Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from January, 2021 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 4:02 pm on January 5, 2021 Permalink  

  It Could go Either Way 

  Our weather may soon change.  Either rain, sleet or snow.  Very well, a little of it all.

  Today the Christmas tree storage box came out of the basement.   My 7′ pencil tree had served us well.  It now needed to be put away until Thanksgiving of 2021.  I am working towards making my days safer within our home.  The walkup attic is wonderful to visit from time to time.  It is not a good thing when heavy items need to be transported.  The steps are very steep.  Our basement incudes my sewing studio and we would be lost without it for extra utility.  It is not a good thing when heavy items need to be transported.  The steps are very steep.  

  Our main floor has one closet.  You got it!  The boxed Christmas tree was headed for the closet.  I don’t wear dresses except for rare occasions and one dress does it.  Our clothes are shirts, many of which are folded in that  7′ tall wooden cabinet.  There are very few pants that are on pant hangers.   The enclosed box holding the Christmas tree slid perfectly under the bar holding my shirts.  The tote holding the Christmas tree ornaments and the Nativity slid perfectly under the bar that holds Dennis’ clothes.  Each bar making a 90 degree union in the closet.  There will be no chance of harming my self in the next Christmas season.  

  Several Thanksgivings ago, Kevin put up shelves, two high, above the clothes bars in the closet on three walls for extra quilts and blankets.  Our basement may implode for the shelves on the exterior walls and the closet would be in for a second possibility.  Nonetheless, it works.  Grammie is happy and Dennis is none the wiser as to where things disappear to.  Ignorance is bliss. 

  We may not be feeding the deer in the backyard, but I am enjoying the deer that are coming to our neighbor’s bird feeders.  Those deer are just as crafty as squirrels.

  I did get my errands done today and will stay put if the weather turns on us tomorrow.  It is winter after all.  I believe that spring will be here in some 70 days.  I like it.  I like a lot about my days and my wish is that everyone finds moments and hours to like in each and every day.

   
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  Noreen 3:55 pm on December 5, 2020 Permalink  

  No Time for Sewing 

  I think it has been a week since I have had the sewing machine running.  My idea is to get all the “have tos” done and then I will play with the sewing machine.  With this Indian Summer, there seems to be odds and ends to do or help out Dennis with outside.  I am more than happy to help.  Whatever can be taken care of in the potting shed, the garage work bench or in the patio porch without getting fingers cold . . . I am all in.  In short time we had Dennis’ tick list completed.  He headed for the rocking chair in the patio porch and I headed in to see what Saturday work needed attention.

  With a forced-air furnace and flannel bedding . . . there is no short supply of lint and fuzz in the house.  Once Dennis was finished outside he came in looking to see what he could help with.  He took a swipe at the new litter of dust bunnies under the beds while I stripped the beds and headed for “day two” in the laundry.  I remember what Carrie once told me about toilet paper.  Charmin is the lintiest of any other brand.  I concur. The sun streamed into the octagon window in the bathroom while I was tending the washing machine that we have in the bathroom. The oak mopboard woodwork had a soft white layer of Charmin lint.  At the time, Charmin was all our local store had and beggars can’t be choosy. 

  We had an abundance of coolers and cold packs that we had used when our new refrigerator was in transit and while it had a chance to cool.  Today was time to take the cold packs back down into the basement refrigerator. 

  What came flooding back to me was about 1974, we were living in a comfortable mobile home outside of Buffalo Lake.  Orlin worked shift work at 3M and there were 3M products available to employees.  With two kids it’s amazing how much Scotch tape can be gone through.  What was also a good product were the gel-packs that could be kept in the refrigerator for aiding when there were boo-boos.  There was a certain day when things went south.  One of the gel-packs had been used on Kevin the night before when we tucked him into bed.  Before I got it retrieved the next morning to put it back in the refrigerator, Kevin decided to see how much pressure could be put on the expandable soft pouch.  We found out that they do not take kindly to having a kid jump off of the bed and onto the gel-pack.  If you don’t experiment . . . it will always haunt you.  A very different product to clean up after.

  Often, in what might seem to be mundane household chores for me, those memories sneak back that make me chuckle out loud. Priceless.

