Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:14 pm on February 8, 2020 Permalink  

  No Set Schedule 

  When I awoke the sun was shining.  Did I kick it right into gear?  No.  I took my time, letting the eyes adjust.  

  Of course Saturday is dust bunny chasing day.  Where do they all come from!  As the laundry was humming away I started at the far end of the home and kept on going east.  By twelve noon, the laundry was done.  The fresh bedding was in place for snuggling into tonight and the kitchen and bathroom floors were drying from being mopped.  All on schedule.

  I had planned on getting the lights on in the sewing studio right after lunch.  Dennis got a phone call that his daughter and family were in town from Silver Bay.  We would be getting company.  They had traveled here yesterday to take in their granddaughter’s basketball tournament.  We had thought of taking it in initially to watch great granddaughter, Addison, who is in seventh grade.  Both of us climbing bleachers and sitting upon them for four to six hours, we passed on it.

  We spent the later afternoon visiting with the up north family in our home.  Totally enjoyed catching up with them.  They had planned on leaving tomorrow but the snow forecast had them packing it up and leaving this early evening.  For them driving in the evening hours tonight was advantageous from thinking of driving in now and blowing snow tomorrow.

  I did go down into the sewing studio to tidy up from a project I had been working on for the last week or so.  The Kimberbell kit that I won at the Bernina shop in Bird Island before Christmas is done for . . . 2020 Christmas.  It was a lot of putz work.  There were 24 blocks that needed embroidery in addition to having applique on them.  As time went on, I was able to use all the remaining batting from the scrappy quilt that had just been long-armed.  It was a challenge and something that I would never have thought of purchasing on my own.  Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone.  I will be sending Amanda and Kelly a photo of the completed project as it was a generous kit to be put into a drawing.  

  I stuck a pork roast in the oven this early afternoon for our supper.  It sure is beginning to smell good.  I know Dennis will pull together some instant mashed potatoes.  We have not had a batch of them for some time.   Dennis has been laying low today as the right hand of his is letting him know it did not appreciate having needles stuck into it yesterday.  With that situation, I hope we are on the downhill slide for a solution.  He comments that it feels like he has been handicapped for long enough.

  When the day arrives and there are no set schedules, it’s amazing how the day rolls by.

   
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  Noreen 5:22 pm on February 7, 2020 Permalink  

  A Day of Taking Care of Business 

  How can old folks like Dennis and I have so much to take care of?  Simple.  If we don’t take care of our business it will make a mess for our kids.

  Dennis is very cautious in regard to his records and his medication.  How in the heck could he loose his Social Security card?  As we needed to be in Mankato for a doctor’s appointment this afternoon we headed out early this forenoon.  It was a hassle finding the Social Security Office, only as we are out of the loop as to how the old downtown has changed.  We are accustomed to doing our business on the top of the hill in Mankato.

  When we did found a parking spot, found a door into the Civic Plaza, found the door for the Social Security Office . . . it was a relief.  The large lobby was full of people of all sizes, ages and race.  Years ago my mom needed a duplicate card and I was able to do it online.  After going through hoops on the computer yesterday the last message told me I had to do it at an official office.  It was a good thing we had come to the big city early.  Once our number of 89 came up, it was a ten minute visit with a young fellow.  Whew!  In two weeks or so, Dennis will have a new card.

  Then . . . onto the Mankato Hospital to visit the Radiology department.  With any luck we could find a solution to Dennis’ swollen right hand that began the second week of January.  The plan was for an ultrasound and drawing fluid out of the hand for it to be then sent to the lab.  The first thing he was asked was if he had Gout.  Not that we knew of.  Gout is from proteins that are not cleaned and processed correctly through the kidneys.  Crystals form in joints cause extreme pain and swelling.  Gout usually forms in the feet.  Hmm.  After today we will find out what the situation is.  It could be several things and this fluid draw will tell the story.

  We are happy to be home.  With some snow overnight, the highway was not short of blowing snow, and with it progressively being worse the closer we got to home.  

  Tomorrow is a new day and I am planning on having a chance to turn on the sewing studio lights. Dennis has plans to enjoy the rocking chair in the patio porch.  It will be such a blessings when his doctor appointments come to an end with positive results.

   
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  Noreen 6:27 pm on February 6, 2020 Permalink  

  The Week is Fleeting 

  As I was spending time “remembering when” these last days, we were working in quite a few medical appointments.  

