Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 1:55 pm on July 2, 2024 Permalink  

  Hit and Miss 

  Today is all about hit and miss showers.

  When I went to bed last night it was lightning in the northwest.  This morning there were puddles on Stauffer Avenue.

  I decided to do a Cinderella today in my kitchen.  Now, at mid afternoon, I can report that we will have a pasta oven meal for supper.  There are also two containers of said dish in the freezer.  One pound of ground beef with lots of odds and ends to accompany it.  While the pasta was piping hot, I added the last of the cream cheese in with the pasta and put a lid on it to melt the cheese.  The cream cheese coats the pasta for an additional flavor.  While the ground beef was browning, I added some Better than Bullion roasted garlic flavor.  That cleaned out the little jar.  I sautéed the half of the Vidalia onion that was double bagged in the refrigerator.  There were some Bush’s baked beans left from last night’s supper . . . in they went.  Two beef brats also from last night, sliced into thin rounds.   A half cup of peas that were asking to be recued from the freezer for a bit of color.  Classico basil flavored red sauce folded in and around.

  Dennis is all about using up and putting in rather than throwing out.  This concoction is my craziest one yet.  It has hit all the marks of the nutrition wheel.  I will give you a review tomorrow.

  The last of the laundry has been done, leaving an empty laundry basket for about . . . not very long.  Gotta love clean clothes.

  All the dishes have been done as well as taking the top of the kitchen range apart for a tidy, tidy.  With the last of the breakfast coffee, Cinderella is in her cherry red chair in her bedroom porch.  Those walking by on our street are swatting bugs as much as stepping it off.  The air is dead.  The dew point and the humidity are the same.  Not for a good feeling.  We are to have more rain falling this afternoon.

  Dennis did the local grocer’s trip today.  

  Tomorrow I will visit my dentist.  The adjustments are soon to be over.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:09 pm on July 1, 2024 Permalink  

  Day Three 

  Another good day pulling weeds while the soil is still moist.  The yellow flowering clover is on a rage.  The secret is finding where the hair fine root is and then pulling up an amount as large as a dinner plate.  If the south wind had not been so strong, I could have moved about the Hosta giving a lot of it a good weed spray.  Maybe tomorrow.

  Dennis had gone to the blue barn acre with his vegetation killing spray.  He was prepared with two gallons mixed up.  He came home after using one gallon as the mosquitoes were horrible in his face and ears.  The south line fence sheltered the area from the strong winds.  Working around the north area of the patio porch, the bugs didn’t bother me, but then I was zipped up to my nose.   

  Dennis has all of the greenery ready for garbage day tomorrow.  As I raked it along the concrete patio it rolled into itself like a long round bale.  When Dennis made a horseshoe shaped form out of it, it was easily lifted into the bin. 

  We are to get rain this evening.  Maybe tomorrow will be a clover pulling event. 

  I was going to work on my camera for it to work “nice” with my HP, but the battery in the camera needed to be refreshed.  Maybe tomorrow.

  There was an email from the county this morning, that the Madelia school parking lot would be taking items from the flood from one to six today.  Our carpeting is gone.  Thank goodness.  Apparently the St. James site was full up.

  Supper is going to be Johnsonville pre-cooked beef brats and Bush’s pork and beans.  I do tucker myself out with getting the flower beds to look as if someone does live here.  Then again several hours each morning does make a huge dent in things.  I am so thankful Dennis does keep the lawns looking good.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:16 pm on June 30, 2024 Permalink  

  Small and Large 

  The biting bugs are tiny to extra large. 

  Though it was cool outside this morning they rose up out of the soil like mighty armies.

  I did work with more of the nasty vegetation until ten.  As much as I had covered myself, they found their way to this pale sin.

  I have added a new do-dad, literally, to our living room south wall.  Though dad’s favorite foil label has long since fallen off . . . I will always know from whence this came.

  In the mean time, I may well have spent the last hour with no success.  I have my camera manual and another day I will try, try, try to get my canon camera hooked to my HP in my bedroom porch.  I do know when to throw in the towel.  I had the camera on and hooked to WI-FI, but I missed a prompt. As I said tomorrow is another day.

  Dennis was able to mow our backyard now that the water has been gone for several days.  It will take some sunny warm days to allow this grass to be like all the others . . . growing to beat hell.

  I have an oven dish out of the freezer for our supper.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:46 pm on June 29, 2024 Permalink  

  A Short 

  This is a shortie of a blog posting.

