Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:17 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink  

  A Road Date 

  As we took the scenic route to the north country, it was amazing how many fields had the sheen of green that the new corn plants made.  Dennis thinks the soil is still too cool for soybeans to be planted.

  Our road date allowed for a DQ cone on the way home.  First one of the season.

  Earlier this morning, I had sent a text to Carrie as she will be having surgery in the morning at Rochester.  I sent her love, support and empathy.  Not a place I would ever want to go back to . . . but who can tell.  The suspicious area on her one lung has increased in size but it is also in a spot where a biopsy could not be done.  The best outcome . . .  the growth is taken out and it is not cancer. 

  I received a text back just a few minutes ago.  Carrie has her own unique spark.  Kevin also has a unique spark but on the opposite side of the spectrum.  I have always believed and said out load, her and Kevin are the best part of Orlin and me.  Throw in a bit of unique traits of our own and there you have it.  Two individuals taking on life, each day at a time.  They will always be a part of me no matter how many years may pass . . . they are mine.

  We are having some rain, but not enough that it will be measurable. 

  Dennis had such a good morning, he is taking a nap in his patio porch.  When I looked out the bathroom window and I could see into the porch, snuggles is curled up on his chest . . . also taking a nap.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:47 pm on May 18, 2024 Permalink  

  What a Day! 

  Other than the traffic past my porch being ten-fold of what it usually is, I hope all that took part in our city-wide garage sales, being a buyer or a seller, that it went well.

  My day held for me the usual local effort of laundry and Swiffering.  When lawns are mowed, grass clippings can find their way indoors regardless how often the leaf blower is used on the doorways and the clothing of the operator.  It beats melting snow or mud.

  Dennis has had a mindset that beats all.  If he has a plan . . . beware.  Yes, like a dog that you can’t tell if he will bite or if he wants his head petted . . . beware.

  By twelve noon when he came in for noon lunch, he was a settled man.  No rushing.  No angst.  Dennis had spent the morning with his grandson Ryan.  They had obviously worked well together and the results?  Mission completion.  At 87, Dennis still has enough air and wind for his wings to unfurl and get done what he wants done.  May I be that fortunate at 87.

  I read something online by an “author unknown.”  “Never be a prisoner of your past life.  It was just a lesson, not a life sentence.”  Amazingly on point.

  I had another request for potato salad.  It is chilling in the refrigerator.  Dennis had gotten a cup of coffee from Casey’s while he and Ryan were together.  He brought home what was left.  I am finishing it as I type.  Wow!  It is flavorful but strong.  We may need to up our game when brewing each morning.

  This morning, there was one baby Robin sticking his head out of the nest under our awning.  Of course his mouth was wide open.  Mama Robin has her job cut out for herself.

  What a day!

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:47 pm on May 17, 2024 Permalink  

  Slipping Away 

  The merry month of May is slipping away from right under my fingers.

  With that being said, I can’t think of anything that should have gotten done here on the home front that didn’t.  The calendar is free of appointments until August . . . sweet.  Both vehicles have gas in them.  I may venture to our local grocer’s.  Dennis checks out the town every day.  Our pantry is not wanting for supplies.  With our quiet lifestyle, we are content.  Oh . . . it doesn’t hurt that Dennis’s garage porch has two televisions.  One for viewing with Samsung Plus and the other for the options from the Godahl tower.  My porch allows for me to have a 270 degree view of the neighborhood and street traffic.  Stitching and reading round out my options.

  The days for Dennis and me are planed one day at a time.  I have taken to sleeping until 7:30 each morning.  Dennis is up by 6:30.  All seems to work out fine.

  My mornings are for local effort within our home.  Dennis keeps a handle on the patio porch cats and vacuuming said porch.  He has also been cleaning in the far garage where the mowers and a few other miscellaneous items are parked.  Dennis can’t figure out why some of our age bracket have nothing to do.