  It seems a lifetime ago that Dennis noticed his right hand had noticeable swelling.  Initially we soaked the hand in Epson salt.  There was no visible sign that the skin had been broken.  Dennis didn’t know if he had stubbed the hand while reaching for something or if he had hit it while working in the garage. 

  On to a visit to our family doctor.  Dennis was put on ten days of antibiotics.  It seemed that gradually there was a sign that the little pinky finger was resuming something to it’s normal size.  It was slow going for the remainder of the hand.  The instructions were to return to the clinic if the hand was not back to matching his left hand.  It never did.  Though no longer looking like Dennis had a rubber glove filled with water waiting to be pricked like a bad balloon, it looked angry.

  This last Monday we were back at the clinic with Dennis being very careful to not allow anything to touch the right hand.  Any little bit of a touch brought pain.  As it turned out, the MRI van was in St. James that day.  They had one opening left and Dennis pulled that winning ticket.  There first had to be blood draws.  Those draws were for various markers. The MRI took a long time.  Dennis had to lay on his stomach with his right arm and hand out-stretched.  Each finger was done, one at a time.  Each finger was placed in a formed frame to become a frame for observation.

  On Tuesday we were informed that we had an appointment set up with Radiology in the Mankato hospital for tomorrow.  What I read on the clinic portal of the notes from the MRI techs and our doctor is that there will be an ultrasound and an aspiration and there will be fluid drawn from the hand.  I sure hope we can get to the bottom of this for Dennis.  If the knuckle has become septic, meaning an  inflammation in that joint or in the joint of any of the fingers, it needs to be addressed.  As Dennis has been off of the antibiotics since Sunday, the swelling is resuming.

  We have been watching for the nasty red line that would run the length of the inside of his arm.  Blood poisoning would not be a good thing.  By tomorrow at this time, Dennis may not have total relief, but as least we will know what he is battling. 

  This hand that hurts oh so much has slowed him down, but the trip to the elevator this afternoon for more shell corn for the deer went off without a hitch.   Dennis is a trooper.

   
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  Noreen 4:29 pm on February 5, 2020 Permalink  

  In the Quiet – Conclusion 

  We had settled into Waco, Texas, as Orlin was selling Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance.  There were good neighbors next to our home, the church friends were great, there was a feeling of belonging.

  Orlin had a small Volkswagen Karmann Ghia car that we used after we had gotten moved into the Waco home.  Riesel people had been great helping us with the move.  Orlin left work work each morning as there was a general office for Lutheran Brotherhood where prospective client contacts were accessed.  I kept busy in the home.  I had a rough time with morning sickness with the pregnancy and it took me a time to get going. 

  With having one vehicle, we did our grocery shopping after supper.  We always unpacked our groceries outside on the back porch and carried them in one at a time.  Cardboard boxes and paper bags made great hide-outs for roaches.  Let me tell you they came in all sizes.  They were fast and hard to take out once they got a foothold.  Riesel had scorpions; Waco had roaches.  I always put my shoes up off of the floor.  Sliding my foot into a shoe that already had an occupant was not a good thing.

  I don’t know if the cost of living was high within the large town.  We didn’t need a joint bank account as I was not working and didn’t go anywhere during the day that needed money.  Some church gals would pick me up to go to another’s home for an afternoon, or they stopped at our home.  I really didn’t have a clue as to our resources.  After the morning sickness was over, life seemed good.  We spent some time visiting one of the parks that also had a fishing lake.  It was fun on the weekends to pack a sandwich and watch the goings-on at the park.

  There was quite a chain of events that summer.  We didn’t have a telephone.  Orlin worked from the company office and made his contacts there as to who was interested in purchasing Lutheran Brotherhood products of various types.  I was a heavy duty letter writer to my mom and dad and sister.  Once in a while I got a note from dad that he had slipped in with mom’s.  I loved getting those letters.  

  There was going to be a banquet at the Lions Club monthly meeting.  Orlin would meet me there after his work day. Norman and Elaine White would pick me up and we would go as a foursome.  It was a fun night of music and some party games.  When we all said our goodbyes and went to the parking area, I had a huge surprise.  We were going home in a brand new white Mercury car.  The Volkswagen had broken down during the day.  Orlin’s friend in Waco, Marv Horton, had helped Orlin get the broken down car to his home and there had been shopping that ensued. 