  The winds were brisk with cool temps.  I had been looking out the bathroom window since the water had gone down on the patio.  I needed to strike while the soil was soft.  Snuggles and Honey Bunny stuck with me the entire time as I pulled up vegetation that was less than desirable.  Dennis raked up what I had pulled and piled it onto the patio for it to dry out for burning.  My clippers were needed for volunteer trees that were enjoying multiple years of growing.  The dandelion tool was the last to deal with.  Again, soil so wet I could get the root.

  It was time for a break and a bite of noon lunch.

  Dennis was off for his daily ride around town in the little red pickup.

  I used both of my walking sticks and I headed up the street.  I noticed yesterday that the Smith family had a huge dumpster delivered to their driveway.  They live a block and a half from us and less than a block from the creek that had shut down the street for several days due to flooding.  I wanted them to know that I had empathy.  It seemed the thing for me to do.  Yup . . . it had been their basement floor drain that had let water come up from the floor drain.   Been there . . . done that.  Amazingly as they had put some salvageable items to the curb, it seemed to disappear as fast as they put it out.

  A morning of yard work and a good walk, my eyes seem to want to shut.  I may put a YouTube video on the television and see what happens.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:44 pm on June 28, 2024 Permalink  

  The End 

  The end of the work week is near.

  From all forecasts the temps may be doable this weekend if you can take the humidity.

  Dennis and Dewayne went to McDonald’s this morning.  It had been several weeks of those two catching up with each other.  It was definitely a break from their usual Tuesdays.

  While there was a nice breeze, I got out my Roundup.  Plants growing in concrete cracks are not pleasant to look at.  The crab grass has really nestled in where the planter of Russian Sage meets the driveway.  I realized the sun wouldn’t be out today.  I made sure the fine spray followed the base of the plants right into the cracks.

  I walked into the backyard.  I know there would be many plants that could easily be pulled by the roots with as wet as the soil is.  As a well known buzz came close to my face, I decided to look the other way and take in the traffic on Stauffer Avenue and leave the weeds be.

  When Dennis got home at noon he commented that the same crowd of fellows on a Friday as a Tuesday.  I told him he would need to pop in on a Wednesday or Thursday to see if it was a five-days-a-week gathering.

  We did get about an inch of rain from yesterday through the night.  First thing this morning, I was in the basement to check to see if water had seeped into the cistern closets.  The best way to check is to take a piece of toilet paper and put it in the most vulnerable known spots for seepage.  I was thrilled when I could nicely pick up my dry pieces of toilet paper and put it into the waste basket. 

  I have begun a new book to prop up on my stand.  Reading from the book when it is at an angle is oh so much easier on the neck and shoulders.  I am also on my second of the three stitching projects that I have going.  Rotating them keeps my interest going.  I am now on the project that I hope to someday have to put around the wooden box of Ester Schafer’s.  Yes . . . 30 plus inches in length by 2.5 ” in width is the plan.  You can’t finish if you don’t pick it up and work a few threads into it.

  I hope the end of your work week treats you well.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:59 pm on June 27, 2024 Permalink  

  Normal 

  Whew!  Our basement, also known as my studio, is back to normal.  The last of the floor vacuuming got done this morning.  I have a full-time fan going in the cistern closet.  What can it hurt!  Any air moving in the northeast corner can be a huge help.  We also have a ceiling vent fan that I leave on full-time.  Our huge dehumidifier has a drain right into our perimeter floor tile as well as our central air drain does.  Anything and everything that we could have done to keep the air as fresh as possible has been done.  But lets face it, it is still a basement under an old house.

  Dennis did get the blue barn acre’s grass cut before the rains came.  As with any grass after a lot of rain, it will look better after some sunny drying days.

  We have no plans or appointments for the remainder of the week.  Dennis and the porch kitties have settled into the little red pickup’s garage for television viewing.  I am content with stitching in my bedroom porch while taking in traffic viewing as well.

  Several normal days are just what the doctor ordered.

  The rain has picked up.  That 1/2 inch may come into fruition.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:50 pm on June 26, 2024 Permalink  

  Hump Day 

  Hump day and all is well on Stauffer Avenue.

  Dennis mowed another one of our yards today.  The grass is tall and doesn’t have a backbone.  Mowing in one direction and then in the opposite direction seems to have worked the best.

  I vacuumed a portion of the studio’s concrete floor today now that it could be converted back to a dry vacuum.  More years than I can remember we cleaned the concrete floor as best we could and then painted the floor a light gray.  I am sure we sought out the paint that was recommended.  What has happened is the gray paint does chip off from chairs sliding over it as well as rollers from chairs.  Those chips of paint cling onto the soles of shoes and can be found anywhere on our first floor’s flooring.  I decided to give the floor a good once-over.  I saved a bit of that work for tomorrow.