  Our Saturday is winding down and it has been a satisfying day.  Any day that has produced local effort enhances our general well-being.  Dennis does often comment that every day something comes up to keep him busy, and . . . Dennis knows when I spy with my little eye something that has gone undone, I am happy getting after it to the best of my ability.  Hey, if I let one or two items go, and before you know it, I can feel overwhelmed.  Never fear, I don’t run out of things to do, that’s not the way of owning a home.

   
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  Noreen 3:57 pm on December 4, 2020 Permalink  

  ‘Oh Let the Sunshine In’ 

  Thank you, thank you, thank you . . . for such a wonderful day!  We must have been good somewhere along the lines to have this wealth of weather.  

  I do have a situation with being more warm blooded than the ole cowboy.   Today I made sure Dennis was comfortable in the patio porch and then there were two windows that were sprung open . . . one on the east end of the house and the other on the west end.  I was taking advantage of the nice weather and washing up some jackets that we won’t need until spring.  Mom, Lena, would have been doing the very same thing.  Yuck, to tucking away clothing that has not been washed.  I never realize how much I had learned from Mom.  In fact I am still learning at my tender age of 76 and Dennis is not a slow learner by any means.  Bless his heart.

  As me and the washing machine were having a relationship, Dennis offered to peel potatoes for supper.  Now that is romantic.  Dennis’ job jar is quite empty at the moment and I appreciate the help.  Every little bit helps and he knows that I am right there when he needs his shirts buttoned for him.  Hmm.  Both of us should have been kinder to our bodies when we were younger.  

  It does remind me that in life there is no growth without struggle.  I plan on having the marks on my door frame continue to indicate growth.  I am up for the struggle.

  The weekend is upon us and with all that seems to be needed to yet be done for working families, this is the best of the month thus far for mild conditions outside.  I am selfish, I want more of the same.

   
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  Noreen 5:09 pm on November 30, 2020 Permalink  

  Fingers Don’t Always Work 

  Nothing tells me that I need to take it slow as having to put in a password three times before success.  Silly old fingers.

  Yesterday I did help Dennis take care of the rocks that had made up our Koi pond.  Not going to accept the invitation for such duty again.  If I had not, I knew Dennis wouldn’t back off and he would have tackled it on his own.  The saving grace was that I had physical therapy this afternoon.  I was not scolded by Mike T.  His thought was, if we don’t participate in what comes up each day, we will soon cease participation and that would be worse on my general health.  

  This morning I did awake and realizing that many had not, hell, I had a day to enjoy.  Each day is different for me and I am up for it.  As long as I don’t have a broken bone or a limb out of place, it’s a good time to be had.  

  Dennis found tree limbs that had blown down during the 30 mph winds of Sunday and there was a burning ring going this afternoon.  I know Dennis hurts every day from the neuropathy in his hands and feet . . . so the two of us go forward.  Not fast forward but it sure beats going backward.  I don’t envy anyone and I don’t want anyone to envy me.  Each of us are given a path by our Lord and Savior and no questions are needed.  What I have within me is more than some could ever hope for.  What I have in material goods is more than some could ever hope for.  I love our little forever home and it suits me just fine even if the dust bunnies would like more area to hide in.

   
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  Noreen 3:57 pm on November 11, 2020 Permalink  

  One Down 

  One down and one won.  I met the challenge of not scraping and pushing off the driveway.  The snow that we had yesterday did have ice underneath.  With the strong sun today the concrete was releasing some of that pent up heat from the weekend.  There was a grand layer of wet white stuff just begging to be pushed off.  I looked at it out the west porch window as I was doing my morning rounds.  When I started a load of laundry, I looked at it out the bathroom window.  The slush was at the perfect consistency begging to be pushed off to the side.

  I quit looking out the windows and went into the sewing studio.  None of that exercise for me right now.  I beat the challenge. . . I walked away a winner.  I said not a word about the driveway as Dennis does not catch sight of the pushing and scraping that I can see.  Hmm.  I just need to keep my head down and not look out.  The shush may disappear all on its own.

