We again picked up 4/10 of an inch of rain. To date Dennis and I have been getting the yard work tucked in between rainfalls. After two days of extremely humid weather, they are now forecasting several nights at the 40 degree mark. As we watch what Texas and Oklahoma are contending with, there is nothing so important here on Stauffer Avenue that can’t be done working around the rains. After all, we need to remember who is in charge of the daily lives we have been given as mere stewards.
Updates from May, 2015 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Noreen
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Noreen
What can I say? It is Terro time. I hope the few ants that I found on the kitchen counter were scouts that took a big bite of the “Snack of the Day on Stauffer” and shared with their friends and family.
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Noreen
After a very dismal day yesterday and a cloudy morning today, the afternoon was very enjoyable. Patio sitting is just the best to watch traffic, listen to birds and take in the antics of Butter Ball and Snuggles.
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Noreen
A busy social weekend threw us off of the Saturday lawn mowing schedule. An inch of rain left our yards lush. We would have had a front yard with heavy layers of cut grass to dry and smother what was underneath. if not for the very strong winds that took the grass as fast as the mower blew it out and took it far, far away. Today was the first time of me mowing a lawn that my ears got so cold that they actually hurt. Yup, May 18th, 2015, and the high for the day was 44 degrees.
They are talking of the possibility of frost these next several nights. Dennis and I needed to take all the potted plants in. The huge Schefflera had no more than been set on the floor of the porch, than Snuggles tried to climb the branches. He got cuffed away from the plant. When I came in with a second pot he was digging in the dirt of the Schefflera. During this time Butter Ball was lying under the table watching it all. Thank God kittens turn into cats that love to sleep for eighteen hours a day. We could just visualize the mayhem with all those choices of pots to play in.
That settled it . . . the thirteen pots from the three tiered planter are in the back of the pickup. The huge fern that hangs and graces the lower branches of the Lilacs is sitting on the backseat of my 1999 Lincoln. I will have to take my chances with the the Palm plant and the Schefflera as they are too large to take into the house. We have had both of those plants for six years and they sit on the edge of the Koi pond during the warm seasons. During the winter, the temperature in the garage porch never goes below 44 degrees. A perfect fit for plants to take a break until they are put out again in the spring.
Last winter Snuggles wasn’t around until late February. As a kitten, he had a lot to adjust to on ground level. It’s not as if Snuggles doesn’t have the the entire acre to take his antics out on. We were of sound mind when we took Snuggles in. What does that tell you about the older ones on Stauffer? If word gets out that Dennis and I are so easily played by four legged, cute critters . . . we are so screwed.
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Noreen
My oh my, what a day. My cousin Art’s funeral was today at the Forest City Thresher’s site, north of Litchfield. Art was a founding father of the organization and I could tell, he will be hard to replace within the group.
Dennis and I left home before noon and the sun was brilliant. For two old farmers such as we are, it was interesting to see how tall the corn was and how much water was standing in the rows from the recent rains.
Just as several times before on the open highway, we met Kersten and Kevin heading south as we were heading north. We didn’t stop for a chat this time, we made due with me texting, followed by a phone call from Kevin.
The clouds above were turbulent the entire time. We stopped at a Casey’s store in Litchfield and before I could return to the car, the rains started. We didn’t think anything of it as Litchfield had just gotten four inches the night before. How much could be left to fall? The six miles out to the thresher’s site was driving at 40 mph as you couldn’t see for the rain coming down.
I enjoyed seeing many family members from my Mom’s side of the Riebe clan. Bitter sweet as we just had a Riebe reunion at the thresher’s site last year, hosted by Art himself. He was so proud to show off the dining hall adjacent to some of the warehouses full of goodies. Taken too soon at the age of 61, he was a memorable fellow.
We arrived home about 7:30 this evening, again often times driving through rain and very strong winds. With strong winds howling, the first thing we did was check out the yards to see if we had any wind damage. Dennis cleaned seed pods out of the Koi pond, but didn’t spend any extra time under the large trees. Older trees often have damage that is not detectable until it, or a part of it, hits the dirt.
After we got home, I offered a prayer of thanks for having a safe day of traveling. Then, standing on my driveway, clicking my heels together, the neighbors could very well have heard me say, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”
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Noreen
Took in Dennis’ great grandson, Oliver’s second birthday in Mankato. Lots of activity for us older folk to sit back and enjoy. We aren’t accustomed to sitting around that much, and we both came home more weary than if we had worked in the yard all day.
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Noreen
Days like this with slow-falling rains are needed . . . but man, the darkness brings with it a gloom that even an unexpected nap while reading the junk mail won’t lift.
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Noreen
What service! I called Mediacom yesterday to voice my concerns over our televisions tiling out (distorted image) over the last two weeks. Today a little past noon, technician Michael appeared representing Mediacom. The black box where all the magic happens from, appears to have had an electrical surge move through it. Though we have not had an electrical storm or have not been home when something may have happened to compromise our electrical within the home, there was evidence of a problem.
The cable attached from the back of the black box to the place where it entered through the living room floor appeared to have been sliced with a knife in short spurts for that enter length that compromised the smooth surface that the cable should have had throughout. There were areas where the steel of the cable showed through. At the entrance of the cable to the box the cable had been melted.
We now have a new black box that is ready for a high definition television for some time in the future. Michael replaced connections on all four televisions that we have hooked to Mediacom. The remote was replaced complete with batteries. Every component in the box on the outside of the house was replaced. We had a great once over and though Michael could not be certain the tiling was corrected without sitting and watching television with us, he encouraged us to call if more support was needed.
I know Mediacom and such companies get a lot of negative publicity, but today we had a service technician that scored 100% and we addressed that when we received a follow up phone call in regard to the visit today.
We really don’t know if the condition of the cable indicated that something worse might have, could have, happened within the home, but we are thankful that after Michael left we had a clean bill.
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Noreen
Yes, today was mother’s day. I just can’t imagine how one day could possibly be the sum total of the experience of being a mother. Someone figured out how to make being a mother financially advantageous and it became commercialized. That logic aside, I so enjoyed the text messages, the emails, the phone calls and the hugs of this entire last week. Love is just the best gift of all and it is priceless.
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Noreen
Very good day on Stauffer. The acreage is mowed, some needed gardening filled out the time we had. It was hard to come in and tidy up to work at a VFW event. More another time.