Chelsea and I walked around the house again today to check the "gardens". One of my lavendar plants is showing some green, the rhubarb is alive and one of my peonies is starting to sprout. The other one is not showing any life, but last year it came up late - after I had purchased the new one because I thought it was dead. There is also some growth on the honeysuckle. It is supposed to be warm and rainy next week so perhaps I can get a little work done.

I worked some more on the quilt top that I almost have assembled and getting the strips ready to do the Celtic Knot squares for the raffle quilt for Celtic Faire. It was a quiet day. Dick and I went out for breakfast. We went to Jalisco's, a Mexican restuarant that I saw served breakfast. We ordered huevos rancheros with mild sauce. They POURED on really hot salsa and I did not like it. Cross that one off.

Remember the great truth - No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.

Mary

What a icky turn of events. I was going to go down to the den and watch a DVD that Dick doesn't care for and do some cutting out of fabric to complete a quilt top. I went down and cannot even get the TV to turn on much less the DVD. Jim has a new control system and again, I cannot watch the big TV unless he is home. I hate all these remotes and systems. If I known how it works it is OK but I never find out how until I am ready to watch and noone is home to instruct me.

It was a beautiful day. The sun shone and it was warm. I took some pictures of a cardinal singing in the back yard perched in the big tree off the deck. Hope they turn out. I do have some really super nice pictures of trees against the sky in various seasons and this would be a nice addition.

I had lunch with the Bank Girls at the Dairy Queen in Plymouth today. Barb had pictures of her little grandaughter ANNA. Anna is one year old and had a really rough beginning. She was born with Down's Syndrom and a very weak heart but has weathered it all and is finally gaining weight and has a smile to light the world.

Tomorrow, I get to stay home all day and hope to just sew and write as I have cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen thouroughly. Maybe if it is nice, I can go out and just police the yard. We are supposed to have rain on Tuesday and sure could use it now.

Love

Mary

Busy day. It was a bit cooler today but the sun shone and there was really no breeze to speak of. Quite pleasant. I washed all the rugs from the bathrooms and laundry room. Must be getting Spring. The cleaning bug is hitting me.

Council meeting went quite well. We covered a lot. Part of the parish census that we are in the middle of is a concerns sheet. Fr. Gene and I are going to go through the concerns (which have been given to the council without names) and determine which are personal and should be handled by Fr. Gene and which can be handed over to the proper committee or person for either resolution or explanation. We want this to be positive for the parish.

I did get a quilt top, that has been a couple of years in the making, assembled. It looks pretty good. All greens and browns with a bit of yellow and orange for pizazz.

I need to enlarge it with a border and it should make a twin size quilt.

Remember - if you aim at nothing, you are bound to hit it.

Love

Mary

We were supposed to get rain this afternoon, but it never materialized. It was not as warm as yesterday, but still pleasant. We did open the doors and windows for an hour or so. Kitties are happy.

Today was a mainly stay at home day. We did drive over to Office Max to get new ink cartridges for the printer and a new mouse pad for me. I got a pretty one with a lighthouse on it.

Tonight, I went to the first of five Basic Pistol Shooting classes at Urban Middle School. The first class is, of course, basic pistol information and safety, with a hands on portion to practice loading and unloading revolvers and semi automatics.
Next week, we have more classroom, then down to the range and the last week we get to bring our own guns.

Tomorrow, we grocery shop and Dick gets his blood checked. The evening is WAY too busy with choir AND council.

Yesterday, I fixed a casserole that Dick found the recipe for. It is REALLY good.
It is in www.yumyum.com and called Chorizo Noodle Casserole.

Chorizo Noodle Casserole
Serves:
Ingredients:
12 oz Rotini
2 c Shredded jack cheese
1 ds Of pepper
1/2 ts Salt
1 c Milk
4 oz Can green chilies, chopped
1 sm Onion, coarsely chopped
4 Medium-size chorizo sausages
1 tb Butter or margarine
Boiling salted water
6 To 8 tomato slices
Instructions:
Servings: 6 Following package directions, cook rotini in a large kettle of boiling salted water until al dente.
Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat.
Remove sausage casings, crumble meat into pan, add onion, and cook until sausage is browned and onion is limp (about 5 minutes).
Pour off drippings and add cooked pasta, chilies, milk, salt and pepper to taste.
Pour half the mixture into a greased 2 1/2 quart casserole; sprinkle with half the cheese.
Add remaining mixture, arrange tomato slices on top, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
If made ahead, cover and refrigerate until next day.
Bake, uncovered, in a 350 deg F oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until top is slightly browned.
Makes 6 servings.

