Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 4:02 am on August 17, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis, Lorraine ( 6 ), quilting   

  Settling In 

  The older ones on Stauffer Avenue have had a whirlwind of items on the calendar.  After each appointment or event, it pleases us to check it off and say, “Well done.”

  Last night the telephone rang.  Not even looking at the caller I.D., I had an inkling who it might be.  My Aunt Lorraine from Arizona does call on a Saturday evening about the 9 p.m. time.  Our visit last night lasted for a full hour.  Lorraine is 84 and lives with her daughter after my uncle passed away.  Lorraine is a retired teacher from the Jackson, Minnesota, area, who taught children in need of speech therapy.  Our bond is family ties as well as the love of fabric and quilting.  Each year as Lorraine visits her remaining three children in Minnesota, Dennis and I are always graced with a day’s visit from her.  I feel very honored.

  Through family connections, Lorraine has found a friend.  Dick is a widower, about the same age as Lorraine.  Lorraine and Dick enjoy going out for coffee and he enjoys taking her to various quilting shops to the degree that he is trying his hand at a project or two using her tools and sewing machine.  A teacher and her student.  It makes me smile.  Lorraine’s son is a young widower and works in Hastings at a large printing company.  Mark is on his feet for the entire work shift, and while Lorraine was visiting him this passed summer, Mark took her to several quilt shops in his area.  As it turns out, his wife had been a quilter and he has a good sewing machine.  Lorraine was happy to report that Mark has finished his first queen-sized quilt.  Working with multi-colored layouts has given him an eye for color combinations. Being on his feet all day, the relaxation sets in as he whiles away home time sitting at the sewing machine being creative in his own right.  Lorraine has managed to encourage two special fellows in her life to share her passion.  Now there is a subtle, persuasive personality.

  

  This scrappy quilt will be using more of what has been left over from previous projects. It will lend itself to more of the pastel colors, as Dennis’ quilt had the darker hues.

  I have appreciated Dennis’ help in the sewing room, helping me to herd large quilts under the sewing machine needle as I put bindings on.  This summer he tackled using a quilting tack gun to hold layers of the quilt together.  Who knows?  Perhaps Dennis will find himself being pulled into the world of lint, fuzz and threads.  Not!

  The calendar is clear for some time of appointments and events and I am ready to settle in and begin on my next scrappy quilt projects.  I will be able to use many lengths of scraps that are two and a half inches in width, quite a bit larger than the ones used for Dennis’ scrappy quilt.

  Balance in my day is what brings joy to my life.  Checking out the flower gardens every day on a walk with Butter Ball comes first with a cup of coffee.  As I type, we are in for some rain that will be coming out of the very dark clouds, insuring the gardens won’t need to be watered.  I have an idea the sewing machine will be humming tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 2:28 am on July 29, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Creamed Cucumbers, Dennis, Mom ( 5 )   

  Dennis Knows How to Shop 

  

  Dennis stopped at the Farmer’s Market this afternoon and he knows how to shop for good produce. That ole cowboy picked out wonderful cucumbers and onions. The slicer that was my Mom’s might look the worse for wear, but I can’t imagine slicing cucumbers or raw potatoes with anything else. It really saves on the hands. Cucumbers, onions with dressing is co-mingling in the refrigerator for supper. It would not surprise me if Dennis had a huge portion of the creamed cucumbers with a slice of butter bread and calls it good. Dennis also knows how good the plate of Peanut Butter cookies is that he found at the same vendor. The Platz family from Springfield work hard at multiple locations with fresh produce, canned produce and the all time favorites in the baked goodies. Wait until they come with their chocolate zucchini bundt cake. Dennis is bound to bring one home touting the benefit of eating zucchini. Ya right!

   
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  Noreen 4:59 am on July 24, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Dad ( 5 ), Dennis, Kevin ( 8 ), Onduline   

  The Lull of Great Days 

  This afternoon it was not hard to miss that the lull we had of no humidity and mild temperatures are over for a spell.  Those wonderful four days that we did have is what makes summer sweet.

  

  Lazy mornings on the west patio. It is our own hideaway.

  As our usual morning traditions, we had coffee on the west patio enjoying the morning doves serenade us.  Both Dennis and I recalled that in times past as we, each at our own locations, would have the morning doves coo to us as we headed to the livestock barns to start the day.  Enjoying the morning, lost in our thoughts, we were taken up sharp when we heard the sounds of construction.  Our handyman had driven up to the back garage from the east without us noticing and he was hard at work putting on the metal ridge roll on its roof.  Do you think that someone could run off with our property and us not notice?