  According to KNUJ AM radio, we may have a chance of rain showers tomorrow.  That rain would clean off the drive perfectly.  Ya, there is smidgen of a compulsive disorder within me.  Not to worry, this would not be a surprise to my two children.  They have had a taste of Mom’s disorder on multiple occasions.  Lucky kids.  Most of the time the disorder works in my favor.  I don’t put off what can be done.  I have 20/10 vision in seeing what needs to be and can be taken care of.  It’s the repetitive physical lifting, pushing and shoving stuff that my legs, knees, shoulders, back and wrists don’t play well with.  The compulsive disorder lets my mind override my physical being in what I should be backing away from.  In the end that plays havoc on my body and for sure does not work in my favor.  It’s early in the season.  I may totally recover from this attack of arthritis, or . . . it will be a light winter and the driveway won’t haunt me.  Whatever!  Enough lamenting. 

  KNUJ had patriotic music on all afternoon.  Great selections that I had forgotten about.  They were appropriate then and it was a good reminder today of how fortunate we are.  My favorite Veteran requested a chicken supper and by golly, that is what is being served: chicken tities, American fries, corn and sliced cucumbers.   

  Enjoy the roller coaster of weather, the blue skies and the sunshine.  There is nothing like taking a breath of fresh air and feeling like the luckiest person alive.

   
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  Noreen 3:48 pm on November 2, 2020 Permalink  

  Great Monday 

  A 65 degree day out and everyone is enjoying it.  I would have thought for sure that the bugs would have been chilled into hiding with the cold we have had . . . not!

  Today was my first day of physical therapy with Mike T.  I had to be honest with him.  I didn’t know if it was the ham strings that attach at the pelvic bone that were pulling at my knees. With them being titanium they were not budging.  Perhaps it was the lower back that was bucking and pulling on the tail bone as if I had sat down hard on a surface that didn’t have any give in it.  All I knew was that I had junk in my trunk and needed help.  Not being comfortable in any one place whether sitting or standing for any length of time . . . that’s not a good thing.  Needless to say it didn’t take him long to find something to attack.  The right leg was so tight he was sure Willie Nelson could strum those tendons and such just like a banjo.  Dang he can make his thumbs dig and press so hard, you’d think a bone would shatter.  I am now a work in progress.  It’s either this or better.  Hopefully getting everything done before the winter hits for real.  Mike reminded me that it was about this time last year that I was on his docket.  With the grunt work done for the year, it’s tune up time.

  Dennis’ friend Dwayne had one tractor that didn’t sell before Dwayne had to turn over the keys to the new owners of his rural farm place.  One item remained that Dwayne didn’t get sold.  Our back garage now has an H-Farmall tractor with a narrow front end, complete with a bucket.  My oh my.  Dwayne gave Dennis a go-ahead any time Dennis wanted to use it.  Hmm. I don’t want to think about that right now as with a little imagination I can see Dennis using it on the back part of the acre . . . putting that bucket down and rolling sod right along with the snow.

  This week has gotten full for us.  Dennis has two appointments on two different days.  If he takes in his Korean Veteran’s luncheon it will be three days in the big city.  Sometime working my whiles with that schedule, we need to stock up on some pantry items.  Our cupboards in the basement are quite sparse.  We had really stocked up in February when the covid first was proclaimed.  It’s now ready for some restocking.  I still like to use Sam’s Club for taxables.  Some of the other items are in too large of a container for me to handle with ease.  Seriously, how large of a quart container do we need for ketchup?  Dennis is our only heavy user.  I can do just as well at the Family Dollar for some items.  I will get my list ready and will include items from Sam’s and Cubs.  

  It’s the close to a very pretty bright day.  This week is the week to relish all things Minnesota Indian Summer.

   
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  Noreen 3:46 pm on November 1, 2020 Permalink  

  There is a Price to Pay 

  There is a price to pay when one, aka: me, is content with a Tracfone.  Most that I know that something that it is a bit more sophisticated.  I am in a “group” for phone calls with the stitchers.  It can keep you in stitches when one or more needs to chat back and forth.  

  When my phone lets me know that I have text message, and if I do not open it immediately, it will continue to chirp until I do open it.  The first screen “New Message” needs to be pressed. The next screen allow me to know how large of a text is coming in via KBs, and then I need to press the “Get” button. The message is then downloaded and allows me to know how many minutes will be subtracted and how many minutes I have left and then press “List.” Then the screen message is “Press for New Message.” Finally I can read what the text was.  Too funny.

