Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 4:35 pm on November 22, 2021 Permalink  

  Responses 

  As I while away time in the studio, I have come to realize something.  No matter what I find that takes time, energy or effort it does not get a heart beat increase response from me.  If I have to spend hours picking out stitches or seams, I take it in stride.

  When I see something or hear something from someone, though I may stay quiet, the angst begins to build, aka: a stressor.  I do try very hard to hold my tongue, but not often enough.  I am a logical thinker.  Why isn’t everyone a logical thinker?  I am a visual person, being able to see how things are going to play out.  Many people cannot visualize beyond their nose.

  I believe both of those tendencies make me a pain in many people’s asses.  So be it.  In defense, both of my parents worked their way through their lives thinking and visualizing as well.  I think I will continue to apologize to those I offend, make angry, or pass me by.  I will not be changing my ways.  There is something to be said for consistency that has served me well over the years.

  I got to the UPS depot and Lewis Drug.  Dennis’ prescription was zero co-pay.  The UPS package will be delivered to rural Litchfield tomorrow.  Great news all around.

  I will need to set the alarm for tomorrow as we need to be at Aspen Dental by eight in the morning.  One more item to get taken care before winter actually hits.  We are staying on track with our errands.

   
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  Noreen 2:50 pm on November 21, 2021 Permalink  

  Gusts of 35 MPH 

  The wind howling would put any howling dog to shame.  I chose not to walk today.

  I did retreat to the studio with firm determination to finish a flannel blanket.  I had a cousin, Dwayne, that everyone called Dewey.  It is Dewey’s daughter that had asked me to make a blanket for her grandson that will be born in February.

  I am known for working with what is at hand.  Thanks to daughter-in-law, Kersten, I had quite a few choices of flannel prints to choose from.  The price per yard was attached to all the fabrics Kersten passed along.  The flannel was $5.49 a yard.  In today’s quilt shop prices this is half of what is metered out.  I can attest to the three Christmas stockings I just finished last week, that flannel had been bought in an upscale shop in Hutchinson and I know it was $10.99 a yard.  The thread count is quite a bit more than my Kersten flannel.  I would prefer to work with the Kersten flannel any day of the week.  I washed it and dried what I had chosen as a lower count flannel would be apt to shrink.  I now know that my finished flannel crib blanket will not shrink regardless how many times it is laundered.

  The flannel in this crib blanket worked up like working with butter.  I used what batting I had and when I free motioned quilted it, it puffed up like little marshmallows, just what you want in a blanket to cuddle with.  The higher count flannels do not puff up.  I know this as the quilt Dennis has on his bed is heavy as it has the higher count flannel on top and bottom.  Dennis wouldn’t care if he didn’t have marshmallows . . . he was interested in the heft of it . . . and he got it.

  As it were, I have a flat box that this blanket is going to be going into, even if it has to be pushed into it.  Tomorrow at four I will be at the UPS’ depot with a Litchfield address. 

  I will be pulling back for any “please could you . . . would you” as these next several months I want to enjoy each day as “mine.” I want to slowly and lovingly prepare for my family’s visits.  Over the course of months that our home had been stripped to the bare bones of extras that would need dusting and care, I want Christmas in our home.  And . . . you know I can pull it off.  Dennis can roll his eyes only so far before he gets dizzy.  Tee Hee!

  As yesterday, I had the Christmas music on.  It quiets my heart, literally and figuratively.  It’s a good thing.  Yes . . . the wind is still howling.

   
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  Noreen 3:57 pm on November 20, 2021 Permalink  

  A Settled Feeling 

  Things are falling into place here on Stauffer Avenue.

  Dennis has all the batteries pulled on mowers and a car that we are storing as well as Dwayne’s tractor that is stored.  The garage on the far west portion of the acre is full and secured.

  All things in the studio went well.  The crib blanket is on the last stretch to completion.  I have learned that no matter how daunting a project may be . . . all I need to do is start.  After that it is one step at a time.  If I complete only a step and then tidy up, put supplies that were needed for that step away and then take a minute to regroup, I make fewer mistakes and continue to enjoy working on it.

  With this crib blanket, I could have taken “X” numbers of flannel squares, sewn them together and called it done.  It may not be a blanket for someone that is close to me, but I like to enjoy what I am doing and take pride that if it were for my grandchild, it would have been done with the same care and had the same outcome.  

