Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:53 pm on August 5, 2020 Permalink  

  Feels like Fall 

  It feels like fall and it smells like fall.  The smelling part might be my imagination.  There were no sliding patio doors open today in the porch.  I was a bit surprised that Dennis had not put on a jacket.  62 degrees often calls for one.  When I did go out for a visit, Snuggles was in a cardboard box, and . . . Dennis had covered him up with a blanket.  All that could be seen were two ears and they were not wiggling.  He had buried himself in.

  I have been multi-tasking today.  With a paint brush in hand it was a good day to paint up the exterior of our octagon exterior window as well as the threshold of our back door.  Just a few tweaks here and there when I think of it.  It has been thought of in times past when it was too cold to get the paint cans open.  As of late the high temps dried the paint on the brush before getting it to the target.  Tidy, tidy.

  Dennis and I have been removing some caulking by the back door.  It was not doing what it was intended to.  Out with the old.  Applying caulking is not in either of our wheelhouses.  We are saving that for someone that does a bang up job of it.  I checked on the Internet and “Goo-Gone” has been added to our next shopping trip.  Having a totally clean surface for the next go-round is what we are aiming for.

  Working in the sewing studio today included finding some scraps for the Christmas stockings for the fellows.  The flouncy socks for the gals are completed.  In regard to the scraps, you knew I would find it!  It may seem strange to some to be working on Christmas in August.  I have found that Christmas has a way of sneaking up on me.  I like being prepared and I don’t do well under stress.  I will keep futzing on socks, while the entire time thinking of what I will tackle next.  Most likely I will be up at the post office in the next weeks to see what kind of envelope I can use for the lest amount of postage.  It could be a real disaster to be in line at the post office to find I had not done my homework.

  I do believe it is going to be a scrambled egg and sausage night for supper.  Hmm.  I can smell the hot buttered toast as I type.

  Yes . . . we will be getting a bit more warm weather, but these last few days . . . a true gift.  May all of you have enjoyed it to the fullest.

   
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  Noreen 3:18 pm on August 4, 2020 Permalink  

  Energy is Back 

  With such great weather, I had energy today.  Yesterday, I think someone would have had to have held a mirror in front of me to see if I was at full capacity.

  I was pulling up some quack from the front yard, when neighbor Jan walked over.  We had not visited in quite some time.  Jan works in the library at our public school and it seems as if there is a September 8th start day for school . . . full bore. I hope all goes well.

  As we had been determined to clean that almighty potting shed, there were several long and heavy planks that had been there long enough that they had settled into the dirt along the east side of the interior.  I am sure that the settling occurred as over the last several decades as we have been flooded several times to the degree that the potting shed was not spared.  We pulled out the planks and yup, the eyes burned.  There was mold.  We pulled them outside to let the sun work its magic.  In the end, we have donated them to nephew Brett’s concrete company.  They use so many different materials to form up, load up and walk on with various job sites.  I didn’t want to take a chance that we believed them to be free of mold and then fight it all over again by putting them back in the shed.  

  I have mixed up one of our small hand sprayers with strong bleach water and once a day the area inside where these planks were and also the north wall . . . a mist of bleach water is applied.  The north wall of the potting shed is also the exterior of the south wall that the Koi pond is attached to.  Yup . . . we had so much stuff inside on that wall that we missed the fact that there was evidence that the pump of the Koi pond had splish splashed enough to have gotten the sheeting damp and had soaked through.  This spring Dennis moved the pump far enough away from the exterior wall so as to keep it dry.  Oh yes, the joys of home ownership.  We actually don’t mind taking care of the homestead.

  In between, I did spend time in the sewing studio.  June from down the street popped in while I was down at the machine and she came on down.  June had never been in our basement before and she now realizes why the lights are on as often as she sees them.  She commented that when she took Home Economics in school, she was more into the portion of the school year that did baking and cooking.  She has never had a sewing machine.  Hmm.  

  I look around and I have four machines.  The oldest one is a White brand.  Older than the hills.  No emotional attachment as someone dropped it off here.  I have Mom’s machine.  I have sewn with it and it works fine.  My Model 1820 Kenmore works well.  It was purchased new and I have had that since 1965. It is older than Mom’s.  The Bernina has made its home here since 2015.  How time flies.  I will keep the threads and fuzz flying as it is better than any tranquilizers.

