Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:02 pm on January 27, 2024 Permalink  

  You are My Sunshine 

  It was a little timid at first, but by gum we have sun this afternoon.  If the sun begins to participate every day, soon the studio will glean the sun’s heat on the studio’s south wall.  I have enjoyed all the reading and cross stitch sewing . . . but.

  This was our once-a-month spa day.  It happens right here in downtown St. James.  I don’t know about Dennis, but I feel like I have happy feet.  My haircut is done so that over a month’s time, the hair may grow in length, but the way the hair have been cut, it has staying power in its shape.

  I received a wonderful message from Stewart in regard to the quilt that arrived to their farm yesterday.  It was a good thing to do for family.

  We have a mechanic here in town.  I would put his meticulous work ethic compared to Kevin’s.  Loren looked over and took apart the ignition column of the little red pickup.  The results are that . . . it is what it is.  A brand new part or parts would most likely be as stiff as this 2005 ignition.  So be it.  We accept rather than expect all things to remain as it was when brand new.  Loren did not charge Dennis for the shop time.  A very nice fellow.

  I have just finished putting together an oven meal for us.  We have not had one for some time.  Dennis has offered to wash up the prep dishes as well as cleaning the stove top.  A few dried potato buds get away from Dennis when he whips potatoes up for us.

  No one I know takes a three in the afternoon coffee break.  I knew decades ago, that if I needed to hear my dad’s voice, especially in the winter months, all I needed was to call at three in the afternoon.  Great memories.  After mom and dad were gone, my sister and I would do a phone call at three in the afternoons to visit.  Again, great memories.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:57 pm on January 26, 2024 Permalink  

  Tiny Bubbles 

  There was no hint of any sun today.  I looked out at the clothesline beckoning me.  I could very easily stand on the sidewalk to pin up laundry as there is no snow there.  Not today and not for some time.

  I decided the tiny bubbles were going forward with the laundry of the bedding.  Slow and steady in getting two loads going and swapping out in due time.  Fresh flannel . . . what’s not to enjoy.  Dennis’ winter heavy jacket from nephew Brett was in need of more than tiny bubbles.  I had some Shout to spray certain spots as Dennis had fallen.  Concrete in winter has a lot of grime.  Dennis got up with no injuries.  The heavy insulated nylon does not take on water well.  Out came my tiny plunger to help keep the jacket down to get soaked up with the soap.  I never put in fabric softener when doing some jackets as it prevents the surface from shedding rain, heavy snow and all things wet.  

  Today the little red pickup is in the shop.  The ignition has been sluggish to say the least.  Any helpful spray had no effect.  There is no point in delaying what is needed.  

  Our city crew is out trimming trees.  With no snow removal they need to work off some of their mandated hours.

  37 degrees with lots of humidity is chilly.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:08 pm on January 25, 2024 Permalink  

  No Doom and Gloom 

  Gray days stay outside here on Stauffer Avenue.  I do not need the sun to shine to feel like getting my up and . . . going.  I had a small sign on my office over the years.  “It’s not the altitude that we fly at, but the attitude.”

  Dennis’ daughter from up the street stopped in this morning for a long visit.  Denise is an assist manager at one of our three Casey’s here in town.  She apologized for being AWOL over the holidays.  Knowing what Kersten went through when she was at Casey’s in Fairfax, I totally understood and could in no way hold it against her.  It was nice catching up.

  When Dennis came home from getting a package scanned for UPS yesterday, he had a tail to tell.  Dennis was there at four . . .the  designated time.  He had banged on the depots door until someone came.  They no longer take parcels.  Dennis had to go to the Fleet Farm store where that is being handled.  No special spot in the store.  Right up by the cash registers with people lined up to buy a bag of bird food.  Hmm.

  Be aware of melting snow turning to ice overnight.  This Grammie is looking from the inside out.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   

   
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  Noreen 3:37 pm on January 24, 2024 Permalink  

  A Chill in the Air 

  At 33 degrees I can feel chillier than when it was a minus zero.  It may all be in my imagination.  That does go off on its own sometimes.

  Dennis is doing what I so appreciate . . . running errands in his little red pickup.  Dennis had several prescriptions of his to pick up at Lewis Drug. There were several letters to pop into the mail.  The quilt that I have mentioned needing to be at the UPS depot will soon be scanned and ready to travel.

