The pictures have been downloaded, so I will put two on the site today.

The first is a picture of Mother looking simply gorgeous in her home just before we left for the Villager and the second is the seven of us with her during the party.





As some of you may not know all of us. In the back row from left to right. My, George, Nora, Dolores and Eileen. And in the front row, Jeff, Mother and Randy.




It sure was a great party. Those memories will keep Mother warm all the rest of winter.

I talked to Bart today. He is still in some pain but Barbara was able to go back to work yesterday and she would not leave him alone if he was not better. He was SO excited to hear about Jim's new position. That perked him up a lot.

Sunday should be quiet. Just church and shooting. Hope yours is quiet too.

Love
Mary

Still didn't get those pictures downloaded. But I had a great day. There was snow on the ground when I woke up this morning. Not a lot, just a dusting. It was not all that warm today, but a lot of it melted off anyway.

Went to the Sewing Basket for a second free arm quilting class called Beyond Basics. I learned a lot. We went into more complicated patterns and combining methods. I also got more fabric for the banner that I want to do for Celtic Mass and Fair this year (if I get it done.) If not this year, it will be ready for next year I am sure. Actually, now that I have it in my head, I probably will get it done.

When I was in Plymouth, I remembered a story that Aunt Helen told me about herself and her job in the canning factory in Plymouth. She worked in the office and traveled on the electric car from Sheboygan Falls to Plymouth every day for her job. She was very young and very pretty with her red hair and her dresses, quite short as was the fashion of that flapper era. She said that after a while she noticed that when she walked into the factory area with messages or to pick something up, all the machines stopped until she left. Then one day, she noticed a sign on the door which said "Turn off machines when Helen comes into the shop." Apparantly there were too many missed cans and labels because they guys all watched the cute broad.

Tomorrow I get to stay home ALL day. We are going to filter some wine. We really need to get some on the shelves. It is fun to have a variety to share and give away.

Love

Mary

I talked to Bart today. He is home. He is in a lot of pain but said he is improving a bit each day. They did keep him a day extra because he had some blood in his stools, but it is decreasing. I found out that they do not like to keep the patients too long at the VA because it is overcrowded and there is a concern that surgery patients can contract infections in their incisions. Anyway he is home and healing. Please keep him in your prayers.

Good news on another front. Most of you know already that Jim got the IT position at Mead Library. They are separating it from the original proposal of a combination IT/Business Manager positon so now it is JUST what he wanted to begin with. He will start almost immediately and he will remain a backup for the cleaning crew. Yea Jim. Go! Go! Go!

We shopped today too. This shopping ONCE a week is saving us lots of money. I know that every time a person goes in a grocery store he buys more than he needs. We are much more careful and have to buy for the week so there is less waste. I bought some strawberries and sliced them with vanilla ice cream for dinner.


I am going to download the pictures from Mom's birthday (finally) tomorrow and will have a picture or two for you then. In the meantime, I received this from a friend with the caption: Redneck Cat Carrier.




The cat looks like our Big Oscar. And the Busch Beer reminds me of my friend, Kirby. Kirby was a strange man, but I loved him dearly. When Bart and I were getting ready to drive alone to Minnesota from California when we came east, it was Kirby who said that he would not let us go until he checked out and serviced the car so we would be safe. He is gone now and I know that God has a special place in heaven for him. I'll tell you more about him sometime.

Enjoy

Mary

It is very late. For me at least. Dick and I took Mother to the Sheboygan Theatre presentation of The Odd Couple after dinner at the Villager. I asked for a container for my leftovers and then forgot it. There goes tomorrow's lunch.

The Odd Couple was done exceptionally well. They actually did both the male and the female versions on opposite nights. Our regular night had the male version. I was just as glad as I had seen the female version on stage before but never the male.

Mother and I were talking during the intermissions and I mentioned that I had told you all about my Grandfather's sisters, my great Aunts Jo, Gee, Lenore and Claire. She reminded me that there was one other. I don't remember meeting her at all but must have sometime in my life. This was the oldest of the girls Aunt Mae (Mary Elizabeth). Aunt Mae Bowser married Michael O' Connor. One of her children, Eileen married Johnny Bill Shea. They were the parents of Michael Shea, my cousin who is the Redemptorist in Thailand who started Sarnelli House.

Eileen was a (as Fr. Howard Johnson who worked with her at Kettle Morraine, Pistol.) She was also a beautiful woman. I only remember her from a family gathering or two when I was very young. She had black hair and was very pretty with a somewhat Spanish look about her. After Michael O'Connor died, Aunt Mae moved in with Eileen and Johnny Bill. Fr. Mike always said that it was a good thing. He said every home needs a Grandma in it. When Mom's get really angry with their children, the Grandmas say "Oh, it's not so bad. They are only babies." And chidren survive childhood. He carried this through in his children homes in Thailand. He always has a Grandma in each house to be the "doter". I don't know if Doter is a word but I thing you know what I mean. Grandmas always calm down Mothers who expect the world and all from these little innocents.

