Another day. They are all goofy lately. I started off this morning by locking myself out of the house.

We always lock the door from the house into the garage at night because we don't know how many people know the combination to the automatic garage door opener. (We will be changing that soon.) Anyway, I went out to try to find my business card folder and shut the door, completely forgetting that I had neglected to unlock the door. Dick had just laid down for a nap about 20 minutes before so there I was. I was trying to decide if I could climb a ladder to the balcony when it dawned on me that the window to the bedroom is right there at eye level. DUH! So I knocked and woke Dick up and he rescued me. I think my mind is shot. We are going to have the locks changed next week and will hide an extra key out there somewhere so if such a thing happens we are covered. We are also going to change the combination for the automatic door opener so the world won't know what it is.

Dick called the Clinic today and got an appointment for this afternoon with a Dr. Johnson about his back. Dr Phelan is on vacation til the end of next week and his back is just bothering him too much. He cannot lie down to sleep. Dr. Johnson told him that if he is comfortable in the chair, he should just plan on sleeping there for the next week or so to give his back a chance to heal. He ordered an MRI because he was concerned about possible bleeding into the spine and reissued a prescription for the pain killers and muscle relaxants. We got out of the clinic at about 5:30PM. The technician told Dick that he has a very badly bruized vertibrae and had better be very careful not to injure it further.

We got home at about 6:00. I fixed a plate for Dick and a sandwich for me and headed out to Rhine to work the balance of my Friday shift. I had called Doc and Bobbie and told them that I would be late and why. It was really busy despite the misty weather but went well. I even shot my pistol league. The first was bad, only 28, but I worked at it and got a 74 on the last target. Yea, I am learning something. Randy Walter, who is REALLY GOOD, said I need to learn to relax a bit and let my arm take over. He was proud of my improvement too.

That's all folks. I need to call Bart and Barb in the morning and I still haven't reached Jacquie.

Take care..

Love

Mary

This has been a NICE day. We stayed home the whole day, which was wonderful. I got a couple more boxes unloaded AND finished my report for the Celtic Faire committee. As it turns out, I will not be able to attend the meeting because it is the same night as Rhine Plymouth and I am NOT going to try to attend two meetings anymore.

I can finish the last details and give the folders to Lynn who will be attending the meeting, I am sure. They can call if they have any questions.

I was thinking today of the boys when they were little. They were like night and day. Bret easy going and goofy. Bart intense and serious.

One time we were talking and Bart, who was all of three at the time, told me that he knew something because he read it in a book. When I mentioned that he couldn't read, he looked a little surprised and said. "Oh Ya." and just went on with the discussion. He really was a lot of fun because he had so many questions and was always on the go.

Bret slept through the night by the time he was three months old. I don't know if Bart does yet. I understand that he has sleep apnea so perhaps he is. I keep forgetting to ask him how the machine works for him.

Dick's back is a bit better today. He still has trouble sleeping in bed, mainly getting up or turning over.

We got a few more things on the walls today too. Dinner was easy. Leftover venison and guiness and colcannon.

Tomorrow I lunch with the girls and have to work at Rhine. Hope you have a good day.

There is an Irish Superstition that says "Every day has one hour in which a wish may be granted and in which a person has the power to see spirits. Only by trial and error can that period be known."

Let's try together.

Mary

This has been a NICE day. We stayed home the whole day, which was wonderful. I got a couple more boxes unloaded AND finished my report for the Celtic Faire committee. As it turns out, I will not be able to attend the meeting because it is the same night as Rhine Plymouth and I am NOT going to try to attend two meetings anymore.

I can finish the last details and give the folders to Lynn who will be attending the meeting, I am sure. They can call if they have any questions.

I was thinking today of the boys when they were little. They were like night and day. Bret easy going and goofy. Bart intense and serious.

One time we were talking and Bart, who was all of three at the time, told me that he knew something because he read it in a book. When I mentioned that he couldn't read, he looked a little surprised and said. "Oh Ya." and just went on with the discussion. He really was a lot of fun because he had so many questions and was always on the go.

Bret slept through the night by the time he was three months old. I don't know if Bart does yet. I understand that he has sleep apnea so perhaps he is. I keep forgetting to ask him how the machine works for him.

Dick's back is a bit better today. He still has trouble sleeping in bed, mainly getting up or turning over.

We got a few more things on the walls today too. Dinner was easy. Leftover venison and guiness and colcannon.

Tomorrow I lunch with the girls and have to work at Rhine. Hope you have a good day.

There is an Irish Superstition that says "Every day has one hour in which a wish may be granted and in which a person has the power to see spirits. Only by trial and error can that period be known."

Let's try together.

Mary

Dick and I hung two pictures and the clock that Dick gave us for our wedding in the office today. We hung the Marilyn Monroe picture and the picture of Dick and me in the "saloon" setting. We sure were young.

We went to the Pig shopping this morning and stopped and did a couple of errands for Mother.

Tonight we took Jim and Michelle over to 52 Stafford for dinner and to enjoy the Irish jam session that they have there every Wednesday night. I asked Shawn and he said that if I brought the music and words, I could sing my words to "For Ireland, I won't Say Her Name." We had to leave at 8:30 because Michelle has to be in Milwaukee at 7:00 which means getting up at 5:15AM. I'll have to to over alone some night and just enjoy the show.

Tonight I just had a cup of Irish Root Soup and the Smoked Salmon Appetizer plate. It was SO good and I have enough food left for lunch tomorrow. Dick had the County Clare meatloaf and said that it was quite good.


Dear Dogs and Cats,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food.
Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.
The proper order is kiss me, THEN go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!

