This is the picture of Tyler Tuttle on stage with Mary Calvey the show organizer. It was a wonderful evening.

I sat with my friends Peg Payne and Nancy Roehre.

It was a pretty quiet day, made more quiet because Dick was very tired all day and kept napping.

I did a lot of things, but just at my own speed. I did have an appointment at the bank to review our accounts but was only gone for an hour.

I baked some of the Tastefully Simple beer bread and some cupcakes and I made a nice lime jello with sour cream, pineapple and nuts. So I am pretty much stocked up on food again. Good thing. Except for tomorrow, the days are going to be very full next week. Tomorrow I am going to visit Mother in the afternoon. I am also going to make corned beef and cabbage.

St. Patrick's Day is looming very fast. I am looking forward to the walk and the companionship. I decided that tonight I am going to go to the Plymouth Art Center to see Mary Calvey's Shamrocks and Shenanigans show. This is her forth year. It is always fun and I need a break. Since the play AND my storytelling class fell by the wayside, I am looking forward to an Irish fix.

I finally believe that spring will really come. Yesterday I saw a robin, but that was not so conclusive as people have been reporting seeing them for the past two or three weeks. Bobbie said that she and Bill saw SIX in their back yard a couple of weeks ago.

But today ----- I heard two red winged blackbirds calling to each other. I thought I heard them yesterday, but today I was sure. Now when we get a nice long soaking warm rain, and the worms come up from way down deep and cover the road I will KNOW that Spring has really come.

In our old neighborhood, I could also listen for the kids playing basketball in their driveways, but we don't have any kids here.


Hours have passed since I did the above and I have just returned from Shamrocks and Shenanigans and am so very glad that I went. The songs were a nice selection of Irish and Irish American. Fun songs and sad songs. Drinking songs and goofy songs. Mary even had a bagpiper this year. He is a 10 year old from Kiel named Tyler Tuttle and he is sensational. If he is this good now I can't imagine how he is going to be when he gets older. I will send a picture of Tyler and Mary.


I was talking to the Dippels, Beth and Dean, and mentioned that I was on a baking frenzy this today and had baked cupcakes, bread and made jello. Dean thought that I had made Irish brown bread and was quite hurt that I had not brought it along. I was happy to assure him that it was not brown bread but beer bread. I bring brown bread to gatherings and it is such an Ireland reminder and SO good.


Til tomorrow.

Love

Mary

Today was a reasonably quiet day. Though I don't know quite how it went so fast.

Got up at 6. Did all my usual morning things. Chelsea and I had a really, really good walk at about 7. We were able to get through the park, so walked between the ball diamonds out onto Valley Road and back around the park to Tallgrass again. She was just beside herself. It was cold, but there was no wind and the grass was frozen enough that we were not wading in it.

Then we worked on getting Dick ready for his therapy. That went very well. He stood three times, the longest for 9 and a half minutes. A record. We like records. After next week, we will drop the therapy to twice a week until he has his shoe. Monday he will be reevaluated again as part of the Medicare paperwork. It was supposed to Wednesday but I had to go to the hospital with Mom. They wanted to reschedule for yesterday but I was just too damn and I mean damn tired after we had that doctor appointment in Sheboygan.

I decided not to go out for lunch as I am still very tired. So we had lunch here and then I took a nap. I cleaned the bathrooms and did some wash and vacuuming but am still behind on cleaning.

This evening, I picked up fish fry from St. John's. Dick says that they should really have Lent longer as he likes it a lot.

Paula Poundstone said, "The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their face whether they see a moth or and axe murderer."

Roxie is taking up half my desk and Oscar is waiting patiently for me to go to bed so he and get to sleep. Don't you wonder who in in charge around here?

Mary

I can't believe that this week has gone so very fast. It has been way to traumatic.

The phone rang at about 4AM. It was Michelle with the message that Barbara had passed away just a short time before. It was a peaceful passing so we thank you all for your prayers. Dick's children are grateful. I went downstairs and gave Richard the message, then went back to bed. I was unable to get back to sleep after that. Chelsea finally got me up at 5:30AM and I just stayed up.


I had plenty to do with general cleaning and stuff around here until everybody was ready for breakfast. With Brenda and Richard still here, I scrambled eggs with onion and cream cheese. We had fruit salad and toast with it. I also spent some time this morning making Friday Chili so that if anyone is around, I will have something ready to feed them. Otherwise it keeps AND freezes well. I made it true Friday chili. Usually I used bacon grease to soften the onion and celery but today I used butter flavored crisco instead. It is good. We had some for supper.

Dick had his appointment with Dr. Moreno. Dr. Moreno proclaimed him healed. Now we need to get the shoe. He was not happy with what we think the Orthotic person is doing for the shoe so he is going to call them and discuss it with them. We just want it right.

