What a day. It is almost 9:15PM and I am going to bed as soon as I finish this entry.

I got up at my usual 6AM. Along with the usual morning chores, I put together the
Venison and Guinness roast for the Wild Game Dinner. I knew that the longer it cooked, the more tender it would be and I was right. I put it into the car in the pot and kept it warm until we were ready to eat, then took it out of the Guinness and Leek liquid and it just fell onto the platter. Good stuff. I was able to bring a little home, but not much.

I was again in charge of serving the beers for the beer tasting contest. Stenn and Bing came again this year and Bing helped me. With Michelle gone, we would have been short helpers, but Bobbie and Bill came too and Bobbie helped so we did fine. Especially since Kurt's boys, Brandon and Evan acted as bus boys and runner. What a contest. We had 21 beers and 21 contestants. We had a tie for first and you will not believe it but we had a tie at 12 right. 9 right was the previous high. So you can imagine how surprised everyone was. The two who got 12, were Holly and Jessica. So they had to have a taste off and Jessica came out the winner.

Eileen brought several really fun items that she had accumulated over the years for prizes. That was a nice added game. Bing and I numbered 26 pieces of paper for the 26 adults at the party. Then we numbered the gifts from 1 to 10, put all the pieces of paper into a bucket and had each adult pick a number. It was fun. I got four nice individual cocktail shakers. They are such pretty colors. What a nice thing to do.

Our food was again just wonderful. We had a pheasant casserole, barbecued goose, Brunswick Stew, Turkey cordon bleu, amongst other things. Such good food and so much of it. We always have such a good time at this meal and gathering. It is the one time of the year we all are together. Everyone who is in town anyway. Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving get divided up amongst other sides of families. But the Wild Game Dinner is just ours. This is the 33rd year. Quite a record for any gathering.

Hope your day was as nice. Now I am so tired that I will say goodnight.

God love you

Mary

It turned out to be a busy day again. This morning, I took care of a lot of CWI planning which I will firm up over the weekend. I got a call from Sun Graphics that the proof for my new book was ready. Dick was napping, so I drove over there and checked it over there were three corrections which I noted. Mary Kate said they would make the corrections and have at least one copy ready for me on Mondy morning so I can get it sent off to the chapbook contest. I think it looks good.

On the way home, I picked up food for Chelsea at the vets, went to the bank and filled up the gas tank.

I got home and racked the marigold wine. I need to ask Bobbie which of her wines need to be racked. I can do one a day unless they have too much sediment.

Dick and I had our leftover Sweet Basil food for lunch. Still really good. We usually get at least two sometimes three meals out of that outing.

I picked up Mother shortly before 1PM to take her to see Dr. Lavey at the Eye Clinic. She had noticed a change in her vision a couple of months ago but with all the other health issues, we had to wait until she was well enough to go. The tests show that the dry macular degeneration is advancing, very slowly, but it is advancing. At this point there is really nothing else that can be done. There is no cure. The Vite Eyes that she takes every day does help slow the advancement of the disease but it will keep advancing. She felt a mixed feeling of relief and disappointment. Relief because the doctor said that she does not have to worry about straining or over using the eyes, disappointment because there is no cure. Fortunately it is a slow degeneration.

I got home in time to feed everybody and change before Nancy Roehre picked me up to go to Rhine to shoot pistol and then on to the Plymouth Art Museum to attend the opening of the new exhibits. They do have really nice openings. Music all evening, wine, nice hors D'oeurves and the chance to meet the artists. This is an exhibit of photography, ceramics and ceramics and ironwork. The photographer is from Cedarburg, Marcia L. Getto. She is so inventive eg. pictures of drops of dew on a flower. The potter and blacksmith are a married couple, Sylvia and Mark Mondloch from Random Lake. Nancy was a great source of information tonight as she is a docent at the museum and had special showing with the artists earlier this week. She was able to give me insight as to the techniques and backgrounds of some of the individual pieces. I ran into several friends and renewed some contacts at this exhibit. Lots of fun.

Bob Weber was there. He is a friend from Blessed Trinity in Sheboygan Falls and a friend of Nancy. Bob has purchased several small pieces from Sylvia and Mark Mondlach at their place in Random Lake. Many of them are simple pieces and quiet inexpensive, unlike the unique art pieces displayed here. Nancy and I have agreed to go there some day on a field trip and just purchase a few.

Hope your day ended up at UP as mine.

God love you

Mary

Home all day today. That was OK, except it is a bit discouraging in that Sun Graphics was supposed to call me to come in and check the proof on my new book. I HAVE to send a copy postmarked Feb 1, to a chapbook contest and I have not even seen the proof yet. I don't care about the major part of the order, I just need one copy.

Joan came to clean the house this morning. She said that Bonnie's Housekeeping could use my old raggedy towels, so I put them in bags and then forgot to give them to her. Oh well, they will be just as raggedy next week.

We had roast pork and stuffing for our lunch and soup and roast beef sandwich for our supper. Tomorrow we will eat our leftovers from Sweet Basil and the next day is the wild game dinner so I have some easy days again. I do have to fix the venison roast in Guiness for the dinner. I'll start it very early on Saturday morning.