  When the texts are flying fast and furious, Dennis just shakes his head.  I have observed other’s phones.  I don’t really need all those bells and whistles.  I have a calendar in my phone and we have not missed any appointments.  The biggest drawback for me to change phones is the size of those phones.  I would not be able to hold them in my palm comfortably.  

  There are only a few instances when the stitchers are hot and heavy with what they are sharing.  What they do share is very informative and from my point of view my phone is very doable.  It costs me $99.00 a year and I always have in excess of a 1,000 minutes to use.  Yup! I am content and after this last round of text messages I have a great lead on a stabilizer that works great for doing machine embroidering.  By the way . . . Mills Fleet and Farm in Mankato is having a great sale on white large feed sacks at $1.50 each.  Those towels are also wonderful quality also for machine embroidery.  Just a heads up for the stitcher gals!

  What is important is that we all must decide what price we are willing to pay in regard to patience.  Are we richer for the inclusion of a group of friends. . . thus putting the inconvenience of it to the side?  I voted yes to that.

  On a sidebar, Dennis got leaves mulched this afternoon.  The plus to Dennis’ day was that he  flagged down one of the Watson Boys that were paying a visit to our neighbor in regard to the neighbor’s furnace throwing a fit.  Watson’s now know that we will be needing a new electric water heater.  The one in the basement has been leaking for some time and it is not prudent to continue paying for water to be heated only to have it leak out.  We put that one in, in 2011.  Hmm, didn’t last as long as those in days of old.  But then, what does!

   
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  Noreen 3:36 pm on October 31, 2020 Permalink  

  Being on a List 

  In a small town being on a list that does not mean a lot of volunteering, is a good thing.

  The list we are on is our handyman’s list.  Elmer did get over to our home yesterday and fixed the entry door on the patio porch.  It may not stay fixed, but our name is on his phone.  As our old garage sways in the winds the patio porch must go with as it is attached.  We are secure for the winter.  The caulking job on the patio will wait until next spring when the weather is warm enough to work a caulking gun.

  Dennis and I walked to the back garage at three and man was it brisk out.  This morning the wind was from the south and now it is the north wind that is pulling up our collars.

  It is hard to believe that tomorrow November begins.  Time is fleeting.  Dennis and I did achieve our goals for the year.  The next goal for us is to stay upright over the winter months.  

  When we had walked to the east part of the acre to the back garage, we noticed how many times the deer have been through the backyards by the amount of the scat that can be seen.  Dennis didn’t give me a firm answer about whether he will be feeding the deer over the winter months or not.  My thought is that if he wants to, we should stock up on some bags of corn now while there is not slick ice under foot.  Last year, Dennis was going to the grain elevator weekly and sometimes bi-weekly with five gallon pails to get corn.  The surface of the ground and lifting heavy pails up into the pickup does cause me some concern.  Time will tell.

  The afternoon is rounding out with the sun shining. That immediately makes for a better feeling.  We won’t be doing anything for the Halloween celebration.  Over the years the kids in the neighborhood have been treated to an earlier afternoon with the entire Main Street being closed down and the businesses handing out candy. 

  Dennis and I need to mind our clocks this evening with turning them back an hour.  So the changing of the season begins.

   
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  Noreen 3:11 pm on October 29, 2020 Permalink  

  Warp Speed 

  Considering what is going on here at Stauffer Avenue, there may be different definitions of warp speed for each of us.

  When I awoke this morning and the skies were gray, I really did not feel any urgency to plop my feet on the floor and take off like a herd of turtles.  Yesterday was huge for us and it was meant to be that today would be a bit slower pace.

  Yesterday the Koi were transported to Boon Lake Township in Renville County.  Our Koi are now taking up residency on the family farm with my sister-in-law being the caretaker.  Her two huge Koi and our five Koi will have pretty good digs until it is time to enjoy the huge pond next spring that Joann has in her yard.

  When Dennis and I prepared to make the 70 mile trip, I took a step back from the preparations.  The 100 gallon horse tank was placed in the back of the pickup.  I had no idea how much water Dennis would put in the tank for the trip.  We let the city water set in the tank overnight to dissipate whatever additives might have been in the water.  The Koi would be sloshed around quite a bit and that sloshing would create bubbles that contained self made oxygen.   Dennis had cleaned the pump that JoAnn would use over winter complete with the cement block that the pump would set on.  It would be a sweet setup for her to just plug in and let the fish swim.

