Bobbie and I have really been lucky on the Discovery tours that we have gone on this winter. They are always "between the storms." Today was quite pleasant and our bus driver had an easy time. We were even home about 15 minutes early.

We left Plymouth at 10AM and had lunch at Joey Buena's Restaurant. We had Caesar Salad, Chicken and garlic potatoes and chocolate cake. Everything was good but the chicken and potatoes were not hot and that was a real disappointment. They served enough. I brought one of my pieces of chicken home. It was just too much.

Then on to Lion King. Again it is an experience. The choreography, costume design and the talent were as spectacular as the first time I saw it. Bobbie loved it and said to say thank you to her Daddy.

Now, If the projected freezing rain will hold off until AFTER I get home from Mass tomorrow, I will feel that my weekend is complete.

Dick is doing quite well but is experiencing more pain than he has on the previous procedures, probably because this was so much more invasive. Each day SHOULD get better. Tomorrow we will take off the bandages and I will see how badly he is bruised.

Have a nice Sunday and be safe

Mary

Snowed a good part of last night and left about two inches all over the place. The only good thing I can see about it is that it covered up a lot or the black scum that has covered all the snow the past few days.

Chelsea is MUCH better. She only limps when she sleeps on a hard surface too long and is spinning around with gusto again. We even had a pretty good walk this morning. She is coughing but it has subsided quite a bit.

I cleaned the kitchen floor this morning while Dick and Chelsea napped. We had to have Dick at Sheboygan Memorial for the third vein procedure by 11:45. We left at about 10:45 because I had to get gas AND we were not sure of the roads. The roads were just fine as it turned out and naturally, today Dr. Siddique was running a bit late because he was called in on a consultation, but they got Dick in by noon anyway. I went down to the cafeteria and got a salad for my lunch and two cookies for Dick and I. On the way down, I ran into someone that I dearly love in the corridor and was able to give him a hug as he headed to the next part of his treatment. Please pray very hard for this person.

Dick's procedure was successful. Dr. Siddique said that he had never had one this long before and there was a lot of blood. He was still working on the right leg but is planning to do something on the left leg next week. We are not done with the right but I think he probably wants the leg to get a chance to heal before he goes in again.

We were home by about 1:30 and I make a few phone calls, then took Kate HER share of the pasties and some hash.

When I got back, I tried to rest but am really rather tense. We had fish fry at St. John the Baptist. They really DO have the best fish in Plymouth. At least the best we have found.

Today is February 29. Leap Year. Only comes around once every four years. This is "Sadie Hawkin's Day". Ladies are supposed to do the proposals of marriage this one in every four days. This morning on Good Morning America it was said that this goes back to St. Brigid in Ireland. She complained to St. Patrick that women should have a say in who they marry and he gave her this leap year day.

Leif sent me several articles. One of them Style and Substance from the Dallas Morning News, Thursday, February 14 had a quote from Huckabee that I LOVED, regarding experience versus intelligence and the ability to bring in experts to advise.

Here it is.

Mike Huckabee has a good like for everything, and he captured this week why Mrs. Clinton's claim to have superior command of policy misses the point. Said the Arkansas quipster: "The American people are not looking for someone who can fix a carburetor. They're looking for someone who can drive the car."

Isn't that great.

Later

Mary

Chelsea had a bad night last night. She threw up rather badly early in the evening and seems to be kind of uncomfortable in the mid section since then. It is improving so I think that perhaps she strained some muscles or something. I did call Dr. Pat and she said that if she still seems uncomfortable tomorrow I should bring her in.

I did some quilting on the Clifford Crest today. Now I need to iron on the words, finish the quilting and bind it. It looks nice. I also cleaned the bathrooms and the kitchen counters.

This afternoon, Kate Herman came over and we made Pasties. She wanted to learn how to cook them. I think I mentioned that I made the dough yesterday. Today we ground the meat, chopped the veggies and assembled them. The we baked them for dinner and freezing. While they were cooking, she went and got her Ron. We had a lovely dinner and each have a half dozen pasties frozen for future meals. We also have a bit of the filling left for hash.

It was nice that Ron and Dick finally got a chance to meet as Kate and I have been doing a lot together in the past year since I moved to Plymouth.

Tomorrow is Dick's third vein procedure. Hopefully, it will go as well as the past two weeks.

