Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from August, 2020 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:49 pm on August 6, 2020 Permalink  

  Three in the Afternoon 

  It’s three in the afternoon of Thursday and it feels as if a plastic bag has been pulled over our part of the world.  No breeze with heavy clouds and the humidity and dew point are on the rise.  Dang.   This morning was fantastic.

  Today we sat on the patio and did some “what ifs.”  The Koi pond needs to have the filters cleaned almost weekly during the summer.  It’s not that it’s hard work, but it is clumsy work.  Getting down on the knees and bending over the pond to get at the filters . . . it always takes my breath away when I watch Dennis tackling that, and believe me, I am there watching.  Most times I have a finger hooked into the back belt loop of his jeans . . . just as a precaution.  Taking everything from the back of the potting shed to the south side of the house for water access . . . yup, clumsy.  We had priced out new equipment as the older items are almost 20 years old.  There are six very old fish left in the pond.  It will be Dennis decision if and when he wants to retire from the aquatic hobby.  The inkling I got was that the Koi would be going into the horse tank when it gets cold and he will see how he feels next spring.  Fair enough.

  Today was our first meal in a sit-down restaurant since February.  Perkins welcomed us with plenty of social distance.  I had a list of items and . . . why not get in the car and go!  One of the items we came home with was a LED light bulb, in the daylight mode, for the car garage.  It is equivalent to 4,000 lumens.  Why we kept on being content with the LED 10, that compares to a 60 watt that was putting out 760 lumens . . . what can I say.  It’s even one with the softer glow!   We do now have the Good Off as well a the Goo-Gone to tackle cleaning up some caulking mess.  Those items used one at a time coupled with my wire brush should be able to give some relief.  Oh ya, I forgot . . . lots of elbow grease.  

  I have no plans for the coming day.  It will be welcomed and I am sure within a short amount of time, something will speak to me as to what needs to be done.  Living on the edge . . . priceless!

   
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  Noreen 3:18 pm on August 4, 2020 Permalink  

  Energy is Back 

  With such great weather, I had energy today.  Yesterday, I think someone would have had to have held a mirror in front of me to see if I was at full capacity.

  I was pulling up some quack from the front yard, when neighbor Jan walked over.  We had not visited in quite some time.  Jan works in the library at our public school and it seems as if there is a September 8th start day for school . . . full bore. I hope all goes well.

  As we had been determined to clean that almighty potting shed, there were several long and heavy planks that had been there long enough that they had settled into the dirt along the east side of the interior.  I am sure that the settling occurred as over the last several decades as we have been flooded several times to the degree that the potting shed was not spared.  We pulled out the planks and yup, the eyes burned.  There was mold.  We pulled them outside to let the sun work its magic.  In the end, we have donated them to nephew Brett’s concrete company.  They use so many different materials to form up, load up and walk on with various job sites.  I didn’t want to take a chance that we believed them to be free of mold and then fight it all over again by putting them back in the shed.  

  I have mixed up one of our small hand sprayers with strong bleach water and once a day the area inside where these planks were and also the north wall . . . a mist of bleach water is applied.  The north wall of the potting shed is also the exterior of the south wall that the Koi pond is attached to.  Yup . . . we had so much stuff inside on that wall that we missed the fact that there was evidence that the pump of the Koi pond had splish splashed enough to have gotten the sheeting damp and had soaked through.  This spring Dennis moved the pump far enough away from the exterior wall so as to keep it dry.  Oh yes, the joys of home ownership.  We actually don’t mind taking care of the homestead.

  In between, I did spend time in the sewing studio.  June from down the street popped in while I was down at the machine and she came on down.  June had never been in our basement before and she now realizes why the lights are on as often as she sees them.  She commented that when she took Home Economics in school, she was more into the portion of the school year that did baking and cooking.  She has never had a sewing machine.  Hmm.  

