Richard and Brenda are back from their Niagra Falls trip. Richard sent a picture of himself on the Maid of the Mist all drenched and all. So I thought I would share a picture of Dick on the Maid of the Mist when we went on our trip to the Falls. I am not sure if everybody saw it or not but I really like this shot.

Mary

I had SO much trouble sleeping last night. Just achy. I did take a rest this morning which helped a lot but am really hoping that tonight is better.

We had a quiet day. I rested mostly. Since we had leftover cavatini for lunch and roast beef sandwiches for dinner, cooking was easy. I did make a Cherry Dream pie to take along with me tomorrow to help with dessert. I am not leaving any of it home because we have so much dessert now, that it isn't necessary, besides, I am going to make another one for Wednesday at the Tallgrass Picnic.

I did go out once to fill the gas tank and to pick up prescriptions AGAIN. They know me so well at Walgreen's. I ran into Alan Pape, a very interesting friend of mine, who is an artist and a historian and very interested and knowledgeable of the history of our area. We had an interesting visit.

It is nice to be getting out a bit. I am sure looking forward to tomorrow at St. Michael's. There is going to be a pretty big group of my relatives there this year. Mom, Jeff and Kathy, Sara, George and Betsy, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Bob, Uncle Pat and Aunt Joan, Aunt Kathleen's daughter Chris and her husband Ron, plus a bunch of the Shea relatives. Wow. I have to be there a bit before 10:30AM so that I can help Fr. Mike get ready for Mass along with my friend, Rosemary, who is bringing the hosts. We kind of thought of having Mass outside but the church is air conditioned and it is going to be hotter than the hinges of Hades. It is better to be a little tight in the church than out in sweltering heat. We will have enough of that AFTER mass at the picnic.

I read that Eunice Kennedy Schreiber is in critical condition from a series of strokes. She was one of the people who founded the Special Olympics. I remember when the Special Olympics were very new, they had an event in Anaheim California. They send out word to the jeep clubs in teh area that they wanted volunteers to come with jeeps to carry the celebrities that were attending the event around the arena along with the participants in the parade.

So I along with a couple of others from the Orange County Four Wheelers and some from other clubs in the area trucked on up there to help. It was really fun. I was assigned to carry a wrestler named Boom Boom Mahelik. He was quite well known in the 60s. I was lucky, one of the guys had an animal act which consisted of a man dressed in his animal trainer suit and a big cougar that kept growling and clawing. He was not happy to be in the jeep. I was glad that I had Boom Boom

Special Olympics is a lasting legacy for her and she did it for her sister Rosemary who was retarded. Rosemary was cared for at St. Coletta's Home in Jefferson WI which was run by the School Sisters of St. Francis, the same order that I spent two and a half years at as a postulant. The school still exists though as St. Coletta's of Greater Wisconsin and the sisters still have a hand in it.

Hope your Sunday is as nice as mine will be.

I have decided that Monday, I would like to go and get my Chelsea. I know it will not be easy, but I miss her and want her home. Bobbie and Bill have been SO good and love her too but I am sure they will be glad to have her come home. After all if they wanted a dog, they would have one.

Love

Mary

I believe that things will be better soon. Today was not bad. I was sore but since we had two appointments today and I had to transport the wheel chair in and out of the car twice, I think it went pretty well.

I found that I can get the wheel chair into the car without twisting the ankle. We had an appointment with Tim the Prosthesis expert at 10AM. Dick has been complaining of pain on the side of the foot. Tim made an adjustment to the insert and it seems to have helped. Then we went over to the Blood Center for my blood donation. I was able to give today as my iron count was OK. Last time was the first time that it was not high enough and I was a little worried. They had a bit of trouble getting the blood to flow but with a small adjustment it went OK.

We stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch today. It is fun to do that. After we ate, I took a nap and boy did I sleep. I guess draining a pint of blood out of a person does that.

I talked to Bob Fleming today. He likes the dedication that I wrote for Steve for the Celtic Mass and Faire in Sheboygan Falls next month. We had another nice talk. He is going to let me ride with him to IrishFest next weekend. That is a big relief. Kate can come with us if she wants. She has been making noises like she is changing her mind and Dick won't let me go alone. I am glad that he is insistent on that because I would probably be dumb about it and it will be nice to have someone else driving. I am a bit concerned with the healing process. Patience is not one of my virtues and I need it for this.

I hope to get my Chelsea back on Monday. I know that it will not be easy to handle her but I miss her so much. My friend Janet Winchester sent me the following.

PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS....

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is
likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me..

3 . Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment.
You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only YOU.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand
your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt
you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself
if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food,
I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say
you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is
easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good
care of them.
Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's
critters


You do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love,
and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!