  As time went on, the title card for the car came in the mail and we had a larger car to go and get groceries with.  I was feeling fine physically and took to doing some yard work during the day.  The grass never did get real green but there had been some flowers to tend to that someone . . . sometime had planted.

  The surprise of the late August came when Orlin came home from work and announced that my mom and dad would be at our home that weekend.  Orlin had contacted them and there was a plan.  I would return with Raymond and Lena to Minnesota with most of my pack-able belongings, while Orlin took care of closing up the home and other odds and ends.  We were moving back to Minnesota!  Orlin would follow a bit later on with the Mercury and a U-Haul trailer.  I, in the meantime, would be staying with his mom and dad in Hector, or spending some time with my mom and dad on the Boon Lake Farm.

  There was no end to the questions that I had.  There were no real answers to be had.  All had been settled.  In my mind’s eye . . . all I cared about was keeping our baby safe.  October was not that far away. 

  ---

  In thinking through this time frame, it all came back easily as most of my memories do.  From February of 1964 to the fall of 1965, there had been a lot of experiences that had been lived.  Perhaps sometime when the quiet settles in again, I will again pull memories from the wonderful birth of our first child, Carrie Brett Schafer, born on October 17th, 1965, and where our days, weeks and months going forward had taken us.  The entire memory of this time has become oh so very sweet.  Save the best and leave the rest: good words to live by.

   
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  Noreen 4:13 pm on February 4, 2020 Permalink  

  In the Quiet – Part Three 

  We settled in at Riesel, Texas.  Orlin worked in Mart and . . . Norman White thought he could use some help at the Riesel Rustler newspaper and shop.  Norman taught me to run a hand-feed press.  There was an ongoing order for the postcards that was used for the gas meter reading.  When Orlin came home from work, he may not have been the only one with some ink on the hands.  I enjoyed meeting the people that came through the shop.  Norman’s son Scottie worked on the paper prep and had a never-empty bottle of “soda water” setting not far away.  If memory serves me it was Big Red.

  The church in Riesel was a very social congregation.  There were activities on any evening of the week.  I take it back . . . there also was a church for the colored people in the Riesel area.  Both were based on the Baptist theology.  I did get to hear a bit about the colored church as the White’s housekeeper, Bertha, was in the day-to-day routine at the White’s household.  Bertha had been with Norman and Elaine for decades.  Elaine’s mother lived with them and that involved the need for Bertha.  Bertha was skeptical of me for a time.  We ended up in a good place.

  We had moved to Riesel in February and that summer Mom and Dad came to check us out.  The town rolled out the carpet for them.  Dad being curious, got a full tour via Norman White of the cotton gins.  Mom helped with some things in the house as we were determined to make the living room a bit more user friendly.  It was a great visit.

  There may have been a life outside of Riesel but it passed us by.  When it was known that there was an acre of pasture land for sale . . . guess what?  We paid the $150.00 and took a good look at the building on the acre.  It was a chicken dwelling.  Not large enough to be called a chicken house and too large to fit the category of a chicken coop.  We worked on that building non-stop.  There was water to the lot but not septic.  Orlin and I dug the hole for the septic tank.  Remember, Texas . . . it didn’t have to be covered with very much dirt.  The septic lines were the next to dig and we had a bathroom with a sink and a shower.  We never did get past having any more than the sink in the area we made for a kitchen.  

  We were happy homeowners.  I planted flowers that had been shared from those that had plenty.  Our first Christmas we had made Christmas decorations for outside and of course the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree that we had cut down in someone’s pasture.  It may have been more of a ceder tree than an evergreen.  It worked and it looked wonderful.  When I was outside, I always checked the area where the flowerbeds had been made as I lost my 1962 class ring in that area while working with the dirt.  Never did find it.

  In time Orlin decided to work in Waco at a printing company.  It was a bit of a longer driver but the pay and benefits were a good fit.  It would be just getting dark when he would arrive home.  It was about the same time as the “Good Humor” truck from Mart was making his rounds up and down the streets.  The echo of the music couldn’t be denied.  Supper would be ready and we would settle in for the evening.  If we enjoyed the porch, there would end up having someone stop in for a chat.  There was the T-P hamburger shop in town.  On rare occasions we found our way there.  To this day, I remember how tasty those burgers were.  

