Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2018 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 5:27 pm on October 26, 2018 Permalink  

  Yesterday afternoon as I was walking in the door, Dennis almost didn’t let me get my jacket off. He had a letter in his hand and his look was serious. It was from Minnesota Revenue. Yup . . . those letters are usually serious. We were being notified that we had not filed a 2015 Minnesota Income Tax return. Ya right! As someone, while I had been working, could have had their Minnesota Assessor’s License revoke for such a non-action, there is no way I would allow such a misstep as this to happen to Dennis and me. I assured Dennis I would get on it in the morning.

  This morning I helped Dennis get packed up for a gun show at Mitchell, South Dakota. After the exhaust fumes had left the driveway, I headed for the paper trail of our tax returns. With the 2015 tax info on the dining room table, I went online to see what my options were. I settled on several telephone numbers. It was a good thing I had plenty of breakfast coffee left as I was on hold for some time.

  I answered quite a few questions before we got to the nitty-gritty. There was an exact time dollar amount showing up in our records that is pending with no tax return attached to it. I also had a printed out copy of a computer generated “Pay MN Tax” receipt of the amount needed. It had the last four numbers of the credit card on it as well as the date, March 21, 2016, which would have been the date I electronically filled our returns. Monday morning I will mail copies of all of our info and see what shakes out. In between time, in the mean time, I called our credit card and got a rep on the phone. Our credit card has switched from a Visa to a MasterCard since that time. For the whopping amount of $5.00 I will receive a copy of the credit card statement for that time frame. Time will tell what shakes out. If in fact the amount was charged on the credit card at that time, it will work to our benefit if they want to add on a late charge.

  Ya know . . . I wonder how some of our fellow senior citizens work through issues such as these. As luck would have it, 40 plus years of working with records and numbers has taught me to take fairly good care of our business. What would have been perfect is if I had saved in a folder the emails that are sent out after electronically filling that stated something to the effect that “Your Minnesota Tax Return for 2015 has been successfully been accepted.” You can be sure that next year I will have it nailed down. Ironically it takes about three years before situations that happened in the world of income tax in 2015 to hit the fan. I did not know that. I will also make sure to keep better notes on the copies of future income tax returns. Will I be hearing from the federal . . . I am not going to sweat it. Time will tell.

   
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  Noreen 5:32 pm on October 25, 2018 Permalink  

  Today I left the comfort of Stauffer Avenue and tripped over to Mankato to meet with a group of gals that have similar interests to mine . . . sewing and stitching. A fun group to share ideas, hopes, failures and current projects that are under the needle.

  On the way home I stopped in Madelia as I had heard that a quilt shop had opened in what had been the Dystee’s Gas Station. The hospital acquired a new doctor from out of state and Mrs. Doctor has always wanted to have a quilt shop. What an endeavor to take on. There have been several quilt shops that have closed in the area and there is one in Bird Island that is for sale. I wished Susan much success and assured her when I had used up a bit more of my stashes I would return.

  As I left Madelia, the rain began and I was thankful that the grass seed would get some of the real deal and not just from the end of my garden hose. Checking in with Dennis when I returned home, he had checked off all the items he had had on his list. He was able to take his Cub Lo-boy and mulch a lot of the leaves before the rain had begun. A good day all around.

   
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  Noreen 4:48 pm on October 24, 2018 Permalink  

  Today felt like a day much like the farming days. Fall is here and it was time to check the canning cellar to see what is ready for the winter season and what is needed to fill some empty spots. No . . . my canning days are long over. I do enjoy having grocery items in the cabinets of the cistern closet. Running to the grocery store every several days . . . I am not cut from that cloth. Dennis totally agrees with having enough on hand to make a good meal.

  In time we will be filling in the empty spots of items we use all the time. We are not fussy eaters. It does not take a lot of prep time for a meal here on Stauffer Avenue.

  The item that we don’t have on board is a freezer. What we have above the refrigerator seems to serve us well. Chicken seems to be Dennis’ favorite. I have a freezer baggie full of Bisquick that has flavorings of turmeric, cinnamon, salt, pepper and a smidge of Cyanine pepper. Shaking the chicken tenders in the mix and giving them a few turns in a fry pan seems to be Dennis’ go to meal. I have tried fixing them in the oven and he was not in like with that technique.

