Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:08 pm on October 3, 2025 Permalink  

  Balmy 

  The winds of today being blown with high 80 temps is not feeling like anything balmy.  It feels uncomfortable.

  Dennis came down into the studio today to check on my progress.  Visitors are always welcome.  The last step on this project will be tomorrow.  It is taking the 2.5″ binding that has been sewn on the back of the blanket and bringing it to the front to be sewn down.  In theory it should not take long.  In Grammie’s world . . . it will be a long session.  The 2.5″ had already been ironed in half.  Sewing it onto the back with 3/8 seam, allows a 1″ amount to be brought over the three layered sandwich and stitched down to the top.  It is a lot for the arthritic wrist to fold and then hold for the magic of stitching a straight seam all the while the heft of the project wants to pull away from the needle.  I have found that using my 1.5lb weight that has the finish of suede is great for my left hand to keep it all under control.  Dennis totally was in awe of the project.  I did wear myself out and that in itself is very rewarding.

  We had a great meal at the Home Town cafe last night for supper.  We found out some good news.  We could order off of the kid’s menu.  It is a working man’s cafe and the portions speak to that.  We took our pies home for enjoying later.  Dennis chose apple and I chose sour cream raisin.  It all totally made for a birthday treat of an evening.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:57 pm on October 2, 2025 Permalink  

  Frustrating 

  Before last night’s shutdown of my laptop, It asked me to leave it open for an up-date.  I did just that.  Today things were different on the laptop.  It speaks to my age, I don’t like changes in my high-tech stuff.  We will see how things progress.

  My studio was visited this forenoon.  I didn’t want to over-do it.  The 2.5 inch border was cut.  It took four swipes of the fabric to make it around the perimeter of the project.  I did not do any sewing of them together.  Before that happens I need to do a grease job on the machine. clean fuzz and then a new needle.

  I did take out all of the red-topped basing pins and then did a trim around it getting off the excess batting as well as the excess backing.  There I called it.  Using the rotary cutter can give the right arm a work-out.

  

  It is rewarding to see all the bubbles that the free-motion quilting achieves.  I have no pattern to go by.  The stitches are at the whim of how I move the three-layer project.  Some trace their stitching designs on the top with chalk.  It is all about what makes you content and happy.  I am happy when all goes well under the needle.

  Today is Dennis’ 89th birthday.  I am taking him to the Home Town cafe for supper.  Last night we had Subway as a treat.  Splitting a 12″ tuna is all we can handle and it was tasty on cheese bread.  I did pick up a bag of the Sea-Salt Vinegar chips which is Dennis’ favorite.

  This morning we had agreed that the list that had been in our meager bucket, we had been able to empty, went well.  There are always a few items that we would screw up if we attempted it.  Those items best left to others.

  I will continue working with the lap-top updates until they become usual and customary.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:07 pm on October 1, 2025 Permalink  

  Flying Dust 

  It is dry enough, with a small breeze, even the grain trucks going by can raise a bit of dust off of the concrete surface as they go by.

  We had a very good morning here on Stauffer Avenue.  I sprayed with the strong stuff.  We have, now had, every type of volunteer tree you could name coming up where perennials used to grow.  I don’t mind that the area north of the potting shed had been cleared.  The rocks that I had collected now are show-cased in the barren soil.  As many years as I toiled with various flower garden on our homestead, it saddened me when I couldn’t keep up with the care that was needed.  It was time to move on.

  Dennis decided to take care of the work that was needed after the driveway edges had been done.  The swamp grass met the weed-whip.  It got shaved back or maybe scalped would be a better word.

  It was time for a trip to our grocery store.  It was not my intention to wait until Wednesday when it is declared to be senior citizen day.  We had been limping along since Sunday.  Limping along brings out the creativity in the meal preparations.

