Me, Myself and Memories

Recent Updates Page 387 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Noreen 4:38 am on September 4, 2015 Permalink  

  The Chinese Have the Year of the Lamb 

  Here on Stauffer Avenue, Dennis and I are having “The Curry Month of the Doors.”

  We are awaiting the arrival of two garage doors from our local lumberyard.  It is warranted, as both doors have had to have multiple adjustments to the point that you realize, enough is enough.  How much grief are we going to put ourselves to?

  The passenger door of my trusty 1999 Lincoln needed to have the springs adjusted. Though I cannot remember having the door caught by the wind, it must have been stressed enough to let you know when the door was opened.  It did not sound happy.

  

  The door switch: A taken for granted function in doing the laundry that can cause the entire process to come to a stretching halt.

  On Sunday the top loading door of my Maytag washing machine let me know just how important it is.  The switch that allows the machine to shut down when the door is opened, quit.  The washing machine was full of clothes and water – and nothing was happening.  After checking out a lot of information on the computer, we decided the switch that manages that function of the washing machine needed to be ordered.  I ordered it online on Sunday.  The matter of wringing out the clothes by hand and tossing them into a clothes basket was the easiest part.  Dipping out the water took some doing.  Dennis and I headed for the laundromat here in town and finished the load.  There was nothing wrong with the dryer portion of our stackable unit, and as the evening hours fell, we were folding a load of laundry that had been started quite a bit earlier in the day.

  Three days out, the new switch arrived on Stauffer Avenue.  I thought if looked huge.  This afternoon a very friendly Sears repairman was at the door with a smile.  Oh my gosh!  It looked as if the entire washing machine was being taken apart.  The top and front of the washing machine was taken apart and the switch was right where the repairman knew it would be: hidden under the right hand corner of the lid.  I was amazed to see where the wiring harness and the fuse needed to be placed.  The repair fellow was kind enough to take some time out for me to clean the rim of the tub as well as other areas that cannot be seen with the naked eye . . .  but once I saw the dirt, I had to tackle it.  After the machine was run through its entire cycle, the repair was deemed to be complete.

  It is a very good thing that our entire first floor of our home only has one interior door . . . that being on the bathroom.  We had replaced the front door of the home just several weeks ago.  As I mentioned earlier: it has been “The Curry Month of the Doors.”

   
• 

  Noreen 6:29 am on September 3, 2015 Permalink  

  I am quite proud of my 1999 Lincoln Towncar. I needed to make a visit to Jiffy Lube in Mankato. I have been using their services for several decades and have total trust in them. The general oil change was due, as the last date had been in March and I was just about at 3,000 miles. It was going in for service with no indication that the oil level was low. As per the computer info, it did indicate that the tires could use rotating. The general manager came back in and said that all four tires were showing uniform wear and the rotating could be done the next time. The alignment of the tires on the car is good.

  I was asked to come out to the service bay for a look-see at the serpentine belt. It was not showing severe crackage, but I went ahead and authorized the new belt. I know what can happen when that belt goes by the wayside on the highway. The compression test came back at a 9. That was deemed to be a very good read.

  All in all, I can’t imagine that I would think about a replacement at this time. It gets about 27 miles per gallon and I am not putting on the mileage that I did several years ago. I will admit the newer cars are shiny and might be a bit easier to get in and out of. The book value of this vehicle is . . . not much, but I’m looking to have this beauty around for quite some time to come.

   
• 

  Noreen 4:12 am on September 2, 2015 Permalink  

  Great visit to the farmers market today. Kun Hung is a fellow from China that has lived here for several decades. He is growing Gingko trees from seed that he has brought from China to his acreage northeast of town. He now has 12,000 trees in various stages with some of the oldest ones at five feet tall. Drummers is a huge nursery/greenhouse in Mankato. Kun Hung and Drummers are working on a “grower to retailer” deal. I hope it works out for Kun Hung as Gingko trees are highly sought after in landscape design, and I know how hard he works on his farm.

  This is Kun Hung’s first year at the farmers market with a huge variety of vegetables. He only uses soybean meal as fertilizer. I have a batch of creamed cucumbers going for supper using his Chinese Cucumbers. They are a bit sweeter than those I have bought from other vendors. The proof will be in our supper.

  We are just so fortunate to have such a great selection of vendors at the farmers market three times a week. Our downtown shaded park is the perfect venue for the sellers and the community people to find a park bench for visiting.

