We left at 8:15AM to catch the bus to the Fireside for their production of Fiddler on the Roof. It was, as usual, a very satisfying day.

We had a wonderful meal of chicken, potatoes, stir fry a wonderful fruit salad on a bed of greens and a great dessert along with their excellent breads. I bought two loaves of bread this time. I chose dill and the maple walnut.

The production was wonderful. All the performers outdid themselves. Dick mentioned something that had never occurred to me. What must it have been for the audience that saw the first performance of Fiddler and heard that marvelous piece Tradition with all the wonder of it for the very first time. WOW!! It LIVES and presents all the principal characters right at the top and you never forget them.

We got home at about 6:45 and was our Chelsea ever glad to see us. I fixed creamed egg and mashed potatoes for a light supper.

Talked to Barbara for a few minutes and will call her again tomorrow. She felt pretty good considering all. I am so glad. Keep praying for her quick recovery.

Guess that is all. I am tired and my hips hurt from all that sitting.

I wanted to mention that the crocuses are still blooming despite the snow. I went out yesterday and took pictures of them valiantly trying to poke their little heads out. Today most of the snow is melted.

The Easter lily now has SIX big blooms on it. What a show.

Til tomorrow

Mary

We had a beautiful sunny day. The temperatures were in the forties, but for us warmth starved residents of Wisconsin, the forties with no wind makes almost a tropical paradise.

It turned out to be another "clinic/doctor"day. I picked Mother up at about 9:45AM and took her to Dr. Nytes to have her hearing aid checked. The right one was not working at all. As it turned out they both had to be cleaned. They were full of wax and blocking any signals. As Dr. Nytes said an easy fix and those are the best kind.

Mom and I had a nice visit and a LOT to share. I had called the hospital and found out that Barbara came through the surgery OK. I didn't talk to her as she was pretty sick. I told Bart that I would call tomorrow. He was pretty short with me. I am sure he is really worried about Barb.

Then Mother had some GREAT news. Becky and Brian had come over to see her at about 9PM last night. That was really rather late to come visiting but - guess what - they couldn't wait. They are expecting their first child. He or she is due in October and they have decided that they are not going to find out before what it is. So we will have a surprise in October. I am just delighted. Mom and I had been lamenting the fact that there were so few really little people around right now and suddenly, we have Morgan (last fall) , Jeff and Kathy's new granddaughter, (any day) and Becky and Brian's in October. That is better.

Mom also told me a bit of a story that you might enjoy. My sister in law Kathy's mother, Mrs. Harvey, is 92 years old. She had a male friend who is 102. Her friend still drives. He had to take his driving test this past week (required after a certain age I understand) and he PASSED. He is limited to driving during the day and cannot leave town, but what they hey. He can get himself and Mrs. Harvey wherever they want to go.

Yesterday, we noticed a swelling and redness on Dick's leg just about the knee area. So today as it was no better, we got in to see Dr. Sharon this afternoon and sure enough there is an infection in there. Dr. Sharon took a culture but put him on oral dicloxacillin to start an attack on the infection as he is certain that it is a type of staph. I think that Dick (an me for that matter) are more distressed this time as it took so little time for a return. Hopefully we caught is soon enough to avoid the weeks of a PICC again. I am sure that is in the back of Dick's mind too. Pray that we get it over with soon.

Patti Cedzo had called last week to see if I wanted to go to a fish boil at the Sheboygan Museum just down the street from her. We went together a couple of years ago. As Dick doesn't like fish boil this is a chance for me to enjoy one and to have a nice visit with Patti. We enjoyed our meal a lot and shared our recent dilemmas and triumphs. Lately more dilemmas than triumphs but this too shall pass. She bought one of my books too. I hope she enjoys it.

Tomorrow we go to the Fireside to see Fiddler on the Roof, one of my favorite live stage shows. I remember that the first time I saw it, I went to a dinner theatre in California with my Bret, he couldn't have been over 10, we both just loved it. I remember how fascinated he was with the bottle dance. As we were in a front row table and it was doubly impressive.

Have a good weekend yourself.