  What is amazing for small town people is that on Sunday, Dennis mentioned to Kevin that we needed to have the ridge roll replaced.  Monday Dennis looked Kenny up and ask about him working for us and by noon today the project was done. Had not the heat ramped up, Kenny would have started sealing the garage roof with the black latex paint.  By the way, in regard to that Onduline roof we put on in 1991, it was the total rage.  Most did not read the fine print of the product in that it needed to be sealed on a regular schedule. Thus, in the short years to come, there were numerous barns that looked like their roofs were made of cardboard – and lasted about as long as cardboard.  It was marketing hype from a company based in Africa.  Many lumberyards bought into it as well as Dennis and I did.  At the time, my Dad shook his head.  He must have known more than the average.  This will be the fourth time since we put the product on in 1991 that we have resealed it.  At this rate, we are confident the roof will be fine for more years to come.

  If the weathermen are correct, we should have a lull of more beautiful days next week and then wham . . . it will be August.  Where does the time go when you are having fun?

   
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  Noreen 7:12 am on May 31, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Butter Ball ( 7 ), Dennis, Snuggles ( 7 ), Weigela   

  Someone . . . Please Stop Us 

  A few wet, rainy days and you would think Dennis and I will never see a sunny day again to work in the yards.  This morning the sun was shining, and though it was 44 degrees, it felt wonderful to breathe in the brisk air as I headed out to join Dennis in the porch for coffee.

  It is always a wonder to me that Dennis has connections that make short work of some items of yard work.  Dennis had been cruising past his nephew’s work site to see when a Bobcat would be sitting idle in the lot.  When the concrete pouring season starts, the equipment could be anywhere within 100 miles in any direction of St. James.  By 10:00 this morning, Dennis was in a Bobcat headed for Stauffer Avenue.

  

  Brilliant blooms of the Weigela in years past.

  Shrubs are a great addition to residential yards, but they do have a life span all of their own.  For several decades the Weigelas have added a brilliant crown of red flowers in the backyard.  Beginning last year, there was more bare wood showing than healthy branches just waiting to burst forth with an abundance of leaves followed by the flower buds.  What do the older ones on Stauffer Avenue do?  Dennis makes a contact and the plan of the day is to pull out the Weigela shrubs.  While Dennis was in en route, my end of the bargain was to get the log chain out of the potting shed.  There is no way after as much rain as we have had, that the lawn from the edge of Stauffer Avenue to the shrub site would not show the activity of the Bobcat, but it has to be done and grass grows back.

  The Bobcat that was available had the heavy metal grid in the front with two lifting bars much like would be used to slide under pallets.  Ingress or egress is not easy for my 78-year-old partner in crime.  Where the heck were the steps?  The plan was for me to manhandle the log chain around the base of the shrub and for Dennis to maneuver the touchy Bobcat controls.  Oh yes, the chain was not tight enough on several tries and it slipped over the top of the shrub as Dennis raised the front.  Try, try, try again until the first shrub’s roots were released and pulled free.  The second shrub went much easier.  I freed the log chair from the Bobcat and Dennis was on his way to return the mighty machine.  By the time Dennis made the mile trip and returned in his little red pickup, the shrubs were in the burning ring and the holes were filled and raked off.  The torn sod from the Bobcat’s impact on very wet soil and soft grass went down easily, and in several days it will look just fine. After Dennis returned the log chain back to its place in the potting shed, he commented that it sure was handy to have it on hand, but it wouldn’t hurt his feelings if it would be the last time we needed to use it.

  Taking a break on the back patio seemed like the sensible thing to do.  Butter Ball and Snuggles entertained to no end.  Silly cats that have wound us right around their paws.  Dennis leaned back in the lawn chair and I thought he was resting his eyes.  Dennis was looking at the eavestroughs of the porch and the garages.  The seeds from the Maple tree had just finished falling. How could they already be viable little trees standing at three to four inches tall?

  Three hours later with many breaks in between, the porch and the garage for the Lincoln and the little red pick up have clean eavestroughs.  Talk about slimy, smelly muck that needed to be troweled out by the lineal foot.  Dennis made more trips up and down the stepladder than I could count.  My part was to do away with the pails of mess as he handed it down to me, keep the garden hose positioned for the flushing, and try to find just the right tool to work the necks of the downspouts poked free of stuff that had them plugged up. So the choice is to have no eavestroughs and let the rain wash gullies around the perimeter of the buildings, or get down and dirty once in a while and clean them out.  Actually, there was conversation about having a product installed much like a leaf guard.

