Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from September, 2024 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:13 pm on September 28, 2024 Permalink  

  What’s Up! 

  To the west of us and to the southeast of us, there are lilacs blooming.  Very full blooms of soft lavender.  Truly this has been an unusual year.

  AJ was here this morning bright and early.  I was still in my robe having my first cup of coffee.  Dennis was in the patio porch.  The two fellows are planning a day for next Saturday.  I will wait until then to see what is popping.

  Just so you all know, we are minding the salt in-take.  For supper we are having an oven meal and it will be the chicken rueben that has been in the plans for several weeks.  The deal of staying away from anything in a can is being adhered to.  Unfortunately, I had a jar of sauerkraut open in the refrigerator for a time.  It is getting used up this evening.  Also . . . no red meat.  That will not be hard to stick to.

  As I was getting the oven meal ready, Dennis had the garden hose strung to the patio porch watering down the two small evergreens really good.  Yes, they are out in the open but amazingly having the potting shed five feet away from them is just enough shelter to keep the rain from hitting them.  His next task was washing out the tracks of the three sliding patio doors.  Yes . . . I think when we hear things from professional people, such as doctors, we tend to go with their advice a bit easier.

  I dug around the cistern closet for some beads.  Those that go thrifting had given me an unusual shaped red plastic carry case about as big as a bloated football.  As you open the lid it rolls over and over, exposing with each roll a tray of plastic beads.  I had never seen anything like it and oh yes, the trays had various plastic beads.  Every once in a while, Grammie gets a wild hair.  I am not sure where this wild hair is going.  I will keep you posted . . . but I have beads.

  I have been working with Grandma Schafer’s silk floss.  Using the “5” magnification helps ever so much.  It works best if I leave my prescription glasses on.  I work for about two hours with the project and then I turn to reading.  As I have had an indication all summer that when my yearly eye exam comes around, my lenses will be changing.  No, I do not feel as if I have eye strain as I do my various tasks.

  Dennis is patiently waiting for the time, 4:00 p.m., when the oven will be turned on to pre-heat it for the oven meal.  I can’t say I blame him.

  It would be interesting to learn why our lilacs are blooming going into October.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:45 pm on September 26, 2024 Permalink  

  Hello Thursday 

  The sun is out, bright and warm.

  We had thought the tree man would be here several days ago, Monday.  We knew we were on his list.  Early this morning, it was the sound of the chainsaw and the shredder going at it.  I walked over to the acre site at noon.  Many pieces of equipment.  The crew were on noon break.  Yes, Dennis and I were in agreement, just get it done before a nursing home gets Dennis’ funds.

  No, the nursing home is not anywhere in our future plans in 2024.  We have bit off several properties over the years.  We clean them up so the grass can grow and mowing is the maintenance.  Many years ago, this acre was the site of a bottling plant in St. James.  Over time, people were with no respect, and nothing was done other than to toss stuff over the fence from the south.

  In between time today, Dennis has gotten his shots and also an appointment for his yearly medical with his primary VA doctor in St. James.  I knew it was hard to tear himself away from the tree site, but he got it done.  

  This would have been a day that my dad, Raymond, would have been sitting on a pickup end-gate, right beside Dennis.  The thrill of seeing all this equipment making short work of what would have been labor intensive not so long ago.

  The tuna sandwiches were good for last night’s supper.  Cottage cheese was the second item on the table.  Today, I added two chopped up boiled eggs to the tuna.  Another night of no-salt eats.  Tomorrow Dennis goes back out to the Mayo Clinic here in town for another lab work and then to the doctor to see what these days have proven.  How grateful that we don’t need to motor to Mankato or Rochester.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:33 pm on September 25, 2024 Permalink  

  Not Long 

  Not long after I had been using my pruning shears, taking out volunteer trees, I was very warm in the sun.

  It might be 79 out today, but it feels like 88.  Some people have a difficult time starting new trees, not here.

  Earlier this summer, I had Dennis kill off whatever was growing under the Hackberry tree in the backyard.  When I asked him to kill off the area right next to the sidewalk on the north side of the porch, he took it all the way along the patio to the back door.  Yup, the killer works.  Oh well.  Take my own advice and use more words.

  The salt-free supper went well last night.  The next trip to our local grocer’s, I will buy some salt-free butter.  This evening we are having Albacore tuna with a hearty amount of onions mixed with mayonnaise, where there’s a minuscule amount of salt in it compared to miracle whip.

