Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:45 pm on August 15, 2026 Permalink  

  Street Lights 

  At one time this early morning, the street lights came on after seven, it was that dark out.  No . . . we received no rain or winds.

  In the studio this morning, I continue working with my fancy rag rug.  I had a design and the way it was digitized it was not the size I had hoped for.  What to loose.  When it came up on the screen, I chose to increase it 100%.  A bit risky.  My computer of a sewing machine increased the stitch numbers by 100%.  I do believe you get what you pay for.

  Dennis is out today visiting his life long friend, Lyle Grove, in the assisted living.  Lyle is hard of hearing and almost blind, but he and Dennis have decades of life to share with each other.

  Today, what came up on “One Drive” was several photos of 2012.  Dennis’ son Jeff was working on the garage of Kevin’s with Kevin that was near not being a garage.  The guys worked great together.  Jeff was going through a rough patch.  Jeff used Dennis’ little red pickup full of gas each day plus $40.00 in cash each day.  The near ka-put garage is now an amazing tricked out clay block building with 100% utility.  Sweet memories.

  More minutes spent visiting on the phone this afternoon than I had anticipated, but giving moral support . . . very needed and worth it.

  Again, I tried contacting Mediacom to come and pick up their router.  Perhaps next week will be the time.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:54 pm on August 14, 2026 Permalink  

  Gray Day 

  Its a gray day with a bit of a breeze from the southeast.

  Many decades ago after a mis-guided surgeon did a number on me, I made more trips to the Mayo in Rochester than I can recall.  Sometimes it was appointments over several days.  Across from the Days Inn was a restaurant that did drive-throughs.  It was a Boston Market with tasty food to go or eat in.

  Last week, I decided to try a Boston Market frozen oven meal for us in our grocery store.  I purchased one meal for us as I had side dishes as well.  I can tell you for $3.49 it was a tasty Saulsberry Steak meal with two large pieces of meat.  I took one of the meats and I let Dennis have the mac’n cheese.  I am not a fan of mac’n cheese.  What was T.V. dinners of old have come a long way. 

  As I open my email each day, I receive a reminder to open a “One Drive” recap for the day of the calendar that it is.  I cannot tell you how much I enjoy seeing recaps from the late 80s going forward.  There is no one photo book to hold all that can be seen. 

  There are more blurbs of rain showers that a weatherman can keep track of.  Mankato’s station has a weather man that show-cases county fairs.  I was surprised that Brown County, Nicollet County and Redwood Falls County were held with the same week’s span.

  The Nicollet County fair was the one that I took Megan and Nicholas to multiple years when it was senior citizen’s day.  The kids could run ahead of me without a worry.  Those photos that I mentioned pop up, today many of them were of the kids at the fair.  Nicholas was hanging over the pig’s pen, Megan had a bunny to hold.  Those days were rounded out with a trip to the Dairy Queen in St. Peter.  So many wonderful memories.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:00 pm on August 13, 2026 Permalink  

  A New Try 

  Sometime back I had acquired two table runners for very few dollars.  They have been taunting me recently.  From the onset they resemble something that would have been woven on our four harness Newcomb Flying Shuttle loom.  In my world, it was a fancier rag rug.

  The need was to prove whether or not my sewing machine could embroider a design on it.  I have done so on pleather, cork and denim.  The difference was in the thickness.  I chose a one-color design for this test.  A wash-a-way stabilizer was my choice and I used two layers hooped.  No way was this going to be hooped.  There is a spray stabilizer that I sprayed onto the wash-a-way and laid the project on top of it, gently rubbing the project for the best adherence possible.  A wash-a-way top layer that looks like cling wrap allows the stitches to lay on top consistently rather than getting pounded in the fibers.

  Believe it or not, on a slow speed we have success.  Dennis could not believe that this looked as if it came out of a fancy department store.  What remains is that the stabilizer on the back needs to be soaked off.  The stabilizer on the front came off great as the stitches had perforated it enough it came off easily.

  I needed the time in the studio so I feel I have a balance in my days.  I now have a plan going forward.

