Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2019 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:05 pm on October 11, 2019 Permalink  

  Rattling a Cage 

  Here we thought we were done with winter prep.  Not so.  Dennis came in and said the chimney for his garage furnace has done fallen of the garage wall.  Dang!  It has shown to be rusty for some time.  It is actually a good time to have this done before we actually had a patio full of snow. 

  Why the rattling of the cage you might ask.  Our favorite plumbers have been a bit lax. Two summers ago, we had them move the AC so Complete Basements could work on putting in new windows and a window well, with the understanding that when we called them, they would move it back to somewhat of an original location.  That didn’t happen.  The AC has now nestled in quite nicely at an odd angle among our new seedlings of grass.  It’s not going anywhere now.  The slope of the yard has been determined. 

  On the list of items for the summer of 2018 was to check the AC as it is a unit that was put in 1991.  At the same time of the request was furnace cleaning for both the house and the garage furnaces.  The boys never showed up.  They have a business office and I know they check in to that location every morning to have the work load divided up.  Catching them when they are in their van at another location is not proper.

  Here we are in 2019 with another call to their business office.  Same request: AC check, two furnaces to check and now, also a kitchen faucet repair.  I have called back to check on the scheduling and I was nice about it.  Nothing.

  Now today with Dennis’ garage furnace chimney issue, Dennis went straight for the jugular.  Not the business office to have this put on the list . . . right down to where the vehicles are kept and where the boys have a bit of a man cave. 

  This is the first time of having a disappointed experience with them that has lapsed two seasons.  We don’t want to be the clients that are serviced when it is a high ticket item.  We are the clients that pay our bill on time.  We are the “steady Eddies” of customers that give out great reviews.

  As Dennis got the little red pickup out of the garage . . . “You go cowboy.”  Let’s see what is gong on with the service that has been given in good faith, on both ends, in the past.  I can hear the cage being rattled!

   
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  Noreen 4:08 pm on October 9, 2019 Permalink  

  A Marathon Type of Day 

  We may start out a bit slow in the mornings but we pick up speed as the day goes on.

  My first task this morning was to walk the length of Stauffer Avenue to visit my friend June.  June happens to live at the end of Stauffer Avenue.  Sitting at her kitchen table we had a great catch up chat.  I had taken my Diamond Willow cane with me just in case the right hip wanted to cause a glitch.  The hip played nice to and from June’s house.

  Dennis had it in his mind that we were going to get some winterizing done today.  The remaining week has been forecast to be anything but nice.  Neither Dennis nor I like to work outside when our hands can get cold.

  Here we are at suppertime and we have had a great day.  Everything that was outside, not meant to be out in the winter weather, is inside the potting shed.  The last item that went in was the patio umbrella.  Amen.  Both Dennis and I have decided that there will be some heavy items offered to family members next spring.

  All of the garden hoses have been blown out, reeled in onto the hose carriage and the hose carriage is now in the garage.

  The bathroom windows needed to be cleaned from the outside and they now sparkle in the late day sun.

  The kitty baskets have been taken apart with the blankets having been on the clothesline for the brisk wind to freshen them up.  Of course Snuggles had to try each of the baskets out after Dennis put them back together to make sure he had done it right. 

  I had a four o’clock physical therapy appointment for the right hip.  Mike T had a chance to see how the hip is doing after having a busy day of being out and about.  My next appointment is the 23rd of this month.  I am to do anything and everything that is usual and customary to see how the hip takes it.  There is one tight ridge of tendon and muscle not playing well together.  Taking it one day at a time with walking and doing what comes about each day will be the tell tale when the 23 appointment is kept.  I am hopeful the hip will take my days in stride with what each day brings so I get a “Get out of Jail” pass for the fall and winter.

  Dennis requested pancakes and Jimmy Dean sausages for supper.  That is a fare that we have not had in a long time and I am just the gal to deliver that request.  Catch you tomorrow and I hope it is a dry day and that the forecasters were being alarmists.  No more marathon days this week.

