Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from November, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 1:56 pm on November 5, 2023 Permalink  

  Time to Build 

  With all my scrappiness, it is time to begin building a quilt top.

  There are four different designs blocks to work with.  Blocks 1,2,3 needed sixteen each.  Block four is the end cap for the eight rows and thus is a half block to ensure staggering, to the right on row one and to the left on row two, etc.  

  I have no name for this soon to be quilt.  I saw it on one of the YouTube channels I have subscribed to.  When I reached out to her, she was gracious to send me information in an email.

  This has been a fun project.  When I come down into the studio and glance over at the array of blocks, it makes me smile.  All of the different sizes in each block with all the different prints is a testament of my passion for challenges.  It couldn’t be a testament if there were no tests and this project did test my concentration.

  More work is yet to come as each of the 56 bocks need to be trimmed for a consistent measurement of 8.25″.  That task will be for another day.

  Dennis has been doing his duty at raking up leaves and burning a small bit before raking up more.  Oak and Maple trees in the yard mean lots and lots of leaves that have fluttered and many more to come.

  I am kitchen bound after posting this to my blog.  I have one fairly large pork steak to prepare for supper.  By the time I am done seasoning it to build a great flavor and putting it into my blue speckled roaster to pop into the oven, Dennis won’t know if it is pork or beef.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:31 pm on October 29, 2023 Permalink  

  A Light Coat 

  We had a light coat and I don’t mean my coat hanging by the back door.

  There is a dusting of snow on the roof tops.  Our concrete around the house and drive is bare.  If the sun could have remained shinning through the clouds, the 35 degrees of this afternoon could have, would have and should have felt warm.

  Dennis continues to stay busy in the garages.  The far back garage is storage for his friend Dewayne’s Farmall tractor plus bucket, son-in-law’s Ford Mustang, grandson  AJ’s Harley, our two lawnmowers plus the Cub tractor.  The Cub is going to the Beckius repair shop north of town in the spring.  Dennis has an agreement with Charlie for the engine repair.  Charlie is kept busy in the winter season with seasonal repairs and the last of the farm equipment that comes in.

  Today, Dennis pulled all the batteries off of the above mentioned items, but not the Sears mower. Dennis will be mulching leaves before too long.  This last dip of temps in the 20s gave the leaves a good chance to flutter and man did they!

  The studio and I have been humming right along.  I have completed 32 of the 8.5″ blocks.  The most complex block was 16 in number, made up of eight pieces in various colors and sizes.  As I tidied up a bit of snippets, I realized I only need to cut 32 of 3.5″ of various colors.  Moving right along at a very causal pace.  I do iron seams as I finish them.  I did smile to myself, as my sister Elvera didn’t practice that in the art of her piecing . . . left to wonder why the end result was not up to par.  Bless her heart.

  Mid afternoon and the studio is being close down in exchange for some reading and catching a YouTube or two.

  Happy new week everyone.  Each day we have two choices: smile and have a cheerful heart or grump and make everyone around us turn grumpy as well.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:05 pm on October 22, 2023 Permalink  

  Harvest 

  The grain elevator is open on this a Sunday.  Every color of tractor possible is hauling in wagons of shell corn.  Not every farm works with their own semis.

  Dennis manned the weed whip and the plants right east along the foundation have been taken out.  I clipped off the spent lily stalks in the area going into the house.  With my handy pail, both sites were raked and added to the burn ring east of the garage.  Small steps toward what each day is leading to.

  When I went outside this afternoon, I went via the front door.  The bugs don’t get direct sun there and I could escape.  Ish!  I have never found what purpose they serve.  Taking my pail of greenery to the burning ring, I noticed a huge wasp’s nest on the south gable of the potting shed.  Ish!

  When I was outside, neighbor Jan and I visited over the picket fence.  She asked how things were going.  I made mention that the bucket list of the blue barn acre was empty for the year.  She remembered all the Kudzu vines hanging from the trees.  Dennis nipped all of them where they came out of the ground so that what went up in the trees has no food source . . . except one.  I just got a text from Jan explaining that her new battery chainsaw made short work of that last vine.  My, oh my!  I did indeed thank her.

  Some time was spent in the studio today, pairing up fabric prints to make 16 of the “Block 2” design.  With that cutting and pairing, the sewing of those blocks will go well.

  It is a tomato soup supper this evening.  Crackers, bread, butter and jam will round it out.  Vanilla ice cream could be the finish.  Dennis did comment that tomorrow might be grocery shopping.  With our summer and early fall having been busy getting our total homestead whipped into shape before cold weather, our pantry in the basement has never been so empty.

  We didn’t have a garden to harvest, but I know some great canned goods to have on hand.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:27 pm on October 21, 2023 Permalink  

  Blustery 

  The winds from the south are huge.  Hmm.  It just came to mind that t0dler Megan’s favorite word for a long time was huge.  She would really draw it out.  Sweet memories.

