Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2017 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 4:36 pm on October 21, 2017 Permalink  

  What a fantastic day! Family and the commotion is just what Stauffer Avenue needed. It didn’t hurt one bit that the job jar is totally empty. Kersten, Kevin and Jeremy tackled all things electronic with complete success. Megan was right at my elbow getting our sit down meal ready. Hopefully Carrie made headway on the listing that she had clients emailing her about. Nicholas just enjoyed whatever came his way. We even had two pups meet and greet each other with nary a tiff.

  I know Dennis enjoyed the company as he took it all in dozing off and on in his recliner. He is feeling better each day. Hearing the chatter going on around him . . . he liked it, he liked it a lot.

  Stauffer Avenue is ready for whatever the week may bring.

   
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  Noreen 4:57 pm on October 20, 2017 Permalink  

  The community is buzzing. Concrete trucks working on getting sidewalks poured from the huge street project. Gravel trucks hauling fill hither, tither and yawn all the while dodging the tractors that are hauling in soybeans and corn to the elevator. We stayed close to home today and enjoyed some patio time. The wind from the south was strong enough that the bugs had all they could do to hang out wherever they were hiding.

   
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  Noreen 5:20 pm on October 19, 2017 Permalink  

  No-see’ms, Boxelder, Asian Beatles, black flies, and the occasional mosquitoes . . . sure can take the best part of a fall day and keep me inside. That’s not all bad. What we have left is to wash off the siding of the house and then wash windows. With the grain elevator just several blocks from our home, the corn dryers are allowing the pink corn husks flying 24/7. As we drove home from Mankato yesterday I would dare say the harvest won’t drag out with the size of equipment we saw.

  Dennis is resting well with ice packs changed out quite often. He did visit the Veteran’a Health Clinic today to have his INR, the rate that blood takes to clot, checked. Dennis was off of his Warfarin, blood thinning, for a week before surgery. It will take several trips to have that level checked and perhaps alter the daily meds until it levels out. After all, with his left carotid being cleared, it may mean a change in several meds in the next week or so. Right now, he is saying that after the three month waiting period he will be having the right side taken care of as it is 75% plus being blocked. Time will tell.

   
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  Noreen 4:45 pm on October 18, 2017 Permalink  

  After a long wait, Dennis is home and feeling better than he has in a long time. Oh yes, ice packs help the swelling a bunch. It’s a good thing we both enjoy soup for a meal. What a better way to enjoy a ole good Minnesota fall than feeling like taking it in with awareness. The sun shines on Stauffer Avenue a bit brighter today.

   
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  Noreen 4:13 pm on October 17, 2017 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis ( 40 )   

  Here it is 4:45 on a beautiful sunny afternoon and I feel whipped. It may have something to do with the 4 a.m. rising time to get to a medical appointment for Dennis. Perhaps after the surgery that Dennis had this morning to remove plaque from his left carotid artery, that may allow the tempo here on Stauffer Avenue to be a bit calmer. When only 25% of blood flow reaches the brain via the carotid arteries, it can cause lack of cognitive awareness, imbalance while walking, and taking a pass on life as it happens moment by moment that continues into weeks and months. The surgery involved Dennis being alert and able to converse with the surgeon as the procedure was done. No chance of him sleeping through the procedure only to wake up thereafter and have had something happen that would have caused Dennis a loss of clear speech or being mentally confused. Lots of nerves in a tiny area that needed to be treated carefully. There had been pain blocking via IVs.

  In my heart, I know some of what I am feeling today is relief in not having to watch where Dennis was. Was he on the floor of the garage, the driveway or not being able to remain sitting on the chair without slipping off onto the floor with him wondering after it was all over with as to “what happened?” When a flick of plaque would break off of the blockage, it would cause a TIA . . . a very small stroke.

  It doesn’t matter how this slipped through the medical people that we had been working with for a very long time. What matters is that this afternoon Dennis has good color in his face. Dennis was smiling and laughing . . . which was all too seldom in the past months.

  O.K. I admit it. It has been a singularly lifestyle here on Stauffer Avenue being on watch for what each day may bring and what each day would entail for the both of us. I believe I will sleep very peacefully tonight. Tomorrow when I return to the hospital, I want to see more of that smile.

   
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  Noreen 5:50 pm on October 16, 2017 Permalink  

  A late supper today. The great sunny day brought Dennis’ three daughters popping in at various times. What the heck . . . eating doesn’t have to be on an exact time table. It does seem strange to have it getting dark earlier and earlier. I am not in any hurry to have this beautiful fall season end. I believe it’s going to be a great week.

   
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  Noreen 4:03 pm on October 14, 2017 Permalink  

  Cleaning out the gardens after my walk these last several days, I have had some amazing situations in the dead of the night.  A twitch here.  A twang there.  Last night I awoke at 2 a.m. and the toes on my left foot were in dire pain. I know I didn’t drop anything on them. I got up and walked up and down the basement steps several times and they seem to have unkinked.