  Before I had left for the store, I had visited with Dennis in the patio porch.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Snuggles racing towards the open slider door and he was not alone.  Snuggles had caught a pretty good sized bunny.  Oh my gosh he played with that bunny.  About the time he would need to get a better grip on it, it would be taking off with Snuggles right after it.  Snuggles had not had a workout like that in a long time.  In time the bunny’s life was no longer a challenge and Snuggles left Dennis to be the under-taker.  That cat will no doubt be done for a long nap.  Life on Stauffer. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:11 pm on September 30, 2025 Permalink  

  Home on the Range 

  Home on the range where the older ones reign.  The driveway project is 75% completed.  There is what I call swamp grass.  It has a root base that they can put out and spread that would put a smorgasbord to shame.  The curb trimming has indeed been done.  The overlay of said grass needs to be weed-whipped back.  That is for another day.

  I blew the trimmings off of the driveway in a cloud of dust.  The excess dirt was more like a silt than actual dirt.  After the weed-whipping, this project will not need to be repeated for some time.  Stauffer Avenue is actuality a gravel alley.  Over time it has been used to the extent it is wide like a secondary street.  Dennis didn’t think the county was going to spread calcium chloride for dust control this year.  Hmm.

  I came in and cleaned up to some extent as my shower of the day will be after supper.  Now . . . today . . . the black flies perched upon my arms and would not budge.  Pests, we got them.

  This afternoon Dennis has gone out to see his friend Lyle Grove.  Lyle should be in an assisted living, no I take that back, a nursing home.  Lyle cannot see well and cannot hear.  His frame has become very slight.  His son found a gal that lives in the rural area that is licensed to take care of individuals at a rate that is far less than the nursing home’s would be.  He is very isolated.  At least in a care facility there would be some interaction with people.  This care provider works from home for our county’s human services.  Lyle and Dennis have known each other their entire lives.  How could Dennis not go and visit periodically.

  With quite a bit these last few days of using the ole body, I have put off any studio time or hand stitching.  It is wise to let tendons and muscles regain from . . . taking care of things.  YouTube videos and a bottle of diet green tea does help with the passing of time.  Doing it for a day or two is fine, I cannot imagine doing it full time.  Nope, not for me.

  Thursday is Dennis’ 89th birthday.  How great that he is up for visiting shut-ins and working in tandem with me in and on our home.  Life is good indeed.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:54 pm on September 29, 2025 Permalink  

  Entertainment 

  As I am doing my post a bit earlier than usual, I must add that there is no lack of entertainment here in my bedroom porch.  I do face south as I type.  The south window screens are thick with the boxelder bugs all wanting their fair space.  This is the first day that I have seen them to any degree.  Did they scare off the “no see’ms?”  No, Dennis just came in and went to wash off his arms to stall the itching.

  The backdoor windows did get washed this morning before the bugs woke up.  A great treat.  Dennis and I had been talking about getting the Mantis electric tiller out to trim the cement drive from the over-grown grass that was infringing.  I had started on cleaning the areas of the car garage where the kitty litter, water dish and food dish are.  Dennis was reading the Mantis instructions.  Before we knew it Tom had stopped in.  Out came the Mantis from the potting shed, and Tom was requesting more extension cords from me.  It kept me busy following him to keep the cords away from him and the tines as he did the drive.  Mantis tillers do not work walking forward with them.  You walk backward.  Wow.  Tom put the tiller back in the potting shed and headed home.  When Tom and his chainsaw helped us out with a huge branch, Tom did the cutting but not the clean-up.  Fair enough.  I knew the drive was the same way.   I was appreciative of all he had done and Dennis and I would not have gotten that much done in one swoop.

  I needed to finish the vacuum job in the garage and put the vacuum and the many feet of hose put up before it would trip someone.  I started to clean the grass and dirt debris off of the drive, but realized I needed a break, I had had a good work-out.  Also, it had gotten warm and the bugs had been activated.  The drive clean-up will get done tomorrow morning.

