Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:35 pm on March 3, 2024 Permalink  

  A Decision 

  Today I acted upon a decision I have been bouncing around for a week.

  I had received in the mail an invitation to a baby shower coming up in April.  It was for my nephew’s son and his wife, having a baby boy in June.  I called the individual, the phone number was on the invite, that had sent the invite and I declined my attendance.  I know that information will find its way to where it needs to go.  Being at the Hutchinson fairgrounds by 10:30 in the morning is a stretch for me.

  No one from Larry’s family had ever inquired how I was doing after having had a stroke.  If Larry’s wife had ever kept any of the meet and greets over the last two years that had always been a “thank you but it won’t work for me,” she would have been able to draw her own conclusions.

  My mobility is good.  Yes, I’m able to drive, but not by leaving home a little after eight in the morning for a two hour event.

  Larry’s son Alex and his wife were very gracious via a phone conversation when they received the quilt I had made for them.  I will personally contact Alex and his wife prior to the shower date.

  I feel better at not having put that off.

  With these strong winds, I don’t know what to make of the ditty that says March will go out like a lion if it comes in like a lamb.  The temps can be taken as a lamb thing, but the strong winds are nasty like the roar of a lion.  Day by day we will eventually find out what March does have up its sleeve. 

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 4:15 pm on March 2, 2024 Permalink  

  Quickest 

  That was the quickest memorial Dennis and I have ever attended.

  We were to be at the Eagles Club at three this afternoon for Dennis’ son in-law’s memorial.  All that Dennis and I did was to make sure we had face-time with family and we came home.  There were people standing outside waiting to get in.  Dennis’ daughter Sandy was kind enough to bring the pickup to the front door of the Eagles as we had to park two blocks away.  

  Tim had played sports here in school.  Tim’s parents are gone, but he has three sisters and their families here in town.

  We were happy that so many of Tim Paulson’s friends and family came to offer support for Susie and her family.  We may catch up with some of family tomorrow if they have stayed in town.

  As we were leaving, Sandy told us of some news that I hope has a happy ending.  Nephew Brett went on vacation from the long concrete season to Arizona where one of his cousins live.  Doug and Brett were going to burn up the golf courses.  Brett and his family are on their way to Arizona as Brett went flat out on the ground.  Nothing else was known as yet.  Hmm.  Good prayers going up.

  We never know . . . we are not to know what each hour can bring.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:30 pm on March 1, 2024 Permalink  

  Bricks 

  Bricks are needed in our pants today.  With a huge awning the width of our home on the west side, winds such as we are having causes concern.

  By the time it was my bedtime last night, I had my floor-lamp assembled complete with a LED bulb.  Many times, I would enjoy looking through a publication after supper.  Now . . . I can.  The lamp shade was a length of vinyl-backed white fabric.  The two metal rings, top and bottom, had hooks on them that coincided with the eyelets on the lamp shade, making contact all around with the fabric as it was now looking like a lamp-shade.  Each end closed the gap with a strip of Velcro.  My $89.00 lamp was 50% off.  Lots of reading and rocking in my future.

  Tomorrow will be a busy day.  Lots of Dennis’ family will be in town.  Dennis’ daughter and her husband moved to Silver Bay, Minnesota, when the taconite ore had its own railroad.  After that decline, they now had three children and made Silver Bay their home.  Susie’s husband was from St. James and passed away several weeks ago.  Tomorrow is a memorial service.  Many, many now needing to make the six hour drive.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 4:03 pm on February 29, 2024 Permalink  

  Fun Trip 

  Today was not about medical appointments.  I had a short list for Hobby Lobby in Mankato.  If you want something, needing something it must be in that huge store.

  Dennis had a chance for people watching as they came and went from the store.

  We did stop in at Sam’s Club.  Giant muffins that are $4.99 for six.  Dennis is partial to the banana nut.  We put them one at a time in sandwich-size zip lock bags.  In the freezer they go.  Each evening, Dennis puts one bag in his breakfast box with a plastic fork, several Oreo cookies, and in the morning, a huge thermos coffee cup with coffee.  He is happy and so am I.  I don’t care for the muffins.  If all else I will have a piece of peanut butter toast.  So be it.

  I had stitched for the kids, a likeness of their dog, Kluge.  A new grand pup in their home has arrived. I have an Eevee stitched out.  I changed out the profile, so that the pups will be facing each other in their frames.  50% off on frames in Hobby Lobby, so the pups will have matching frames.  How fun.

  We are having chili from the freezer for supper.  I can’t remember when we have eaten a meal when in Mankato.  We are content coming home for supper.  I would be up to venturing into a restaurant other than Perkins or Culver’s, Dennis not so much.  He likes eating with me here on Stauffer Avenue.  I like it also.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 4:14 pm on February 28, 2024 Permalink  

  A Wonderful Day 

  We can’t have a wonderful day without a story.

