I am a retired 44-year veteran of the Real Estate Assessment field. As with real estate assessing and how it applies to real estate taxes, one can make many acquaintances, but not many real friends. It was a great career choice.
It has been nearly 10 years since I reclaimed my home and my real passions within my home. I enjoy it more each day and tip my hat to those who I left behind.
Each day I try to stretch myself with the use of my computer as it relates to this site and using it to print out labels for quilts for trying to incorporate photos into my sewing. Life is so full and I know that I have room for more.
The kids plus two fur-babies were home for a late Thanksgiving and it was sweet and fantastic. Dennis and I washed dishes and enjoyed the whole troop laughing and enjoying each other. Very special when everyone can make it. Forest Gump said it best . . . “That’s all I have to say about that.”
Yippee! A truly red letter day. After three months and twelve days, I am at 20/20 vision. I had not thought it would take this long. Listening to what medical experts advise is the best route to take. The prescription is not as strong as previous. It just plain feels wonderful to have these sitting on my nose. What a blessing. May I never have other vision problems. May I never forget what a blessing 20/20 is.
The other portion of this red letter day is literal. After visiting with the stitch group yesterday, I felt encouraged with the red velvet that is left from the SantaVS restoration. I went online and watched some YouTube in regard to embossing on velvet using the wooden stamps that have rubber on the back of them that I used in creating greeting cards. Scary, but worth a try. Heating the iron, putting the stamp under the right side of the velvet, giving a light spray of water on the back side of the velvet and press! I believe checking out Hobby Lobby for a stamp that was not quite as dense as what I had on hand would work better. At least I know the embossing would work as an option.
I had two embroidery designs for Christmas that came with the sewing machine that I tried on the red velvet. I felt white would really pop. It was a guess as to what stabilizer would work on the back of the fabric. The best part was that no stabilizer needed to be used on top of the velvet. The stitches stay on top looking crisp. Dennis liked the Christmas tree better than the snowflake. I had to agree. Seeking and searching as to what is on some of my flash drives will be interesting.
I can see . . . oh yes . . . as of today I can see . . . either of these techniques on red velvet scarves and or red velvet pillows, red velvet table runners . . . with a bit more thought . . . who knows! Using the velvet would give a very good feeling.
It is loaded hamburgers with raw onions for supper. The suggestion got a good nod from Dennis.
Amazing how much the snow has shrunk down with no sun to help it. 40 degrees still has power, but man oh man it is dreary out.
With no definite agenda for the day, I have managed to keep busy. There was a certain mail slot that was annoying me. The interior magnetic flap had fallen off in the past. I couldn’t do the brown duct tape any longer. Amazing how tackling one annoyance makes the spirits rise. Laundry is done, fresh bedding is on and I am winding down.
It is an oven meal for us this evening. Chopped and cubed leftover pork roast out of the freezer made a handsome pasta for supper.
Carrie sent home multiple Trump signs with Dennis yesterday. This afternoon he is spreading and sharing the joy. Gotta love that guy. He is either making friends this afternoon or his usual coffee spot will be off limits to him.
When I looked at the temps before I went walking this morning, I was a bit taken aback when it said the air chill felt like 18 degrees. I suited up and headed out. Dressed warmly, I didn’t mind the brisk air. I always take my phone along in the jacket pocket. Being safe is what being 75 is all about.
Dennis couldn’t resist one more swipe at the leaves. The Hackberry had a blanket of pretty green leaves on the east end of the acre that had chosen overnight to fall . . . no more! I must say, the yard is ready for the next blanket of covering. I knew Dennis would put the battery of the Cub-Lo-Boy into the garage for winter’s keeping. At that point, I knew . . . Dennis would be calling it quits for being the summer and fall grounds keeper on Stauffer Avenue. God willing there will be a break before the snowblower has to be brought out.
Dennis filled the gas tank on the Cub before taking it to the back garage. I stood by and watched. It’s what I do. As Dennis lifted the five gallon gasoline container to the hood of the tractor, there was a dribble that hit the hood of the tractor consistently. With the weight being what it was, Dennis was leaning onto the hood of the tractor. I waited until Dennis was finished and then asked for the nylon down-filled jacket as I offered him a trade. I could just imagine Dennis lighting a cigarette, not realizing how soaked the jacket had become with gas. Yup . . . Grammie’s ever watchful of the ole cowboy. I took the jacket into the laundry and sprayed with with Shout and then into the washing machine it went.
Mother Nature means business, but so do I. There are plenty of things that can go happen-stance without pushing Lady Luck.