   
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  Noreen 3:06 pm on October 6, 2019 Permalink  

  Energized 

  Yipee!  The sun is out.  The sun trumps the high winds from the south.  

  I took one look at the hard water spots in our west house porch and I knew I had been energized by the sun.  Actually the sun could barely cut through the spots. 

  Out came the Turbo Foaming Lime-A-Way.  Kevin and Kersten brought over several bottles with the intended use of spraying the foam into the shower head to allow for maximum spray.  It works great on the exterior windows.

  Dennis has bought some Fuller Brush soap cleaning products to hook onto the garden hose.  It claimed that windows would be spot free thereafter.  The house got washed off last weekend and with the Fuller Brush soap, the siding of the house looks good.  Good enough to get through the winter with less grime.

  The windows . . . not so much.  Our house windows are all tip-in.  I tackled the eight porch windows, first with the foaming Lime-A-Way and then several rinses with the final being Windex.  The difference in the windows is just as great as the vision via my right eye after the cataract was removed.  

  One cannot clean windows without taking care of the rest of the story.  The west house porch is and has now been cleaned for the fall season. 

  I was not the only one energized by a sunny day.  Dennis has been in the garages.  I have heard the leaf blower going.   I have heard the vacuum going.  Both left on our own, we have owned this day of local effort.

  Tomorrow Dennis will deliver me to the Madelia hospital by 8:45 for the left eye cataract surgery.  I am thrilled and I am happy to get this done.  

  Catch ya all after both of my eyes will have more to see in regard to what is needed for the fall housework.  The catch word of the day was “energized.”

   
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  Noreen 4:23 pm on October 5, 2019 Permalink  

  I Believe 

  I believe we will still have warm temps and sunny skies.  We had an additional two inches of rain overnight will chilly air for the entire day.  Hmm. Tomorrow it may get into the high 50s with a strong wind.     

  We drove to Mankato for a great granddaughter birthday today. Luella is now two.  As we drove it was sad to see all the bean fields with water standing in the rows.  Dennis commented if we get warm weather and the pods dry out, they may very well burst and the beans will shell out.  The only solution to that according to my ole cowboy is to run cattle into the field and use it as feed.  Ya, right . . . how many farmers have cattle to allow to run in a field with an electric fence to hold them in.  It will be an interesting fall harvest.   

  Our sump pump is running, again turning our yard to the north into a swamp.  Five inches in that many days is not the norm.  Last night Dennis put a pump on top of the drain where our sump pump surfaces and is turning it off and on sporadically to drain more water out into the street.  Quite the fall season.

  We are comfy in our home for the remainder of the weekend.  There is no place like home.

   
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  Noreen 3:56 pm on October 4, 2019 Permalink  

  It Feels Good 

  A session of 45 minutes with physical therapy this morning.  It may sound odd, but it feels good to have both of my hips feeling the burn equally after having gotten the front yard mowed with my push lawnmower.  To not have just the right hip feeling . . . the workout is definitely moving into the right direction.  Mike T has always allowed me to know that pushing a lawnmower is a good thing.  The lunging forward with each step stretches the ham strings in a good way to get that lawnmower moving.  One session next week has been scheduled . . . much better than three a week.  My chiropractor appointment is stretched out two and a half a week . . . also showing signs of good improvement.  The chigger medication is allowing for the legs to be less sensitive to the touch.  Hell’s bells . . . I think we’ve got this ole body under control.  It does give the patience factor a workout.

  Dennis vowed that this mowing session would be the last for the summer of 2019.  More rain may allow the grass the heft to grow a bit, but the blades of the grass are soft and wily.  While the potting shed doors were open I did put a few of the lawn ornaments away.  A bit here, a bit there is better than having a hell bent type of day.