Love

Mary

Long day. We had to be up by 6 because Dick had to go to Sheboygan to have Sue check his blood again AND to see Dr. Hodous for his feet. Then we dropped Mother's medicine off for her and went grocery shopping. With all of that, we made it home by 11:00AM which I thought was pretty good.

This afternoon, I found time to take a nap and clean the bathrooms before 4:30PM. Remember, today is the day that I got to read my poem that received runner up status in the contest cosponsored by the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the Green Bay Symphony. My friend Jane and I drove up to Green Bay and had dinner at a Mexican Grill in the same shopping center at the Barnes and Noble that was our final destination.

After we ate, we went right over to the bookstore and got our seats for the poetry readings. Ellen Cort, who was the first poet laureate of Wisconsin was there. She actually remembered meeting me before, (I am thrilled). Audrey, the coordinator of the event spoke. She told us that there were 306 poems entered in the contest so I am really pleased to have come in the top 30. Then all the selected poems were read. If the authors were there, they read their own, so I got to read mine. What a neat evening.

Then I bought Jane and me each a huge cookie to eat on the way home. It was a nice night for a drive. Sure glad the event wasn't last night. It would have been impossible.

Last night as I was going to bed, I was watching Chelsea sleep and remembered a dog that belonged to my ex father in law's cousin, Jack Johnston. The Johnstons were fishermen. I mean they fished for a living out on the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Newport Beach. Jack and Mary had a small boat and went out to catch ocean fish that they sold to distributors and fish processors. They also had a dog. When they would go out, they always took the dog. They would throw a line over the side for this dog and when it got a fish in the line, it would actually bring the fish in. It learned to pull the line in and wrap it around something they had rigged up for him. I know that Mary's heart just about broke when that dog died.

Have a nice Friday.

Mary

The early morning snow that was predicted did not appear. It started showing up at about 11:30AM, Just as Dick and I were arriving at the Clinic for his blood test. It was, at that time, a very STRANGE snow. It looked more like little bits of styrofoam spinning all over the place. At that time it was mixed with a bit of rain and not settling on the ground at all. It was windy too. We stopped at Culvers for lunch on the way home. A welcome bit of time out of the house that was not at a clinic or hospital.

Since then the storm has increased and we have, maybe, 2 to 4 inches. It is drifting a bit so it is really hard to tell. Chelsea loves it because it is not too cold and she is able to romp and roll in it. She even did the Pepe Le Pew dance earlier today. I always like that.

I went for my initial exam by my new dentist today. I have a lady dentist now, Sherry Joseph. She seems very nice and I go back next week for my cleaning.

A nice afternoon. Did some vacuuming, baking and sewing. I tried to take a nap, but today, dispite the fact that it was really quiet, I could not sleep.

Dick and I watched the Tudor's on HDTV tonight. We missed the first one so are having a BIT of a struggle figuring out who is who, relying on memory and hints that are thrown out during the script. It is very well done. I can't really believe that we missed a whole week of the first episode, but we did.

With all the snow, I am spending a lot of time mentally planning my plantings and garden areas. You all saw or heard about the stepping stone that Dick got me for Christmas, I think. It says "Don't piss off the fairies." I love it and need to fine the very best spot for it. I did some research on fairies and gardens. Several years ago I saw a garden plaque that said. "There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!" Silly me, I did not buy it and have been unable to find it since then. I have found the poem by Rose Flyman that the quote comes from. I may have to ask a sign maker to make one for me. In my research, I found out that the bottom of a garden is the semi wild area that is just beyond the carefully mowed and gardened area of our yards, an untilled area untouched by human plantings.

We have a really great bottom of our garden what with the wooded area that lies between our lawn and the park with the railroad track in the middle. (Actually the fairy rings are starting to reappear in the park. So I KNOW that fairies are around.) I think you might enjoy Rose Flyman's poem, so will transfer it here for you.

Fairies

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
It's not so very, very far away;
You pass the gardener's shed and you )ust keep straight ahead
I do so hope they've really come to stay.
There's a little wood, with moss in it and beetles,
And a little stream that quietly runs through;
You wouldn't think they'd dare to come merrymaking there
Well, they do.

