Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from June, 2024 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:01 pm on June 4, 2024 Permalink  

  Gray Skies 

  With fairly strong winds you would think the gray skies would be blown away . . . not.  It looks like rain.  The winds are bringing the cotton tree’s fluff down.  They make a mess on window screens and also air filters on the lawn mowers.

  I went in for my 24 hour check up with Dr. Steve Pitcher.  He was very happy with how the bottom gum looked and surprised my speech was so clear.  When he did the litmus test on the bite:  first the right side, then the left, and once in the middle. He said he would see me next Monday.  When the swelling goes down, things can be different.  He did say my black and blue chin may become a darker bruise yet.  I paid my bill and got the discount for it.  Sweet.  No bill coming in the mail.

  July 1st, Steve and Kris will have their daughter Morgen join the dentistry family team.  She will be moving here from Salt Lake where she attended college.  Wonderful to know that our community will continue with great medical professional caregivers.

  I made Dennis a hot meatloaf sandwich for noon.  I got a piece of butter bread down.  For breakfast I had had an individual cup of apple sauce.  Both tasted good.  After lunch I sat in my rocking chair and dosed off.  Not my usual thing to do, but I can’t say it felt bad.

  I am working on a counted cross stitch.  Monogamous white on mottled blue.  I have three items that I can switch off and on to.  Having a book going is also a good thing.

  I think soon Dennis will let me get on the zero-turn to help.  I would welcome it.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:54 pm on May 29, 2024 Permalink  

  Wednesday 

  —-And a wonderful balmy Wednesday it is.  Low 70s seem to be the perfect temps for mowing yards.  Dennis waited until after twelve as the grass had had a lot of dew.

  Dennis checked his eyelids for cracks this forenoon while I decided some cookies would be nice.  I had picked up a box of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix.  Hey . . . if it looks like a cookie and smells like a cookie and tastes like a cookie, I don’t care as long as I can handle the process of getting it from the powder form to the oven.  I have saved the dastardly aluminum cake pan to use with baking paper.  The one tray could have used a few less for baking, but all went well.

  It is now the afternoon.  My dishes have been washed, a load of laundry has been washed and dried . . . and how sweet that I have one last cup of breakfast coffee to enjoy.

  After three lots have been mowed, complete with a water break, Dennis is on to the far southeast acre, also known as the blue barn acre.

  The blackbirds are kicking the babies out of the nests.  What a commotion of noise as the babies are hunched up wondering what has happened to the food truck.

  Tomorrow afternoon we have an appointment with the Limb Lab in Mankato.  Dennis has prescriptions for new shoes every 8-12 months due to the fact that orthotics do wear down.  He is thinking that the next time, tie shoes might be better than Velcro as Velcro has a limit how snug the shoe can be adjusted.  Tie shoes do not know those same limits.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:47 pm on May 17, 2024 Permalink  

  Slipping Away 

  The merry month of May is slipping away from right under my fingers.

  With that being said, I can’t think of anything that should have gotten done here on the home front that didn’t.  The calendar is free of appointments until August . . . sweet.  Both vehicles have gas in them.  I may venture to our local grocer’s.  Dennis checks out the town every day.  Our pantry is not wanting for supplies.  With our quiet lifestyle, we are content.  Oh . . . it doesn’t hurt that Dennis’s garage porch has two televisions.  One for viewing with Samsung Plus and the other for the options from the Godahl tower.  My porch allows for me to have a 270 degree view of the neighborhood and street traffic.  Stitching and reading round out my options.

  The days for Dennis and me are planed one day at a time.  I have taken to sleeping until 7:30 each morning.  Dennis is up by 6:30.  All seems to work out fine.

  My mornings are for local effort within our home.  Dennis keeps a handle on the patio porch cats and vacuuming said porch.  He has also been cleaning in the far garage where the mowers and a few other miscellaneous items are parked.  Dennis can’t figure out why some of our age bracket have nothing to do.

