Several days ago, someone commented on Dennis’ pickup hood. “Dennis, your cats still like you.” Paw prints at their finest on the little red pickup’s hood. Today, I finally got back to visiting my basement sewing studio. Fall cleaning does take me and leaves me on the first floor of our home. As I was preparing to do an embroidery design, I noticed I was leaving prints: my finger prints. Though using precaution when scrubbing off the hard water spots on the outside of our house windows, several of my finger tips had cracked just enough to leave a tell tale pink smear of my “O Positive” blood. I now have an ample supply of band-aids on hand. During the evening hours I will continue saturating my finger tips with healing lotions. It is amazing, no matter how grease free lotions are, they also leave evidence on fabrics. I had a great day. Yes, Dennis, I agree, I also love looking out of clean windows.
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Noreen
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Noreen
Today was the Fall cleaning day from hell and I have no one but myself to blame. Our west porch is ten windows and two doors. The depth being eight feet as it goes along the front of our home. The south wall is the Dennis Curry Command center. A wall of a maze of wires for the telephone, the wireless router, the Mediacom power box, Dennis’ Dell computer and a television set. Dennis’ office chair is one of varnished two by fours. Heavier than a boxcar full of cats.
We have replacement windows throughout our home. Getting in between the south wall and Dennis’ desk to let the replacement windows up and down to clean is a challenge. I gingerly unplugged various ports and plugins to allow for the desk to be moved farther into the room. After doing half of the porch windows and the walls and flooring in that half, I called it a day. I am happy I did the worst first. Going back at it on Monday will be oh so much easier as there is only one overhead lamp to work around, a double sized bed and my Mom and Dad’s glider rocker . . . and a wall with three individual oak shelves on it.
Anyone can live in a 720 square foot home . . . if the organization is in place and stays in place. The end result will be a homogenized porch. With the traffic of the grain semis, tractors pulling grain trailers and the food processing semis with their refer trailers, I can guarantee it will stay freshened up for only a bit as we like to have windows open during the fall season. That’s okay. I will know that it is fresh dirt. A real plus at the end of this day is that ALL of Dennis’ media center is up and running.
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Noreen
Today was a short road trip to the City of Windom. Frank’s Shoe Store has been a staple in our area for as long as Dennis can remember. A full shoe repair shop as well as a huge department of everything from cowboy boots, work shoes, dress shoes, casual shoes and slippers for the fellows. Dennis was in the market, but I did notice there was also a selection of casual and sport shoes of every style and color for the gals. We had not stopped for a quick meal at a Dairy Queen for some time. Though a limited selection of both grilled chicken and Philly Cheese sandwiches, we had to enjoy a malt to go with our sandwiches. Yup, a good little road trip.
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Noreen
Love these cool outdoor temperatures. I could go without the drone of the air conditioner for the rest of the year. It does get a bit noisy in my sewing studio. Our sump pump has not quit running . . . since forever. Right now it is going every three to four minutes. We have an air exchanger with a charcoal filter running non stop. A dehumidifier is running in what was the old cistern, now converted to a nice closet. The height of that cistern closet is also the access to the crawl space under the bathroom. When the central air is running . . . it is just way too much going in one ear and out the other. Now, on the plus side: our basement is dry and it does not smell like a basement. In reality, the pluses outnumber the minuses. So, shut your mouth, Grammie, and be thankful that a sewing studio is in place and it is super sweet!
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Noreen
A cool temperature day. A trip to the library for several books. I do enjoy reading in the evening hours when the television viewing options are less than good. Renee came over for afternoon coffee. I do forget how many years ago she came to work for me. Her son Joe was just five and he is now a father of two with a Master’s degree working for the DNR in North Dakota. According to her, she has 12 more years to go before she can retire. Bless her heart. I should really sleep well this evening with windows cracked on both ends of the house.
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Noreen
Today would be a good day to put a brick in my bloomers. The wind is having its way. In years past, during a wind this strong for the last week in September, we would have had our garage roof bombed with Black Walnuts from our neighbor’s tree. This year: there are no Walnuts to be blown off of the tree. Hmm. Perhaps the winter will be so mild we don’t need food for the squirrels . . . or the winter will be brutal and the squirrels will suffer. Hmm.
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Noreen
Today a packed St. Paul’s Lutheran Church said their goodbyes to Elvera Helen Trettin. I am trusting all the greetings that Elvera’s family received from family and friends will take them to a softer part of their mourning. With my children: Carrie, Kevin and Kersten with Dennis and I, I felt the comfort that I needed going about my days without Elvera. Sisters are a rare breed. Elvera and I had a deep relationship on many different levels. I feel blessed.
I will go on with my days and be thankful that today is the oldest I have ever been and the youngest I will ever be.
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Noreen
A quiet day in my sewing studio. A bit of hand hemming, trying out thread combinations for a project that is peculating in my mind. Mostly, allowing family memories to flit in and out. I have spent a fair amount of time on the phone and also emails visiting with family members who have questions about my sister’s passing. Mostly I hear, “How could this happen?”
I have no clear answers, I do know that with Elvera just finishing up six weeks of radiation, the radiation continues to work withing a patient’s system for the duration of three months in the future. The heart valve perforation may be repaired, but no surgery when the radiation is active and thriving.
The answer for myself is in the knowing that the good Lord has his plan and man will not derail it. I know that I feel quiet within my insides and that is a good thing.
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Noreen
A day on the road for a VA appointment in Minneapolis. All went well and it is always good to be safe and sound at home.
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Noreen
Dog-gone Cat
We have a cat named Snuggles. His hair does not match his name. His hair is more like a hogs; bristly. On one of the nicer
summer days, I had driven with the rear passenger side window open . . . and forgot to close it when I put the car in the garage. UGH! I swear Snuggles checks out the windows each and every time when we have parked the vehicles. Sure enough, he got me.
A time back I had bought a lint roller in the grocery store labeled “effective for pet hair.” Not! The next time we were in Sam’s Club my all time favorite Scotch brand of lint rollers was featured on the end cap. Today was the proof in the pudding, so to speak. The vacuum cleaner didn’t want to lift 
enough hair to make a dent. The Scotch lint rollers sheets are similar to the weight of wax paper and man, talk about sticky pickup ability. It made cleanup of the car mats a breeze. You can only guess who was sitting not far off waiting for me to abandon the project for him to make his way into the car. That dog-gone cat Snuggles. Sorry, not this time. I have learned my lesson; stick with what you know works. It saves a person a lot of grief.