  Kevin sent me a text to remind me of the radio station that would be playing Christmas music all day.  It was a peaceful afternoon and even using many safety pins to sandwich the blanket . . . the process went smoothly.

  So smoothly, that I went on to set the machine for free motion quilting.  A test swatch was needed to make sure I had the correct tension on the quilting foot, the size of stitch that would work the best, and last but not least, that I had a full bobbin.

  The first quilt that I did using free motion quilting was Kersten’s Pokemon quilt. It was quite large, but slowly but sure, I was pleased how it turned out. I have no paper printed pattern to use when I do free motion.  It is truly my free motion.  This afternoon the Christmas music gave me a bit of a beat to follow.  The free motion on the crib blanket went well.  What I have left for tomorrow is cutting a binding for hemming.  What I was happy with was how soft the flannel worked up.  It worked well to have laundered it first.  There won’t be any shrinking in time to come when it is used.

  I think it is time to consider supper.  Dennis just came in from the patio porch.  Saturday is winding down.

   
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  Noreen 3:19 pm on November 19, 2021 Permalink  

  Rock in my Pants 

  I cannot believe there is more wind to blow.  Wind from the southwest.  Lena would have known what that predicted.  Me . . . I know it was difficult to get my walk in and not feel tossed about.  A rock in my pants or at least in my pockets would have helped.  The surprising thing is that we do not have any loose branches that have come down during these days of high wind.

  It has been a morning of activity.  Dennis has had an eye injection for macular, his daughter brought over a car to store in the back garage and now Dennis and Dwayne are doing the “coffee thing” somewhere.

  For myself, it has been a quiet time in the studio working away with flannel while listening to KNUJ.  It is so similar to what Lena would have been doing after the outside work had been buttoned up.  Mom had taken a third bedroom in their home that faced the south for her sewing room.  The light was excellent.  Not to worry if the sun made the room too warm, I know for a fact the heat run to that room would have been closed off.  I agree.  I like my surroundings to be cool when I am at a project.  It worked out great as Raymond had a room in the basement that he had saws and a turning lathe in.  When the door was shut, it meant that he was working and had the vacuum running to catch sawdust.

  The flannel threads have been flying today in the studio.  I have the top to a baby crib blanket done.  As I type, I have the backing flannel in the washer and dryer.  The finished project is going to be 40″ x 44″.  As luck would have it, the batting piece I have had on the shelf is 50″ x 50″.  I will tackle sandwiching it tomorrow.  The most time intensive work is done.  Though I have a huge amount of lighting in the basement, you just can’t beat natural light coming in through a window. 

  I feel very fortunate to have the sewing studio that I have considering the size of home we have.  If Dennis did not have the patio porch, I am not sure how square footage would have been divided up.  As it is, our main floor doesn’t get much wear and tear, but dust bunnies and lint are in no short supply.

  My goal is to have the blanket on its way via UPS either before Thanksgiving or right after.  With no one waiting for their requests, a few windows are going to be tipped in and washed.  This fall, I do have plans looking forward.  What is different this fall . . . I don’t feel the need to hurry.  2021 thus far, has had an impact.

   
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  Noreen 4:34 pm on November 18, 2021 Permalink  

  Making Headway 

  PT went well today getting to the nitty gritty, with several exercises to do at home until we meet again next Wednesday.  These exercises are in addition to sitting on tennis balls.  Mike T has a great sense of humor . . . commenting that a stroke and heart surgery can take second fiddle to butt issues.  He assures me that this is going to be taken care of . . . just a bit of patience and perseverance is required.

  From PT I went to visit June.  June had been my neighbor down east on Stauffer Avenue for decades.  June is now an apartment dweller and enjoying it.  She still walks when the weather permits and has ample hall lengths when the weather is too blustery.

  I am thankful that Dennis liked the chili as we are doing a rerun for supper.  I had made sure that we had saltines.  I had remembered that they had more flavor than they have.  I got spoiled with snack crackers that have a bit of a buttery flavor. 

  Dennis and I are in for a quiet weekend.  Dennis is having an eye injection tomorrow and that does call for quiet afterwards.  I stand a better chance of fewer PT appointments in the future than Dennis does of injections in his future.