  All in all, I take it back.  There is no stopping Dennis and me when it comes to doing whatever is needed to keep the property up to snuff.  We both enjoy this place on Stauffer Avenue and take a lot of pride in keeping it “up to snuff.”  It is so much easier to do the deeds when we notice the need, rather than letting it go and having a crisis or costly repairs.

  The day is coming to an end and we clean up pretty good.  Our Sunday morning tradition is already in place: frozen cinnamon rolls put out to thaw overnight.  On Sunday morning the baking rolls bring a very inviting aroma that allows us to feel the peace that passes all understanding.

   
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  Noreen 3:05 am on May 7, 2013 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis, Doctor Jesse ( 3 ), shoulder ( 5 )   

  This is what I am talking about – full sunshine with no wind. Just got a phone call from the clinic and tomorrow I will have all the staples removed by my favorite — Dr. Jesse. Everything is progressing just as he predicted and after tomorrow we will find out what the next step is in the shoulder recovery. I must say that keeping the sling on is not a challenge for me. It just gives me that feeling of security and the arm feels like it weighs a ton without the support. I do have a little job to finish up before I get too far away from the surgery date. Oh yes, I had nerves and butterflies on that morning and the only other person more nervous was Dennis. As the IV people were doing their probing a nurse came in and all I could see of her as she was cloaked in scrubs and a hair cover and her face mask were her eyes. I knew those eyes and they were twinkling. It was a gal I had worked with for twenty five years as she was the clerk for one of the townships that our office serviced. From that point on I was ready, willing and able to face the surgery. How fantastic that of all the procedures scheduled for that morning, she was the surgical nurse assigned to me! Rolling down the long corridors from the intake room to the operating room we chatted and caught up with our interests: family and quilting. Today it was my pleasure writing her a “thank you” note for all she had done to start this shoulder procedure down the road to success.

   
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  Noreen 2:59 am on April 25, 2013 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis, Doctor Jesse ( 3 ), Mankato ( 4 ), shoulder ( 5 )   

  This will be my last blog for several days as I will take a wait and see attitude on how well I do as a one armed patient. The atmosphere here is brimming with high excitement and swings from that to a bit of nervousness and includes nervous business. I have my alarm clock set for the morning as I know myself well enough that morning routines need to be adhered to prior to Dennis and I leaving for Mankato for the long awaited shoulder surgery with Dr. Jesse. I have had a mantra running as of late “I can do this, I can do this.” Catch the world again when I get home.

   
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  Noreen 8:24 pm on April 24, 2013 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis   

  Hello World, The sun is out and the birds are liking it a lot. I rummaged around in the freezer and decided to use up some frozen fruit to make Dennis a fruit pie. I just need to use a lot and I mean a lot of corn starch for thickening as fruit and all its juices makes a runnier pie than usual. Well – as long as the oven is hot a pound of bacon baked out would be a nice addition to the refrig for a quick use.

   
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  Noreen 3:43 pm on March 6, 2013 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis, Mankato ( 4 )   

  Dennis had a meeting in Mankato and of course it was a great time to run some errands. Spring must be coming closer as the traffic showed signs much like calves that were finally let out of the barn after a long winter: crazy with speed and letting everyone know their car horns work. Grammies are not intimidated.

   
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  Noreen 6:32 pm on February 28, 2013 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis, Fairfax   

  It’s amazing how many people can be fed from one huge batch of Chili. Dennis deemed it a great batch as he enjoyed his supper. Several containers were sent out to the farm to Dennis’ son and a container went to grandson Ryan here in town and two containers are in the freezer for the next trip north to Fairfax.

   
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  Noreen 12:00 pm on February 1, 2013 Permalink
  Tags: Calvin ( 4 ), Dennis, Elvera ( 3 ), Lena ( 6 ), Michael ( 11 )   

  The Voyage 

  Right about this time last year I set sail for a voyage to a healthier life style for myself. I have extended my boarding pass and will continue on the trip. There have been a few more ports of call than I had anticipated but the good news is that I have not had to turn around and begin from my initial starting point. It’s got to be either this or better and I am on board for the better. As the voyage continues I find it is smoother sailing if I keep very busy. (More …)