For a quiet day at home, it really got quite busy, but I guess most of you who know me expect that.

Chelsea and I had a rather nice walk this morning. It was in the upper 60s and felt good. She is still like a puppy when we are on our walks. Nobody can believe how old she is.

We had a nice breakfast and then Dick walked for a bit. We got his shower in today too. That is always kind of a chore for both of us. So with a haircut and a fresh shower he is irresistible.

I fixed a mini meatloaf for lunch so we could have something special with the first fresh green beans of the season for us. Sure was good.

I did take two naps today. I am really trying to be rested for tomorrow's day at Milwaukee Irish Fest. Kathy and Barb, two of my Celtic Women, came to pick up the two passes for Irish Fest that I won't need because I am bringing food for admission to the Mass in the morning. Now they know how to get to my house when I host the September meeting at which I intend to share what I learned about Celtic Music over the years, especially through that class at the UW Madison.

Tonight it will be difficult to get to sleep because ---------The First Green Bay Packer Pregame is on at 7PM. They are playing the Browns. I will still go to bed at 9PM and if I fall asleep, I fall asleep. I suppose I should be paying attention because the season starts in four weeks. And so will the Fantasy Football league.

When I was a little girl, there was a woods in back of our neighborhood. We kids played in that woods a lot. There was in the middle, a tree that we called the Tarzan Tree. It was called the Tarzan Tree because you could climb up into its branches and there were vines growing all over the tree. Then you could grab one of those vines and swing from the crook of the Tarzan Tree to another tree across the way. It was a lot of fun.

One day however, I was playing with a couple of my friends and climbed the tree for my swing. The vine broke and I landed on my solar plexus knocking the air right out of me. I could not get my breath and was naturally terrified as were my buddies. I obviously managed to get my breath back but still remember that fear and the expressions on the faces of my buddies as they, one on each side, helped me out of the wood.

Love

Mary

Today was a tired day. I don't know why I am so tired but I am, so this will be short and probably dull.

Dick got his hair and beard trimmed at Shear Delight over at the Plymouth Care Center. We saw Lori and Leah, the physical therapists, and updated them on his progress. When he gets to walking 10 minutes at a time a couple times a day, we can see about restarting therapy to train him to walk with a cane. This will be a happy day.

I took a nap when I got home, then went over to Dairy Queen to have lunch with the bank ladies. I left there tired too and took another nap.

Well, I have tomorrow with no errands so I can rest as much as possible to be ready for Sunday when I am going to Irish Fest. I think I have that planned with walking interspersed with good times to sit and rest too. We will see. Sunday is our anniversary -23 years. I will find him something special in Milwaukee.

I called Barbara tonight - it is her birthday. Also, she leaves for Germany tomorrow. That sure went fast. I got to talk to her mother, Marlise too. She will miss her daughter. It is only supposed to be for four months and is a big feather in Barbara's career resume. Bart did well when she was in Florida and will have to take the reins now. He will go to visit her in late November, as I understand. So that will break up the separation.

So, I ached this evening and took a nice soaky bath in water as hot as I could stand it. Now I am sipping some decaf tea, took a pill and will go to bed in about a half an hour. I'll bet a good long sleep will make a new woman out of me. As Dick would say. Who will I be?

Love

Mary

This was a nice day. I felt pretty good most of the day. My knee is somewhat sore from using it but overall it is much better. My arm, however, from the blood donation bruise is really really sore. My whole arm below the elbow is a ghastly purple.

Chelsea and I had a good walk this morning. I just am going down the first cul de sac but that is enough for now. We go slowly. She is a good girl and does not pull me but just does her sniffing and running back and forth within the length of the leash.

I went grocery shopping this morning. That went well. I did the bulk of it today because they had such good specials that were not available on my usual Wednesday shopping day.

Then at about 11AM I left for Sheboygan Falls to meet the family for lunch with Fr. Shea. Pat and Joan and Fr. Mike were already at Mother's when I arrived, then Kathleen and Bob and Jeff and Kathy came and we sent down to the Other Place in Falls for a wonderful lunch and visit. WE all still call the Other Place, Fitz's and actually the dining room was my Uncle Jack's clothing store called Deeley's Men's Wear. Lots of history in that old place. We are wondering if the bowling alley is still down in the basement. Jeff used to set pins in that alley as a boy.

Fr. Mike is full of stories and reports on his mission in Thailand. He now has 6 houses and 160 children under his care. This does not count his out reach program which provides medical and other support for AIDS infected families who stay in their own homes but need help. In the past week they have just had 6 month old boy added to their rolls. I told him that I would like to learn how to cook Thai and he said that I should come for a visit and he would have the cooking people teach me. He said I should bring Mother along. I told him that Thailand is on my list of places that I want to go.

