There is no place like home. I would be up clicking my heels like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz if not for the fact I already have my shoes off.
Updates from March, 2016 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Noreen
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Noreen
Several posts ago, I made mention that Dennis was on watch for the littlest cat, Harriet. It was a fairly pleasant afternoon and the porch cleared out as everybody wanted a piece of the action in the sun. Dennis usually goes out after seven and settles into his rocking chair for some television viewing. The east patio door is cracked and one by one the six are accounted for.
Harriet is a porch baby. Never strays very far from her favorite chair. That evening Dennis stayed out until nine and . . . no Harriet. Quite a while after Dennis had gone to bed, I looked out and there Harriet was at the side door. Her and Dennis are big buds and she didn’t trust me letting her in and that is how she stayed out for that evening.
The next day the threat of the huge storm was all that was on the news. I think we peeled our eyes until they were red, looking out the bathroom window for Harriet. The next morning with everything being covered in the new snow, Dennis looked for fresh tracks to see if by chance she had huddled at the patio doors after we went to bed. Nothing.
Yesterday with the storm gone and the sun shining, it didn’t take long for the snow to begin disappearing. I know Dennis had walked the backyard and the length of Stauffer Avenue looking no longer on a search mission, but rather a recovery mission. Late in the afternoon, Dennis opened the doors of the porch and Butter Ball, Snuggles and Fuzzy began checking out the last of the snow.
We got busy after supper and it was just about dark before Dennis went out to close up all the doors. It didn’t take long and I got a phone call from the porch. As the dusk was turning into dark, Dennis said the whole tribe with Harriet in tow came from the east. I think the cats were determined to round up the little stray. Dennis said Harriet headed straight for the food bowl. Where on earth she had taken refuge we will never know. She didn’t look worse for ware. Yes, yes, I do realize that four legged creatures are quite self sufficient, but . . . they are our four legged creatures.
We don’t think anything of Honey Bunny staying our for days on end. She has been pulling that stuff for years, knowing that she hides in some vacant buildings down the way. At least knowing she can’t get into any “having babies” trouble. We are now very thankful that Harriet had her little stint at the vets. The old Tabatha never missed a beat during Harriet’s absence. She can nap through anything.
For now all is back to normal on Stauffer Avenue.
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Noreen
A sunny day was the perfect setting to deliver some surprise Easter treats. Who doesn’t like a surprise now and then!
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Noreen
It has tried to snow all day. Quite a bit of light rain and then at 3:30 it began to turn white. After an hour, all is white. Dennis is on watch as Harriet didn’t make curfew last night and she is one cat that has never been away from home for this long. We may be retired, but we have our fair share of stress . . . just kidding. We have concern when things are not normal on Stauffer Avenue.
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Noreen
Only on Stauffer. I had to run an errand up town and I knew Dennis would be gone by the time I got home. Dennis volunteers to work at the annual Watonwan Fish and Game night. What I had not counted on when I put the car in the garage was hearing a loud Meow. Upon investigation, Snuggles had been taking a nap up above in the rafters of the pickup garage and was now stranded.
Snuggles would wonder out on a rafter and think about jumping down, only to hang onto the rafter with his front claws as he pulled himself back up. I so did not need to take a cat to the vet clinic with a broken leg from making the jump.
I opened both garage doors. I backed my car out of my garage and pulled onto Stauffer Avenue to park the car into the pickup garage so Snuggles could jump onto the roof of my car for a safe exit from his napping spot.
Only on Stauffer Avenue do the cats rule. Snuggles was all lovey-dubby . . . for a short time.
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Noreen
Dennis and I had a quiet Sunday. The bright sun ushered in Spring. Dennis might have had a bit of spring fever when I noticed he had hung the porch rocking chair cushions out on the clothes line for a bit of airing. I made sure I had the bedroom window cracked for a portion of the day. Lots of fresh air all around.
Dennis did share that when he brought in the cushions and put them back on the wooden slats of the rocking chairs, Harriet and Butter Ball near trampled him to claim them as theirs. Talk about spoiled . . . actually, that’s not necessary. Dennis and I both know it and we also know who did the spoiling.
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Noreen
Flakes of snow have been fluttering all day. I hope they have enjoyed the journey as they don’t enjoy a lasting presence on the ground. Dennis shared that in times past when the spring plowing had begun, a snowfall would not be unusual. What did show was wherever the snow fell that it could be plowed under, the crop that then followed those areas would have a bit more height than the soil when the snow laid on top until it melted. Nitrogen in the spring snow was always a welcomed addition to the farmer’s fields.
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Noreen
Dennis and I felt we needed a stairwell railing for a bit of extra security before it became a dire necessity. We also had our carpenter, Jim Bob, take a look at increasing the top of our steps. We have poured concrete steps that are short and the stairwell is steep.
Today our railing is in. I look forward to sometime in the near future staining the handrail and putting some poly on it to match the ones that Kevin put in leading into the kitchen from the back door. The sanded two by four that was drilled into the cement blocks will be painted white at the same time the entire wall gets a new coat of paint. The railing will be done first, that way in case I get a bit of white paint near it, it will wipe off easily. Paint on raw wood soaks right in.
We cannot have the step project. If the top step would be increased to be 9.5 inches (which is still not up to code) with the remaining fours steps being increased to follow, our bottom step would only be a scant four inches to step down into the basement proper. We have a storage area to the right that has the same floor height as the bottom step. There would then be a step down into that area as well as making the opening into that storage area a tight sideways squeeze.
We were so appreciative of Jim Bob doing the workup and allowing us to know there would be more concerns being created about safety than we now had.
With Dennis and I making a few trips up and down into the basement, we already realize the railing was the best decision for us. Decades of being accustomed to the short steep steps is now just that much safer. Our 100-year-old home was moved into town from the country and put onto the basement in the late 1950s. Older homes allow us to know some things need to be contended with and money can’t fix everything. We are thrilled to have a dry basement, aka: sewing studio, half bath and storage.
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Noreen
Dennis and I took our turn at working at a VFW supper last night. It is very unlikely for the two of us to be out and about after dark. This morning, over a late breakfast, we compared notes over the previous night: Individuals came in for the supper and took a spot out of the way of any commotion until their acquaintances came to join them. Ironically, it is the same clutches of people who we have noticed over time that depend upon “their group” before going forward. It reminded me of events, when women tend to go in clutches to the bathrooms.
Dennis and I are very much a pair who go where we want, when we want. It prompted me to wonder if we have isolated ourselves to the extreme. Finishing our Sunday morning tradition of cinnamon rolls and a pot of coffee, Dennis assured me we are in no way isolated, just independent. No calendars, other than our own, need to be checked if we want to go out for supper, take a road trip to Mankato for shopping or make a run up north.
In times past Dennis shared that he didn’t mind being on a bowling team or a dart team, but those type of commitments went beyond, as it was then assumed more times together could be planned beyond the schedules. It was not what he had signed up for and he did not continue on the teams.
I have dipped my toe into sewing groups, Bible studies, etc. I am an individual and I do not need to be defined by the organized group.
Dennis and I are: a party of two, very comfortable right here on Stauffer Avenue. It seems as if we have a fair amount of drop-ins for coffee and rocking chair time either in our home or in the porch. It’s a good thing.
We had a very late breakfast as the “spring ahead” time change was not registering as yet.
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Noreen
Dennis and I worked at a VFW supper this evening. Lots of familiar faces and we worked out at eight p.m. to sprinkles of rain. A good night, it’s good to be home.