Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 5:53 pm on October 21, 2019 Permalink  

  A Sharing Day 

  Today was our monthly luncheon in Mankato for fellow stitchers.  Baker’s Square is very accommodating for groups that linger over their lunches.  It is very enjoyable to meet and catch up with what the others have dipped their toes in, in regard to new ideas, new patterns and challenges.  It’s good to share with kindred friends.

  I drove in rain all the way to Mankato this morning and the return drive at five this afternoon was not any different.  Dennis reported that the rain had been off and on for the entire day.

  I stopped for groceries in Mankato.  This morning was a first for Dennis in our home.  There was no Folgers coffee grounds . . . at all.  I fixed him an R.W. cup of coffee.  The tea kettle was put on and Dennis had a cup of instant Folgers coffee.  Mom and Dad drank the instant all the time.  I doubt that the huge tea kettle was ever empty as it sat on the back electric burner of the kitchen range.  You wanted to come over for a chat, the instant cup of coffee appeared in a matter of a heartbeat.  Since I have not drank much coffee of late, I had lost track of the grounds.  Tomorrow all will be back on schedule. 

  I had a message on my phone this afternoon.  Tomorrow at 11:30 I will be at the eye clinic ready to be measured up for lenses for my glasses.  Lordy, Lordy, I am ready.  It has been a learning experience and also an appreciation of those who deal with less than good vision . . . all the time.

  I did notice that with the leaves being soaked today and that we have had several mornings of frost that was heavy enough to turn shingles white . . . there will be fluttering of leaves non-stop.

   
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  Noreen 5:20 pm on October 20, 2019 Permalink  

  Back Home 

  Dennis is back from his road trip to the north country.  Returning safely is always the ultimate.  Dennis may have had a serious cultural experience.  The north county was full of people.  Every size and shape of vehicle on the highways north of Duluth.  Every tourist trap had people lined up.  I wonder where all these people generally live that this weekend was to be the hast hurrah.   

  Living in the southern portion of the rural area of Minnesota, we wouldn’t think the fall colors up north are any different than what we see as the seasons change here on Stuaffer Avenue. 

  Every hotel, motel had the No Vacancy signs blinking non stop.  Restaurant parking lots were over flowing.

  Dennis had the comfort of family for his destination.  It’s always special when the great grands come running for a hug from Dennis.  There seems to have been something for everyone in the back of Dennis’ little red pickup.  The best part was, as per Dennis, is that he didn’t have to unload it, there were plenty of hands to help.

  Tomorrow we are to get rain.  That may keep Dennis in the patio porch to get Snuggles settled down.  When Dennis got home, Snuggles was determined that this was his chance to become a house kitty.  Each time When we went in and out, Snuggles was the first to have his nose and often times his head in the crack of the door.  Only by accident has Snuggles gotten into the house.  It would be way too cruel to allow him in on a whim, knowing that his home is in the patio porch.

  Monday is around the corner . . . get ready . . . get set . . . go!

   
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  Noreen 4:19 pm on October 19, 2019 Permalink  

  It’s Really Quiet 

  Dennis left for Silver Bay early his morning.  It has been quite a while since Dennis will be gone from home for several days.  It’s really quiet on Stauffer Avenue without him.  Snuggles agrees.  Snuggles sits on the bench outside the back door as if Dennis will be coming out for some patio porch sitting. . . . at any moment now. 

  This afternoon I finished the towels for Carrie and Megan.  The request was for 80 towels.  The finished tally was 81 choice towels plus three that are not so good.  It took some time to adjust the density of the stitches: dense enough to cover the loops of the towels, but not so dense that the end product puckers.

  The towels went faster that I had imagined.  While the sewing machine was stitching, it gave me the best opportunity to clean the sewing studio from top bottom.  The chigger episode had me leery to be outside and the sewing studio felt safe.   An update on the chiggers:  with all the antibiotics during this last cataract surgery, they are well on their way to be reminder scars.  The three month waiting period to get my eyes ready for new lenses for my glasses after the cataract surgeries also left me doing what I knew I could do with limited eyesight.  All in all things are turning out well. 

  Tuesday I will get a new prescription for updated glasses.  I am excited to be able to read after a long waiting time.  My library card has been collecting dust.

  The weekend is perfect and hopefully the farmers can get in the fields.

   
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  Noreen 4:23 pm on October 18, 2019 Permalink  

  It is Decided and it’s a Good Thing 

  Dennis has made a departmental decision here on Stauffer Avenue.  The back of his little red pickup speaks to that.  It is loaded to the hilt.  Towards the end, even Snuggles had a hard time snooping around, in and out of the contents.