   
• 

  Noreen 3:59 am on September 1, 2015 Permalink  

  Coming and Going 

  

  Our latest addition to the yard. Having Dennis close by does not seem to bother these two. To them, he represents food and shelter . . . he can’t be all bad.

  We do have cats and kittens coming and going on the patio.  For Dennis and I, we have a hard time determining what should be ignored, what should be given a chance, and how many is too many.  The original rule still stands: no cats in the house.  Do you realize how hard it is when Snuggles stands on his back legs at the back door after following Dennis?

  The latest two gray kittens are really growing.  One looks as if his daddy was an Angora.  I hope he grows into his fur of gray and orange.  Our backyard neighbor does have two Angoras in her home that I have seen outside on rare occasions.  Sweetie Pie, the mother of the two kittens, must be moving on up in the world.

  I have made peace with Stauffer Avenue being a safe haven for cats and kittens.  We do not have a cricket or any other type of crawling varmint in the garages or the patio.  As of late the huge hard shell moths have been the capture of choice.

  Butter Ball seems to be oblivious of the kittens for the most part, as long as his patch of catnip continues to do fine.  There is no shortage of entertainment watching the kittens and cats on Stauffer Avenue.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:33 am on August 31, 2015 Permalink  

  It might be wise to have an extra “Stop” sign on Stauffer Avenue – or on our patio.  Dennis and I are quite the team once we get going.  The weather outside today was quite nice. My one item on the agenda was to scrub off the alley side of the potting shed.  We have had a lot of rain in the recent past. The entertainment of those using the gravel Stauffer Avenue to travel here . . . and there . . . and everywhere, is to hit the pot holes filled with muddy water and see how far up on the potting shed wall it will land. There is no luck about it. Dennis has made sure we have sufficient garden hose to reach wherever it is needed. I was content when Dawn dish washing liquid made the scrubbing of the mud much easier. Dennis, not so much.

  Dennis went on to wash down the garage, the porch and the entire house from the grim of a season of high winds. While he manned the hose, I tided up the flowerbeds closest to the house. My “Happy Birthday, I bought you a brand new silage fork,” came in handy to haul the spent foliage to the fire pit next door.  A few garden art items were hauled to the potting shed and several Fern Peony stands were put in place for the early sprouting plants of next spring.

  The bathroom window is our “go to” window to check out the back yard, and after the house was washed off, the water spots needed to go.

  Dennis and I took quite a few breaks sipping coffee on the patio, as one task led to another.  It has been quite remarkable that with all the rain we have had, there are no mosquitoes.  It makes being outside “Oh, so pleasant.”

  If there were an extra stop sign posted on the patio, we more than likely would ignore it. We do enjoy keeping our home tidy.  Self satisfaction . . . priceless.

   
• 

  Noreen 4:14 am on August 30, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Bell ( 2 ), Butter Ball ( 7 ), Dennis ( 40 ), Kersten ( 6 ), Kevin ( 8 ), Sophie ( 2 )   

  The Patio Annex 

  It is no secret that the older ones on Stauffer Avenue have a soft heart.  Most of that heart is reserved for family, but the four legged creatures that happen into our lives are real scene stealers.

  The talk has been had about a dog.  When we travel, that would be a real heart breaker.  Leaving a dog with a stranger could crush its spirit.  Taking a dog with when traveling, is not always appreciated.  We have had Kevin and Kersten’s Bell and Sophie for a sleepover.  They fit right in and know that we are kindred spirits.  So . . . the talk about having a dog, is just that, talk.

  Now, cats that happen across our patio, that is another story.  One of the first cats that happened across our yard quite a lot of years ago, is still coming for brunch.  Megan named her Tabatha.  She looked like she had some age on her then, and has kept a consistent look of well-being.  We couldn’t count how many have been by for a snack and, over time, did not return.  Dennis feels that if they make it to our yard, they will have a bite to eat and water to drink.  Formally, we have taken in three cats to the degree of having them treated to a visit to the veterinarian once a year for their shots.

  This late spring, pretty much right on schedule, the yellow mama cat, Sweetie Pie, brought over her wares.  Butter Ball Curry is one of her kittens from last year.  This year, there were two little gray ones following mama right up to the Meow Mix bowl.  Surprisingly, they were not as frightened of us as we would have thought.  Dennis gets the biggest charge out of these two in the morning.  They can hear him getting his slippers on in the house and they are coming up the patio sidewalk to meet him.  If he takes a bit too long, one of them will give him a “Meow,” as if, “What are you waiting for.”  We have had a run of very cool evenings, and the little ones would huddle against the porch patio doors.  The ole cowboy felt sorry for them and put out an old pillow.  Sure enough, they still were huddling, but the fluff of the pillow seemed to have swallowed them up.