  As I came to this morning, I had hoped this was the day to finish up the gardens. Rain was threatening via the computer forecast. No walking shoes for me. I got my grubs on and was thankful when the weed whip battery was letting me know we could get this done. I grabbed the loppers, the large shears and the weed whip and made for the far east yard. As the last of the Anne Belle Shrub was coming down, Dennis was on his way to get the rider mower out. Wham, bam, thank you, everything was ground up and out of site. Talk about a team effort.

  Neither Dennis or I had bothered with breakfast before our chores. Dennis decided on Cheerios and I had yogurt and flax meal. As Dennis was pulling his recliner quilt up to his chin, it began to rain. I grabbed the last of the morning coffee and a book and settled in.

  I realize in the scheme of things our days may not seem eventful to most. Perhaps most could knock off in several hours what it may take us most of the day to pull off. At 81, Dennis, at a drop of a hint is ready to help. Neuropathy effects the nerves in his hands and the feet. He has made comments that while he was in Korea, his feet and hands were either cold or wet and many times both. it does take a tole on stamina. For me, I thank the good Lord every night and many times during the day that he has given me what it takes to continue working with Dennis to keep our home up to date, up to snuff (ours that is) and always tidy. The replacement knees and shoulders are amazing. The arthritis in various other places . . . that sucks. I acknowledge we can’t keep at the yard work without a break now and then. Challenged nerves with a bit less blood supply than normal need a chance to rejuvenate.

  The bottom line . . . I have a great life and the last time I checked . . . my ole cowboy agrees.

   
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  Noreen 5:08 pm on October 13, 2017 Permalink  

  What a great day to take a whack at the outside work. I used the weed whip to take down foliage in the gardens until the battery needed to be recharged. The foliage was raked out into the grass and Dennis was right there with the rider mower to mulch. If the rain holds off tomorrow we could see the last of the gardens being put down for the 2017 year.

  The horse tank that Dennis uses to house the Koi over the winter months is full of water in the car garage. With city water, it is best to allow any alien additives from the water plant to dissipate before putting the Koi in. The water may be in the tank for some time. It is always a good thing to do what you know will need to be done before it becomes a crisis. Before the water went into the tank we made sure to cut some of the lattice plastic that we had been storing to put on top of the tank. With curious cats, I would rather that they can check it out and not suffer the consequences after falling in.

  Snuggles is going to be so bored when winter sets in. He has been getting a squirrel day. He loves the quest, could care less about the deceased. It’s our job to try and keep up with him and keep the yard tidy, if you know what I mean.

  I will say we had a treat for supper last night . . . a pizza from Casey’s. It is the first pizza since . . . neither I or Dennis could remember. Half “Supreme” and half “Taco,” it totally was enjoyed. It wasn’t half bad either this noon when I popped the remaining pieces in the microwave with a damp paper towel on top of it. Yum.

   
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  Noreen 4:29 pm on October 11, 2017 Permalink  

  Golly Miss Molly . . . the older ones on Stauffer Avenue have done a bang up job of getting the acre tidied up. It may take us all day, breaks of talking smart to each other while some patio time is important. Lush green grass this time of the year is beautiful but it would be nice to be able to call it a season and park the mowers.

  I couldn’t resist cleaning up several of the flower beds right next to the house and patio. Cutting back the foliage and getting down to the root of a few weeds is hoping that next spring there won’t be quite as much competition when the perennials poke their heads through the dirt. That reminds me, I need to put up a labeled stake signifying the gas line as it was coming out of the foundation of the house and continuing underground to the garage. Yup, a few of those weeds had roots that deep. Truth to be told, I had forgotten about its location. In time come to come, I have quite a bit more area to cover to close down the gardens, but today, enough was enough.

  Dennis and I both enjoyed sitting on the patio, both of us enjoying the self-satisfying feeling of getting it done. Snuggles was feeling pretty good in his own right. Not being a slouch, he had managed to snag a red tailed squirrel. It may sound gross but once his four footed prey is down and out, he leaves it lay as a trophy for us to pay homage to.

  As we sat out enjoying the sun and the good feelings of being weary, the ole tabby cat sat on Dennis’ lap, Snuggles came and got comfortable on my lap. I am sure anyone driving down Stauffer Avenue would have observed us as they drove by and thought, “Two old people with nothing to do but take care of cats.” Oh, if they only knew what the rest of the story is.

   
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  Noreen 3:39 pm on October 10, 2017 Permalink  

  I may need to dig a bit and find some ear muffs. It was a bit brisk this morning for the daily walk at 39 degrees. Was I chilled . . . yes, but It felt good when I got home and had a hot cup of coffee waiting. It took until late afternoon before the sun came out.

  My ole cowboy just went out to the patio porch with his firearm in hand. Last night as he manned his rocking chair while watching the RFD television channel in the porch, he realized he had company on the other side of the patio door. Two raccoons were scoping out the Koi pond. Dennis only had his BB gun handy, but felt one of them may have gotten a feel of the shot. It is too early to put the Koi into the horse tank for the winter. There are no guarantees when we live on the wild side here on Stauffer Avenue.