  I look around and I have four machines.  The oldest one is a White brand.  Older than the hills.  No emotional attachment as someone dropped it off here.  I have Mom’s machine.  I have sewn with it and it works fine.  My Model 1820 Kenmore works well.  It was purchased new and I have had that since 1965. It is older than Mom’s.  The Bernina has made its home here since 2015.  How time flies.  I will keep the threads and fuzz flying as it is better than any tranquilizers.

  Enjoy this week and the wonderful evening hours, just as much as all the fire flies that have been in abundance.  I never tire of seeing them.

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on August 3, 2020 Permalink  

  Me, Speechless? 

  With a day sporting temps in the low 70s what’s not to enjoy.  It has virtually left me speechless as I have spent most of the day sitting out on the patios watching clouds.  I will be back tomorrow for a blurb of what Dennis and I are up to during this mild weather.  Catch ya later!

   
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  Noreen 2:59 pm on July 27, 2020 Permalink  

  A Feel Good Monday 

  New week brings new outlook.  The weather looks to be cooperating with humidity and dew point.

  The first thing I did this morning was to get all of the metro bug splatter off of the front of the car.  It looked as if I had driven through a massacre. I have found that baby wipes work the best and with them being non abrasive.   

  It couldn’t be helped.  It had to be spoken of:  “Noreen, do you want me to pre-start your push mower for you?”  Oh for Pete’s sake!  Let’s just do the mowing and get over with.  Grant it the four inches of rain was needed, but I must say, I did not mow the very front of our home.  The grass roots need some time to absorb the moisture and I am sure they will send me visuals of when their tops need a trim.  The hot direct sun had really done a number on the front yard.  I did mow the north side of the house as it enjoys shade for the entire length of the day.  Dennis used the Cub tractor and that takes off a good hour of his mowing compared to using the Sears rider.

  As the trimmer and leaf blower were being put away, neighbor June was walking by and she came over and we caught up with each other.  It had been hot enough last week that neither of us had been going for a walk.  I do enjoy taking the walks around the block, but being physically busy is a good trade off for lazier times.  Dennis had spent the entire week being physical and look how proud we are of having gotten so much cleaned up and cleaned out.  Sweet!

  Dennis has gone for coffee with his group that live in one of the apartment houses. Before he left, I wrote out the electric bill for him to drop off at city hall.  That bill was an ouch!  Dennis just patted me on the shoulder and reminded me of how much we enjoy getting a good night’s rest when we are not sweating the bedding wet.  He is right, of course.  When I was a kid, we often found the room in the farmhouse where there was a breeze coming through the window and we would sleep on the floor in close proximity to that window.  I do like what we have going for us so much better.  Hmm, I will just have to give up all of my vices and pay the piper.

  Enjoy what this week will bring to you.  You may think you have it nailed down, but . . . nothing is 100% in place and you must leave a bit of room for some variance.

   
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  Noreen 3:47 pm on July 22, 2020 Permalink  

  A Needed Day Out 

  Today we decided we needed some TLC.  Our TLC is found in Mankato.  

  I have no recollection as to when I had dropped something quite heavy on my left foot, but it sure had done a great job on the middle toe of that foot.  It has the propensity of building a callous under the nail that would engulf the entire tip of the toe if not taken care of.  I have found that the over-the-counter Kerasal does wonders.  What really does the trick is if that toe nail is properly cut and shaped.  Since the lock down of businesses, we had not had a pedicure since February.  With shoulders and hands that are not the most agile, Dennis has helped with the toes several times.  Only once was a band-aid needed to stop the bleeding.

  The Nail Group in Mankato is a Vietnamese-run shop.  We have been going there for years as Dennis has foot problems from his Korea days.  It felt like such a vacation to have the pedicure and the leg massage.  Dennis and I willingly wore our face masks.  They always remember that we do not “do color” on our toe nails.  My middle toe on my left foot is thankful for the TLC.