  I don’t think Dennis nor I realized how thick the ice was in our pond yesterday morning.  The large pump that we had been using all season kept the water right around the pump open.  Of course the Koi were not right at that spot to be dipped out.  We pounded out ice on each end of the pond.  I used a small net to stir the water on my end so the Koi would go the Dennis’ end.  Get ready, get set, go!  Try and net them before they returned to my end.  We did find the mighty five Koi and they had a chance to rest once they were in the tank, in the pickup.  We did the tick list; Koi, cement block, pump, net and finally the fish food for JoAnn to use next spring.  Down the highway we went.

  After all was said and done, the tank is in JoAnn’s adjacent house garage and the pump was doing it’s thing while the Koi could settle down.

  We enjoyed sharing lunch at JoAnn’s and catching up as to what our families have been doing.  We don’t see each other often, but it is always a good time when we do.

  When we got home, I knew Dennis would want to get our old pump out of the pond before it would freeze in.  I could not convince him that we did have a few days to get that done, but I backed off.  The best place was for me to be in the house and deal with whatever fallout would come.  Thankfully, the only fallout was getting him warm and dry clothes and getting the wet shoes next to a furnace register to begin the drying out process.

  As yesterday came to a close, Dennis did openly comment over supper that relocating the Koi was meant to be as the large pump with the filter system that he took out of the pond ceased working as he was working on removing it.  It had a lot of hours on it, pumping 24/7 over the last 20 years.  By the grace of God and Dennis taking care of it every fall that we had gotten such good use out of it.  We had priced out replacement parts this summer . . . it would have been pricey to duplicate what we had going.  Dennis had also banked on his little sump pump to empty the pond yesterday after we got home.  Come to find out, it is now in the garbage as it quit working.  Hmm.  Some things are meant to be and all that can be done is to take a deep breath and see what the morrow brings.  Dennis slept until 8:30 this morning.

  We do keep moving, and it is at our own warp speed.  Regardless what each day brings for that to happen, any forward speed is forward and that is a good thing.  The older ones on Stauffer Avenue are just fine, thank you very much.

   
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  Noreen 4:09 pm on October 23, 2020 Permalink  

  An Incoming Text 

  At eight this Friday morning my phone let me know I had an incoming text.  I rolled over in bed and picked up my phone which rests on the edge of my mattress.  I squinted and saw it was from Carrie.  She was letting me know she was leaving Chaska and heading for St. James.

  Well hells bells, I had better get up and greet the world.  During this covid time there has been a backup at their courthouse in the metro.  Carrie was coming to St. James to get her Real I.D today.  O.K. a two hour drive and a wait time at the courthouse with the paperwork, I had plenty of time before she hit Stauffer Avenue.

  Carrie was at our backdoor at 10:15 this morning.  She had called ahead and had her paperwork up to snuff.  It took her seven minutes at our courthouse here in St. James.  That speaks volumes as to the small amount of volume we have here for the staff at the courthouse to process.  Interestingly enough, Carrie commented that no staff at the courthouse had face masks on.  Hmm. Good for the goose but not for the gander.  

  We had a great window of visiting as she needed to leave St. James at two to be back to pick up Nicholas from school.  As it was, Carrie’s job at Hobby Lobby has her filling out her 40 hours with working on Saturday this week.   As I said we chatted through lunch which was sandwiches on raisin cinnamon bread.  Dennis had white bread.  Hello! Of course Dennis had white bread as he feels anything other is just not bread.  Gotta love that fellow.

  I had a Christmas wall hanging that I would have sent home with Carrie during the holidays but she has no bare walls in her kitchen.  Kitchen cabinets all around.  Carrie took a look at my kitchen wall as we come up the steps from the back door.  I now have Command Strip hooks in place ready for the wall hanging to put up after Thanksgiving.  A second set of eyes never hurts.

  We have practically no snow on the ground.  It doesn’t take many points in the 30s, even with no sun, to sink down that snow where it belongs.  Dennis remarked how much the nitrogen the snow held and how it would help our front yard.  Thumbs up on that.

  We may have a repeat of snow over the weekend, but I peeked and there are several 40s in the future.  AH-HA, we will have a few fall days yet.  Never say never.