Called my stockbroker this morning and asked him what I should be buying.

. . .. He said "Canned Goods and Ammunition".

I got this in an email today and I liked it so I decided to share.

It was kind of chilly today. Today is Dick's bath day. That is quite a chore but is getting easier all the time. We found a problem today. The callous on the side of his foot looks like there is a blood blister under it. I am afraid. It is Saturday and there is no way to get in touch with Dr. Moreno now. (If it was an open wound , I would take him to emergency.) I will call first thing Monday but we have put his walking on hold until Dr. Moreno and the prosthesis people look at it. Not a good thing. He has been walking more and now this. Seems to me like there is some pressure and rubbing where it shouldn't be.

Our friend, Bob Fleming, brought over two dvd's that he thins I will enjoy. He got them from he library. He called yesterday to tell me that he had them so I invited him for lunch. He is a nice man and just lost his special friend so I am glad to spend time with him. Dick likes him too. He brought us a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the Farmer's Market. I prepared a tasty (if I do say so myself) chicken/cucumber salad with blueberry scones and brown bread for our lunch. I had some Zucchini Chocolate Cake left from Wednesday so we had some of that for dessert.

After Bob left, I took a short nap after calling Mother. She is doing fine. Betsy is in town. I will try to reach her before she goes back to Texas.

I went to Mass at 4PM. It was the first time that I was at St. John's since the surgery. The Mass was very nice. Fr. Van Beeck does do a nice service. The reading were nice. The first reading has one of my favorite verses. Joshua 24:the last verse in 15 "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The third reading from John after many Jesus disciples leave because they don't like what he is saying has Peter in Chapter 6, Verse 68 saying "Lord, to whom shall we go?" when Jesus asks if they want to leave too. I think I will just hang in there too.

The Packer pregame is on. I don't know if I will make it through the whole thing but wo far it is really exciting. We scored first. Isn't it interesting how we fans say "we" scored first. As if we were out on that field.

Have a lovely Sunday. I should be able to stay home ALL day.

Love
Mary

I got up at my usual time. Proceeded through the normal morning routine. Chelsea and I took a very short walk because it was raining. It was really just misting but if we had gone the full circle, we would have been soaked. I decided that I do not need a cold on top of everything else that I am trying to heal, so we came home quickly.

I spent the morning cleaning. I got the bathrooms done and managed to prepare our noon meal. We had baked haddock, colcannon, beets and cole slaw. Num num.

After lunch I drove in to Bobbie and Bill's house. Obviously the outdoor plants needed not watering as it has been raining every other day since they left on their vacation. I hope it has not been raining on their parade. But they have lots of things that don't require sunshine anyway.

When I walked into the back yard a bit black cat ran out toward 9th street out of their yard. I saw it on Tuesday in the back yard. That day it headed out into the alley. I picked some ripe tomatoes. This is such a pleasure when Bobbie and Bill are on vacation. I must tell you that the cherry tomatoes that I harvested are like candy. Dick and I are enjoying them no end. When I left, a rabbit showed up heading for the back yard. He saw me and I saw him and we had quite a conversation before I decided that perhaps I should head home. It is amazing how comfortable wildlife in the cities can feel with the humans that occupy their universe. This rabbit seemed to feel quite secure.

On the way home, I picked up prescriptions and then went to Capelle's for corn. The corn this year is really spectacular. We will have our Friday corn/tomato supper as long as I can get the corn. Eat your hearts out anyone who does not live in Wisconsin. The four seasons make some meals very special because they ARE seasonal.

I ran into Dick walking his Katrina dog today. He commented on meeting our Roxie. He says she is a fat kitty. Apparently she greeted him quite enthusiastically when Dick walked Chelsea last Sunday.

Did I tell you that I called Bart last night? Barbara is safe in Germany. I have an address. She is, for a week or so, at a place that will not allow computer hookup unless one pays 20 Euros a day. Oh My God? What Are they Thinking.? At least she has hookup at work and she and Bart can contact at least that way. In a week or so they are supposed to be moving to another place that does have hookup. She will be back for Christmas but may have to to back again. If they offer a permanent position, Barb will probably take it, if it offers an increase in grade. Then Bart would move over there until she is done. Sufficient unto the day.

The weekend is very quiet. The only scheduled event is Mass. I will go on Saturday evening and am designated Eucharistic Minister. I am pleased with that. I never get over being able to give the sacrament to the other members of the faith community.

Guess that is all for now. Til tomorrow then.

Mary

Another lovely day. I got up at my usual time. 6AM. I took Chelsea out before feeding her and Roxie because there was a 2:30AM request from Chelsea to go out and relive herself and I think that is long enough for her.

