We really had to be moving our tails this morning because we had an appointment with Tim at Wisconsin Prosthesis at 9:30AM. We got there OK and we got all the morning stuff done too. Tim kept the shoe after determining what he needs to do to hopefully make it not rub and give some relief and support to the areas that get calloused. We have to pick it up again on Friday. The only morning appointment available was for 8:30AM. So we will REALLY have to hustle that day.

As I am leaving for the IBAM event at the Irish Center in Chicago shortly after noon, we had no choice as we want him to have the shoe back as soon as possible

I will be leaving shortly after noon on Friday and arriving home before 7PM on Sunday. This will be rather exciting as I have not been on a train in years. I used to take the train from Sheboygan to Chicago to visit my friend Sally when I was 19 or 20. My lord, that was 50 years ago. Wonder what ever happened to Sally, I know that she married and had a ton of kids. But I don't know what happened to her in the last 35 years at least.

A friend will be picking me up at the Glenview stop, take me to my motel, have dinner with me and then take me back and forth to the Irish Center both days. Thank you Betty. I will really enjoy rubbing elbows with great Irish authors, musicians and artists for the two days. CWI will have a table and I can set my book out too. We are also going to help the Irish Center keep food and coffee pots available. It should be fun.

Bobbie came over for lunch and we racked the currant wine into a secondary container. The next time we need to work on wine is the end of next week.

I got a haircut this afternoon. That was quick and easy. Then tonight was the third of my Herbal Remedy Classes at the UW Center. We went out on a bit of a field trip to the woods on the edge of campus and looked for some wild plants that are useful. We found burdock, Queen Anne's Lace, high bush cranberry (though the ornamental, not the wild kind), clovers (red and white) and dandelions.

Then we went in to the classroom for some more information and we finished the evening by making comfrey poultice to put in the freezer until we need a healing poultice and an echinocea tincture that needs to mature for six weeks, then be strained and is a herbal for healing bacterial infections. We chopped up the comfrey, then ground it up fine and wrapped it in cheesecloth and froze it in cheesecloth. The echinocea we chopped up and put in jars and covered it with vodka to make the tincture.

Now it is really bedtime. Chelsea is such a pest. I have taken her out twice already since I came home. I am not sure if she just wants attention or really has to go but when she starts whimpering at me, I can't take the chance. It is late enough that I am hoping she will let me sleep til really late in the morning. That would be SO nice.

Tomorrow, I just have grocery shopping and the Amputee Support group meeting. I made some ricotta cheese today so I can make a small lasagna for our lunch tomorrow.

Til tomorrow then.

Love

Mary