Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from January, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Noreen 4:01 pm on January 22, 2025 Permalink  

  Damp Day 

  There is enough humidity in the air to allow a snowflake once in awhile.

  During this cold spell, I spent time at my desk in the bedroom porch of mine.  It has been a good feeling to get to several projects that I had on the far, far back burner.  The first was the circular wooden box of Ester Schafer’s.  It is now a sewing box holding many of the mini pillows I have stitched.  The second was using some of Esther’s silk floss that is now a bell pull sampler hanging next to our front door.

  The third project is now done.  I have been saving some small wooden blocks for decades.  They had been stored in Esther’s wooden box.  They were 1.5 x 1.5 varnished and waiting.  My dad, Raymond, had cut them for me.  Dad passed away in 1992.  Hmm.  These blocks have waited and needed to have something done with them.  You all know I was not going to do away with them.

  These blocks are now donning decals on all sides.  Some floral decals, some Christmas ones.  They are now housed in a wonderfully wooden bowl that my great uncle, Roy Grunewald, worked his magic on in his workshop.  Dad spent many hours at Roy’s house as Dad learned the ins and outs of using wooden shapes to be glued together and then turned on a wood lathe.   I have a lamp base and two smaller vessels that Dad turned out using walnut wood.

  

  I come from lineage that always had something going on the side after their daily work was done.  Did they think idle hands were the work of the devil?  I can’t speak to that.  What I can attest to is being creative comes second nature and it is oh so rewarding.

  The older priceless treasures have been touched and finished.  

  Today I went to the studio and pulled an embroidered pattern I had downloaded some time ago.  The pattern used Maderia brand embroidery threads.  I use only Isacord brand.  The first thing I had to do was to go online and find a conversion chart to print out matching color for color.  I liked the design enough to purchase it, so it warrants embroidering it.  All the spools are lined up on one of the church tables like sentinels.  I am giving serious thought on what to embroider it on.  Time will tell.

  Dennis is having a meal in a dish of the leftovers of last night’s supper.  I am having a steaming bowl of oatmeal.  It’s a win, win for each of us.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:23 pm on January 21, 2025 Permalink  

  Changes 

  Changes are coming!  My mail flap on the outside of the house is clapping.  The clapping is due to the wind being from the southeast.  Let’s hear it for the clapping!  To be honest, it does startle me at times.

  Time was spent on organizing and going through all of the stitching supplies I have used since late last summer of 2024 from my bedroom porch.  A container of beads here, a packet of beads there, a scrap of fabric too small to keep my interest.  I made one trip to the recycling with various small cardboard boxes and manilla envelopes that the mail had delivered and I had kept.

  Dennis took his friend Dwayne out for coffee this morning.  They had not seen each other since before Christmas.

  Last night after supper, I was transfixed to my bedroom porch watching the goings on kitty-corner from our home.  There was a fire at Hillesheim’s.  So many fire department vehicles and firemen in the blistering cold.  Our neighbor Randy had worked with Glenn at John Deere.  It was an electrical fire that warranted the ladder being used.  So sad, it does make one pause.  This morning, Dennis drove past on the south side and the lawn had various amounts of interior debris.  I cannot imagine the amount of smoke damage.

  What made me feel for Sue was my memory of how smoke filled our kitchen was when I let a kettle of what was to be boiled eggs boil dry.  Not long after, the kitchen ceiling got one layer of Kills painted on and then the semi-gloss paint.

  I have stayed on the first floor of our home today.  I managed to stay occupied.  Soon it will be time to start supper.  Canned beef will be thickened with corn starch to put over potatoes to go along with green beans and cranberries.

  Our week is open.  How great to not have appointments.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:35 pm on January 19, 2025 Permalink  

  Today is Sunday 

  This day is Sunday and I have quarantined myself to the first floor of our home due to a cold cement floor and cold walls in the studio.  Bummer.

  When I poured breakfast coffee into my northern wall cup this morning, the steam rose like a volcanic reaction.  The coffee was tasty and the second cup stayed hot longer.

  About the only positive spin I could put on the winter of these last months is that with no snow, ice or sleet, there is nothing coming into the house that may have been caught on the bottom of the shoes.  Dennis makes untold number of trips from the patio porch to the house during the course of his days.  Me . . . not so much.  The reason being he has no options for his awake time to keep his interest.  Really unfortunate, but that is how it is.

  There ‘s been more traffic moving in the bitter cold as the afternoon has gone by.  As I was stitching and having a YouTube video on in the foreground of my desk, a vehicle caught my line of sight pulling into Stauffer Avenue.  Yup . . . it was the little red pickup heading to the garage.  Dennis, Dennis.   