  Dennis’ appointment for his yearly eye exam went well.  There is no need for the lenses to be changed out.  Tomorrow, Dennis goes to the VA for his flu shot and the Covid booster.  I do neither.  He will also pick up a form that will allow him new glasses when needed from the VA.  I am sure the paperwork will explain how it all works.  So many people complain about the VA services they receive.  I have no idea what state or planet they are from.

  No stitching today.  The day seemed to fill up on its own.  Maybe after supper a stitch or two will be taken.  Hard as I try, my internal clock has wound itself down by nine or nine thirty.

  Snuggles seems to be getting back on his feet.  Finding a spot of bare black ground to roll in, he is as black as the ace of spades.

  That is all I have to report on today.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:57 pm on September 21, 2024 Permalink  

  What’s Up 

  There is quite a bit popping loose on Stauffer Avenue.

  Next Monday our favorite tree man will be coming back to the blue barn acre.  The remaining light brush that runs east to west will be taken out to the south line of the property.  We had been on his list for a time.  The tree dump where most of this is going is only a 1/2 mile to the north of us.  Ryan had wanted to get the jobs done that were farther from St. James first.  It will feel so good to do it and get it done.  It is surprising that once the property owners on the south side of that property fence realized we were cleaning, no more extra garbage found its way over the fence.

  We are having guests tomorrow, Sunday.  Megan is coming home from Virginia and she wanted to make a trip to see us.  Fantastic.  I don’t know how many of the family of four is coming.  It won’t be a long visit as her flight leaves late Sunday to take her back home.  Dennis and I will take however many minutes as possible.

  As I am doing this post, Dennis is manning the crockpot as the sloppy joes are being fixed in the crockpot.  I like to have the flavors co-mingle and that could not happen if I start the process at eight in the morning and have them arrive at eleven.  Beans, chips, dip, pickles with the dessert being the frosted pumpkin cookies from our local bakery.

  When we stopped at the bakery before doing the grocer’s. I waited in line until a young Hispanic fellow could ask me how he could help me.  When I told him how many dozen of pumpkin cookies I wanted, he reach behind himself and picked up the pre-packed bags.  I chuckled and he said it made the day so much better when they had bagged cookies ready.

  I do have a progress report on Esther’s wooden box embroidery.  All of the stitching is done.  I had to scrounge for an additional 18″ of a substitute blue floss. Nothing like cutting it close.  The remaining of the project will be done in the studio enlisting the sewing machine and various other of my supplies.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:59 pm on September 20, 2024 Permalink  

  Hello Friday 

  They did say we would have two more days of uncomfortable warm weather.  Don’t you just hate it when they hit it on the nose!

  This morning we had company for most of the morning.  Dennis’ older brother Dick has been gone since the late 80s.  Dennis’ nephews, Mitch and Matt live in Windom and came to spend time with Dennis.  Family reaching out is priceless.  Did they have any relationship with Jeff, no.  Those two boys have stayed close with Dennis and would pop in unexpected, unannounced and the visiting would be hot and heavy.  Priceless.

  This afternoon, Jan from next door came over.  Jan dropped off a set of keys for their garage.  Tomorrow Jan and Randy are leaving on a trip to visit and see what is to see driving east.  Their trips have always been to the west as their Gold Wing group would make plans.  Jan just got a 2024 Ford car.  Whatever the model is, 2024 was the last year for manufacturing it.  No cycle on this trip.  This is Randy’s first trip since retiring from John Deere in December of last year.  He is 70 and John Deere was his first job after high school.  Hmm.

  Dennis is finding that when you slam down on the tailbone it doesn’t feel good for quite some time and there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to sit that it doesn’t hurt.  Every afternoon, I talk him in to lying on his bed.  It doesn’t hurt then. 

  I know from a little bit of history with pain, the more you buy into it, the worse it seems.  Relaxing does help.  I also know keeping busy helps . . . but then, what does the on-site witch doctor know. 

  Another thing I know . . . every day comes with possibilities that may never have crossed your mind.  It seems that those that consider their glass always half full have the best chance of a “sneaking occurrence.”  I am sad for those that have adopted the half empty approach to life.  I do feel sad for Dennis.

  I have taken out of the freezer a glass container of the pasta dish that I incorporated the brussel sprouts in to. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:46 pm on September 16, 2024 Permalink  

  Tufts 

  As I sat out on the fruit deck this morning with a cup of rich hot coffee, I couldn’t help but notice the tufts of colored leaves far up into the tree tops.  Hmm.  As we are halfway through September it does seem plausible.

