It was rather warm today but kind of damp and misty. Chelsea and I were able to have a very nice walk this morning.

I went to the meeting at the Senior Center in Plymouth. I think we all know that once the deal is set, the State of Wisconsin and the Railroad Consortium will outvote and outweigh any input or reasoning that we give, but still believe that if a person DOESN'T give input and/or show up you have noone but yourself to blame. There was a nice crowd and not just from the Tall Grass condos and we have been doing most of the noisemaking.

Senator Leibham, the mayor, representatives from the railroad, Reprsentative Kestell and several alderman were there. They all told their takes on the deal but did not convince anyone that this is a good thing. The initial story is that there will be maybe two or three runs a week of maybe 10 cars going through the right of way at about 10 miles per hour. By the time they had finished the number had jumped to possibly 6 DAYS of runs going up to 40 miles an hour. This is past a park which runs in front of a school. Street traffic is limited to 25 MPH and 15MPH when children are present. I knew that railroads have a lot of power (still) but was a bit shocked by the fact that local laws mean nothing. It is noted that the entire 11 miles of track will have to be removed and redone. There are several intersections that have been paved over and will need signaling. The most significant is where the track will have to go over Hwy 57. The most significant to US is the one just outside of our Tallgrass Lane between us and Plymouth.

Phil Kalkthaler, an attorney and old friend who lives down the street, is concerned because he is just a street width from the track. If there is a derailment he could end up with a car in his bedroom. We are almost as close but DO have trees that would slow things down a bit. However, there was no satisfactory answer as to safety issues or what would be done to protect the homes along the route as far as noise and vibration etc. It was much what I expected. I sat with our neighbors, Harold and Dick.

This morning was a happy time though. When I took Chelsea out for a second chance to relieve herself, I finally heard and saw a red winged blackbird and he was singing his little heart out. Hope he comes EVERY day.

Jim and Michelle came for an hour or so and did some of the repairs on the computer. Dick now has Windows and I have been changed to Thunderbird from The Bat. However, I cannot SEND anything from Thunderbird so am still using Bat, Thunderbird and Google kind of where it works.

Oh. Well. Nobody said life would be easy.

Tomorrow, I have only to go to church. The rest of the day I can stay home.

I made the corned beef and cabbage for supper. Also some parsnip cakes. It was really good and Dick even ate a decent supper.

DOG DIARY

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!



Til tomorrow.

Love you

Mary

The day was eventful. Chelsea and I had a really nice walk. I didn't wake up until well after 6AM so it was pretty light when we started. It is so much more pleasant to be walking when it is light.

I cleaned the kitchen and hall this morning and cleaned up the desk. Then I picked up some canned goods that were on sale at the Pig for the bust up dinner that I will help prepare in May. Seems logical to save as much money for the club as we can. I figure on making a BIG pot of calico beans. I will be watching for the rest of the stuff to be on sale too.

Had lunch with my bank friends at the Dairy Queen. Sure glad they have the grilled cheese sandwich as it is Friday in Lent. I hope they feature their Crab chowder before Lent is over. That was really good too.

Dick and I are working on changing our doctors and dentists to Plymouth. I made an appointment with a Dr. Murthy at Aurora in Plymouth because I need to have my tummy meds figured out AND I made an appointment with a Dr. Joseph DDS on Mill Street and will cancel my Wednesday appointment with Dr. Huberty. I will miss him but it will save me a lot of driving.

This afternoon, Dick and I went over to Hunters Glen. We ran the water and flushed the toilets. I checked out the flower beds and neatened them a bit. My tulips and day lilies are coming up nicely, also my chives. I took down the hanging pots from the pole out front and emptied them.
Then I loaded the yard waste into the car and when we got home, I added the bags we had here and hauled them off to the city yard. I was a little worried, but it was real easy to find and to get in to.

