Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from June, 2018 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 4:20 pm on June 16, 2018 Permalink  

  The house was quiet last night and I slept like an infant . . . until the lightning and thunder woke me this morning. We watched the weather channel last night and we were not in any path for storms. We had rain until one this afternoon.

  Yesterday I had gotten an old pair of shoes out and they were going to be the gardening shoes regardless of how much mud they would collect. I have a patch of perennials that need some TLC. The can of mosquito spray was parked right next to the shoes. The sun came out about two this afternoon and I was still going to check out the possibility of weeding. When I opened the back door and the humid steamy air hit me I could have cried. I thought thunderstorms were to break the hot air path . . . not.

  Here we are at supper time and the outside air is at a nasty 92 degrees. Needless to say the shoes and spray are still parked where they were last night. I can perhaps take getting muddy as I do clean up quite nicely. I no doubt could do both mud and mosquitoes . . . but not the heat and humidity on top of the mosquitoes and mud. I am beyond doing that to myself.

  Tomorrow is another day. So far the perennials are able to be seen above the extra foliage . . . I’ll just go with that for today and be thankful I don’t have to do any watering for the plants.

   
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  Noreen 4:34 pm on June 13, 2018 Permalink  

  We slept in this morning. It was promised that the longer the day went today the humidity would be diminished. About noon the mowers were checked for oil and gas and we hit the acre like young farmers. Hey . . . sometimes you just have a burst of good energy. As the afternoon went on the clouds took over and it was pleasant out. With the mowing completed I took a good look at our driveway. In the cracks, among the dirt, there were little Prickly Pear Cactus beginning to grow. Several years ago we did dig out a planter that was full of over-grown Prickly Pear Cactus. Those little buggers were standing tall and proud at an inch high. I had just sprayed the cracks with Roundup. Either the cactus are tough beyond Roundup or I may have missed them. Either way they are gone.

  I am thankful Dennis is setting up for supper with some left-over chicken Alfredo hot-dish. Put a few pickles with it, bread and butter and it’s a go. I have some wonderful asparagus waiting for me. I like it raw dipped in Thousand Island dressing. If I have had a good workout in the yard, I like a light supper and it doesn’t have to be hot. Dennis needs a hot meal at least once a day.

  Stauffer Avenue is in good shape and those who dwell there aren’t too bad either. Life is good. Each day we save the best of the moments and leave the rest.

   
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  Noreen 6:03 pm on June 11, 2018 Permalink  

  It is amazing what the mind can conjure up for trivia in memories. I mentioned several days ago our neighbors to the west were moving. She came over last night to say goodbye. She was holding her two month old baby and the baby was quite content. The entire time the mom was moving the baby up and down at a fairly good clip as one would do when a child might be fussing. What came to my mind as I watched was what Orlin had insisted on when Carrie and Kevin were infants. The essence of his thought was: small babies are working hard to focus their eyesight during the first months . . . why would you constantly keep them in motion to make any focus impossible for them. Needless to say Carrie and Kevin were not shook in that manner when they were infants. Holding them and gently rubbing their backs was our mode of operation. It worked. I found it difficult to keep Orlin’s thought out of my mind the entire time she stayed. I wished them well as they headed out.  Ya . . . it’s amazing what the gray matter brings straight to the forefront as if it happened yesterday and not 49 years ago.  I rather enjoy those memories.

  On a lighter note, my favorite chair gives me a view out of our north living room window. The lilac bushes show the activity of everything in the greens and the birds that frequent the bush. It also happens to be in close proximity to the water that the sump pump brings to the surface in our yard north of the house. It is much like a communal bathtub.  It has been a great venue of Robins, Cardinals and Blue Jays. Even the squirrels give their fair share of performances. Enjoyable to say the least to watch what Mother Nature has to share.

