The temperature hit the mid 40s today but it was damp and chilly. I made potato salad this morning.

Then I went out to Rhine to help serve food for the Youth Shoot we were hosting. I do like to do my share for such worthy events. It was fun, I worked with two other gals and the kids were very nice. I got home by 11:30 and fried out some brats for our dinner. I was really hungry for brats. That's why I made the potato salad too.

Then I took a nap. Last night I had a great deal of trouble getting to sleep, then Chelsea woke me up twice. So my sleep was broken. I am tired now but felt much better after the nap.

When I woke up, we got Dick all washed up and his leg bandage changed. Then I got dressed for church.

Mass was nice. The gospel was from Luke about the Prodigal Son. Fr. Van Beeck always has a different slant on things. As he said, we all at some time are one of the three main characters in this parable. Sometimes we are the prodigal son and have to repent. Sometimes we are the Dad and have to forgive and sometimes we are the good son and have to learn not to be jealous but to realize that God loves us without necessarily killing the fatted calf.

We had egg salad sandwiches for our supper with fruit salad and cottage cheese.

I thought I heard a red winged blackbird when Chelsea and I were walking and I saw buds on the trees and green at the base of some of the plants. Dare we believe that Spring is actually creeping in? Tonight we move the clocks forward too. That is the man made signal.

God love you

Mary

A busy Friday. We started off with The service man from Steger Heating coming to replace the furnace filter and a damaged ignitor. When he left we were all done with breakfast and that cleanup so I cleaned the bathrooms and washed the sheets and another load of clothes, then fixed some lunch for Dick before heading out for lunch at the Dairy Queen and a whole slew of errands.

I went to the bank on the way to the Dairy Queen to cash a check for Mother and one for me.

After lunch, I had time to go to Fleet Farm to buy my turkey hunting license before my appointment with Dr. Sokhi at the Sheboygan Clinic. While I was there, I checked their boots and found a pair of rubber boots. I have wanted a pair for a couple of years as I am sick of walking Chelsea in wet weather and ending up with cold wet feet.
They were even on sale, so I was excited.

My appointment with Dr. Sokhi went well. I told him all the troubles I have been having with my stomach. What he has prescribed til now has helped a lot. I no longer wake up from the pain in my stomach. However, I still have problems with pain much too often so he added a medication to take when the symptoms occur. He did say that there is noting functionally wrong. All the tests show that I am healthy and there are not underlying physical problems. He knows my situation and that there is nothing that can be changed right now, so what we need to do is treat the symptoms until the stress can be relieved. Makes sense to Dick and me so we are moving ahead with that.

I left there and stopped at Woodlake. I had hoped to get some Revolution Tea but they were out of the kind I like best. I did get some hard rolls (for brats tomorrow), red potatoes for corned beef on Sunday and some freezer paper so that I can use it in applique pieces.

Then I stopped at Mother's to drop off some soup and bread. Then home, with a stop at Walgreens to pick up my new prescription.

We got our dinner from St. John's again. A nice fish fry. Now I am watching "Who Do You Think You Are", Ancestry's new series about celebrities tracing their roots. This week is Emmitt Smith is featured. I am finding it fascinating. Maybe tomorrow, I can do some more searching.

So the day has wound down. I like the weekends lately. They are among the quiet days. I probably will go to Rhine tomorrow to help with the high school shoot for a couple of hours and will go to Mass at 4 but the rest of the two days is mine, mine, mine.

God love you

Mary

This was such an unusual week that I hope becomes more usual as time goes on. I got to spend two days at home. Now that Dick has so few doctor appointments it is becoming more and more likely that there are days like that.

Joan came to vacuum and scrub the floors this morning. I made a batch of soup, cleaned the bathroom shower doors and worked on my poetry until lunch time. We had chicken pot pies for our lunch with fresh fruit salad.

I received a call from my friend Maureen about the proprosed Ireland trip next year. We came to agreements on a couple of things. We want a definite proposal by the Spring Conference.

Then I took a nap. When I woke up, Dick was sleeping so I went downstairs to work on quilting. I finished a block for the Kettle Quilters. I discovered that I do not seem to have freezer paper which I need to complete the third block of the block of the month that they are doing.

We got Dick all changed and bathed this afternoon and then enjoyed a glass of wine before a supper of soup and sandwich.

An all together nice day. Tomorrow is much busier outside the house. I see Dr. Sokhi about my stomach.

Pray for me too.

God love you
Mary

Wednesday. One of my busier days. Started off as usual with animal and people care then went directly into the grocery shopping mode. That went well. I saw Jena from writer's club and Jennifer in the liquor store and Amanda, a checker. It is so comforting to go to a place where "everybody knows your name." I also saw Jeannie who is usually at Rhine Plymouth on Friday's when her husband shoots trap in the league. She shoots trap too but not in this league.