  With my Pump-N-Go Roundup, I tackled whatever I could hit with one pump-up.  Tomorrow is another day.  Being the first use, it is heavy to manipulate the sprayer and my cane.  I know what needs its leaves dampened with a squirt of Roundup and what is a perennial.

  The temp has climbed to 86 with overcast.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:39 pm on May 16, 2024 Permalink  

  Birds 

  This spring the birds are happy to be around us.  We have had enough rain that the sump pump on the north side of our home provides the perfect pond for the birds to bathe in.  Last year was so terribly dry, the sump pump never ran . . . not once.

  By the way, that also speaks as to why the studio was so comfortable to be in the early part of 2023.

  We have a pair of Cardinals that flit among the lilacs.  The Blue Jays have not been plentiful.  The Thrush have nests in the evergreen on the northwest corner of our home.  Sitting very still on our front deck is rewarding for bird watching.  Mrs. Robin is busy feeding her babies in the nest built on the brackets of our awning on the west side of the house.  Neighbor Jan mentioned there is also a pair of Red Birds that she has noticed.  The sump pump pond welcomes them all.  I have noticed no one in the neighborhood has a Martin house up.

  My dad built some great Martin houses that looked more like a Martin hotel.  Martins were notorious for enjoying biting bugs as a snack.

  Some of the birds and maybe it is all of the birds, begin singing by 4:30 in the morning.  

  Don’t worry, sometime in each day the three porch kitties check out the watering hole as well.  Birds . . . beware.

  Dennis announced this noon he has spent more money these early months of 2024 on the gas for the mowers than all of last year.  The .32″ of rain from last night will keep the yards lush.

  The highway #4 going south out of St. James is detoured to Sherburn.  The traffic with side-dump trucks hauling fill begins past our home as early as the birds waking for the day.  Deadlines for that type of work gets crazy.  Prevailing wages for a MN Dot project is huge per hour.  For the truck drivers it gets to be a short night for rest.

  We are doing Jimmy Dean pre-cooked sausage patties and Bisquick pancakes for supper. 

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:12 pm on May 15, 2024 Permalink  

  Mowers 

  The hum of lawnmowers is more like a multi-directional roar.  Dennis did contribute to it.  I say nothing in regard to where or how often he mows.  I do know he needs to be busy and mowing is not confrontational with me.  Have at it.  I put in my stint with getting some weeds out of the flower bed.  I put them where Dennis mulched them with the Sear’s rider.

  Yesterday, a box was delivered to Dennis.  The return address was just Reliable Shipping.  As I was in the backyard, I don’t know if it was UPS or Fed-X.  The cardboard box was really dirty dusty.  It’s not unusual for those trucks to have their doors open and this time of year, there is dust everywhere.

  The contents of the box was from my aunt in Arizona.  One large heavy quilt, one lap quilt and one table runner.  I did know her kids were asking her to begin a dispersal of hundreds of such items.  When we went to visit her in 2015, she sent several table runners home with us and she then replicated those items to put back in her stash.  Hmm. 

  This morning, I knew the quilt needed to go out on the clothes line.  I can’t tell you what the scent was, but it wasn’t good.  I am hoping it was from the cardboard box.  The remaining two items went to the wash.  Dennis had to help me get the quilt on the clothes line and even Dennis said it was not good.  In the fresh air it was really noticeable.  For now, I can’t even tell you what size the quilt is.  I do know when Lorraine had the top pieced, she ordered the stitched quilting design for a long arm quilter to follow.  She told me that stitching design package cost her an additional $399.00 over the cost of the pattern with which to piece it.  

  I like my threads and fuzz but tend more to do the basics.  I can tell you why.  I want my quilts to be used and perhaps even be abused in the use of them.  My grandmother Laura used feed sack prints and I am still getting use out of that quilt. The quilts that I have pieced were used with fabrics of a much higher warp and weft count.  Please . . . use them.

  We are having chicken titties and the remainder of my potato salad dish that was left over from last night.

