Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from May, 2020 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 4:11 pm on May 9, 2020 Permalink  

  A Quiet Day 

  Not much happening on Stauffer today.  A walk was enjoyed this morning before the winds got out of hand.

  I putzed in the sewing studio off and on.  The most physical thing I did today was take the bugs off of the front of the car.

  The neighbor came over and helped Dennis find a broken wire on the Cub-Lo-Boy.  Dennis had noticed yesterday when he was mowing that it wouldn’t keep a charge unless he ran it wide open.  The broken wire may well have gotten polarized.  Randy said that Dennis should it run next week for mowing and if that were the case he would take care of it.

  The high winds have brought about a cold shower of rain this late afternoon.  Hmm.  I hope the lilacs and the ornamental crab tree can hang onto their blossoms so they have a chance of showing off their beauty next week.

  It is tomato soup and fried egg sandwiches for supper.  It is the weekend and I am hopping everyone kicks back and takes some time for themselves . . .  I started early today.

   
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  Noreen 3:02 pm on May 8, 2020 Permalink  

  Farming is Done 

  Farming doesn’t slow down when the temps are cool.  When Dennis and I arise for each new day, we each have our own routines before we meet up to see what the day will hold.

  Dennis came in from the patio porch at 9:30 . . . no “Good morning.” What I heard was “How energetic do you feel today?”  That was all I needed to know.  Good thing I had my walking shoes on, though I knew a walk was not in my future for this Friday.  Two five gallon pails and sand shovels in the back of the pickup . . . we were off to get black dirt from the city lot just east of us that has a huge pile for residents that need a bit.  A few low spots within the yard are in need of being filled . . . after the acre has been manicured. My push mower was checked for oil and it was gassed up complete with the bag attachment.  Dang, it takes one pull and Dennis has it started.  The plan for the two of us is that when the bag is full, and in need of being emptied, I head to the east where Dennis is mowing.  I empty the bag . . . Dennis mows over it, shreds it as it scatters . . . and starts the mower for me to continue on.  We have the plan nailed down.

  Dennis got the Cub-Lo-Boy out of the back garage for his choice of a mowing toy.  It is amazing what a huge swat the Cub-Lo-Boy can take in comparison to the Sear’s rider.  When I finished the area around the house and sought out the trimmer I was surprised that there was no more trimming than when the Sear’s mower had been used.  Over the expanse of the acre there is a fair amount to trim.  Dennis stays away a good amount of area around the trees.  It’s easier to trim around the trees than taking care of the bark when it has been cut through.  We do have two batteries for the trimmer.  I ground the last out of the first battery by trimming the edge of the concrete drive.  I didn’t get it all but next week I will take another wack at the growth of grass that sneaks over the concrete.  Dennis was right behind me with the leaf blower and we deemed that this had been a good day.  Right on track was the brisk wind from the north.  The temps at 47 degrees with a north wind, it did prompt us to keep right at it.  

  The last bit of yard work was getting the lawn art bridge a spot for the season.  The bridge does look sharp with the two coats of cedar stain.  It may last another ten years.  It is solid and it also helps that we take it in every winter.

  No scrapping of the garage siding today.  We have had a full day and will call it complete after we rustle up some supper, get showered up and don the P.J.s.

   
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  Noreen 3:50 pm on May 7, 2020 Permalink  

  The Week is Rolling 

  It’s Thursday and another chilly day.  What I don’t mind is that it is slowing down the Lilac blossoms from opening.  With the blooms taking more time to open and hopefully the high winds have had their days, it could all work out to be a long run of beauty.

  It’s hard to get my daily quota of garage boards scrapped with drive-bys to chat, walker-bys to chat and the next door neighbor to the south to add his wisdom.  I may have to take advantage of the bright street lights on Stauffer to get my work done after dark.  Naw . . . it is kind of noisy and we have people in the neighborhood that have house dogs that are prone to bark when there is an unusual noise. The noise of the trains when the wind is from the north can quake foundations . . . but it is a usual and customary noise within our area.  I will continue taking my time in daylight scrapping on the south side of the garage.  It will take only so much time and I will be moving on.

  Dennis is doing a great job of giving the lawn art bridge a new coat of stain.  The bridge is on his favorite two-wheel trailer inside the garage.  The HLN murder mysteries are on the patio porch television allowing the staining to continue with distractions.  I also am aware that his pockets contains a fair amount of jelly beans. 