Love

Mary

Haircut for me and the foot doctor this morning. Then we went to Office Max to check out floor mats. Found the kind we want and are checking around. I did get a real deal. We bought ink cartridges for the printer and got a whole bunch of AA batteries free.

Did I tell you that Bill fixed the door from the garage into the house. It was banging the closet and driving us nuts as well as beginning to leave a mark. Now, as long as we don't fling it open , it just swings gently open and stops.

We also stopped at Walmart and got some picture hangers,various screws and a bath mat for the shower.

Lots to do. I called Oklahoma and talked to Bart and Barb. I put Bart on the prayer chain yesterday. He has been having a bad time of it. And poor Barb too. She is working so much overtime and worried about Bart at the same time. He has always been such an intense person. Even as a baby. I remember when he was just a couple of weeks old, having to go to the hospital with a neighbor and his daughter and leaving Bart with the neighbor's oldest son until another neighbor came home to take over. It was a very complicated emergancy.

The gist of the story is that when I got home, Bart, only two weeks old, had been fussing the whole time I was gone. The minute that I took him into my arms he stopped crying, sighed in contentment and went to sleep. He expected that I should be there ALL the time.

He is, as I said, so intense. I always just wanted my boys to be happy and I hope he succeeds in finding that.

It is late now, I am tired and going to bed. Dick's back was not really very good today. I hope we don't have to go back to the doctor. Please say special prayers for Bart and Dick.

Love

Mary

Finding your way ANYWHERE in Sheboygan Falls is still an adventure. I went to bible study this morning and ended up parking in front of Randy and Donna's house on school street because they were tearing out the sidewalks in front of church and the rectory and I couldn't get in from Summer Street because the parking lot is blocked off to protect the school kids. What a mess that is. I hope they are winding down. Downtown Sheboygan Falls looks like a war zone.

The study was a good one. Both the first and last readings stress that good done in the name of the Lord is GOOD, even if it is not done by a "Catholic" or a "born again" or a "Jew" but in the name of the Lord. Moses said so and so did Jesus. Joe, one of our participants, was interested in the symbols I used for the banner in Church the Hand of God, so I must remember to bring my research next week for him to read.

I stopped at Mom's on the way home and picked up a deposit to make for her. I also need to call Walgreens and square away her prescription situation. She is getting a bit bucky about taking medication.

Home again and I unpacked a few more boxes, mostly clothes, though I did get a bit of the desk squared away and found the Insurance and receipt folders. A minor miracle.

We had leftover meatloaf and noodles for supper. Pretty good. Tonight was the Rhine Plymouth Board meeting. Took a bit longer because we reviewed the proposed revised constitution and will have our suggestions incorporated into the copy we will give to the membership.

I just took Chelsea out for her last evening walk and saw the lights of a plane flying overhead. It, for some reason, reminded me of my previous life. We belonged to a jeep club. It was a family club and we would go well off the beaten path for our camping and exploring, usually in sand or high desert areas.

One of our members, Ella Jones, had a very unique problem. No matter what dune, what hill, what grove of trees she would retreat to to take care of the neccessary functions, (as our buddy, Orrin Nordin always said, visiting the "tickle bushes), she would get caught. The very classic was a trip down to Mexico. She and Jeannie Gibson retreated over several sand dunes on the beach, made sure no one was in sight and then Jeannie stood guard on top of one of the dunes. As poor Ella was relieving herself, she heard a noise and looked up to see a two seater airplane cruising slowly by her with the guys in it waving like crazy.

Have a good day and cover yourself.

Mary

Sunday is over. What a busy day. Bobbie and Bill came over this afternoon and Bobbie helped me empty and put away the contents of LOTS of boxes. The gnomes are scattered all around the condo. Books are on shelves, tapes and cds are distributed (at least until we ran out of room.) Then we had dinner. Jim and Michelle joined us.

I fixed venison and Guiness, colcannan, fresh beets (for those who like them), corn (for those who don't) cole slaw and for dessert chocolate zucchini bread with vanilla ice cream. Altogether very good.

Chelsea is a very exhausted little girl. She had one of her little epileptic episodes this morning and I think it pretty much did her in especially with all the company and excitement.

Bobbie and Bill are enjoying Oscar and Roxie, though Bobbie assures me that when we can they will not stand in our way of taking them back. She is starting to experience cat hair all over and not sure that they want to put up with that as a permenant way of life. She is experiencing the "wonder" of Oscar's needy nature and tries to keep her eyes shut and ignore him when she is in bed.

I went to church in Sheboygan Falls today. I was thinking of going to St. John's in Plymouth but Mother indicated that she was expecting me, so natually, I went to Blessed Trinity instead.

A Ben Walsh said. "Scientists now say that people should not use their cell phones outdoors during thunderstorms because of the risk of being struck by lightening.

You should also avoid using them in movie theaters because of the risk of being strangled."

Have a good week.

Mary

Sunday is over. What a busy day. Bobbie and Bill came over this afternoon and Bobbie helped me empty and put away the contents of LOTS of boxes. The gnomes are scattered all around the condo. Books are on shelves, tapes and cds are distributed (at least until we ran out of room.) Then we had dinner. Jim and Michelle joined us.

I fixed venison and Guiness, colcannan, fresh beets (for those who like them), corn (for those who don't) cole slaw and for dessert chocolate zucchini bread with vanilla ice cream. Altogether very good.

Chelsea is a very exhausted little girl. She had one of her little epileptic episodes this morning and I think it pretty much did her in especially with all the company and excitement.

Bobbie and Bill are enjoying Oscar and Roxie, though Bobbie assures me that when we can they will not stand in our way of taking them back.