Chelsea let me sleep until 6:30 this morning. That was quite useful as it was beginning to get light when we started our walk and was quite light by the time we finished. She was a really active old lady this morning. We went down ALL the cul de sacs - June Grass, Cattail AND Indian Grass, then went down Eastern Avenue to Valley Road and followed the path along Lions Park until we got to the place where we could go through the woods right to our back yard. A nice pleasant walk.

When we got back, Dick was sleeping, so we ate breakfast, cleaned the kitchen and emptied a few little boxes. I had lunch at the Dairy Queen, a cup of chili, and a nice visit with Alice, Betty, Barb, Mary and Dawn. A nice visit and break in the day.

Then I rested a bit until Jim and Michelle came home. We found spots to put the wedding cake. Dick and Brenda got her at about 5:00 so we visited with them and Jim and Michelle for a bit more then out to dinner at the Villager. Brenda and I took a quick swing through Evans. Dick and Dick really wanted to go home so kept calling us AND then there was an announcement that the store was closing in 7 minutes (not 5 or 10 but SEVEN) so we figured we had better leave.

When we got home we called Jim and Michelle over for a little shot of White Chocolate Liquor and coffee. I found out that Michelle has never been to Evans so will take her and Jim some day. That is an experience that everybody should have. I know that when Sarah, George and Betsy's daughter in law, comes to visit she INSISTS on going to Evans, just to buy their candy. ( the old nickel and dime kind that you can't find anywhere)

Tomorrow is the big day. The wedding. Today was Michelle's birthday, tomorrow the wedding and Sunday, Jim's birthday. They sure know how to hold each other to remembering. Jim and Michelle are going to get their flowers early in the morning, so I suggested that we have a nice Bride's Brunch, or as Jim calls it a Groom's Gorge. Hope I remembered that right. He is very alert and notices that EVERYTHING is for the bride.

It is getting close to Halloween. I will tell you my little Halloween poem because I can't think of any clever way to end tonight.

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long leggity beasties
And things that go bump in the night.
Precious Lord , deliver us.

Mary

 

The above picture was taken on a lighthouse tour of Door County. I am experimenting with Picasso and it is really quite easy to put pictures on the blog. Do you like it? I was rather proud of this shot.

Today was dry. A nice change from all the rain that we have been experiencing lately.

Well, we had our two trips to the Clinic today. Dick and Sue, his nurse technician, both fully expected his blood test to be way off because he is taking antibiotics and was taking pain pills and muscle relaxants. These things ALWAYS thin the blood. But Dick, the wonder patient, had a perfect blood level for, I think, the 20th month in a row. Sue said that she would make a fortune if she could just figure out what his body is doing. She wants to see him in 10 days anyway, just to be sure that all is OK.

The second visit was to the podiatrist. He is prescribing some insoles which he is hoping will slow up the formation of those uncomfortable calluses that also sometimes get blood clots.

We stopped at Hunters Glen to check everything too. All is well and we got a call from ReMax that there is a showing scheduled for tonight at 6:00PM. Pray that we get an offer soon. As Jim and Michelle said, it would be a great wedding present for them.

Jim and Michelle came over tonight with a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert and we reviewed what is happening tomorrow and Saturday. She and Jim have been making two of the dishes for the reception each day and are almost done.

We called Dick and Brenda tonight. They are going to be here tomorrow, sometime between 5 and 6 and we will go to the Villager for dinner. I suggested to Brenda that we go next door to see if there is anything we can do to help when we get back from dinner. However, I think the most help we can be is on Saturday. Michelle thinks she has it all together, but on Saturday, she should be spending more time on herself and less on the preparations. We can step in there.

My camera arrived priority mail, wrapped in a neat black t shirt from Kristine at the ICHC (Irish Cultural and Historic Center). I have written a note and am sending it with a check for the restoration fund to thank her for the kind attention. I had about 50 pictures from several events stockpiled on the disc and would have hated to lose them as well as the camera. I am so pleased that I got it back before the wedding.


Sign at a Tucson, AZ coffee shop:
Unattended children will be given espresso and a free puppy.


Have a good one.

Mary

My day at home was only broken once. We did have to swing on over to Piggly Wiggly to pick up some more gauze and tape for Dick's legs and I had to buy a sympathy card for my brother in law Keith and his wife Joy.

Dick's legs are still very slender but still have several tender spots on them so we will be washing them in the special soap as directed and keeping them wrapped.