Dennis and I took all the empty gas cans up to the corner station to fill them. Dennis added some Sta-bil into each of the three containers. We are set for a time when the snowblower needs to be started. The electric power cord to start the snowblower is right where it needs to be for ease of using.
I do believe the older ones on Stauffer Avenue can breathe easy for a day or two. I am not betting that Dennis won’t come up with something . . . he has been on quite a roll. Me . . . I’ll always have something going in the sewing studio.
Well . . . not quite the outcome I had anticipated in regard to my eye appointment. It seems that there is still more healing going on from the cataract surgery of October 7th. That is not unusual. The pressure behind the eye had been 39 on the 8th of October. Today that pressure is at 27. Ideally 20-21 will be the indicator that I am ready for new eyeglass lenses. I have waited this long, another two weeks . . . I can do. Let’s do this right!
Kevin and Kersten had brought over a magnifier some time ago. It has been one of my best helpers for seeing things and keeping things in perspective. The computer screen is a no-brainer as I can easily increase the screen appearance. Seeing the amount due on a bill . . . that needs my helper. It will be in service just a bit longer.
The wind roared last night to no end. I believe the end of the wind is forecast to be supper time this evening. Anything not nailed down has been rearranged. I don’t do raking of the leaves, but I know after a bit Dennis will be using the rider to do some mulching.
Dennis has prepared supper for this evening. A chicken pasta hotdish always fills the bill. Rotisserie cubed chicken, Penne pasta, cream cheese, Alfredo sauce and a package of frozen mixed vegetable that has been diced . . . perfect. The best part is that he does his dishes up after the prep is done. We love oven meals.
We got home at noon today from the Madelia hospital. Cataract surgery is behind me.
Today I put on my walking shoes to head out for a walk on Stauffer Avenue. I got all of 100′ and then I hobbled back home to await my physical therapy appointment that was at one this afternoon. Was I disappointed? No. I know my body . . . I know my body oh . . so . . well. These tendons and muscles in my right hip have pulled this crap before. It builds so gradually and then wham! It takes time to work through their stubbornness. Their stubbornness is buried keep in the chubby cheek. I am not going anywhere and I know Mike T. will stick this out until all those hard marbles that are tucked into the depth of the hip are dissolved.
Staying busy is the best medicine for me. No point to whine and complain for what cannot be hurried. I often think of my grandmothers . . . both suffered with degenerative arthritis. There was no such thing as physical therapy to offer help. Martha and Laura suffered from one day to the next while still maintaining a stiff upper lip. Look at me Grandmas! . . . my lip is stiff. I will get through this before the snow flies.
Speaking of snow. Montana was in a blizzard warning for the next day or so. Did that ring a bell in Dennis? His snowblower was out in the driveway today getting tuned up for the upcoming season. Knowing we have the long green line right next to us is reassuring. Randy does a great job. I on the other hand am going to learn to put my nose prints on the windows and watch. Dennis threatened to hide my shoes at the first sight of the snowflakes. I believe I have learned my lesson and will be a non-participant. Gosh it’s difficult to get something into a part of my brain. That portion should have a neon flashing light . . . “Thous shalt not.” Maybe, just maybe, we will have a light winter. We can dream, can’t we?
I like this time of year. Ya, ya, I realize what comes next but for this day and the ones previously that we have had, I like it . . . I like it a lot.
With the temps and dew point as they have been it takes me back to the Boon Lake farm when Carrie and Kevin were wee ones. Oh how I cherish those memories. I would most likely be digging potatoes at this time of the year, while the kids played in the grass alongside the garden. We had a huge garden at that.
In the basement of the farmhouse was a separate closet just right for hanging carrots and onions up by the stems. We didn’t wash off the potatoes, carrots or onions as they kept better and longer. It was a tight fit as there was a crock of sauerkraut biding its time as to when we could cold pack it. A smaller crock had the rendered lard in it from the most recent hog butchering. The lard stayed cool and a small container would be brought up to the kitchen as needed.
The fruit jars on the shelf held fruit sauces of various flavors and jams and jellies. Oh I remember the backache I had gotten one year from peeling pears for sauce canning. It took me right into Hector to the chiropractor. It did give a lot of satisfaction after the fact. Elvera didn’t peel her pears . . . the core was taken out and in the jars they went. Not the style that Lena taught. The only thing that stopped the filling of the larder was when I ran out of fruit jars.