We went over to St. John's at about 4:30 for an excellent fish fry. The church puts them on during Lent. I had heard that they were good and I heard right. We got the senior meal. Two pieces of fish, noodles or chips, cole slaw, applesauce, rye bread and a huge piece of dessert. The sponsors of each week bring the desserts and they are extremely generous. Dick and I brought ours home. We shared one this evening after I got back from shooting and will have another for tomorrow. Tonight we had apple pie.

I went to shoot league and my friend Lil has absolutely nothing to worry about this time. I am just unable to hunker down this time. Too much on my mind and I wander. Well, I still have fun and practice practice practice is bound to do something eventually.

Tomorrow will be interesting. There is a meeting at the Senior Center involving our congressmen regarding the proposal to reopen the rail line that runs about 20 yards behing our house. I will go alone as Jim and Michelle are coming for our alloted hour to do some work on Dick's computer sometime after 10:30AM and we don't want to take a chance on losing our "appointment". We have questions for the congressmen and the railroad itself such as what sound and sight protective measures will be provided as we are practically sitting on the track. My other question is the cost. I know it is federal and state funds but that is our money too and it is in the MILLIONS. Can the two factories that will benefit from this justify it. I would like to know. The whole track has to be almost relaid and the spots that go over roadways are non existent. Hope I can bring home some answers.

We received a thank you note from Nora today (Pray for her - It is a hard thing she is doing and I give her credit. Poor little thing said that she is scared. That is not a bad thing. Being scared I mean.) We also received a DVD of the lovely wedding. She was gorgeous and the groom isn't bad either. AND we got her graduation picture. I must get a new frame so we can display it properly.

SO it was quite a day and tomorrow will be busy too. I am going to fix the corned beef and cabbage for our supper.

Have a nice weekend. It is supposed to be warm but rainy. Even Thunderstorms - Poor Chelsea.

Love
Mary

Today was beautiful. The sun shone. The temperatures were such that I was able to get by with a spring jacket all day.

Chelsea and I had a lovely walk. We took the whole route and she probably would have gone further. No sitting down on the job this day.

Dick and I went to McDonalds for breakfast then on to the Pig for our grocery shopping. I had that list to pick up for Mother too. I used to shop for Aunt Helen, Aunt Nonnie and myself but have lost the knack. It was very confusing but we did get it done in good time.

I had to be in Sheboygan at Mead by 10:30 to meet with Paul and Jane for the choosing of the final winners of the poetry contest. It only took us about an hour. We had some struggles as this year there were none that just jumped out at us. I felt a bit bad about one that was really good, but did not reference the theme at all. But we finally picked three that were acceptable to us all and were on all of our yes or maybe lists. Then we went to Applebee's for lunch. I had a wonderful spinach, shrimp salad and a wrap.

Stopped at Battery plus for a battery for my gold watch, then took Mom her groceries. We had a nice visit. She had a quiet week this week but next week is really hopping. She will go the the Senior Meals, the Sheboygan Theatre and Canasta with friends.

Yes, next week is the Sheboygan Theatre production, the second last already. It is Cheaper by the Dozen and I believe that I will finally be able to go. We saw the first one, Annie, then Mother was sick for the second, which was Beauty and the Beast and then Dick was sick for the third, The Diary of Ann Frank. If Dick isn't up to going, Donna hinted that she would join Mother and me this time.

Chelsea and I walked around to the back of the condo this afternoon to see what is coming up. I found the rhubarb, chives are coming and a few other things that I cannot identify. I measured for the size of planter boxes that we will need for the deck. It smelled so springlike that it made me anxious to get a start. Of course we all know that one cannot do TOO much before Memorial Day because there is always chance of frost.

Have a good Friday, I hope none of you have to work the weekend.

Nora is on her way to boot camp. We must keep her in our prayers. That is a lot to take on.

Love

Mary

A comparatively quiet day. A gloomy one too. It did get up to 55 degrees this afternoon which was at least nice for me as Chelsea was a real little pest this afternoon. I don't think she feels well lot of the time and thinks she has to go out. Or maybe she isn't feeling quite right and wonders why I don't just fix it because, in her eyes, I take care of everything else. She sleeps SO soundly now and a lot.