  We take our days as they are given.  No harm was done to anyone today.  Had I pushed it, that may not have been how it ended.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:01 pm on September 28, 2025 Permalink  

  Yes Indeed 

  Yes, indeed we have another task on the books for this calendar year.  Two days devoted to the project, time well spent.  The octagon bathroom window exterior has been scrapped, caulked and painted . . .  two coats.  It sure is a good feeling.  Dennis lent moral support as well as my butt support as I did the two steps on the fiberglass ladder to be able to reach my target.  O course Snuggles had to put his two cents worth in, having to get on Dennis lap as Dennis was in his walker that also has a seat.  The ladder is back in the garage, the paint brush has been cleaned and all is well within my soul.

  In between the two coats of paint, I worked on the project under the needle.  I finally figured out the bobbin error messages.  Having the need for the feed dogs down, that which helps propel the fabric under the needle at a steady pace, allowing for the free motion, having a rayon blend on the top and bottom, allows for too much play in the stitching process of the bobbin thread.  You can bet, this lesson will not be forgotten on me.  In the past projects this had been an automatic “to do.”  I missed a beat when it came to this task.

  All that remains of the project featuring the Mount Rushmore panel project is to cut 2.5″ binding and do the actual binding.  It kind of surprised me how much heft there was as I worked with it under the needle.  I should have eaten my Wheaties before starting. 

  No . . . it speaks to who I am today.  Would have, could have and should have.  I do not have the arm strength and mobility of several years ago.  I accept that fact and am thrilled to do what I can.  Let’s hear it for the Grammie.

  Who knows what tomorrow will bring to be on the docket.  Never fear, next to my right elbow is a note pad with some items for the next time the Fairfax team visits.  Tee Hee.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:23 pm on September 27, 2025 Permalink  

  Nice Day 

  Humidity and dew point very low, making for a good feeling day.

  A bit of work was done on the octagon window exterior.  The cement underneath the window reminded me of the naughty red chip monks we had at the South Branch house.  They could chew through anything.  The only thing lacking today was the token of black walnuts that they were known for leaving where they had been.

  When the “no-see’ms” got too bad. I retreated into the studio.  Checking things over to nab any lingering fuzz.  I gave it a shot of oil, filled a bobbin and then tackled the first stitches of the free motion technique.  As long as the fabric under the needle is moving the stitch regulator will make all stitches the same in length and appearance.  I had barely done an inch of stitching and the bobbin error message came on.  I re-threaded everything on the top and bottom and tried again.  Same message in about the same amount of stitches.  It can happen when the silver magnetic covering on the bottom of the bobbin has worn, it could cause the machine to not function and stall the stitching.  In all the years, that had happened to me once.  I wound a new bobbin right out of the Creative Stitches container.  Nope . . . no go.  I took a bobbin with not much thread on it and tried again.  It stitched perfectly for many laps around a piece of scrap fabric.  So . . . alright . . .  the quirk had stitched itself out.  I returned the bobbin into the case that was loaded with the very same thread as on top.  No go.  Then and there, I decided to continue with the “what if” thread.  I knew the spool of thread it had come off of.  So what if the color of thread is a bit different on the back of the project compared to the front.  The stitching commenced until my arms, shoulders and hands gave out.  I will pick up where I left off on another day.

  I believe today may have been the last of the mowing for 2025.  We are headed into a dry spell that may put the grass in a stall.  That same dry-spell will have the soy-bean harvest coming to a swift closure.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:12 pm on September 26, 2025 Permalink  

  Winds Down 

  As the week winds down, I can reflect on a very successful amount of energy expanded here on Stauffer Avenue.  We are not the fastest couple.  We are intent on taking care of life and limb.  You can add home-owner savvy to that.  