  Dennis’ son Jeff is an alcoholic, has been for most of the last thirty years.  What has changed is that Jeff used to be a quiet alcoholic.  His temperament had changed and now he is an angry alcoholic.  Dennis contacted his daughter Sussie in Silver Bay.  Sussie has agreed to take the remainder of Jeff’s belongings that have been in our back garage for the last ten years.  Where did these belongings come from?

  In the early 1980s Dennis’ three out of the five children participated in the Minnesota High School Rodeos.  Susie, Kenny and Jeff were fortunate to have the experience.  Jeff went on to the national finals.  Jeff was awarded a custom made saddle in 1983, multiple awarding winning belt buckles and other trophies.  Leather chaps and too numerous items have been in Dennis’ care for too long.  That saddle and all the trimmings of rodeo days have been in our back garage.  Dennis had made a stand for the saddle out of a fifty gallon barrel and a steel stand.  Susie has agreed to take ownership of all of it as she was right there along with her dad and her brothers.  Dennis wanted to made sure the items remained in the family in the event that someday Jeff will remember them.

  Dennis no longer wants anything in our home to entice or provoke Jeff.  Jeff’s last visit was very hard on Dennis as Jeff was physically and mentally abusive towards Dennis.  It isn’t the physical hurt, but the emotional hurt that a child can inflict when they are drunk.

  Tomorrow is Sunday and Dennis and his buddy Lyle will be taking off for Silver Bay to see Susie.  The icing on the cake will be seeing granddaughter Erin and her three little ones.  It will be a good visit before there are chances of snow and ice. 

  I am proud of how Dennis is handling this.  It’s a good thing.

   
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  Noreen 3:42 pm on October 17, 2019 Permalink  

  Hands Down 

  

  Hands Down the Murphy Wood wipes beat out the Pledge wipes anytime, any day for a great job of cleaning in my sewing studio. It’s been a long day and that is all I have to say about that.

   
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  Noreen 4:27 pm on October 16, 2019 Permalink  

  Good Grief 

  Dennis and I had had a full day yesterday.  Dennis had taken batteries off of the mower, put a trickle charger on the convertible and anything else that needed cleaning in the back garage.  I was tuckered from fall housecleaning.

  We put together a quick supper and as usual I turned on the floor lamp next to the dining room table.  The entire floor lamp wobbled.  When I took a hold of the five foot stem and the lamp wanted to topple over.  Good grief!  The heavy base was disintegrating . . . hell’s bells . . . it had disintegrated.   When Dennis was going to pick up the entire lamp to take it outside, the base stayed put.  Oh well.  The lamp was 22 years old, and it may have continued for another 22 as the electrical was intact . . .  if the base had been on board.

  Today we were both at what we had on for an agenda of the day.  The best part of the day was a surprise visit from the Watson team.  Two trucks pulled up.  One fellow was replacing the furnace chimney and the other was in charge of the two furnace cleanings.  I even got the kitchen faucet fixed.  That was a two minute job to get it tightened.  The swiveling that a kitchen faucet does had taken its toll.

  I was given a card by the Watson employee who is married to Dennis’ niece.  Charlie said to give him a call next spring when the 70 degree days are usual and he would do a service call and check out the 1991 AC.  Dennis indeed to rattle a cage and we are now set for the cold winter months knowing that the furnaces have been serviced.

  The sun was out and it gives hope of having more to follow.

   

   
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  Noreen 3:49 pm on October 15, 2019 Permalink  

  Lena Would be Proud 

  Fall housecleaning is in progress. Slowly but surely, one item at a time.  Granted, the home is only 720 sq. ft.  How long could it possibly take.  I don’t make a drudge out of it.  I don’t stay at it for hours on end.  

  This morning my agenda was to wash the window panes in the new screen door that we just had put in this summer.  It’s quite the challenge to get the bottom window out of the frame.  It is a Larson door, but how many models of Larson screen doors are available.  Here in St. James . . . one.  I was happy when the carpenter had the door installed, the area was made tidy, and we paid him and he was on his way.  Later that day I asked Dennis where the keys were for the exterior of the screen door.  His blank look allowed me to realize, it had just hit him that there were no keys as there was no exterior lock.  Neither one of us had picked up on that as the installation was being done.  Here we are with a Larson screen door that has no exterior lock.  Hmm.  As I mentioned, one type of door was available.    

  Dennis and I have become very adapt at using the skeleton house key for our old wooden interior door.  That in itself was amazing that we had the skeleton key as we have used the exterior lock of the screen door for the last 20 plus years.  In the end, I was pleased to get all the water droplets off of the panes and call it done.  The fall cleaning continued down the basement steps and right on into the sewing studio.