After shower, feeding, pills and cleaning the cat box, since Dick was still asleep, I decided to go grocery shopping. It was by then almost 8 so I shopped and then swung by Mc Donalds for breakfast for Dick and me. That was a nice treat. We enjoy that and do it so seldom these days.

After breakfast and putting the groceries away, I took a nap. We had ham, colcannon and cole slaw for our lunch. Boy do we like colcannon.

Then I left for Mead Library. Jerry Apps, a professor emeritus of Agriculture at UW Wisconsin and a prolific writer about Wisconsin, gave a workshop in the Quiet Reading Room about memoir writing. It was VERY helpful. I have lots of nice hints, we did some exercises that were fun too, much like the spillings that I learned in the workshop with Ellen Kort several years ago. We have an assignment to writ a short story in 6 words. I will let you know if it works. The example he gave was "For Sale - Baby Shoes - Never Worn." Doesn't that break your heart. I will try to find one that is not so sad.

Now I am very tired and intend to be in bed by 9PM no matter what.

Take care of yourselves.

Mary

Today was a very nice day. I got up at 6AM as usual. The mornings are always busy with feeding everybody and getting us all cleaned up and all.

Chelsea and I had a nice walk. My knee was pretty sore today but my hips don't hurt much anymore.

At 10, I went out to Rhine Plymouth for the bust up party for the Summer Trap League. It was a nice time. We had roast pork sandwiches, beans, potato salad and desserts for lunch. I brought some home for Dick. It was fun visiting with all the shooters and members of Rhine. Jerry Coenen thinks that Bobbie should come back to the club as she "promised" that she was going to take a year off and it is more than a year now.

When I got home, I took a nap on the couch which, of course, thrilled Roxie no end.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon being kind of lazy. I did clean the kitchen counters and prepared several emails for CWI.

Tomorrow, I will be driving in to Mead Library to take a class on memoir writing from Jerry Aps. I am looking forward to that. Seems practical to take advantage of free education that is of interest to me. I have to grocery shop in the morning too.

So the day is over and we are possibly going to get more rain. Trying to make up for all the dry days at once.

Love

Mary


~DEATH~
WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT .


A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to
Leave the examination room and said,
'Doctor, I am afraid to die..
Tell me what lies on the other side. '

Very quietly, the doctor said, ' I don ' t know. '

'You don ' t know? You ' re, a Christian man,
and don ' t know what ' s on the other side? '


The doctor was holding the handle of the door;
On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,
And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room
And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said,
'Did you notice my dog?
He ' s never been in this room before.
He didn ' t know what was inside.
He knew nothing except that his master was here,
And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death,
But I do know one thing...
I know my Master is there and that is enough. '

I feel pretty good about today. My goal was to clean "Roxie's room" and I did get that done. I am trying to take a room at a time. Things have really gotten behind with all this leg stuff.

This afternoon, I went to my friend Joan Kramer's and she gave me a truly marvelous reflexology treatment. My hips and knee are much better I feel just so relaxed. Usually it takes about an hour but she spent over twice that on me. What can one do with such good friends that take such good care of us. Then I swung by Bobbie and Bill's house to check out the plants and all. I picked a lot of delicious cherry tomatoes which will make great snacks for the next couple of days.

Part of the treatment is a pedicure so I have pretty toe nails again. Joan and I always get to talking and then into the relaxation part of the treatment before I pick out a nail color, so she has picked it out the last three times. I think it is meant to be. The color she picked today is called Happy Anniversary. I asked her how she knew that Dick and I had our anniversary Sunday. 23 years. That is cool. I was married 23 years the first time too. So in 4 years I will have 50 years in. Right?

I did a lot of computer work this morning also. I still have an update to do for the Sheboygan County CWI group on the Irish Fest and our next couple of meetings.

We had Slim Veggie Soup for supper. It is SO good, had virtually no calories and if lots of veggie portions. A win win if ever there is one.

Love

Mary

Hello again.

I went to bible study this morning. We had a nice group. The study of Mark is really interesting. It is amazing how often things kind of work together. This part of Mark has the Pharisees questioning Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. The first reading yesterday was about Wisdom preparing a feast with wine and great food and inviting the simple to dine.

Then I went to Mom's. She is still kind of recuperating from last week. It was a busy week for her but she is very happy with the events that she attended. Time with family is always so important for her. I brought her the worship folder from the Mass at Irish Fest and the booklet that I put together about the Clifford family for the Clan Reunion. I know she will enjoy trying to put that together in her head. It is hard to get one's head around but fun.

On the way home, I did a couple of errands, most importantly getting the first sweet corn of the season for our supper. I got home to late to fix it for our noon meal, so we had leftover meatloaf and potatoes then. But that corn and sliced tomatoes for our supper was taste from heaven. The corn from Capelle's is absolutely delicious already.

