Me, Myself and Memories

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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.

   
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  Noreen 4:53 pm on January 5, 2023 Permalink  

  A Long Day 

  We were in Mankato by ten this morning for tests in Radiology.  We didn’t see a doctor until 2:15.  He needed time to review the tests.

  Chalk up one more item done before the 11th.

  On a light note and a bright note, Dennis needed his blood test at the VA clinic here in town this morning at eight.  Dennis was the very first patient in the new Veteran’s Medical Clinic here in town.

  I am weary and will be signing off on a very short blog posting today.

  Catch you tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 2:59 pm on January 4, 2023 Permalink  

  Winter! 

  We have not had a winter such as this for one long time.  The depth of the snow is quite the sound barrier.  The evergreen’s boughs outside my bedroom porch window are laden beyond belief.  I know we have a wind of 10 mph but it is not enough to take the snow.  

  I dressed up at noon and made a path from our back door to the garage door.  I have been doing this every several hours so as not to have so much each time.  It is very wet and heavy snow and what has been falling all day is half rain.  Randy will be over after five to clear the drive.  Grandson Ryan is coming over later with a skid loader.  The city has plowed Stauffer Avenue on a once through and that has not allowed much for Dennis to back out of his garage.  Each time the snow opposite the garage gets taller and much falls back onto the surface.  Ryan will take the snow and pile it in the backyard.  After all what is a little red pickup if it can’t get out of the garage?

  I spent time in the studio puttering around mindlessly.  I need to get myself centered and dig into something . . . even if it is wrong.  Come on Grammie . . . you are better than this.  I have more on my mind than what is needed.

  I did stick my head into the refrig to see what I would be scaring up for supper.  Hmm.  What I spied was half of a huge white onion.  That would have been Raymond’s solution.  My dad could have a raw onion sandwich on white and call it good.  I think we will be having scrambled eggs with buttered toast.  I had heard that an 18 count of eggs was $11.00.  Seriously!

   
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  Noreen 2:52 pm on January 3, 2023 Permalink  

  First Wave 

  It seems as if the snow is coming in multiple waves.  I look outside and I can’t give an estimate of the inches.  White on white allows for no measure.

  When I got up last night for a trip to the bathroom, the deer were plentiful in the backyard.  Two smaller deer were not far from the house.  Though I don’t turn on lights, it seemed they sensed an intruder.  Each of the two jumped over our picket fence in a blink of my eye.  That was quite the sight.

  January 11th cannot come soon enough.  That is the surgical date for Dennis to have the remaining three toes taken off of his left foot.  All seemed to be going along well with the healing.  In a heartbeat, the little toe began turning black.  Infections can remain in our systems without warnings.  Dennis’ temp has been the same good range for all of this duration.  Heaven knows I check it often enough.  This sure took us by surprise.  Within the last days, Dennis has pain in the foot.  As I said January 11th cannot come soon enough.  This Thursday Dennis will have an ultrasound as a heads up for the condition of the arteries before surgery.  One step at a time.  I can’t believe I am saying this, but . . . Dennis is not welcoming visitors right now.  With what he is dealing with, it’s hard to stay positive all the time.  I think he has done rather well through this last year and a half.

  The Christmas tree is beckoning to be stuffed back into its box.  “It is “Ho-Ho-Ho’d” out.

  The homemade soup was a winner, so we will have an encore of it this evening.

   
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  Noreen 2:29 pm on January 2, 2023 Permalink  

  To Decide 

  Yesterday I posted a photo of a pillow I had stitched out.  I was thinking about gluing buttons on to fill in the “O”.  As I did several loads of laundry this morning I kept thinking on it.  I made a kettle of soup . . . still thinking on it.

  Several hours was spent this afternoon sorting through possibilities of buttons.  Some of the buttons would have come from the cards of buttons on the Fairfax button tree.  Some would have come from Lena’s jar of saved buttons.  After getting a cup of cold breakfast coffee down to the studio, I sat and looked back and forth from the pillow as finished and then the pile of odds and ends of red buttons.

  I have decided less is more.  There was a whole lot of food for thought going on.  No buttons will be glued to the pillow top.  What I will do is put the loose red buttons in a bag . . .  just in case something else would ever come up needing red buttons.  The red buttons on the small cardboard cards will continue looking smart as they hang on the button tree.

  As I mentioned, I made a kettle of soup.  Occasionally I will buy a bag of mixed vegetables to steam within the bag via the microwave.  I had also fixed a pork steak in the blue speckled roaster with baby carrots.  The drippings in the roaster of the pork steak were too tasty to pitch.  I felt a home made soup coming on.  I browned a pound of hamburger meat this morning.  I tossed all of the leftover vegetables in a sauce pan with the meat and the saved drippings.  I was short liquid in the saucepan.  I was also short flavor.  No way was a trip to the grocery store to be had to buy a box of broth.  I added water to cover the contents by a good two inches.  Out of the refrig came the jar of onion roasted flavored Better Than Bullion.  Two spoons full got plopped in.  A generous shake of seasoned salt, a guess of ground pepper and very generous shakes of soy sauce.  I put the sauce pan and ingredients on simmer.  We have a tasty soup for supper.  I cook like Lena, not with a recipe.

  The cement drive began showing wet at 1:30, what will follow is anyone’s guess.  We have had plenty of warning.

   
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  Noreen 2:30 pm on January 1, 2023 Permalink  

  A New Year is Here 

  January 1st is here for all to enjoy.  I am not one to make resolutions.  I do intend to try hard to maintain the health and home that I have been blessed to have.  I know I can count on new challenges to present themselves in 2023.  Taking one day at a time with a positive attitude is all that is in my power.

  The sun is out with a balmy 35 degrees.  The snow has had a chance to shrink before more is added.  That may happen by tomorrow at this time. 

  Dennis took a long nap and I have finished what I have been working on in the studio.  I had goofed up one piece of man-made suede that needed to be tossed.  I was left with the one remaining piece that was spot on for a small pillow form that I had.  16″ x 12″ was the pillow form.  I knew I would need every bit of the 18″ x 14″ of the red suede piece.  No screw ups.  Over time I had downloaded the alphabet design pack from the OESD embroidery site.  I was determined to use this fabric up.

  I have always had a challenge when it came time to position things straight when it really counted.  One quick glance was all that was needed to see the item was off by a hair or two or three.  On this red suede, I measured more times than I can recall.  Placing each letter took time as the letter would be embordered right onto the suede.  The first step was stitching on the Tartan plaid with a piece of fabric larger than needed.  The outline stitch then allowed for the extra fabric to be trimmed away as close as possible to the stitching.  The gold satin stitch was the last step for each of the individual  letters to encase the plaid fabric edges, which by the way, is a woven fabric, not printed.  The Tartan plaid is used for the envelope back. 

  I had seen this pillow in an advertisement and it piqued my interest.  What had been then done to the pillow was the letter “O” was filled with with all sorts and sizes of red buttons.  I took a scrap of the plaid stitched onto the suede to see how well it played with buttons glued onto it.  I will know more tomorrow after the glue is totally dry.  I do have buttons from the Fairfax button tree to use if I decide to go that route.  The glue I have is a powerful one.  The buttons glued on would withstand a lot.

  So many decisions sure can keep me guessing and going.  What I can share is that I have always used January to work with making Christmas items.  No stress on a time frame.