  Catch ya all tomorrow unless the wind has carried you off.

   
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  Noreen 2:48 pm on November 17, 2021 Permalink  

  Hanging Tight 

  The Northern Red Oak is still hanging tight to about 50% of its leaves.  Again, the winds are a steady 25 mph from the north with gusts into the 40s.

  The chili using bear ground meat and ground beef tastes wonderful.  I added bullion roasted onion.  The concentrated bullion is a paste.  I purchased the concentrate in onion and garlic.  It really works slick to add flavor easily.  I know there are other flavors as I have seen them advertised.  With the meat for the chili I added chili powder, black pepper, one can of tomato sauce, one can of tomato soup, one can of red beans, one can of black beans and four cups of water.  No salt.

  Today we drove down the highway 15 miles to Madelia for the single express purpose of purchasing flat egg noodles for beef stroganoff.  Same store brand in each of the towns, but St. James appears to have a different distribution link.  Not to worry, I purchased plenty. 

  As we drove home on the Hammond highway, there was mile after mile of rail crews adding new ties.  The equipment was varied and the man power was huge running different aspects of the equipment.  I couldn’t help but think . . . dad, Raymond, would have pulled over his little blue Chevy Luv pickup along side of the road and sat there watching the process.  All things mechanical intrigued him.  Dad had a very mechanical mind as his workshop had attested to.  Sweet memories.

  I still have some time before serving chili so hitting the studio it is, starting to square up flannel baby quilt blocks.

   
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  Noreen 3:22 pm on November 16, 2021 Permalink  

  A Windy Tuesday 

  The winds and temps in the high 40s are making short work of whatever snow we had on the ground.  Not missing that at all.

  This forenoon we had a funeral.  Dennis’ daughter Sue’s father-in-law.  Dennis had known “Swede” his entire life.  One more of the mainstays of our community gone.  Swede was several years younger than Dennis.

  PT was on the docket for me this afternoon.  Good progress is in the works.  The amount of pressure and the length of time on areas where tendons and muscles are at war . . . eventually the area relaxes and then a deeper depth is sought.  In my grandmother Laura’s time, nothing like PT was prescribed or it wasn’t sought out for relief.  Over time, a situation as I am experiencing would have become the usual.  Arthritis loves nothing better than to find an inflamed area to set about calcifying the nearest joint possible enmeshing it for all times to come.  By moving more than resting and taking my walks with long strides, I plan on beating this.

  I had planned on making chili for supper.  What with the PT work today, I will wait until tomorrow and take a long walk instead.  It would have been with a pound of bear hamburger and a pound of beef hamburger.  Folks we know tell us, it is good eating.  I plan on taking it slow with quite a few spices on hand and a lot of sautéed onions.  Dennis added that it is a very red meat.  Time will tell. At least I can share with those that gave it to us that it was tried.

  True to the UPS, the Christmas stockings were delivered to rural Stewart by noon today.  Hard to believe the delivery was in less than 24 hours.  It does pay to do things early in the season.

  As I have been venting, the temperature has risen to 52 degrees and the winds have become stronger still.

   
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  Noreen 4:56 pm on November 15, 2021 Permalink  

  New Week 

  It’s a new week and a new day.  One of the things I needed to check on this morning was the far northwest window of my bedroom.  I had to check on it being locked.  Saturday night the wind was in blizzard mode.  Our replacement windows have served us well and they are tight.  I did awake during the gusts of wind and with the streetlight I could see that valance curtain moved.  Nope . . . I checked everything on the window and it is secure.  Even winds that defy what is secure can find something on an old house to let in the breath of winter’s unforgiving winds.

  The studio beckoned.  The first thing I did was clean my sewing machine of fuzz and wayward threads.  Out came the oil can and a brand new needle was put in.  On Amazon the Organ needles are reasonable by the bulk purchase.  I generally sew with a 80/12 and embroider with a 80/11.