  As Megan and I had visited the Odin Craft Mill while she was here, there is a bit more of the specialty items on the kitchen counter. No doubt Carrie’s kitchen counter resembles Stauffer Avenue’s as Megan took a few items home to share with Nicholas and her mom and dad. Not necessarily healthy but definitely a treat for the taste buds. I do think about doing baking . . . and then I don’t do it. Perhaps wintery days may spur that desire. We will take a step back to decide.

   
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  Noreen 4:54 pm on October 22, 2018 Permalink  

  Monday, Monday! A boost in temps with the sun so why oh why do I ache from toe to head! It was a good thing Dennis was willing to settle for a fried egg sandwich for noon and a skillet of leftovers for supper. Well . . . it may be that the ole Grammie is just not as agile and spry as I believe I am as I hustled through a fantastic weekend with Megan. Even when Megan first became a chatting toddler and play was to take place on the floor . . . “Come on Grammie, you can do it!” Sure enough I did then and sure enough I did keep up with her this weekend. Aches? Wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Dennis was off for coffee with the 80 plus gang this afternoon at one of the apartment complexes. It’s good for him to mix it up as often as possible with those who he has known for his entire adult life He does mention that the gang does keep on getting smaller. Tuesdays there is a group that gets together at McDonald’s. Dennis is on the move. Priceless.

   
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  Noreen 3:24 pm on October 19, 2018 Permalink  

  October 19th and it is Christmas here on Stauffer Avenue . . . this whole weekend. Megan has decided to spend her MEA weekend with Grandpa and Grammie. “The goods” arrived at three this afternoon. Megan came with fabric and plans. The plan for supper is the Home Town Café. Who knows what this weekend will entail! Needless to say the older ones on Stauffer are happy beyond belief. As we were making our plans, out of Megan’s mouth, “Remember the sign we made a long time ago? What happens at Grammie’s house, stays at Grammie’s house.” That pretty much still goes!

   
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  Noreen 5:46 pm on October 18, 2018 Permalink  

  When I got up this morning and looked out the bathroom window to see Dennis pulling up our little utility trailer to the car garage I knew there was not going to be a slow start to the day. Get dressed Grammie; grab a cup of coffee and met him head on.

  Dennis already had all the patio chairs lined up on the south side of the garage waiting for me to decide how and where to store them in the potting shed. The small little trailer needed all four tires aired up so that gave me a bit of time to catch up to him. There was a bit of tidying up in the potting shed and when I turned around, there was Dennis with the umbrella stand and the wooden round patio table on the trailer. He left it for me to unload and he soon came back with the umbrella. I must say, before I had the sleep rubbed out of my eyes that phase of Dennis’ schedule had been completed.

  I had to find my gloves as it was going to be my job to pull out the garden hose along Stauffer Avenue to the total extent as to drain all the water out of it before it was reeled up and stored for the winter. I kid you not there was almost 260′ to be pulled to the east. When I walked back Dennis was sitting in a chair next to the hose caddy ready to start rolling it in. The only problem was that it was too heavy to roll up on his own, I needed to haul back lengths of hose so it could be rolled up correctly. Seriously!

  People always told me I would notice a difference in Dennis after the carotids were stripped. I will say that after the second one was stripped in Feb., I did not see any improvement. About the early part of June, Dennis began perking up. Here we are in mid October and it’s a good thing Kevin has most of the backyard tilled up as grass wouldn’t stand a chance under Dennis’ feet if there were some.

  About this time of the morning I called for a coffee break. Snuggles had just jumped on my lab for a long sit when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the car being taken out of the garage. Next came the pickup. I must have missed something. The next item on Dennis’ agenda was sweeping and or blowing out the garage floors. There was much to move out so corners could be hit. Hell’s Bells! If those floors have been cleaned we might as well clear out the patio porch and get that floor vacuumed. Dennis shook rugs and aired out kitty baskets and sure enough, the patio porch is clean and tidy.

  The only thing I had had on my agenda today was to wash the bathroom windows as they need to be done from the outside. I eventfully got them done after Dennis left to have coffee with his nephew Brett. Thank God, he had left before finding more to get into for the day. As I have mentioned, Dennis is back going full steam. It is welcoming and wonderful. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about this day. It was heart breaking prior to the carotid surgeries when all that Dennis welcomed was sleep.

