The tree is up and decorated and looks WONDERFUL. I put all the bows on the presents and have them neatly sorted on the mantle and under the tree. It looks like Christmas in our house.

Bret called today and the packages arrived safe and sound and he is snacking on the cheese and sausage and buckeyes already. Good for him. He is all settled in a new apartment and a new job and has a new girlfriend and sounds very content.

"God direct all. It is, after all, a way he has." (From the Cadfael books) Isn't that neat.

Tomorrow is the last Sunday of Advent. After singing at Mass, I am going to help change the decorations from Advent to Christmas. Should be fun but I will miss out on practicing with the pistol.

Happy Sunday

Mary

Dick slept for 7 1/2 hours last night. He has taken one nap this afternoon, but used the machine so he REALLY slept.

Had lunch with my Plymouth friends today and took them each a bottle of our homemade wine. Seemed appropriate for Christmas. Our friend Marlene joined us today. Last week she was in the hospital with pneumonia. She is still coughing but said she feels well and that this was her second outing. Yesterday she got to go to Fleet Farm. Whoop - de - do. But I am sure she is glad to be up and around.

The tree is "growing" There are only two rows of branches and the top to go. We have all the lights working except one. If Dick can't get it easily, it gets pitched and we go for a new one. MUCH easier and they aren't THAT expensive anyway.

Another poem from my brother Matt's book. Just a wee short one.

APOLOGY

i apologize for keeping you from church......
god is much better company than me
Matt Deeley




Mary

We got "The Machine" for Dick today. A Sandy from the Visiting Nurse Association came over with us an gave us very detailed instructions as to how to use it. We have great expectations. I will keep you informed as to how the sleeping goes. He is so looking forward to REALLY sleeping.

What a busy day. The tree is 2/3 up. I have all but one package wrapped. Went to choir and council. Wow. Dick is right - that is too much for one day.

Only one more week til Christmas. Are your ready? We are going to Bobbie's for dinner and family that day. The choir will be singing at 9:30AM. So it will also be a full day.



An Irish Superstition

Every day has one hour in which a wish may be granted and in which the person has the power to see spirits. Only by trial and error can that period be known.

Mary

When we were children, the Christmas tree went up on Christmas Eve. Mom and Dad decorated it and put out all the presents after we were tucked in our beds fast asleep. I know that lots of the presents were picked up that night from the Grandparents by my poor long suffering Father. Then Dad would go to Midnight Mass and come home and fix a T-Bone Steak for a Christmas breakfast. The poor man barely got to bed when the first of his offspring would be waking up and asking if Santa was here yet. They always made us stay in bed at least until 6:00AM but it was impossible to hold all of us past that time. The whole living room was full of presents in neat little piles and we would frantically look for our personal share of the loot. We did not do the one present at a time patiently handed out by a doting parent. They had done their doting the night before and were more than content to let us just tear in while they watched and rested and oohed and aahed appropriately.

More that one year we lost the tree so that Dad finally started to run a wire from the tree to a hook he screwed into the wall. With nine children and innumerable cats and dogs running around, it was much much safer.

We are just getting our tree up this week. I hope we make it by Christmas Eve. It seems that since we are both retired, we are just SO busy. I have all of my Nativity sets up around the house, however. I love them all and love to share so come to visit.

"Today is the victory of yourself over yesterday." Gerald R. Gartzke

Slainte


Mary

The Visiting Nurses will be here on Thursday at 1:00PM to set Dick up with his machine. I am so impressed with the speed of this process. We were initially given a two to three week window but I think because of the severity of Dick's apnea, they are really speeding up. Today, he stayed up all day but he is in bed now and it is only 7:00. Not a good sign for the night.

I have FINALLY used up all of the "Grandma's Flower Garden" petals that we found in Aunt Helen's house after she died. I have the quilt, of course, and have made several sets of placemats for some of my nieces and some doll blankets for a couple of others. The last pair of placemats will use everything up. I am giving them to Mary Michels Gustafson, Eileen and Fred's daughter. She married recently in a private ceremony and I think she would like a memory of Aunt Helen. She knew her well too.

Tonight, Foxy Roxie is back under her lamp on the desk. Big Oscar is taking up the rest of the desk. He came just as I was trying to sort through the paperwork that keeps piling up no matter what I do. I complain a bit about the lack of room but I do like having critters around me. "The Peaceable Kingdom" you know.

Just over a week til Christmas. Are you ready?

Love

Mary

A very nice Monday. The weather was pleasant so I put greens, bows and a lighted star on the post lamp out in front. Last year the lights wouldn't work. This year they came right on. Go figure. I also got up my music boxes and placed them all around the living room and guest room.

As I post to this, Roxie is sitting in her favorite spot, in the mddle of my desk under the desk lamp where she is warm and close to people. She is falling asleep as I type.

We got a call regarding the results of the Sleep Tests that Dick had last Thursday night and the nurse said the Dick has SEVERE sleep apnea and someone will call by Wednesday to arrange for the machine that will make him feel like a new man. He is so looking forward to it. That one night made such a difference the next morning.
He actually felt alert and rested until afternoon but now he is falling asleep all the time and not waking up refreshed.

Soon it will be Christmas. I baked again today. Really didn't need to but I love to and will give some away. I made Lizzies and Hello Dollies.

Love

Mary

WHAT A DAY!

Saddam has been captured with no more killing and hopefully this will HELP the healing and reconstruction in Iraq and maybe our boys and girls can come home soon. Hopefully all the little children in Iraq will soon be able to sleep without fear, grow up healthy and safe and ready to face the world.

Then we went shooting and I got a 71!!!!! Wow, was I ever pleased.

Then to top off the day, the Packers won. It was a roller coaster game but they won by a nice cushion and we were very pleased in this house. Since the Vikings lost to the Bears today, we are now at least in the playoffs.

The Kindercore sang with us at Mass this morning. I always love to hear the children. We did pretty good too.
The Messiah was really beautiful last night - what a lovely way to really kick off the Christmas season.

Hallelujah.


Mary