  I have been sewing intermittently on the quilt project that was labeled as a folk art pattern. I do have fabric that I will be piecing for the backing.  It may come down to a phone call to Old Alley Quilt Shop to meet me at their curb in Sherburn for a purchase of batting.  Time will tell.

  Supper is a freezer item of a hotdish that Dennis likes.  Wouldn’t it be great if there would be a curb-side drop off that would fill the freezer that is above the refrigerator with all of our favorites!  I can imagine I could do that myself by devoting one or two full days of kitchen duty.  Not!  When the weather tells me it is spring, I enjoy spending some of each day outside . . . even if it includes scrapping the garage walls.  Catch ya tomorrow.

  P.S.  Those of us on Stauffer Avenue have been queering each other in regard to the stimulus checks arriving.  About half of the residents have received them.  Some by letter in the mail, some by direct deposit.  Dennis and I are in the half that is still waiting.

   
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  Noreen 2:48 pm on May 6, 2020 Permalink  

  Lots of Activity 

  It began as a chilly morning with the three kitties not wanting anything to do about going outside when Dennis went out to the patio porch for his coffee, cigarettes and news programs.  I took their hint and waited until the afternoon to do the walk.

  The sun did appear.  After the walk, I decided to scrape on the south side of the garage for a half hour or so.  Not getting wore out, but keeping my hand in the game.  Stauffer Avenue does get busy with walkers and thus ensues chit chat.  The older ones on Stauffer Avenue are now a collaboration of four properties owners that are keeping in touch with the mayor in regard to three of the properties that are bad.  Our concern was on the televised city council meeting last night with the consensus from the county attorney that a fine could be levied if the citation is not addressed.  It will be a wait and see as letters need to go to the three property owners with a 20 window to get things cleaned up.

  I had my own agenda yesterday with Stauffer Avenue.  With a half inch of rain, there was a huge mud puddle on the north side of Stauffer.  It had just been graded, why wasn’t there just as much water caught on the south side as the north side.  Out came my camera.  I did mention to Dennis that I would be heading up to the city shop with photo in hand.  Why does a mud puddle bother me?  The Avenue receives two treatments each summer for dust.  Calcium Chloride is nasty stuff.  Nasty when driven over and it drags into and on the garage concrete floor.  The huge mud puddles contain some of the treatment. When splashed on the garage wall, it’s hard on the paint.  Every day wear and tear is hard on crappy latex paint without the addition of a chemical.  We do have some down the way that will bend way out to make sure they “do the splash.”  After supper last night Dennis came in rather late.  When I went for my walk down Stauffer, I saw why. There was a  small trench dug across Stauffer and the mud puddle was dry.  Dennis does not do confrontation well, especially when he has and knows so many “people” that he wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings.  Problem solved for this rain and many rains to come.

  In between time I do hit the sewing studio.  I don’t stay at it long when the weather is nice, but I keep pecking away.  A friend, Rita, gave me items from her sewing stashes.  People’s choices in quilt projects are just as personal as any other choice in one’s life.  This was not a project I would have chosen.  When I saw that Rita had paid $119.00 for the pattern and kit, I knew I would work it up.  Waste not . . . want not.  I had finished a quilt for Rita that she was able to give to her granddaughter before she passed away.  The stashes from Rita was a kind and sweet gift.  I am tackling that kit that Rita had purchased.  A quilt kit comes with a printed paper pattern and enough yardage in various prints to put the quilt top together.  As I was cutting pattern pieces, an alarm began dinging in my head.  One particular print yardage was coming up short.  I have no idea when this kit had been bought or where.  It’s almost impossible to find the same fabric . . . even online.  There were about eight pieces that two scraps were sewn together to make the 10.5″ strip needed within the sashes.  It was getting down to the nip and the tucks.  The last sash item virtually used every bit that I could sew together to make it work.  It will definitely be a pieced quilt top.  When all is said and done, it would be difficult to pick it out of the quilt top. 

  I have had a great day bouncing from one thing to another.  It makes for a balanced life and also a challenging one.  It is said to be on the cool side all week.  That will give me a segment of time each day to do a bit of paint scrapping.  Bit by bit, square foot by square foot . . . it’ll get done in time for the painter when he comes in the first part of June.