It is even hot enough for Jim but it is a pleasent hot for Dick and me.

Have a nice day

Mary

We have had windows and the patio door open since noon today. It was absolutely beautiful and the cats have been extremely happy. They love the smells and sights and sounds of the outside. I am sure if they actually got out there, they would be terrified.

I remember one time when I lived along the Sheboygan River in Sheboygan Falls, Waylon, Mr. Tough Guy, got out the backdoor one day and headed straight down the hill towards the water. I paniced and started after him. He got about 1/3 of the way down, when he paused and looked around. He immediately realized that he was totally out of his realm. Trees were looming above him and the river was rushing LOUDLY by him. He turned around, saw me and ran back. Then he climbed me like a tree and wrapped his front paws around my neck as if to say, "Why did you let me do this? Get me out of here." I wish I could say that he never sneaked out again, but he wasn't quite that bright. I did notice though that after that, if he did get out, he seemed to try to keep me or whomever was chasing him just close enough that he could reach us in a hurry.

Mother Theresa said "The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis , but rather the feeling of being unwanted."

Everybody needs to feel special and wanted. Somewhere in the Torah is says (I am paraphrasing) Every child needs to feel that God created the world just for him.


Love

Mary

It was a very lovely day again today, a bit cooler than yesterday, but enough to give us Wisconsinites hope of Spring.

We had another very lively discussion at Bible Study because of Paul's statement that women should keep silent in the churches. We ARE learning that things were different 2000 years ago. We are also finding that you have to read very carefully. Paul says those things and then finishes with "WHAT? Did the word of God originate with you, or are you the only ones it has reached?", Which seems to mean that he was trying to tell the people that women DO have opinions that have value and rights that need to be honored.

Tomorrow, we shop, vote, I will be cutting out fabric with a friend for a group quilt and I have to pick up Market Day.

Here is the third poem, I wrote for the Milwaukee Art Museum. It is based on a rather "modern" oil painting painted on plywood in 1924 by Arthur Dove called Sunrise.

Here is my poem called:

ICE CREAM SUNDAE SUNRISE

I walked out into a quiet early morning sunrise
to a strawberry ice cream horizon
blanketed by a layer
of warm blueberry syrup crusted over with a thin crunchy chocolate film
topped with lemon sherbet and another layer
of warm blueberry syrup crusted over with a thin crunchy chocolate film.
Concocted layer by layer until -
a scoop of blue raspberry ice cream oozes to the right
and a scoop of Neapolitan ice cream oozes to the left
covered with a final blanket
of warm blueberry syrup crusted over with a thin crunchy chocolate film.
Then God finished it all by scooping and smoothing
gobs of French vanilla ice cream over the entire exotic sunset
and providing a cocoa dusted whipped cream sun
to shine on all against an azure sky.

I read it slowly at Writer's Club and had everyone drooling. I really needs to be read aloud.


Love

Mary

Today was beautiful. It got up into the upper 50's and I went out and cleaned out the herb garden. Chives are coming up and I saw a bit of green on the thyme and parsley.

This morning there was a lady duck in the yard when I left for church.

Daylight saving time has begun and because of it I believe that Chelsea will no longer be waking me up at 4 to 4:30 in the morning. Especially if I don't tell her.

We really enjoyed the Fireside's presentation of West Side Story. The dancing was fantastic. At the end, I must confess that I was crying. Dick shed a tear or two also and commented that all around the stage, he saw people, notably the men, taking off their glasses and wiping their eyes. We had a great meal of stuffed pork chop, garlic potatoes, green beans and applesauce, preceded by a salad and followed by a wonderful chocolate, cappachino dessert.

While we were in the Fireside, Pope John Paul II passed away. I am sure he is very happy to be through with this life, as he was in such respiritory distress and failing so fast. I pray for his safe journey.

Here is the second poem that I sent to Milwaukee Art Museum. It is based on a pencil,pen, gray ink and watercolor piece by Karl Friedrich Schinkel - A Gothic Cathedral Behind Trees CA.1813/15

My piece is as follows:

A GOTHIC CATHEDRAL

Like the Gulliver's Laputa or the Isle of Avalon
She appears mist-like above primeval trees below.
God's house
So near
And yet a distant dream
Floats in lacy splendor
Against a canvas sky.



Love

Mary