  After the toes were pampered and beautiful, Great Clips was our next stop for hair cuts.  When I tried to go online at home to make the appointment, the message came up with a wait time of seventeen minutes.  It is a 45 minute drive to Mankato, so we headed out thinking we would see what could be done.  As it was, there was a gal in the pedicure shop that used her phone to go online and set up an appointment for us.  Great Clips does not do phone appointments and with the covid it has to be done online.  I can see their point.  Their in-house rules are what they are.  In time if and when the covid has passed they will again accept walk-ins.  Covid . . . Grrr.  They did admit to cutting a string or two of someone’s face mask when doing the haircut.  They are not allowed to use the blow-driers so Dennis and I were like two monkeys out in the parking lot cleaning each other of loose hair.  Too funny.

  It felt so good to get home and feel pampered.  From head to toe . . . you can’t beat it.  I made fried eggs sandwiches for a late lunch when we got home and Dennis commented how hungry he had been and how wonderful the fried egg sandwich tasted.  I agreed!

  Today is Wednesday and we have gotten quite a bit accomplished so far this week.  When I spent some time with Dennis in the patio porch this late afternoon, I caught his eyes traveling to the back yard.  It didn’t help that our neighbor Jan had mowed her yard while we were gone and the smell of the newly cut grass was filling our nostrils.  I think I detected an itch in Dennis for tomorrow.   I surely cannot deny Dennis’ desire to keep the acre tidy.  The growth of the grass is very spotty as we have so little rain in the last several weeks.  Time will tell.  Happy hump evening to one and all.

   
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  Noreen 3:13 pm on July 21, 2020 Permalink  

  Cleaning Up and Moving Out 

  We continued having a good day cleaning up and moving out items from the potting shed.  I had one nibble on the two acorn cement items that we used to have on either side of the front steps.  When the gal told me she definitely wanted them and was driving two hours to pick them up, I marked as sold as per that information.  

  I had started doing more cleaning in the potting shed early this morning while it felt comfortable outside.  I had sent Dennis to our local greenhouse with several flower containers that looked like crocks.  It was a feeler as to find out if Becky would take them for her growing season for 2019.  Dennis was back shortly and Becky would take whatever I had that plants could be put in.  That was all I needed to hear!  Dennis left our potting shed with half of the back of the pickup full of every sized container imaginable.  Having had a garden here since 1988 . . . you betcha I had containers of all sizes and shapes and colors. 

  When Dennis came back, my next destination for him was to go out to the Brandt’s farm north of town.  They raise sweetcorn and have a stand here in town every growing season.  I don’t know how we ended up with a box full of plastic bags from the company in neighboring Butterfield when there had been a company that bagged bird feed.  The cardboard box was six inches tall and you can only imagine how many plastic bags the box contained.  The bags were perfect for holding a dozen ears of sweet corn.  

  Twelve-thirty today, a little hatchback drove into the drive and the acorns commenced to be loaded.  She left with a bit more than she had anticipated.  There was a six foot trellis that she got into that hatchback, two smaller trellis, wrought iron birds on poles to stick into the ground and an old iron decoration with an iron basket that would hang on a garage wall.  Wow!  She was tickled to have a car full and I was more tickled to see it go.

  When Dennis got home from visiting with the Brandt’s, my gal from Chaska had been here and left.  We were left with a potting shed that almost echos.  I shared with him how much the gal from Chaska appreciated what she took home.  Dennis shared with me how much Becky appreciated all the containers as by not buying in bulk, the cost of containers is huge.  The Brandt’s were tickled to have an additional supply of bags.  They commented on the thickness of the vinyl bags being perfect for the ears of corn.

  Dennis and I have really done well this week by clearing out what we no longer need or use. Most interesting was the response of the people that were taken by surprise that we would share what we no longer needed and not expect to be paid for it.  Who would have thought!

  I have an egg bake ready to go into the oven for supper.  I needed to use up some eggs as Marcia brought me three dozen from the farm last week.  That may also take a batch of cookies or such.

