Today I packed away ALL the ornaments from the tree. THAT is a daunting job. Kind of fun too as I have the opportunity to enjoy each one again before it is hidden from sight until next Christmas.

Chelsea is wearing me out. She is asking to go out five to 8 times a day. I find that sometimes she just seems to think she is done but isn't. It is a combination of old age and the medications she is on but I am wearing out fast.

This noon I joined the gang at Dairy Queen. They have a new thing, a chicken wrap that is only $1.39 so I tried it. It was quite good. Mary Schroeder was there. I had not seen her since well before Christmas, so that was a nice surprise.

Then I drove to Mother's house. Jeff and Kathy were there. Jeff brought the venison for me. I have a lot now, steaks, chops, ground meat and sausage. My freezer is quite full. I feel secure.
On the way home I swung by Woodlake to pick up some Revolution Tea. I love that tea and Woodlake is the only place I know around here that carries it.

Tonight I picked up Nancy at about quarter to 6 and we went out to Rhine to shoot pistol league. The Winter pistol league is quite large. There are 12 - a big change from the three of us who shot in the Fall league. This is only the third time that Nancy has shot and she did very well. She got a 40 on one of her targets. Not as well on the others but she is really doing well. Like I told her we are really shooting against ourselves. I didn't do badly at all. The first two scored over 50 and the last was 72. Yippee. I was worried because my arm has been so sore, but it does not hurt when I shoot. Of course, reek of cigarette smoke but that is what happens at the club.

One year, my Dad came out to California for a Union Conference. He stayed with me and my ex of course. We took him out to the high desert for the day and he collected cactus and rocks to his hearts content. He also shot Dick's 357 Magnum. Now my Dad had never shot a hand gun before. He was a deer and small game hunter and used rifles and shotguns but never a hand gun. Dick told him to be sure to really hang on to the gun because it has a kick.

Dad took aim, peering down the sites at some cans we set up for targets, fired the gun and it kicked. It kicked him right across the nose and cheek. He had a nice scar (nothing really serious) So he laughed and said that he would just tell everybody that his son in law had hit him. After all, he said, it was his gun.

When it came time for Dad to go home, he packed all the rocks and cactus in his suitcase. I told him that I would be glad to ship things but he wanted to take everything with him. I could NOT lift the suitcase. So he grabbed hold of it and did a double take. "What do YOU have in here?" He said. Believe it or not, they did let it on the plane. Heavy as it was.

Have a nice weekend.

love

Mary