  I have been stitching and reading for this day.  Any progress is good.  It is amazing how making one stitch over another to make a cross does count up. Watching videos, in certain geographical areas, there are many that find stitched projects to save in thrift stores.  Those that save them are stitchers themselves.  The Goodwill thrifters soon pick up on the fact that the inventory is all color coded to indicate how long it has been in the store before it is moved on to the next step, whatever that may be.

  We had a supper last night of sautéed jumbo shrimp, instant potatoes and greens.  This evening, I will brown the leftover potatoes, mix in some scrambled eggs and cut up breakfast sausage and call it a skillet meal.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:02 pm on January 16, 2025 Permalink  

  A Day 

  When the day is bright all seems to go well.

  After being tuckered yesterday I surprised myself by tearing apart my bedroom porch.  Several trips with bedding to the laundry.  I cracked the front door for some fresh air.  Having a tiny home comes with some challenges.  If I do one planned item at a time, it’s all doable.  The duvet cover over my feather comforter was the first to be washed and dried.  I am not saying getting it back on the feather comforter is a walk in the park.  Midway through that process, Dennis mentioned I needed a break.  The car was in the drive and he wanted me to go with him to the Dollar General, he was out of distilled water for his CPAP.

  Yes, the break felt good.  I have a multitude of quilting clips.  They are like clothes pins but the plastic teeth hang on for dear life.  I turned the duvet cover inside out and laid the comforter on top of it.  Each corner of the duvet is tied to the comforter.  It is then pulling the far end into and through the opening,  To get it squared up I clip the seamed edge of the comforter to the seamed edge of the duvet.  Putting ones hand in to feel the fit works.  I had three sides clipped.

  Dennis to the recue.  With his strong arms he could take ahold of one of the long sides and give the comforter several whips and all fell into place.  Sweet.

  Sometimes there is no time like the present to act upon what is needed.  Time is just like the water running over my hands multiple times during the day.  Once it runs down the drain, it’s gone.  There will never be that same water as it passes from the faucet to the drain and there will never be that just right time again to get it done.  Oh for the small victories in our day here on Stauffer Avenue.

  The studio, again, got a pass today.  What is there will wait.

  With that I take my leave. ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:56 pm on January 10, 2025 Permalink  

  Friday the 10th 

  The first thing I did today, the 10th, was to message my primary doctor to refill my prescription on the 11th that needs a message every month before it can be refilled.  It really doesn’t take that much time to get it done.  The 11th is on a Saturday.  Lewis Drug is open until three on Saturdays.  The prescription cannot be refilled on the 10th, it is quite fussy about the coverage that I have.  It can be requested after the 11th but not one day sooner.  I do have the prescription covered if I need to go until Monday to pick it up.  It’s called covering your bases.

  Dennis spent the forenoon in his recliner.  He had a headache and best to acknowledge it as he doesn’t get a headache often.

  I went about getting everything together for a chicken Rueben oven meal.  I had taken the chicken tenderloins out of the freezer last night in preparation.  I thought I was being smart by purchasing a small container of poultry seasoning that I was sure had a shaker cover.  Not.  When I was going to pull off the little round sealer of the container, I pulled off the barest of the sealer, so I could still use it as a shaker rather than having the entire container’s contents exposed.  The seasoning does add flavor but can also add way too much if not careful.  I strained the sauerkraut through a thin dish towel to get the kraut as dry as possible.  There is no way the chicken or the kraut will be dry patted dry enough to avoid a bit of juice when a totally dry scoop is wanted when the dish is table ready.  I had just enough of the 1,000 Island dressing to cover the kraut.  I poked holes through the kraut with the handle of my wooden spoon to incorporate some of the dressing down onto the cubed chicken.   

  In the past I had mentioned that a piece of fabric I had was just barely large enough for a new pattern I wanted to stitch.  I had already sewn on some matching fabric to use as a mat on each side.  Top and bottom would not be a problem.  Today was the rest of the story.  I started on the upper left hand side of my fabric.  My goal was to see how I would come out on the far upper right hand side.  Breathe.   Yup!  I have met my challenge.  I have a consistent right hand margin from top to bottom.  I will be using two strands of floss over one stitch.  The fabric mat along both sides of the design is what Carrie had helped me choose to go with the floss.  By the way, on the left side of this stitching fabric I have the huge amount of two extra stitches.  Grammie, Grammie.  I can and will work with this.  After all . . . we do what we can on what we have to work with.

