A whole day at home. I finished a rough copy of a brocure that I want to mail to our Blessed Trinity Senior Saints. (I'm one of them too, even if Mother says that I am just a kid.) I have to laugh at her. She said that most of the people that go to the Senior meals are in their 70s. And many are in worse shape than she is. She is an amazing woman.

I also cleaned my desk and cleared up several things that have been just hanging around. Then I made some blueberry muffins and a blueberry cheesecake. I had a bag of blueberries in the freezer and soon there will be fresh blueberries in the store that are reasonable. Don't want things hanging around in the freezer TOO long.

It was a little bit chilly today. I don't think it got over 47 and it was cloudy, so it was a bit gloomy. A good day to hole up at home. Kitties were quite pleased with that. They like it when I work at my desk. Actually they like it when I sew downstairs too. They just all move down there to sleep. Sometimes I feel like the Pied Piper. Of course, they are not rats or children.

Tonight we have to remember to change the clocks. Spring Forward. Nine becomes ten. I always have to go through the whole idea before it sinks in. That ought to really confuse the animals. Don't you think?

Later.

Mary

Woke up this morning to wet streets. It did not start raining again until this afternoon and has been misting ever since.

I went to Plymouth for lunch. There were just three of us today. Marlene was babysitting and Betty is off galavanting in the Carribean again. This time with her daughter on a rather small boat. I had a cup of Tomato Florentine soup. It was very very good. Then I bought three small blizzards for our dessert tonight. I couldn't resist when the server gave me a .50 coupon and they have Banana Cream Pie and Coconut Cream Pie flavors. Boy are they every GOOD!

I have a story for you tonight. Years ago, my Dad had a hip replacement. He was the first or second person in the county to get this new procedure which was a plastic joint. He had had a stainless steel one year before but it had gotten closed by calcium buildup. Calcium would not build up on the plastic joint.

Anyway, he had to go into the hospital a couple of days ahead of time as they had to scrub and totally disinfect and sanatize his skin and the area of the operation. Probably because they would be opening the bone marrow area. Grandma Bowser found that a good reason to tease Dad. She told him that she remembered hearing about the Man from Town Mosel who was admitted to the hospital and it took them seven days of baths before they got him clean.


Have a nice weekend. If the rain keeps up, we will have worms all over the street. This is another sign of spring and good harvest for the robins.

Mary

What a beautiful day. We opened the window in the office for a good part of the day, which made Oscar and Roxie, especially Oscar, very happy.

We went out grocery shopping this morning with our usual Thursday morning breakfast at Zana's. When we got home I raked the last of the leaves that were piled up against the house. Now if we get some rain, and continue to have warm days, I will be able to figure out what I will have to replace or supplement. The tulips, peonys, day lilies, parsley, thyme, chives and rhubarb are showing signs of life.

I was watching an old Married with Children today about Marcie and Peg going to a men's strip show. It reminded me of the time that I went to one. A bunch of Little League moms, including myself decided to go to one on a lark. So we gathered. Have you ever tried to tell a bunch of eleven year old boys that their mothers are going to a men's trip show. They, almost in unison, said "You are going WHERE?" with total disbelief on their faces. We had a great time. All of the strippers were way to young to be too erotic and I came home reeking of cigarette smoke but it was a fun night.

Friday already tomorrow. AND the last day or March. Maybe thunderstorms. We could use rain.

Mary

The crab tree in our side yard from Spring of 2003.


Enjoy this taste of spring. Every morning when Chelsea and I take our walk there are more and more signs. Of course, we don't have these beautiful trees yet. But they will be coming soon. I love the busy bird choir that we hear as we walk around the tract.

We went to Nino's with Mother for dinner before going to the play. It was Lend Me a Tenor. I did remember correctly. The Theatre Company did this play in 1993. It is a very funny farce. All three of us found it very amusing.

I spent the morning squishing juice out of wild grapes and combining the juice with the juice extracted from the raisin/banana mixture that I had put together earlier. This is a new recipe as the first wild grape wine I made was a disappointment. Very non descript and a bit harsh. Age did not mellow it very much either. I figure the raisins and banana should mellow it a bit. Only time will tell and the scratch wines do require patience.


Have a nice Thursday.

Mary

The only things I had to go out of the yard for today were to walk Chelsea this morning and to pick up Market Day this afternoon. It was SO good not to be running around for a day.

The weather was beautiful today. This afternoon, I went out in the yard and cleared the old dead Marigolds out of the planter and swept the leaves up from around the front. Chelsea was delighted as this was her first time to hang out in the yard since last fall.

