Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:20 pm on October 20, 2023 Permalink  

  What a Day 

  This morning, I beat the bugs.  I had the garden hose unrolled with Dawn dishwater liquid ready to be applied.  The driveway as well as some of the cement going to the front door was caked with dirt, spent blossoms and layers of leaves that had nestled in.  By the time Dennis came home from his VA appointment I had finished.

  Yesterday when we had cut back the Russian sage, all the stalks were facing one way.  This morning with our huge rake, the trail to the burning ring began.  In no time the pile of Russian Sage was rolling over, each time the rake pulled it over.  Now there is this tight roll of foliage that is about five feet long at the burning ring.  A little drying time is needed.

  I have been hinting that I wanted to learn the operation of the zero-turn mower.  Today was the day.  Dennis ran over the particulars and I was on my own.  Dennis used the Craftsmen mower on our original lot’s grass.  I had the lot east of us that is a huge rectangle.  Hmm.  At the end of my run, I had really enjoyed it.  Both of us got home to the garage next to our home so Dennis could blow off the mowers and refuel them.  Here comes the huge “Hmm.”  I could not quite figure out how to get off of the mower.  Left leg and arm had no problem running the mower.  Left leg and arm did not have any strength to assist getting off the mower with nothing static enough for solid handling.  It took quite a while for this Grammie to do the final act.  Bummer.  At that point Dennis admitted he fell the first time he wanted to get off.

  It is now mid-afternoon and I have been on the internet.  Ah Ha!  There are manufactures that make an assist for getting off and on the zero-turn mowers. 

  When Dennis comes in for supper I will share what I have discovered.  I felt it was important to be able to use the equipment that we have to keep our property up to snuff if Dennis is not able, or . . . to help him out with our two acres.

  What a day.  With that I take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:07 pm on October 8, 2023 Permalink  

  Sunday the 8th of October 

  A quiet Sunday here on Stauffer Avenue.  No news is good news.  A new Monday coming and things may well change.  Catch you all tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 5:40 pm on August 11, 2023 Permalink  

  Long Day 

  A long day that included the pulmonary department, I will catch up tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 2:04 pm on August 2, 2023 Permalink  

  A Day that Goes Well 

  The older ones on Stauffer are each having a good day.

  With two half gallon sprayers mixed to do battle with the burdock, he was off.

  I stayed behind and spent time in the studio.  I have been away from stitching for some time.  As I was looking at stashes in conjunction with graph paper, I got a phone call from Gibbon.  On the 12th of this month, two t-shirt quilts will be leaving the studio.  Sweet.  I continued on with what will be a scrappy quilt of every color under imaginable.  All the cotton prints will be petite floral.  Once it is on paper, that is half the battle of making the 8″ finished blocks.  No seams to match in the way that I will lay them down.  I do know that it will be 7 blocks across and 8 blocks down with three different configured blocks to make up the top.  By using a half block on the left of the first row and then using the half block on the right of the second row, staggering down the 8 rows, that will illuminate seams that need lining up.  With my blocks being designed, I also will know how much of each piece of fabric to cut.  Not much waste is going to be had.

  I did snap a photo of my stitching.  Keeping the pamphlet close by for encouragement. I am pleased with the progress.  Yes, it is wrinkled.  As I work, the area under the needle is stretched taunt in a hoop.  Steam pressing is way too far in the future to worry about.  I am waiting for Amazon to deliver a new hoop to me.  The one I had been using was a 6″ x 6″ and needed to be held in my left hand as the right hand worked the needle in and out.  Though the left hand does not operate well, I could tell the pull all the way up to my left shoulder.  The one that is coming is 11″ x 11″.  I will be able to rest the top of it on my book rack and the bottom will sit on my lap, leaving the left hand be at rest.  It takes awhile to get everything on board for the best process.

  Dennis now has a pair of pants dedicated to the blue barn acre work.  Without realizing it, he had brushed against the weed that has little stickers that embed themselves into the fabric.  Dennis tried the shop vacuum and the 3M lint roller.  I will wash them by themselves and we have held the dedication ceremony.

  Dennis and I have each had a productive day with all things going well . . . keeping it reasonable.

   
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  Noreen 6:21 pm on July 17, 2023 Permalink  

  Monday 

  Way too much wonderful that was filled with today.  How can I be this weary after such a wonderful.  I am going to write it off as Grammie is tuckered.  I will catch up tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 2:13 pm on March 4, 2023 Permalink  

  Intermittent Sun 

  Can you imagine if the sun were to stay out full time!

  I can share with you that our oven meal from last night was good.  The chopped peperoni slices added a bit of zing to the chicken pasta dish.  It was a large enough dish that there is a container in the freezer for another time.  As it is, a repeat for this evening will be supper.

  We enjoy creamed cucumbers any time of the year.  I added a bag of English cucumbers the last time I was in the grocer’s.  They were on the small order and would make a perfect pairing with the oven meal.  Can’t have creamed cucumbers without a goodly amount of thinly sliced onions and lots of ground pepper.  I peeled and Dennis sliced.  Popped them into the refrig for tonight’s supper.

