Company
We had company this morning and it was so unexpected as how the day went. By mid afternoon when the company left, I was ready to sit down and take it easy.
Thanks be to God for such good days.
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Noreen
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Noreen
Slow Day
Stauffer Avenue is having a slow Sunday. I read until the eyes got heavy and then moved into a softer chair and was lulled into closing my eyes while listening to a television show Dennis had on.
With the wind whistling in our favorite evergreen it wasn’t difficult to shut down for a bit. Monday brings the monthly calendar to the center of the kitchen counter so as to not have us miss appointments.
I hope everyone has had a chance to do what they wanted to today as well as being who they wanted to be today. It’s called the balance in life that makes each day special.
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Noreen
No Ho-Hum
It may be yet another gray day, but there is no ho-humming going on in the sewing studio. While the embroidery module is busy, I am busy at the other end of the tables working to see what I have in my stashes to quilt a 57″ x 65″ blanket. I have the top done and it needs to no longer take a back seat. Too much in the back seat means UFOs . . . unfinished objects. I will be able to piece the backing and praise be I have the perfect sized batting for it. When the block that is being embroidered is done, I will set up the machine for straight stitching and get that backing done. It takes me awhile to get the sandwiching of the backing, batting and top aligned so it is ready for machine quilting. Steady Eddie. That’s the secret.
Some days having it totally quiet in the studio seems to work the best. While I am working with the quilt top, it is easy to listen to the stitching of the embroidery module. Every once in awhile there could be a thread breaking. The sewing machine does stop itself, but it may need to be set to go back a few stitches that were missed when the thread broke. Not all threads are equal even if it is the same brand and the same weight. I do put in a new needle every time I have finished one of these blocks that I am working on. Needles are cheap and it makes a world of difference in the outcome. Each block is about 48,000 stitches. I purchase my needles on Amazon. Number 11 works the best for embroidery and anywhere from a number 12 or 14 for quilting.
Today, Dennis has been busy in the patio porch either cleaning one of the older guns or organizing the shell box. His internal alarm lets him know when it is noon and when it is three in the afternoon for a break. If the task becomes too much, there is always a quick nap in the rocking chair. I wish I could take a nap in the middle of the day. I have tried to settle in my favorite chair for a nap but the brain just doesn’t want to slow down or perhaps loose that train of thought that I had going.
For eons my dad would have his noon meal and lay down on the flat floor and take a nap. It wasn’t until his later years that he grabbed a pillow for his head. Almost to the minute, his fifteen minute nap was over and he was good to go for the remainder of the day. It was a very good habit and a very healthy habit to shut that hard working body down for a break.
I do know that the days are beginning to be longer, but with all the dreary weather it sure doesn’t seem like it. The forecast is for full sun tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, each day I need to remind myself what day I am having when I wake in the mornings. My tomorrows have a way of needing to be announced to myself. Now that tells you how hectic our schedules are . . . not.
Find peace. Find happiness. The gift of what is had is . . . priceless.
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Noreen
A First for the New Year
Today, I had a two step dance, first one of the year of 2021.
I had decided to take my time and put the five foot Santa back into his storage area. It literally was two steps at a time. I only had ten feet to do the light fantastic. Kevin had cautioned me about extra strength activity: it depended on whether I could do it
better or whether it was about doing it quickly. I opted for the first choice. It was not so terribly heavy duty as cautiously doing it correctly. I knew what the end result would be as Santa has a special place to be placed at where he would not be in the way for the next ten months. Kevin had put him out on Thanksgiving day to be enjoyed. Last year he had the living room area. This year that spot held my Christmas tree. He was a proud addition to my sewing studio and I did enjoy having him out. He is too special to not be put out and enjoyed. Within short order the sewing studio was back in its best utility.The Santa Two Step was the priority of the day. The rest of this day I have spent reading and working on my jigsaw puzzle. I am four days out from the last PT appointment and am doing great. I plan on continuing my low key activity for several more days, slowing working into doing some sewing studio things. After supper is my soft-chair routine with a heating pad on my back and hip. It’s a routine that is working.