  As people are getting off from their work places, the grass doesn’t stand a chance.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:52 pm on May 14, 2024 Permalink  

  A Balmy Day 

  Me, my laptop, mouse, and telephone were at our friendly bank at 9:30.  Michelle was waiting to help.  I decided to take my equipment so I would have verification all was working before I left the bank.  A very good feeling.

  Dennis and Dwayne had coffee at McDonald’s this morning.  Without taking a break, he stuck his head in the door and said he was going to mow the yards.  So be it.

  I tackled a few more yellow blooms.  I couldn’t help but notice that where the rotted lilacs had been cut down several years ago, none of the new sucker sprouts from the roots were doing well.  The rest of the story came to light when neighbor Jan came out to visit across the white picket fence.  Hmm.  Early in the season when Dennis was setting up his propane brush burner, Jan said he totally did a number on the sucker sprouts and everything else along the picket fence line.  Here I thought it was some kind of shrub disease.  Ya, right!  I am thankful the fence didn’t melt.  Hey, I can’t keep my eyes on him all the time.  I do not plan on saying a word.  What’s the point!

  Several seasons ago, I shared some Fern Peony tubers with Jan.  This year she has three blooms.  I have two separate plants with blooms.  This last up and down winter didn’t do them any favors.  Gardeners win some and lose some.

  We are having the first batch of potato salad for 2024.  Plain butter bread goes well with that offering.  My recipe calls for equal amounts of potatoes, onions and chopped boiled eggs.  Not the usual, but we like it.

  From what I see through the screens of my bedroom porch windows . . . its going to be quite the season of wasps.  Jan has a wasp catcher hanging from her sheppard’s crook.  It will be interesting to see how that turns out.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:49 pm on May 13, 2024 Permalink  

  Monday the 13th 

  I am just about at the 4,000 post on this blog.  With the admin giving me usually a one-time command, all goes well.  I wanted to change my pass word with our bank.  How difficult could that be?  Well, well. I will be going into the bank tomorrow morning.  Having them send me a call on my cell for a passcode . . . it doesn’t ring.  I haven’t seen the girls in the bank for a long time.  

  After a trip to our grocer’s it was time to have a bite of lunch with Dennis.  He had had plans with friend Dwayne.  That didn’t pan out either.  This Monday . . . best to re-group.

  I went out and got quite a few huge dandelions dug out with my fork-tongued stabber.  One incredible sow thistle is no more.  Of course I plucked a few tips off of the cat-nip plants.  Before I came in, Harriet was passed out on top of some of it sleeping it off.  Tee hee.  The cats are not drawn to it unless it has been broken off and the scent begins to waft.  Too funny.

  I didn’t stay out long as I didn’t want my maiden voyage of this spring to be long enough that I would hurt later.  A few minutes each day will make progress.  My next escapade will require using several bushel baskets to cover the Hosta so  I can spray the area around it. There is a nasty plant that spreads like a hairnet.  With all the rain it is now in the bloom stage ready for the blooms to dry and spread their seed.  I was amazed how hard the dirt is in certain areas.

  Dennis and I had Mrs. Gerry’s spring pasta salad, a cold beef sandwich and chips and dip for a late lunch.  I am thinking of waving a magic wand as the supper hour rolls around.

  With that I take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:11 pm on May 12, 2024 Permalink  

  Sunday the 12th 

  What great temps for today.  70 degrees right from the start.

  With my breakfast coffee filled to the brim of my cup, I was headed to the front deck to take in the morning.  Not long after I had sat down, I was feeling guilty.  MaMa Robin had her beak so full of goodies waiting and wanting to get to her nest.  That nest is tucked in under the awning of our front door and deck.  I gave in and settled into my front porch bedroom caving in to opening the window for the great breeze.

  Our day was a quiet one with each of us settling in.  When Dennis’ granddaughter, Sadie, and her two little girls made a surprising visit the quiet went away.  It is wonderful for his family to feel popping in is good.  It is good.  The visit lasted for several hours and they were off to surprise more family members here in St. James.

