Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from May, 2016 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:47 am on May 31, 2016 Permalink  

  Delicate Pink and a Beauty 

  

  This pink Iris is one of my favorites. What makes me so happy is that all of the blossoms are just about ready to make their entrance. This forenoon I did work in the dirt under the Maple tree. It was not ideally dry, but there was a need to take out some unwanted green stuff. The rest of the gardens need to dry out a bit more as I drag more dirt out of the gardens on my shoes than is warranted. This afternoon, I took time to check through some quilting patterns that were no longer on my bucket list, but taking up storage in my three ring binder . . . out to the recycling. As I was doing the sorting, I had the Bernina embroidery sewing machine going. Yes, I needed to change thread colors as it worked through the pattern,  but getting two things done at once is what could be called “Time Management.”

   
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  Noreen 5:04 am on May 30, 2016 Permalink  

  This is the day the Lord hath made and I am rejoicing in it. A bit of patio time is just what the doctor ordered.

   
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  Noreen 4:29 am on May 29, 2016 Permalink  

  24 Hours Makes a Difference 

  

  It was time to get this table of goodies organized, and the best way to start was by color.

  Yesterday at this time I felt overwhelmed. I had started a project that required putting it all out there . . . literally. Various pieces of quilting material needed to be sifted and sorted through so it could easily be accessed in times to come.  I have come to realize that not all fabric can be saved.  Polyester and rayon are not a quilter’s friend. In time, Polyester pills lint-type balls of fuzz that cling to the fabric. When it has been mixed with cottons it is less than desirable. Rayon does not launder well and allows for puckering when mixed with cotton.  My mom, Lena, taught we well when it came to her all time favorite hobby: that being quilting.  Mom had an eye for finding the coordinating hues in fabrics, mixing the perfect array of prints together to allow the eye to flow from light to dark.  It is something that many find very frustrating.  Practice does make perfect.  Yesterday I called it a day when the colors had been sorted.

  

  It was a joy tapping into this stash as I continue enjoying cutting up fabric to make a bigger piece, aka: a quilt.

  Again, having had a huge amount of rain today, it was not hard to get back into the sewing studio to finish what I had started yesterday.  To organize this stash of fabric meant something had to give.  The shelves I had my eye on were already busy. The recycling bin was tapped big time, as well as working smarter, not harder, in grouping like items together throughout the basement shelves.  Dennis kept the coffee coming.  Putting together a supper this evening is going to be a lot more enjoyable as my project came to a very good end.  The fabric is organized and my sewing tables are bare, ready for the work they were intended for.  I am very grateful to have them for just such a sorting job.

  I know I will be back into the gardens as soon as we get some sunshine.  We have reached the seven inch mark of rain within the last seven days.  We are not quite done with rain showers.  The forecast looks favorable for sun next week.  Waiting for the gardens to dry out will give me the edge I need to finish a project that has a July deadline.

  This morning, my dear and cherished friend, Lorraine did go home to her Lord.  It has been her wish for some time since the cancer had beaten her down with very little strength and resolve left in her slight being.  Praise God for granting prayers.

   
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  Noreen 6:14 am on May 28, 2016 Permalink  

  I can get so lost. I went down into the sewing studio this forenoon, and before I knew it, I could not believe it was supper time. I am in the thick of a project that makes time disappear. I think I have a pretty good handle on it.

  The rain has left the gardens very soggy. The gardens were my plan “A,” so I had better make good use of the time I have while the soil is drying out.

   
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  Noreen 6:17 am on May 27, 2016 Permalink  

  Quite the rainfall: 2.5 inches during the night to add to the 2 inches of the previous days. Of course our porch got a bit wet. We are in the path of more rain these next two days This has prompted the lawnmower to do its best. These two older ones on Stauffer have had a very physical day and we are down for the night. I hope everyone is as safe as we are. The news of Oklahoma and that area . . . so sad.  This was the perfect night for Subway to feed us.