  Did anyone anticipate or expect that this quilt had been done . . . no.  Why wouldn’t I give back the fabric that had been intended to be a quilt.  Alex Trettin’s grandmother felt she had many more quilts in her.  Our tomorrows are not promised. 

  When Dennis had first mentioned putting a car cover on the Lincoln after it had had a wash and wax job, I didn’t know how I would feel about not being able to use the car when I felt like it.  It has gone well.  When I see cars going by covered in salt slush . . . it was a good thing.

  This is a chicken noodle soup and sandwich night for supper.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:56 pm on January 23, 2024 Permalink  

  Tuesday the 23rd of January 

  All is well with my soul.  It may be a day where the temps in the 30s are wasted with the lack of the sun.  I just put my head down and took the day as it came.

  When we have stocked up on groceries that we use all the time, it is important to me that they get tucked where they need to be in the pantry.  October of 23 is a prime example. 

  We had purchased the huge container of toilet pater that has five packages of twelve rolls each.  Dennis had slid the huge plastic bag like a sled down the steps.  For several days, I was put off by Dennis as the huge plastic bag of tp was not getting on the shelves.  I finally decided to just get the deed done.  Unpacked and on the shelves in the cistern closet.  Tidy, tidy.  Two days latter we had water coming up the floor drain.  Hmm.  Talk about a heavy wet mess of tp that would have been.

  On that situation of October.  Today I received a follow-up from the city’s representor.  She was adamant that this needed to be followed up on.  In October of 23 the city had a huge project going at the waste water treatment plant.  The sub-contractor had errored in favor of us getting water back up on two separate days.  She had the documentation of the city employee that was at our home during the standing water as well as the information that the city employee felt bad that he couldn’t help us get the water soaked carpet up and out of the basement.  So . . . it is now in the hands of the sub-contractor to follow up and close this claim.  Interesting.  I plan on just letting this go and see where it takes us.

  We are having one-pan beef enchiladas for supper.  A new experience for the kitchen on Stauffer Avenue. 

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:00 pm on January 22, 2024 Permalink  

  A Road Trip 

  I am here to tell you this Grammie got enough retail therapy to last for some time in Mankato.

  There were several stops other than Sam’s Club for groceries.

  At Harbor Freight, we scored a container with which to keep papers and such securely.  Kevin and Kersten did a great job endorsing it.  In aisle 8 on the very top of the shelf, the box waited patiently for a store clerk to retrieve it for me.

  There is a quilt that needs to be sent off at UPS.  Not a box in the studio to be found.  Hobby Lobby was on my list for such a box.  I now have the box and white tissue to wrap it in.  I will put it in a plastic white garbage bag in case it would get wet in transit.  The quilt fabric was passed on to me by Rita.  There is now her grandson that married last January and will be a new dad in June that will be receiving the quilt that I am sure his grandmother, Rita, would have done up for him.

  A stop at Goodwill will have to wait until next time we do a road trip.  I was tuckered and would be more so if Dennis had not been following me in Sam’s in a motorized cart.  My legs serve me well while Dennis’ arm do him proud.  What a duo we make.

  It’s great to be home safe and sound with the objectives met.

  The sun can shrink a lot of snow if it just stays out.  At 30 degrees with little wind, there is dripping going on.  Sure enough, it will freeze this evening to make the drips into . . . oops!

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:54 pm on January 21, 2024 Permalink  

  The Wind 

  The wind is now from the south.  During the night, I could hear the mail slot cover bang.  It did take me a minute to hear it again until I fully realized what it was.

  The south wind today is just as raw as some of the north winds had been.  These two oldies are staying put for the day.  Tomorrow promises a trip to Mankato.  The wind has a way of howling through the branches of the evergreen on the northwest corner of the house to make a sound like a blizzard.

  The morning brought a learning curve to the Grammie.  I had gone into settings of our Samsung to try and illuminate the script on the bottom of the television for most programs.  One thing led to another and low and behold I had the television in its default mode.  Let’s just start from scratch.  It was a good refresher on passwords for hooking to the internet, YouTube, and Hulu.  Couldn’t have done it without the prompts on the television, my laptop and my phone.  That got the cobwebs out. 

  I will go through the basement pantry to see what will go onto the grocery list for tomorrow.  Just for giggles, I may want to stop at Goodwill.  I had caught a comment on one of my YouTube channels in a certain department to look through.  You never know.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:26 pm on January 20, 2024 Permalink  

  A Quick Month 

  Though it has been a cold month, for me the time has gone fast.  I stay busy for most of each day.  Decades ago I would visit my grandmother Laura at the time she lived in her little mobile home in Stewart . . . right across from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.  

