I got to stay home the WHOLE day today. It was so nice to not have to leave. Silly Chelsea got me up at 5:30AM which was way to early but I took a nap this afternoon, so that helped a bit.

I am putting up Christmas decorations a little every day. Today, I put up another Nativity Scene and brought up the last one. I end up with them all over the place. I also have to find a place for the Santas and the Angels. Dick is working on the tree. He has two rows of branches on. As long as he has it done this coming week so I can get the ornaments on before the big day, I don't really care.

I fixed Huevos Rancheros for supper tonight and were they ever good. I made my own Salsa.

Here is the recipe.

1 Corn Tortilla per person
1 or two eggs per person (their choice)
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic - diced or pressed
1 14 to 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz can of ortega chilis
1 TBLSP. jalapeno pepper chopped
Pinch of chili powder
Shredded cheese

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray. Add tomatoes, onion, chilis, garlic and chili powder. Heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Put plates in oven on the lowest heat you have available

Spray a bigger frying pan and fry the tortilla until soft, about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer to warm plates. Fry eggs until white is done, do not flipping. Transfer to tortillas. Top egg with cheese and hot salsa (which cooks the top of the eggs) and serve with extra cheese and refried beans on the side.

Num Num

Mary

L

It rained all day again today. What a drag. We must keep telling ourselves that, at least, we are are not shoveling. We probably would be up to the rooftops if this was snow.

Dick has an echocardiogram today. Sometimes called just an echo. It is just a checkup on the heart because of the irregular heartbeat, the atrial fibrilation, that exists. The technician said that everything looks the same but the doctor will review it before his six month checkup next month. Then we mailed the packages to the out of staters. NOW, I can relax. Anything else can be done last minute.

We had salmon croquettes for supper. They are SO good. I had some fresh green beans to go with them. I also made up a batch of lentil soup. We can have that for lunches and dinners if it is cold and damp. I used a hambone from a Market Day ham. It was such a rich tasting ham. I wish you all could have had a dish of the scalloped potatoes.

I am doing up a little folder about my Uncle George to share with my brothers and sisters. I think I will send one to Patty and Doug too. They drive me nuts but they are my cousins and did grow up in Grandma and Grandpa Deeley's house with Uncle George. He was my bachelor uncle. Never moved away from home.

Years ago, when I was about three or four years old. I saw Billie the Brownie at our front door one Christmas Eve. Now that I am "grown up", I believe that it was really Uncle George that I saw. He was peering through front door to watch me come from the kitchen to the living room of our old house to see the tree and the presents. I entered the livingroom and saw a movement at the door. There was this tall brown thin "brownie" with a pointed hat and big eyes. Uncle George was home on leave from the Army and in his khaki uniform with his pointed garrison cap, to my toddler eyes he WAS Billie the Brownie, who I heard on the radio every night. I was in my 30s before it dawned on me that it was probably Uncle George.

Have a Christmasy weekend

Mary

Gloomy Gloomy Gloomy

Dick commented today that we have not been seeing the sun this past week or two. Of course, when the sun shined, it will probably get cold and/or snow. We would have had 10 to 12 inches if it had been colder when we got the last rain storm. So we were grateful that we were not shoveling.

Choir tonight. This week I will not have to leave to go to any other meetings. Good thing, we are getting closer to Christmas and have a lot to cover.

John O'Donohue in Anam Cara says:

Music is, perhaps, the art form that brings us closest to the eternal because it changes immediately and irreversibly the way we experience time.

I do enjoy choir. We are going to sing at the Mall on December 19. The Kindercore will sing with us too. It will be fun as we will party a bit after Mass before we go there.

Tomorrow, we will mail the packages to the out of state families. Then I really feel that I can slide into Christmas. Anything else can be changed, but if things don't GET somewhere, you can't change that. We are pleased with the gifts and only waiting for two to arrive for here.

Have a great day

Mary

We saw The Christmas Story on stage tonight. A nice feel-good stage production that followed the movie to perfection. The players put on a commendable performance and we came away delighted and in the Christmas Spirit.