This was a double special day because I took her along when I picked up Market Day. A ride always is special and I like to take her when I can and it is not the vet. Otherwise, eventually, she won't want to go. She really likes going to Mom's or as a special treat to Bobbie and Bill's house, much better than today.

I spent the rest of the day catching up on computer stuff, especially the board minutes, and roster for Rhine Plymouth.

Tomorrow I get to stay home all day until the evening when Dick and I will be going to dinner and the play with Mom. I want to do a bit more yard work as it is supposed to get all the way up in to the middle 50s tomorrow. Chelsea will be a happy little camper if she gets to go out two days in a row. That is almost warm enough to open up the windows and let in the fresh air. Kitties would love that.


[]
A friend is someone who knows
the song in your heart
and can sing it back to you
when you have forgotten
the words.;

-- Unknown

Mary

Today was the busiest day that I will have this week.

Bible Study started at 9:30AM. We had a lively discussion on Jeremiah. This was the chapter on the New Covenant where God tells his people that the laws will no longer be written in stone but in the hearts of his people. I especially like the quote from the latter half of 31:33 "I will be their god and they will be my people." and the last of verse 34. " for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more." Both very comforting.

After the study, I called Donna, one of the Environment Committee members, to help me clean and sweep the attic. We piled a bunch of carpeting against the wall so that Donna can get to the ladders to the scaffolding behind the altar to hang the stuff. Hopefully, Kathy, our maintenance person, can get rid of more of the carpet scraps, those that we don't think we use anymore.

Saw Dr. Casey today again about my shoulder. I still have some pain though it is getting stronger. He gave me a new exercise that he says should help. He called it the beer can exercise, which will help me remember how to do it.

Tonigh Bobbie and I had a board meeting at Rhine. Our president resigned and quit, I think I told you that, so the VP. John Nevicosi, wanted a board meeting to determine how to proceed and to establish an agenda for the meeting next week. That took a while but hopefully it will set up some ground rules as to how to deal with the difficult members who keep complaining about petty things.

The rest of the week is much quieter. The only other night event is to go to the Sheboygan Theatre with Mother on Wednesday to see Lend Me a Tenor.

Well, it is about time to go to bed now. Mother used to say "Up the wooden hill to four corners." It was probably a little more clear when bedrooms were ALWAYS upstairs.

Love

Mary

I just found Garrison Keillor on PBS. What a nice way to end a rather pleasant Sunday. I went to the early Mass. Had a nice visit with Jim Wilsing, my bagpiper friend, who is substituting for Beth Hoegger, our organist/choir director, while she is visiting her daughter in Germany. Does that make sense? Oh well, does to me. I wanted to confir that Jim will play for us at Celtic Mass in September and that he would help Beth and I plan the Mass. I was so pleased today, when we finished singing the communion song there was a bit of time left so Jim played my favorite Irish Aire - the one I wrote the words to for Unity Concert and Celtic Faire.

This afternoon, Bobbie and I worked at Rhine. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. I scored a couple of rounds of trap to give the guys that were doing it a break and it was well worth it. I told Doc that they should MAKE me do a round or two each time I work so that I don't feel so rusty the first round. Before I left, I went through a file cabinet of papers that has been sitting around for years. We sent MOST of it to the incinerator. It was receipts and bank statements and what not from 1990 to 2004. I kept the statements from 1999 to present for the record as they say that 7 years is as far back as they audit. (Some say less and some say more but 7 is the concensus.)

Got home and we had barbecued ribs and potato salad for supper. Nobody was disappointed.

I finished one of my squares for the Church Quilt. Only one and 1/3 more or less to go. I made a pinwheel and a square called Wintergreen which is actually a Christmas pattern but looks great in non Christmas colors too.





The above is a grave marker in the graveyard at St. Michael Church near Parnell. It is a single marker that covered the graves of four children of my great great Grandfather Michael Bowser. The children, at least three of them, died of diptheria during an epidemic at that time. Their brother Joseph, my great grandfather, had to help his father bury the children as the neighbors, though they were concerned and would bring food to the end of the road were unable to help because of fear of the disease. I cannot conceive of losing four babies in less than a year. One almost did me in.

They are hard to read.

Michael S. was born 7/18/1951 and died 6/29/1860
George L. was born 11/5/1855 and died 6/11/1860
Andrew W was born 1/17/1858 and died 6/28/1860
and Sara M was born 10/01/1859 and died 12/28/1859

We find it interesting that Great Great Grandpa had already changed the spelling of his name to Bowser but he used the Bauser spelling for the stone for his children.


Not to be grim. It is actually comforting to know my roots back that far.

Have a great week

Mary