Tomorrow, I will be taking Mother to the eye doctor. She has noticed a change in her vision again and they have told her to come in whenever that happens. Tomorrow night I will go shoot pistol with Nancy and then she and I are going to the Plymouth Art Center for the opening of their new exhibit. We will only stay about an hour. Long enough to see the exhibit, have a snack and chat with a few people.

So that is it for today. It is cold, 4 degrees, and is supposed to drop down even lower tonight. Now, if I could just get Chelsea to use the bathroom. Just think, January is almost over already. Monday will be the first of February and Tuesday will be Groundhog's Day. Wickipedia says : According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

In Punxutwaney, PA they have a big celebration and bring a groundhog out of his lair to predict the end of winter. They call him Punxutwaney Phil. For many years a man with the last name of Deeley was the keeper of the groundhog. We often wondered if he was a relative.



God love you all

Mary

This was a busier than usual Wednesday that ended with Dick and I going to Sweet Basil on a date. We like it there. It is easy to get to, to get into and the meal is always good. We love the bread and dipping oil too. The service is always perfect and they kind of know us now. Actually, I watched the waitress that we usually have grow up.

I went grocery shopping this morning. Next week, the Pig is having their annual meat sale. I am waiting for the ad and will go over there to stock up on some things, as least as much as I have room for. On the way home, I drove to city hall and paid the first half of the taxes and Chelsea's dog license. So, we have a new piece of jewelry to put on her collar.

This afternoon, the Amputee Support Group had a speaker from DMV come to talk to us. She was very informative and has offered to provide help for several problems that some of the members have. We had a nice group this time. A couple of new people. Two of them I knew, Joe Ziegler, a cousin of mine, and Virginia, a clerk at Walgreens. (Everybody knows me at Walgreens - I am in there at least three times a week.) We had a lively meeting for sure. Lots of questions. I found out that as long as Dick's license is good, he could just drive if he felt able without any new testing. Odd but true. He can, upon expiration exchange it for an ID card, I believe with no cost.

Now, Chelsea is really confused. She keeps asking for something (I think for me to cook our dinner). All I can do is take her outside again. Since we got back from the restaurant, which was an hour and a half ago, she has been out three times. No wonder I am tired all the time.

I have to remember to get the venison roast out to thaw first thing in the morning. I will be making venison and Guinness for the Wild Game dinner. I picked up a bunch of leeks at the store today. I had everything else on hand. Tomorrow, should be a mostly at home day. Good thing.

For your amusement too. I think this is my very favorite pun. A dyslexic man walked into a bra.



Later and as Red Skelton would say "God Bless."

Mary

Monday was a day on the run as usual. Bible Study was nice. There were 6 of us there. We are studying Mark. This was the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus for Peter, James and John. In our discussions I learned a couple of things. We all know that Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire and is supposed to return before the end of time. I did not know that although Moses' death is recorded, he was also taken up to heaven according to Jewish tradition.

Went from there to Mother's house. She was feeling pretty good. She said that yesterday she felt a bit weaker but that is to be expected. We took care of some bills and I will be taking her to see the eye doctor on Friday.

Home again, we had Spanish rice and chicken with corn and a salad for our lunch. Then I took a nap. Boy did I sleep.

This afternoon, I put my Santas away. I know that Santa is not really plural but I have several. That means that Christmas is really over for the year.

I did another lesson for the online class on herbs that I am taking. It is not a difficult class and I am learning something in each of the lessons. I am glad I signed up for it because it is fun and something I can do from home.

Tomorrow I am going to try to rack some of the wines that are due for racking. I am finally caught up with a lot of things around the house. I am also going to meet with Beth Dippel from the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center about of couple of projects dear to our hearts.

Have a good Tuesday yourself.

God Love you

Mary

An I did get to stay home all day.

Chelsea was quite nice too. We only went out about a half a dozen times,which was doubly nice because there was a gentle rain most of the day. The ice is almost gone from above the house entry and the snow banks that the plows made are a good five feet lower than yesterday. One more day of this would probably clear things up.

I did some wash and sent several emails to the CWI for the newsletter and did an assignment for the online Herb class that I am taking. It was altogether a very relaxing day.

We had leftover spinach egg casserole for lunch and I had made Waldorf Salad which we had on a bed of lettuce for our supper.

So it was a very easy day.

We found the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding on TV this evening. For some reason or other, it made me think of a friend of ours form back in California. There was a Greek family who owned a restaurant. Their name was Apostle and they were good friends of my friends the Kirbys. They started to come to the desert on Jeep runs with us. This was when Bret was about 9 to 12, somewhere in there. He used to have permission to take the jeep when were were all in camp and drive it. He would go about 100 yards outside of our campsite, which was in a circle, much like wagon trains of old. He would drive that jeep around the camp if for hours if we didn't go on a run or eat.

One day, I heard this plaintive yell. "Mary, Mary, come here." It was George Apostle. He was sitting in our jeep in the passenger seat and Bret was in the drivers seat looking very grim. George asked me to please tell Bret that it was all right if he rode along with him around the camp. Bret had told him that he was not supposed to talk to strangers.

That reminded me of another friend, Orrin Nordin. When we sat around the campfires at night, we always told stories and often shared songs. Orrin always had to sing a song that he learned as a child called Dicky Dicky Doo. I wonder if my boys still remember it. It was a song about naming the parts of the body starting with the top of the head which was called Rug Mopper which gives you an idea of the song.

God love you

Mary