   
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  Noreen 12:53 pm on June 6, 2018 Permalink  

  Back to Normal 

  Today is Wednesday and Stauffer Ave. feels like a normal today.  I put all the shelves back on the north wall of the sewing studio.  Nothing needed to be sacrificed in regard to storage.  It felt normal today that my brother called and we took jabs at each other.  Humor is always a good thing when there are under- tones of care and support.  It was also back to normal to get the weed whip going so Dennis could get the riding lawn mower going without all the back and forward motion needed to get close and personal to objects.  I am quite sure he will be heading in soon for a good drink of water.  After an additional half inch of rain last night it is humid, sticky, soggy and a bit muddy in sparse grass areas.  All the phones in the house were ringing at 4:00 a.m.  Our county has an alert system.  The alert was for a severe thunderstorm heading our way.  Lots of rain, wind, thunder and lightening.  Quite the season of rain.  Yup . . . on so many levels normal feels good.

   
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  Noreen 5:01 pm on June 2, 2018 Permalink  

  When I came back from my walk this morning, Dennis was already in his recliner for a nap. I took another cup of coffee and headed out to the yards. We had a huge dumping of rain over night. At three this morning the thunder and lightening woke me. I got up and seeing across the street was difficult through the heavy rain. Again our neighbor to the south has a huge pond that also needs mowing when the water goes down. Last week he was doing laps around the water pond with his lawnmower.

  Yesterday I had managed to clean up a bit from branches, green things not wanted in the flower beds and whatever had blown or washed into areas where it was not wanted and it had been left in a pile. This forenoon Snuggles and I filled bushel basket after bushel basket and trucked it over to the fire ring. Yup, it’s too wet to burn, but leaving it piled on the grass would not be a good thing.

  I put out more granules on spots that have sprouted up with huge ant hills. What is up with that! I got dirty this morning, complete with heavy muddy shoes, but the agenda had been met. The hardest part was getting Snuggles out of the potting shed. So many things to sniff. So many things to check out in the far corners.

  How did Dennis fare? Finally at one this afternoon I woke him to see if he was willing to take nourishment. It seemed to be one of those napping type of days. For the first half hour he was out on the patio swinging his right arm as it apparently had been tucked in too hard in the recliner for the long nap. Too funny.

  Tomorrow I will be traveling to my sister’s home town. Her ashes have been returned to the family and there will be a family committal service at the cemetery. Closure is a good thing.

   
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  Noreen 5:17 pm on May 31, 2018 Permalink  

  Though rare, I do hit Minnesota State Highway 60 solo from time to time. A group of us that do machine embroidery met at one of the quilt shops in Mankato to share tips on stitching, materials and projects. YouTube videos are wonderful, but you can’t beat open conversations. The group is of various ages using various brands of sewing machines to accomplish the end result. For the most part I am self-taught. Several of the gals have traveled as far as Seattle for workshops. I continue to take part in these gatherings as at a unique moment a grand tip can be picked up. My end game remains the same . . . I am having fun doing it.

  While I was in Mankato, Dennis finished up the mowing that we got rained out on last night. We started the mowing late yesterday to give the grass a chance to dry out. We had agreed that a late supper would be the plan. When the clouds began dumping rain, we had supper right on target. That rain tipped us over three inches within the week. The week went quickly and as usual the weekend will be taken as it comes.

   
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  Noreen 4:56 pm on May 30, 2018 Permalink  

  Supper time on a Wednesday and again the skies are dark with droplets of rain. We had 1.85 inches last night with winds that meant business. Monday night there was damage west of us. Last night a barn went down south of us. We have been so fortunate.

  When I came home from my walk this morning, I had missed the action in our yard. Snuggles had been acting strange and when Dennis investigated, there was a huge opossum waddling away from our yard and heading to our neighbors yard north of us. By the time Dennis had gotten his gun, the possum was not to be found. They are so nasty. I am happy Snuggles had not tangled with it. It would have meant a trip to the VET ER.

  I think we have had our share of rain and heat. It does make me wonder what June will bring.

   
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  Noreen 2:49 pm on May 25, 2018 Permalink  

  The Good and The Less Than Good 

  Surprisingly our phone rang at 6:30 this morning.  It took both of us a time to come out of deep slumber.  When we reached the phone it had already gone to messaging and their wasn’t a message left.  What to do but get up and stay up.  It was a good thing for me.  I went for the earliest walk ever.  It was already at 70 degrees with humidity and dewpoint both in the 60s.  I donned my straw hat and a long sleeve shirt.  I don’t need anymore exposer to the sun.  Other than seeing a whole new run of traffic it was a good thing to do it early.