Monday will be the Sheboygan County Writer's Club Christmas Party. I have been doing quite a bit of writing this month, but none of it is Christmasy. I will have to work on that.

WHY DOGS DON'T LIVE AS LONG AS PEOPLE

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane were all very attached to Belker and they were
hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane could learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few
minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me - I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

A friend sent me the above. I may have included it before, but Mother and I were talking about an article in the paper about a group that helps people who are mourning for their pets and my sister Dolores said that she probably could have benefited from such a group after her dog passed on. So I felt it was worth sharing again.

Mary

Have a nice Thursday and

Only 18 days til Christmas. Mother and I went today and finished her shopping. We went to Evans and to Gibbsville Cheese. I got a bunch of cheese for the holidays. It is good to have a nice variety to share on Christmas and I have asked Mother to come to dinner on New Year's Day.

Christmas cards are in process both snail and e-mail varieties. I am sending a little history booklet to the brothers and sisters this year along with their cards. I have some limericks that Uncle George wrote years ago and I know they will love having that piece of our family. We are the few that remember him. I think I will make one for Patty and Doug too. Dick will think I am silly but I believe that time must heal hurts and family is family.


Seek not out the things that are too hard for thee, neither search the things that are above thy strength. ECC 3:22

Til tomorrow

Mary

Years ago I lived in Huntington Beach, California. We belonged to a parish called St. Simon and Jude. The priests there were Franciscan Order priests. One of them was originally from the Phillipines. He was the sweetest man. He came back from a vacation to his homeland with a sermon that started off with the statement. "You thought I was slow before." He proceeded to tell us that in the Phillipines, everything moves much slower and life is not franetic or hurried and that he had reverted to his childhood. He told us all to slow down, look around us and not rush through the day. To lean back an enjoy this life God gave us without trying to do everything now and so fast.

I left that service feeling so relaxed and refreshed. I'll bet it lasted several hours. Often when I feel the most pressed, I think of that homily and try to remember what he told us.

I wrote a poem that expressed that thought. Perhaps it will help you too. Remember - Lean back, look around, don't be in such a hurry.

SLOW ME DOWN, LORD



Slow me down, Lord
Let me see the flowers
Let me smell the flowers
Not just plant them
Not just tend them

Slow me down, Lord
Let me hold my children
Let me play with my children
Not just chide them
Not just tend them

Slow me down, Lord
Let me hug my husband
Let me talk to my husband
Not just keep his house for him
Not just tend him

Slow me down, Lord
Let me see the sun today
Let me breathe the air today
Not just plan for tomorrow
Not just wait for tomorrow

Slow me down, Lord
Let me laugh at the joy of today
Let me cry for the sorrows of today
Not just yearn for what is to be
Not just wait for what is to be

Slow me down, Lord

Love you all

Mary

This has been an adventure. I have been trying to connect to the Blog site for about two hours.

What a day. Good things and not so good. I went to church last night because the choir sang at the 5:00 PM Mass. Therefore, I did not have to go to Mass today. I actually slept until 6:30AM or so. Dick took Chelsea out at about 5:30 when he got up and then shut her out of the bedroom so she would not wake me.

The Packers played the Eagles today and it was an unmitigated disaster. We lost 47 to 17 and most of the points were made by the backup quarterback Greg Noll. Philly is really good this year and we weren't necessarily relying on a win, but really did not expect a stomping.

We had stew for supper. I finally found a stew recipe that I can make. For years I made the oddest stew. Dick could not understand that because I am a pretty good cook. In our early marriage, he had me buy some stew meat. I told him that I did not make a good stew but he wanted to try. I followed the recipe to the tee. It looked just beautiful and even smelled good. However, there was not taste. It was totally flat.

Afte 18 years and several recipes, I finally have it. I cook it forever, and add coffee and ketsup and worchester sauce and it is really good.

Have a great Monday.

Mary