We had a pretty good walk this morning. I turned us back a little early because it was raining. Then when I thought that she might like to go around another cul de sac, she just sat down and looked at me. She does that when she if feeling worn out.

I spent the morning writing and clearing my desk. I also ordered a prescription, watered and transplanted some plants and caught up on the computer. Took Dick to Aurora Plymouth for his blood test at 11AM. Then we stopped at Walgreens for a few more supplies ( we are putting that salve on his feet and ran out of sterile pads). Then I fixed lunch and took a little nap.

This afternoon, I vacuumed the den and downstairs bedroom and baked some carrot raisin muffins. We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Then I went downstairs to watch BONES and sew for a while. I have almost finished another kitty.

Now I am ready to wind down. Tomorrow, we shop and I need to pick up some things for Mother too. Usually, Donna just gets Mom's groceries when she goes, but Donna has had a terrible cold/flu for several days. She had a fever of 103 which is really scary. But she is improving. Anyway, I will pick the groceries up for her tomorrow and drop them off on my way back from finishing the judging of the poetry entries for the Write Stuff Contest that The Sheboygan County Writers is sponsoring with the Sheboygan Press. Three of us have read the poems, all 107 of them, and selected those that we feel are the best. Now we will pool our notes.

Today, Dick and I were watching the game show Hollywood Squares. We were laughing at the wit of Martin Mull as the center square. Then we reminised about Paul Lynde who was the center square on the original Hollywood Squares. I will always remember his answer to a question presented to him. It went as follows. "What state was Lincoln born in?" and Paul said. "The same state as the rest of us, Naked and Screaming."


Love

Mary

It was cold most of the day. It was cloudy and the temperatures never got much more than 35. Once the sun came out late this afternoon it felt better anyway.

We had Dick's annual eye exam this morning early. Everything is OK except there is a clouding on one of his implants . We need to see another doctor to find out if it is far enough along to laser clean. Otherwise his eyes are healthy and he does not need new glasses.

I feel that I was busy most of the day but don't feel that I accomplished a whole lot except confusion. However, I am making progress on Quicken. Dick, in Madison, has found out that we can install Quidken in up to three computers in a household, so that solves that problem. Now we have to determine how to do this. I think we can do it with the instructions in the package and Dick said that he would walk us through it if it would help. I am going to read a bit more and then try it when he is available to call for help if I run into trouble. We will have the same situation as before in that only one of us can be IN Quicken, we can't be on at the same time.

We went to Walmart for toilet repair stuff and another rug for the office. We are trying to keep the carpet protected from Chelsea's icky drool. I found a pot that is all ready to mix and plant tomatoes. It made me feel a bit more like spring on this cold and damp day. Tomorrow then. I will plant tomatoes.

I had a telephone conference at 4:00PM with the Celtic Women's board. We are not as big as we wish we were but are doing quite well. The Chicago area is co sponsering a Women's program called Imperfect Balance. One of our board members is doing a theatrical production as part of an art exhibit and the Celtic Women International have assembled a list of books for women. I will give you a site to peruse them as soon as it is available.

I am going to a conference on April 21, 22 and 23 in Galena. Mary Schultz made room reservations at the Irish Cottage where we will be doing most of our meeting. I can share a room with her. I met her at the Celtic Women Conference in September and that will be fun. The room includes breakfast. I like that.

We had Philly Sandwiches for dinner tonight.

Tomorrow the only outside errand is Dick's blood test. We scheduled it for the Aurora in Plymouth at 11:00AM so we won't have to go into Sheboygan.

I am very tired. Dick says I am not getting enough sleep. Don't know about that but I think we both need catching up.

I hope we can get one of the five gallon wines racked tomorrow too.

