Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:48 pm on March 13, 2024 Permalink  

  Overwhelmed 

  The close of this day is fast approaching.  I am overwhelmed at the day I have had . . . we have had.

  Megan arrived this forenoon for her first solo visit.  It may have been a long time coming, but this was the best.

  She will have her four year degree completed in three years this coming May.  Amazing with a 4.0.

  It may be some time before we can visit again as she and three additional gals will be moving into an apartment near campus in May.  Hmm.  Megan plans on keeping her job over the summer at the Texas Roadhouse as a hostess.  Megan plans on pursuing her Master’s degree.  Hats off.

  It was time for the trip back home.  Having her spend a day of her spring break with us was wonderful.  She got home to Eden Prairie yesterday.

  Megan helped me plan the Easter Sunday dinner.  I know as long as it is also my birthday on the 31st, the menu was mine to plan.

  Dennis and I will be serving:  Johnsonville pre-cooked beef brats and buns, bar-b-q and buns, baked beans, chips and dips.  A yummy spring dessert.  Anyone coming can add a favorite of their own.

  I will be smiling all through till bed time.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:02 pm on March 12, 2024 Permalink  

  Coffee 

  A bit of coffee left from breakfast.  Time for a few key strokes.

  When I had the wild hair to work on the living room floor, our trusty little shop vac came up from the basement.  Dennis has one just like it in the patio porch.  That little machine has huge ability to get whatever you point it at, picked up.

  The only downside is the many feet of hose.  I make sure I am always on the safe side of the coil.

  Yesterday was a good day to use the vac to clean all ports possible of the dryer in the bathroom.  That included Dennis taking the hose outside to clear that vent.  Poking around the base of the washer got everything that could be gotten with various attachments.

  We may not keep this vac on the main floor due to lack of space.  That got me going this morning on pulling out the kitchen range.  Sweet felt pads.  Next was poking around on the refrigerator area.  Nope . . . I didn’t do the top . . . as yet.

  I will keep poking around with the vac until I no longer hear the squeal of dust bunnies.

  Dennis just now came home with one med for me and supposedly one for him.  Inside his bag was a bottle of the opioid and two doses of a Narcan.  WTF.  Dennis amazingly got himself off of the opioid and this is really very disappointing.  Dr. Kohn had no business refilling this without a personal request from Dennis.  Dennis asks the gals at the drug store via giving our names.  They put it in a bag and Denis pays the amount they ask for and he heads home.

  Dennis’ so called new provider . . . screwed up again.  I called Lewis Drug and explained things and Dennis is now on his way back to Lewis Drug for returns getting his money back.

  —–onto our Tuesday.

  In the evenings I have been stitching.  Finding it very relaxing.  More so than putting jigsaw puzzles together.  I have also been in the studio from time to time with the Bernina.

  We have a gal across the street that is raking today.  Too early for me.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on March 11, 2024 Permalink  

  Another Four 

  As of today, I have another four years with a valid driver’s license.  They were very busy in that office today.

  I don’t recognize too many that man the offices.  I did stop in and see Lisa Schumann in the personnel office.  Lisa came to the courthouse right out of college in the late 80s.  She was a jewel to work with.  She plans on retiring this fall.  Angela Wellnitz would make her grandma, Norma, proud.  Angela takes care of the city of St. James’ assessments.  We worked with Angela when we took the blue barn down.  Norma worked for me for many years.  Hmm.  She died too young.

  With the temps in the 70s today, why am I not surprised to see wasps flying about.  They are just . . . yuk.

  Megan is coming solo this Wednesday.  She is home for spring break.  Dennis and I are excited.  After the trip to the courthouse, we went to the grocery store.  Not just because Megan was coming, we were out of some items.  Even though we buy milk in the quart size, the sell by date catches us short.  Today I bought three boxes of instant pudding.  Gottcha!

  I have no idea, but Dennis can get a lot of his country western music on Facebook.  I don’t ask, I just enjoy it.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:37 pm on March 10, 2024 Permalink  

  Busy Day 

  Today I kept myself busy with what I had purchased at Menards yesterday.

  Getting felt pads where they were needed.

  Our computer table in the living room is on rollers. Oh roll they did . . . over and over and over the same spots on the laminate.  The front two legs had locks on the rollers.  If not rolling, the surface of the roller being locked would skid along the flooring.  One was just as bad as the other.  Now two of the four legs is locked with felt pads under them.  The third leg has a Grammie-implemented-item jammed between the roller and the roller’s housing, so it can’t roll.  It also got a felt pad under it.   The roller on the fourth leg pretty much stayed in place as the computer stand would roll in an arc. 

  My next project was rocking chairs.  I made sure to clean the rockers on my teak chair with the final wipe being with rubbing alcohol as per the directions on the felt strips going onto the underside of the rockers.