   
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  Noreen 3:58 am on May 26, 2016 Permalink  

  Oh my oh my. I still get emails from the assessor’s network. I cannot believe how many openings there are throughout the entire state for county assessors, and also appraiser positions. There were many individuals who were encouraged to get those classes done with a passing grade to achieve the level of license that would be required.

  I can see where multiple counties will be under one county assessor. Not a good idea. Each county assessor needs to build a bond with the people in their county so there is a level of comfort to discuss what will hit the checkbook, aka: real estate taxes.

  I know, I know, that is all in the past for me. As each county becomes stretched with money for staff, there becomes a more lax commitment to treat each real estate parcel individually and not value it off of a printed chart that doesn’t get updated as per the market. That does make me sad as I know this is taking place throughout the state. The state does not have the staff to enforce what the legislature mandates . . . lax from the top down.

  Oh well. I now have other things to keep my gray matter busy, but you can bet your bottom dollar, I check my values and the taxes that come from that value when all the info comes in the mail.

  Whew, a short review of that process has me ready to have a cup of coffee.

   
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  Noreen 3:41 am on May 25, 2016 Permalink  

  When I am short on words, it is only as there are a lot of irons in the fire. In one corner of the sewing studio there is a quilting project that I am finishing, and in the opposite corner there is an embroidery project in the planning stage. Also, the flower gardens are slowly having their earth turned over. The later is on a bit of a hiatus due to a half inch of rain last night. I am still on board helping out my friend Lorraine, as I know she has helped out many when she had the health and energy.

   
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  Noreen 5:24 am on May 24, 2016 Permalink  

  If this is repeated, I will deny it! I am pooped out this evening. With two tenths inch of rain, the Mantis tiller made headway under the huge Maple tree. It is amazing how much rain is deflected by the leaves during a light rain to keep the soil underneath it fairly dry.

  Oh my gosh, there was fresh soil for Harriet and Fuzzy to dig in to, that is, until Snuggles would pounce at them trying to claim all of it as his territory. I did have my camera out on the patio table, but just as children, the great photo op was not to be.

  I will be out there again tomorrow with the hope that the air will be less humid. I am working hard to stay ahead of the first wave of the summer bugs.

   
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  Noreen 3:38 am on May 23, 2016 Permalink  

  What? We were having three miles per hour winds until this evening. We drove out five miles north of town to have coffee with a friend this forenoon. The winds from the south were strong enough that, for a stretch of a half mile wide across the highway, visibility was less than good. So much for forecasts. I hope the forecast for possible thunderstorms later this week is just as wrong.

  As we came back into town, we stopped at our Family Dollar store for a few items. Before the store was built, quite a few people poo-pooed it. The store always has a lot of traffic and the inventory is amazing. Cost-conscience shoppers are never at a shortage. I think it is a great asset to our town.

  Today Dennis and I really had a lazy day. As I sat on the east patio this afternoon, I was sizing up a project for tomorrow in the garden underneath the Maple tree. One should always have a plan.

   
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  Noreen 5:42 am on May 22, 2016 Permalink  

  These are the days we wait for all winter into the cold spring. Thus far, there are no bugs to speak of.

  Dennis has been enjoying a cycle ride every now and then, keeping his reflexes sharp. I still have the right moves to handle the garden utensils to the ultimate. Mostly, I like sprinkling Preen down after I have the dirt turned over to nip the next batch of weeds in the butt.

  Just when I thought I had seen everything this spring, Dennis called me to the car garage. Dennis had the overhead door open and there for us to behold, looking straight at us, were Butter Ball and Harriet lying in the back window of the car. Dang, I had left the passenger front window open about 4 inches yesterday when I came home from Lorraine’s. They don’t miss a beat. As of last spring about this same time, I had taken one day to entirely clean the car from just such events that were usual at that time, and they had not had access since. Dennis opened the back door to roust them out and there on the floor mat in the back seat was Snuggles. None of them were very eager to move.

  Sometimes, you just have to laugh at the silliest things in life that make it all worthwhile to get up and out of bed each day.