Safe
A late day in the big town. It is 4:30 and we are safe and sound at home.
More tomorrow.
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
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Noreen
A Good Thing
A good thing to do after the sewing session of yesterday. Out came my tool box to clean fuzz and threads caught where they are not wanted or needed. Oiling and a new needle puts the machine in the ready mode.
Sandy asked me yesterday when I had learned to sew. I told her about six or seven. She commented what could I possibly sew at that age to be finished for anything. I have seen some carpet rag rugs in her home that she had bought at a flea market. I went on to tell her that I would sit and tear the strips of old clothes that would go into those rag rugs. Using the treadle sewing machine I would then sew the strips together for my mom keeping like colors together to roll into a ball. It taught me about using the sewing machine needle for a seam that would carry me through much more to come. Her comment was that she wondered how those rugs were made.
Oh the difference in how families did things and how children learned. I wouldn’t trade my up-bringing for anything.
I called Aunt Janet and we had a very good visit and a lengthy one. I have mentioned before that she is my dad’s youngest and only living sibling. Being about ten years apart, we can and do share memories.
There will be an oven dish for supper. A pound of ground beef browned, pasta boiled with plenty of life left in it combined with a jar of Alfredo garlic seasoned sauce. Simple will do the trick.
Tomorrow at 12:55 p.m. Dennis needs to be in Mankato for an eye injection. Dennis commented that at his age, maybe he should forego those appointments. Hmm. I brought him up short. If he liked his little red pickup and the “get in and take a whip” he would need his eyesight. If anything would get him pulled over, I think he would be given a ride home and the little red pickup would have to find its own way home. I like it when a conversation is closed, never to be had again.
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
Let the Sunshine In
The sun means business today. The boxelder bugs are basking in it.
Today, Dennis’ daughter Sandy and Tom came out from Mankato. I knew what the visit was for. Sandy had sent pictures plus dimensions of a skirt she wanted to go around the raised base of their wash machine that sits over the floor drain.
I pulled out fabric for it and that is as far as I had gone and was going to go. Watching her as she used the rotary cutter was like watching someone use a chainsaw for the first time. She cut through the multiple layers of the 93 inches as I knew I couldn’t. I wound the bobbin and threaded the machine. Believe me, it was more difficult watching her go through the paces than running the machine myself. She got it done and felt very proud of herself. All she needed to do was run 1/2″ elastic through the top casing when she got home.
Tom took with them all of the empty plastic dry litter containers. He works with concrete and the jugs are just the right size for water for hand and and tool cleanup.
I had a great phone call from Sharon. The Sharon that lives in the north country in a sweet “shed-house” with her daughter and family. Always a treat to swap air-time.
The afternoon has left both Dennis and me kicking back for some quiet time. Hmm. The dreaded word . . . “supper” has not been mentioned yet. I think I will let the clock run on this and see where it takes us. Life lived vicariously!
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
My Task
My task for this 20th day of March is to stay awake and alert . . . until it is my usual bedtime.
Last night as I was just drifting off to sleep, the rental house across the street had commotion. A lot of commotion. Horns were blowing, car doors were banging. I got up and looked out. They were either moving someone in or they were moving out in the dead of night. Dennis was sleeping right through it all.
It was about three thirty when street rods were racing. Oh for the joy of it all. At five Dillion from across the street was getting ready to leave for his work, Toro, in Windom. One bang from him getting into his car, a second band from slamming the hood after he checked the oil gauge. The last bang as he got into to car and roared off to the south. Yup, I was wide awake.
If I had initially gotten into a deep slumber right off the bat, I most likely would have slept through all of it as it was all usual happenings on our street.
The studio treated me well. I didn’t get a finger caught under the sewing machine needle and I didn’t cut into anything in error. KNUJ had good coverage of the farm show taking place in the arena. The news of the unseasonable heat in Arizona warned of rattlesnakes making early appearances. Yuk. I’ll take the early boxelder bugs.
Again . . . our snow pack has gone by the wayside.
It’ll be supper time soon and then Grammie will be ready for her usual bedtime. Sweet. There had been no napping today!
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
Get it Done
The agenda for the morning took precedence over the first cup of coffee.
