A very uneventful day. 8/10 of an inch of rain in the early morning hours set the tone for the day as the alert for the thunderstorm came on our phones at 4:38 a.m. Two cellphones with different ring tones and our land line phone all going off at the same time. You can just visualize the two of us snapping to in a nano-second. Phone calls when it is still, what we consider the night, tends to make us think immediately of a family emergency.
Updates from June, 2015 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Noreen
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Noreen
Do you need a good laugh? I suggest that you hang around senior citizens, aka: old people. Dennis and I do work hard on our yard, and it has been a long time since we have put anything back into the soil where the gardens are. We had a good supply of the granular Miracle Grow, and then another quantity was given to us. I went to Fleet and Farm and purchased a water hose-type feeder. Of course, it came with the container full of the granular Miracle Grow. We each read the instructions. Upon hooking up the hose to the feeder, we gave it a try. Immediately, both of us noticed how hard it was to keep the trigger pulled all the way back for good water distribution. Dennis took a turn and then I noticed he was motioning me to come to where he was. He pointed to the yellow button on top of the feeder. Pushed forward, there was no need to hold the trigger down manually. Hello!
The instructions said that a noticeably blue charged water would be distributed. We noticed nothing. I even got a white coffee cup and Dennis put some of the feeder water into it. The water in the white cup was clear. Had the product been in the store for such a long time that the Miracle Grow had totally hardened? After a good amount of time and water into the project, we started over. I shut off the water at the house and Dennis took the feeder off of the hose and screwed open the container. Hmm . . . there was a clear plastic seal on the top of the container.
The next two batches of application went off without a hitch.
If you need to have a good laugh, followed by rolling of the eyes and ending with the work “Seriously” . . . find some old farts and let the tears roll as you laugh your hinny off.
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Noreen
It is about time for slowing up a bit for the day. For some reason, I was awake at 5:30 this morning. Well, I know the reason; I slept through the night and a bathroom visit was needed. I shocked Dennis when I toddled out to the porch with coffee in hand. It’s not uncommon for Dennis to be up early for the exact same reason that I was up, but after a bit the recliner gets a visit and he may nap for several hours.
I stayed out in the porch and drained several more cups of coffee. I decided I would go into the sewing room and clock in. The intent is to use up a bag of scraps that have been accumulating for several decades. This certain bag of scraps are all about 1.5″ to 2″ in width and various lengths. I don’t have the heart to throw away leftovers from the refrigerator or scraps of fabric. Most likely it comes from times when either one was in short supply.
The end result will be many, many 9″ blocks with multiple strips of fabric sewed side by side to make up the block. It is a pattern called “String Quilt.” There is no rhyme or reason to the choice of colors that will lay next to each other. There had to be many other quilters that could not bear to throw scraps away in order for there to be multiple images of “String Quilt” when I Googled it.
During the day, I wandered from the sewing room to the dining room every hour or so. With taking many breaks during the day, I was amazed how much I did accomplish both in the sewing room and also at the dining room table where I am working on hemming a quilt. Did the amount of progress make a believer out of me to get up at 5:30 again tomorrow morning? I wouldn’t bet on it.
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Noreen
A very uneventful Monday. A brief shower of rain decided the day would be spent on some housework-type events. Dust bunnies have to be brought short every once in awhile.
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Noreen
My thoughts in regard to the post of yesterday stemmed from limits that are hard to accept within my being. The old adage “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” has come home to roast.
Last year and years before, I would mow our 50′ x 260′ lot with my push lawnmower. Grant it, buildings and gardens aside, it was still a doable workout. This year, I am doing the front yard and the grass that is beside the house. I bow to Dennis and his riding lawnmower for the lawn in the backyard to be taken care of. He has always done the far portion of the acre and this year he just takes extended swats.
The gardens have been tended and just in time as the biting bugs have found us. I am back at my niche in the sewing room. I can no longer sit at the sewing machine for hours on end. Now, I have to remind myself to get up every hour and go to a different venue. My back is thankful for those “timeouts.” I have learned to avoid days of pain when I couldn’t do anything. An hour here and an hour there can still show progress in a project. Our dining room is designated for hand sewing. I have known for years that standing or working on concrete floors for extended periods can have an adverse effect on my legs and back. Knowing it and adhering to it is new for me this year. Yup, I can still learn a few new tricks when it benefits my physical comfort.
By listening to what my body tells me, I still experience everything I always have in the past, just being a bit wiser going about it.
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Noreen
94 degrees with a bit of humidity sure can pack a wallop. Dennis and I did feel the humidity more than usual as we had visited the Super 8 pool for a good workout and then spent some time in the hot tub. After several days of gardening, soaking some tender joints and muscles of the ole body felt good. It is a good thing that heat and humidity has the ability to keep me out of dirt; I might get caught up and then have to twiddle my thumbs. No Way! For some reason, this season has not as yet had any need for me to be in the sewing room. I do have a book that I have started, but by the time I was on page three, I was falling asleep. For now, I am meant to be in the great outdoors.
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Noreen
A road trip today for a graduation 100 miles north. We stopped along the way home for a family visit. Tomorrow is another day and I look forward to what it may bring.
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Noreen
This morning could not have been a more wonderful day to be a gardener. No humidity with strong breezes from the southeast kept me going for quite a few hours. I don’t really have an explanation: being in the gardens relaxes me more than the weariness of my body. It isn’t hard physical labor, but more the constant movement of so many muscle groups . . . its a good thing. When I thought I had put in a good day of busy work that brought results that were pleasing to the eye, I had to take a walk to the far east garden. What I saw sent me straight to Fleet Farm. Apparently I am not the only one that enjoys our yard, the ants do as well.
We could tell where the more serious hills of ants were by the color of the dirt. Having had a 1/2″ of rain on Wednesday, any bare spot in the grass, the dirt showed the dark soil that had received a soaking. Where the huge ant hills were, the soil showing was a light gray and appeared as if dry. Dennis and I took turns walking the back area with our little hand-held spreader. Believe me, the setting was set to “put it on thick.” Rain is in the forecast and that will be the optimum for the granules to work.
The hardest part was to keep Snuggles and Butter Ball in the porch while we were doing the deed. Inhalant of any type of the product dust as it is being applied is hard on their lungs. As Snuggles has finally snapped out of his upper respiratory situation, we did not need a repeat to the vet clinic.
As usual the older ones on Stauffer Avenue never lack for tasks that need to be done. Where on earth do people get the “I’m bored.” I still am a firm believer that only boring people get bored . . . and that is all I have to say about that.
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Noreen
A day for me to ride along with Dennis to Mankato. His fellow Korean veterans meet once a month for a luncheon and a short meeting. I needed to pick up some groceries and get a haircut. We knew we had driven out of rain as we left St. James, and were surprised to see we had 5/10ths when we checked our rain gauge when we returned home. I can almost hear our lawnmowers humming for tomorrow.
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Noreen
Our huge remodeling project for the summer is getting a new interior front door. Two fellows are coming this week for the install. When I went to the lumberyard and paid for the door they said it would take two as it is a very heavy, solid wood. Dennis and I are getting a bit on and perhaps spoiled a bit, as we ordered it finished and ready to be hung. It is assuring that there will not be any streaks or runs in the polyurethane finish.
The old door, though solid wood, was so warped that no amount of weather stripping could fill the bill. Shame, shame on me for having it taped shut for the last several winters. I am ready to welcome Bob and Elmer with coffee and peanut butter cookies that I made today. Sure can’t be having work done and not have cookies and coffee ready for the guys.