Today was quiet. This morning Dick and I went out for breakfast, just for the fun of it. Chelsea and I went for a walk. She seemed to get a bit tired today so we only walked for about a half an hour. It was chilly and damp anyway.

This afternoon, I cleared the Christmas stuff off if the dining room table and put the Christmas music away. Then I took a nap. I slept until 6:30AM and was still tired by noon. I think the gloomy days are getting to me.

I also worked on the appliqued Cocker Spaniel that I am putting on a quilt. So far, it looks great. We will see how things end up.

Two more days on our blast off 1000 calorie week. Tonight we had Hunt's spaghetti sauce on spaghetti with broccoli and a salad. So we are eating tasty meals just measured and planned ones and mainly NO grazing as we go through the kitchen. That kind of behavior kind of creeps up on a person.

Tomorrow, the choir will be singing at the 10:30 Mass. We are singing with the Kindercore. One is a straight duet, the other is a version of Away in the Manger. The kids will sing the song through a capella and then we will sing the modified hymn in parts and then the kids will finish with a verse a capella again. Should be really special. I think the congregation will like it.

Jim, Bobbie and I are going shooting tomorrow. League started Friday so we have to get signed up and started.

Yesterday, at Dairy Queen, Stan and Peg Payne came in about the time we were leaving. I worked with Peg at Wells for some years. We discovered that we both have roots at St. Michael Church near Parnell. Her brother, Bernard Michaels, wrote a couple of books about the Irish Settlers there. Also, her mother went to the "Normal School" in Sheboygan Falls. At that time the "Normal School" was the teachers college. A few years later, my Mother attended that school and taught for a few years before she married my Father. At that time she stopped teaching because that was what was done in those days.

Anyway, to conclude my thought, Peg's Mother, Margaret, stayed at my grandparent's house while she was attending the school. In those days, it would have been too difficult to travel there everyday and friends helped friends out - e.g. providing room and board for friend's children when they went to school some distance away. She said that she was just reading her brother's book the other day and came upon a story of a Michaels wedding in which a Bowser was the best man. How deep these ties are.

Have a lovely Sunday. Pray for sun.

Mary

We got our call from Leslie tonight. It was good hearing her voice and we had a nice long talk. The girls were out (it is Friday night after all) but they are both doing pretty well. Sara is working and has been there a while now. Nora has a job also but is a Senior in High School AND has a boyfriend so she is probably really stretched.

I had lunch with the Plymouth People today. Since we are still doing the Richard Simmons Blast Off week, I had a chicken breast salad and fixed a chef's salad for Dick. I cleanced the kitchen floor this morning too. So it was a busy day. I have been catching up on computer emails this afternoon.

We had turkey burgers, cabbage, noodles and salad for supper. Tomorrow I am thinking of spaghetti.

One year when Bret was just a baby, probably 9 months old, I brought him to Wisconsin to introduce him to the family. I remember one day that Mother and I went shopping and left him sleeping with my brother, Jeff and my sister Dolores babysitting. While we were gone, he woke up and needed changing. Neither Jeff nor Dolores were very adept at changing a baby. So - they removed the old diaper. Then Jeff held him up in the air and Dolores arranged and pinned the new diaper on him. Mother and I were in a "roll the eyes" mode when they told us that one. Bret giggled every time he saw them after that. I think he thought it was a fun game.

Have a nice weekend.

Mary

We got our call from Leslie tonight. It was good hearing her voice and we had a nice long talk. The girls were out (it is Friday night after all) but they are both doing pretty well. Sara is working and has been there a while now. Nora has a job also but is a Senior in High

What a busy day Dick and I had today. We started off with breakfast at Zana's, then proceeded to see Sue, who checks Dick's blood. He was within the perameters again, but right on the bottom rung so she wants to see him in two weeks instead of the usual four. We left her and got a cup of coffee from the Coffeology Cafe at the Clinic. Next we proceeded to Dr. Phelan's office and Dick had the compression bandages removed. The swelling was DRAMATICALLY reduced and we feel so relieved. Dr. Phelan's office got us an immediate appointment with Dr. Coulas, the podiatrist, who removed the callous with the blister from his left foot and another blister that was bothersome from the right foot. We have to go back to see him in two weeks also to have these checked. Then we went to Fessler's Drug Store on Superior to get Dick fitted for compression stockings to help keep the swelling from reoccurring. WHEW!!!


That seems like quite enough, doesn't it? But we went home after that, had lunch, then went grocery shopping. We really HAD to because we were out of milk and a few other things that I needed.

We kind of flip flopped our meals. I fixed a hamburger, spinach and cottage cheese for lunch and then we had soup and crackers for supper.

While I was at the podiatrist's office, I found a recipe for "Killer Chile". It calls for cubed beef, beer and jalapenos. I want to try it with venison. If it is good, I will share.

"Women will only be equal to men when.....they can walk down the
street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy."

Tomorrow, I am going to Plymouth for lunch, the bank and to pay The Sewing Basket for two classes that I will be taking next month.

Tomorrow is Friday ALREADY.

Have a good one. It is starting to get cold again.

Love

Mary

I got to stay home ALL day. It was WONDERFUL.

I started appliqueing the Cocker Puppy for a quilt I am working on and cut a lot of squares for the Cathedral Window Quilt that I have decided to make.