  In 2018, Dennis was prescribed Methadone for Neuropathy.  It is nerve damage in the feet and hands from extreme cold conditions.  When Dennis was in Korea, which has the same weather as Minnesota, many times his and many around them had frost bite on the feet and hands.  

  It was assured that the halogenic compounds were removed.  It brought relief.  Dennis saw a doctor frequently and nothing was ever made of the 10mg twice a day nor was it questioned.

  We had a shift in doctors at our St. James Mayo Clinic.  New primaries needed to be assigned.  It came to the attention that Dennis needed to visit a doctor at the Mankato Pain Clinic for a review of the Methadone.  Methadone is a powerful opioid.  It was made off that on the new refill that Dennis’ primary in St. James would send to Lewis Drug on the 23rd, would have a decrease in dose and slowly wean Dennis off of Methadone .

  Dennis went to Lewis before five on the 23rd and nothing had come through.  Dennis went to Lewis Drug on Saturday at three and there was nothing.  On came the weekend.  Dennis’ last dose had been on the morning of the 23rd with the next would have been that evening for supper.

  I called Mankato on Monday morning and they sent an urgent response to St. James clinic.  All Monday . . . nothing.  I began looking at Dennis without him noticing for withdrawal.  His pain was getting enough that I gave him 1000mg of Tylenol extra strength.  I had enough experience with surgical pain, that I knew it could help.  I called the St. James clinic and they were looking into it.  All day Tuesday . . . nothing.  The clinic would give me a call.  I gave more Tylenol and it helped Dennis’ pain.  This morning, Wednesday,  I got a call from the St. James clinic that a prescription had been faxed to Lewis Drug.  Oh my God.  Not one bit of an explanation.

  I called the pain clinic in Mankato.  I needed to know how to work with this prescription of Methadone as Dennis had not had any Methadone since Friday.  A pain doctor was put on.  They read the charts and knew what had been going on.  They went through the detox/withdrawal symptoms with me.  Dennis cleared all the warning signs.  Amazingly, Dennis had weaned himself from Methadone.   They said it wasn’t their prescribed method by any means.  Going cold-turkey can be dangerous.  The pain clinic took care of cancelling the Methadone prescription.

  The next thing I needed from them was what to do with the Neuropathy pain Dennis was having.  For now, Tylenol Extra Strength, up to 3,000 mg per 24 hours.  Dennis had commented that within 20 minutes, the pain was better and that was at 1,000 mg.

  Wonders of wonders.  Yes, a wonderful day.  Dennis was relieved, I was relieved.  Dennis said he would take it slow and not do the 3,000 mg if not needed.  Staying ahead of pain is important and Dennis will now be in charge of that.  This Doc Piddy, the quack, is off the clock.

  I will admit, being in charge of drugs for my patient can wear me down.

  With that I take my leave.

   
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  Noreen 3:48 pm on February 27, 2024 Permalink  

  A Quiet Spot 

  This late afternoon I am in my quiet spot also known as the studio.

  My goal for today has been met.  That being, vacuuming the attic floor.  Our steps up to the attic are steep.  There may be a four by four area in the middle of the attic where I can stand up straight.  Our home has a hip roof line so of course, so goes the ceiling lines in the attic.

  As with many, I had collected more items than I could possibly have room to display them. 

  As I worked in the attic, Dennis was at the base of the steps taking things as I discarded them.  At the time that we had kitchen and bath flooring put down, the excess pieces . . . up in the attic they went.  Over a period of twenty years the edges of those pieces of flooring curled.  It was perfect to catch a foot on when you were already doubled over under the ceiling lines.  I was surprised how the vinyl flooring had yellowed with no exposure to light or to use.  It is no more.

  There is now, nothing on the flooring but what happens to be shiplap pine.

  Quite a few years ago we had been given a rather huge cedar chest which found a home with Kersten and Kevin.  Carrie is still using Grandma Schafer’s cedar chest.  Megan is coming to see us on her spring collage break.  I am going to take her up into the attic to see if some time, she would like to have it.  If so, I am already feeling sorry for her dad and Nicholas.  The attic steps are steep and the refrigerator that blocks a portion of the attic doorway, needs to come out into the larger kitchen area to remove said chest.  So goes tiny homes.

  I will say that my cleaning up of dead wasps went well with the shop vac.  Dennis had prepared Home Base insect spray in one of the gallon pump-up sprayer from Harbor Freight.  Checking the window out, I could see where there may have been an area of insects to get through.  I sprayed the interior west wall area and around the window.  I had planed on opening the window to spray the frame but with wind gust of 30 mph, I would have ended up getting it whipped back at me.

  I did take photos of items I have no attachment to and sent them off to someone that may take them.  Sooner or later, it will need to be dealt with.  I do know some families that needed to tidy up mom’s house and a dumpster was used.  That actually happened twenty feet south of us.