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
They often have a dance on summer nights;
The butterflies and bees make a lovely little breeze,
And the rabbits stand about and hold the lights.
Did you know that they could sit upon the moonbeams
And pick a little star to make a fan,
And dance away up there in the middle of the air?
Well, they can.

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
You cannot think how beautiful they are.
The all stand up and sing when the Fairy Queen and King
Come gently floating down upon their car.
The King is very proud and very handsome;
The Queen -now can you guess who that could be?
(She's a little girl all day, but at night she steals away.)
Well -it's me!

Rose Flyman

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The snow is supposed to continue until morning. What is it with this Spring? We are having our Winter in April. Someone commented that we had a green Christmas and a white Easter (almost). Anyway, It should be cleared up by the time I pick up Jane Kocmoud and we head up to Green Bay for the poetry reading. I am really excited about that.

Have a good Thursday. Say a prayer for Barbara, Bart's wife. She is having stomach banding done on Friday, and tomorrow starts the counciling and the admission process.

Til tomorrow with the tale of my reading.

Mary

P. S. The Easter Lily that Dick and Brenda gave us now has four open blooms and one more just about ready to burst open. What a joy.

Despite the threats of snow, it has not been a bad weather day today. Chelsea and I walked as much as we could this morning since I don't know what we are going to wake up to. They are talking 4 to 6 inches. This is really silly in mid April, but then none of us have been put in charge of the weather as of yet.

My doctor appointment went well. I will have another test or two next week. The rest of the day was relatively quiet. I tried to take a nap about one o'clock but could not get to sleep. So - I went downstairs and quilted. Got quite a bit done. Then I went down for a while this evening and did some more. The hardest part is remembering to turn off the heat when I come back upstairs.

I called my friend Jane to see if she remembered that she said she might go with me to Green Bay Thursday evening. She remembered and is still available, so I won't have to drive up alone to read my poem. She was just getting in touch with me to tell me that her poetry reading at the Plymouth Art Center is rescheduled to April 22. That is too bad because I will be in Galena. So I said. "OH Poop!" and it reminded me of a tale of Bret when he was in kindergarten.

He was in a class of 16 boys and 4 girls. One day the kids got a bit out of hand. They were using bad words and Miss Gammel, their lovely teacher who one of the kids described to his father as a big, beautiful blond, was losing control. So she shushed them all and told them that the next one who used a bad word would have to go to the principal's office and my dear sweet Bret said "Poopy." So she sent him to the office. Mr. Drama became quite distraught and cried and carried on. Poor Miss Gammel felt bad and some of the other teachers said she shouldn't have sent him. But I told her I did not see a problem. As she said, poopy is really nothing but some of the words she was hearing were pretty bad and BRET thought he was saying a naughty word. She had to keep control of the class after all.

Mother was telling me the other day that when she was young, Grandma Bowser was a member of a parent group at the school in Batavia that Mother and her brothers went to. Kind of a pre-PTA. The parents used to put on shows for assemblies at the school and Grandma would do soliqueys. She remembered one especially. When Mother and her siblings were getting mean to each other she would say

"Words unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead. But God Himself can't kill them once they're said."

Something to keep in our hearts. Best not to EVER say anything that might hurt another.

Love

Mary

Well, cold and snowy again. Supposed to be cold and snowy through Wednesday. What is this?

It was not too bad again when Chelsea and I went for our walk. So we are still managing to keep in shape.

Bible study was animated. The first reading, for a few weeks, is from Revelations. (Or Apocalypse as Ione found out in HER bible.) We had 9 of us there today. A nice number and a nice discussion. This was the day of a real revelation to me personally. As I was driving down there, I was thinking of my comment last night that I wished that I would see Two sets of prints in the sand. And suddenly it hit me. I HAD. Last Thursday when I called Dick and Brenda to ask them to walk me through reestablishing my printing abilities, they, instead, said they would come on Saturday. And they DID and they fixed all of our obvious problems on the computer. Now is that is not a second set of footprints. I don't know what is. In case, you don't know the story, I will put it at the end of the blot today.

This afternoon, Dick had an appointment with Dr. Sharon, his new primary physician, who took off the leg wraps. The swelling is really down a lot and we should be OK for another month now unless the legs start seeping again.