  I had a small portable sewing machine and I could be kept busy either sewing for myself or making Barbie clothes for Scottie’s two little girls.  The Pundt Mercantile store sold pre-cut lengths of fabric.  One stop shopping when the milk would be purchased.

  Somewhere between the place that Orlin worked in Waco and the distance it took to reach Riesel, someone talked Orlin into selling insurance.  The area that he had was interesting.  It was basically tenant workers.  I did ride with Orlin once or twice.  Not more than that.  It was off-putting to see the meager living condition with a string of children on the front stoop.  It seemed these people would have been thrilled to visit a shoe store rather than think about an insurance premium.  After several times of going with Orlin, I was very content to go to work and run the hand-feed press, log my hours and be home with supper waiting.

  During the summer school break, my brothers, Calvin and Michael, came to visit up.  That was huge for these two fellows.  I don’t think Michael even had his driver’s license as yet.  It was special having them.  Mom and dad had sent them packing with traveler checks for the trip.  There was a cooler with frozen farm fresh beef and pork.  What a treat.  The boys enjoyed several trips to the T.P.

  If selling insurance to colored tenant workers didn’t work out, maybe selling Lutheran Brotherhood insurance would be a better fit.  Once signed up, the surprise was that the area would be in Waco.  Orlin had found a small bungalow to rent.  Sight unseen, I rounded up and got ready for the move.  Our sweet little home needed to be abandoned as we were moving.  The people of Riesel were sad to see us go.  Norman joked that he would now have to train some other Yankee to do the hand-feed.  I was sad to be going.  I had just found out that we were pregnant.  By late October we would be parents.

  Waco, to me, was a huge city.  The 1956 Buick hearse was no more.  We had one car, and we had date nights when we went grocery shopping.  Orlin and Norman White were in the Lion’s Club.  The club met in Waco.  Elaine White would ride along with Norman and visit me while the fellows were at the meetings.  We found a very friendly church and met many young couples.  It felt like it could be a good thing.  Several of the gals close in my age would stop by.  Not for coffee!  The drink of choice was sweet tea.  I was crocheting baby clothes and sewing receiving blankets.  There were plans to be made.

  –to be continued.

   
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  Noreen 5:50 pm on February 3, 2020 Permalink  

  In the Quiet – Part Two 

  As I was saying – there were two flat tires on the Buick hearse.  They managed to get swapped out in good stead.  We said our goodbyes to Art and Julie and we headed out to Texas.

  Our plan was to drive strait through to Riesel, Texas.  I had cashed my last paycheck from McLeod County.  I had $150.00 in hand.  I never asked Orlin as to what his financial situation was after closing down the newspaper.  I lived then, somewhat like I do now.  I lived in faith.

  We had one oops in Oklahoma.  We ran out of gas in the middle of the night.  We were in some small town called Marion, Oklahoma.  We slept where we sat until daybreak when the gas station that we had coasted into, opened.  A very leary black man checked out the vehicle as he opened up the shop.  We picked up some coffee and some less than fresh packaged rolls and headed on.  There were no cell phones in 1964. I had no idea how Orlin, or if Orlin had notified the Norman Whites that we were coming.  Remember . . . faith!  

  Of course we were welcomed with open arms when we made our first stop, that being at the Riesel Rustler Newspaper on Main Street.  Norman and Elaine were thrilled that we were there.  Of course, everyone in Riesel called him “Schafer.”  It didn’t take long for the community to know that Orlin had come back to all of his old friends.  For several nights we stayed with the White’s son . . . Scottie and Pattsie.  

  Someone knew someone who knew there was a house for rent in town.  All we had to do was find Charlie Bruggeman.  We rented the house for $35.00 a month.  It had no heat but it did have running water in a kitchen and a bathroom.  Amazingly used furniture showed up day by day.  It seems a whole lot of people had extra to share. Orlin went to Waco on the fourth day we were in Riesel.  He came home followed by a Sears delivery truck.  We had a box spring and mattress and a refrigerator and gas kitchen range.  It sure looked promising that we were going to have a home.  It also meant we had just opened a Sears credit card.  

  The house was a single wall home built on short stilts.  There was an open porch on the front of the home as well as on the back.  The yard had grass and it also had an older garage.  I took my time cleaning and scrubbing in the house.  I found out that mud daubers, a friendly sort of wasp, liked to build nests in the depths of the closets.  I kept busy during the day and would often break up the day by walking down to the newspaper office to visit with Norman and his wife, while Orlin began looking for work.  One could walk one end of the town to another in several blocks. Across the highway were the cotton gins and also Pundt’s grocery store and mercantile store.  