  With socks done, I am back to the baby quilt for the new arrival that is coming in February, thus expanding the Riebe clan.  Applique is fun to do with embroidery designs.  The majority of the real estate is fabric that is stitched around in the scheme of things.  Today it was a reindeer that is going to be added in the quilt.  It was an option of the designs that are already loaded into the sewing machine.  It was a fun way to start the week.  The machine outlines the area that fabric is needed.  Once the larger piece of fabric is stitched down, it can then be trimmed for the statin stitch to finish that portion.  This particular design asks for four contrasting fabrics.

  Half of the blocks will be embroidered and they are now done.  What will take time is to trim each of those blocks down to eight inches square, centering the design.  Measure once, measure twice and cut once.  Dennis sat in the rocking chair in the studio and took in the stitching.  He made the comment and I agreed:  getting requests is nice, but considering the time element it can take away the fun of the studio.  This baby quilt will be the last of the relation’s requests.  Going forward it will be my dime, my time.

  I was at the UPS depot at four.  Having the Christmas socks out of the house and out of my hands felt oh so good.  Surprise, the package will be there tomorrow!

   
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  Noreen 2:25 pm on November 14, 2021 Permalink  

  A Shortage 

  In this day and age it is evident that there is a shortage of moms and grandmas for the younger generation.  What is more evident is that the younger generation took no interest in what they had been exposed to at the elbow of these women.

  With pride I know that daughter Carrie did pay attention and she could sew herself out of a maze in a heartbeat.

  What is ready for tomorrow’s UPS depot is a package to my nephew Larry.  Larry’s mother-in-law, Rita, had a passion for all things threads and fuzz.  She was so good it rubbed off on Larry’s mom, my sister Elvera.  Elvera learned the fine art of piecing quilts and an even finer art . . . pressing seams.  When I last visited Rita to deliver a quilt she had started, Rita was quite ill.  I can still chuckle over a comment when reminiscing quilting with Elvera.  “She spent more time ripping out seams than not and then finally she would just let the mistake slide.”

  So, getting on to my point.  Many younger women do not sew.  They passed on the opportunity to acquire their mom’s sewing machine after they had passed.  When want comes and they can’t do any more than purchase fabric and pass it along with a “please,” the realization sets in that there is a shortage of those that can and those that do.

  I willingly took on the “please” of making three Christmas socks for Larry’s wife, Rita’s daughter.  Family is family.  Admittedly, I could have easily used a working left hand and arm.  My mother-in-law, Esther, repeated often, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”  When I sewed on the hanger for the three stockings, I did feel stronger.  The three stockings were for the fact that Larry’s family has grown since Rita made stockings for everyone.

  The remaining fabric that Jennifer had purchased will remain in my studio on the event that the family again has a growth spirt.  The gamble in that is that I may be the one to guide someone in making more stockings and my role will be strictly supervisor.  Time will tell.

  Now on to the question I will have of my children . . . “Do you need Christmas stockings.”  I am game.

   
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  Noreen 3:29 pm on November 13, 2021 Permalink  

  A Wellness Check 

  Oh my gosh!  Dennis did a wellness check on me this morning.  I had gotten up during the night for a bathroom call and went right back to bed.  At ten this morning, Dennis came and checked on me to see if the covers were moving in concert with my breathing.  Hmm.

  It was a tough PT appointment yesterday.   There is no pussy footing around with tendons and muscles.  Maybe the long ride to Eden Prairie and back in conjunction with a program have added to a bit of a setback in the therapy . . . maybe.  Would I or Dennis have missed it for all the world . . . NO!  There are more appointments next week and we will be staying close to home for some time to come.  I have a great PT person in Mike T and I also have good insurance.  This too shall pass.

  This afternoon on the radio station 105.1, it is Christmas music non stop.  How relaxing.  As I was typing I looked up and out of the studio window . . . and snow is sifting down.  Perfect afternoon after a relaxing morning.  I can tell you the day goes by swiftly when half the day was spent in bed.  As my ole cowboy said, “You must have needed the rest.”

  Dennis got a call this forenoon that the snowblower he had taken out to a rural shop just several days ago was fixed.  Grant it, it is an older snowblower, but has had very little use.  The snowblower needed a new carburetor.  That plus a good grease and oil change . . . it is ready for snow, plus complete with chains on the tires.  Dennis is waiting for grandson Ryan to stop by later to take it off the trailer.  It is too heavy for it to be a grandpa one-man job.

  Wellness checks out of concern are a good thing on any day.