  My next venture is to find a new hand stitch project to keep my wrists and hands nimble.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:43 pm on August 12, 2026 Permalink  

  An Amazing Day 

  Today, aka: hump day.  An amazing day on Stauffer Avenue.  Things just fell into place for most of the day.  It’s now midafternoon and all has been accomplished.

  The six inch faithful rake of mine, leveled off the evidence that we had internet dug into the house.  Yup, that little house on Stauffer that has 5G is back to normal . . . and just in time as Tom came to mow.

  Tom went on to help Dennis with the end-gate of the little red pickup.  There was a clip that needed to be installed or re-installed.  It matters not.  It’s good to go.

  The kitchen and back entry get a lot of traffic.  It was due for a tidy, tidy via a wet treatment.  Over the decades of this vinyl flooring in the kitchen, there is much evidence that it does not take kindly to having a sharp object dropped onto it.  Around the drip line of the kitchen counter, it is showing its age just like the home operators.  We will let someone else worry about that in the next several decades. 

  I have spoken of the huge rotisserie chickens at Sam’s club.  I had one more bag of diced leftovers in the freezer.  Last night’s supper was cold chicken salad for sandwiches or stand alone on a plate.  It went over so well that there will be a repeat performance this evening.  We love onions and plenty was added along with an ample amount of ground pepper.

  Something has happened here.  Dennis has begun enjoying our one meal a day that need not be hot.  Sweet.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 12:57 pm on August 11, 2026 Permalink  

  No Mercy 

  This morning, I took recycling out to the bin.  Low and behold, under a broadleaf weed, I spied an ant hill.  By the looks of the holes on the top . . . it was not an itty bitty sidewalk ant.  I got my ant powder from the house and it now looks like a flocked ant hill.  Take that!  I showed no mercy.

  While I was outside, I remembered where my favorite 6″ rake was.  Inside beside the east slider door the rake was.  Harriet was sleeping in her favorite chair in the patio porch that used to have pleather on it.  Harriet has taken it upon herself to free the chair of a cheap mockup.  She lifted her head to see what was going on but decided the nap was not over.

  I did tackle some weeds that had bloomed pretty purple flowers.  At one time I knew what the weed was named.  With recent rain, I pulled quite a few of them up by the roots.  Enough seeds scattered that next spring, there will be more pretty purple flowers.

  At that point I realized how humid it was as my shirt was sticking to me.  I headed indoor.  Another day, more bloomed out plants will be tackled.  What I took note of was . . . in the planter under the east house window there was a free rooted elm tree, a cottonwood tree, a maple tree, an oak tree all seeming to like their digs.  I have a plan.  If I cut them off with my garden shears while having some “vegetation killer” nearby, I will use Lena’s trick.  With gloves on my hands, I will use a rag soaked in the liquid and dob the raw newly clipped off stem and let it work its while, showing no mercy.

  On the plus side, the limb in the backyard that had broken off mysteriously disappeared during the night.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:54 pm on August 10, 2026 Permalink  

  Could Not Believe 

  I backed out of the garage to go down Stauffer as the speed and whiz of traffic of Tenth St. S. is horrible.  When I got straightened out on Stauffer going east, I could not believe my eyes.  There was another limb down from a tree next to Stauffer.  WTF!  The deal was that strike three on limbs, we were to be in the clear for a while.  Oh well.  The blessing is that son-in-law Tom will be able to handle it. 

  It’s a good thing Dennis and I have no plans on leaving Stauffer Avenue.  Yup . . . it’s all doable.  The coffee is good, the beds have personalized ruts and its our home.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:55 pm on August 9, 2026 Permalink  

  During the Night 

  During the night and the early morning hours a .75 inch of rain fell.  Thunder and lightning brought it to fruition.

  I slept through it all, probably as the great supper we had at the St. James Cafe last night dulled awareness.  I enjoyed chicken strips and Dennis enjoyed shrimp.  We had not visited since a new owner was replaced by a second new owner bringing the menu back to hometown goodness.

  When we got home we realized via Facebook that Dennis’ granddaughter had won her fight in Las Vegas.  It is fighting with no holds barred . . . punching, hitting, kicking and biting.  We all hope that she out-grows this passion before she is injured beyond repair.  It goes to show, we all have free will.