  As I was finishing up outside, neighbor June was wrapping up her daily walk and she stopped for some chatting.  June is several years older than I am.  June is a widow.  I admire her for her determination.  For myself, it helps to have a neighbor that faces challenges with much the same determination as myself.  It’s a good thing. 

  It’s the close of the day and everything feels right and everything feels good.  Bless be this day!

   
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  Noreen 3:55 pm on October 3, 2019 Permalink  

  Late Birthday Treat 

  We had meant for Dennis to try the Mexican restaurant in Madelia for quite some time.  Today was the day.  Not to say that Dennis’ request of his actual birthday meal of tomato soup and a grill cheese sandwich was not a hit.

  Dennis was able to order off the “American Way” menu . . . a hamburger.  I will say that the hamburgers were amazing.  Huge and tasty.  They make their own bun.  Next time we will be “hold the French fries.”This was my second visit, Dennis’ first.  Dennis was in awe of the bright, well done decor.  It may well be a good place for another time.

  With having a total of 3 inches of rain Monday and Tuesday, I am not surprised that I hear Dennis’ lawnmower going on the east end of the acre this late afternoon.  As he headed out of the house in his chores clothes, the comment from him was “everyone’s on their own for supper.”  Dennis remembered I was going to a friend’s open house at 5:30 in  support of her new endeavor.

  Some days fill in without any effort.

   
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  Noreen 5:28 pm on September 30, 2019 Permalink  

  Snooze Day 

  We thought we were going to have a snooze type of day.  It did start out slow.  We slept in until eight this morning.  

  After all the tree trimming on Friday, Dennis had left the Cub Lo-Boy and the trailer up in the driveway.  Getting it into the back garage was the biggest thing on his list.  In thinking of it, after the trailer was parked, Dennis took off to the local welding shop via the tractor and mower .  The mower had a glitch that allowed the mower deck to not stay stable at the height it was set at.  Visiting with other like owners, this was not unusual.  It had nothing to do with the cylinder leaking.  When Dennis came back home he reported he would be returning to the welding shop in several days for “the fix” to be applied to the mower deck.  Yup, Dennis has people.

  We got a call that Dennis’ pickup was ready to pick up.  The pickup got hot last week and the little red vehicle has been parked at the repair shop since.  It was the thermostat that needed to be replaced.  Dennis commented that years ago the thermostat looked a whole lot different than what he was shown at the repair shop.  The part price comparison to the total bill was interesting.  

  I puttered in the sewing studio and did get three of the skate terry towels done in between time.  Dennis came down and played several games of solitaire on the old lap top.  I had Dennis show me how to put dual sided rivets on some sample fabric.  As luck would have it, we had all the supplies that I would need the next time I try a handbag strap.

  The phone call came that I have been waiting on.  October 7th at 8:45 I report to the Madelia hospital for my left eye cataract surgery.  I am looking forward to this as it will mean in three weeks of that October 7th date, I can be measured for lenses for my glasses that will allow my two eyes to play nice with each other.  Tomorrow I go into our local doctor for my pre-op physical.  Though I had such a physical prior to the August 5th cataract surgery, it is mandated.

  Over supper, Dennis did comment that the acre will need mowing this week.  We will have to work it in, in between rain showers.  What a whack a doodle season of weather.  Yesterday we had started the furnace for a few hours and today Dennis suggested to put the AC on to keep the humidity out of the house.  When the humidity and temperatures are withing 2-3 degrees of each other, it is humid.

  I guess what they say is on point . . . “snooze and you loose.”  I don’t think a total snooze day will ever, ever happen on Stauffer.  Catch you again on another day!

   
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  Noreen 4:27 pm on September 28, 2019 Permalink  

  What a Day 

  I started by getting the bedding into the laundry.  Dennis was going to wash off the outside of the house.  When the neighbor who was visiting his dad to the south of us came over and asked if we needed help with anything . . . the day went crazy.

