Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:53 pm on January 16, 2023 Permalink  

  Custom Zippers 

  Digging in my stashes, I found the perfect solution for our latest medical need.

  The boot on Dennis’ left foot is very cumbersome, heavy and specialized.  It is built so when Dennis puts that foot out for a step, the built up heel takes the brunt.  

  Up until yesterday Dennis had a pair of cut off sweat pants to wear.  The boot was to stay on 24/7, but I did take it off Wednesday night to allow him a piece of clothing he could manage in and out of the bathroom. 

  It has been mild outside, but his little white legs even gave the white snow a run for its money. 

  In my stash, out came what is called zipper by the yard.  When purchasing a yard there are several of the zipper pulls included.  Custom zippers can be created.  It is not the easiest to thread the zipper pull on the two sides of the zipper.  Nonetheless, Dennis now has two pair of pants that allow the left leg of each to have a 20″ opening to fit around and over the boot.

  It is time for me to take care of the livestock chores as well as to get the garbage bin out to the edge of Stauffer Avenue.  As soon as I enter the garage, the kitties plop down from the rafters.  It does not get cooler than 51 degrees in the garages, and of course, heat rises.

  May the new week bring all that is needed for all of us.

   
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  Noreen 3:25 pm on January 15, 2023 Permalink  

  Success 

  As of this afternoon Dennis has a pair of pants that will fit over this humongous boot.  The zipper went in well though it could have been longer.  This boot with tons of Velcro also has the ability to be pumped up . . . or have a release of pressure.  Lefty, loosey.  Righty, tighty.

  Tomorrow, I may take another pair of older pants and do it up with another zipper, so Dennis can have a wardrobe change of two.

  Outside, whatever has something to thaw and drip . . . is.

  I have had a day of sewing success and am going to enjoy my rocking chair before supper.

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on January 14, 2023 Permalink  

  A New Challenge 

  Today I am working on some sewing skills.

  Dennis came home from the hospital in what was a pair of good sweat pants that had a zipper on each side of the legs.  The nurses had a heck of a time getting Dennis ready for home as the zipper was not quite adequate.  I got those pants off by hook and crook, but he needs something more than his undies for next week’s appointments.

  Today with using the oldest pants he has, I am opening the side of the left leg.  Some time ago I had bought three yards of zipper length with individual heads to make your own zippers for the length you needed.  Thankfully I have one head already threaded onto the length.  I think I will cut off a 16″ length and make a pair of pants that are doable to fit over this huge clumsy boot that goes up mid point to Dennis’ knee. 

  Pants that have been laundered umpteen times have stitches deeply embedded with navy on navy . . . hard to see.  Enough for that today.  I will hit the studio tomorrow and see how I do.

  I have the livestock chores done for the day and have made a trip to the store for cough drops, carrots, onions and a rotisserie chicken.

  Boning out the chicken will give me a good batch of chicken for an oven dish sometime soon.  Fixing a dish that will provide us with a good nutritious meal for three evening meals is better for me than coming up with something night after night.

  Dennis is doing quite well . . . all things considered.  He is staying ahead of the pain while keeping the leg up at various locations within the house.  He has not asked if he can go out to the patio porch . . . I believe he already knows what the situation is until next week Tuesday when we see a medical team.

   
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  Noreen 3:44 pm on January 13, 2023 Permalink  

  Lots of Sun 

  Chilly it is but the sun has power.

  I am doing well at the livestock chores.  I know the three fur babies would like me to spend more time in the patio porch.  Sorry!  When I opened the east sliding door to put corn out for the deer . . . good ole Honey Bunny made a break for it.  I went ahead and cleaned the litter box, put fresh food and water out and then returned to the door I had left cracked.  She sat out about ten feet in one of the trenches of tracks made by the deer and . . . looked at me.  I slid the door shut with a fairly loud thud.  Bam, she was at the glass door when there was barely a width large enough for her head.  Gotcha!

  Last night I went to bed at nine and was surprised when I heard traffic was moving on the street outside and it was six in the morning.   Dennis and I both got a great night’s rest. 

  The patient has moved from place to place in the house, wherever we can get a stool to keep the leg elevated.  He is doing well and since surgery on Wednesday, he has asked for one pain pill.  I do remind him, it is easier to stay ahead of it than to try and quench it after it is raging.  He tells me he is doing ok and I take him at his word.

  After having Dennis’ heavy quilt outside for most of yesterday, the smell of winter’s cold fresh air filled the house.  It took me back to the farm in Boon Lake Township where we farmed.  Many times, I would hang out laundry and let it freeze dry.  No fabric softener was used and the softness of bath towels exceeded how they had been purchased.  Flannel diapers didn’t take long to freeze dry and when they were brought indoors, they were ready to be pinned on in a very short time.

