Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:48 pm on February 13, 2025 Permalink  

  Thursday the 11th of February 

  It is cold enough . . . who needs ice cubes.  The sun is bright enough . . . your blind even while wearing sunglasses.

  Today, I brought my studio work into my bedroom porch.  Even a space heater has its limits.  

  My goal was to make use of the zippers by the yard I had purchase some time ago.  All went well until I realized, it’s not “if you don’t mind . . . it doesn’t matter.” It’s as if the mind is not smart enough put a halt to the activity, the left hand and shoulder will screw up enough to get the hint across.  Got it.

  

  I do have a few more zippers to make allowing for the fact that I remember which lengths were the usual.  It’s better to have some extra length to cut off than be too short.  These zippers are not done yet.  They need to go down into the studio so I can sew across each end as a stop gate for the zipper pull.

  The chicken noodle soup from last night made enough of a batch that it will serve us well this evening for supper.  I did put a pan of apple crisp from the freezer, from our grocer, into the oven for a bake to round out a good meal.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:26 pm on February 12, 2025 Permalink  

  Snow 

  For what was to be light snow showers, it seems to be amounting to quite a bit.  My exercise yesterday of pushing some snow around may have to be repeated . . . but not today.  I will wait and see how this all falls into place, literally.

  Dennis is making supper for this evening.  We had one bag of dehydrated seasoned Shore Line chicken noodle soup left.  We had the cubed rotisserie chicken in the freezer.  Sounds like a great supper coming.  My event for the day was taking off the replacement cover of Dennis’ recliner and getting it through the laundry.

  Dennis’ recliner was purchased when we had a local furniture store that has since closed.  The attractive leather looking cover soon began to break away from the base material.  Several patches with look-alike material has and had been applied.  The first floor vacuum was needed as there were quite a few bits of the original covering that found its way in need of cleaning up.  Dennis proceeded to vacuum off the surfaces to entice anything that wanted to crack off . . . could be cleaned up.

  The afternoon is dwindling.  The chicken soup smells wonderful.  The four individual pieces of the recliner cover are partially on the recliner.  Each piece with its ultra strong elastic will find its way where it needs to be with a tuck here and a tuck there, well . . . maybe another tuck.

  The fine wet snow has the city crews out with the sand-induced salt.  The speed of the traffic tells me, the streets have become slippery.

  Older individuals that can be heard saying they are bored . . . not on Stauffer Avenue.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:32 pm on February 11, 2025 Permalink  

  Tuesday the 11th of February 

  Yesterday I tidied up in the studio so as to not leave the church tables unwilling to host the next wild hair I get in my bonnet.  When I do visit the studio again, it will welcome me as a willing participant with all the bells and whistles as an annex to Joann Fabrics.

  I had mentioned in yesterday’s post that I had found some free patterns to download on the internet.  I may very well have found the solution to use some of the cork fabric from Amanda’s gift via the Creative Stitches in Bird Island.  I know I have everything needed in the studio, aka: Joann Fabrics annex including some zippers.  The zippers will be ready after I read the directions as to the length needed.  Some years ago, I bought some zippers by the yard.  They came with a packet of the zipper pulls.  This is all food for thought.

  Yesterday as I was searching on the HP laptop in my bedroom porch, I looked out the window at the driveway with the fresh fallen snow.  I can share with you, that as of today, the drive will be ready for some powerful sunshine to help clear it.  My plan for this forenoon was to suit-up and use my little plastic pusher to get the snow pushed to the south.  I did not do this without a lot of thought.  I had my heavy shoes on with thick socks, my stocking cap and heavy gloves, but not too heavy that I couldn’t manage the wooden handle of my little pusher.  Dennis had used the leaf blower for a path from the house to the garage.  After four intervals of about 15 minutes each, I can now look out of my bedroom porch window and see the powerful sun take its turn on the concrete of the driveway.  I admit, I crapped out on the last fifteen feet of the 90′ driveway to the street.  That last stint, when I came in, the jacket got hung up and the heavy shoes were traded in for my house slippers.  It felt good to get some safe exercise in and as one of Dennis’ favorite ditties . . . I got the stink blown off of me. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:52 pm on February 10, 2025 Permalink  

  Snow Showers 

  Snow showers come and go.

  It is going to be a good supper of chili out of the freezer.