  With my Pump-N-Go Roundup, I tackled whatever I could hit with one pump-up.  Tomorrow is another day.  Being the first use, it is heavy to manipulate the sprayer and my cane.  I know what needs its leaves dampened with a squirt of Roundup and what is a perennial.

  The temp has climbed to 86 with overcast.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:39 pm on May 16, 2024 Permalink  

  Birds 

  This spring the birds are happy to be around us.  We have had enough rain that the sump pump on the north side of our home provides the perfect pond for the birds to bathe in.  Last year was so terribly dry, the sump pump never ran . . . not once.

  By the way, that also speaks as to why the studio was so comfortable to be in the early part of 2023.

  We have a pair of Cardinals that flit among the lilacs.  The Blue Jays have not been plentiful.  The Thrush have nests in the evergreen on the northwest corner of our home.  Sitting very still on our front deck is rewarding for bird watching.  Mrs. Robin is busy feeding her babies in the nest built on the brackets of our awning on the west side of the house.  Neighbor Jan mentioned there is also a pair of Red Birds that she has noticed.  The sump pump pond welcomes them all.  I have noticed no one in the neighborhood has a Martin house up.

  My dad built some great Martin houses that looked more like a Martin hotel.  Martins were notorious for enjoying biting bugs as a snack.

  Some of the birds and maybe it is all of the birds, begin singing by 4:30 in the morning.  

  Don’t worry, sometime in each day the three porch kitties check out the watering hole as well.  Birds . . . beware.

  Dennis announced this noon he has spent more money these early months of 2024 on the gas for the mowers than all of last year.  The .32″ of rain from last night will keep the yards lush.

  The highway #4 going south out of St. James is detoured to Sherburn.  The traffic with side-dump trucks hauling fill begins past our home as early as the birds waking for the day.  Deadlines for that type of work gets crazy.  Prevailing wages for a MN Dot project is huge per hour.  For the truck drivers it gets to be a short night for rest.

  We are doing Jimmy Dean pre-cooked sausage patties and Bisquick pancakes for supper. 

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:12 pm on May 15, 2024 Permalink  

  Mowers 

  The hum of lawnmowers is more like a multi-directional roar.  Dennis did contribute to it.  I say nothing in regard to where or how often he mows.  I do know he needs to be busy and mowing is not confrontational with me.  Have at it.  I put in my stint with getting some weeds out of the flower bed.  I put them where Dennis mulched them with the Sear’s rider.

  Yesterday, a box was delivered to Dennis.  The return address was just Reliable Shipping.  As I was in the backyard, I don’t know if it was UPS or Fed-X.  The cardboard box was really dirty dusty.  It’s not unusual for those trucks to have their doors open and this time of year, there is dust everywhere.

  The contents of the box was from my aunt in Arizona.  One large heavy quilt, one lap quilt and one table runner.  I did know her kids were asking her to begin a dispersal of hundreds of such items.  When we went to visit her in 2015, she sent several table runners home with us and she then replicated those items to put back in her stash.  Hmm. 

  This morning, I knew the quilt needed to go out on the clothes line.  I can’t tell you what the scent was, but it wasn’t good.  I am hoping it was from the cardboard box.  The remaining two items went to the wash.  Dennis had to help me get the quilt on the clothes line and even Dennis said it was not good.  In the fresh air it was really noticeable.  For now, I can’t even tell you what size the quilt is.  I do know when Lorraine had the top pieced, she ordered the stitched quilting design for a long arm quilter to follow.  She told me that stitching design package cost her an additional $399.00 over the cost of the pattern with which to piece it.  

  I like my threads and fuzz but tend more to do the basics.  I can tell you why.  I want my quilts to be used and perhaps even be abused in the use of them.  My grandmother Laura used feed sack prints and I am still getting use out of that quilt. The quilts that I have pieced were used with fabrics of a much higher warp and weft count.  Please . . . use them.

  We are having chicken titties and the remainder of my potato salad dish that was left over from last night.