Tomorrow is THURSDAY already.

Later

Mary

Gathered information and took it to my friend Mark Mueller for taxes. Used to do it myself, but things are a bit too complicated now. I figure it is better to have an expert prepare them.

Chelsea and I had a cold walk today. The wind we had yesterday has died down so it wasn't too bad. I read that there are Santa Ana winds and fires in southern California, specifically Orange County. While I live there we had a year like that. The ash and smoke hover all over everything. We were quite far away from the fires but still smelled the smoke and all.

The beer can chicken was so good. You know that you are always welcome. When the kids were little and all during much of my life in California, I never knew who might be staying for dinner. My ex worked on peoples vehicles in our garage evenings and weekends. If people were there, they just stayed. I am sure that would drive Dick crazy, but it never bothered me, probably because of growing up in the family that I grew up in. There were so many of us, of course, and if friends were over they were usually just invited to sit down with us.

I remember a funny incident. It was after the normal work day and my friend Janet Winchester had stopped by. We were talking at the front door when a car pulled up in front. A man, Don Bernika, came up to the door carrying some clothes in his arms and asked where he could change. I directed him down the hall to the bedrooms while Janet watched in amazement. When he got out of hearing she asked if men were always changing in my bedroom. At that point, I realized that Janet had not met Don. He was having his jeep worked on by my ex husband, Dick J. and arrived at the house before Dick J. got home from work.

Have a nice Wednesday.

Love

Mary

Told you it would be a busy day and it was. Started with a phone call to the VA Hospital in Oklahoma. I got to talk to Bart. He was tired and sore. They waited until this afternoon and decided that an operation was indeed needed. The surgery is over, he is back in his room. I have not been able to talk to him, as he is in some pain and I was home at odd times also. Barb and I talked this evening. She said that if he is able to hold food down and they have the pain under control he can go home tomorrow. Awfully quick, but I know he will rest better there. The doctors told Barb that everything went well. Now we need to pray for a quick recovery.

Bible Study was fun, as always. We had a nice group as Tom and Kathy are back from Texas. Usually they stay until April but because Tom needs some medical treatments, had to come back early. Please remember Tom in your prayers, Kathy too as this has been a rather difficult year for them. Kind of odd readings. A lot about leprosy. We are wondering if Molakai, the Hawaiian Leper colony is still operating. I must remember to check.

Then I went to Plymouth to a class on free arm quilting. I hope it sticks this time. I am going to try to stipple a pillow top that I have assembled. Friday I am taking another class called Beyond Basics. It looks like there will only be two of us in the class. So I can ask ALL the questions that I want.

Tonight was the meeting at Rhine. It went on about 1/2 hour longer than necessary. These men don't know how to keep a meeting on track and have a tendancy to ramble.

Tomorrow is much quieter. I am fixing beer can chicken tomorrow for supper. Jim is home this week so I can do that. It is too much for just the two of us. I try to think of things that are not so much food during the week.

Have a great Tuesday

Mary

Just finished watching Super Bowl. It is fun watching a game that you don't have a high stake in. We weren't even in any pools and frankly I didn't care who won. It was exciting anyway.

Also. Just got a call from Barb. I had tried to call earlier and gotten their answering service which did not give me a personalized message and confused me. When Barb called, I thought that she had picked up my jumbled message. She hadn't. She was calling me as she was driving back from the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City. Bart is there with an appendicitis attack. They are hoping, as only the tip of the appendix, that the infection will subside and they will not have to do surgery. We will have to pray. I will call him tomorrow and report tomorrow night.

Just an additional note on the French Pastries. I had not made them in years and they are still as delicious as I remembered but also MUCH messier. You can also make six instead of four or there is too much pudding and cream left over.

Dick's chili was a triumph again. We had it with garlic bread, chopped onion and grated cheese. Plenty left for a couple more meals.

Tomorrow is going to be run run run all day. Bible study, quilt class and Rhine Plymouth all in one day. How come everything always comes "to onest". I like that expression even if it is silly.

Alittle short poem- another Cin Quain.

Daffodils

Daffodils
Gilded trumpets
Swaying smiling shouting
First to herald the coming birth
Of SPRING.

We can hope and have that to look forward to. Actually, with all the warm weather we have had, the bulbs are already stirring. I see green on tulips and the day lilies. I really don't know what will happen if we get the cold and snow that will probably be with us durning the next two to three months. It is, after all, only the beginning of February. Snow has been recorded in Wisconsin as late as early May. There is an old adage that one should not plant a garden before Memorial Day to be sure that there is no danger of frost.

Love

Pray for my boy

Mary