  I am very thankful for a lifetime of memories.  It is true, they can’t be taken from you and I always have room to store more.  Sweet!

  Happy weekend!  The temps over Saturday and Sunday will be a great reprieve.

   
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  Noreen 3:00 pm on January 12, 2023 Permalink  

  Home Sweet Home 

  After spending the greater portion of yesterday in the surgical unit of the Mankato Hospital . . . today was home sweet home.  Dennis came through the amputation of toes and metatarsal well.  It was a one day surgery.  I did make good on letting all the kids know when were were home.  I encouraged Dennis’ children to give him a call in the evening.

  Dennis had a fairly good night of rest while wearing an orthopedic boot.  The boot is 99% Velcro with various straps.  I did remove the boot this forenoon so Dennis could get into some comfortable sweat pants plus a totally clean change of clothes.  That boot can be worn for several days at a time.  I may well be doing just that.

  The air was crisp today and fairly breezy.  I took Dennis’ heavy flannel quilt outside and made use of the bench that we have by the back door.  With the bench put in the middle of the driveway the quilt took to fluttering.  I have turned it end for end several times.  My hope is when I take it in, the house will be filled with the wonderful aroma of freshness.  It is washable, but it would take a huge front loading machine in the launderette.  By evening, his bed will be an option and perhaps better than the recliner he was in last night.  

  Bland food is the ticket for the day.  Supper will be either scrambled eggs or breakfast cereal.  Anesthetics can be hard on the system for the next day. 

  The wind is brisk enough that the iced snow is letting loose of the evergreen boughs.

  I have the livestock chores done for this evening and have the corn out for the deer.  Dennis will not be able to visit the patio porch until some time next week, if . . . he gets the wound doctor’s go ahead.

  The remainder of our week is quiet.  Sweet!

   
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  Noreen 3:52 pm on January 10, 2023 Permalink  

  Errand Day 

  Today was errand day for me in downtown St. James.

  I know it is haircut day when the collars of our jackets do not want to easily lay down.  Dennis’ niece does a great job for us.

  As tomorrow is surgery day for Dennis, I had been making a list on the dining room table of groceries that needed to be picked up.  Superfair is the grocery store that we have in town.  Having the necessities in the house will make the next week or so easier was my aim.  Not the best of bargains as there is no competition.  What I thought was amusing was that a dozen of Grade A brown eggs were $3.69 sitting right next to Grade A white eggs at $5.99.  Bless those little brown hens.

  My friend June does not drive and it was high time I stopped in to her apartment for a visit.  When June lived on the end of Stauffer Avenue, we would walk back and forth to have a visit.  June’s daughter keeps her mom supplied with reading material that she purchases in an outlet store in the metro.  June passed off four novels to me today.  When I have read them, I will pass them along to someone else.  This will save me the trip to the library where books are checked out for three weeks at a time.  That three weeks can go by quite quickly when things get busy in our little home.

  When I got home, Dennis had knocked off the snow on the back door awning with the snow rake.  About the time that we would have forgotten how much snow was up there, it would have taken one slam of the door and the snow and ice could have hit one of us in the neck.  I say that as it has happened in times past.

  Tonight after six, we can call the Mankato hospital to find out what time Dennis needs to check in tomorrow morning.  I know the four lane will be clear as it already was yesterday.  Time will indeed tell how our day is going to shake out.

  If the morrow gets late, I will put off putting on a posting.  There will be another day to catch up.

   
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  Noreen 3:35 pm on January 9, 2023 Permalink  

  Monday the Gift 

  What a great Monday.  There is so much ice that is being cleared from doorways and ours is one of them.

  As soon as a bit of thawed snow turns liquid and gets a chance to find its way under the thickest of ice, there is a chance that the battle can begin.  An ice cream pail of salt from the softener brine tank helped as well.  Salt is not kind to concrete and I know decades ago we made dang sure to have a brand of ice melt called Zero.  Dennis had gotten a product from Fleet and farm that was to be kind to concrete and it had ground corn cobs in it.  Man did that drag into the house under the feet.  For this one time, the salt did the trick.

  One of my favorite television shows in days of old was Columbo.  An ace detective with a bit of humor.  Last weekend I was surfing what was on Samsung television.  British shows on PBS included one “Jack Frost.”  Much like Columbo, including multiple pockets full of notes for crime solutions.  Variety in the shows is good.  Dennis’ favorite is Kriminal, with a “K”, that he catches on the Godahl tower offerings. 

  Last night we reminisced about the year when KEYC, channel 12, from Mankato was all that there was, complete with the Band Wagon.  The old time bands had quite a few toes tapping in their living rooms as they watched. 