  This morning when I gazed out to the west, it looked as if I had a screen saver on the windows.  The leaves blowing from the north was a non-stop parade of golden yellow leaves of various shapes.

  One more item I wanted to accomplish before the forecast of cooler temps.  The pail of black paint needed to be opened one more time.  The threshold of our back door gets a beating every day.  A new coat of black paint was in order.  While I had the pail open and a brush dirty, I headed to the front on the house.  The new deck was built over our original concrete steps.  From the south looking north there was visible some badly chipped black paint.  Not any more.  My brush has been washed with the paint pail lid tapped down . . . I am done painting for the season.

  I will say that my escapade of using the zero-turn mower yesterday was satisfying, My legs are telling me that the dismount of the mower did not go smoothly.  Given a day or two, all will be well.  I showed Dennis what I had found on the internet for assists in getting off and on zero-turns.  There are two choices that seemed to be what is needed for the Grammie.  Oh . . . not one or the other.  Both on the mower seemed worthwhile.  Watching Dennis it would be a good thing for both of us.  One was mounted on the frame at the front tire to help in the dismount and the other was mounted on edge of the deck where where one would get onto the mower.  I am not pushing it as the mowing for this season is . . . for all practical purposes, done. 

  May the weekend give you time to regenerate for the upcoming week.  With that I take my leave. ♥

   
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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 2:48 pm on October 19, 2023 Permalink  

  Thursday the 19th 

  On this Thursday morning, Dennis headed to the VA for his INR check.

  As the little red pickup headed out, I went into the garage for our Harbor Freight lopper.  It was chilly but I was determined to get my work done before the bugs got warmed up.  It was time to cut down the Russian Sage.

  The bees had a great run of taking the best out of the blossoms.  As I began lopping, there was only one bee that protested my work.  The Russian Sage is a perennial and had even put out more plants from root suckers.  When Dennis came home from the clinic he lent a hand.  We used rakes and pushed the huge amount of foliage down the drive.  When there has been some drying time, it will find the burning ring.  It sure did smell good as we worked.

  Tomorrow is going to be fairly warm.  We still have the garden hose connected.  Where the Russian Sage had spilled over onto the drive, it has left a lot of debris of dirt that has blown in as well as spent blossoms.  I was thinking of squirting Dawn dishwashing liquid on that part of the drive tomorrow and hosing it off.  It might very well be the last of playing in the water.

  Noon found us both taking a break.  I decided to do a bit of reading while Dennis checked out his eyelids for cracks.

  By 1:30 I headed down into the studio.  Dennis wanted to wash off the slider doors of the patio porch.  Too cool for getting wet so he used Windex and his squeegee.

  I did use my rotary cutter, getting ready for a day when I would stitch.  I will admit that I didn’t get as much cut up as I had planned on.  My arms were feeling the lopper work.  Knowing when to hold it and to fold it is the key for good feelings and not discomfort.  At this point is when I find my Teak rocker with the last of the coffee to watch a YouTube video or two.

  The afternoon is getting late with full sunshine.  Boxelders and Asian beetles are basking on the south side of buildings.  Getting my project done in the early hours of the morning, was well worth it.  With that I take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:49 pm on October 14, 2023 Permalink  

  Never Before 

  Yesterday morning as I was checking on for my medical procedure, an experience happened that has never happened to me before at a reception desk.

  I was asked to sign a paper.  I picked up a pen at the counter and then actually looked at the paper.  At the top on the left hand side was my name, birth date, Mayo number and address.  On the right hand top was the amount this procedure would cost: $4,830.00.  Wow.

  The form went on and I had three options.  One option was for Mayo to turn the amount into our insurance, the second option was to agree to pay the amount in installments.  The third option was to cancel the procedure.  WTF!  Of course I checked the box for the first option.

  Was this form a sign of what is yet to come?  Would that amount change is the nurse accidently dropped the IV needle?  It reminded me of the chart at the Jiffy Lube in Mankato . . . a set price for each of the services you are seeking.

  Why can I continually be surprised as to what the world is coming to.

  I was again surprised when I went to the grocery store here in town this forenoon.  I had put all of my choices on the conveyor belt.  The very young gal had not even rung up a total when she assumed I would be carrying out the four plastic bags myself as she pushed them along.  I paid for my groceries.  The four bags remained on the end of her counter and I remained standing in front of her while there were people waiting to be rung up.  When she finally looked up at me with questioning eyes, I asked her to please find a carryout person for me.  Dah.

  Oh well, life remains to be sweet as I drove home.  It does cause a chuckle when purchasing groceries has become a social outing for me.

  The chit chat in the grocer’s was the talk of the rain we had being at close to five inches.  It came down slow enough to soak in to really make a difference.

  Dennis is not taking any chances of his two patio plants being hit by frost.  Both are now sitting in their individual sow pans in the patio porch.  The pans will catch whatever water soaks through the dirt too fast while watering.  In that event, they eventually do soak it all up.  Both plants have been around since before I retired, and that was in 2009.  He doles out a trim every once in awhile with a treat of Miracle Grow once in a while.