  It’s time to get my oven pre-heating for supper.

  With that I will take my leave.

   
• 

  Noreen 4:04 pm on January 9, 2025 Permalink  

  A Fluttering 

  So it was promised, but at three this afternoon, it sure took its time to give us a fluttering of flakes.

  The air is dry but it didn’t take long to cover the streets and give less visibility as I look out of my bedroom porch windows to the roof tops.

  Our errand for the day was a trip to Lewis Drug.  We had that accomplished before noon.  Our car has not been driven on wet salty streets and today was no exception.  Using the car as we drove out on the Hammond highway was good to get everything realizing it still must work when called upon.  As I watch the traffic now, there is wet sticky stuff coming up from under the vehicle tires.  

  I take Metamucil everyday.  It’s not a laxative, but more of a binder for my body’s waste.  It is also very good for my heart.  After paying the high price at Lewis Drug for a container, I know when we travel to Mankato on Monday for Dennis’ eye injection, I will be purchasing several containers for the same price I paid for one today. 

  The only good buy there is here in town is at the Dollar General.  After Dennis had surgery for a blocked salvatory gland, he said his mouth always felt dry.  Carrie tuned him into the hard candy called Lemon Heads.  Tart is the key word to get the saliva going.  Our grocer sells the bag of some 4 ounces for $1.89.  Family Dollar sells the save size for $1.29.  Let’s hear if for Dollar General at $1.00.  Other than some colored Life Savors in their own little bag, the Lemon Heads take center stage.  I may have one or two for the day.   Dennis goes through many of them each day.  If not a cigarette, it’s a Lemon Head. 

  The day is heavy and gray.  It hasn’t done much for my level of energy.  Even less than good days are part of the process.  I just don’t make a habit of having too many in a row.

  It has been a no-account day so our supper will be light.  There are several meal entrées in the freezer that will be brought out with Mott’s apple sauce on the side as well as the last of the jellied cranberries from the refrigerator.

  The snowflakes have ceased fluttering, but I must say this week has quickly fluttered by.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:14 pm on January 4, 2025 Permalink  

  Boo Boo Cold Out 

  Well isn’t that something.  I am beginning to come accustomed to it.

  I had an agenda today.  I had stitched some small Christmas stuffed pillows to put in my dough-bowl.  This morning the dough-bowl and the pillows found their home back in the studio.  The pillows are in a box labeled “Finished Item” up on shelf.  The bowl back into the cupboards in the cistern closet.  That was the extent of our decorating for the Christmas of 2024.  It wasn’t what was setting out as decorations, it was what I felt in the heart and my entire being.

  While I dribble out my thoughts on the blog for today, I have the embroidery module running next to me on the sewing machine.  I still have a few Christmas feelings that I want to stitch out for a Christmas yet to be.

  I was surfing the OESD site.  It is the site from Oklahoma that has designs compatible with Bernina.  I had had an email of the sale.  I looked over some Christmas designs.  Ever since the time I have had the option of embroidery, I never not dipped my toe into what was available much for Christmas.  I did choose four packets.  Each packet has multiple designs within.  One has 41 designs of machine quilting designs and applique designs, another 34 white work (all one color) designs and the last Christmas packet has 16 multi color Christmas.  The fourth packet has 11 designs of non Christmas plus there were three free designs.  Each one of these 102 designs could be purchased individually for the average of $3.00 each.  Merry Christmas to me for my purchase price of $84.00.  For the phenomenal nominal price of $15.00 the company loaded all these designs on a flash drive plus would send it out to me.  I cannot imagine this Grammie having to individually get these files extracted from a zip folder for my enjoyment.

  I didn’t care that I would receive this possibly after Christmas.  So . . . right now I have one design being stitched while I type.  The wonderful thing is that all the thread that these designs require are suggested for Isocord thread.  All the designs listing the color of Isocord thread needed is the color pallet I have and work from.  Oh so sweet. 

  So that is my day in a nut shell.  I need to stay focused on the embroidery.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:31 pm on December 30, 2024 Permalink  

  Bearings 

  After a discombobulation of a holiday in the middle of the week, it’s difficult to get my bearings straight.  Yes, Grammie this is a Monday.

  Both Dennis and I slept late this morning.  If it were not for the mail person sliding mail into my bedroom porch via the slot, hard telling when the feet would have hit the floor.  

  The same will happen this week with the new year on a Wednesday.  I don’t think it will impact us the same as this week we are sticking close to home.  