  Enjoy this week and the wonderful evening hours, just as much as all the fire flies that have been in abundance.  I never tire of seeing them.

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on August 3, 2020 Permalink  

  Me, Speechless? 

  With a day sporting temps in the low 70s what’s not to enjoy.  It has virtually left me speechless as I have spent most of the day sitting out on the patios watching clouds.  I will be back tomorrow for a blurb of what Dennis and I are up to during this mild weather.  Catch ya later!

   
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  Noreen 3:04 pm on August 2, 2020 Permalink  

  Sunday on Stauffer 

  Could we please have temps such as we have today . . . until the first frost!

  As you have surmised, I have been on a mission of lightening our load here on Stauffer Avenue.  Things have been really clicking right along.  What we have no need of seems to be filling the bill for others.  There is a carpenter, Mr. Ibarra, that took a huge amount of brick from us last year.  I had at one point used brick to outline all the flower beds.  Hmm.  The flower beds have been dwindling and the bricks got piled beside the potting shed.  When we began cleaning the inside of the potting shed, low and behold . . . there were more bricks.  Yup, Mr. Ibarra to the rescue.  As Vicente was inside the potting shed loading up brick, he checked out a patio door that we had in storage.  Several times he would stop and ask if he could measure it and give it another look-see.   All the bricks that we had were given to him.  Vicente was bricking the entire front of his home and our bricks filled his need perfectly.  We had set a price for the door.  The price was firm as the door was in pristine condition and we had been checking out the price of such doors as well.  Today Vicente Ibarra closed the deal on the door and came with cash in hand.  He is returning tomorrow at three to pick it up.  Perfect match when a seller and a buyer agree on the deal. 

  As I have been cleaning out, today we had an addition added to our home.  Dennis has been helping his friend Dwayne as Dwayne and his wife are moving into an apartment here in St. James.  Dennis had shared with me that there was a gun cabinet that Dwayne had put together in times past and he had it in his basement.  Now there was no room in the inn, in their newly acquired apartment and his children didn’t want it.  “Oh, it will fit right into my bedroom and I can take the gun racks that are on the wall and have them all in one place.  It’s really not that big.”  I kept looking at the three gun racks put up here and there in the bedroom and counting ensued.  I said nothing as Dennis and Dwayne have been buds all their lives and I didn’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, as these two fellows had this perfectly-planned scheme going.  I thought if things came down to it, maybe it wouldn’t be anything huge or perhaps not even sturdy to make the move from Dwayne’s farm home to our home in town.

  The gun cabinet was delivered today.  Oh my gosh!  It was set right in the middle of our living room and those that delivered it left.  I had felt pads on hand to set it on and Dennis and I would then be able to move it around easily.  Dennis took a powder into the patio porch and I stood in the middle of the living room with this newly acquired “not very big” gun cabinet.  That was a smart move on Dennis’ part.  It is 6′ tall and 4′ wide.  It is oak plywood and done very well.  Hmm.  No way was there room in Dennis’ bedroom.  Dennis’ comeback was that it didn’t look that big in Dwayne’s basement.  I suppose not when the basement is 20′ x 40′.  This afternoon, I have been working in our home, making room for Dennis’s gun cabinet.  Why not!  It’s not as if we need to seat a lot of company at one time.  We will still be able to have family sit around the dining room table when they come.  We have always needed to move furniture for such occasions.  I can make this work . . . and I did.  

  This cabinet made for Dennis to get all his stuff in one place.  With the storage doors on the bottom, it was amazing where different shell boxes of Dennis’ appeared from.  I had known that when I put Dennis’ laundry away, there would be a small plastic case holding shells here and there.  Well, let me tell you, everything has been sorted and put into this one location in our living room.  I was amazed when the guns were brought to the living room from the patio porch, his bedroom and I think even the garage.  I was brave.  I didn’t ask if there were anymore.  After all, I have a sewing studio.  

  We are winding down this day in good stead.  I hope everyone else has had this wonderful blessed day to enjoy being outside, traveling where they needed to or just mellowing out.  I can tell you, I have on my hands a very mellow, content cowboy this late afternoon.  My hope is that Dwayne doesn’t have anymore to share with his lifelong buddy – at least not large things.