I got home and put the groceries away then prepared a hamburger helper for our dinner. I also bought a lot of fruit and made a fresh fruit salad with watermelon, strawberries, pineapple, kiwi and grapes. Boy is it every good. We can nosh on that for the next couple of days.

We had pork hash for our supper. I had some leftover pork and potatoes and chopped it up with fresh potato, onion and carrot. That was good too. We just wanted something hot for our supper.

I spent some time downstairs cutting out the pieces for a quilt square and sewing one together. That was satisfying.

It was warm and foggy all day today. Scattered showers too. Perhaps if the snow mountains finally are melted, the fog will also disappear.

Guess that is all for today. Tomorrow I am home again all day. Hope it stays that way.

God love you

Mary

P. S. in the recipe yesterday, the 12 cups of sugar should read 1/2 cup sugar.

A quiet day at home. I spent a good chunk of it working on my quilting. I set up the pieces for the squares for the quilt I have been putting together, then cut out the pieces for one of the squares for the Kettle Quilters. We had leftover steak, rice and asparagus for our dinner and sandwiches for supper. So it was an easy day.

I am really tired anyway and since there is nothing to report, I will sign off early. Just for fun, I will enclose the recipe that my friend Toni sent me for the Irish Soda Bread cookies. Enjoy.

Love

God Love You

Mary

IRISH SODA BREAD COOKIES

About 3 Dozen Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
12 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup currants
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugar in a large blow with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg: beat 1 minute until combined. Ad currants and caraway seeds; mix well. Add buttermilk alternately with flour mixture; mix until combined.

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12 t0- 14 minutes or until light brown.

Remove to wire racks.

A very fulfilling and moderately busy day.

Started off with Bible Study. Our Helen Maurer was back after recovering from a health problem. She looks wonderful and we were SO glad to have her. Peggy Feider is back from vacation and Shirley, Ione, Joe and myself were all there. We had a lively discussion of the end of Chapter 9 in Mark. This is where Jesus says that if your arm does wrong you should chop it off better to go to heaven maimed than to hell whole. We realize, of course, that he is speaking of eliminating sin and temptation from our lives not feet or hands or eyes. I makes for a graphic picture though.

Then I went on over to see Mother. She said she has not had any more fainting spells but still feels weak and is not happy about that. We took care of a couple of bills and she gave me a check to cash so she has some cash on her. I brought her some brownies and the Irish Soda Bread Cookies. I didn't have any main dishes this week but she said Randy and Donna had stocked her up pretty good so she was glad for the sweets.

I took a short nap. Then Barbara called. Bart has been released from the hospital. They have eliminated the staph infection, infection of the pain device and infection of the bones in the spinal cord. The swelling in the spinal area is going down. He is pumped full of antibiotics so hopefully he is done with this and will finish healing at home. Now Barbara needs to get some sleep.

I went to a Sheboygan County Conservation Association president's meeting tonight as a guest of our Rhine president, Greg Reich. It was very interesting. I like going out for dinner and I like knowing what the clubs I belong to are doing.

Now I am home and it is after 9PM and time for bed. I took Chelsea out when I got home and she was very very good. Now she is bugging me to go out again. I have also got chided by Roxie for being gone. They are both so possessive.

Well, that is all my news so I will wind this up and get ready for bed. Until tomorrow

God Love You

Mary

A whole day at home. It was pretty warm today too. I took Chelsea for a walk this afternoon with just a long sleeved shirt on as it was 44 degrees or more, sunny and still.

We had steak and fresh asparagus for our dinner. I thought that since is was Oscar day, we should have a special meal. I spent much of the morning down in the den sorting fabric and cutting out for a quilt in process. I finally have all those pieces cut and can now start sewing when there is time. I also picked out and washed fabric for another quilt that will be done in pieces.

I took a nice two hour nap this afternoon. I think I needed it as Chelsea got me up twice during the night. Once at 12:30AM and once at about 4PM. This disrupts my sleep and I sometimes have trouble getting back to sleep so my naps are becoming even more important.

Just watched "Who Do You Think You Are" by Ancestry .com. It featured Sarah Jessica Parker looking for her ancestors on her mother's side. It took her to California in 1848 during the gold rush. Her Great Great Grandfather went there and died there not even knowing that he had a son.

Years ago, my ex and I along with some friends, dis a camping tour with our keeps along the Golden Chain. We traveled to many ghost towns and explored a lot of old camps and mine areas. It was fun but I had almost forgotten about it. I wonder if I have any pictures anywhere of that trip. I don't think so. but will look.

So. that was my day. Tomorrow will be much busier.

I did not talk to Bart or Barb today. I hope that Barbara is resting. That girl is really exhausted.

God love you

Mary