  Dennis was a major elf today with his little red pickup and I will admit to being a great one for disseminating what we don’t need.  I hope the rest of you are having a great day also.

   
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  Noreen 3:15 pm on July 20, 2020 Permalink  

  A Whirlwind 24 Hours 

  Yesterday in the mid afternoon, I posted a giveaway on the marketplace hosted by Facebook.  The giveaway was two totes, one of crochet thread and the other of yarn for crocheting.  I felt comfortable in doing so as neither of my children crochet nor do their spouses.  The thread was actually Esther Schafer’s, The kid’s grandmother.  She made each of her children a crocheted bedspread from the thread.  Kevin and Carrie each have one of her spreads.  They are not very utilitarian but definitely keepsakes.  I made sure each one was laundered appropriately before they were handed off.

  To make a long story short, the totes were gone by five yesterday afternoon.  My arthritic body was thankful and they went to a gal that I have known here in St. James for years. 

  Today, I got busy.  The plastic green turtle that Megan and Nicholas played with is gone.  Gone via the marketplace site as well.  Three cement garden art pieces are gone from the potting shed as well.  The giveaway items went to appreciative individuals.  None of it owed me a penny.  I had years of enjoyment of them.  Who knew I could clean out the potting shed so easily!

  It has kept me busy being on Facebook to answer questions and giving our address.  I feel good about lightening our load.  As I had said yesterday, no emotions were attached.  I have several other items listed and time will tell.  

  Have a great evening as the weather is warm but not frightening.  That is still coming for the weekend . . . but we are not going to dwell on that today.

   
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  Noreen 3:18 pm on July 17, 2020 Permalink  

  Prototypes and Opioids 

  Every project needs a prototype. I believe that for 2020, I will be doing small socks for the wee ones . . . well maybe some that are not so wee.  Putting on individual initials will make them  personalized socks to receive.  Right now my thoughts are about 5″ with just enough room to slip in a treat prior to mailing them out this Christmas season.  Of course I went to the scrap box for the sample.  I am one step closer to an actual project.  Before I cut out my actual pattern it will get tweaked a bit, making sure to size it up here and there.  I think a lid to an ice cream pail will be the perfect weight of plastic for the pattern to be traced on.

  Today when Dennis went to Lewis Drug he picked up my blood pressure prescription for the three months at a whopping price of $2.99 in total.  Dennis’ Methadone prescription for 30 days was $7.43.  We do have Blue Cross, Blue Shield prescription coverage.  Does one balance out the other . . . I am not sure.  Dennis did make an announcement when he got home.  This morning was the last time he is going to take the Methadone, an opioid .  He is going to try to go without it.  Dennis takes the Methadone for his Nephropathy pain.  The pain is in his hands and feet.  While in Korea, on the 39th parallel, he shared that the weather was consistent with Minnesota’s.  The winters were horrible.  Feet and hands were always wet and freezing cold.  The nerves in his hands and feet took a toll.  When fellow soldiers didn’t make it, the field hospital personal always saved the fallen’s socks and gloves to share where needed.

  I give Dennis so much credit for trying to stay off of this drug.  Dennis thought perhaps he had been on it long enough that the effect was no longer being felt.  The pain was tough to take at times taking the med.  Time will tell.  At least the prescription will be here if he feels that it was doing its intended job.  Dennis put me in charge of keeping the prescription safe and away from him for this upcoming trial. 

  We have taken precautions of getting done what we needed outside today.  Tomorrow tells to be a bit worse.  Today it is 89 degrees, feeling like 101 degrees.  Humidity is 68% and dew point is 75%.  We have cleaned the filters in the Koi pond and “that is all folks.”  I hope and pray that all take heed and stay safe and healthy through the weekend.  I would rather think of all of you than read about you.

