Today was beautiful. The sun shone and the temperatures were just right. In the 70s and it was dry. We went to see Annie at the Fireside. It was a wonderful performance and as usual the lunch was spectacular. We had Caeser Salad, Beef, potatoes and cheese, spaghetti squash, asparagus and pineapple upside down cake.

Pineapple upside down cake is really good. They had a bit of rum in the topping of this one which did seem to add something.

When the boys were young, they played in Little League. Bret was much more dedicated than Bart but they both played. I have pictures and pins that I treasure of both of them at ages from about 6 until they hit 12 or so. One picture of Bret is really unique. The photographer must have had the camera at an odd angle and all of the boys on his team looked like they were about 8 feet tall. During the season, we spent 2 to 4 afternoons and most of Saturday on the ball field. They each practiced at least once and had at least one game each every week. We had fun though doing this together. I was very conflicted when it ended - both sad it was over and glad that it was time to move on to another passage of our lives. They sure were good boys.

Have a good Sunday.

Mary

What a day. Dick and I are sealing the wood on the deck. Icky job but someone has to do it and the wood REALLY needs it. I also ironed and cleanced the kitchen floor. So when I went to Plymouth for lunch with the Wells Fargo people, I was so glad to get away and rest a bit. Tomorrow we are going to the Fireside in Fort Atchinson to see Annie.

We got word today that a tour we were going to take to Louisville KY in August was cancelled because there was not enough interest. We are getting very disappointed because this is the second trip this year that met the same fate. We have decided to go on the first one - Up through Duluth MN into Canada - East to Sault Ste Marie and back south through Marquette MI - then home. Since the tour company planned the route, we are going on our own. I sent for information from Canada so we can make reservations for motels and all.

Maybe I can talk Dick into going on a tour to Washington DC instead. Have never been there you know.

"May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love nesr you,
and all your heart might desire."

An old Irish Prayer for you

Mary

Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital returns to TV tonight. Jim and I are really excited, we can't figure out why they put it off for a whole month to begin with. Dick doesn't watch them so I will go downstairs and watch it on the BIG TV.

I called Barbara today. They are staying with a friend, Bret, who owns a home with all kinds of acreage and animals. While she was talking to me, she saw a huge yellow butterfly. She said that there is a falcon that nests on the property and comes down to visit every day. Sounds like a really wonderful place to be in the mornings. They are looking at a house in a town called Geronimo, about 8 miles from Lawton. Pray that the house in De Pere sells and that they get the one there. It is just too difficult to be staying in someone elses house even if he is not concerned about it.

I remember being very young and going to chuch most weekday mornings. After Mass, I would go over to Grandma and Grandpa Deeley's house and have breakfast with Grandma. She went to Mass Every morning. She introduced me to all kinds of cheeses. Between her and my Mother I really grew to like most cheeses. Aunt Helen wouldn't let her give me limburger. I remember that my ex husband's Aunts Ruth and Lib said that actually if you could get the first bite down, it tasted really good.

Have a nice evening

Mary

We had a tornado warning last night. I got back from a very useful class on machine quilting at about 9:00 and soon after the sirens went off. Dick and I picked up the cats and went down into the basement den until the warning expired at 10:00PM. Sheboygan County did not get any damage that we know of. However, there was a death in Markazan. There was damage in Madison and enough damge in Waupun that people are being asked to stay away until they have their relief efforts in order. Wow. We are supposed to be rainy off and on and cooler today.

Guess What. Jim reinstalled my computer Puppy when we got the new Dells recently. I believe I told you that we think that the computer cat, Felix, either killed or ran off the Puppy that I had on the old one because he disappeared. Well - - - this Puppy is gone too. Pretty weird. I will keep you informed.

Mary

I decided to post this morning and THEN this evening again because the tornado threw me off last night.

Today was the first day of summer. The longest day of the year. This morning, Chelsea and I left for our morning walk at about 6:15AM. It was BEAUTIFUL. I swear that a different species of bird was perched on every housetop. They were singing their hearts out and flying all over the place. I saw yellow finches, red winged blackbirds, robins, crows, mourning doves, blackbirds, sparrows. It was a magnificent choir that I will treasure for a long time to come.

It rained a bit today but more of a mist off and on. I shot trap at Falls Conservation Club. I did better than last week but still not very good. I will get better.

Enjoy your week.

Mary

I realize that blogs can become meeting places and somewhat chat areas but mine is not such a place. It is just a place for me to put down whatever is on my mind and hopefully keep my imagination and my writing skills honed. The spell checker seems to be malfunctioning. I noticed that the other day and even DELIBERATLY misspelled a word for it to check. It didn't catch it so if you find errors, please be kind but I would like to know.

Mother and I were talking and remembering, as we are wont to do, this morning when I stopped to visit after Mass. Somehow, we got on to the naming of Randy. I said that I really remembered that. It came up because we were talking about the Shea's. Bridget Shea, our cousin, daughter of Johnny Bill and Eileen O'Connor Shea, was due about the same time as Randy. Mother and Dad had also chosen Bridget as a name if he had been a girl.

Perhaps it was a family decision, as Randy's name was supposed to be. I remember all of us sitting in the living room, going through baby name books and finally deciding that we liked Randy, though the majority really felt that it should be more formal, like Randall, because we thought that Ran Dee Dee Lee would be a little much. So much for a democracy. Dad said that we were naming him Randy and Randy it would be. He won.

A similar discussion had been held when Matthew was born a couple of years earlier. We all agreed on Matthew. We wanted him middle initial to be J because Dad's father, Grandpa Deeley, was known as MJ by lots of people. Dad went through the name book that gave names and their definition or source. He found Jed which means hand as in farm hand and he decided on that because Dad liked to garden. We couldn't talk him out of that one either and Matthew Jed he became.

Grandma Deeley did not like the name Matthew. She knew someone that she just detested with that name and we found it very amusing because she would always say, " now what is his name again. Mark or Mike. He is such a sweet boy."

Enjoy your evening.

Mary