  Grandma had such a wonderful disposition.  She was wheelchair bound.  Arthritis had not many options for her compared to my time.  My dad, Raymond, and his brother Lester bought the mobile home for Laura and tricked it out so it was wheelchair friendly.  She could scoot her wheelchair right up to the kitchen sink as well as some cabinets.

  My sister Elvera and I took turns every Saturday helping with her bath, washing and setting her hair.  She would be going to church the next day, via my parents, with her hair looking good.  There is no age on vanity. 

  My greatest treasure of a lesson in life came from Grandma Laura.  Oh so often she would tell me that if God gives you a day, you shall have something to show for it.  It tickled me that grandma often used the word “shall” rather than could or would.  German had been her first language so hard telling how that “shall” had come about.

  Both of my children have an African, aka: afghan that Grandma Laura made for them.  No one ever had the heart to correct that sweet little lady about her Africans.  Grandma Laura had a way with her threads and fuzz.

  Today, I worked on some hand stitching in my bedroom porch.  It is still too cold to work in the studio comfortably.  The right time will come soon enough.  Many times I think of Grandma Laura and her tenacity as I share her love of thread and fuzz.  

  A time after I had had the stroke I knew from the school of hard knocks some things in my day-to-day life were never going to get better.  And . .  they didn’t. But I got better in my thinking and not dwelling on what I couldn’t do but finding ways and relishing all that I could do.  Thank you Grandma Laura!

  With that, Noreen Laura, is taking her leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:28 pm on January 19, 2024 Permalink  

  Another Dusting 

  We had another dusting of snow yesterday.  With the brisk wind that we have, I would not care to be out on the highways.

  Our household has settled in to a good routine.  Changing the furnace filter every month, should make the forced air furnace’s blowing a little cleaner.  That is up to debate here on Stauffer Avenue.

  Dennis made his rounds this morning about the town.  He returned with very little news.  Dennis does a drive around and I check Sturm’s Funeral Home online.  No news on either front is good news.

  Nephew Brett shared with Dennis the cost of some of his staples in our one and only grocery store.  High and going higher.  Brett also stocks up when in the big town.  Collier, the owner, clued Brett in on the rise in what pop is going to be in the next week or so.  I now know why Dennis’ root beer was not to be found in the store when we were there on Wednesday.  The entire selection was slim to none.  Selling down so when the shelves are restocked from his back storage room, it will be at the higher price.  Sneaking small town grocers thinking with small minds. 

  If the weather next week is to be on the mild side, I would ride shotgun on a trip to Mankato.  I do want to pick up a box that Kevin’s recommended for keeping personal paperwork at Harbor Freight.  Grammie is due some retail therapy.  Pre-Christmas was the last trip.  Dennis mentioned that the three kitties using the litter box non-stop, he has a shopping list as well.

  I did local effort this morning with the Swiffers.   A dusting is desirable outside as well as inside.  Dennis offered to make supper.  Fantastic.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:48 pm on January 18, 2024 Permalink  

  A Bit of R&R 

  Rest and relaxation is all I have been doing.

  Yesterday late afternoon I was reading in my bedroom porch, perched upon the cherry red chair.  I moved my left arm to pick up a pen and I was glad I was already sitting.  The jolt of pain could have taken me to the floor.  The pain was on top of my shoulder.  I recall, Mike T, my physical therapist, telling me that sometimes when a body is at rest and a sudden movement can take a muscle over a tendon.  Hmm.  Wow!  I had no idea where to hold my arm to alleviate the discomfort.

  I made my way into Dennis’ bedroom.  Dennis uses gallon jugs of distilled water for his CPAP machine.  I bent over and with the left arm I picked up a full gallon of water.  I stood bent with my arm straight holding the gallon of water a bit off from the floor for some time.  Still bent over, I began moving and lifting the gallon by a small bit at a time taking my arm back and forth.  After what seemed like a long time when I stood up straight the pain had subsided.

  What did remain with my shoulder is that during the evening, it felt bruised.  Even today it feels sore.  Not to take any chances of stuff not going back to the default settings, r & r it is today.  I may not remember when I had the reverse shoulder surgeries, but last night was the first pain I had felt since that time.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