   
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  Noreen 3:55 pm on August 1, 2020 Permalink  

  The Thunder Rolls 

  What a huge amount of thunder we had this afternoon.  I have not checked the rain gauge but it may have dropped a fair amount in between the claps of thunder.

  Do you know what it’s like to not be able to stay away from your favorite snack?  You turn away from it and soon, you are right back.  Believe it or not that is where I am at with this dang potting shed of ours.  I think I am done with what needs to be done and before I know it, I am right back out there.  I have another free pile going next to Stauffer Avenue. 

  Our bathroom has been remodeled for quite some time and yet, there is the old hollow door.  Just because we chose to use it as a table to collect stuff on doesn’t mean it has been grandfathered in.  I had made my way to some planks that had been saved since . . . forever.  I decided two planks could work as a makeshift table and not take up near as much room.  Out to the free pile the door went.  It was a good thing that yesterday was the day that our recycling was picked up as I enjoyed the sound of the plunk when a few items hit rock bottom of the container. 

  I am so close to actually finishing this task once and for all.  I know myself well enough that no matter how much I would like to begin a sewing stretch in the sewing studio, these last little details will eat at me.  Dennis may not be a self-starter . . . I don’t know when to quit.  I will quit when the job is done.  My dad, Raymond, had a great saying. “You don’t have time to do it right, but you always have time to do it over.”  That is how this cleaning of the potting shed is going.  It needs to be done completely.  No do-overs.

  I have taken the time to make a pulled pork with roasted corn pasta oven dish for supper.  We had been given a huge fresh pork roast a while back and that allowed me to make up several bags of the pulled pork for the freezer for just this sort of day. 

  I did have to run several books up to the library that had a due date of today on them.  I got to the library and the sign said I had to call and make an appointment.  Holding two slippery books, my wallet with my library card in it and my telephone was almost more than the hands would do.  I called in and asked if I could come in and they came and unlocked the doors.  I then had to sign in.  Sneaky.  If someone would test positive and it was noted it had happened at the library, they would know just who could be contacted and put under two week lockdown.  When asked if I was returning books, I thought that was obvious by what I had in my hands.  I was told that I would have to take them back outside and use the exterior overnight slot as that way the books would stay in that bin at least 24 hours and not risk any infectious germs that I may have brought.  It was a good thing my face mask can slide up halfway over my eyes so the rolling of my eyes wasn’t quite as noticeable.  Good grief!  

  I now look out and the skies are clearing.  I am really looking forward to nice comfortable weather next week.  Life is good.  Life is precious.  I like my life and am not about to do anything to become a problem to anyone.  Sweet!

   
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  Noreen 3:40 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink  

  A Serene Day 

  I traveled to Mankato today solo.  That doesn’t happen often.  Our stitichers group met today in one of the city parks.  We each were armed with our own chair and a snack if we preferred.  

  The shade trees with a breeze blowing . . . it was a serene type of day for us.  I had not seen the gals since February.  There were eleven of us in a huge circle staying six feet apart.  Social distancing to the letter of the law.  That was until some of the gals had brought what they had been working on during the covid.  Then . . . it was as if bees were brought to the honey.  Of course we needed to take a closer look.   

  We checked out the seam allowances.  Where had the pattern been gotten?  How many yards of fabric had it taken, etc.  What a fun time of sharing. Being able to take in what others had been doing during these months was better than a shot of Adrenalin.  Many had not missed a beat in gathering fabrics as needed.  Websites were easily maneuvered and the fabrics appeared on their doorsteps.  Others had traveled and picked up supplies curb side after checking out sites and ordering via credit card.  Tips and ideas were shared.  Concerns for health issues were also shared.  The talk was open and frank. 

  As I had been very preoccupied this season with painting and sifting and sorting, I took in ideas to bring back to my sewing studio.  I felt regenerated and I hope we can do this several more times this fall season.  I have not felt the need to replenish my supplies and am content pulling from stashes.  

  I am getting that feeling.  I am getting that itch to spend some quality time in my sewing studio.  Dennis still has a pass for playing solitaire on the old Dell laptop in the sewing studio and snacking on the dish of nuts to the right of the laptop.  He may look, he may watch . . . but no touching.

  I believe after today, I can imagine how our grandchildren feel about being able to go back to school.  If only they could do safe distance in a classroom and share and learn.  They would also feel the serenity of a normal exchange with their piers as Grammie had today.