  Shortly after we arrived we were given a house warming shower.  At the time it never came to me, but . . . I wonder what people thought of the two of us showing up with so little with us intending to live in their town. 

  The people were friendly to no end.  Orlin had practically lived with Norman Whites the entire time he was not scheduled at the Air Force base.  Our kitchen was equipped with a card table and two chairs.  The Sears truck had also delivered a television set.   

  It took me some time to remember names.  Norman and his wife made sure we had something to do or somewhere to go to meet and greet people.  I was introduced to everyone in town in short order.  It didn’t take Orlin long to catch up with his friends.  For Orlin it was old home week.  I worked hard at fitting in and listening closely to fill in missing pieces of the conversations.  This Northern Yankee was going to make it just fine.

  Within a short amount of time, Orlin found work at Mart.  It was a small town which was a short distance from Riesel working in their newspaper, The Mart Herald.  They also did a fair amount of special order printing.  I had gleaned that while Orlin was in the Air Force, and had spent a lot of time with the White’s, he had found a passion working with the presses for the newspaper and the special orders for printing.  Orlin was right at home.  

  –to be continued.

   
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  Noreen 2:34 pm on February 2, 2020 Permalink  

  In the Quiet – Part One 

  The house being quiet while I am in the sewing studio is the ultimate. It is amazing what travels through memories when there is quiet all around.

  Today is February 2nd, 2020.  Many, many years ago on a February 2nd I found out where Riesel, Texas was.  It was quite far from Dallas on a flat plain.  It was a very small town along the highway and it was cotton gin town.  The cotton gins were still productive.

  I came to Riesel, Texas, as a newly married farm girl, married to Orlin only a day prior. Why Riesel?  Many years before Orlin had been stationed on an Air Force base not far from Riesel.  Norman and Elaine ran a newspaper in Riesel and it didn’t take long for a lasting friendship to take hold when Orlin had found his way into town after meeting and dating a gal from Riesel.  After the military stint, Orlin moved back to Minnesota alone.

  I had met Orlin at the Lake Marin Ballroom off of Highway 15 just south of Hutchinson.  Orlin and his brother, Art, were at the ballroom as I was with several of my gal friends.  

  That was a beginning of a journey that I am still on today.

  Orlin owned and was operating a newspaper in the metro and had come to visit his family in Hector.  What’s a couple of Hector fellows to do on a Saturday night when Hector rolled up the streets by eight in the evenings.  

  Orlin and I struck up a conversation.  At the end of the evening, Orlin went back to the metro and I went home with the Raduntz girls I had come with.  In time when Orlin found his way to my folk’s farmstead in Boon Lake Township, it was indeed a surprise when his choice of vehicle was a gray 1956 Buick hearse.  Hmm.  Optimum choice for delivering newspapers hot off of the press. 

  Orlin met up and got along with my family and I met his parents and family in Hector.  It was fall.  As winter progressed, and as it is today, travel was not an assured thing, but in time Orlin and I were dating.  Orlin’s brother ran the Hector theater.  When Orlin came from the metro, our dates generally were visiting each other’s family and then the two of us would take in a movie at Art’s theater.  Going out beyond that routine never happened.   

  By that time I was working in the McLeod County’s Assessor Office doing clerical.  I liked my job working with numbers.  For myself I thought I had found my destiny working for Wes Abrahm.  I rented a sleeping room in Glencoe.  With no car, Dad picked me up Friday for the weekend and brought me back on Sunday night.  My paycheck was $150.00 clear per month.  I had a budget.  $1.50 per day for five noon lunches across the street at a cafe.  I could fix toast at the rental home for breakfast and I always had half a sandwich left for supper from the noon lunch. Saving up for a car was the plan.

  One Sunday night towards the end of January, Orlin surprised me by telling me he was moving back to Texas.  He had shut down the newspaper and was making new plans.  It took me back.  Nothing took me back more when he asked me if I would go with him . . . as his wife.  I took that weekend to think about it and visit with my parents. 