Tomorrow is also the last day of February AND the last day of pistol league at Rhine. So I will be relatively busy.

This is leap year you know. My friends Kirby and his wife's Mary Ellen's son, was born on Feb. 29th. They had four other children, also boys. In the paper it said that he was a girl and Mary Ellen decided that this was as close as she would ever get to having a girl. And it was. Kirby was the friend about whom my brother in law George said, when he heard that the Kirby's had five children, and I quote "Don't they ever do it for fun?"

Love

Mary

Dick and I went grocery shopping early this morning. We swung by the bank and stopped at Family Restaurant on our way to the store. At least it wasn't as cold. Dick was very tired today and did not feel too well but seems to have recovered this evening, thank heavens.

He had his ultra sound today too. So we WERE busy.

In between, I cleaned a couple of closets, crocheted on a cancer hat and made the pastry for the pasties that Kate and I are going to make tomorrow. I am teaching her how I make them but as you have to make the pastry a day ahead of time and chill it overnight, two days was more of a time commitment than we could make.

I picked up some suet for the pasties at the Pig meat market area. The gal that helped me was very interested in my pasty recipe. I will have to remember to take my recipe with me and if I see her, share it. They did not have any suet out in the counter and had to actually find some and cut it for me. I think that shows good concern and service.

I called Barbara this evening. She has a bit of a respiratory infection, but is treating it and getting better. For some reason, I thought Bart was already there for his visit but I am off a week. She may have her "temporary" assignment extended again. Bart is coming tomorrow and will stay for three weeks. This will be good for them. He has been working very hard on the house and taking care of their critters. I know how much he misses Barbara and she him. They will be SO glad when this is over.

Rose Buteyn, the Mary Kay lady from the party, delivered my cleanser today. She was impressed with the quilt hangings that I have up and is wanting to get into quilting more. I told her I have been thinking of rejoining the Quilt Guild and would call her when I decide to go. I would like to go again, and will be more motivated if I have someone to go with.

Tomorrow, I get to be home all day. Kate and I will be making the pasties and I told her to have Ron come over in the evening and we can have a dinner of fresh pasties. We will have some to freeze too.


Love

Mary

We did not get the snow storm that had been predicted but when Dick and I drove into Sheboygan for his coagulation reading, the roads were still kind of goofy and slippery. The thing that really got me was just before we got to Sheboygan, just before the turnoff to Hwy 43 a gust of wind just grabbed the Explorer. Good thing I was hanging on tight. We DID see two cars in the center.

I mainly puttered today. I vacuumed the office (you can't really tell but I know.) watered plants, put things away and sewed a bit on the Clifford Family Tree banner.

Chelsea wanted to go outside often which really wears me out after a while.

The mail was fun for me. I received a book that Cindy Matyi wrote and illustrated. She is one of my favorite Celtic artists. I have two of her prints. The book is called Little Town of Spirals and is just charming. She may be at Irish Fest this year. I would love that. Perhaps we could lunch this year.

I also got the Celtic Women International Banner for us to carry in the Irishman's Walk in Plymouth on St. Patrick's Day. I did not realize but it is make on our tartan and is quite spectacular.


Isn't it special about the New York Philharmonic Orchestra playing in North Korea to such a welcoming audience and apparently it was broadcast all over North and South Korea. Music can heal.

Tonight I went to Kaye Beck's home for a Mary Kaye Party. Rosie Buteyn, a retired personal banker from Wells, was the distributor. It was fun. I saw several of the people I used to work with. Betty Pocian, Evelyn Green, Kathy from Sheboygan Title and Karen Schomburg. It was a nice way to spend an evening and now I can last until Barb MacEwen gets home with my skin care products. If Barb ever stops selling, I have TWO people to choose from.

Believe in yourself.
As you walk this road of life
Wonders await you.


Mary

Another warm day. In the mid 30s and the roads are all clear. The winter storm that was threatening to drop 4 to 6 inches is going to give us only an inch or so if anything as it is concentrated south of us. WHEW. We are very glad. Tomorrow Dick has to go to the anti coagulation clinic for a test and it is NOT fun if the roads are icy or badly snowy.

Today was reasonably quiet for a Monday. I had bible study. We had a nice group. There were 8 of us today. The readings were interesting. The gospel was about Jesus curing the blind man. We noted again that the Pharisees seemed to be much more interested in the fact that Jesus cured the man on the Sabbath than the fact that he cured him in the first place. Kind of like not noticing the elephant in the living room. The reading last week was regarding Jesus talking to and taking water from the Samaritan Woman. Another Jewish NO NO. He sure was shaking things up.