  It is three in the afternoon and there is thunder rumbling in the northwest.  The wind has changed from northeast to northwest.

  Not only have I no projects going on in the studio, I need the ground water to subside a bit after we have had quite a bit of rain.  Our basement is tiled on three sides, aka: the studio.  Yesterday, I could hear water coursing in the tile heading for the sump pump.  That is ice cold water.  No matter how I would dress these last days, the air and the floor is very very cold.  My goal was to finish Megan’s kitchen wares with embroidery and I did.  She knew I was doing placemats but the towels and pot holders will be a surprise.  Mission completion.

  We had Sub-Way for supper last night.  A 12″ Tuna with all the fixings, split in half is all Dennis and I can do for a meal.  Seeing as how neither of us have done more than lift a single finger today, supper will be light.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:04 pm on May 11, 2024 Permalink  

  Pollinators 

  Our lilacs are full of pollinators.  Quite a few bumblebees found their way into the patio porch.  What I have noticed is a fair amount of wasps by the front door.  That reminds me to take the roll of Gorilla Duct Tape into the attic and put it around that west-facing window.

  The studio is closed for the weekend.  All projects have been completed and any new thoughts will need to take a breather.

  Before Fleet Farm could close yesterday, Dennis bought and came home with a Proctor Silas coffee maker.  A buy at $33.00.  He had not even considered having to go to Cassey’s this morning for coffee.  Hopefully, the third coffee pot is charmed. 

  Dennis has mowed what he felt needed it.

  It’s a great day for the fishing opener.

  It’s a great day for me having some time in my bedroom porch for either reading or stitching.

  The coffee pot episode yesterday got quite a bit of my Saturday work done on a Friday.  Happy sunny Saturday to one and all.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:24 pm on May 10, 2024 Permalink  

  Stitching Right Along 

  By the time the words are done dribbling out of me, my Bernina will tell me there are no more stitches left in it for today.  Everything in the studio went without a hitch today.  Needing to fill a bobbin is no big deal.  I did take the time to fill five of them.  In between time, I have been placing threads back in the storage boxes.  I place them in sequential order so there are eight boxes with 30 spools each.  Inside each box is a slip of paper giving me the range from lowest to highest number.  Restocking the thread goes quite quickly.  I felt compelled to capture the colorful pot holders and mitts with the camera.  The repair stitching of mitts will be for another day.

  I thought I would have enough umph left today to sew up three of the four oven mitts with their faces having been stitched.  Not!  Where did the umph go?  When I lifted the Mr. Coffee this forenoon, the handle let loose.  The same thing happened to Dennis last month.  He was lucky in that the full pot landed and splashed in the sink and all over the counter.  My luck . . . the pot fell on the floor exploding hot coffee and glass everywhere.

  I shut down the sewing machine in the studio.  I needed to do a “clean-up on aisle one.” I used a loaded Swiffer to push everything to one pile.  With the dust pan and brush, coffee and glass went into the trash.  I used paper toweling to corral more of the same.  I took the dust pan and brush outside to make sure no glass slivers remained.  I needed a breather and got some fresh air.

  That is when I captured a bit of bliss from the back door.  The Star of David blooms don’t last long, but they are the sweetest part of the early spring.  You can’t kill them, as I have tried.  They self-pollinate at will.  Over time their greenery dries up and doesn’t leave a trail. 

  Back to the kitchen mess.  With the coffee having been mopped up and the floor dry.  I got out the little shop vac and with the smallest attachment that left no air between attachment and floor.  I covered every square inch of flooring in the kitchen, bathroom and living area.  The bathroom showed shards of glass, the living room not so much.  I wasn’t going to take a chance.

  After I post this blog, I will do the vacuuming again.  The bright spot of taking breaks was getting cards in the mail from the kids for Mother’s Day.  Sweet!  Sweet!  I will have a great Mother’s Day weekend as I know they will also.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