I took a nap this afternoon after lunch and totally forgot the it was the Cream City Writer meeting day. Bill, one of our poets, emailed me that it was Sy Regan's last meeting. His sight is now so bad that he can no longer drive at all and he is regrouping his life and eliminating some things, among them the Writer's Clubs as he will be getting help with aids to assist him in writing and reading and needs to concentrate on learning and moving on. I felt bad missing the meeting so I called him tonight. We have been friends for a long time. My Dad was Sy's Boy Scout leader. That was before Dad and Mother were married. My Grandfather was Sy's Confirmation sponsor so the family ties are over 70 years.

I made a veggie soup today. One of my favorites called Slim Veggie Soup. If I have everything, I will probably make Zucchini Chowder tomorrow. Then we will be really stocked up on soups again. We eat soup at least four times a week and it is nice to have a homemade variety.

We got a refreshing steady rain today. Such a blessing. The morning news said that it was going to miss Sheboygan County but we are grateful that they were wrong and it managed to come all the way up here. We ate our first tomato off of our own tomato plants today. There are others ripening. I have never done too well with tomatoes so this is a real thrill.

Til tomorrow. Take care of yourself.

All my love

Mary

Got back from Irish fest at about 6:30PM. I am tired, but it was very much fun.

Bob Fleming picked me up at 8AM on the dot and we got into the Amphitheatre almost at 9:30 on the dot, just in time for Mass. The Mass, as always, was spectacular. The celebrant was Bishop Anthony J. Farquhar of Ermiana, Northern Ireland. He gave a marvelous sermon. He spoke of the progress made for peace in Ireland, both North and the Republic. One story he told really impressed me. He told of a woman of our faith who was wakened at 2AM in the morning to be told that her son had been shot by a Protestant. The woman, in her grief, thanked God that her son was not the one that had done the killing. How is that for faith that your child is in the hands of God.

After Mass we worked our way over to the festival grounds and got breakfast. I ran into Rosemary Bauman and Betty Gavin who joined Bob and me for breakfast. We had already found Bob's friends but they had gone off to look for some other mutual friends.

Then Bob and I walked to the north end of the grounds, listening for a while to the Jeff Ward Band, getting ourselves a glass of mead, and generally shopping. I got some tea, some Walker Shortbread cookies, a jar of whiskey mustard for Dick and a shirt. I picked up two fairy stones for gifts and the place that had the fairy stones promised me they would have cranes next year. I did look at Claddagh rings but after my experience with the place last Christmas when I never did get my Christmas ring from Dick and it cost us a minor fortune in phone bills, I have decided I no longer want a Chaddagh ring. I think I would like a Harry Potter Griffindor ring. That would be lots of fun.

Anyway, on my way to the song circle which is south of the Dog Area, I stopped and listened to Carmel Quinn sing one song and shake her hand. Yes, I know that she is at least 300. But she looks great and sounds wonderful. I bought one of her CDs later. Had fun at the song circle. I was number 19. We sang so many old favorites and I led the singing of Whiskey on a Sunday.

Moved on after I sang to the Poetry event in the Hedge School. The first part was a lovely tribute to James Liddy an Irish born poet teacher who landed and graced Milwaukee for many years. He died last November 5 and had been always active with the Poetry events at Irish Fest. A very memorable quote from him the I hear today. "I have no problem with abortion as long as the foetus doesn't object." Then they read some poems from well known Irish poets followed by the winners of the two poetry contests offered every year at the fest. Then they kind of ended the event. I was not a winner this year but was under the impression that all entrants who were there could read their poems. My friends Kathy, Barb and Bob had come to hear me so I mentioned it to Nancy and she said that I should go ahead. So I did. I will put one here for you.

Bob and I then got something to eat and headed home. It was a lovely day. I am going to bed soon exhausted but content.

Love

Mary

LEGEND OF A COUNTRY CHURCH

The conversation swirled around us,
Third and fourth generation from Ireland.

We spoke of many things,
This family,
The Priest and his cousins over a meal.
A memory.
A legend.
A curse.
Placed on an IrishCatholic parish
By a circuit mission priest in the mid 19th century.

Someone offended him, you know.
Perhaps he was not housed properly.
Or perhaps he was defied in some way.
The details are gone with the dead.
But he cursed them and future generations
With a curse that shook the community.

“For 100 years you shall not have a priest come from your midst.”

Large farm families of Irish birth
Expected to give a gift to God
Of a son or a daughter for His harvest.
And now this curse.

It was fulfilled

The priest who told the story that night
Was one of the first TWO priests that came
From this same faith community
Exactly 100 years later.