Went from there over to Mother's. I took her some Chicken with cranberry bread stuffing and some of the Peanut Thai Noodle salad that I made. We had a good visit as usual. I was so glad to hear that the cleaning lady is now coming every week. Mom told me today that she really does feel that she is getting weaker. I told her that this would not be surprising and that she must preserve her strength for the things that are important to her to do. She and her card playing buddies have suspended cards until April. Hopefully things will be safe for all of them then.

On the way home, I stopped at Walmart for a color cartridge for the printer and some brown thread. Then the bank then home.

The only Chore this afternoon was that we racked a gallon of wine. I have two gallon batches that are in the works. We have suspended the "winery" until Dick is done with his "procedures". With any luck at all we may be able to resume the process. We have had such a fun time with that hobby but the past months it has become a chore for Dick.

Here is the prayer that I read before we started our study this morning. It seemed appropriate because the readings talked a lot about light.

May the blessing of light be upon you, Light on the outside, Light on the inside. With God's sunlight shining on you, May your heart glow with warmth, Like a turf fire that welcomes friends and strangers alike. May the light of the Lord shine from your eyes, Like a candle in the window, Welcoming the weary traveller. May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you, Falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul With the sweetness of litte flowers newly blooming. May the strength of the winds of Heaven bless you, Carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean Sparkling after in the sunlight. May the blessing of God's earth be on you, And as you walk the roads, May you always have a kind word for those you meet. May you understand the strength and power of God. In a thunderstorm in Winter, And the quiet beauty of creation, In the calm of a Summer sunset, And may you come to realize, that, insignificant as you may seem in this great Universe, You are an important part of God's plan. May he watch over you and keep you safe from harm. Words and Music By Phil Coulter

Have a good Tuesday. Keep yourself safe and warm.

Mary

Do you believe that it got all the way up to 35.8 degrees this afternoon? A virtual heat wave. I got up at 6AM so that I could get to the 8AM Mass. It was a nice Mass. Fr. Van Beeck does a fine job. After Mass he always has a couple of announcements. Today he had some questions for us. We have had a defibrillator in the school for quite some time. Now someone has donated one for the church. He asked if any of the attending congregation were qualified to use it. About 15 to 20 people stood up. Then he asked who was CPR approved and even more stood up. As he said it makes us feel quite secure.

When I got home, I fixed a proper Sunday breakfast which made Chelsea VERY happy. We had fried potatoes, bacon for Dick, Irish white pudding for me, egg and toast.

Then I was so tired that I took a nap.

At about noon I drove out to Rhine to shoot a couple of league targets. I did not do well but now will be able to finish. I have two left and can shoot them next Friday.

This afternoon, A Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller was on HBO. Dick and I had been waiting for that so we watched it together on the Hi def. It is very funny. The special effects are spectacular. I loved Rexy the dinosaur, who liked to play fetch with his own rib bone.

We had a market day dinner. Stuffed chicken breast roast with cranberry stuffing. It was delicious and we have LOTS left. I was able to freeze some for next week and we have another meal this week.

We are now watching the Oscars. Jon Stewart is exceptionally funny.

This morning as I was leaving Mass, I spoke with Jerry Koene and his wife. The Koene's were good friends of the family in Sheboygan Falls. Jerry delivered milk to us when I was really quite young. I was probably about 9 or 10 and he was maybe 18 or 19. He was really good looking and my first crush. He and his wife are heading for Florida. I told her that it really is getting kind of tiresome. Every other person I talk to is going to either Florida or Arizona and it is NOT me. This year is the first year I really have regrets about leaving California. The winter is just too cold and too snowy and too long.

I received two letters from brothers in law this week with pictures. One from dear Uncle Fred with the results of the beer tasting contest, his yearly poem AND pictures. The other from our special Uncle Leif with articles that he read and wants to share and some pictures. I must ask him if Barb got copies of the pictures. Otherwise, I will forward.

Bart is now in Florida for a couple of weeks to be with her. This is really just too long an assignment for her. BUT they are doing well and will just be glad when it is over.

Have a wonderful week. We will be glad to have three "procedures" under our belt when next Sunday rolls around.

Love

Mary