  Do you remember items that have never happened to you before?  Actually, they are bound to be more than can be counted.

   
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  Noreen 1:14 pm on October 10, 2023 Permalink  

  White Frost 

  It did get serious last night for it to have put white frost on the roof tops.

  This forenoon Dennis and I returned to the blue barn acre.  It was our intent to start some small fires around the area of the Kudzu laden tree of all the debris we had raked together yesterday.  I had quite a few empty paper towel rolls that Dennis stuffed with rags that were soaked in gas.   As the fires took air, I continued raking and cutting off sucker vines of the Kudzu.  All of these small vines will no longer get any nourishment from their roots.

  Neither one of us felt the cool air as we continued feeding the fires.  There was no wind to speak of.  Dennis took me home at noon and he went back to make sure the three piles would eventually be piles of ashes.  I do believe that we will need a chainsaw visit to cut off the large vine that has had way too much time to work its while.   My six inch rake and the Harbor Freight lopper are no match to deal with that beast.

  The two of us are settling in for the afternoon.  I did take out out a bag of vegetable beef soup for supper.

   
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  Noreen 1:53 pm on October 9, 2023 Permalink  

  A Bit at a Time 

  This forenoon, Dennis and I had an agreement.  

  We would each work under tree areas of the blue barn acre.  Dennis dropped me off at the northern area where a huge tree that had Kudzu vines too numerous to count hanging from on high.  All of the vines have been cut at the dirt level.  They will slowly die while hanging and swinging in the breeze.  Can you believe some of the vines are an inch or two in diameter.  If one were brave and to swing from the larger ones, there might be the sound of our very own Tarzan.

  This huge tree had the galvanized tin going all the way around it.  The tin is gone and with my six inch rake, I was making raked piles of leaves, dried branches and twigs around the base of the tree.  This spot will be a campfire later this fall.  As I raked, I had our Harbor Freight lopper to nip off all of the sucker vines that were entwined in the dirt around the tree, so my rake wouldn’t get caught in their web.  The tin had shored up dirt around the tree.  Talk about mellow dirt from decades of decaying leaves and such, making its own compost.  As I could rake dirt from the tree trunk, my shoes could easily sink into the soil by several inches.

  When Dennis had made his own campfire fire pile towards the south lot line, he came over and we both sat on the tailgate of the little red pickup for a break, enjoying some breakfast coffee that was still hot in his thermos cup.  We may only have worked on it for an hour or so, but we each had made some progress to come back and do another day, a bit at a time.

  Dennis and I enjoy working together.  Only the two of us can appreciate the gains that we have made since the actual blue barn came down.

  We are both off the clock for the remainder of the day.  Sweet.

   
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  Noreen 2:22 pm on October 7, 2023 Permalink  

  Thirty What? 

  It was 37 degrees this morning.  That ought to get everyone’s attention.  Us, not so much.

  We went on with our usual morning routines.

  When I heard Dennis come into the house at eleven, I thought it would be for more coffee.  By the time he had found his way to my bedroom porch where I had been stitching, I looked up.  I looked up and Dennis was in his shoes and shirt and jacket, but no pants.  Hmm.  I think I knew the rest of the story.  Dennis had been over at the blue barn acre and it was either sandburs or burdock that his pants were covered in and he had left them in the patio porch.

  Each day he tells me that if nothing more gets done at the acre, he will be happy.  Curry . . . put your money where your mouth is.  Too funny.  He knows doggone-well, the pants can get cleaned up, but not in the house and not by me.

  It has been cool enough that I decided to put an oven dish together.  Right now, my arms are taking a break.  My blue speckled round roaster is filled to level with goodies.  There are also two glass freezer dishes sitting to the side to be filled, sealed, and put into the freezer for another time.  The ingredients start with medium sized egg noodles cooking to tender.  Two cans of drained white chicken meat loosened with a fork to shredded status in my strainer and then into the roaster.  One can of cream of chicken soup over the chicken and mixed well.  One can of drained white corn and one can of drained green beans that have been chopped and into the roaster both items go.  The pasta is cooked and while it is still hot, two generous tablespoons of Better Than Bullion roasted chicken flavor stirred in.  Folding all the ingredients is a pull on the arms.  All that is left is a portion of a jar of Alfredo sauce poured over.  I always save a bit of the Alfredo, so I can pour some heavy cream into the jar and shake, shake.  More folding over and over and over with my wooden spoon.

  What will ensue is a hearty oven meal heated at 325 degrees for one hour, served about five thirty.  Two frozen dishes of the same into the freezer for another time.

  When I do some dishes, why not make it worth while.  I do spray my roaster and my two freezer dishes with Pam.  The freezer dishes do have snap on lids, but I always stretch over some cling free wrap before the covers go on which will easily be removed before they go into the oven after they have been thawed.  Some foil over the top saves the top from drying out as the oven makes magic.

  Hmm.  That has been my adventure for the afternoon . . . what has yours been?