  Our evening meal is going to be a light fare compared to last night.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:23 pm on August 8, 2026 Permalink  

  A Day in the Neighborhood 

  We were given a 1/2″ of rain yesterday and the neighborhood is going wild with mowing their lawns.

  Dennis and I enjoyed our monthly spa day at Maria’s.  Dennis and her work through the places that each is familiar with in the western part of the U.S.A.  Dennis was either hauling pullouts out west for huge farmers or picking up old hens for Campbell’s Soup in Worthington.  Maria was either harvesting asparagus in the state of Washington or harvesting Vidalia onions in Montana.  It’s fun listening to them both.

  Dennis and I both came out of Maria’s shop with happy feet and great haircuts.

  I went back up town after dropping Dennis off at home.  Today, was the last day for the main street store called the County Collage, closing at 2 pm.  Karen has had the store open for ten years.  The bottom line could no longer be in the black.  Our community is 60% Mexican, many of us retired that need very little and that doesn’t leave much of a chance for the front door bell to ring.

  Karen spent many years as the town clerk for Lewisville, a small town in the county.  We worked years together with local government items.  Since she announced closing the store this spring, I took the opportunity to try to stop in weekly for moral support.  This last week with 80% off, there is little left for donating to Goodwill.  Many furniture items used in the interior decor was also sold.  This afternoon many individuals were picking up the items they had spoken for.

  Small town retail stores need a lot of local support . . . that was lacking even with the Chamber not helping.  I know Karen will be finding employment soon.  She and her husband are also farmers.  Karen asked me to stop in next week as she tidies up the store to turn in her keys.  She has been renting from the community owned Opera House Association. That hoped for attraction to the town also fell apart years ago.  The coffee shop that was adjacent to the Collage via a few steps and open door will most likely feel the impact perhaps both in business or rent.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:27 pm on August 7, 2026 Permalink  

  Who Knew? 

  Who knew that the day that started out with showers that faded in and out would be a challenge.  AJ had commented to us how much work Fedium has picked up here in town as well as a back-log. 

  This morning a pickup pulled up with a lot of equipment.  The Fedium internet cable would be pushed under our driveway today.  A father and son were working together. It was interesting to see all that was needed.  It was also seen as to how hard it was to connect the point of where the auger went into one side of the driveway to find it coming out the other side of the driveway.

  About the time that the internet cable was under the driveway, it began to rain.  Who knew that this time the rain would stay right over us several hours.

  The work was at a point of no return. 

  Maybe the lawn did get a bit messed up.  The connection of the wire feeding our home and the cable coming from under the driveway from the utility main hub was successful. 

  Grass grows back and progress doesn’t always go smoothly.  When things dry up a bit, I have a wonderful 6″ rake to help some of the disturbance of the grass.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:49 pm on August 6, 2026 Permalink  

  Thursday the 6th of August 

  So far this entire week, every day, I have had a promise that a router of Mediacom’s would leave our front deck.  The day is drawing neigh.

  Today I met with some gals, some that work at the courthouse and some that did not.  Everyone is enjoying their retirement, each in their own venue.  

  I had one prescription to pick up at Lewis Drug.  I signed up for their automatic text message when a phone-in prescription has been filled and is ready for pickup.

  This morning before I left the tree service fellows were pulling in to take care of the huge Hackberry limb that went down last week.  It had fallen onto the Maple scrub that always shows leaves in deep red in the fall of the year.

  By the time I got home, the tree service guys were gone.  Dennis filled me in on all of what had gone on.  After leaf blowers strong enough to blow Dennis over were done, they then raked the entire area.  The thing is, not much is done by hand.  Randy the young owner of the tree service has every piece of equipment imaginable.  Sarah, who was one of the gals I was with this morning, had commented that their neighbor was having some trees removed  Randy’s business has grown so large, he has multiple crews going at one time.

  In early spring we had need of Randy at our acre.  In June, son-in-law Tom, took care of a large Maple limb.  After today, three strikes and you are out for the need of tree service.

  I have a pork steak in the oven for supper.  It has been a long time since we have had the oven on.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