  With the higher heat, Dennis needed to put water in the Koi pond to combat the evaporation before he left for his appointment at the VA Clinic here in town.  The monthly checkup is a good thing.  By 9:30 we were both on the patio having coffee and checking out the traffic going past our home.  There were chainsaws going off to the south and our neighbor to the south, Bob, was mowing his lawn. 

  Bob is a trucker and has only two to three days at home to get things tidy.  In the recent past Bob has acquired a dog.  Peaches was a tiny little thing, only six weeks old, labeled as a Beagle when Bob got her from someone giving puppies away at a truck stop.  Fast forward . . . Peaches is huge and has the look of a pit bull mixed with mutt already 70 lbs. or more.  The less than good to our day is that Bob doesn’t hesitate to beat Peaches when she does what Bob doesn’t think she should do.  Peaches is still a puppy and loves to do puppy things.  This morning was the second time that I have called across the alley and let Bob know how I felt about beating the dog.  It hits me in a place that I really can’t explain . . . Oh yes I can . . . it’s not humane.  If you don’t have the patience to train a dog, you don’t deserve to have a dog.  I am sure Peaches is company in the truck with Bob.  Bob commented back to me that Peaches comes right back to him after a beating.  HELLO!  What choice does a dog that is tethered have?  Perhaps one day when Peaches is full grown she may retaliate against the beatings and the 150 lb. bully posturing as a pet owner won’t stand a chance.  I have lost all respect for Bob, though we have been neighbors for over 20 years.  I don’t need that in my life and I can’t change what is happening across the alley.  Turning him in is an alternative, but it may also mean retaliation to our home sometime to come from him.  It’s no win and I need to let it go.  

  Working hard to put the good back in the day, I checked out some blooms that will have their work cut out for them to remain beautiful with the hot winds. Gardening is satisfying and the short-lived blossoms are part and parcel to it.  The antics of the cats under the lilacs lifted my spirits as well as how tender Dennis is to those four critters.  Priceless. The afternoon has been spent in the sewing studio.  Being in my element has made me feel happy and good.

   
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  Noreen 3:15 pm on May 23, 2018 Permalink  

  Proof of Spring 

  

  Color is popping up and there is no way that there is only one color or shade of green. After a workout yesterday . . . my body told me this morning that I would be better off passing on the two mile walk. My hips felt loose in their sockets. By the time I had vacuumed the patio porch, blew off the patio from the night’s rain and had several cups of coffee . . . I felt better. During the night there was thunder and lightning and I hope the last of the tree seeds have fallen that had covered the patio this morning. If the humidity and heat is as predicted, I will take it one day at a time for the walking. Last year on a hot humid day, I had overdone it. I called Dennis’ daughter Sandy to stop on her way home from the clinic. No . . . it wasn’t my heart, it was dehydration to the max. I have spoke of it in the past and it bears repeating . . . I do need to slow down a bit and give myself permission to take a day off once in a while. Hey . . . my sewing studio is the perfect place to take the heat and humidity while still making a contribution to the day the Lord has given me.

   
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  Noreen 4:19 pm on May 22, 2018 Permalink  

  Fantastic day of taking care of the acre. It started out with a whole lot of wet grass. After a good noon lunch of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup, I headed out to do the trimming and Dennis took a short nap. Using the rider goes oh so much better if I have the trimming done around trees, utility poles and gardens.

  After Dennis had mowed an area to the east he commented on all the ant hills that have shown up. I dug out a product that we had in the garage cabinets for just such critters. The powder is meant be carried by the ants into their secluded haunts. When I walked the area spreading the goodies I know I will be going out to Fleet and Farm and picking up another bag. There are a whole bunch of areas that need treatment. Several years ago we lost a huge area of nice grass before we got right down and personal for a close peek.

  We have a great gas leaf blower that has a lot of power to tidy up the sidewalk, patio and driveway. One bad thing . . . you can also pull your arm off getting it started. I resorted to the old electric Black and Decker leaf blower. It’s easier for me to work with electric cords than having an arm that feels less than good.

  The afternoon flew. Dennis and I finished our tasks in tandem. Here we are and it’s supper time. Crispy chicken tities and waffles. Sounds good to me.