  As people are getting off from their work places, the grass doesn’t stand a chance.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:52 pm on May 14, 2024 Permalink  

  A Balmy Day 

  Me, my laptop, mouse, and telephone were at our friendly bank at 9:30.  Michelle was waiting to help.  I decided to take my equipment so I would have verification all was working before I left the bank.  A very good feeling.

  Dennis and Dwayne had coffee at McDonald’s this morning.  Without taking a break, he stuck his head in the door and said he was going to mow the yards.  So be it.

  I tackled a few more yellow blooms.  I couldn’t help but notice that where the rotted lilacs had been cut down several years ago, none of the new sucker sprouts from the roots were doing well.  The rest of the story came to light when neighbor Jan came out to visit across the white picket fence.  Hmm.  Early in the season when Dennis was setting up his propane brush burner, Jan said he totally did a number on the sucker sprouts and everything else along the picket fence line.  Here I thought it was some kind of shrub disease.  Ya, right!  I am thankful the fence didn’t melt.  Hey, I can’t keep my eyes on him all the time.  I do not plan on saying a word.  What’s the point!

  Several seasons ago, I shared some Fern Peony tubers with Jan.  This year she has three blooms.  I have two separate plants with blooms.  This last up and down winter didn’t do them any favors.  Gardeners win some and lose some.

  We are having the first batch of potato salad for 2024.  Plain butter bread goes well with that offering.  My recipe calls for equal amounts of potatoes, onions and chopped boiled eggs.  Not the usual, but we like it.

  From what I see through the screens of my bedroom porch windows . . . its going to be quite the season of wasps.  Jan has a wasp catcher hanging from her sheppard’s crook.  It will be interesting to see how that turns out.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:49 pm on May 13, 2024 Permalink  

  Monday the 13th 

  I am just about at the 4,000 post on this blog.  With the admin giving me usually a one-time command, all goes well.  I wanted to change my pass word with our bank.  How difficult could that be?  Well, well. I will be going into the bank tomorrow morning.  Having them send me a call on my cell for a passcode . . . it doesn’t ring.  I haven’t seen the girls in the bank for a long time.  

  After a trip to our grocer’s it was time to have a bite of lunch with Dennis.  He had had plans with friend Dwayne.  That didn’t pan out either.  This Monday . . . best to re-group.

  I went out and got quite a few huge dandelions dug out with my fork-tongued stabber.  One incredible sow thistle is no more.  Of course I plucked a few tips off of the cat-nip plants.  Before I came in, Harriet was passed out on top of some of it sleeping it off.  Tee hee.  The cats are not drawn to it unless it has been broken off and the scent begins to waft.  Too funny.

  I didn’t stay out long as I didn’t want my maiden voyage of this spring to be long enough that I would hurt later.  A few minutes each day will make progress.  My next escapade will require using several bushel baskets to cover the Hosta so  I can spray the area around it. There is a nasty plant that spreads like a hairnet.  With all the rain it is now in the bloom stage ready for the blooms to dry and spread their seed.  I was amazed how hard the dirt is in certain areas.

  Dennis and I had Mrs. Gerry’s spring pasta salad, a cold beef sandwich and chips and dip for a late lunch.  I am thinking of waving a magic wand as the supper hour rolls around.

  With that I take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:24 pm on May 10, 2024 Permalink  

  Stitching Right Along 

  By the time the words are done dribbling out of me, my Bernina will tell me there are no more stitches left in it for today.  Everything in the studio went without a hitch today.  Needing to fill a bobbin is no big deal.  I did take the time to fill five of them.  In between time, I have been placing threads back in the storage boxes.  I place them in sequential order so there are eight boxes with 30 spools each.  Inside each box is a slip of paper giving me the range from lowest to highest number.  Restocking the thread goes quite quickly.  I felt compelled to capture the colorful pot holders and mitts with the camera.  The repair stitching of mitts will be for another day.

