It was a beautiful day for a morning walk. Crisp and DRY. Chelsea had a seizure just before we started out for her walk but she perked up so I let her lead me and we walked for over a half an hour. I do think it is good for her and that she will just sit down if it is too much. She has done that before.

I drove into the Sheboygan Falls Library this morning to hear Jerry Aps speak. Look him up. He is a prolific author, a farmer and a teacher of writing ones personal history. He has written several very well received books about Wisconsin, farming and the way of life in Wisconsin in the 30s 40s and 50s. This is the second time I have heard him speak and he is always informative and entertaining. I got to Falls and there was hardly a parking space available. Soon I realized that there was some run/walk event happening in the park so I asked a man and his son who had numbers pined on them and the father was more than willing to share. It was indeed a fundraiser for the Riddle fund. I still am not quite sure what it is but this was it's second year and it is growing.

I dropped Mother's pills off after the speech and headed for home, just in time to fix lunch. I finished the sweatshirts this afternoon and Dick and I racked the dandelion wine.

Earlier this week when I was with Nancy we were discussing the old ways of heating homes and our old memories of growing up. I recounted that Mother, when we were growing up, always belonged to a bridge club. She still does, as a matter of fact. One of the people she plays bridge with is still one of that original group.

Anyway, they would all take turns hosting the club. There were, I believe, 12 of them so that amounted to only once a year. We were always excited because, IF WE BEHAVED, we always got soda the next day. Mom would serve soda, cocktails, wine and coffee for beverages. Soda, you have to realize, was a big treat for us. With nine children on a fixed budget, koolaid or water was much cheaper and soda was a big deal.

We all remember being put to bed shortly after the arrival. Then we would lie upstairs and listen as long as we could stay awake. Our house did not have heat piped upstairs. The upstairs was heated by what was called "gravity heat", heat floating up through the ceiling vents.

We would lie awake and listen, as I said, and watch the smoke pouring through the grate. That vision is as clear today as then. Several of Mom's friends were smokers. As neither Mother or Dad smoked cigarettes this was quite a sight.

We always got our soda too.

Love

mary