   
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  Noreen 3:42 pm on May 5, 2020 Permalink  

  Tuesday – Feels like Monday 

  I thought I was doing well today by getting my walk in between rain showers.  As I was getting a grocery item out of the cabinets in the basement pantry, I spied a baggie full of old keys.  When Nicholas was a wee one, he was fascinated with keys.  Soon Grandpa Dennis was finding old keys, here there, everywhere adding them to the collection.

  I had always thought it would be a good thing if we had more than one skeleton key for our back door.  Dennis and I had dropped the ball when we purchased a new storm door from our local lumberyard.  The new Larson storm door did not have a keyed lock.  Maybe we were lucky that it had a luck for us to use from the inside.

  Going through the entire bag, I lucked out and we now have three skeleton locks.  One went out to the garage.   Now I feel if one of us is out for the day and the other has errands, the back door can be locked.  The front door is not used . . . but there is a key lock on that storm door if it is needed.

  Last week I put a rant on Facebook in regard to properties along Stauffer Avenue that are really bad.  I mean really, really bad.  This noon, I got a visit from the safety inspector for the City of St. James.  The Facebook post had gotten it’s way to him.  We had a long chat with the promise that steps would be taken.  As I had mentioned him and our mayor within the post, I felt it was only fair to let the mayor know that he had stopped in.  The rest of the story:  the mayor had gotten wind of the post on Facebook and he had called the inspector to pay me a visit.  Hmm.  

  As it turns out, tonight is a city council meeting.  I will have our local channel on this evening to see how this will play out and what the plans will be going forward. I walked down Stauffer Avenue this afternoon to let the two neighbors know to tune in as the Facebook post was actually a neighborhood concern.  We will see who is blowing smoke up who’s butt.  I kind of think the city inspector might have been driving with his eyes closed down our Stauffer Avenue.  Time will tell.

  Well the furnace is back on.  It was a very cool damp day with about a 1/2 inch of rain.  The front lawn was mowed on Friday and this afternoon there are some spears that are seeding out.  Who doesn’t enjoy free grass seed.   

  As we were road warriors yesterday, today did feel like Monday.  Us older ones can tend to get lost.  It’s a good thing that our little home has us captured more days than not.

   
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  Noreen 4:49 pm on May 3, 2020 Permalink  

  A May Sunday 

  The schedule was light today.  We had agreed on that.  In the late forenoon, I had a request.  I was needed for moral support.  Off to the far back garage we went.  The request was to just be near in case I was needed.  The Cub-Lo-Boy would be pulling out the two-wheel trailer that would be carrying some garden art.  So much for the light schedule for Dennis.

  Yesterday Dennis dug in the garage and found some oil cedar stain.  The bench that has been a part of our back stoop now has newly stained boards . . . two coats no less!

  The bridge that Jeremy had made for me on a Mother’s Day before Megan could walk, she is now 16, was in need of some TLC.  Out of the back garage on the trailer, it was marched right up to the outside faucet for a wash job to be rid of cobwebs and dust.  Now there is a project.  It will take time to cover all the lumber on the bridge with Dennis’ two inch brush.  I may need to be backing off of the amount of vitamins Dennis is taking.  Dennis doesn’t go at it hell bent.  It is a slow and a steady process and it works great for him.  That will be next week’s project after the bridge is put in the pickup garage.  The sun has too much power for Dennis to be open for either sun burn or for the most recent daily event . . . wind burn.

  We had gotten a post card last week that I had tucked away.  It was for car insurance.  I had done an online quote.  I needed to talk to a real person.  Today when I visited with Dennis he was all in with checking it out.  I took a chance and called the number today.  Sure enough . . . a live person.  It was a reputable company.  I had our current car insurance coverage at my finger tips.  I went one by one of the coverage we currently have that I would like their proposal to be on.  It was a fairly long conversation answering questions to the degree that our driving records were checked after I gave them our license numbers.  The company that we have had as our carrier, we have had for over ten years.  I could not believe that the quote was less than half of what we have been paying.  I spent quite a bit of time going through the process to nail it down.  I now have a new policy number complete with a printed out car insurance policy.  It will go in effect May 29, 2020, as our old policy is due June 1, 2020.  I also have the I.D. cards printed out that we will carry as well as a copy in the vehicles.  The Ford Ranger and the MKX will continue having good coverage.  I had heard that some companies have reduced the currant coverage by a percentage due to the fact of the virus and less driving by their clients.  I think when we received the renewal with no reduction, that post card seemed like a good way to spend some of the afternoon.