   
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  Noreen 5:20 pm on October 17, 2018 Permalink  

  My aunt in Arizona called and requested a quilt pattern. The search was on here at Stauffer Avenue. The sewing studio is much easier to search through since it was organized last October. There are only so many file cabinets to look through. Since last October there have been few surprises that I have run into. Shucky darn!

  Today I found a surprise. A file folder that was filed with lots of photos over the last 18 years. Many photos that had been with me when I worked at the courthouse. So much for looking for a meager quilt pattern. Dennis and I spent quite a bit of time checking out how tiny Megan and Nicholas were in some of the photos. Dennis had forgotten that at one time he wore mutton chops. I didn’t know there was another way of saying mustache. Needless to say we had a great afternoon in the sewing studio.

  Tomorrow Dennis has our day planned. The patio umbrella and all such patio items need to be in the potting shed before supper. We think we have a lot of fall left but that is only IF we have a fall. Dennis has been going from garage to garage always finding something to tweak. Dennis remembered what Kevin had sent along as far as what his convertible needed in regard to anti-freeze. Indeed this ole cowboy is on the move. Exactly one year ago he was in the intensive care portion of the hospital recovering from his first carotid artery surgery. What a difference a year makes. Special!

   
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  Noreen 5:23 pm on October 15, 2018 Permalink  

  It was pretty much a non-event day. A trip to the eye doctor and of course the eyesight takes a hit from the drops. I did putter around in the sewing studio. I had a load of flour sack towels from Mills Fleet Farm to wash up. Taking out the sizing from the manufacturer is always the first step towards stitching with them. Tomorrow will be a new day to decide what will be shaking out.

   
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  Noreen 5:54 pm on October 13, 2018 Permalink  

  If one stood in a sheltered area where the sunshine would hit, it felt wonderful this afternoon.

  We had visitors from the far north country today. The entire family of Dennis’ daughter, Susie, her husband and their daughter Taylor came calling. Granddaughter Erin and her husband Paul have three girls. I think the tiny town of Silver Bay on the north shore of Lake Superior was quite empty today. Grandson Ryan and his daughter live here in St. James and joined in. Daughter Sandy drove over from Mankato so she didn’t get left out. With Dennis and me it was a group of 13. Lots of visiting, lots of giggling. Lots of sad faces.

  The four great granddaughters have always beat feet for the backyard to enjoy the swing and running off a lot of pent of energy from the long ride. The strict instructions were given in the best of terms that the concrete patio was as far as they could venture. With three inches of rain this last week over the newly tilled backyard, it would have been a situation of kids being muddy right up to the tops of their shoes. We assured the girls that next spring the yard would be ready to play in. Five year old Josie had to be content collecting leaves off of the concrete . . . and there was no shortage there.

  Lots of hugs and goodbyes until a plan can be made towards Thanksgiving. Dennis didn’t miss a beat. He was in the mode of getting the horse tank set up in the Lincoln car garage. The hope is for Indian Summer, but he feels the need to get prepared. No one likes to have all of what is necessary to come crashing down at one time.

   
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  Noreen 5:11 pm on October 12, 2018 Permalink  

  When the sun shines I feel just like the calves that we had when Orlin and I farmed. On a good day we would let them out of the pens and into the pasture and they would run; kick up their heels and frolic. Well . . . to tell the truth, my frolicking days are more like stepping out of the house via the back door with a cup of hot steaming coffee and just suck in the sunshine and fresh air. In my mind I am kicking up my heels and running through our acre.

  Our minds can get us trough a tremendous amount. Dennis and I often comment to each other . . . and sometimes we are commenting to ourselves that all in all, even in some bumpy days we can find the positive in it. My finger dexterity gets me bending over for some good aerobic exercise as I may drop more than I can hang onto.

  Positive thinking turns into finding ways of Dennis and me getting most of our work done on our own. We grunt. We groan. We take a lot of breaks. Each evening one of us asks of the other “What are we going to do tomorrow?” Nothing comes to mind. Invariably, the new day brings activity to the forefront. Dennis enjoys going to one of the apartment complexes to have coffee with life long acquaintances once or twice a week. A comment that Dennis has made there has come back to me: “Anyone that says they don’t have anything to do and they are bored should come and visit with my wife. She will find something to do on a dime.” Silly ole cowboy.

  The sun is setting and I am enjoying a cold cup of breakfast coffee. My frolicking for the day is done. It was a day like many: it was a great day and we managed to get some local effort worked into the day and will be ready for another one tomorrow: God willing.