  I thought I would have enough umph left today to sew up three of the four oven mitts with their faces having been stitched.  Not!  Where did the umph go?  When I lifted the Mr. Coffee this forenoon, the handle let loose.  The same thing happened to Dennis last month.  He was lucky in that the full pot landed and splashed in the sink and all over the counter.  My luck . . . the pot fell on the floor exploding hot coffee and glass everywhere.

  I shut down the sewing machine in the studio.  I needed to do a “clean-up on aisle one.” I used a loaded Swiffer to push everything to one pile.  With the dust pan and brush, coffee and glass went into the trash.  I used paper toweling to corral more of the same.  I took the dust pan and brush outside to make sure no glass slivers remained.  I needed a breather and got some fresh air.

  That is when I captured a bit of bliss from the back door.  The Star of David blooms don’t last long, but they are the sweetest part of the early spring.  You can’t kill them, as I have tried.  They self-pollinate at will.  Over time their greenery dries up and doesn’t leave a trail. 

  Back to the kitchen mess.  With the coffee having been mopped up and the floor dry.  I got out the little shop vac and with the smallest attachment that left no air between attachment and floor.  I covered every square inch of flooring in the kitchen, bathroom and living area.  The bathroom showed shards of glass, the living room not so much.  I wasn’t going to take a chance.

  After I post this blog, I will do the vacuuming again.  The bright spot of taking breaks was getting cards in the mail from the kids for Mother’s Day.  Sweet!  Sweet!  I will have a great Mother’s Day weekend as I know they will also.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:58 pm on April 21, 2024 Permalink  

  The Sun 

  The sun has heat.  The sun has the ability to promote yard work.

  Dennis was able to get on the zero-turn with no problems.  The two grab bars were worth the $200.00.  Our acre here around our homestead did need a mowing.  It came up in clumps here and there.  It will be able to take off with a more even growth.  The mowing was with a dirt storm that ensued.  First mowing of the season under the belt.  The blue barn acre for a time in the coming week.  

  We had purchased several pump up gallon sprayers at Harbor Freight.  One is labeled bugs and the other is labeled weeds.  This afternoon I may have sacrificed several Russian Sage perennials.  There was an infestation of Night Shade among the flowers.  That is such a nasty weed.  The roots crawl under the dirt like quack.  If need be, I might have to do some digging to get rid of it.

  Several times over the years we have talked about our flatware in the kitchen drawer.  The forks were always the main topic.  Spearing a well-cooked Brussels sprout would be out of the question.  No can do.  In between time this afternoon the flatware drawer has been cleaned out.  Sifting and sorting what will be kept and what will be no more.  In yesterday’s mail, a service for eight of Onida flatware came to our front deck.  When I ordered it, I chose the widest fork handles available.  We had such a mod-podge in that drawer.  I ordered the set of forks, knives and spoons.  The favorite serving pieces will be returning to the drawer with several of those extras being retired.  I have an emotional attachment to several serving old-time pieces.

  Sometimes we look at what we have for our daily living without actually seeing it.

  The new week is tomorrow and we have no appointments.  Sweet.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:03 pm on April 14, 2024 Permalink  

  Oh the Wind 

  The winds that we had in the winter have carried trough to the spring.  What moisture we gleaned with a bit of rain, will be sucked right of the soil.

  Dennis’ daughter and Tom drove out from Mankato.  Tom had stored his mustang in our back garage.  Dennis always takes batteries off of all things over the winter.  A trickle charger is used when its time for the use.  The mustang started right up and is going to a garage in Mankato for some fix-it items.

  Sandy took charge of the potting shed and our patio looks as though someone does live here.  The patio umbrella is in the stand and getting an airing out complete with a rock on its base when the winds are nasty . . . like today.

  Tomorrow, Monday, we take a trip to the north country to bring home the Cub-lo-Boy.  It has had a badly needed fix-it in Kevin’s garage in Fairfax.  The older ones on Stauffer are getting geared up for the summer season.  We take our jobs as caretakers on Stauffer Avenue very seriously.

  The little red pickup has the trailer hooked up for the trip tomorrow and of course he will be ready and waiting, sitting in the driver’s seat as I am pulling my pants on.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