We got an offer on the house but is is a real low ball offer again. I can't understand why they are THAT low. Why are people looking at houses in our range and dropping their offers to an insulting price. We countered at $1000 less than our asking price. That should finish this one. She seems to think that WE should pay for any changes she wants to make.

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:

"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

written by Mary Stevenson

Have a good Tuesday.

Mary

Sorry for the skipped blog yesterday. Dick and Brenda got her at about 1:00PM yesterday afternoon and didn't finish working on the computers until about 10:30PM and we were all just burned. It was not all work. We had a nice salmon and colcannon dinner with cheesecake for dessert and did a bit of visiting while things were loading. Patience is certainly a necessity when one is working on computers. They were very patient about letting me watch when I wasn't in the way and explained as much as I can understand. Anyway, Norton is working again, I am no longer getting strange messages when I boot AND we can print again. Dick can also access Quicken from his computer which is a big plus. We are SO grateful. Hopefully we will be able to keep things stable now.

Dick and Brenda always go to her aunt's home for Easter. She lives in Rio, near Columbia. So they left at about 10:00AM. I had scones, brown bread and Racine Kringle with scrambled eggs and feta cheese for breakfast. The Easter Bunny came too. When Chelsea and I got back from our walk, we "found" four Easter baskets in the closet so I put them on the dining room table neatly arranged around the beautiful Easter Lily that they brought us when they came yesterday. They sure do make the house smell good.

I went to the 11:00AM mass. Fr. Van Beeck was really good this morning. He spoke of Easter as a time of great surprises and wonderful things. Pointing out that we know that by asking ANY child to show us his or her Easter basket and pointing out the wonders within. Then when we grow older we find other treasures. He mentioned that any person who has been in love and married for many years and is separated from the other by death will ask the question - OK Father. Is it really true? Is there really an Easter? Will we Really be together again? That will be the greatest wonder. And what about all the wonders in between?

We stopped at the house this afternoon on the way to Bobbie and Bill's to run the water and flush toilets. Chelsea got to go along, as usual. And Bobbie made a point of telling her how beautiful and clean she looked. We "know" she understands. Bobbie outdid herself again. Ham, potatoes au gratin, green beans, cole slaw, fresh biscuits AND Chocolate/Peanut butter torte. WOW. We were all pleasantly stuffed.

Roxie lets me pet her and I think she knows who I am. I get so sad because I can't have them. Oscar just hides. He doesn't love me any more I am afraid. It is getting longer and longer. Our house seems so empty and I do so miss being cuddled by Oscar in the evening. I must remember that when I can't see Jesus' footprints next to mine in the sand, He is carrying me. Frankly, a few footprints wouldn't hurt.

Thought you should read it here first. Permission to crosspost.

AP NEWS: BAKERSFIELD CA APRIL 1 2007

AKITA INVOLVED IN INCIDENT WITH CHILD AT AKC EVENT

Police were called today to the Kern County Fairgrounds to
investigate an incident involving an Akita dog and a 9 year old child. The American Kennel Club sanctions the event, held by the Kern County Kennel Club annually. Thousands of exhibitors and spectators attend yearly.
According to witnesses, the child was walking near the show rings unsupervised when she suddenly came face to face with the 110 lb Akita dog. The child threw her arms around the dog's neck, reports say, when the unthinkable happened. The dog began enthusiastically licking the girl's face as his tail wagged briskly.
"It was awful", said one bystander, "there was nothing we could do. That dog was just giving that child every once of love he had and no one did a thing to stop it".
Another witness, who took video of the event, said "This happens all
the time, I don't know how it hasn't made the news before now".
One spectator, who declined to be named in this interview, told reporters, "The sounds were just heartwrenching, all that laughing and giggling. It made me smile so hard my face hurts. I plan to sue for pain and suffering".
The handler of the dog admits this is not the first time such an incident has occurred, and that the owners were "well aware of the stable, loving and patient temperament of this dog". The owners were unavailable for comment.
Police state that the handler, who was noticeably unrepentant, was
cited for Reckless Entertainment. The dog was given roasted chicken treats and
was not taken into custody.

Hope you enjoy.

Mary