We hung a few more pictures and Dick almost has the telephone table we bought for the downstairs bedroom assembled. So it was a busy day, but still rather mellow. Good thing because we have two visits to the clinic scheduled for Dick tomorrow. I told him I think that we are single handedly keeping that place going this week.

Oh Yes. Chelsea had her bath today. It works just fine in the master shower. She is just gorgeous now. Hope I can keep her looking this good until the wedding is over.

I don't think I told you that I somehow or other left my camera in the seat of the Hallamor at the Irish Center. I emailed the director immediately and Monday Kristine emailed me back that they had indeed found it and she is mailing it back to me. She is actually sending it priority mail and wrapped in a black tshirt to avoid ruining the pictures. I had faith that in that setting I would probably get it back and my faith was rewarded. I will even have it in time for the wedding. We are going to send a donation in thanks to the Irish Center as soon as I get it and know how much they had to spend to get it back to me. Want the donation to match the costs plus some for the kindness.

We had chili burgers for supper tonight. Haven't fixed them for a long time and they sure did taste good. I also mixed up a pot of cabbage and other veggies for a Cabbage Chowder. Cabbage, carrots, potatoes cooked in water with salt,pepper and sugar. It smells wonderful. All I have to do is add the milk and butter and heat before serving. I may add some of my frozen corn too.

Dick and Brenda are coming Friday night. We will look forward to the time with them.

In Ireland they say that "when the sun sets in the Atlantic it rises in the land of our ancestors."

Love

Mary

Today was a marathon.

We started out by grocery shopping. That was quite successful. We were home by 9:15 or so and had a chance to get the groceries put away and relax for a little bit. I got all updated on my computer stuff. (I think).

Then at 11 or so we left for Dick's famous Unwrapping of the Legs. The swelling is dramatically down. Those wrappings are amazing. Wonder who ever thought of it. Now we have to heal some of the ulcers that started when the legs were so swollen. Dr. Phelan suggests that we wrap them once a month for a while to see if that will keep them close to normal.

We went right downstairs to the flu shot clinic. Now we won't have to watch for the schedules at the grocery stores etc.

That got us just right for my appointment with Dr. Wenberg. I have made an appointment for my yearly checkup and mammagram for December but Dick wanted me to ask him for help getting my stomach back to normal. Will watch diet and try a new pill that may help. I am to try the pills for two weeks then get a six week supply if they help. So, I will not expect miracles but a steady improvement.

We proceeded from there to lunch at Applebees. Being that it was past the rush hour, it seemed a good time to go there. They DO have such good food.

On to the bank to cash a check for Mother, then to her house to deliver her cash and her wine. Can't keep her on the water wagon too long, you know. Visited for a bit then home, with stops at Walgreen's to pick up prescriptions for both of us, the liquor store (Which was closed this morning. The sign said that hours were from 9 to 9 and it was ten minutes after when we drove by. The delivery man from Flipse was there too shrugging his shoulders.) and the gas station.

Then, finally HOME!!!! We were exhausted. I took a short nap.

Watched Dancing with the Stars, then remembered to check messages on the phone. To my sorrow, I have a message from Jacquie, my dear ex sister in law. My brother in law, Keith's son Jessie died today. Poor boy was only 22 and was suffering from cancer. A bone marrow transplant was in the works but apparantly they did not find a matching donor in time. Two matches had changed their mind after being matched. What is that? Why did they sign up in the first place? Anyway, a sad message and I will call Jacquie in the morning. I tried tonight but had no success in reaching her. Pray for Keith and Joy, it is so very hard to lose a child.

Tomorrow we get to stay home ALL day. And I intend to only stick my nose out to walk the dog and get the mail and paper. Hopefully, we can get the pictures on the walls and the counter clean again. I would like things nice for the weekend.

Suzi called tonight too. She and Hazel are going to be at the wedding and are staying at the AmericInn up the road on Saturday night so it won't be too hard on Hazel.


So that was our marathon day. I must remember the quote that is on a picture that Barbara gave me of a statue of Jesus up against the sky. It says "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."

Love

Mary

It was a pleasant and special day today. Bart called this afternoon. I had called HIM yesterday but he was unable to talk then. We had a nice phone visit. Nice for me especially because he sounds so much better. He is trying very hard to get a treatment that he believes will be helpful for him. There is only one doctor in Oklahoma who does it and you have to be there when he is available. It seems odd to me but this is the way the doctor works. Let us pray that he continues to improve and that if and when he gets this treatment it is all he expects it to be.