The washing machine buttons were pressed on my way out of the bathroom. The oven was turned on to 325 degrees. While it pre-heated that first cup of coffee was poured.
Several weeks ago, our grocery store had Farmland thick sliced bacon on sale for $5.20. I checked out the expiration date . . . May 30, 2026. I took home four packages. My favorite flat cookie sheet covered with tin foil would be the host for the slices of bacon. Of course five pieces didn’t fit. I have saved the cover off of the forbidden aluminum cake pan. Covered with tin foil it is the perfect size to fill in when cookie sheets just aren’t large enough.
Coffee tasted really good in between swapping out the washer’s contents to the dryer’s. I always save junk mail to put down with a few paper towels over it to drain the bacon when it comes out of the oven. The bacon had been rendered just enough that when we want to enjoy it, a few seconds on the microwave finishes it off.
The final treat from the kitchen came after the bacon was done. I covered the same pans with parchment paper. The last of the frozen chocolate chip cookies that Carrie had brought were popped into the oven. I made sure to stay close as to not have them over-bake.
Kitchen duty done, I headed to the studio for some seam stitching, taking a fresh cookie with me. For every seam sewn, there is a steam iron press to be had. I call it a good session when I don’t have to take out stitches that went haywire.
All of my activity was carried out while Dennis had company in the patio porch. Doug Gappa from Madelia had called me to make sure Dennis was home. Why call me? Most people in Dennis’ rehem know he doesn’t carry his phone.
To my way of thinking, both Dennis and I have had a great Thursday.
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
Disappearing Snow
The power of the sun is fantastic. The covering we received last night is allowing our concrete to be bare . . . once again.
We did have an energetic individual in a powerful pickup see how much he could slide and spin down Stauffer. Idiot.
The stitching in the studio went well today. I thought it was about time, I checked to see what the size was of an average/normal dorm sized bed. 38″ x 85″ is what did come up at various sites. Length and width to be added for drops. I am on the correct tract.
Dennis’ HP laptop is running smoothly. I have loaded Klondike card games and Facebook. Each in the easiest “click away” as possible. A post-a-note is on the wall right next to him for his pin and password. Whew! My sewing Dell is back in the studio. I have mentioned before how important I think it is for Dennis to have computer access for what he is interested in. The “market place” and the “reels” give him untold hours of enjoyment. It beats sleeping his time away.
I have a lean pork steak in the oven. Lawry’s seasoning on top. Covered and at 325 degree, it should be ready for our 4:45 supper. Dennis is in charge of what will be going with it. Spread the joy!
I have my arm exercises left to do before supper. I am in it to win it!
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
A Bit More
Just a bit more snow coming down this afternoon.
I had a PT appointment at one this afternoon. Most of the appointment was done in the gym. I have arms that have been allowed to become weak after the shoulder replacements of 2013, and 2014. I had no idea what the arms would or should be capable of as I was released with no PT.
I do know that after moving snow off of the front deck and the steps, I had no negative reactions. Over the years, I do know how I can move my shoulders to get the job done.
A whole new regime here in 2026. I feel hopeful. There was some hands on to see where and when the discomfort would set in. Another amount of exercises came home with me. I will not disregard. I will do the reps twice a day. This having been my second PT appointment, both times I came away feeling dizzy. The first time I attributed it to getting off of the table too fast and had a slight vertigo. Today . . . it happened again. I walk into the appointment up-right and stable, coming away with slight dizziness. I do know what dizziness feels like. Oh well.
This morning as I was having my first cup of coffee, the UPS delivered Dennis’ new laptop. I may tackle that setup before supper.
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
Bright Monday
The sunshine is so bright it can be blinding.
Here it is a bit after three in the afternoon.
My quest for this day was to work with the snow as much as I could. The first thing to start the day was to clear the back door. When my small pink shovel went into the snow I could push and clear concrete presented itself. The salt that we had put down yesterday after Randy had left, to make a path from the back door to the service door of the garage, had done its work. There had been drifting but not severe.
I brought the shovel into the house with me. My next, was to work on the front deck and its steps. First thing first was to put a rug down as I would be taking breaks and I would have snow on my boots. I knew when I could see no delineation where the steps actually were, this was not going to be a quick job. The front screen door pushed enough snow that I could get myself and the little pink shovel out. The fierce north wind decided the breaks for me. Randy and his long green line were working on his yard and I knew in time he would be on our drive as well as the north side of our garage where Dennis’ overhead garage door is for the little red pickup.