  Since we have had new basement windows installed it’s a matter of touching the items on the shelves to take off the dust and film of having a forced air furnace and AC.  I didn’t get completely done in the sewing studio.  Actually I got one wall done.  I have quite a few shelves on the south wall and also quite a few items sitting on those shelves.  It felt good to put everything in its place. When I get busy, I tend to pick items up, use them and plop them down at the first empty available spot.

  Tomorrow is another day.  Another day to put the fear of God into dust bunnies.  Fear not, I will find them.  Thanks mom, Lena, for instilling in me the self satisfaction of fall housecleaning.

   
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  Noreen 6:14 pm on October 14, 2019 Permalink  

  What a Difference a Day Makes 

  The sun was out and it was fantastic.

  I had a call that someone wanted to come over for coffee this afternoon.  Renee came to work for me in the late 1980s.  We went through a lot.  Her first child would come into the office after kindergarten and show me his baseball cards.  Joe is now a father of three working for the DNR in North Dakota.  Time flies.

  Renee left at 6:30 this evening.  Dennis made a departmental decision and the two of us were off to Home Town Cafe.

  Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny again.  It really makes a difference in how the day goes.

   
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  Noreen 3:13 pm on October 13, 2019 Permalink  

  It’s What Can be Done 

  What I can do easily these days is clean house, laundry and embroider on my Bernina.  I have 10 more days until I will be able to be tested for new lenses in my glass frames.  Reading is out and it’s a good thing there is slim to none on television, as that does not do well.  

  Embroidery is a matter of selecting the design, gather together threads.  I do have a pair of cheaters that can help out for a short duration.  Wearing them too long does makes the head throb. I do use them before I hit “publish” for my blog.  Proofing is a good thing.

  I have hit the 2/3 mark on my skate towels for Carrie and Megan.  60 acceptable and four . . . not so good.  There is a bit of wiggle room of the number of towels that Carrie provided. I have been increasing the density by 106% and that worked perfect for the stitches to cover the terry towel.  Every once in awhile, four to be exact, I forget that important step.

  I do have a second project in the works.  Variety is good for the soul.  In the photo of the towels, out yonder, I am working on some stitching of barns.  The designs have a quilt block on the gable of the barns.  Twelve in all.  It’s a project in the works.  Who knows!

  By the way, the “End of the Week Soup” was a hit.  We are featuring a re-run of it this evening in conjunction with a grilled cheese sandwich.

  Tomorrow is a new week and I can tell you, Dennis and I are ready for it.  Catch you another time.

   
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  Noreen 3:16 pm on October 12, 2019 Permalink  

  Crisis Averted 

  Yesterday Dennis’ garage furnace chimney rusted out and off.  Dennis came in and told me to hold supper until he got home.  Dennis in his little red pickup sat in the parking lot of our plumbing fellows until one of their trucks showed up for the close of their day.  Close of their day?  Dream on.  It may have been 5:30, but one of the service fellows followed Dennis home to assess the situation.  Measurements were taken and the furnace is able to run safely with how it has been rigged up.  Not to worry, Dennis will stay on top of their promise to return as soon as the parts are in.  Dennis is in this to win it.  

  Apparently our two man business is now seven men strong and not able to keep up with the customer demands.  Hmm.  Seems no one wants to work, even when it’s on the job training while drawing a paycheck.  Our plumbers are the not the only ones short of help.  Earlier this spring we had a difficult time finding someone to install a Larson screen door.  Grant it, Kevin had totally taken off the old one completed with all the framing.  Not to worry, the fellow that we did get is on our speed dial.

  With having snow showers off and on, it was time for a kettle of soup to be made.  I made my famous “End of the Week Soup.” With a base of Swanson’s Beef Broth, a package of diced leftover roast beef from the freezer, a package of Bird’s Eye Steamable Rice and Vegetable . . . I was on my way towards having a soup for supper available.  I did rummage through the refrigerator.  A bit of grated cheese, some pork and beans left from a night ago, a package of leftover frozen green beans that contain bacon and garlic and a handful of beef bullion cubes.  Just for good luck, several splashes of Balsamic vinegar.    

  Dennis did do a tasting before he left to have coffee with one of his buddies.  If Dennis is not home by 5:30, he can be found at the Home Town Cafe, telling me he passed on my “End of the Week Soup.”  I highly doubt it, but . . . taste buds are very individual.

  Not having had a plan for supper, I think my soup is a crisis averted as well as Dennis’ crisis with a furnace that may not have been able to be used.  Oh my gosh, the cats and . . . Dennis would have suffered in the patio porch.  Ya . . . right!

  I am nestled in for the weekend.  Let the good times roll.