Our blast off diet week is going well. We are eating plenty, just portions and careful planning. Tonight we shared a boneless pork chop, had a small serving of mashed potatoes, spinach and a salad. By the end of the week we will be "Off the Sweets". Actually I planned it all quite well, we finished all but one cookie and some breads before we started this.

Leslie said she was going to call tonight, but I waited until 8:15 and then called Bart and Barb because I have been a bit concerned about them. They are just fine, I am glad to say. Barb had been planning a 50th wedding anniversary party for her parents and as she has been working 12 hour days and her Mother is pretty demanding she had been afraid that something would go wrong. But nothing did go wrong. It was perfect and it is over.

Tomorrow morning is going to be way too busy as I told you yesterday. We will go to breakfast. As I told Dick, if we have our usual two eggs and toast with fruit we are right on target. That's what I like about this system.

When Mother and I were driving home on New Year's Day she was commenting on the size of houses now days. They just DON'T build the little two bedroom one bath homes they used to. Nobody would buy them. I told her that I wouldn't. Even if Dick and I were alone, I would want two bathrooms or at least one full and a powder room. I know that when we were growing up there were 11 of us in the red house with only one bathroom. We managed but we didn't have a choice and we did not know any differently. Now I do.

I should mention to her that we would not want to go back to the outdoor toilet that I can barely remember with a chamber pot for emergencies and night time either. It is just nice to have the sanitation and a "throne" for each of us.

Isn't it wonder ful to be so blessed?

Mary

January 3rd. Social Security day at the bank. When I worked in Plymouth, they always had cookies for the elderly who came in to do their banking on the third of every month when their checks arrived or appeared in their accounts as a direct deposit. Such a nice simple thing to do to make people happy. They usually got the cookies from the Pig. The Pig really DOES have great cookies.

Dick and I are using this week for a blast off, clean out the system of sweets and monitering the food week - starting today. Today was easy, I hope the rest of the week seems so.

I picked up some footware for Dick to wear around the house and hopefully to help while his feet are so swollen. We have an appointment to get his sox right after his doctor's appointment on Thursday. That will really be a big day. Shopping, blood check, Dr. Phelan and the sox check at Fessler's Drug store.

Tomorrow, I REALLY should get to stay home. I have tried since Sunday an alway end up having to do something. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the day.

It was warm and rainy again today and all the snow is gone. Supposed to be warm the rest of the week. Dick says it is the January thaw. I walked again today and find that I am building back up again. I really think that it will probably be spring before my ankle stops aching. I think I need warm.

I did some sewing downstairs and when I came up, found that Dick is watching the Orange Bowl. The game is fine but they had some group or person singing, (I guess) during the half and it was awful. Perhaps I am getting old, but I just can't see singers that rely on their actions to BE the performance and you never hear the lead singers voice, just the amplified, distorted mumbling. Anyway, I didn't like it.

Got the following from a friend today. I know that I have seen similar postings but this is a good time to share the thought.

Happy New Year, this is God.

This year, as with every year, I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember, I do not need your help.

If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.

Kindly put it all in the SFJTD BOX. (Something for Jesus to Do)
It will be addressed in my time, not yours. Please be patient.

Once the matter has been placed in the box, do not hold onto it. Do not become impatient and take it back to see if you can find a solution.

Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem. You must surrender the problem to Me for proper resolution.

If a situation you think you cannot handle arises, please consult Me in prayer. Together we will come up with proper resolution.

If you do not receive what you anticipate as proper response
from Me, remember--some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayer.

Because I do not sleep, there is no need for you to lose any.
Rest, my child...if you need me, I am but a prayer away.

-Author unknown



Mary

This was a very strange day in the weather department. It rained off and on and ACTUALLY thundered and there was lightning. This NEVER happens in January but there you are. Dick says this is the January thaw. We are supposed to have another week of the warm weather and at least some more rain. Bobbie and I went out to Rhine for the meeting and the parking lot is treachorous. It is so bad that Doc fell last Monday and broke his ankle. Poor guy was all alone and had to drag himself back to his truck and drive himself home.

Dick got in to see Dr. Phelan today about the swelling in his legs. Dr. Phelan had the nurse put compression bandages on both legs, gave him an antibiotic for the blister on the left sole and is going to get prescription compression stockings ordered for him. I am relieved that we are doing something to help correct the problem. Apparantly it can't be healed but can be controlled.

Got all the company dishes put away today too. So it was a busy one. We had meatballs, potatoes and cabbage for dinner again. It was so good we felt it deserved an encore.

Tomorrow I should not have to go anywhere so will spend the day in beginnng of the year stuff and racking some wine. The Concord Grape is ready for another racking and in two months it can be bottled. However, they recommend that it age for two years before being tasted.

Bye BYE

Mary

The meatballs were really good. I fixed a great cabbage dish also. I browned chopped bacon in a big frying pan. Then I added one tablespoon of butter, a chopped onion, a cup of celery, some chopped fresh green, red or yellow peppers, a small cabbage shredded and a can of mushrooms liquid and all. Steam until done then salt and pepper to taste.

I am always pleased to have Mother here on New Year's Day. Bobbie and Bill often join us so we have a nice full table and lots of great conversation.

The Packers won. Such a relief, though Jim says their timing is bad. They should have lost to maintain draft picks. I figure winning is always better than losing. As a coach in little league told Bart's team after their first game, which they lost. He said, "Did you have fun?" They all hollared "Yes!" He said, "Good and it is even MORE fun when you win."

I hope you have fun whatever you do this coming year. And I hope you win.

Mary