  If the weather had not turned nasty hot that encouraged all sort of annoying bugs in the air, we would have had our next conquest in the history books.  There is a wonderful octagon window in our bathroom that cries for TLC every several years.  The mill-work around the exterior of the window is very poor quality.  In the coming days, the small step stool that is sitting under the window on our sidewalk will be put to use.  The cracking, peeling paint will be done away with.  There may even be some E6000 glue used where needed.  That glue will hold like no other.  I cannot even remember when Kersten and I glued the antlers back onto the cement deer that we have in the yard.  Yup, tried and true product.  When the weather turns, the cast off paint chips will fly.

  I didn’t waste the morning.  The studio was busy.  As of two this afternoon, there is a patriotic project that has been sandwiched and made secure with my huge safety pins.  You know. . . the red ones that operate quite easily.  If I visit the studio tomorrow, my first task will be to select the correct color of thread with which to quilt it under the needle.  One step at a time.

  We will have the remainder of the tuna oven dish for supper.  Sweet.

  September will be noted as going from hot to very cool, back to hot.  All four seasons in one month. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:24 pm on September 25, 2025 Permalink  

  Interesting 

  For the last two calendar years our prescription cost via Well Care has been $1.00 for 2024 and $0.00 for 2025 per month.  For 2026, we just received our notice that it will be $9.00 per month for each of us.  I am not upset by this.  Our prescriptions are allowing us to maintain a good quality of living.  Dennis receives two prescriptions from the VA at $15.00 each as we had checked one plan to another.  Taking the time to be vigilant is what is needed.

  Today, I needed to pick-up two prescriptions for myself at the Lewis Drug.  It was $0.00 for the two rather than the $79.00 at the market rate.  I will be realistic in time to come.

  My studio went dark at one this afternoon.  My quilting care, thought and history won out.  Each of the two patriotic panels will be its own project.  I am proud of my decision.  The Mount Rushmore is the first of the two I will work on.  I have the backing fabric measured and sewn for it.  The quilt batting has been released from the plastic bag to allow for it to breath.  Enough for today.

  The tuna oven dish that Dennis made did not disappoint for last night’s supper.  There would be enough for this evening’s supper, but we have opted to do the oven meal again on Friday night.  Tonight’s supper is a bean and ham soup that we both enjoy.

  For decades we have had a round kitchen stool on rollers.  If weight is put on it, the rollers push up into the shell of it . . . making it stable.  I did use it to put my pail of stain on it when I was doing the front deck, only to realize that the rubber bumper on the base of it had rotted enough to fall off.  What was left was a very sharp edge.  In today’s mail, the new base bumper for the Kik-Step stool came and is ready to be put on lending the handy stool an extended life.  Where would I be without the internet and Amazon.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:08 pm on September 24, 2025 Permalink  

  Mission Completion 

  We, on Stauffer Avenue, can say that we have had mission completion on all levels.

  I have two pieces of fabric equal to one another in the studio.  As I have measured and cut, the thoughts were always niggling in the back of my brain.  My initial thought was to do the pieces back to back into a lap robe size.  I now have them both measuring 54″ x 48.  Both panels, each telling a patriotic story totally clash in the color-ways.  One panel is the Mount Rushmore with the eagle flying over the American flag in the red, white and blue theme.  The other is of raising the American flag over Iwo Jima in very dark brown, black and orange hues.  My quilting eyes cannot condone making them into one finished product.  When the lights went out in the studio at one this afternoon, I had both of them on the church tables.  Time to think on it and perhaps even sleep on it.

  Dennis completed his task on the first floor of our home.  We will be having a tuna oven dish with cranberries and bread and butter pickles.  Oh yes, bread and butter on the side.  The other day, Dennis was going to pick up a loaf of bread.  There had been street repairs, so he stopped at Casey’s.  The brand of bread that they sold was Hostess.  Hmm.  The taste of that bread took me back to when Lena made bread dough for buns.  It had a “sweet bread” flavor.  Not a bad thing at all.  He couldn’t remember what the loaf had cost.  I know in our grocery store, our usual bread, Country Hearth is $3.99 a loaf.  It bares checking out. 

  Yes, we have had mission completion.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