  We have a school bus that stops right south of our home in the afternoon right about . . . now.  There is a grandpa that comes from the northwest, about two blocks away.  His wife does day-care.  Every afternoon he meets the school bus to walk four little ones back to his home.  I can’t say that I blame him, the traffic on this thoroughfare is scary fast.  Yes there is a penalty fine if you don’t stop when a school bus has flashing lights, but close calls do happen. 

  Saturday as Tom was putting down Dennis’ new carpet in the patio porch, all doors were open for air exchange.  The little red pickup door opens to Stauffer Avenue.  Tom could not believe the speed that vehicles flew by at with only 40′ to go before the four-way stop.  Everyone is in a hurry.  Me . . . not so much.

  We have used our small crock pot for some good packages of “a meal in one container” of meat, potatoes and a vegetable for the crock pot, either beef or pork from Walmart.  Today I browned two bone-less porkchops, just enough for a sear.  Into the crockpot they went with 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup.  By supper this evening, they will be falling apart with the soup to use as a gravy over potatoes.  Good ole crock pots.  As we don’t grill, it is still a great way to fix a no fuss meal.

  Dennis seems to be doing better in finding a spot to sit upon with his bruised tail-bone.  Tomorrow he turns himself in for some lab work and a visit to a doctor.  Dennis has not been to a medical doctor since the end of February.  Good going.

  The two kitties that had gone AWOL a short time ago are doing better.  Dennis is doing better, and I feel fine.  Life on Stauffer, the best place in town.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:02 pm on September 15, 2024 Permalink  

  I Hear 

  I hear it is rather warm out this afternoon.  I did sit on the front deck earlier in the day with a cup of coffee while my chair was in the shade.

  Dennis with his tender tail-bone has wandered tither, hither and yon trying to find a good spot to sit.  I did talk him into laying on his bed, as he has had several good nights of sleep being able to lay on one side of the body or the other.  He did get several hours of relief.

  I received a text from Megan this morning that included several photos of the kitten she has adopted.  The kitten looks just like Dennis’ Snuggles.  William, Willie, is three and a half months old.  Megan went on to tell me her class-load plus still working as a hostess in a near by restaurant.  The apartment, the college and the job are all in close proximity.  She does drive her car as crossing a busy street or getting off from work after dark does not allow for assumptions. Yes, the fellow from Kentucky is still in the picture.  He is going for law enforcement at some level.  I actually got a photo of the two of them together.  Sweet.  Very hard to believe her 21st birthday is only several months away.

  Seeing as how my phone got warmed up this morning, I decided to call my brother, Calvin, in Iowa.  Dennis was on his bed in close proximity.  I had the phone’s speaker engaged.  After 45 minutes later and Calvin had nothing to re-hash the phone call ended.  Dennis spoke up as he had heard a lot of the conversation.  Dennis said it should be reassuring to me that everything is the same with Calvin as it has always been.  That’s one way to look at it.

  This evening we are having frozen waffles and breakfast sausages.  A meal we have not enjoyed in quite a while.

  I am posting this and then it is on to the cistern closet to bring up the small crockpot for tomorrow’s fare.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:27 pm on September 14, 2024 Permalink  

  Saturday the 14th 

  We seem to have activity on a fairly regular basis.

  Dennis’ daughter, nurse Sandy and Tom, came from Mankato this morning.  Tom got dropped off here and Sandy went on to Jeff’s apartment to check on him.

  It is Jeff’s 60th birthday today.  Sandy brought him a birthday cake.  I had texted him a greeting this morning.

  Dennis and Tom went about clearing out the patio porch as Tom had volunteered after Dennis had asked him to put down the new carpet for Dennis.  We had stored a vehicle for Tom for several years and Dennis didn’t feel bad for asking for help.  I stayed in the house.  I had laid the last carpet when it was a grass green indoor-outdoor, and I remembered it was not measurements to put a jig to.  It’s about 12″ x 16″.  It is down and done.  After it has a chance to stretch itself out and down a bit, we can staple the carpet down to the plywood flooring at the sliding door opening so as to not trip anyone up.  It is three this afternoon and it is down to Dennis and me.  Sweet.

  The humidity is low but the dewpoint makes up for it when any amount of exertion takes place.  I sweat easily, just like my dad.