Guess that is all for now. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. The Cadfael Book of Days for SPRING with Quotes from Ellis Peters assembled by RobinWhiteman says "A time for all manner of births and beginnings, and for putting death out of mind." Sounds like a perfectly wonderful thought to me.

Be good to yourselves today. Remember that I love you all.

Mary

Today was a GREAT day. Chelsea and I had a lovely walk. All through Tallgrass and around and through the park and woods. She is SO pleased that things are coming around to her way of thinking again. Those walks are when she shows the most energy. The rest of the time she mainly sleeps.

Next I went to Bible Study. We had some animated discussions about judging others. The Avery trial was a good tie in. We were impressed with the compassion that the Halback family has for the Avery family.

Mom and I had a nice visit. She got lots of St. Patrick's Day cards. She had fixed a corned beef for the day's supper BUT -- Jeff and Kathy stopped at Chuck and Sue's in downtown Sheboygan Falls on their way from my house. Keith Carpenter was tending bar and had cooked corned beef to serve at the bar. When the Carpenter's owned the bar, Lynn Carpenter, Keith's brother always fixed the corned beef and they brought a dinner over to Mom and Dad. This year Keith fixed a plate for Mother. What a guy. We also had such a good talk about the old St. Patrick's days with the singing that went on in our family and the extended family. We wonder if the current and the next generations will even know these songs.

Home again where Dick and I had the leftover Mexican Lasagna from Bobbie for lunch. Imagine my delight when I got home and found that there was a message on the machine informing me that I was a semifinalist in a poetry contest that the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets did with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. I did not will the first prize but am so proud to be one of the semifinalists. She said there were 13 semi finalists, 16 finalists out of the over 300 entries received. I am just glowing and was so proud to be able to announce it at the Plymouth Writers Club meeting. When I got to Book Heads, the book store at which we meet, I found that she had sold one of my books. This is the first one sold through a store, so this is INDEED a red letter day.

Now I am all pumped up to do more.

Love

Mary

Today was a lazy lazy day. Chelsea and I went for our walk at about 6AM and I went to the 8AM Mass. It is good to be back to that. I really prefer that early Mass. I was Eucharistic Minister and I like that too. On the way home I stopped at Fleet Farm to pick up some wrappings for Dick's feet to hold the pads over the areas that we put salve on. Teresa at Sheboygan Clinic told us to get the wrapping there. They are cheaper. The ones at Fleet are marketed to wrapping horses legs so they cost less that the ones in the drug stores for humans. I got four different colors. Won't that be fun. I did not get the fuchsia though.

I was starved when I got home so fixed a nice big breakfast of bacon, sausage, potatoes and eggs. That made Chelsea really happy. She is probably hoping that life is settling down again. She has been very confused these past few weeks. She coughed pretty bad this afternoon, but I rubbed her and talked to her and she did not have one of her episodes.

I did a bit of sewing today but mainly just rested and did some miscellaneous stuff on the computer.

We had pork chop, fresh parsnips from Jeff and Kathy and cranberry relish for supper. I heated a bumbleberry which we shared with ice cream for dessert.

Tomorrow is Bart's birthday. I can hardly believe that my little baby is now thirty six years old. I remember his birth so clearly because I got to watch him being born. There are no words that can describe the wonder of seeing your child enter the world and take his very first breath. He was such a pretty baby too. He had a nice shaped head and round cheeks and just a brush of dark hair on his head.

I remember too that a friend of mine came to the hospital to wait and was a bit under the weather and kind of make a spectacle of herself. Fortunately, I was unaware of all the to do. And so was my ex, I guess. Her name was Tome and she was married to Crazy Karl Kendall. Karl was a carpenter and a real hard head. One time he was framing up a second story of a building and fell off the roof. He landed with his head wedged between the bumper and the body of a truck. They pulled him out and except for a couple of scrapes on his face he was just fine. We always told Karl that if he had landed on his feet he probably would have killed himslf.

Have a great week.

Mary