  Yup . . . it has been a good May Sunday.  Watching our backs in today’s world is a never ending challenge.  I do wonder about some of our friends when they may not know to watch what is their usual and customary.  We surely had dropped the ball.

   
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  Noreen 2:37 pm on May 2, 2020 Permalink  

  Saturday Brings Old Habits 

  Lena had us girls making tracks on a Saturday.  Elvera and I stripped all the family beds.  After that ensued . . . dusting.  The dusting was of the well worn linoleum floors with a wool dust mop that had just a bit of Watkins furniture oil on it to make sure the dust bunnies would be grabbed.  Surprisingly there was enough bedding in the linen closet to replace all that was needed on the five beds in the house.  Lena never washed clothes on a Saturday.  That was Monday’s job.  I don’t have a linen closet.  When the bedding comes off of our beds, they are immediately washed and put right back on.  Automatic washing machines and dryers are a blessing.  

  Keeping the check list going for all that I had planned for today was never far away.  Bedding washed and bedding put back on.  Dennis comments that there is nothing better on a Saturday night than having showered and then getting into the fresh bedding.  Come to think of it . . . it is a calming feeling.  Kind of like all is well in the world.

  Tonight will be pasta night.  Onions that have been browned in the dutch oven kettle followed by browning of ground beef.  I wanted to leave rather large chunks of the ground beef.   I used the medium sized flat egg noodles today.  As soon as the noodles were done and drained, I added a brick of cream cheese and covered the kettle to allow for the cream cheese to melt while the pasta was hot.  I don’t know when or why I have used cream cheese in addition to the sauce.  It seems to coat the pasta in a good way adding flavor without any carbs. I always leave a bit of sauce in the jar and add cream, again no carbs and then shake it up to get all the goodness out of the jar.  In went the browned beef and onions and . . . we have supper.  In fact there are two freezer bags of the pasta dish ready for the freezer.  I had used two pounds of beef and a fairly good amount of the pasta.  What’s not better than to have a quick meal to take out of the freezer to the oven now that spring is requiring more time outside.

  Dennis loves his ice cream.  Dennis does not like to snack on nuts for protein or fiber.  The last item on today’s check list was to use the blender and chop whole pecans.  A bit of the chopped pecans on ice cream does the trick.  The container is popped into the refrigerator as pecans are oily and I surely don’t want rancid ice cream toppings.

  There were a few weeds that could have been removed from the flowers on the east side of the house.  That might find its way on tomorrow’s list.  It was enjoyable to take my walk today knowing that as long as there are check lists in my life, I have a balanced life and a satisfying life and a reason to get up and show up for the day.

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on May 1, 2020 Permalink  

  Dangerous Winds 

  The winds from the south and southeast were horrific.  Gusts to 40 mph and settling in at 27 mph.  Not a good time to be under large trees.  I knew it felt warm outside but I wasn’t prepared when I came in and realized it was 85 degrees.  Ignorance is bliss.

  After the full day of work yesterday these two older ones on Stauffer Avenue were going to take it easier today.  I took Dennis at his word this morning and slept it.  By nine I was awake and dressed.  Successful morning!  When I came back from my walk, Dennis was busy.  Today was his day to take the shutters off of the patio porch.  All needs to be a blank slate when painting is in the plans.  Since the patio porch was added to our patio in 1998, it has been painted several times.  Each time the shutters have come off, the lightweight plastic has shown signs of wear and tear where the screws have pulled through the plastic, needing to have a new spot for the screws to be replaced.

  Dennis has made it known that these shutters are going to replaced after the paint job.  I agreed.  New plastic ones will be purchased.  What I didn’t realize was that the currant shutters were coming off before some of the screws were taken out.  That’s where I came in.  Taking screws out of wood calls for caution.  Screws that have been in place for a decade have rusted heads and it doesn’t take much to strip the heads.  I can say that there was one screw that is still in place of the 36 that were holding the shutters on.  It was one that was bent when put in.  That one screw is down next to the Koi pond and will be sawed off.  I can live with that.

  I had worked the project so I could stay out of the sun and in the shelter where the winds could be avoided.  What I had not expected was to have part of the garage’s ridge roll flying off of the roof.  The gusts of wind had torn the ridge roll off of the nails that had held it down.  Dennis spent a minute looking at the roof and he was off in his red pickup to find “people.”  As of this afternoon are grocery cup is short by $25.00 and the ridge roll on the garage is again secure.  Small towns are amazing. Someone will always know someone who can fill a need.