  We are doing a meal in a pan this evening.  I have a bag of refrigerated hash browns from Christmas that needs to be used.  My plan is to chop up four precooked Jimmy Dean Sausages as the potatoes are toward being finished.  Stir them up, mix them up and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top as it goes to the table.  Meal planning 101.

  With this day being such a gift, I hope the remainder of the week is kind to us as well.

   
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  Noreen 1:52 pm on January 8, 2023 Permalink  

  And Calm Prevailed 

  It is a Sunday and all is well and quiet.

  There was a tradeshow in the Northrop school today.  I encouraged Dennis to attend.  It may be some time before another opportunity presents itself. 

  I spent the morning . . . doing not much of anything.  I do have a great book that I can immerse myself into while enjoying coffee.

  I glanced out the bathroom window at noon and saw a lone deer looking around on the back patio as if he had missed the lunch wagon.  Sorry.  That doesn’t happen until later in the day.

  I know all is well with Megan and Nicholas.  I text them on the weekends and bless their hearts, I always get a little ditty back from them.

  This quiet Sunday afternoon is the perfect time for a brief little ditty from me.  Catch you tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 3:08 pm on January 7, 2023 Permalink  

  A Quiet Saturday 

  With the sun shining brightly, I found myself taking in what I saw out of my bedroom porch window.  There was no breeze but small flakes of snow found their way to the ground after leaving the shelter of the evergreen boughs.  A heavy white frost gave us a wonderland.  

  I was in no hurry to finish my breakfast coffee.  Times like this morning need to happen more often.  Rushing through the hours of the day will not only exhaust me but I miss out of the finer points of each hour.  

  The birds that we have in our Lilac bushes never cease to amaze me.  A pair of cardinals cant be missed against the white snow.  We have Blue Jays that make a huge racket and that can be forgiven for the color they add.  I am not keen on knowing the names of the little birds of varying colors.  They add so much to our yard.  It also gives the patio porch kitties a reason to keep their noses to the window panes.

  After enough nature gazing it was time to get the bedding going.  One bedroom yesterday and one today makes for good local effort.  Dennis pitched in with the back entry floor.  He felt it was only right as he is the one going in and out many times during daylight hours.

  I can add that yesterday in the afternoon of Friday, we found out that the meds that we assumed were given to the drug store Thursday afternoon were not forthcoming from the doctor in Mankato for the pain Dennis was experiencing in his left foot.  I went onto our Mayo Portal at three on Friday afternoon to visit with our family doctor.  I got a message back on the portal at five that Dr. Eatwell had the meds sent to Lewis Drug.  The Drug store is open until six.  A family doctor that knows his patients is so much appreciated.  Dennis got a great night’s sleep.  Having Dennis sleep deprived prior to his surgery on Wednesday would not be a good thing for oh so many reasons.

  Our weekend chores are complete and with the weather having settled . . . all is well.

   
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  Noreen 3:23 pm on January 6, 2023 Permalink  

  Bright Sun 

  What a treat to have bright sun amid all the snow and ice that is hanging around.  Snow removal is slowing down.  Where it could get pushed it has.  The bad part of snow removal is that where the pushing has taken place, it is slick.

  There was a need for us to contact a medical desk in Mankato.  As soon as I read the email, I got right on it.  I was put on hold as all the representatives were currently helping others.  I was on hold for 35 minutes.  I was then told I needed to hold for my call to be forwarded to the Doctor’s nurse.  Another ten minutes.  

  The pain prescription that the Doctor was to forward to our drug store never showed up since yesterday afternoon.  I was finally told that the Doctor in radiology would prefer that our family doctor prescribed what he felt would be best suited as he knew his patient and his history better.  How hard would it have been to tell us that straight out.  Twenty four hours had been wasted.  I am now waiting for our family doctor to return my call.

  I wonder what happens to those that have no one to advocate for them.  Grant it, Dennis has his senses but he is not a match for the jargon of “medical speak.”  Oh well.

  I have one of the two sets of bedding ready to go back onto a bed.  The refrig and freezer got a review and we now have an oven dish ready to pop in for supper.  Some of my tasks were done while I had my phone on speaker.  I kept it close enough that I could make a grab for it.  Working smarter, not harder.

  There is a bit of rearranging going on in the living room for next week.  Dennis tidied up one of the square card tables that we have used in the past for patio picnics.  The computer table is going into my porch bedroom and the computer has found a home on the card table.  There is plenty of room for Dennis to play solitaire during recovery while keeping his foot up under the card table.  It all can work with just a bit of planning.

  Dennis just came home from the elevator as his stockpile of corn for feeding the deer is growing.  Like I said . . . planning.