  First order of business was mending Dennis’ everyday jacket.  There was a tear just above the wrist area.  The wrist had elastic in it.  It was quite a struggle to get it wrangled onto the free arm of the sewing machine.  Once there I could only go foreword and back.  I am sure the patch will hold.  Then . . . the feather jacket was bound for the washing machine.  I didn’t dare wash it before patching as it would have been awful to loose a bunch of feathers.  The jacket is ever so light weight but very warm.  It did take me using the plunger to get the jacket soaked up in the washing machine.  By this evening, the jacket will be ready to wear.

  Today I decided to text grandson AJ in regard to his t-shirt quilt.  He has a king sized bed.  I needed 30 blocks at 16″ each, plus some sashing around the blocks to get it king size.  His shirts only gave me 19 t-shirt quilt blocks.  I wanted to clear it with him before I improvised by adding embroidered blocks.  Come to find out, he had some choice Harley t-shirt to wear when riding his bike and what I had were the shirts he was retiring.  Too funny!  I defiantly got the go ahead to improvise at will.

  At the time I bought my Bernina, I also bought a program that allowed me to create original designs.  The program is loaded on the HP that Kevin and Kersten bought me a few years ago.  I need to inquire if I can also have it loaded on the computer inn the studio as well or if it is one license for one computer.  It would save me going up and down the steps as I work on a design.  I believe I have it loaded on a flash drive ready for the sewing machine, but then I double check by plugging it into the sewing machine.  This morning I worked on putting “AJ” in an enlarged format for the 16″ quilt block.  As you enlarge the design it also adds stitches, keeping it appearing correctly.  It worked out great.

  The sun is out and it is streaming into the south studio windows.  It will make the 34 degrees feel as such.

   
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  Noreen 2:25 pm on February 22, 2023 Permalink  

  Off and On 

  With the snow being an off and on thing, it’s hard to tell where this storm is at.  The wet sticky snow has slowed the traffic down.  Dennis’ grandson stopped by with the skidloader and took out some snow.  When Ryan tipped the bucket over to empty it, he had to trip it several times to get the snow to fall out.

  The first floor needed some mundane tidy work.  By noon all had been accomplished.  There are days the studio has lost some appeal.  A good book in my bedroom porch won my attention.  There are options in the refrigerator for supper.  It is going to be a night of “everyone is on their own.” 

  The dressing of Dennis’ left foot is going swiftly compared to January.  If we continue following the doctor’s orders . . . that is all we can.  Patience can be hard to come by.  The Old Adam in all of us wants to be in control. 

  Esther Schafer, I can hear you as if you were sitting at my table; “If life doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.”  Her strong deep laugh never let anyone think they had a reason to bellyache.  Dennis doesn’t belly ache, he just pushes buttons.  Gotta give the fellow credit for trying.

   
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  Noreen 3:14 pm on December 18, 2022 Permalink  

  A Winter Sunday 

  The wind gusts have finally given up on themselves.

  Last night the deer were on the back patio by 4:30.  Dennis and Jan, next door, are putting out containers.  What I have also noticed is that a pair of Cardinals are also enj0ying the feast.  The male is not hard to pick out amongst the branches of the lilacs.  The Blue Jays are added to the mix along with many other smaller birds.

  This afternoon I found instrumental music on one of the Samsung channels.  It served me well while I did some tidy, tidy.  A bit of tidy each day counts up.

  The studio is playing second fiddle during this next week.  Its not to say I won’t be poking around once in awhile, but nothing akin to starting a new project.  Being quiet in spirit during this week is important to me.  It brings the peace that passes all understanding.

  The new week awaits.  There is nothing so important that it should cause stress.  Jesus is the reason for the season.

   
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  Noreen 1:51 pm on November 8, 2022 Permalink  

  Good Deed 

  Today after Dennis had his Tuesday’s group up town for coffee, we went and voted.  As well as nationally, there were some local races that we wanted input into.  Good deed was done.

  I had a fair amount of local effort to get done on the first floor of our home.  I am amazed at the amount of paper that the end of our dining room table can accumulate.  Each time a doctor appointment ends, they send you off with a printout of the prescriptions and after-care instructions.  By this time . . . I’ve got it down pat.

  Dennis helps out in the kitchen and with a light colored flooring, the coffee dribbles and a few others are the first to catch the dust off of the shoes as the dribbles are walked on.  This afternoon we are starting fresh. 

  This afternoon, I am making a kettle of chili.  It has been some time since we got the items and  cans of beans out.  I am trusting that I can still get the flavors correct.  What I do not have is an onion to sauté.

  I have decided on some fabric from my stashes to help making all the blocks the same size on Luella’s blanket.  Baby and toddler clothing is all quite light in color.  Down right blah.  I found the perfect addition for some of the blocks.  Looking at this fabric makes me smile.  Towards the end, there will be some pink, as that is Luella’s favorite color.  I did pick up on the pink in many of the items of clothing.

  I am on to the chili making and maybe there will be some time to decide on the thread . . . after I have given the sewing machine a lube job.

  We had a few sprinkles of rain allowing for a gloomy afternoon.  It’s not all bad, it could have been snow.

   
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  Noreen 4:16 pm on September 15, 2022 Permalink  

  A Day Like Non Other 

  I am home from the stitchers luncheon.  I am full of good feelings.  By the time I get caught up with Dennis, I will feel as if I need to put my feet up before bedtime.

  Catch ya all tomorrow.