They have rather large gardens to help feed the kids and the kids are supposed to help. He said they don't like it much, especially the girls so I had Mother tell Fr. Mike how much I hated gardening when I was a little girl. She delights in telling that story on me SO much.

I got home at about 3 and immediately took a nap. I was totally exhausted. I woke up to a phone call. It was Doc Blake, a friend from Rhine Plymouth. He offered to pick me up next week for the bust up party for league. I was unable to finish because of my knee but want to go to the party. Nothing wrong with that. He goes early, but I can bring a book to help pass the time til people get there.

Talked to Bob Fleming this evening. He will pick me up at 8AM on Sunday to go to Irish Fest. We plan on leaving the grounds by 6PM so it will be just long enough. Lots to see but most of the things I want to do will involve a long sit after a walk so should work fine.

Now, I need to sleep. Tomorrow, Dick gets a haircut and I hope to go to lunch with the gals at the Dairy Queen. Someone, probably Ceil, had a Mass said for my recovery by the Franciscan Fathers. Maybe that is why my legs are finally feeling better. Tomorrow I hope it is even better.

Later.

Mary

Chelsea got up rather early this morning but I was able to get back to sleep so that is worth it. I did a bit of shopping this morning, prescription, lottery tickets and Capelle's farmer's market. Then home to put things away and relax until it was time to head to Sheboygan Falls.

I had lunch at the Villager with the members of my high school graduation class that could attend. We are meeting quarterly for lunch nowadays, dear Lorraine lets everybody know and those can come do. There were close to 20 of us this time. It is always pleasant. I had a grilled cheese and tomato basil soup for lunch. I had left Dick lunch of noodles, beef and gravy so he did not miss me at all.

I was exhausted when I got home so I laid down right away and had a good nap. Roxie knocked things off of my desk trying to get over there. She does love our naps. I did feel better today than I did yesterday. So my hope is that this is a turning point.

This evening, I walked over to Lions Park with a dump cake that I baked this morning for the Tall Grass summer picnic. They supplied chicken and coffee and we all brought side dishes. If anyone went home hungry, they were certainly foolish, we had such a nice array of good salads and desserts. Alison, one of the neighbors and our president, walked me home so I didn't have to carry my pan and all. It was fun and I had nice visits with several of the residents. BUT my hips are really aching now.

I am going to be taking a vicadin and going to bed soon. I only take them at night now so that I sleep better. Sleep will help me heal.

Tomorrow I will finish shopping then have lunch with Fr Shea and the relatives.

I sure hope Dick can come with me. I miss having him along.

I saw a monarch butterfly yesterday and a blackish one today. They sure are lovely. We have a lot of dragonflies around lately. I hope they are doing their job and eating all the mosquitoes



Love

Mary

Here we are at the end of a quiet day, a whole day spent at home.

I woke up aching and really ached all day. It seems every other day is good. Chelsea seems content to be home and has settled into her old routine. We are not able to walk the walks she was getting with Bobbie, but we will build up our distance as I can. I miss the morning walks too.

I am able to feed Chelsea and Roxie both in the kitchen. Never thought that would happen, but they both finish their meals and neither is particularly interested in the others while the meal is being served and they both finish their meals.

I got a lot of computer work done for Celtic Women and other things. I also made some cookies. I had six egg yolks left from making a dessert that called for 6 egg whites. I fortunately have found a cookie recipe that uses the exact 6 egg yolks that are left. So we have cookies coming out of our ears right now. We had grilled T bone steak for lunch. I also grilled some brats which will make the rest of the week easy. The steak sure was good. I am so glad that the Pig had a sale. We have a couple in the freezer still.

Tonight we ate the chicken soup that I made yesterday for our supper. I am now reasonably stocked up on soups after having completely deleted the stock while I was laid up.

This is a week for birthdays. Tomorrow is Leslie's birthday AND it is also her and Bill;s anniversary. Then Friday is Barbara's birthday. So lots of things to be grateful for.

Tomorrow will be a bit busier. Some shopping, a lunchan engagement and a picnic. The weather should be perfect. As a matter of fact we are supposed to be having nice summer weather through Sunday which will make Irishfest by the lake quite pleasant.

That is all for now.


Mary


THE CAT IN THE HAT ON AGING...

Just incase you weren't feeling too old today.

The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1989.

They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.

Their lifetime has always included AIDS.

The CD was introduced two years before they were born.

They have always had an answering machine.

They have always had cable.

Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.

Popcorn has always been microwaved.

They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.

They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.

They never heard: 'Where's the Beef?', 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel ',
or 'de plane Boss, de plane'.


McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.

They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.


P.S. Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.

I was able to go to bible study today. What a joy. We are into the second chapter of Mark. There is a lot to discuss and the study guide we have is full of information. I amused them today because we were talking about the fact that we must pray. However, God does expect us to use our own talents to solve the situations we face in this world. I told them a quote that I got from a man at an AlAnon meeting probably 30 years ago. "You can pray until Hell freezes over and you can pray on the ice. But unless you get up off of your ass you'll never get goosed by the Holy Ghost."
This tells us that God gave us a lot of gifts and resources and they are also answers to prayers.