This was a red letter day.

I got up feeling pretty sore. That doesn't sound good, does it? However, things got better. At 9AM I drove (got that , I DROVE) over to Just Jane's on Eastern Avenue to have my hair cut. It went well. I came home feeling a bit tired and a little nervous but OK. After lying down for a while, I got up and puttered on the computer before fixing Dick's dinner and leaving to go to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in Sheboygan with Bobbie.

We met at 12:30PM. For a while, it looked like we were going to have a private showing but a family showed up before the movie actually started and we had to share with four other people. Bobbie and I both loved the show. Bobbie wants to catch the others now, preferably in order so that she can see the build up. You can, however, see each movie individually and enjoy it. I had my popcorn and soda for lunch. Totally decadent and I loved it.

I stopped off to see Mother on the way home and dropped off her blood pressure pills. She doesn't worry about missing a day or two, but we know that he blood pressure has been SO good lately and there is no sense in messing with what is working. Did I tell you that her iron level is also up? All good signs and she does look much better than two months ago.

George and Betsy are in town. I know that I will get to see them on Sunday at Parnell. That may be it. Betsy has her family too and there are only so many hours in the day when one is only in town for four days. They may be going out for dinner with Randy and Donna sometime this weekend as this week is anniversary week for BOTH of them. August seems to be a wedding month. Dick and I will be married 23 years next Sunday. I am going to Irishfest that day. I want to be there on Sunday so that I can read my poems at the Poet's Corner during the afternoon. Dick said that is OK as long as I bring him a present. He does like his presents.

I decided to call Jacquie tonight. I was lonely and had not talked to her for ages. We had a great visit and I got caught up on a lot of people. I even got to talk to Todd for a bit. He may come to visit sometime which I could dearly love. He is a nice boy.

Guess that is all for now.

Take care

Mary

Today was OK. I never felt too much pain.

This morning I got some wash done and got Dick and I all cleaned up.

Bobbie got here at about 11:30 and we had a lunch of cavatini, garlic bread and salad.

Chelsea again came for a home visit with Bobbie. I am sure glad to see her and miss her. I was hoping to pick her up tomorrow, but Dick thinks that I need another day or two to get my strength back so I am aiming for Sunday. I know that it will be difficult. She is a demanding little girl and needs to go out a lot. We will also have to build up to really good walks and she is definitely used to good walks with Bobbie. Chelsea and I have been limiting our walks for a long time because of my knee. But she and I will work it out. I intend to build us up.

My doctor appointment was at 1:00PM. It went well. I found out that the reason my hip has been hurting so much is probably because, during this surgery, the doctor usually has to twist a person's leg like a pretzel in order to operate and it is held that way for quite some time. I happen to know that if I had to sit in the yoga position like I used to when I was younger, I would never get up and I would die right there in the lotus position. SO it seems that there is a good reason for the pain. Today was much better. I have taken no pills at all today and am only mildly uncomfortable. I will take a pill tonight and perhaps that will be the end of them. They took my three little stitches out today too and I do not have to wear that stocking unless swelling reoccurs.


After the doctor, Bobbie took me grocery shopping. So that chore is all out of the way.

Tomorrow I will try driving. I have permission from the doctor. I will go downtown to have my hair done first, which is a short hop. If that works, I will drive in to Shebogyan to see the new Harry Potter movie with Bobbie. She said she will come to get me if it is too hard to drive. I am opting for good. We will be meeting for the 12:40PM show. Popcorn for lunch. YUM YUM. It has been a long time since I have been to a movie and Harry Potter makes me really happy.

When Bret was about 11 he told me that he wanted Ocean Pacific clothes for school. (Yes, even the boys get label happy.) They were very expensive and I told him that I was sure that none of his friends would have them but lo an behold they did. Fortunately, Bret's father worked on the boat owned by the founder of OP and he let us go to the warehouse and I got lots of shirts and shorts for a song. Bret was a happy camper . I wonder if OP still exists. It was all the rage at the time. The designer had designed the clothes for the surfers and the shorts and shirts just took off.

Have a good day.
Love

Mary

When I woke up this morning, I noticed that I had no pain. I was totally delighted. I stretched my muscles and slowly got up and still felt great. So, silly me, I thought that I had finally crossed a bridge. But the knee and hip started hurting within an hour or so and by 3 PM I finally broke down and took another Vicidin. I will take one just before I go to bed and see how tomorrow turns out. I see the doctor tomorrow and will find out if this is normal. I am sure it is as the pain is definitely reduced - it is just so constant.