  A batch of egg salad is cohabitating in the refrigerator.  It is the easiest to make.  Well . . . that is if you don’t dice onion into it.  Dennis and I like a lot of diced onion.  Vidalia onions are sweet to the taste but they sure can make my eyes water to the extent that I can’t see.  They effected my dad the same way.  Raymond would power through and enjoy a buttered bread raw onion sandwich.

  Potato salad is another favorite of ours.   I do cheat.  I purchase a container of Mrs. Gerry’s prepared potato salad and proceed to doctor it up.  Using some of the egg salad concoction mixed into the Mrs. Gerry’s potato salad does pass mustard here on Stauffer Avenue.  Actually the boughten stuff is so rich in mustard and very creamy, no additional mayo is needed.  It sure beats peeling and boiling potatoes.

  We don’t golf.  We don’t frequent resorts.  We do allow ourselves some of the prepared items in our grocer’s deli.  I can mix items up to no end.  If all else fails a fried egg sandwich with a side of chips and spinach dip will work.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:27 pm on June 25, 2024 Permalink  

  Tuesday the 25th 

  Things are normalizing around Stauffer Avenue.

  The rain and water issues are under control.

  We have two small cistern closets in our basement that cannot and did not get to be included in the drain tile.  As our house is over 100 years old and was moved onto this city lot from the rural area . . . it had cistern closets.  One closet collected the rain water and the other closet was set up with a waist high dipping area to access the rain water.

  Dennis and his cousin pounded through the concrete wall of the the collection closet, thus making a good storage closet with a slight funnel type floor.  

  The east side of the closet nearest the stairwell has a crack about 2 inches from the floor mid point.  Just as the old fashioned drinking fountains that were bubblers . . . so is this crack.  You can’t fight, you can’t fix it.  All you can do is know that eventually the soil on the east side of the house will be able to absorb the extra rain. 

  When the dipping closet gets very full the floor allows for water to seep into the collection closet.  It is what it is.

  As of this morning our small shop vac that we had set up to vacuum up water is now drying out so we can put a regular filter on it.  

  Of course this was prime time to do some sifting and sorting in those two closets.  Specialty shoes after foot surgeries hit the recycling.  No way could they be made clean enough to have a new surgical wound put in it.

  Dennis’ son Ken came back into town and within minutes the heavy buffet type of furniture was sitting in the pickup garage and the carpet is folded up and on the east patio allowing the floor of marine plywood and 2x4s to dry out.  That will take a while.  As I mentioned . . . all is getting normalized.

  Dennis now has his eye on mowing.  Sweet.

  I had a dental checkup and a bit of adjustment was done.  Within the next several days I will know if more adjustment is needed.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on June 24, 2024 Permalink  

  Sump Pump 

  Our sump pump has been running non-stop.  The north side if the house looks like a lake.  This afternoon Dennis disconnected the pump’s ability to pump to the north side of the house and put on a hose to run the water out to the street.

  It may be quite awhile before we can wash off the patio.  It has a layer of dried mud on it.

  We have had a discussion about the patio porch’s floor.  All that is left in the porch right now is the heavy buffet that we have used for storage as well as a television stand.  When Dennis’ son Ken shows up tomorrow the buffet comes up and out.  The over-head fans have been running.  The carpet will be rolled and pulled out the pickup’s overhead garages door.  Yuk.  More mud.  The wooden floor will need a lot of time to totally dry out.  Dennis thought giving several coats of paint to the floor and forgetting about carpeting.  That would really make it a lot easier to keep up with the livestock.  Time will tell. 

  Our backyard still has some standing water on it.

  This evening the news will be interesting in regard to Rapidan’s dam.  At noon you could see the water running around the dam on the west end and take swipe after swipe of the dirt and trees as it fell into the rushing water to be carried away.  Many years ago we took a car ride to the Rapidan dam area.  It is quite the historic spot.

  The laundry basket is empty with clean folded clothes to take us through the week.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:04 pm on June 23, 2024 Permalink  

  Sunday and Humid 

  I didn’t miss it by much.

  I had estimated that the ole cowboy would be home by two this afternoon.  Dennis caught a ride home from Silver Bay with nephew Brett and his wife Molly.  Dennis is not one to be gone from home for too long.  

  The water on the patio did go down right after noon today.  Dennis’ son Ken will be coming home in Dennis’ little red pickup on Tuesday.  Ken will have his work cut out for him cleaning the patio porch.  A good trade for having the use of the little red pickup.  It may well be time for spending a $100.00 on a new carpet for the patio porch.  What is in there today is soaked with mud.  The patio kitties will be out and about today after being in a confinement since the water level kept them in.

  What water we have in the backyard is minimal compared to our farming communities.

  By the way . . . I so enjoyed the quiet from Friday morning until today . . . just saying.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