Well, I obviously took a day off yesterday. After the busy Lyra day I decided to "gel" as they say.

I did clean the kitchen floor and made CHILI. As I write this it is reheating for our supper. Always make chili ahead and let it cool and reheat before eating it. (My sage wisdom for the day.) You probably know this. It makes the flavors ripen and mature. I used the last of the ground venison and I have found a source of chorizo so it will be goooooooood. Come on over if you want some. I have a BIG pot.

This morning, I met Joyce Hackel and Joan Schueffner to decorate the church basement for the big Thank You dinner for the volunteers at Blessed Trinity. We have 168 people signed up and have planned for 175 so we are close. I believe that with the side dishes we have we will still have lots of food left over. We have a source for that too. We freeze the ham anyway and give it to the school for lunches. Tomorrow will really be busy. Joan and I are picking up the rest of the food at 2:30PM to get it to the church, set up and heating for the 5:30 arrival of the volunteers. The social is from 5:30 to 6, then dinner then dessert then home or visiting - whatever they want. We hope this becomes a time of community and meeting each other. All of these people are the doers of our church.

One gentleman called me and said that he thought that he had gotten his invitation in error. He said he wasn't a lay minister. I asked him what he did for Blessed Trinity and he said he mows the lawns sometimes. I told him that he is a lay minister and he and I were quite excited about it. He found out that ministering to others takes on many faces.

Have a good day and thank those that minister to you.

Mary

What a day. Dick and I went out for our usual breakfast before grocery shopping. Then I did a bit of cleaning (bathrooms) and fixed lunch. Dick and I watched West Side Story - the movie that we have here from NetFlix - a movie rental that was a Christmas Gift from Bart and Barb.

Then - tonight. I took my soup and other stuff to the church rectory. There Beth and I finalized preparations for dinner for the six performers of Lyra, a vocal ensemble from St. Petersburg Russia. When I said I had soup, they just lit up. Apparantly they have soup at home almost every day and really miss it when they travel. This is my Slim Veggie Soup, which I know I have shared with you. I added some good old Sheboygan Brats to give it a local flair and we served it with crusty breads and salads.

The concert was WONDERFUL. These are professional musicians part of a choir of 30 members that perform in St Petersburg. They send small groups out to perform and we lucked out. There was a decent crowd and they loved the music and the singers. The whole performance was a-capella. Sergei, the tenor and leader, told us that all the music in Russian Orthodox Church is done a-capella. He also told us that some of their vesper services can last up to five hours and that they have a great devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Have a nice Friday. I intend to spend a quiet one.

Love

Mary

Things are ready for tomorrow night. Lyra, the Russian Group, is appearing at Blessed Trinity as I have mentioned.

We are feeding them supper. I made a sausage, vegetable soup, Beth is making a spinach strawberry salad. We are also providing a nice crusty bread and cheese and crackers.

Then after the concert, we are having bars - made by our choir members - juice and coffee for a social.

One of our parishioners, nicely volunteered to make them breakfast. She is making croissants, an egg dish, sausage and fruit. I wish she would come and cook for me.

Tonight was the third of the five Basic Pistol Classes. We got to shoot for the first time in class. I shot both a semi automatic and a revolver. We also learned the proper way to clean a gun. I need to replace my cleaning rod. Mine was a real cheap kit and I should be using one with a coated rod rather than aluminum.

It has chilled down today after our beautiful 70s yesterday. It rained pretty good last night and some areas even had thunder and lightening. Not enough but some of the trees are popping their leaves. More rain is promised for tomorrow and/or Friday. My tulips are also starting to flower.

I received two copies of a small publication called IRISH STEW that is published in Mehasha. They accepted one of my poems called CRAZY CATS. I will copy and paste it here for you.

Cats kalumpfing down the stairs
In reckless abandon.
Tumbling head over tail in Joy
Of just plain being alive.

In reckless abandon
The house shudders
Tumbling head over tail in Joy
We laugh at their sheer freedom.

The house shudders
If only we could have such fun
We laugh at the sheer freedom
They tear around like dervishes

If only we could have such fun
Tumbling head over tail in Joy
They tear around like dervishes
Cats kalumpfing down the stairs.

Hope you like.

Mary

Dick and I went grocery shopping this morning and then stopped at Superior Liquor so I could pick up the wine and beer for the big Volunteer party at Blessed Trinity on Sunday.