  Dennis took the utility bill to the drop-box at city hall.  By the way, our city hall is almost a mile from us now as they have converted the old hospital out by the Dairy Queen into the brains of the city.  I think they are encouraging us older folks to have the utility bill as directly taken out of our checking accounts.  We are not buying into that.  I still enjoy seeing what each and every item adds up to for the total amount.  Water, sewer and electric amounts do not even add up to half of the line items to make the total.

  I decided to come into the studio.  I flew a few items past Carrie yesterday in fabric choices and today I am going to start working on that.

  I only have one project in the works for my stitching in the cherry red chair in my bedroom porch.  Perhaps after today the fabric choice will be paired up with a new stitchy design.  Time will tell.

  Supper will be the remaining items from yesterday’s noon meal and then new meal plans will need to be put in place. 

  Dennis reported that the fog is worse than it was earlier today.  I think it will take having the wind come from the north rather than the south, to clear the air.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:16 pm on December 26, 2024 Permalink  

  Second Christmas Day 

  We, on Stauffer Avenue are again doing the cloudy and not so bright.

  Christmas 2024 is on the books as a day where all was well here with Dennis and me.  I did receive my Christmas gifts from the ole cowboy.  Tucked on my family shelf here in the studio is a $2.00 bill.  The second part of my gift was a can of cold Coca-Cola right from his jacket pocket.  I had commented a time back that it had been months since I had had a soft drink.  Who says the ole cowboy can’t hear.

  As you may have gotten the message, I have no wants of any substance.  Our day was spent listening to Christmas music in the background as Dennis was on his computer and I got a stitch or two into a project.

  My brother Calvin spent Christmas Eve in his new living quarters in Cloquet, Minnesota.  No doubt it will be an adjustment.  I know his son Eric has done all in his power for it to be a good experience going forward.  It is an assisted living complex.  Eric, via short-cuts, lives about 25 minutes away on the outer area of Duluth.  Calvin’s son Jason does the wide-load deliveries and passes by the interstate from time to time.  His plan is to take an Uber to see his dad when it works out.

  I had received a message that my primary doctor wanted me to set an appointment.  I called this afternoon to make said appointment.  There was no additional information about what the visit would entail.  As it was, my primary had no openings for some time.  I left it with the receptionist that I was doing quite well with nothing that would make me seek medical care.  But . . . if that changed, I would call the clinic and take it from there.  Jody made her notes on my chart.

  I am planning chicken tenderloins and boiled potatoes with a veggie on the side for supper.  A gloomy day speaks towards a hot supper.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 4:19 pm on December 22, 2024 Permalink  

  A Smile 

  I will have a very wide smile on this face with many laugh lines for the remainder of the day.

  Life long friend, Sharon Skolberg, called this afternoon.  The tires got very warm as we traveled down memory lane.  Knowing that she is well and will be going into 2025 within a cozy home that she and her daughter Gail’s family share in this wonderful tricked out “shed-home.”  Amazingly we always pick up right where we left off.

  I had been in the studio working towards the completion of the last few Christmas decorations I had stitched with the cross stitching.  It’s one thing to complete a cross stitched item but I refuse to start something new until all has been totally finished with additional fuzz and threads.  

  I have picked up on some gals on the YouTube channel that also enjoy stitching.  When I see and hear their tales of the number of “wips” (works in progress) they have, it boggles my mind.  Some are as high as 30-40 items all in their own project bag.  I am a monogamous stitcher.  One at a time.  That is why I will finish up these four projects that will end up as mini pillows.  My mind can only ponder of the amount of resources tied up in patterns, cloth and floss.  

  I have had a wonderful day and as soon as the last sentence of this blog has been posted, the lights in the studio will go dark.

  Dennis just came in and when he opened the back door and gave me a “Hello.”  I jumped. I was deep in thought.  He had been out to Fleet Farm and had purchased a mineral block to put out in the backyard for the deer.  The backyard has tracks up the wa-zoo.  Dennis commented the mineral block is supposedly apple flavor.

  Supper will be a bit after five.  I made a new batch of crab salad this morning and Dennis and I sampled it at noon.  Of course, it will be better after today as the flavors need to co-mingle while in the refrigerator.

  As we were at the grocer’s yesterday and had bought some broasted chicken, we had bought enough for this supper as well as last night’s.  Nether one of us will mind a repeat of the menu.

  Yes, indeed.  The lights are going out in the studio as I need to share with Dennis my phone call from Sharon.  Sweet.  Yes . . . Kevin got a shout out from Sharon.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