  My parents had wanted to meet Orlin’s family.  Orlin’s dad, Art, was a repair man for the machinery dealer in Hector.  Orlin’s mom, Esther, was the chief cook at the Hector public school and she cleaned offices in town.  His parents were hard working good people, just like Lena and Raymond.  My parents had an insight on Orlin’s family.  In time the two families got together at the Cat and the Fiddle outside of New Ulm. 

  February 1st, 1964, Orlin and I were married in a quiet ceremony in the metro.  Orlin’s brother and his wife were our witnesses.  The 1956 Buick hearse had been loaded with our belongs and we were to leave for Texas . . . that is right after two flat tires needed to be fixed before we left the church. 

  My fingers are weary . . . to be continued.

   
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  Noreen 6:04 pm on February 1, 2020 Permalink  

  Sunshine! 

  It felt wonderful to have the sun shining.  It put an entire new slant on Saturday chores.  The quilts would have been on the clothesline but for snow and some ice on the sidewalk next to the lines.

  I couldn’t help but crack a window on the east end of the house and the west end.  Dennis couldn’t help himself as he quietly managed to close them shortly afterwards.  I’ll try again tomorrow.

  It’a a short post today.  All went well and the older ones are going to enjoy freshly laundered bedding.  By the way . . . the last thing I do when Dennis is hibernating under his quilts with the mattress pad on #4, I turn down the thermostat.  I know Dennis is warm and I like to sleep cool , , , makes for a good night’s rest.

   
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  Noreen 6:14 pm on January 31, 2020 Permalink  

  It’s Getting Old 

  The gray days are getting old.  The month is closing with very few hours of sun.  It may be an old wive’s tale . . . or perhaps not.  My metal parts are bucking.  Whatever has been attached to the screws and joints are not playing well with the “whatever.”  What I have been doing is ramping up water intake to flush inflammation out of my body.  Taking many potty breaks hardly gives me any time to settle in in the sewing studio.

  The sewing studio had company today.  The morning visitor had much to visit about and it was like a breath of fresh air.  A new perspective for the morning.  This afternoon the visitor came with two dozen fresh farm eggs.  Marcia is awaiting neck surgery.  The kicker is that she needs to be nicotine free for 30 days before they will approve the surgery.  

  Marcia is trying something that her surgeon offered for advice that he has given to severe asthma patients. I had never heard of this before.  Why would we not have heard of it as asthma has been in our vocabulary for many decades.  The advice was to take 1/2 of a measuring teaspoon diluted in a cup of orange juice.  The solution is to take inflammation out of the lungs.  For a smoker the cleansing of the lungs, it make take away the urge to smoke.   I did look it up on the computer and it may have merit for both instances.

  The days go well when I remain busy.  Busy hands demand a fair amount of concentration.  It is very difficult to dwell on aches and pains when the mind is preoccupied.

   
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  Noreen 5:59 pm on January 30, 2020 Permalink  

  One More 

  This “one more” day is the culmination of my tick list.  Today, I traveled to Bird Island to see my Bernina people.  Amanda and Kelly run a great shop.

  It had been since April of 2019 that I had had my sewing machine serviced.  It’s been a busy run. There were 1,000,000 more stitches put on since that time in April.  I now have 438 hours of the needle going up and down on the five-year-old machine.  It works as well as the day I brought it home.  The reason I knew it was time for Kelly to work on it is the simple task of cutting a thread.  The blades were telling me . . . they needed to be replaced.  

  I don’t have any large projects looming in the sewing studio, but it does all count up and Kelly did mention that it was not all that dirty in the down and under of the machine.  While Kelly was working on the machine I noticed that he was tethered by a coil and no one would go into his work area during that time for fear of an electrical spark.  When I could peek over the counter I got a look at what is under the hood.  The entire right side of the machine is nothing but multiple computer boards.  No wonder it is such an amazing machine.

  Dennis passed on going with me today.  His hand is improving and as long as he continues to take it easy all will be good.  As Dennis commented, it’s so easy to stick out that right hand to lift something or push something.  The patio porch is the best place for the ole cowboy . . . just a few more healing days.

  It did spark Dennis’ interest when he saw the box of heart-shaped treats I picked up in Fairfax when I stopped to say a “hi” to Kersten. 

  There seems to be some mixture coming later on Friday.  Either sleet, rain or snow, I am home for the duration.  I have no wants to take me anywhere.  As I said, this one day allowed me to have everything I need in my home to be content.