Went to Bible Study this morning. We were animated starting at the beginning with a discussion not at all related to the readings. Most of the studiers had attended a meeting regarding the collaboration with St. John's in Kohler that WILL take place next year due to the priest shortage. They all agreed that the meeting told them nothing and they were very disappointed.

Then I visited with Mother for about an hour. We always have SO much to talk about. Dick and I will stop off after his doctor appointment. She informed me that she is "on the water wagon." We got a good laugh about that. Dick actually prides himself on keeping her supplied with wine. I know that she likes to have a glass before she goes to bed at night. She said that most of her bridge playing buddies do the same thing. I know it is good for their blood and I am sure it relaxes them as they are winding down for the day.



Got a message from Bobbie today. Here it is in Bobbie's words. I simply HAVE to Share.

Well, we don't need to get the dust blown out of the ductwork any more!

Fat little Roxie squeezed her way down the cold air return Friday evening.
Once I figured out what had happened, I had to wake Bill out of a sound
sleep to drill out the rivets in the access panel in the basement so we
could rescue that little troublemaker!

(I had taken the grill off the cold air return to strip the paint off.
Both cats had sniffed around it, but I couldn't IMAGINE one would decide to
squeeze through that little opening)

All is well.

By the way. Be sure you pick your berries, especially blackberries before Halloween. I found out last week that you should never pick them after Halloween because fairies may have deficated on them.

Love

Mary

This day was beautiful. The sun shone and the temperatures were well into the 60s. I pulled the plants out of the hanging pots today so we can dispose of them this week sometime. I only need three for the front of the house next spring. I will try to keep the ivy alive through the winter in two of them.

I went to church in Plymouth today. It is a long story which I won't get in to. I am actually goint to transfer to St. John's in early November. Probably the week after turkey dinner which will take place on November 5th. Until then I will most likely just go back to attending Mass at Blessed Trinity. Tomorrow is the Bible Study which I intend to continue attending, because it will be a good chance to visit with Mother and see if she has anything for me to do for her.

Sure enjoyed the conference but all the relaxation that I achieved has been killed.

Friday was SO cold with the wind and the dampness in the air. Then to top it off the heat in the Irish Center was not working and we, as one of the speakers said, had a wonderful opportunity to develop character. Then, in the late afternoon, during the break between presentations, I ran into Dan Virks in the hallway. He is the coordinator of the Song Circle in one of the beer tents at Irish Fest. I have joined them for two years now and really have a fun time. There is a core group. Then anyone who wants can join the circle. We go round robin with each person in the circle choosing and singing a song. Every body can join in or not as they choose. Anyway, we visited for a bit and I asked if he was there for the program but he said he was here to fix the furnace. Thank Heavens. It was MUCH better the rest of the conference.

I might have mentioned that Beth Vaughan, a storyteller from Maryland, who, as Biddy O'Byrne entertained us at the previous conferences, died this summer. Susan Yaruta-Young wrote of her:

"Once upon a time
In a place called Your Heart
There lived a woman who you dearly loved
Whose name was Beth Vaughan "

I have a tape of her telling stories if you ever want to hear it.

The tradition of storytelling will be continued. This year a regular attendee and Wisconsin storyteller called Jean-Andrew entertained us with a marvelous Welsh folk tale with giants and magic swords and foxes. She will be coming to Mead Library next month. I will ask Bobbie to let me know when so that I can go to see her and visit.

The wedding is fast approaching. I got approval from Michelle for my dress. They have decided to have it all at their house to avoid confusion of where everything is. They do not really ask for anything or tell us much. I hope that they will ask for help if they need it. It seems that things are tense and now that my life is falling back into order (Bart is a bit better. At least he is not talking a mile a minute any more. Dick's legs are getting better too and he is even sleeping IN bed part of the night and not suffering too much pain when he gets up.) It is a relief also that Bill is really doing well and that Jim is working. I understand that it is wearing as all new jobs are, but that he likes it. Except for Dick's doctor appointments I am keeping the week open so if they need anything I will be available.

Dick and Brenda were in town today and they all took their Mother out for a birthday brunch this morning. They stopped for just a few minutes on their way to La Crosse for a funeral and got their first view of the house. While we were downstairs, Chelsea walked into one of the downstairs bedroom closets and, would you believe, I shut her in. I went downstairs about an hour later and heard this little whimper from the bedroom. Poor Baby, didn't want to follow me downstairs for quite a while.

Have a good week.

Mary