Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2015 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 8:09 am on October 3, 2015 Permalink  

  Today the Arizona temps only reached 98. After breakfast we found a Jiffy Lube and had the little red pickup serviced that included replacing the break fluid in anticipation of the drive home. We will be going through some mountains rather than redoing the miles back through Phoenix.

  We spent the majority of the day with Dennis’ son, Ken. He is off from his truck route to California until Tuesday morning. We are planning on leaving here on Sunday morning, giving Ken a chance to realize time for himself. This weekend was the first time in three weeks that he was home.

  Dennis sized up the Honda that will be hauled to Minnesota, complete with the title card that will be transferred into his name. It is loaded and huge. I would have taken a snap shot, but it had not been taken out of the storage area and they plan on working on that tomorrow. We did get a new battery for it. The old one was a 1984 and had all it could do to make the many lights turn on.

  Today is Dennis’ 79th birthday. Doing really well for himself, taking good care of himself.

  Arizona is two hours different. We have stayed on Minnesota time, and for these folks it is barely past 7:00 p.m. Time for us to kick back and get some rest. The heat does take the starch out of us.

   
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  Noreen 5:47 am on October 2, 2015 Permalink  

  Another day, another chapter in our road trip in Arizona. I cannot express how much I enjoyed spending some time with my Aunt Lorraine. She and I are kindred spirits.

  Last night we spent with Lorraine and her daughter and her family for an enjoyable supper. Same church, just different pew when it comes to children in school. Many extra activities to keep the parents busy as well as calling on Grandma Lorraine for extra taxi duty.

  This morning, as we left our motel, we found our way to a gas station and also a Walmart so I could pick up a few items for our noon lunch. Later, we were greeted with open arms. Lorraine was determined for me to try my hand at one of her Baby Lock embroidery machines. After two tries to get it threaded properly, I was off to an experience of my lifetime. All I needed to do was to have the 12 different colors required for the pattern and sit back to wait to change the needle.

  A few hugs and a few tears and we needed to say goodbye so we could be on to our next destination. Since Lorraine has made a home with her daughter, she has only had one of her remaining three children come to see her. Oh course, son Mark, checked out his mom.

  We did find son Ken’s mobile home unit in Apache Junction and dropped the two wheel trailer off. This same trailer will be loaded with a Honda cycle on our way home. It is currently 106 degrees and as we checked into a Best Western motel, I really felt the heat and found myself wobbling a bit as we walked the parking lot to the room. Naw, there is no way Arizona would appeal to me regardless of the month of the year. The entire area of Apache Junction is one mobile home park or RV park after another and not a shade tree to be found.

  Ken should be giving us a call when he comes in from his over the road truck route. It will be good to catch up with him for the next several days.

   
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  Noreen 6:09 am on October 1, 2015 Permalink  

  Dennis and I have spent the day at my Aunt Lorraine’s home. After my Uncle Maynard died, Lorraine’s daughter and her family built a unit onto their home for Lorraine to join them in their part of Arizona.

  Lorraine admittedly acknowledged she would have more room in her unit if it were not for the long arm sewing machine that easily can accommodate a king sized quilt and the three specialty sewing machines. At 84 years young, she has more energy than most at a lot younger age.

  I have always admired the Brothers sewing machines with the abilities for embroidery. The Baby Lock machines make the Brothers brand look quite infantile. Yeah, well . . . I would still think a Brothers brand would be as slick as sliced bread.

  We came back to the motel for us to take a bit of a break after the long voyage getting to Arizona. We are due back at Lorraine’s about six their time to go out with the total family. The total family includes Dick. Dick is also 84 years young and has become a great friend to Lorraine. Dick is a retired chemist working for Dupont, developing the polymers in various paints, but has recently found a passion in the Baby Locks. It was fun watching the two of them as they worked through the challenges of a project they are both involved in.

  Lorraine enjoyed reminiscing as to the times that her family visited with Orlin and me. Surprisingly, the time that her son, Mark, came to check out a grandfather’s clock that Orlin had built, became a reality for Mark as well as he went on to complete his clock.

  Today was the hottest day in some time for this part of Arizona. I must say it felt every bit of the 103 degrees.

   
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  Noreen 6:09 am on September 30, 2015 Permalink  

  Day four, and 1,568 miles later, we have arrived in Glendale Arizona. Forget GPS. My MapQuest brought us right to the home of my aunt.

  We drove past her home and then on to find this wonderful motel that we will be calling home for two nights. We told Lorraine we would see her Wednesday forenoon. As Arizona is two hours behind our time, we are using this late afternoon and evening to kick back and relax. I so credit Dennis for driving and driving and driving. For some reason, every late morning, I found myself dozing in the seat. Once I had the nap over with, I had no problem staying on track until we stopped for the evening.

  The scenery today was just unimaginable. The layers of colors that the mountains held were beckoning to be copied in a painting. For miles after miles it was a wonder as to how glaciers carved their way to making such beauty. It did make me pause at the small little sites that looked to be inhabited. There were no power lines or trails linked to the properties, but there would be clothes on a clothes line with fairly new vehicles parked next to the modest homes. There would be no shortage of acres of nothing for one to become a hermit. Dennis thought perhaps people could have generators to use sparingly.