Dennis has been doing some snow removal around the garages. He takes a lot of breaks and feels good about moving about. I continue looking at the snow and . . . no touching . . . for now. With the sun having it’s way, there are many bare spots showing on the concrete. Thank you Lord.
We are having French Toast and sausages for our New Year’s celebration. Dennis has been dropping hints about a trip to Mankato tomorrow. We had been well prepared prior to Christmas and out last trip out out of town was when we went to New Ulm to pick up the little red pickup out of the body shop. I think we are due to get out of Dodge to blow the stink off.
Happy New Year to all.
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Noreen
The Fine Snow Falls
Even if the snowfall is of very fine wet snow . . . it does pile up. We had no reason to be out and about today as I noticed the street at the stop sign was slippery.
Many decades ago, in between Christmas and New Year, it was decided to go sledding. My sister Elvera’s family, and our family made plans to drive from our farms southwest of Hutchinson to Beaver Falls which is southeast of Redwood Falls.
Orlin’s sister had a beef cattle farm at Beaver Falls. Orlin and I knew the farm well as Orlin had been a farm hand for his sister and we lived on that farm. The hills of pasture were fantastic for sledding. They had not been so fantastic when the cattle had broken through gates and they had needed to be herded back into a gated area.
Elvera and I had made plans for the picnic baskets we would take along for noon lunch. Nether family could head out until the morning milking chores had been completed. In addition there were hog chores, young stock chores and we also had chickens to tend to. Elvera’s had never been to the back roads to get to the pasture that Orlin had in mind. We had a caravan of two vehicles.
Every one was dressed for the mild winter day. The pasture that we had in mind was just a bit off of the road and was surrounded by hills, putting our area for sledding quite sheltered. The banana plastic sleds could hold two people and we had plenty of sleds for solo trips as well. The hills were steep with brush cedars that needed to be dodged.
It didn’t take long and the nine of us were making the trip up and down the long incline. Trudging back up was another story. I think several times a small cedar tree was sacrificed. There were even several areas of the incline that a sled could catch a bit of air. No one complained about being cold, no one complained about being tired. It was a great, fun day. There was a tarp put down and the goodies for the lunch were laid out and the food could be enjoyed as each got hungry.
If memory serves me, that is the last time I did a summersault as my sled came to an abrupt stop and I did not. There was laughter, giggles and hoots as each of us put all our cares away and went for the thrill of the ride, over and over and over.
I don’t know about Elvera’s family on the way home, the trip was a least an hour plus, our car was very quiet in the back seat. All the kids were wore out and I think the four of us adults were also, but we couldn’t buy into it as there were farm chores and cows that needed to be milked when we arrived home.
That family memory is just as precious today as it was then. As per Dr. Seuss, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
Oh my gosh, my life would be so empty if I didn’t have my memories. I hope your lives are as rewarding as mine when those quiet moments sneak up on you.
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Noreen
27 mph from the South
This day would be akin to the day decades ago when Kevin and his cousin Eric were flying kites. Orlin worked at 3M at that time and had brought home a vinyl kite resembling a bat. I am sure it was in relationship to the black electrical tape that they manufactured.
The boys had a spool of my rug warp with a dowel. It may have been held by both of them, one on each end. Orlin helped them get the kite strung to the warp. I can still see them standing on the south side of the schoolhouse that we lived in at that time. A few rocky starts to get the kite aloft. The wind from the north finally caught the kite and it was a go. There was shouting and screaming that brought the rest of us outside. The rug warp was spinning on the dowel and the bat kite was off in the northern skies. I do not remember anything other than the kite being a black dot in the northern skies. Perhaps the warp finally broke or it may have been cut . . . there was no retrieving that kite. The small boys couldn’t believe what their eyes had beheld and what had slipped swiftly through their fingers . . . literally. Funny how a fierce wind can bring sweet memories to mind. Sweet.