  Of today’s quest, I will say my knees are the most weary from crouching in the attic.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:34 pm on February 26, 2024 Permalink  

  Sunny for Today 

  64 degrees is hard to beat . . . soon to change.

  Yesterday when I tackled the apple box and lightened the load in the attic, the very first thing that down-right shocked me was all of the dead wasps on the floor near the west wall.  I could not believe it.  I didn’t spend a lot of time as I didn’t want them on the bottom of my shoes and then drag the bodies down the steps.   I got the small shop vac up in the attic for tomorrow’s work.  The steps are steep and Dennis will give advise from below.  The window has a screen on it and fits into the frame very tightly.  Tomorrow is soon enough to work on this mystery.  There is a first time for everything.

  We have some bug spray to put into a small pump sprayer so that will be my exit strategy to open the window and spray around and into the frame.

  I do have a project in the hoop that will be ready to go for the sewing machine complete with the spools of colored thread that will be needed.  I am definitely into my book that I have started.  The counted cross stitch is going slowly with many color changes.  I did pick up a neat tip off of one of the YouTube videos.  When a needle is especially difficult to get threaded, turn it around and try from the other side.  Needles are stamped out in manufacturing and one side may have a slight burr that is not easily detected.  Dang, if it didn’t work better.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:34 pm on February 25, 2024 Permalink  

  It’s a Happy Sunday 

  As cloudy as it is, I have a good amount of zip today.  I think it was the peanut butter toast I had for breakfast.

  After I had taken apart a 1950s photo album, there was a box in the attic that was niggling me.  It was the size of the box that apples used to come to the grocer’s.  It was plump full.  It was half full of crochet patterns.  Some from Grandma Schafer and just as many of mine.  The other half of the box was full of counted cross stitch patterns.  That box was heavy.

  I pulled it over to the attic stairwell.  I took out multiple stacks and put them on the steps.  As I backed down the steps, I kept moving the stacks down, one step at a time.  Mission accomplished.

  I touched each pamphlet, each folder and each book.  I have a stack of counted cross stitch to look through.  The crochet patterns are in the recycling bin.  I tried as late as this last Christmas to crochet.  Optimally the left hand is the tension control while the right hand has the crochet hook.  I loved crocheting, but . . . that was then, this is now.

  I have patience and wisdom.  My life today is not an accident.  I didn’t stay in the darkness of the stroke.  The light I have each day refused to surrender.  That ditty is from a quote of John Mark Green.

  This afternoon when looking out the kitchen window, I saw Jan, our neighbor, working with her four year old in their drive with an old pedal tractor.  That took me back to the times Megan and Nicholas would be with Dennis and me.  Oh for the love of memories.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:12 pm on February 24, 2024 Permalink  

  The Wind 

  When the wind is from the south, it makes our exterior mail flopper flop.

  Today was haircuts and pedicures.  What a great feeling.

  It is such a great feeling of being pampered, I feel lazy for the rest of this Saturday afternoon.

  I dare not try and read as I know my head would nod.

  The choice for me is to do some counted cross stitching.  With needing to count how many stitches with which color of thread, I think I can get through the afternoon.

  But . . . 

  With that I need to take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:34 pm on February 23, 2024 Permalink  

  A Trip 

  Today was a trip back in time.  

  When I was in 8th grade, my sister Elvera gave me a photo album for a Christmas gift.  It was at a time when she worked as an oppari for a family in the metro.  The cover had my name on it in gold letters.  Talk about special.

  This album had not seen daylight in decades and it was also very fragile.  Within the covers were items from school events, most notable report cards from first grade through 1962, the year I graduated.  With a cup of coffee, I did rifle through them one by one.  I was an average student.  In my junior year a “D” was given in one of the quarters for Algebra.  In my senior year a red “F” found its way into one of the quarters for Chemistry.  I noted that my dad signed that quarter.

  I had a report card for Winthrop’s schools.  My parents then purchased their first farm that took us to Renville County, rural district #34 through 7th grade.  The farm was in the Hutchinson school district.  The physical school district’s lines were re-drawn due to the census and the family farm was now in the Stewart school district.  The last three years I attended in Stewart.

  In the album was um-teen ribbons from the McLeod County Fair via 4-H.  My oh my.

  My graduating class was 58 in number and I am quite sure we traded photos for every one of us.  Those photos were to be held forever with scotch tape.  For each page I touched the photos fell off.

  So . . . so far I have not decided about the photos.  I did letter in Pep Club, I may save that along with the front and back covers.  That may all change.  Lightening the load was my plan as I walked an arm load out to the recycling bin.  There needs to be some decisions made with the remaining contents of the storage where the album was.  That will require input from my two children in time to come.

  I just now looked out the window to the northwest and the skies look as if they could open up with rain.  At 37 degrees, I guess snow might be in the mix.  Hmm.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