   
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  Noreen 3:00 pm on July 30, 2020 Permalink  

  It’s a Thursday 

  It’s a Thursday, let us rejoice and be happy!  Things can happen on a Thursday.

  There are many family and friends that I think of during the year.  I have been trying to pull it all together during the Christmas season, but letting them know I do hold them dear.  Last year there were quite a few pair of embroidered felt tree ornaments that were popped into the mail.  I had really been searching the brain as to what to do for 2020.  The stash of flannel scraps piqued my interest. 

  Yup, it’s Thursday and I got my groove on in the sewing studio.  Dennis has a wonderful flannel quilt on his bed that allowed a bit of extra flannel fabric to find its way into the stashes.  I decided to send out some small treat stockings this year.  I labored over one after another to find just the right feeling in the gut.  Wonder of wonder, out came the treasures from the Fairfax team.  Pearls attached to a lace . . . perfect.  I had made a list of all those who were remembered last year.  The first item to get done was putting on a personalized letter on the front of  5″ x 5″ pieces of red checked flannel.  That brought to mind the assembly line process.  It was easier to do each stocking one step at a time.  It made it so much easier than doing one by one from start to finish.  I am not finished as yet, but it is going well.  Of course the lace is for the girls, and I will dig through the flannel stashes to find just the right material and finishing touches for the boys.  There have been several new babies since last year within the families and my list has been updated.  

  I had spent some time outside earlier this morning.  I checked the acre and all was intact.  Sitting still on the patio didn’t trip my trigger, staying busy was much more appealing . . . so that is what I did.

  By the way . . . yesterday I had mentioned that Dennis and his friend Dwayne were going to take some items of Dwayne’s to an auction site in Windom.  They never got it done.  When Dennis went out to Dwayne’s farm site by the 9 a.m. appointed time, Dwayne had fallen and Dennis found him where he laid.  The two 84 year young friends managed to determine that nothing was broken and Dennis got Dwayne to the ER.  Dennis stayed with Dwayne as he was checked out.  Dennis returned home at one this afternoon, totally wore out. The Adrenalin had worn off.  Dwayne is resting at his home in St. James, and the auction items will need to wait until another day.   

  What a day.  It’s Thursday and many things can happen so unexpectedly, it does take one’s breath away.  It’s still a day to rejoice!

   
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  Noreen 1:56 pm on July 29, 2020 Permalink  

  It’s Beginning 

  Things are beginning to fill up the remainder of the week.  That may be as this week is feeling like a Minnesota afternoon that is likable.  Nice temps with a breeze.

  Dennis got his VA appointment done this morning, just in time to take a call to help out his friend Dwayne that is moving off of the farm place into an apartment here in town.  Thursday the two buds are taking a trailer of items to an auction in Windom which is 26 miles west of here.  Thursday night Dennis’ son that drives for Hartland will be here as he has a load to deliver in Mankato.  Friday Ken and Dennis will get to spend some time together.  

  Today I received a posting and I feel it is worth a share as I have been hearing bits and pieces about this.

  ---

  Dave Ramsey repost:

  HERE’S WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS:

  A cashless society means no cash. Zero. It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘wee bit of cash here & there’. Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for. A cashless society means:

  • If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.

  • Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.

  • No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.

  • No more money in birthday cards.

  • No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.

  • No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting $20 a week away for.

  • No more little jobs on the side because your wages barely cover the bills or put food on the table.

  • No more charity collections.

  • No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.

  • No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.

  • No more Tooth Fairy, Ice cream truck, etc.

  ---

  How sad this would be.  No more piggy banks!

  The post struck me as being . . . what next.

  I can tell you what is next for me.  When we had Dennis’ family over several weeks ago, I realized I had way too much of the macaroni rings cooked up.  The same went for the finely chopped celery and onions.  After I checked online, the excess went into a freezer bag and then to the freezer for future use.  Today was future use.  After thawing, adding a can of Spam, diced, green peas and mayo, we have supper ready.  This and Carrie’s idea of frozen meals could get to be something I should consider for us.  Our meals are not as huge as they used to be but still all the ingredients need to be had on hand.   This is food for thought, literally.

  Enjoy this hump day and know that each day is quite the gift.