We had a quiet day. No one called or came over. I cleaned Dick's bathroom floor and the kitchen floor. I told you they were sticky and I couldn't stand it any longer.

We had chicken and teriyaki rive for dinner this noon. And grilled cheese for dinner. I baked some cookies with the ricotta cheese that I made. They are nice a subtle shortbread kind of cookie. I used Splenda so Dick won't have to worry about sugar.

He went down for a nap this afternoon which he has not done for several days and slept for hours. This is always a worry because sometimes his body gets to mixing up day and night. And I don't like spending my days alone.

I did some writing today - some of it successful. The past two weeks have been a bit dry, but I try every day to get something down even if it is pitiful.

I can look out the livingroom windows at the beautiful wall of trees that backs us. Today I saw several crows heading into the trees. I have noticed that they seem to gather there just about where my path really takes off over the railroad tracks to the park.

One wonders about crows. In some cultures they are brave and symbols of heroic things and in others they are bad luck and evil. I remember that the crows in California were even bigger that they are here. Zero, sweet Zero, used to love to chase birds away. One day, he came out of the house and saw a crow down the street He raced towards it barking his head off expecting it to fly. The crow just stood its ground and stared at his. Poor Zero screeched to a stop about three feet from this bird, almost a big as he, and hightailed it back to me as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Have a lovely evening and pray for me tomorrow when I get my leg checked. My appointment is at 1PM.

Mary


Zero

I am really tired tonight. The day was quite busy. I woke up at about 4AM pretty sore, so I did take a pain pill that helped me sleep until 7. Roxie was very disappointed in me. She expects breakfast to be served by her minions by 6AM and is quite concerned about the recent breakdown.

I started a pot roast right away so it would be ready by noon. I have been running out of some kinds of things upstairs. I had no onions, potatoes, chicken or fresh fruit upstairs. So I fixed the roast with the half onion that was upstairs combined with minced onion.

Bobbie got here at about 11:30AM. She went downstairs and brought up the things that I needed. Whew. The roast was good and made a really rich gravy. We had to have instant potatoes because the potatoes were all downstairs. Everything tasted good and we had brownies for dessert.

Bobbie brought Chelsea along again. She is looking great and is such a happy girl. I will be glad to get her back but we decided to wait until I at least see the doctor on Wednesday. She seemed reasonably glad to see us but she loves Bobbie and Bill and they treat her so well that she is not the least bit upset about being with them or about being away from us. Hope she wants to come home again.

I went to the bank, the drug store and the Pig with Bobbie too and got a few errands done. We were down to NO cash and needed a few groceries and a couple of prescriptions.

Tomorrow is a nice quiet day except for meeting the Tallgrass Committee at 5:30PM across the street. I am also going to try to clean the bathroom floor.

Things seem to be better but I wish the healing was faster. Wednesday at 1PM will be the test. Bobbie is going to take me.

Guess that's all for now. I am too tired to think of anything else.

Love

Mary

Hello World. It was a quiet day with a mildly sore leg for a good part of it. However, each day it is less pain so I know I am mending - finally.

I spent my quiet day making cheese and meals and washing. I made a small batch of ricotta cheese out sour milk. One would think that I would learn not buy milk in anything over a half gallon. However, every once in a while a gallon is so cheap that I can't resist and I always end up with sour milk and trying to find uses for it. Cakes and breads and cheese work but it does not always sour at a convenient time.

We got a call from Richard today. He and Brenda have arrived and are enjoying Toronto. They are enjoying a Canadian vacation for his fiftieth birthday which is on Tuesday. So far the trip is fine BUT their luggage is vacationing somewhere else. They were planning on replacing necessities today and hope the luggage will appear. I told Richard about the first two vacations Dick and I took together. They were driving vacations to see scenic sights in Wisconsin. Driving, we did not have lost luggage, but Dick forgot his shirts. So here we were on our first day of vacation in a Sears or KMart buying Dick 6 or seven new shirts. He was a very well dressed man for many years.

I was able to water the front plants a little today, I did the deck yesterday. They really need more than I carried out but this will keep them going. Maybe tomorrow I will go out and just stand and run the hose. I think I saw a start of broccoli flowers on my broccoli plants. Yippee.

Roxie and I had a very nice nap this afternoon. She is really coming to expect me to lie down after lunch.

Only three more days til I see the doctor and hopefully get released. Soon we will be able to have our Chelsea back again. She likes summer camp but I do miss her. I have to admit that I don't miss taking her out right now with the sore leg, but I think I could manage now anyway.

We'll see how it is in the morning.

Have a good week.

Love
Mary

A Pan Am 727 flight, waiting for start clearance in Munich , overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany . Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"