Then I drove over to Mom's for a visit. She is tired but looks good and we discussed the previous day's festivities at St. Michaels. That was a fun time. I was ablt to bring her some cookies. I try to bring her leftovers, but she didn't need them this weekend. She got lots from Randy and Becky.

Home again, Dick and I had Tastefully Simple Potato soup for lunch.

Bobbie came over this afternoon and brought our Chelsea home. I sure am glad to have her back home again. So far so good. She is sleeping now. I will have to wake her up in about an hour to take her outside so that I can go to bed. She seems content and Roxie seems indifferent to her. So life is back to somewhat normal again. We are complete.

Bobbie and I also racked her rhubarb and rhubarb/elderberry wines. At the end of the month, she and I are going to do a marathon and rack the two kit wines. That will be 11 gallons total so it will be a full day's work.

Tonight we had chicken and fresh asparagus with a potato casserole and fresh cucumber salad. Love Summer and all the fresh veggies and stuff.

Be happy. Tomorrow I get to stay home.

Love

Mary

 

A family grouping.

Betsy, Aunt Kathleen, Mom, Aunt Joan, Me, George, Ron, Christine, Kathy, Sara, Jeff and Uncle Pat peeking over Kathy and Sara.

You can see the T shirts in this picture.

Mary

What a lovely day. I slept pretty well last night - kind of made up for the night before. Good thing because the 5 hours spent at the Reunion of the Clans sure wore me out. It was worth every ache though.

I left for St. Michael's at about 10AM and got there in plenty of time. First, I took the Cherry Dream Pie that I baked for dessert down to the kitchen. With whipped cream and cherry pie filling, it had to get into a cool area right away. Then I took the wine up to the sacristy. Rosemary had already left the hosts. Rosemary, Fr. Mike and I met shortly thereafter along with Tom and Kathy Keyes to get the chalices, the lectionary and the other Mass accessories set up. We started at 11AM, almost exactly on time. We figured out how to ring the bell and get attention and then Lori Luther and Mary Calvey started the music. Mass was wonderful. Fr. Mike gives a nice sermon and there is nothing more lovely than hearing this crowd sing the ending song. It is to the tune of Danny Boy, then we always finish WITH Danny Boy. Kind of schmaltzy but everybody knows it and really sings out.

Here are the words to the sending song.

Celtic Song of Farewell (Danny Boy)

May choirs of angels lead you into paradise
and may the martyrs come to welcome you
To bring you home into the holy city
So you may dwell in new Jerusalem
May holy angels be there at your welcoming
With all the saints who go before you there,
That you may know the peace and joy of paradise
That you may enter into everlasting rest.

Then with a steady stream of visiting, we all,(by all, I mean my family, I listed them yesterday,) met downstairs for the meal and more visiting. A lot of the Celtic Women were there too. I think I got them all to sign or signed for them in our little book. To my surprise and delight, Gail McAleese, from Milwaukee. a member of our CWI International board and her husband Tom, who will be St. Patrick in the parade at IrishFest in Milwaukee, were there. They know the Slatterys too. I was SO glad to see her and have her and Tom meet my family.

I got to share a folder about the Clifford ancestors that I put together this morning with a couple of people too. Several of us were wearing the tshirts that Jeff put together last year. They feature the Clifford Crest and have CLIFFORD printed above the crest and BOWSER below. My cousin Christine asked about the Clifford/Bowser connection, so we went upstairs where I had left the folder and I was delighted to be able to share the Clifford family tree as I have it. It is pretty complete, though as she noticed, her kids are not in it. I told her I can put them in if she sends them to me. I just did not have the details.

As an aside, Aunt Kathleen looked through the book too. I have a picture of Great Grandpa Joseph Bowser and Great Grandma Mary Clifford Bowser in the folder. Aunt Kathleen has mentioned that Great Grandma Bowser (the Clifford connection) was a very severe lady and scared Aunt Kathleen to death when she was little. She says she remembers Grandpa Joe picking her up for a hug but that she never remembers a hug from Grandma Mary at all.

I got very tired by a little after two and with the usual delays did manage to head for home by 2:30PM. I led Sara to Hwy 57 so she could make her way back home to Milwaukee. It is hard to think of Sara as all grown up, but she surely is. Jeff and Kathy gave me some zucchini and some cucumbers. Num Num. Fresh Cucumber salad tomorrow.

Tomorrow I can go back to Bible Study.

And my Chelsea will come home. Bobbie is going to bring her in the afternoon and we will rack some wine. I know that I will get tired taking care of Chelsea but it will also help me build up strength.

Take care

Love

Mary