  

  My curiosity got the best of me this forenoon.  I headed to the studio to see if my tote was indeed standing straight and tall.  Wonder of wonders . . . it was.  I spent a bit more time measuring the straps to see where they needed to be at.  I used some Wonder Clips to indicate what would need to be trimmed down for comfortable carrying ease.   That was enough to satisfy me for the studio time.  The air coming from the tile going around the perimeter was indeed chilly.

  I had some information I was seeking on YouTube.  That would be gotten off of the HP in my bedroom porch.  Sure enough.  I found some free download patterns to print off.  Isn’t the world wide web wonderful!  I could hear the printer working its magic.  That concluded any curiosity I may have had for today.

  Dennis just came in and confirmed that the outside air is really raw.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:06 pm on February 9, 2025 Permalink  

  Sunday the 9th of Feb. 

  Greetings from a balmy sunny Sunday.  As Dennis’ leaf blower’s battery is charged, he is taking swathe by swathe of the loose snow on the drive.  Whatever snow had landed on the front awning is going away drip by drip.

  I am taking the day off from turning the lights and the radio on in the studio.   I am bouncing from YouTube videos, to reading to hand stitching.

  Dennis’ daughter Denise stopped in.  Denise has the full week off from Casey’s.  She will be spending her week in Mankato with the two grandchildren and a fur baby while the parents are taking a vacation.  Denise is looking forward to the week away from the telephone and Casey’s.

  I have no idea when the Super Bowl will be happening today.  Dennis is deep into the posts on the Facebook Marketplace.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:05 pm on February 8, 2025 Permalink  

  Snow Has Moved On 

  The snow has moved onto and into Wisconsin.  We may have gotten a strong inch.  The sun is trying to break through the clouds.

  This forenoon, I worked in the studio on the tote.  Folding the tote in half length-wise, a square of the fabrics, 3 ” x 3″,was cut out of the bottom of the fold along the edges on both sides allowing for a box -like bottom in steps yet to come.  Then the work began on doing flat-felt seams on my tote.  The side seams were sewn with the lining fabric to the inside, right sides of the canvas going under the needle.  The tote was then pulled inside out . . . the lining on the outside.  The side seams that were just sewn were now flatten down and a seam allowance was sewn on each side encasing the raw edges of the first seam.  No raw edges showing on the outside on the sides of the tote and no raw edges showing on the side seams in the inside of the tote.  Flat-felt seams 101.  

  Here is where I caved.  I was to turn the bag right side out and sew a seam matching the raw edges of those 3″ x 3″ areas, then turn the bag inside out and doing the same flat-felt seam application.  Screw it!  Fighting the layers of the canvas, quilt batting and lining x 2, the inside of my tote’s box bottom finish is going to be a raw seam.  To secure threads from a raw seam, I got out my E6000 glue and put a line of glue on the raw seam on each side to squelch any way-ward threads. I made sure nothing was near the two glued edges and thankfully I walked around my church tables shutting off lights as I went.  Mission completion! 

  Tomorrow when I get some stamina back, I will go down into the studio and turn the tote right side out and see if the tote will stand tall and proud on it’s own box bottom.  All that will remain is the straps for the handles.

  This started out as embroidering a design I felt guilty for not stitching out.  I surely could have used some soft cotton and proceeded making a tote.  No . . . I had to find the stiffest bad-assed canvas to cross-hatch quilt it and then line the darn thing.  What had I been thinking?  I was thinking like the young farm wife of Boon Lake Township that could come in from throwing down frozen silage with a toddler strapped to her waist as they climbed the wrungs up the silo and . . . then came in and beat out yards and yards of carpetbag rugs.  Silly ole me.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:43 pm on February 7, 2025 Permalink  

  Friday 

  A new twist.  I am accustomed to checking the weather and seeing what the temp currently is and then how much colder it feels.  Today the temp is 26 degrees and it feels like 31 degrees.  That is one for the books.

  I felt very brave today as me and my cup of coffee headed for the studio.  The tote bag will soon be slimmed down in the width to put a box bottom on it.  While everything was still lying flat, I wanted to get the hardware on the front of the cross-hatch with which to work with the strap handles.  I had exactly four pieces of hardware for the front and four pieces of the clamps that hold the four prongs each once they come through from the front.  My trusty needle-nose plier then bent them pointing away from each other.