  

  Our patio annex, complete with Dennis making sure that there are comfortable fixings inside. It’s a good thing I save old quilt batting for uses such as this.

  Yesterday morning, I came out with my coffee to find that we had a patio annex added.  Inside, I could see the same little pillow had been tucked inside.  What peeked out from the opening of the pod were four little ears.  Priceless.  I have no idea where this kitty adoption center will take us.  In the mean time, Dennis feels proud that he could offer a retreat to these two wee ones.  I was going to snap a photo today, but I think they had decided to sleep in.

  Stauffer Avenue: where wondrous events keep us happy and content.

  In life, please remember to give and have no memory of it, or take and remember it always.

   
• 

  Noreen 2:22 am on August 29, 2015 Permalink  

  Fleeting Thoughts: 

  Reflections: a great result of cleaning.

   
• 

  Noreen 5:02 am on August 28, 2015 Permalink  

  Quite the day. Dennis’ pickup has new tires and is road ready for whatever may come. Soon Dennis’ pickup garage will have a new door and a new garage door opener. Remember the Genie brand name for garage door openers? Neither do suppliers of parts. It will be a good feeling to know that as cold weather is not far away, the garage porch may have a bit more protection from the cold with a new insulated door. With three sets of patio doors in the porch, we are realistic. You just can’t beat this great porch to ward off cabin fever when winter seems relentless on Stauffer Avenue.

   
• 

  Noreen 6:08 am on August 27, 2015 Permalink  

  Need For Speed – Not! 

  There are things I can breeze through with my eyes almost shut or have one eye on the T.V. and the other eye on the sewing projects.  I am at a point in my scrappy project that needs both eyes and no speed.  My Dad’s favorite saying, “You don’t have time to do it right, but you always have time to do it over, ” definitely applies now.  It also means that I do take a lot of breaks away from the sewing room to rest the eyes and the back.

  

  I know taking my time at this stage of the scrappy quilt will pay off in the long run. Self satisfaction is a good thing.

  The chain sewing is finished and now comes the step that will make the difference between a throw for puppies to rest on or a quilt worth being enjoyed for many decades to come.  The two-patch became a four-patch under the needle of the sewing machine.  That is not to say all four patches are the same.  Different scrapes cut differently depending on the what the count of the cotton . . . 250 threads per inch – compared to 480 count per inch.  As fabrics are feed through the sewing machine they need to have a second look.  That being said, each four-patch needs to be tidied up, thus making more scraps out of the scraps.

  Taking a break yesterday from the sewing room, I got online and asked for a quote from the Overhead Door Company out of Mankato.  The overhead door for Dennis’ pickup garage has had a few – bordering on a lot of – bandaids on it, and it is now time to face up to the fact that nothing lasts forever.  The rails have been stressed each time the door took a dump by going either up or down out of sync.  Winter is coming and we need to have assurance that the door will go up when it needs to, and will go down when it needs to.  The furnace in the garage would pump its heart out if the door failed during the cold temperatures.  We did get an opinion from a carpenter who we have a lot of confidence in.  Time for replacement after 28 years.

  In a timely fashion I received a quote via e-mail today from the company in Mankato, and now the local lumberyard will have a chance to bid on the self same request for Dennis and I to make comparisons.  We have decided to have a steel insulated door to be put on.  The quote from Mankato had four different door estimates with four different levels of R-value, ranging from 7.4 to 17.5 with many other aspects covered in the estimate.  Very well stated.  We know our old garage is not without challenges of air leakage, but it sure was nice to have it all laid out with choices.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, the little red Ford pickup will have to sit in the driveway. It is all about consumer be aware.

  There is more on Stauffer Avenue to contemplate than what may meet the eye.  Making a speedy decision is not in the cards.  It has been a good day that began with a workout at the Super 8 pool.  We need to stay in shape to take on whatever rears its head.  Dennis and I are prepared.  Priceless.

   
• 

  Noreen 3:13 am on August 26, 2015 Permalink  

  A Good Value 

  

  A purchase of a Sweet Potato vine at $1.99 this early spring has given us a bounty of fresh spring green color. The cherub holding the flower pot has long since been overwhelmed. It will be interesting what we find within the pot after the first frost. As much daily watering as this plant takes, I am suspecting there may be a few potato fingerlings growing with very little potting soil remaining.