  The little red pickup was a champ pulling a two wheel trailer over all the ups and downs. If not for the fact that Dennis’ son, Ken, had asked us to pick up an item up from Apache Junction to take back to Minnesota, we would not have added that extra caution to such a long trip. It was a relief knowing that both the pickup and the trailer were sporting new tires.

  On a huge plus, this motel has an oversized chair that is comfortable enough to either read in or snooze in. Dennis is trying the latter. All in all, the beds on this trip have been very comfortable. We have taken advantage of the continental breakfasts for some fruit and cereal and then not eating until we have closed down for the night. Dennis says driving for long periods of time works best on a predominantly empty stomach. The driver knows best.

  More tomorrow evening. I still can’t believe that me, the hermit, agreed to leave Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 8:06 am on September 29, 2015 Permalink  

  Night three and all is well on the open highways. We dropped south to avoid the steepest of mountain highways. We still were able to drive through some beautiful mountain passes. As of this evening we are just on the boarder before entering Arizona.

  It does blow my mind that regardless of which motel or the price of the motel, there is no comfortable place to sit other than the toilet. Can you tell I am spoiled on Stauffer Avenue? With that being said, we have been getting a good nights rest. Finding something other than fast food along the highways is difficult.

  My aunt did call this evening to make sure we were on track to arrive at her home for Wednesday and Thursday. Each year when she would visit Minnesota, she would almost ask Dennis on a stack of Bibles to come to visit her in Glendale, Arizona. When Dennis’ son wanted us to come to Apache Junction, Arizona, to take back to Minnesota a motor cycle, I caved and agreed to the trip, stopping at Lorraine’s first.

  This afternoon, about four, my butt cheeks were whispering to me, “Why, why?” I cannot believe all the folks who we know in St. James who can’t wait to get into their RVs, pulling a vehicle, in the fall of each year to come to Arizona. It sure looked like they were having a good time today, gearing down to a crawl.

  Don’t you worry Stauffer Avenue, we’ll be back.

   
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  Noreen 7:02 am on September 28, 2015 Permalink  

  My oh my, Dennis and I are at the end of our second day on the open highways. This evening we are just north of the New Mexico state line. Heading to Glendale Arizona with several more days of driving is our target.

  This is the fartherest I have been from Stauffer Avenue for many years. Years past, I would take some of my vacation time from the courthouse and travel with Dennis when he loaded and brought live chickens to Worthington, Minnesota, for Campbell Soup. Many other loads were taken to Butterfield Foods for processing.

  Dennis traveled to Utah, Montana, Wyoming and many points in between. The few trips I took with Dennis, I enjoyed, and it did give me a new perspective of what over-the-road truckers endured.

  These last several days have been very relaxed and I enjoyed the countryside. Huge feed lots, farms with Lamas, Indian reservations and many miles of pastures full of the weeds that will become tumbleweed and blow at will.

  Last night the computer connections were not available. Dennis estimates we are 1,000 miles from Stauffer and 1,000 miles from the livestock. I have thought about them. They have the run of the garage porch with a crack in one of the patio doors so they can do due diligence with the mice that are nesting under the lilacs.

  Admittedly, I look forward to the little red pickup needing fuel. I am out of the cab and doing a bit of walking.

  Right now it is time to rest for the morrow.

   
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  Noreen 6:11 am on September 26, 2015 Permalink  

  Could we please have many more days such as what today was.

  The little red pickup is ready to take us on a road trip. Mail has been stopped, extra appliances have been unplugged and the sump pump and its backup battery has had a check. That last one may sound funny, but we have measurable rain every several weeks.

  Our neighbor gal, Jan, is going to keep an eye on the porch and the livestock. Cats, kittens and Koi make up our array of livestock. To Dennis and I they make our home complete.

  I hope to have some thoughts and experiences along the way to pass along. But I will say, that the first thing I will be doing when we close down for the night in a motel, is to walk up to the bed and swing back the bedding, much like Zorro would pull out his sword, to make sure nothing is moving underneath the fancy looking bed spread. I can’t help it. I have watched many news reports covering the less-than-good accommodations.

  Catch ya all later.

   
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  Noreen 3:43 am on September 25, 2015 Permalink  

  At last glance the rain from yesterday and today is at 6/10ths with very gray skies. After Dennis had dug a trench next to our patio several days ago, I had an itch yesterday. I got out my bucket, some Dawn to make bubbles and my broom brush. Now that I knew there was an avenue for the extra water to run and not backwash onto the patio I began scrubbing off the exposed agate patio with all the grit and grim from last winter as well as since then. The shop vacuum was on hand to help with some of the rinse water, not wanting to overdue the trench. The cats and kittens were in the mix, checking it all out as there were a few angle worms that surfaced. The rain today was as good as a soft water final rinse could have been. The patio looks great. It is kind of like a clean car seems to ride better and a clean patio allows for very restful relaxation . . . that is when the sunshine comes out again.

   
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  Noreen 6:04 am on September 22, 2015 Permalink  

  Fleeting Thoughts: Trying to keep flies brushed aside while enjoying an autumn evening is like trying to herd cats.

   
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  Noreen 4:58 am on September 21, 2015 Permalink  

  A quiet Sunday that came with a mixture of sun and rain drops that shone through the sun rays. Dennis felt the need to take out some of the grass that has flourished with the recent rains. I was happy to take the day off in the kitchen and work with some wonderful leftovers from last night for supper. Gosh, I love leftovers.