Well . . . with the winds today I did stay indoors and finished the cleaning in the west porch. I knew if I digressed it might not get finished and I would be disappointed in myself. I am not sure what that tells of my personality. Over the last 72 years, on and off, I have been dusting the old wooden spindle glider rocking chair. I have a strong emotional attachment to it. 
It was $3.50 of Mom and Dad’s wedding gift money that was spent on this wonderful rocker. May I be able to dust and polish it for many more years.Dennis took turns taking the vehicles to the car wash. It is sweet when they can be washed this time of the year and not have the doors freeze shut. In between times, the stepladder was put up against the bathroom window to get it washed one more time. With the early snow that melted and the high winds that have brought dust from God knows where, the window was in need of one more cleaning. That window allows me to keep track of Dennis in the patio porch. Not so much keep track but assure me that all is well.
My last hurrah today was mopping the kitchen, bathroom and entry floors. Oh how I love a clean and tidy home . . . be it ever so humble.
I didn’t even want to look ahead at the weather forecast. I am going to relish what is left of this day and praise the Lord for it. There is much to be thankful for here on Stauffer Avenue. May you also find praise in your day for your life.
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Noreen
It’s a Thursday
It’s a Thursday, let us rejoice and be happy! Things can happen on a Thursday.
There are many family and friends that I think of during the year. I have been trying to pull it all together during the Christmas season, but letting them know I do hold them dear. Last year there were quite a few pair of embroidered felt tree ornaments that were popped into the mail. I had really been searching the brain as to what to do for 2020. The stash of flannel scraps piqued my interest.
Yup, it’s Thursday and I got my groove on in the sewing studio. Dennis has a wonderful flannel quilt on his bed that allowed a bit of extra flannel fabric to find its way into the stashes. I decided to send out some small treat stockings this year. I labored over one after another to find just the right feeling in the gut. Wonder of wonder, out came the treasures from the Fairfax team. Pearls attached to a lace . . . perfect. I had made a list of all those who were remembered last year. The first item to get done was putting on a personalized letter on the front of 5″ x 5″ pieces of red checked flannel. That brought to mind the assembly line process. It was easier to do each stocking one step at a time. It made it so much easier than doing one by one from start to finish. I am not finished as yet, but it is going well. Of course the lace is for the girls, and I will dig through the flannel stashes to find just the right material and finishing touches for the boys. There have been several new babies since last year within the families and my list has been updated. I had spent some time outside earlier this morning. I checked the acre and all was intact. Sitting still on the patio didn’t trip my trigger, staying busy was much more appealing . . . so that is what I did.
By the way . . . yesterday I had mentioned that Dennis and his friend Dwayne were going to take some items of Dwayne’s to an auction site in Windom. They never got it done. When Dennis went out to Dwayne’s farm site by the 9 a.m. appointed time, Dwayne had fallen and Dennis found him where he laid. The two 84 year young friends managed to determine that nothing was broken and Dennis got Dwayne to the ER. Dennis stayed with Dwayne as he was checked out. Dennis returned home at one this afternoon, totally wore out. The Adrenalin had worn off. Dwayne is resting at his home in St. James, and the auction items will need to wait until another day.
What a day. It’s Thursday and many things can happen so unexpectedly, it does take one’s breath away. It’s still a day to rejoice!
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Noreen
Chilly Willie
The morning walk turned into an afternoon walk. The winds from the north were brisk even this afternoon. As I headed east of Stauffer Avenue I couldn’t help but notice several rabbits enjoying some clover on the east lot line.
When Carrie and Kevin were small and we lived in Boon Lake Township, we tried our hand at rabbits. When Orlin was working at 3M in Hutchinson, I could have envisioned parking lots swap meets. Orlin came home from the shift work with ten small rabbits complete with a cage. Carrie would have been about four and Kevin . . . maybe walking as a toddler. Oh the fun of handling the furry little balls. The cage was kept in the garage at first. It also came with chores that most likely fell on the parents more times than not. What farmsite wasn’t complete with skunks, wild mink and such. Critters could easily stand on their hind legs if the cage was set up off of the ground and pick off the little feet of rabbits. The kids’ Trettin cousins had rabbits and they shared tales of all that needed to be shared. I don’t remember much of the rabbit saga. I do know when the cage was exchanged for larger ones, eventually when the rabbits in various sizes numbered into the 20s, the kids had lost interest. The sales barn in Hutch was visited. That sales barn was a bustling place for anything and everything that needed to be sold or things to be purchased. I wonder if there are sales barns around anymore.