We had splurged on two Sears chest freezer that were in the same basement closet as the furnace. Orlin worked at 3M in Hutchinson and had bought one of their electric sealers. There were various sizes of the plastic bags and with little work, the bags were filled with goodies and the air within the bag was minimal. There were containers of strawberries and raspberries alongside plastic bags of peeled and sliced apples waiting to be made into apple crisp, sauce or pies. Saving the cardboard container of a pound of butter all year long was the perfect fit for a plastic bag filled to the brim with the sweetened frozen berries to stack up neatly in the freezer. When I had extra time, I would make up apple pies and freeze them, ready for the oven when one was needed.
Right alongside of the garden items in the freezers was the butchered chickens, ducks, a few turkeys and of course the packages of beef and pork in a variety of cuts.
Hmm.
It was not an easy life, but it was my life and I was meant to be a good farm wife and a good farm mother. Carrie and Kevin were always just at the end of my elbow, either pitching in or pitching a fit that one was doing what the other wanted to do. I will say that Carrie was good at cleaning the chicken gizzards among so many other gopher jobs. Both kids put on many miles fetching things for me when we were in the full thrust of the fall work of cleaning out the garden.
Hmm.
As I have said many times . . . me, myself and memories . . . it never gets old.
Today was open house for Dennis and me. Family members who had traveled to St. James for Dennis’ sister’s funeral departed for home. Though June had lived in Alexandria for many years, her roots were here in St. James and the family returned her here for the burial. What was very much appreciated is all those who had come in on Friday and Saturday did stop in to have a few minutes with Dennis in our home today. There wasn’t much of a change for one on one prior. God willing there will be a family reunion before another family funeral.
We enjoyed Sunday company from Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona, and Silver Bay and Mora, Mn. Many more had gotten together last night up town at one of the fraternal organization’s club for visiting. Dennis and I had spent the evening at home together doing a recap of different individuals we had each spent time with visiting during the social luncheon.
Tomorrow is Labor Day and these ole timers will be having a quiet two-some day right here on Stauffer Avenue. Open house doors will be closed tomorrow until another day.
That was a phrase from the old time song “The Old Gray Mare.” I do believe I qualify for that this evening.
Dennis realized he was 500 miles over his oil change in the little red pickup with Jiffy Lube in Mankato. That was a first. That attests to the fact that Dennis has been busy this summer with his Cub Lo Boy. When we checked in at Jiffy Lube, the computer records indicated that the last time we had the automatic transmission taken care of was in 2015. We got it all taken care of as that little red pickup is going to be a part of Stauffer Avenue for a long time.
Our next stop was for pedicures. Since Dennis had to have a portion of one of his large toe nails removed after an ingrown situation, Dennis is on board to take care of the feet. We had to sit and wait for some time as their were clients ahead of us. Who cares! We each sat soaking our feet in warm water with the massage chair doing its thing. No, Dennis . . . we can’t have one similar to it for our home. The place was hopping today. They always ask what color we want for the nails. Nope . . . just naked nails. I am not a fan of the gel nails with the fancy designs painted on them.
It was decided that Dennis needed one more can of white paint for the tractor. The four wheels had always been white. Dennis spent a lot of energy on painting everything else and had been a point where he might have been burned out on the job. Not any more! he has been taping off the tires so he can paint the wheels so they look as bright and white as the rest of the tractor. I pulled the short straw in regard to going into Walmart for a can of Krylon gloss white primer and paint. I could understand his decision. Why leave it incomplete.
My stop of the day was JoAnn’s Fabric Shop. Whether I am working on a hand bag, t-shirt quilts or stitching out an embroidery design, I always pull out my Pellon Shape Flex 101 woven fusible interfacing. This week they had 76% off. I had picked up on the private Facebook group that I am in that wherever there was a Joann’s the interfaces and stabilizers were being scooped up. I also had the coupon for an additional 10% off at the checkout. Just like all the squirrels in our yards seeking Black Walnuts to bury for another day, I am prepared for my next projects.
Sam’ s Club was the last retail stop. Dennis filled up with gas as I did the aisles picking up what we needed the most. It was unbelievable that a pound of butter here in town was $4.65 cents. That was the store brand. Land O Lakes was $5.45 a pound. I use some for baking, some for toast . . . who doesn’t like butter! Sam’s Club butter is $3.00 a lb. No . . . I am not a chemist to pick apart the ingredients, I am trusting Sam’s to be legit in their products.
We ended up in Perkins for the meal of the day. We had started out early with each of us having a bottle of Boost for a high content of protein. I don’t do well running on fumes and I know Dennis needs more than meds in his system.
We are home and so glad of it. What a day. The tick list is empty. All that running around did tell me, I ain’t what I used to be for power shopping.