Leah called from therapy to see if we could come in today. I told her no. I am so tired, I can hardly see anymore.

We stopped and I went in to see Mom for just a minute. The VNA were there doing their evaluation when I got there. Dolores and Ken were with her. I did not stay because I had Dick in the car with no wheel chair. Dolores and Mom will have all the information.

After lunch, I took a nap. I slept for over an hour. I am still exhausted, but that did help.

I was reading a news item, that Atheists and Christians are competing advertising on buses in Madison. The Freedom from Religion Foundation bought ads, then Pilgrim Covenant Church responded with its own ads. Rev. Ovadal said that the Foundation has a right to it's opinion and the church has "the privilege to respond with truth from the word of God." I say good for that church. We Christians have a tendency to be complacent sometimes. Witnessing is a good thing.

I did like the comment from Madison Metro also. Their spokesman Mike Rusch simply said that any ads help the Metro.

Take care.

Mary

Today started out quite nicely, thank you. I got up at about 6AM, not counting Chelsea's 4:30AM walk. The wind was blowing up a storm. It was cold and really strong. The temperatures were in the single digits. The weather experts said that it was minus zero with the wind chill.

I fixed pancakes and homemade syrup for breakfast for Dick, Richard, Brenda and myself.

Then, as Dick and Brenda were getting ready to go to Manitowoc to spend some time with Barbara before going back to Madison, I received a call from Donna, my sister in law. She was at Mother's. Donna had gotten a call from a friend of Mother's. Helen told Donna that she had talked to Mother and did not think she sounded good, so Donna zipped on over there and found Mother in bed, not feeling well at all. Mother was kind of drifting in and out of an odd sleep. So. Donna called 911.


I canceled Dick's appointments for the day and connected with everyone at Sheboygan Memorial a short time later. Mom was still drifting in and out of sleep. We all sat around in the waiting room, and/or with Mother until all the tests came in. As it turns out, nothing is really wrong. When she was starting the irrigation of her colon, there was a slight problem and we think this caused a shock to her already weak system.

Anyway, she was released and is back in her own home where she wants to be. After all, as Bobbie said, how can Daddy find her when he comes for her if she is not at home?

When I called tonight, she had just finished eating an omelet that she made for her supper. And she sounded quite strong. Donna and I are expecting a call from the VNA (Visiting Nurse Association) to arrange a meeting with them and her and us to determine what help she will be needing. We think that if someone is there for the first hour or two of her day, that she will be just fine, at least for the time being. That seems to be when she is most vulnerable.

To top everything off, my brother Jeff was getting ready to come to meet us at Memorial to be with Mom and slipped on the ice and hurt his shoulder very badly. Pray for him too. He will be evaluated for therapy tomorrow, I think, and will be quite a long time recovering.

I got home at about 3 and left almost immediately for the store as I had to get groceries and lottery tickets. Dick was napping when I left for the store.

It sure was a relief to get home and be able to stay here.

Please continue to pray for Barbara. She is now in a coma, quite quiet but fading steadily. Pray that she drifts gently into heaven. This would be so comforting for her children who I love very much.

Take care.

Tomorrow will be a much brighter day.

Love

Mary

What a night. Dick had several of those falling dreams. They seem to come in clusters. I just reach over and talk to him until he settles back down.

So it was a restless night. I was also baking bread that had to be dealt with at about 3AM so perhaps it was convenient that he DID wake me up. Chelsea got me up at about 5AM. It was raining outside so she made quick work of her business. Then I went back to bed until 6.

Had to take the trash out this morning.

Then we got Dick up at about 8AM to get him ready for his 10AM dentist appointment. That went very well. We got him up to the office with little difficulty. They have a handicap ramp to get into the building and an elevator to get up to the second floor. He was able to slide directly from his wheelchair to the dentist chair. He is all cleaned now and the xrays did not show any problems. He did complain of some aching in a couple of teeth but there is no sign of decay so Dr. Joe suggested that he put some MI Paste which is supposed to strengthen the enamel on the base of the teeth once a day. Now to get him to do it.

We then came home for a quick lunch before going to the Plymouth Center for therapy. Tim, the prosthesis guy, was there today to check his progress. He is very pleased that we are now up to 7 ply on the stump stockings. That means that the stump is shrinking up as it should. When it stops shrinking, then we move on to the next step in the prosthesis process. We got home at about 2:30 and took short naps.


Richard and Brenda got here around 4:30PM. They had spent part of the afternoon with Richard's mother at the hospital in Manitowoc. Please keep praying for her. She seems to be resting comfortably but needs prayer.

We had tuna casserole, peas and salad for supper and chocolate cake for dessert.

Here is a poem that I wrote last month while wishing for spring weather. We are STILL waiting.