When I left for my walk, Dennis made a trip to the laundry downtown. Mattress pads from the beds cannot be done in our stackable GE unit. Dennis knows no strangers and doesn’t mind the time it takes for the wash cycle of those huge front loaders and then into the dryer.
We have had a 1/2 inch of rain over all and the temps are chilly enough that our furnace has kicked in. The joys of early spring.
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Noreen
Boon Lake – Part 9
Nothing brings back more memories of our family’s time in Boon Lake on the farm than a bright day with birds singing and the smells that come when being outside is all that is desired.
Carrie and Kevin were active busy kids. Orlin brought home a puppy for the kids and he was given the name Snoopy. Though he wasn’t a house dog and our back entry was small . . . there was room for Snoopy and his blanket most nights. He soon became a fierce watch dog.
Kevin didn’t have an easy time from the get go. Asthma was the determining factor on how his days went. The nights were the most difficult when it hit. Dr. Bretzke in Hutchinson sent us on to Dr. Cushing in St. Louis Park in the metro. He specialized in small children and asthma. A skin test indicated that Kevin had high reactions to cow dander and peanuts. Hmm. The lungs are like shafts of airways. The air could be taken in, but asthma wouldn’t let the shafts relax and open to let the air out. Kevin’s first birthday ended up with a wee fellow that was wore out from the family gathering and having a bad night. We had made preparations but always hoped he would sleep well with no problems. We had borrowed an additional crib from family that could be set up quickly in the living room for a croup tent. It was a plastic covering over the crib that allowed us to set up a steamer to vent in moist damp air. Those nights I slept in the over-sized rocking chair that had been Grandma Esther Schafer’s. During the night when Kevin woke, he and I would rock away for a bit until sleep would take him and back in the croup tent he went. Kevin wasn’t taking a bottle at that tender age as he couldn’t take the milk from the bottle and catch his breath. The secret was that the rubber nipples were cut with a larger hole so he was actually drinking milk a mouth full at a time.
With Carrie still taking the phenobarbital for the time when she had ingested nitrates from the well water when she was an infant, we became protective parents. My sibling’s kids were kids that played hard and sometimes rough. It could never be totally predicted with Carrie if she fell and hit her head that she couldn’t catch that breath, or if she couldn’t catch her breath and then fell. Eyes in the back of the head would have been helpful. When Kevin played we needed to pull him back a bit so he didn’t become so exhausted that the hard breathing would bring on a light cough that could easily become the gut wrenching cough that triggered the asthma. Ya, we weren’t the most popular adults with the rest of the small kids in the family. Orlin would all but stomp on some of them when the play got out of hand.
Orlin and I worked it out and Kevin wasn’t near the livestock barns. Carrie was old enough and her voice carried well enough that when they would be playing by the house and Kevin would make a break for it heading in the wrong direction, either Orlin or I would take a break from the chores and head him back in the right direction. It became like shift work sometimes . . . but for the most part . . . it worked. We needed to think long and hard about our future with our family.
—-to be continued.
A great sunny day and I refuse to pay attention to the forecast for tomorrow. What!! Snow on Easter Sunday. Hopefully the weather will straighten out after this storm, so we can get on with spring. For 99% of the time we are adhering to social distancing. When I go for my walk on Stauffer, June comes out and we visit as she stands on her house steps. There was a quick trip to the store today as the ice cream bucket was no longer around. There is a limit as to what can be given up.
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Noreen
Huge Day
I have had such a huge day that brought a lot of good fuzzy good feelings. I have been left speechless! Catch you all tomorrow.