  Yes . . . there were branches of the crab apple tree touching the shingles.  Yes, there were dead lilac branches touching the shingles.  Three load of branches out to the tree dump later and much raking of the smaller annoying branches having hit the burn barrel . . . Oh my gosh!  Matt was at the chainsaw and neighbor Jan came over as it was too nice of a day to stay in the house. 

  It was sometime later that Dennis got back to washing off the house and I got back to the laundry. 

  What a day on Stauffer Avenue for the two older ones.

   
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  Noreen 4:07 pm on September 25, 2019 Permalink  

  Gray and Cool 

  I don’t mind a gray and cool day once in a while.  In fact I didn’t mind it so much that I am still in my robe as supper is in the oven.  Hey . . . I am retired, I’ll have you know.

  It has been a week since I was flitting around getting ready for the sewing retreat, being a good trooper at the retreat and now settled back in our home.

  It’s not often that I totally take a day off.  That is . . . after the house was tidied, wrote out some household bills for Dennis to pop in the mail and make sure there was a casserole for the oven.  I also knocked out four towels for Megan’s skate club project.

  Our lawnmowers are totally ready for the next go round.  I am hoping that go round will be the spring of 2020.  With the .20 inch of rain from last night, I might not be so lucky.

  Dennis thought he was ahead of the game.  We went for afternoon coffee and when he pulled his little read pickup in the garage, there was either smoke or steam coming from under the hood.  It directly came out of the garage to sit in the driveway until he could safely open the hood.  The radiator was low on water, so that will be the starting place to look for the problem when he takes it out to the repair shop tomorrow morning.

  Yup . . . if it is not one thing, it is the other when you want to live self sufficiently . . . and we sure do want to live here on Stauffer Avenue, taking care of what may come.

   
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  Noreen 5:36 pm on September 15, 2019 Permalink  

  It has been Great 

  The fall temperatures that we have had . . . I give them 150%.  Totally my kind of weather.  

  There are some leaves falling from the giant Maple and Oak trees.  As we drove yesterday to Windom, the soybean fields are showing signs of turning.  I know the farming community is not looking for an early frost.  In the end, it will be what will be.

  Dennis got busy outside today and I had not kept track of him for a time.  When I did seek him out, he had one of our cement lawn ornaments loaded and heading for the potting shed.  Dennis must feel the early fall pressure as well.  We had put out less of the lawn ornaments this year than in summers past.  It may dwindle even more so next year.

  If we are lucky there might be four months that are perfect for flowerbeds to look as if someone does live here and does enjoy tending the plants.  The feeling of working the flowerbeds is hugely satisfying . . . but it doesn’t last.  The high spring winds, the hail storms and then the heat that comes with its own kind of merciless winds all take its toll.  The prettiness doesn’t last.   What does last is the stress and strain that has been put on the joints and tendons.  I am sacrificing a feeling of physically good for more months after than I want to admit . . . nope, it just doesn’t pencil out.

  Perhaps if I could totally get over the inflammation on my feet from the episode of late August when I walked in the neighbor’s yard and ended up with chiggers, I would have a better outlook on being outside and gardening.  All types of home remedies have been tried, such as: soaking my feet in water that has just as much baking soda in it as water, patting the feet dry, as you surely don’t want to rub them and start the itching, putting on a paste of wet soda, and today the latest is trying some hemp oil.  I have taken Benadryl.  It contains antihistamine to fight the histamine of the infection. This irritant surely can’t last forever.  Patience, patience.

  Couple the less than happy feet with the pair of eyes that are unhappy due to not having the lens in my glasses that would let them work harmoniously.  October 5th is just around the corner for that to be taken care of.  

  My secret to overcome the less than good things in today’s world is to stay as busy as possible with what I can handle.  Surprisingly, working on a project with the embroidery sewing is serving me well. Getting each hoop set up takes me the longest right now, but after that I know it will stitch out just as I would want it.

  Time to quit griping and enjoy the late day with some patio time.