JOYOUS SONG


When I heard the cardinal sing
On that icy winter morn
I could hear that he was also
Waiting for the warmth of spring

On that icy winter morn
With the chill deep in my bones
Waiting for the warmth of spring
I heard glory in his sweet song

With the chill deep in my bones
His sound triumphant, ringing out
I heard glory in his sweet song
Melting winter gloom away

His sound triumphant, ringing out
I could hear that he was also
Melting winter gloom away
When I heard the cardinal sing.


Until tomorrow.

Mary

We are now in daylight savings time. Chelsea let me sleep until after 5 though. That is one good thing about the change. I went back to bed after she did her duty an got up at about 6:30AM. It was still rather dusky at that point. It will be a while before it is really light when we go for the real walk.

It had snowed during the night but the plows had been through AND our walk was shoveled by the time Chelsea and I went out at 7ish. It looked kind of hit and miss as far as ice, so we stuck close to home. I don't take chances.

We had called off Bible Study because most of our members were either sick, gone or afraid of ice. At about 10AM it looked OK so I went over to Mother's. I had her meds and it was a good thing I went because she did not have one to take this morning. We had a nice visit. Her neighbor was snow blowing his walk and driveway and the dear man did Mother's too. We told him he was a lifesaver. Randy usually does it but he is out of state for his work.

I showed Mom the doll I made and she really liked it. Chelsea came with me for the visit. She has been really tired since we got home. All that excitement you know.

We had dirty rice for dinner.

After dinner, I napped, then went downstairs and did some more work on the many projects that I have laid out down there. I am determined to have four CWI sweatshirt jackets done as soon as possible. The main thing is that I have them ready by May 1 for the Celtic Women Spring Fling.

Got a call from the UW Sheboygan today. There were not enough students signed up so they cancelled the class. I am so disappointed. That is two disappointments in one week.

However, I got an email from John Brandl, who told me about the play in Fond du Lac telling me that though we can't see the whole play, Lovers: Winners and Losers, the Winners portion won the Wisconsin Communtiy Theater Festival and will represent Wisconsin in the regional competition in South Bend Indiana. He invited us to Campbellsport to watch a dress rehearsal. I am definately going to take advantage of this turn of events. I know that Peg and Kathy are also delighted. Haven't heard back from Nancy or Kate or Joan Kramer.

Kitty Roxie was all over me today. She was even sitting in my lap when I was sewing downstairs. And when I took my nap, Mr. Oscar again curled up next to me and just stayed there.

So now, I am watching Dancing with the Stars and intend to go to bed as soon as it is over. So far Dancing is rather fun.

We watched an episode of Mash earlier this evening. Sometimes that show has great lines and lessons. Today, Sydney, the psychiatrist, said to Col. Potter. "You can't let the fear make the decision for you."

Isn't that something to think about.

I remember reading somewhere also the "Courage is fear that has said its prayers."


Love

Mary

Today was a very disappointing one for me. Not the whole day, of course, BUT my special event did not occur.

As I told you, I was going to go to Fond du Lac to see that Irish play. However, it rained and sleeted. I was going to try anyway, but Kate, who was going to ride with me, called after church and said that the roads were awful and that she had to scrape ice off of her car after Mass to get home. So we decided to be sensible. At least we five gals who were going to ride together and one other couple.

Two couples DID go. Janet called me after the play and said that we made the right decision. They had no problem getting there, and the play was quite good BUT when they left the roads were a sheet of ice and they were creeping home VERY carefully. I told her to call when they get home but she said that I didn't have to worry because Rich was driving. We sure have faith in our special guys don't we?

I read a bit and did some sewing down stairs. Ordinarily I would have been very happy with today, but I was just plain disappointed.

I have a feeling that tomorrow will be just as disappointing. It looks like the ice will be still there and covered by snow, so there goes bible study. Hopefully, I can get to Falls SOMETIME tomorrow because I have a prescription for Mother.

I am putting a recipe that I am tempted to try at the end of this. If you try it let me know if it works.

Mary

3-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
> 
> 1 Coffee Mug
> 4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising)
> 4  tablespoons sugar
> 2  tablespoons baking cocoa
> 1  egg
> 3  tablespoons milk
> 3  tablespoons oil
> 3  tablespoons chocolate chips  (optional)
> Small splash of vanilla
> 
> Add dry  ingredients to mug, and mix well .  
> Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
> Pour in  the milk and oil and mix well.
> Add the chocolate chips (if using) and   vanilla, and mix again.
> Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3  minutes at 1000 watts.
> The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be  alarmed!
> Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
> 
> “And why is this the most dangerous  cake recipe in the world?  
> Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from  chocolate cake at
> any time of the day or night!”
> 
>