   
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  Noreen 3:37 pm on July 28, 2020 Permalink  

  I Got Lost 

  I had great intentions of going down into the sewing studio and getting involved in some paper craft.  Oh my gosh . . . I had no idea it had been quite some time since I had gotten into it for real.  I was at a point where I wanted to make a greeting card . . . where oh where to start.

  Getting to the chase:  I had a great time coming up with ideas for the card.  I can see myself doing a bit more in time to come.  I do enjoy piecing of quilt tops.  How many quilts do I need on hand!  I do enjoy the machine embroidery aspect of the sewing machine.  How many hours do I want to spend on one design that is loaded on a flash drive!  Paper crafting is all about dumping out a file of bits and pieces of paper and letting the thought grow from there.

  My goal as this 2020 winds down is to put more balance in the time that I spend in the sewing studio.  I need to appreciate the mobility that I have in my hands and shoulders, using them for multiple movement and not staying at some one thing for hours on end.

  These last summer months have challenged me to a great extent of what the ole body can take.  I know Carrie told me often that they could come and help with getting the outbuilding scrapped and painted.  It just doesn’t work that way anymore for me and where I am at with mind and body.  Alright!  My age has something to do with it.  I know myself well enough to know how to pace myself with a project or a job.  It’s me and me alone.  With other wonderful helping hands I believe the fast paced day of many hands would totally blow me away.   The angst of that much movement that would need answers, lunch breaks and organization . . . nope.  I would not be at a good place.

  What Carrie did do for us, was to bring down frozen prepared meals for us to enjoy after we had called it a day after being busy.  Sweet.  Though our busy time is over, we still have a few dishes in the freezer.  In fact this evening we are having baked Zita with sausage,  Dennis calls everything pasta.  Yes . . . there are multiple types.

  The years of retirement and the quiet have settled in for us on Stuaffer Avenue.  The pace is different.  The noise is different.  What had taken us several hours to do, is now perhaps a two-day job.  

  Right now our biggest concern is to get the recycling bin out every other Friday, and the garbage bin out every Tuesday.  Mellow times are ahead for the remainder of the summer.  About the time I state that, things are subject to change.  We can handle that.  We may have slowed down a bit, but we still know how to kick it in gear when it is called for.  Getting lost in my sewing studio doesn’t hold a candle to what I can roust out.

  Enjoy this week and know we are not bored.  Only boring people get bored.

   
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  Noreen 2:59 pm on July 27, 2020 Permalink  

  A Feel Good Monday 

  New week brings new outlook.  The weather looks to be cooperating with humidity and dew point.

  The first thing I did this morning was to get all of the metro bug splatter off of the front of the car.  It looked as if I had driven through a massacre. I have found that baby wipes work the best and with them being non abrasive.   

  It couldn’t be helped.  It had to be spoken of:  “Noreen, do you want me to pre-start your push mower for you?”  Oh for Pete’s sake!  Let’s just do the mowing and get over with.  Grant it the four inches of rain was needed, but I must say, I did not mow the very front of our home.  The grass roots need some time to absorb the moisture and I am sure they will send me visuals of when their tops need a trim.  The hot direct sun had really done a number on the front yard.  I did mow the north side of the house as it enjoys shade for the entire length of the day.  Dennis used the Cub tractor and that takes off a good hour of his mowing compared to using the Sears rider.

  As the trimmer and leaf blower were being put away, neighbor June was walking by and she came over and we caught up with each other.  It had been hot enough last week that neither of us had been going for a walk.  I do enjoy taking the walks around the block, but being physically busy is a good trade off for lazier times.  Dennis had spent the entire week being physical and look how proud we are of having gotten so much cleaned up and cleaned out.  Sweet!

  Dennis has gone for coffee with his group that live in one of the apartment houses. Before he left, I wrote out the electric bill for him to drop off at city hall.  That bill was an ouch!  Dennis just patted me on the shoulder and reminded me of how much we enjoy getting a good night’s rest when we are not sweating the bedding wet.  He is right, of course.  When I was a kid, we often found the room in the farmhouse where there was a breeze coming through the window and we would sleep on the floor in close proximity to that window.  I do like what we have going for us so much better.  Hmm, I will just have to give up all of my vices and pay the piper.

  Enjoy what this week will bring to you.  You may think you have it nailed down, but . . . nothing is 100% in place and you must leave a bit of room for some variance.