  We have had another successful day on Stauffer Avenue.  We actually wouldn’t need to mow our grass as we don’t let grass grow under out feet.  Older ones still have it.

   
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  Noreen 2:30 pm on April 30, 2020 Permalink  

  Aced It! 

  The older ones on Stauffer Avenue have aced this Thursday . . . the last day of April.  We had a goal that included working on the garage walls for prep in painting and doing the first mowing of the 2020 season.

  With those plans in mind, I beat feet out early this morning to get my walk in.  The birds were out in full force as I headed east on Stauffer Avenue.  The walking has become a compulsion.  Dang . . . a good habit.

  Dennis and I have agreed that this 2020 painting of the garage will be the last painting.  The next time there is a need for a face lift, it will be siding.  Most likely it will be steel.  With Stauffer Avenue being a gravel road, rocks can and do make holes in vinyl siding.  That’s the thought for now.  Enough visiting, it was time for me to get back to scraping the north side. Dennis went to the south side for scrubbing of siding and garage doors.  Twelve noon we took a break, closed down the garage work and went in to have some buttered toast with grape jelly.  Oh that tasted so good.

  Mowing the acre for the first time is a pain.  Finding the twigs that fell after we had done the twig sweep of winter is a must.  I stick to the front yard and around our house with my push mower with the bagger.  We have a huge evergreen in the front yard that had a ton of needles that had fallen and made a good sized dust storm when the mower got them into the bag.  Michael had always kidded me that I should have a self-propelled mower.  I did try that and it was not successful.  My hands have all they can do to keep the bar engaged for the mower to keep running and the blade to spin and cut.  I don’t have the expanse in my hands to keep the bar pushed down for the mower to continue running as well as the bar for it being self-propelled.  Bummer.

  When this great day is ending, sitting on the patio and enjoying the investment of our energy . . . priceless. It takes Dennis a lot longer to mow the majority of the acre compared to my portion. That gives me time to get our lightweight trimmer out to take care of the nonsense growth that the mowers can’t get close enough to.  Tidy, tidy.  I think we have agreed that we need to get a second battery for our leaf blower.  As with the trimmer, we got a lightweight blower and naturally the batteries go hand in hand with the size of the unit.  The strength in my arms had determined the tools that we have purchased.  It’s a good thing.

  Tomorrow will be another “work on the garage day.”  I had actually put a request on Facebook in regard to someone that would be interested in hiring out for working on our garage project.  How many responses?  Zero.  That told me that even when many have been put out of employment . . . nobody wants to work.  Dennis and I are doing great and it brings to mind something that Kevin told me a long time ago: “They probably wouldn’t do it to your specifications anyway.”  Good Lord, my kid knows me well.

   
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  Noreen 3:19 pm on April 29, 2020 Permalink  

  Enough Talk 

  No more talking about it, today we started doing something about it.  Today, this forenoon, we started scraping the north side of the garage siding.  It has shown signs of this need for a year or two.  The side walls are not high and there is nothing to be said that it needs to be a hurry job.  If we get the north side scraped, primed and painted this year . . . I’ll be very content and happy as I enjoy being outside.  Less time on plants means that there is time and energy to put in on the garage.  It will by no way mean full days.  Heck no.  At 1:30 I put my tools away and went for my walk as Dennis got out the shop vac to clean up the paint chips.  Paint chips on a concrete patio need vacuuming.  When latex paint chips get wet, they nestle in for the long haul.

  Walking against the north wind today left me breathing a bit hard by the time I got home, but it sure felt good to stretch the legs.  All that was left on my plate for the day was to make a run to the grocery store for a pail of vanilla ice cream.  

  There was a deal struck between Dennis and me in regard to the garage project.  The deal was, we would do it ourselves at our own pace, aka: my pace.  As Dennis does cleanup from the scraping that I can put out . . . suppers are not going to be a big deal.  To be sure . . . we will have more than ice cream for supper.  The main course might be a can of soup and a half of grilled cheese sandwich each.  The tone of the suppers will be “quick and easy” on the days that the garage is worked on.  It will be a good workout for us and a lot of self satisfaction.  I love self satisfaction.

  The middle of the week.  The end of April on Thursday.  Time waits for no man.  I sure do appreciate that I have no time table.  It’s funny how that works out.