This afternoon I got the napkins and went to see Dr. Casey, my chiropractor, this afternoon. Then this evening, Rocky Knoll gave a dinner for the volunteers that helped during the past year. I drove four of the ladies from Blessed Trinity that go out about six times a year to play bingo with the residents. I really enjoy that hour and don't feel that they would HAVE to give a dinner. BUT they do put on quite a spread and have entertainment and door prizes for everybody so it is a really FUN night.

This year the Sheboygan Falls Middle School Jazz Band played for us. We were wowed and awed by them. It is so good to see such a beautiful group of young people playing such good music with such talent and finesse.

I won a bird house. If it is nice tomorrow - it is supposed to rain tonight - I will hang that bird house and the gourd bird house and put out my garden stone.

We have a Pope. Ratzinger from Germany was elected at about noon our time today. He is another John Paul II, if not more conservative, so we are probably due for more restrictions. We ladies tonight were joking that we will probably have to go back to veils in church again. God must know what he is doing, but I am confused. He has chosen Benedict XVI as his name.

Albert Einstein said "I cannot believe that God plays dice with the universe."

And a Danish proverb says: "Bad is never good until worse happens."

Til tomorrow

Mary

I went to a funeral this morning. A friend, Ann Piruung, lost her Mother last week. The service was at St. Dominic's and was very touching. The Mother was in her 80s and was apparently a very intelligent, loving, amusing woman and will be dearly missed. Poor Ann. Last night, they had an electrical "event". The wiring in her computer (they think) blew and started a fire and destroyed their electrical service. She had the eulogy that she had planned to deliver on the computer so had to wing it. She did fine.

I felt so near to this and Ann because my Mother is 89. She is still doing JUST great. Last week she has something scheduled to do every single day. Actually, she kind of complains about that as she likes a day off in between to rest up. Her only real complaint is that she gets tired. I am taking her for her physical next week. She just wants to be sure that her tiredness is just old age.
Eileen told her one day, "Mom, you have to remember that you are not 79 any more."

Then I spent the rest of the day picking up around here and sorting the avalanche of papers that appears on my desk every week. We did the first filtering on the second batch of Chokecherry Wine that I made this season. It is very raw yet but seems to have a pleasant taste. Should be ready in the Fall. We have a five gallon batch of Chardonnay to filter also. We will probably do that tomorrow.

Leslie called last night. It was good to hear her voice. The girls were both out. She sounds happy. They like it in Louisiana. Nora has a job and Sara is looking. It doesn't seem possible that they are 16 and 18 already.

Tomorrow is a busy day with shopping and Dr. Casey and a dinner in Elkhart Lake for us church people who have volunteered to play Bingo with the patients at Rocky Knoll. They really don't have to do that but since they do, we like to go.

Have a nice Tuesday and I will be thinking of you.

Mary

P. S. It was over 70 degrees today. Yippee.

A nice warm Sunday. The temps were up close to 60 and the sun was shining. There was no wind and it was beautiful. This afternoon, after shooting, I trimmed one of the bushes in the front yard and let Chelsea come out with me.

As I stepped into the junipers to get the back of the bush I was working on (I forget the name of it)lo and behold, a lady duck came crashing out of the foliage and took off. I remembered seeing her about three weeks ago in the front yard. At that time, I thought she was just resting on her way somewhere else. I know there is a pair of them down the street that seem to like swimming in the drainage ditch. I kind of peeked under the bushes but did not see a nest. I did not want to do too much digging around. It would be disruptive and upsetting to the Mama if that is her nursery.

Later, Dick took Jim and I out for supper tonight and when we came back the duck was back in the front yard so I am inclined to think that there is a nest in there somewhere.

We sang at the 10:30AM Mass this morning. It is the Feast of the Good Shepherd. Fr. Gene told us that sheep know their master by the sound of their voice, not smell, not clothing. That in the middle east, many flocks feed together in the good pasture land. When it is time to go, all the sheep follow the sound of their master's voice. Isn't that fascinating?

Rosemary Eigenberger gave me two old pictures last week. One is of a bowling team from Fitz's, now The Other Place, a bar downtown in Sheboygan Falls. This picture has both my Uncle Jack and my Uncle George on it and a bunch of other people I remember from my youth, most of them gone now.

The second was a picture of the Happy Hollow Heads. This was a men's club that played cards, Mom thinks Sheepshead, years ago. The picture has lots of people. Mother is identifying most of them and thinks that Bea Visser, one of her few remaining contemporaries, will be able to help with the rest. I DID fine Uncle Jack, and Uncle George again AND my Grandpa Bowser. They are all singing.


Have a wonderful week.

Love

Mary