety of thread colors as I would load one after another on the embroidery module.  Each one took 29 minutes running at a slow speed.  Before the Covid hit, I had done 80 towels for Megan’s skate club.  The amount of time and energy for this stitching was literally relative. 

  When this project is finished, there needs to be some serious vacuuming.  Ideally the stabilizer on the back of the towels would come off in one piece. Bit and pieces is the end game.  

  When Carrie and Megan came for a visit in the early part of the month, there was a third tag along.  It was a crocheted angel that was hanging onto as much dignity as she could muster.  Over decades it is difficult for storage and what had been starched crochet cotton thread becomes limp.  Who knew that when I had crocheted her under Ester Schafer’s guiding hand that she would have endured all these decades.  Her frock now looks good and her wings are going to be flying proudly.  I couldn’t do anything about the scant yellowing during her lifetime. 

  Today finishes up two items that have been in the studio long enough.  I have no idea what will be next.

  I can share that I wish I had remembered the towels that are similar to Chamois when we were in the thick of window cleaning. They took off the window smears in a heart beat.  They can be laundered as long as softener is not added in the rinse cycle.  I will keep them handy for mirrors and such.

  I have had a great day and my furnace appreciates the warm temps as much as the gas meter does.

   
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  Noreen 3:14 pm on December 12, 2021 Permalink  

  Thawing 

  With temps in the mid thirties, the thawing is commencing.

  I stayed busy in the studio today.  The radio has Christmas music on nonstop for the afternoon. 

  Dennis came down for a visit, but soon decided he needed to move some snow off of the patios.  The three patio porch kitties watched in anticipation.  I am sure when some bare concrete shows, they will be venturing out.  Being cooped up for several days makes for a whole lot of meowing.

  A rerun of a pasta meal is on tap for supper.  

  I must say that with the sun streaming in, I might take a swipe at some nasty streaks on two west windows.  I ran across some cloths in the bottom of the towel drawer that are so similar to chamoe cloths.  Time will tell.