Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from November, 2013 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 5:41 am on November 16, 2013 Permalink  

  Needed Errands that Burn up the Highway 

  

  Megan and Nicholas with Grandpa Dennis and Grammie

  Dennis and I have had one busy week complete with supporting the petroleum companies as the Lincoln has headed east, north and south getting errands done while the weather has been accommodating.  With the completion of a quilting project it was the perfect time to get the  Model 1802 Kenmore sewing machine tuned up before the next batch of lint, fuzz and thread that would begin floating through the home.  Bird Island, MN is the home of Karen’s Quilt Shop.  In the back room Karen’s hubby Allen is a master at tuning up sewing machines.  We will be ready to wind up those bobbins and let the motor begin humming.

  That humming was put on hold as we made a trip to the Veteran’s Hospital in Minneapolis.  Did you feel the earth shake? Hubby Dennis voluntarily turned himself in for a hearing test.  Happy days!  Time will tell how this will turn out.  It was the first step of a few to address the problem.  A trip to Minneapolis is not complete without a stop to see daughter Carrie and grand kids Megan and Nicholas.  I never get tired of getting hugs.  Priceless.

  After getting a message on the phone from the Old Alley Quilt Shop Great Grandma Laura’s butterflies headed to the long arm quilter for Sharon to work her magic.  After 48 years the butterflies are going to be in their glory as a king sized quilt.  It is exciting to be able to honor all of Laura’s handiwork.  It was decided to quilt around the butterflies and allow them to be the centerpiece within each square.  I am excited to get the next phone call from Sharon.

  Dennis and I are very happy about the week’s endeavors and now we can begin pulling together ideas for the Christmas lists.  Ho-Ho-Ho!

   
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  Noreen 7:42 am on November 15, 2013 Permalink  

  Yet again – another great day on the highways. This weather is ideal to take care of items before the less than good road conditions. Tomorrow is a day to catch up here and at the home front.

   
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  Noreen 5:31 am on November 14, 2013 Permalink  

  Had a great road trip day. It must have been as it took almost a full tank of gas. Catch ya all later.

   
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  Noreen 5:45 am on November 12, 2013 Permalink  

  Bugger! Today was mending in my basement sewing and craft area. Winter jackets are not my favorite to shove under the presser foot. Two sewing machine needles later and sporting a Donald Duck band aid Dennis should be good for the season. As tough as my fingers are from hand quilting there just is nothing more painful that catching the tip of a stick pin – well actually quite a few stick pins. Catch ya later.

   
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  Noreen 4:48 am on November 7, 2013 Permalink  

  Sure enough – Give the weather man a blue… 

  Sure enough.  Give the weather man a blue ribbon.  We awoke to three inches of snow.  It was a beautiful site on the trees but not quite so attractive on the sidewalk and driveway.  It took Dennis and me about ten minutes and we had the fluffy top coat pushed off so the sun could work its magic on the layer that was more ice than snow.  Today was a day for errands in Mankato and the closer we got to the big city the snow was much less.  Sure enough, we came home from Mankato and the driveway was totally dried off.  I love stepping and walking on dry cement.  It’s official, winter is here on Stauffer Ave.  Whoop, whoop.

   
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  Noreen 4:29 am on November 3, 2013 Permalink  

  What a great sunny Sunday. Not much going on here on Stauffer. A little hand quilting, some light reading through old cook books and Dennis is working on a refinishing project. This is just the right kind of day for pizza for supper. Catch ya later.

   
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  Noreen 5:21 am on November 2, 2013 Permalink  

  Believe it or not – some people in Minnesota sleep under feather comforters that are encased in a giant flannel case much like a pillow case and that is the total winter fare. Feathers are fantastic insulators. One Minnesotan here on Stauffer likes flannel sheets and pillowcases that are topped with a quilt and then his feather comforter. The polar fleece two-layered tied blanket and a second quilt are lying at the foot of the bed – and at sometime not too far into the future they will all be on the bed. Dennis equates warmth with weight. Once the true cold weather hits and all of his backup blankets are in place, he may need help getting out from under them. Bless his heart.

   
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  Noreen 4:03 am on October 31, 2013 Permalink  

  A day to the big city of Mankato for Dennis to restock items for his ResMed sleep machine at the Mayo Clinic Store. He has been using it for his sleep apnea for six years without missing a night. It has made such a difference in his well being. I took advantage and raided the Sam’s Club to restock some pantry items. I do not hesitate to ask any ambulatory man to please help me with a heavy item such as the laundry detergent that needs to be lifted up and out of a box at a height higher than my shoulders.

  In the recent past I have begun putting items in my cart with the bar codes all facing upward. Graciously I ask the checkout gal to please allow me a pass of unloading it onto the conveyor belt. If I could wiggle my nose and have them float off of the shelf and go directly into my pantry I would be one happy gal. As much as I enjoy a plentiful pantry I don’t relish handling items any oftener than possible. We frequent our local grocery store often but my calculating brain will not allow me to not take advantage of the cost savings in purchasing some items by quantity or volume when the trip out of town needs to take place.

  Over a cup of coffee we decided to have the oil changed and the tires rotated as we would be in and out of Jiffy Lube in a heart beat. Over all we are feeling just like the squirrels at this time of the year: our readiness for the changing of the seasons is spot on while this was a lot of activity in one day for the older ones on Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 2:28 am on October 30, 2013 Permalink  

  Today I am promising myself that the outside work has got to come to an end. My arms and hands are pleading with me as I am waiting for an additional dose of aspirin to take hold. Yesterday was spent taking the leaves to the mower to be mulched. What a dusty cloud Dennis worked in. The Oak and Black Walnut trees did a great job of just letting go of the season by letting the leaves drop after several nights of freezing temps. Do the yards look great today with nothing more than bits of shredded leaves on them? Oh yes. Am I refraining from looking upward at the Silver Maple tree and all the golden yellow leaves? Oh yes! It has dropped a small fraction of what it is still holding on to.

  After the leaves were mulched we fertilized the lawns and I really don’t care if we work with the Maple leaves. They may stay right where they fall or where a strong wind will take them. I am saying enough is enough of the outside work. After healing up from the yard work I want to transition to my sewing and my hands need to cooperate.

   
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  Noreen 4:56 am on October 23, 2013 Permalink  

  I have no idea where this day went. Sleeping in may have had a bit of an impact. Dennis and I are faithful users of the pool at the Super 8 Motel, which is just a mater of a few blocks up the street. Twisting, bending and stretching has made a huge difference in us over the last three years of using this wonderful resource so close to home. Low impact workouts and if I loose my balance and fall I only stand to swallow a mouth full of water if I am caught off guard rather than breaking a bone. By the time we got back to the house right before noon Dennis was off on an errand for his nephew’s concrete business and I turned to getting laundry going. Oh yes, sometimes I still have a difficult time, even having been retired for three years, that I don’t need to be in high overdrive during my days. I like this lifestyle a lot. A whole bunch of “a lot.” Catch ya later.