Fleeting Thoughts:
The house has been tidied; the grass doesn’t need mowing. My sewing table and craft area has been clean long enough, I am getting the itch.
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Noreen
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Noreen
Whew!
As my Mom would be working through tasks, one could hear a “Whew” ever so often. It came out of her almost like a word with a bit of a whistle attached. Try it . . . “Whew.” It was either a way of re-energizing herself or perhaps used in place of a sigh.
Dennis and I were only gone for three days, but this morning I felt like I really needed to kick it in gear. Dennis was right in there with me. Oh yes, I was happy to be back on Stauffer. It’s fun to travel and see family members, but there is no place like home. Dennis does not vent the same sentiment out loud about being glad to be home, but the time spent in the porch tells the story.
With a half inch of rain over the night, the air this morning did feel fresh, and that meant that the old tradition of doing laundry on a Monday was on. If bedding is stripped, that makes a great time to get the floors done. No matter what the size of the furniture, it all can be moved as we have felt pads under everything. I would be lost without Swiffers on the laminate flooring. For what I can pick up on a weekly basis, I shudder to think what would be piling up if we had carpeting and some furniture only moved seasonally. I tackled the floors in our 720 square foot home; Dennis gave me a complementary basement floor cleaning. How did that come about? Dennis has a wonderful warm and fuzzy quilt for cooler winter and the deal was that Dennis would vacuum the sewing room floor to rid the area of fuzz and threads. We both came out winners: laundry basket is empty, fresh bedding, and a homogenized home from top to bottom. Needless to say, the many and varied “Whews” from Dennis and me could have been set to music. We realized in short order that the temps had risen right along with a higher dew point.
I know it has been said often . . . too bad. Life on Stauffer with my ole cowboy is down right priceless. For a reward of a lot of domestic work, the evening meal is liver and onions with a side of boiled potatoes. Just as we don’t often tackle the entire gamete of housework in one single day, we don’t have the liver menu often, so please refrain from sending me an avalanche of e-mail forwards guarding against heart disease. We will be back on track with goodies from the farmers market tomorrow. Catch ya all another time.
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Noreen
It is Sunday and just as anyone else, our weekend is over. Yesterday, Saturday, we were at my cousin’s home in Finland, Minnesota, for his and Dawn’s wedding reception.
Dennis and I both agree, the north country’s lifestyle is so much different than the crop land portion of Minnesota. The general populas believe that we are workaholics. Yards are for parking vehicles on weedy green areas, or stacking items that would be in the garage if that area would be organized. The Taconite industry that grew communities such as Silver Bay and Finland is no more. In 1950 the Air Force had a huge General Surveillance Radar base in Finland that was prompted by the Korean War. It is now less than a ghost town of track homes that are waiting to be torn down. Jobs are far and few in between. Many retired people were lured into thinking that living among the pines and hills would be their destiny of utopia. Seeing all the homes that have been abandoned with “For Sale” signs posted, tell the more real story.
We had a great weekend of visiting and taking in the sites. We returned to Stauffer Avenue; it was a treat to get the dirty laundry started from the weekend. If it were not for the 6 – 7 hours of driving, there would be more trips for us to see portions of the great north country.
On a lighter note: since we have returned home, Snuggles and Butter Ball have had a fair share of checking out my lap as I spent some time in the porch, in my all time favorite rocking chair.
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Noreen
Fleeting Thoughts:
Standing on the patio, enjoying the lake air, after a time in the whirlpool tub eating a peanut butter cookie . . . priceless.
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Noreen
This is huge for Stauffer Avenue: the older ones are taking a weekend away beginning Friday morning, leaving the chores of feeding the livestock with neighbor, Jan. The fish won’t care as long as they have floating pellets to nibble at on the surface of the water once a day. Snuggles has pretty well kissed up to Jan as she has been out in her gardens and yard. Butter Ball, on the other hand, shies away when Jan has come over for a visit in the past. He is just going to have to follow Snuggles’ lead. Honey Bunny is not fond of anyone, so she will just come and go, ignoring the fact that, as the oldest of the kids, she could lend an atmosphere of calm . . . not! Obviously, the garage porch will be accessible, just like always.
Guess who gets to clean the litter box? Dennis babysits his daughter Sandy’s terrier whenever she is getting home late from work or she has errands that Tix cannot go with. The ole cowboy says that turn around is fair play for “other duties as required.” Sandy came over the other evening for the full instructions. I totally stayed clear of that.
We are heading to the north country to see Dennis’ family at Silver Bay and I have a cousin at Finland. A fun trip that is going to be a two-for. Hopefully I will have a Wi-Fi connection available for my laptop.
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Noreen
Dennis had his luncheon with fellow Korean veterans in Mankato today. The chapter is called The Frozen Chosin – Chapter 41. When Dennis got his shirt that is worn when the fellows are in parades, I thought the word “chosin” was not spelled correctly. I soon was checking out the documentaries on the Internet of the epic battle fought during the Korean War at the freezing Chosin Reseviour.
Dennis can attest that while he was in Korea, his feet were, more often than not, cold enough to feel as if they were frozen. This group of veterans enjoy getting together once a month for the pure pleasure of being with each other. Pretty special.
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Noreen
It’s a good thing we didn’t screw the lid tight on the job jar. Last week at this time we were pretty full of ourselves and what we had taken care of. Today . . . not so much. The overhead door’s spring for Dennis’ pickup garage has taken a dump. The lumberyard did have several sizes of springs to chose from. Of course, the first spring that Dennis was assured would work, did not. That was discovered after a full take down and resurrection.
The word at the lumberyard was that parts are slim to none and what is available may not be what is exactly needed. This door was installed in 1989 and it does not meet current requirements of safety for overhead doors, thus parts were not reordered. All that being understood, Dennis and the handyman trudged on. After many adjustments and generally two out three attempts to raise the door failing, the boys have agreed to tackle the project tomorrow morning. The handyman insists that no piece of equipment is going to get the best of him. As a FYI, our old garage is not plumb. Who knows what the original handyman had to rig to make a perfectly sized door work in a crooked garage. It may be that when the original spring broke yesterday, and tension was released rapidly, a few other aspects of the original installation may have been compromised.
I do have the phone number of Overhead Doors located in Mankato on my desktop.
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Noreen
Fleeting Thoughts:
This pretty much tells the story about the team of Dennis and me here on Stauffer Avenue.
Twenty years ago today, on a bright Saturday, Carrie and Kevin were witnesses for Dennis and me to get married. Dennis and I came together to make a home in 1989. With serious blue eyes looking at me, my Mom had made the comment that she could hate the sin but still love the sinners. It just may have had a bit to do with our decision. It was a great decision.
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Noreen
It’s for sure Minnesota. One huge thunder clap during the night and the next thing we knew two inches of rain had fallen. We grabbed a few hours this morning outside before the humidity raised the bar to be very miserable. You know it is hot and humid when Butter Ball and Snuggles are lying on the garage floors as if they have flat-lined: “If you want to get around me . . . you will have to step over me, I’m not moving.” Even curious cats give it up in this weather.
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Noreen
This felt like a day to do just what would be needed and then . . . no more. I returned the paint at the lumberyard that was not needed on our garage roof and paid our bill. It sure feels good for these two older ones on Stauffer Avenue to have the job jar done for now. I realize we still are in the Minnesota storm season and anything could happen. For now we are going to feel pleased with what has been accomplished to keep the homestead up to snuff. As the temperature hit 90 degrees, I headed for the basement sewing room and Dennis is checking his eyelids for cracks in his recliner.