  My great grandmother Christine’s rocking chair was bound to be moved from Dennis’ bedroom to the living room.  Christine was a tall person.  She came to Penn Township via Ellis Island.  When Christine passed, my grandmother Laura used the rocker.  Laura was short and they cut down the legs for her height and then put the rockers on.  Each rocker is of different wood.  I am sure it was a DIY.  It is an Oak Mission Style rocker that is quite heavy.  When I cleaned its rockers, I noticed an old screw sticking out just enough to scratch the floor a bit.  The felt webbing covered that nicely.  The seat’s springs have been replaced, the oak wood has been refinished and it sports a new covering on the seat.

  The black walnut glider rocker that belonged to mom and dad is now in Dennis’ bedroom.  At Thanksgiving, Jeremy was sitting in the glider and it must have touched on the window sill behind it.  Jeremy took ahold of the arm rests and hopped it with him away from the window.  I don’t know whose eyes got bigger . . . mine or Carrie’s.  Carrie did mention to Jeremy that the rocker most likely was close to one hundred years old.  The glider is now resting in a quiet bedroom.  My mom had joined the craze of applying paints to give this antique a different look.  It took me quite a bit of elbow grease to get that paint off of all the spindles.  The seat is a wood veneer that I have had a bonding layer put on the under-side of the seat to strengthen its curve.

  I have an emotional attachment to these two rockers.  I spent time in the Penn Township farm home during each of these grandmother’s time.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:22 pm on March 9, 2024 Permalink  

  One Stop 

  Oh my gosh.  I didn’t get out of bed until 9:30 this morning.  The week had been busy for me.  If I set my mind to tackle a task, I won’t quit until it is finished.  Of course my tasks take me longer than in days of old.  Who cares!  When the task has been completed, I feel like a puddle.  A very happy and satisfied puddle at that. 

  Today was one-stop shopping at Menards in Mankato.

  I do intend to do the laminate flooring in Dennis’ bedroom . . . sometime.  Starting that at sometime doesn’t pay if the bottle of floor juice has little left in it.  A second bottle was purchased today.  I also had a list of felt protectors to pick up for various furniture feet.  I also found some commercial weight felt, adhesive backed, 1″ wide webbing for my teak rocking chair. 

  I had never really looked around in Menards.  Hmm.  Complete with milk and frozen pizza.

   A short trip but a successful one.

  Dennis did comment that when we went to the store here in town, to pick up the small bottles of pop.  I added that it would be enjoyable to have a flavor or two as well.  He didn’t think we should overdo in the refrigerator.  Hey, it’s plugged in, there is room . . . why not allow a bit of a treat.  I could see the light bulb go off.

  Today is quiet in town.  The train whistle seems extra loud as the northwest wind carries to us.

  I have re-heated some breakfast coffee and am now heading to my cherry red chair in my bedroom porch.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:51 pm on March 8, 2024 Permalink  

  Friday the 8th 

  True to my word of yesterday, I am having a quiet day.

  Last night, Dennis made this weary Grammie supper.  Oh, sweet.  Cheeseburgers and tator tots piping hot from the Eagles Club several blocks up the street.  It was truly enjoyed.  There were just enough tots left on my plate that I could make a smiley face that greeted me this morning.  I may have popped one or two in my mouth on the way to the coffee pot.  Potatoes are a good source of protein in various concoctions.

  Has anyone around here ever found fossils?  I have found several.  They are embedded in my floor finish of the laminate flooring job.  I had used some old wash cloths that were way past their prime.  Each day, the Swiffer mop, had one clamped into place.  Yesterday’s choice of cloths left some strands of thread as I was applying the update.  Oh well.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  We gained a whole bunch by hopefully prolonging the life of our laminate flooring.

  Nothing lasts forever and we do live in every nook and cranny of this home on Stauffer Avenue.

  The freezer gave up a freezer Zip Lock bag of several servings of chili for our supper.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:44 pm on March 7, 2024 Permalink  

  Happy Thursday 

  Yes . . . I am sure that today is Thursday the 7th of March.  Sometimes I need a bit of correction when I get lost.

  Today was the fourth day of working on the living room flooring.  It is satisfying and so it is well with my soul.

  When a task is started, it does turn out to be more complicated than at first thought.  Neither one of us were turned away from our beds for a night.  It took a bit of planning much like a farmer needs to plot out portions of his farm.

  I believe I will be content for a day or two to watch traffic go by as I perch upon my cherry red chair.  No one was injured in this latest task.

  On my next shopping list will be protectors for the legs of our refractory oak table.  It is a heavy one, as evident of the protectors that hit the garbage can.  Why not protect flooring when it is easily done.   A while back Kevin made sure I could move the kitchen range with by putting felt pads under the skids.  Even the heavy two-tiered oak cabinet that we use as a television stand has felt pads under it.  Hmm.  No, I did not move it out before applying my juice onto the floor.  What I did was push it back as far as I could against the corner walls.  When the floor is dry, I will pull it out a bit and no discrepancy will be seen.  It’s a Grammie thing. 