  

  I admit the first piece of gold hardware was not my finest work.  Each of the four prongs needed a slit cut in the canvas, the quilt batting and the lining to poke through to attach the clamp.  I cut the slits crosswise.  After the first one there was no turning back.  The first was the worst as I had spent my jitters on the first one.  The remaining three I cut the slit lengthwise as there was more real estate to cover the slits.  Live and learn.

  Once all four were secure, I shut down the studio for the day.  I was tuckered and thankful that I had not screwed up to the point that this project would end up being a mattress pad in the kitty box.  I have been satisfied doing one step each trip to the studio.  I went up to the grocer’s to pick up a few items in case the dumping of heavy snow occurs.  Even if we don’t get much snow, I don’t want Dennis firing up the Ahrens walk-behind snow blower.  Our John Deere neighbors to the north of us are leaving tomorrow for an eight day cruse.  My wish for them is that they get to the airport on Saturday safely for the 2:30 boarding.  If need be grandson Ryan will be called to help his grandpa Dennis with the drive.  

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:14 pm on February 6, 2025 Permalink  

  Early Bird 

  It is Thursday with the wind again whipping the wind chime outside my bedroom porch, taunting the dusting of snow we had last night.  The bright sun has cleared the drive and we are back to no covering.

  I am an early bird with my blog today.  Yesterday had been a day off of doing a blog until I got the all clear from my administrator.

  This morning, I was hell bent on getting to the studio as I had pondered the next step to my soon to be tote bag.  All the lights were on. KNUJ was giving me the latest news and I was standing next to one of the church tables ready to go.  I put in a new blade in the rotary cutter and the steam iron was heating up.

  As I said, I was standing next to the table with everything in front of me, but I was not moving.  I chose to work with some fabric to finish off the top of the canvas cross-hatched that was dimensional.  The fabric had script printed across the length of the weft. I knew I wanted the script to read correctly as if I would be standing the canvas bag in front of me.  The script fabric being cut in one piece would also be the backing of the top band.  Getting my head wrapped around the correct way to sew this script fabric on correctly, just stymied me for a bit.  This was not going to be a day of ripping out seams.  It does help to fixate.  The adage: you don’t have time to do it right, but you always have time to do it over was blazing across my forehead.

  Finishing off the cup of coffee I had brought to the studio and finding the correct color of sewing thread for this next step in sewing, gave me enough time for a step-away.  I was able to go back to the fabric decision, use my wonder-clips to hold everything in place and get the seam sewn.  Whew.

  Dennis checked in at noon as he had had the little red pickup out for a spin around town.  

  I had prepared an oven meal for last night and that automatically gives me gratis for tonight’s supper.  I will spike it up a bit by adding some cranberries. 

  All is well with my soul . . . as well as everything else on Stauffer Avenue. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 5:00 pm on February 5, 2025 Permalink  

  Wed 

  yes

   
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  Noreen 3:33 pm on February 4, 2025 Permalink  

  A Chilly Tuesday 

  How temps can change.

  Dennis had a plan for the morning.  He raided his quarter jar as he was headed to the laundromat.  We don’t do heavy rugs from the entryways of the house in our stackable.  At the same time the kitties’ baskets get freshened.  The quarter jar always gives Dennis a chuckle when he visits it.  When Nicholas was a toddler, he always explored the quiet places when he came to visit.  Out of Dennis’ bedroom came this tiny voice, “Grandpa, you have tons of money.”  Nicholas was at the quarter jar, trying to heft it.  Memories too good to not cherish.

  When we were in Mankato yesterday, the only stop we made was Sam’s Club.  The gas is always cheaper than in St. James.  We were out of the frozen chicken tenderloins.  They come in a 6 lb. bag for $15 and some odd cents.  I also bought a 2 lb. bag of crab meat for $5.98.  One pound in our store for about the same price.  Both items needed to be paired down this morning.  Rather than wrestle the heavy bag out of the freezer each time, I like to put three tenderloins per bag for ease.  I also divided the crab meat into two bags.  Good eats always on hand at Stauffer Avenue.  That along with laundry was my kitchen duty this morning.  The laundry, I do not complain about.  Who taught Dennis about the joy of putting on freshly laundered clothing.

  We both met at noon for a snack.  At the laundromat, the cleaning gal came up to Dennis and commented to him that his deceased grandson, Jake, had been a good friend of her sons.  Sweet.  That does go to show that Dennis has not changed much in appearance in the fifteen plus years. 

  So our week goes.  Quiet is good.  

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