I had nothing to hurry for. In time, the sun was already letting me know that once I had the majority of the snow off of the black planks, it would take over. Mission completion.
My muscles were warmed up, so I headed to the studio. Any small amount of stitching makes for the path of success. I listened to KNUJ as the Twins won their game over . . . .hmm. I don’t know who they were playing against. A win is a win. After there were three 14.5″ x 14.5″ completed quilt blocks each made up of seven different fabrics, I called “uncle.” Twenty one remaining to be constructed.
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
A Sunday
A blowing and going Sunday. Thew snow was forecast. The wind was forecast. We are safe and sound.
I was going to use the leaf blower to get the back door area cleared. That was a waste of effort. I knocked the snow off of our shovel and with a push, clear wet concrete showed. By that time Randy was here with his long green line. I pushed snow far enough so he could grab it with his bucket that he had tipped down and take it further. That was about at eleven.
I came up from the studio at three thirty and the north wind had been busy, swirling snow around the northeast corner of the house. I used the shovel again by the back door area, just enough to let Dennis get out the door and onto fresh snow as I thought where Randy had scrapped there could be ice.
I can’t really tell if it is still snowing or if it is the wind whipping up the snow. This snow would clearly be called a “heart attack snow.” it is heavy, heavy. Hmm. Years ago, a good man, David Tiegum, died shoveling snow.
I called the ophthalmologist’s answering machine in Mankato and left a message that Dennis would be canceling his eye injection for tomorrow and allowing them to call us with a new time and date. We are not taking any chances, not only on the roads but other drivers.
I was in the studio with not much to show within the first hour. I had stitched in error for a stretch of 44 inches. Pick, pick it out. The second effort went better. About after two and a half hours, I closed down the studio.
The wind is howling. KNUJ did mention that the winds would be picking up.
Dennis is getting the hang of using my studio computer for his solitaire and Facebook. Tuesday his new laptop will be on our front deck. $499.00 and free shipping. That amount of money brings me a whole lot of peace of mind . . . oh, I meant Dennis! Tee Hee!
To all my peeps, please take it easy during this weather event.
With that I will take my leave. ♥
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Noreen
Will It?
Will we have a storm or won’t we. I like the last choice.
Sometime later in the day yesterday, things seemed to have happened that required all I have to give. After Dennis had broken his hip, I had gotten him the most inexpensive laptop I could find on Amazon. The cost was a few dollars over $600.00. It kept him busy for the month he was in the nursing home and thereafter. All that was loaded for him was Facebook and Klondike solitaire.
As I was getting supper on the stove, I heard . . . “Grammie can you come here for a minute?” I shut the burners down. For the next 45 minutes I tried to revive the HP. No success. I went down into the studio and brought up my Dell for the interim. I loaded the free Klondike onto the Dell and that kept him busy while I went back to getting our supper.
After supper, while Dennis was in the patio porch, I knew I had a window to try again with his HP. The recovery failed. I unplugged it and set it aside to create a Facebook on the Dell for Dennis. If Dennis could have “marketplace” and “Reels” on Facebook he would be happy. I went so far as to put country music on the Facebook search. His challenge would be for the sign-on that I have on the Dell. I was not about to change that. I gave him a password for his new Facebook account.
Numerous times during our evening hours, I made tracks as Dennis was flipping back and forth from solitaire to Facebook and had lost his way.
On this Saturday I have laundry going and helping Dennis with computer time. All he needs for access into my Dell is on a piece of paper with bold black ink Sharpie clues. His computer time is worth my time to allow him to traverse back and forth. This is not our first computer rodeo. His eye to brain to hand is important for functionality. He wants this bad enough, we will work through it until it becomes second nature for him.
Yes, there will be another computer from Amazon. My Dell has my sewing components on it and that will not have me doing the stairs when I need something. Just a bit of time and all will be back to normal . . . whatever that may be for the older ones on Stauffer Avenue, the most sought after location in St. James.
With that I will take my leave. ♥