   
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  Noreen 3:14 pm on July 15, 2020 Permalink  

  Taking Turns 

  I had just commented to Dennis yesterday that the biting black flies had taken over to be the pest of the season.  Hello!  Today, as we geared up to mow the acre the mosquitoes gave fair warning it was their turn to be the pest.  I did the trimming with the weed whip of the acre first.  My forehead felt like it had ripples of swelling bites by the time I hung the trimmer up.  Once I hit the garage to get the push mower going, I got out the Bug Soother that we had gotten from Kersten’s Cassey’s store last year.  The north side of our home always is a haven for bugs as it is quite sheltered.  I am not sure if the Bug Soother did the trick or that I smelled so good I didn’t notice the bites.

  It has been unseasonably hot for a spell but the grass sure has continued to grow.  I passed on a huge portion of our front yard as it looked stressed.  I hit the high spots and did a bit of trimming and I think that will have to suffice until we get more rain.

  As I was blowing off the drive, I noticed a fresh pile of dirt at the corner of the flower bed on the southeast corner of the house.  Hmm.  That was not there on Sunday and here it is Wednesday.  It gave the appearance of an ant hill.  Something has been busy.  When I put in the plants at this flower bed, there had been the same pile of fresh dirt within the bed.  I had a sneaky feeling it was the female Cicada Wasp who’s nest I had destroyed just two weeks ago when I dug out the flower bed.  Why on earth do we need a wasp that tunnels and make nests in dirt.  Dennis sprayed hornet spray into the little opening until it welled out in a white foam.  Out she came and buzzed off.  The Cicada is huge and has orange strips on her back.  I got out the vinegar jug.  When I had looked it up on the internet, that was one suggestion to discourage the wasp.  After the foam of the spray disappeared, I poured pure vinegar into the area and in between where the step and one of the pavers were.  I am going to continue trying to move her somewhere else.  With that being said, I need to go back onto the internet and do a bit more research.  Tomorrow I will clean up this pile of dirt and check back to see if there has been any fresh activity.

  This day has about had all the activity Dennis and I have ump for.  The day started out humid and by glory now the humidity and dew point are neck and neck in the low 50s.  All of you, take heart.  Each day presents itself with something that had not been expected.  Take it in stride, as there are more blessings in each day than not.  Take a breathe, close your eyes for a bit and the blessings will come to mind.

   
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  Noreen 1:50 pm on July 14, 2020 Permalink  

  One More First 

  Today is Tuesday and my oh my have the temperatures changed.  It had been a long time since we have had a number in the 60s.

  I did spend some time out in the gardens taking care of few stray weeds.  The rain that moved through only amounted to .02″.  For the thunder that boomed I thought we would have had a downpour.

  This afternoon Grammie, at age 76, had her first Freezer Pop.  We had bought a bag for the picnic on Sunday and of course leftovers can’t go to waste.  The Freezer Pop took me back to when my parents farmed near Winthrop, Mn.  The Watkins man had our farm on his route.  The Watkins Nectar was the best.  It didn’t take but a small amount of the favored liquid to make a two quart pitcher of wonderful delight.  It was the summer 1949 when Michael was born that Fred, the Watkins man made his rounds.  Fred was giving away free forms with the purchase of a bottle of nectar with which to make frozen treats. The forms came with sticks that needed to be placed into the slit of the form before it went into the freezer with the liquid nectar. 

  Elvera, Calvin and myself would sit on the lip of the house foundation and think we had gone to heaven when the frozen treats were ready to enjoy.  Those plastic forms were around for many a lick to be enjoyed.  I can tell you that same set of wooden sticks toughed it out for many more Watkins Nectar jugs.  No one, and I mean no one, was allowed to abuse the sticks by trying to get the last of the flavor out of them when the treat was gone.  Today, sitting in the patio porch enjoying a Watermelon Freezer Pop, I could almost hear giggles as if 1949 wasn’t more than a heartbeat from the past.  

  Yup . . . lots of water over the dam.  I am so thankful that the memories that I hold near and dear are always ready for a rerun.  Sweet.