  I had thought we had had sufficient rain but the lilac leaves are shriveled and brown.  The crab apple tree out the kitchen window has a steady flow of leaves dropping.  Dennis commented how low the lake level was west of town.  The drought monitor that Shawn Cable, the weather man of KEYC implements, is also creeping up.

  Dennis brought in two small onions.  That is a hint that fried onions are going to go with the left-over boiled potatoes from last night.  Equal amount of onions to potatoes.  That works for me also.

  Nothing more to report and that is not a bad thing.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥ 

   
• 

  Noreen 2:29 pm on September 13, 2024 Permalink  

  In the Foot 

  Yup . . . Grammie shot herself in the foot.  I knew I needed another bag of laundry pods from the basement cistern closet.  Tiny homes have only so much room other than what is needed day-to-day.  I had carried the box downstairs containing the four bags.  It took some doing to get past all the glue that closes the heavy cardboard boxes.  When the last flap of the box let loose, I gave a wtf!  Nice reading of labels Grammie.  I had bought a 15 plus pound box of loose granular laundry soap.  Oh that smarted.  I nicely closed the flaps to get back to the plastic handle and nicely carried it up from the basement cistern room to park it in front of the washing machine in the bathroom.  Dumb-de-dumb-dumb.  This too shall pass.

  The rest of the story from yesterday was not that Dennis was grumpy.  Dennis was hurting.  He had given the corner channel of our house siding another blast of spray for the wasps.  As he was backing up to sit on the bench by the back door, he was not back far enough and he sat down hitting the edge of one of the 2 x 4s on his tail-bone.  The 2 x 4 cracked.  Oh I do know how that hurts and how long it takes to not hurt.  Good thing Grammie’s medical supplies had some Bio-freeze to roll over the bruise. 

  There is a bank of Russian Sage purple flowers under the south window of my bedroom porch.  The bees are loving it.  There is no way I would think of getting in their way.  Let’s hear it for pollinators.

  Another thing that has happened to Grammie here on Stauffer Avenue. . . there is a cancer patient that will reach out to me . . . for nothing more than a kind word of moral support.  How could I not be on the other end of the phone.  Dennis’ son has never done me harm.  In times past and at better times his many skills were appreciated here and also at Kevin’s.  The reactions of our actions is a bitter sweet part of life.  Jeff has commented that I know how to talk to him or respond to him, where as his dad does not.  It’s not that Dennis doesn’t want to talk about what matters to Jeff right now, Dennis doesn’t know how.  Dennis’ entire life he has always thought if he didn’t get involved with problems the problems would go away.  How a man of 87 has lead his entire adult life like that and still ends up with me that plows right in to take care of the good, the bad and the ugly instead of running away, is amazing.

  On a lighter note, I have scrubbed the last of the potatoes to boil for supper.  I know that will appease some of his pain.  Tee Hee.

  Not to make light of anything, I now have two kittens that need some TLC, a hurting grandpa that can’t find a place to sit comfortably and Dennis’ child that is dying and seeks some kindness.

  With that I take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:40 pm on September 12, 2024 Permalink  

  Thursday the 12th 

  Bummer.  Not much to report today.  I spun my wheels in the studio for a bit of time today.

  I had curiosity and that warranted some reading on the world wide web.  It also burns up a whole lot of time.

  Last night as it was getting dark, wonder of wonders.  Harriet wanted in to the patio porch.  Harriet had been gone since a week ago on Tuesday night.  Where was that kitty for 8 nights!  She looked thin and she headed straight for the water dish.  First Snuggles coming home after a missing stretch looking as if something had tried to have scratched the fur across his hips off.  Snuggles is healing but still taking the right hip easy.  Dennis looked Harriet over and she had not been hurt.  The mysteries of the wild life on Stauffer Avenue.  Dennis had kept the light on for them, always hopeful. 

  Hopefully those two will stick close to home.  We had given up that either of them would ever be seen again.  Honey Bunny used to have the wander lust.  She has gotten old enough that home seems quite sweet to her. 

  I remember in the 70s our pet Snoopy liked to wander about in the fields around us.  Snoopy came home one day or it could have been night . . . hurting really badly.  Someone had taken a shot at him.  Fur babies.  The love and attachment to them is fierce, no less than their devotion to us.  When they are hurt, the feeling of helplessness is deep. 

  Dennis admitted today he felt grumpy.  I did hear the Tylenol bottle rattle this afternoon.  It could be a variety of things for him to ponder through.

  Dennis set a can of bean and ham soup out.  That in itself tells me a lot.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