  I admit to you this task of the floor has tuckered me out.  But . . . if you repeat that, I will deny it.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:17 pm on March 6, 2024 Permalink  

  Happy Wednesday 

  The week has gone by quite quickly.

  I will have one more day for refurbishing our laminate flooring.  It is an area of 3′ x 6′.  My jug of goodies stated it would do 600 square feet.  As each day has dried, I have given the heavy traffic patterns another covering.  It is working out well considering how fearful I was to start.  New things, new experiences bring fear of the unknown.  Once the first area was done and it dried . . . I was on board.

  I do not watch television after supper once I have had the Mankato news followed by a half hour of world wide news.  I enjoy being in my cherry red chair as dusk turns to night.  I can either read or stitch.  The stitching is counted cross stitch.  When the ole cowboy visits and sits in the guest chair, the stitching is gently folded up.  I can’t count and carry on any type of conversation, even if it is a brief comment to add to Dennis’ story.  I remember Kevin telling me that when Sophie was around, she needed her one on one with him.  Dennis needs his one on one also.   

  Last evening around six, I looked out the window to the south.  The Hispanic couple was outside and for all practical purposes, it looked like they were working up an area for a garden.  The wife had a pick-ax and she was throwing that hard enough, I could see the dirt flying.  Him . . . not so much.  Spring seems to have sprung.  The old wives tale is that potatoes should be planted on Good Friday for a hardy crop.  Even that deadline is several weeks away.

  We are going to be content with soup for supper.  That means I still have some rocking chair time left before the heat gets turned on under the soup.  I am currently in my studio.  To get to my rocking chair, I will need to go out the back door and use the front door to get into my bedroom porch.  Soon the discombobulation of the living room will be over.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:32 pm on March 5, 2024 Permalink  

  FYI 

  For your information, the oven meal of last night was a winner.  The chopped up steamed broccoli was a great pairing with the chicken.  So much better than corn or mixed vegetables ever were.  Dennis commented the alfalfa was good.

  Today I worked on the living room floor.  Traffic patterns were in need of TLC.  The remainder of the floor was in need of some spills of various kinds.  First the vac, then the wet mop and finally the stuff that makes the laminate look good.  By supper the floor can be walked on.

  Tomorrow, the area on the west part of the living room will need the TLC.  Sometime last fall, I decided a rug under my teak rocker was going away permanently.  It could bunch up as I rocked and it for sure caught lint and such while not being easy to shake outside.  I didn’t notice scratches on the laminate.  It was more like a wax finish that was rubbed.  I will buff out the floor area before I apply the liquid rejuvenator.

  Is this the start of spring cleaning for Grammie?  No . . . it’s just that what the eye sees, cannot be ignored.  Tiny homes need tending just like any other place.  Only, the larger the home, one’s eye gets weary of looking.  We no longer expect anyone to take off shoes when they visit as we surely do not.  A little bit of tidy tidy at a time, sure does beat having to clear out the entire house once it’s gotten away from me.  That can happen if I find myself down the rabbit hole of stitching, stitching, stitching . . . either in my bedroom porch or in the studio.

  As I worked myself out of the house today with the flooring, I had left the front door open so I could get into my bedroom porch and the west part of the living room.  As I walked back and forth the boxelder bugs on the southwest corner of the house amongst the dirt were horrible.  We hardly had a break from those nasties since the fall of 2023.

  With my back and butt cheeks being weary, I am so happy we will have a repeat of Dennis’ alfalfa pasta dish.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:06 pm on March 4, 2024 Permalink  

  Tandem 

  This morning Dennis and I worked in tandem to get an oven meal ready for supper.  Canned white chicken meat lacks a hardy flavor.  I steamed some broccoli to add to the pasta and Alfredo sauce.  The bright green color did wonders for the dish.  There is also a container in the freezer as the amount that was concocted would have given us way too many repeats.

  I had been meaning to try some of the laminate floor care that we got at Menards.  I did the worst first.  Where the computer stand is rolled back and forth was my first concern.  It looks refurbished in color and shine.  It dried within 45 minutes, but will allow no use until supper.  Each day I will vacuum, damp mop, let dry and then do another area.  So far, it is looking good.

  Marsha from across the street came over for a visit.  Actually, Marsha’s son lives across the street in Marsha’s home.  Marsha lives in LaSalle.  It was a great chat.  Marsha takes care of grandchildren and has little to no time for too much dilly dattle.

  The air feels as if it has rain in it.  Damp clouds. 

  This winter, as strange as it has been, is frightening to see what is happening in California with all the snow.  I believe home’s roof tops are in fear of collapse.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