What was supposed to be a rather quiet Saturday turned out to be a bit more busy than I had hoped.


Mom called at 8:AM or so to tell me that her caretaker had not arrived. She is supposed to be there by 7:30AM. Mom could not find the phone number of the agency so she wisely called me. She would have gotten an answering service and gotten confused because of the hearing anyway. I called the service, then the cell phone. where I left the message that the caregiver had not shown up. Then got myself cleaned up and ready for the errands that I was going to run.

I was at Mother's by 9AM and the substitute helper was already there. Mother was exhausted. She had fixed her own breakfast and it really wore her out. I am so GLAD that she has someone in the mornings to help her. She gets so tired. The substitute had been called and had to get there in a hurry too. So I left her in good hands and went on my way.

I went to the bank, to Woodlake, to Amy's Hallmark, do Dunham's Sports and then picked up some prescriptions at Walgreens on the way home. I was home at about 11AM and was able to finish up our dinner. We had pork, mashed potatoes, creamed corn and the fruit salad.

Then I tried to take a nap.

Michelle and Jim called this afternoon. Michelle is healing quite well and her voice sounds nice and strong. Keep praying for healing though. Jim was fixing a tirimisu with homemade lady finger. Quite ambitions. Michelle said the lady fingers are delicious.

I went to Mass at 4PM. The skies opened just after I got home. I had almost decided to water the plants but they said we might get some rain so I held off. This should be just about perfect. I am getting tomatoes setting on my plants but they are slow and way behind. Oh well, it IS only mid July, there is plenty of time for them to set and get ripe. My herbs are doing very well.

So here I am, all tired out and ready for bed. I just have to take Chelsea out, fill the pet water dishes and turn on the dishwasher, then I can crawl in. I just seem to always be tired these days.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Love

Mary

I am sitting here with a sweet warm kitty on my lap purring. This makes me very happy.

Today was a bit less humid but the temps managed to get up into the high 80s again so it was warm. I hesitate to say "hot" when I read about the temperatures in the east and south.

It was a pretty much at home day. Jody came to clean this morning. I made a nice big fruit salad, made labels for the Marigold wine and did some more work on the Museum project. Dick and I got his hair washed this morning too.

Then I went to have lunch at the Dairy Queen with my friends. WE had a nice visit. Barb had her little granddaughter with her. She was very good. She ate her lunch then fell asleep on her grandma's shoulder.

I brought a cheeseburger meal home for Dick.

Then I took a nap.

I am trying to locate a nice world map that I can cut out what I want to show the routes that I think the Cliffords and the Deeleys took from Ireland to the US. Any ideas are welcome. My picture of the presentation I want to do is getting clearer now that I know how much room I have.

This evening I had to pick up a prescription for Dick's eye, which is healing very slowly. I seems better BUT is still read and I noticed a small lump on the lid, so we had to change his prescription.

Now it is almost time to wind down. Tomorrow will be nice and I will have time to work on the project again. Only a week to go.

God love you

Mary

A fruitful day. I discovered that I DO have pictures, actually tin types of my great great grandfather and grandmother Clifford. I was reviewing some of David Bowser's notes and realized that the tin types that we had copied are them. Grandma Matie Bowser, my grandmother had the tintypes and knew that Johannah Clifford had a "bad eye", a result of an accident when she was young and it is very obvious in the picture. So I am having her picture and Great Great Grandfather Jeremiah's pictures enlarged for the display.

So that took up a bit of the day, researching and then getting emailed for enlargement.

Bobbie came over a bit after 10AM. We bottled two of our wines today, the Concord Rosemary and the Marigold. They look so pretty. The colors just sparkle after the filtering. We decided that next time we will start some new batches as there is room now and fruits and herbs are now ripening and we want to take advantage of the harvests.

I had made a mac and cheese casserole with ham for out lunch with a lettuce salad using the leaf lettuce from my deck. That is the sweetest tenderest lettuce. I wish I could share with everybody. We really like having the wine making here as we get to spend time with Bobbie. She took Chelsea for a nice long walk. Chelsea REALLY wants a ride but we are trying to break her of that as she is getting very insistent and nags us.

Then, I drove over to Mom's. I had three prescriptions for her and took her some soup, mac and cheese and a cupcake. We had a lovely visit and shared some family history before I had to head home again.

It is still almost 80 degrees outside. Actually 10 degrees below today's high. It is still muggy and uncomfortable because of the humidity. But 10 degrees is 10 degrees.

This morning when I took Chelsea for her walk, a toad was in the garage when I got back. When we got up to the door, it just hopped further in. I don't know if it is still in there, but have been trying to leave the door open for an escape route and did put some water in a bowl out there. When I cleaned the garage recently I found a dead mouse. That did not upset me but I like toads.

God love you

Mary

I ALMOST went to sleep without writing this day's blog. Tsk Tsk. The day just almost got away from me.

It was a busy day. I went grocery shopping pretty early this morning. 8:30AM. I was pleased, I found hornet spray at the Pig. I was afraid that I might have to make a special trip to Fleet. We had gotten an email from Alison, our condo president, that hornets are nesting madly in this hot muggy weather and I had used up the last of our spray on a small nest on the front porch some time ago. Now, I dare them to try to set up camp.

I got home at about 9:30 and put all the groceries away. Then I drove out to Rhine to join and shoot in the summer trap league. I barely got a two blocks from home when the skies opened and it started to just pour. Well, according to the reports I have been hearing the rain was supposed to be rather light and just passing through, so I kept going. I got to the club to find everyone, of course, inside. They had gotten one group through and half of another before the storm started. So we all just waited and it stopped in about a half an hour. They all blamed me for starting it. After all, it started when I left home.

I shot a 13, not too bad for me. Doc watched me this time. I am shooting too fast and need to remember to follow through. But, not a bad start.

Got home in time to fix lunch. Then I took a nap. Spent the rest of the day working of family trees for the 17th and some phone calls.

Tomorrow Bobbie is coming and we are going to wine.

Love you

God loves you too.

Mary

The first day after the holiday weekend. Boy was it hot. 88 degrees and very humid. I started off the day taking care of critters, changing Dick's leg wrappings and doing all the morning things that seem to take forever.

I went out at about 9:30AM to pick up prescriptions for Mother and Dick and a couple other things at Walgreens, pic up a prescription for Chelsea and stop at Sun Graphics to have some photos enlarged for the When Irish Eyes Were Smiling event on July 17. I know what I want to do for the poster, now I need to get it accomplished.

We had the leftover chicken and stuffing for our lunch. Still as good as Sunday. Then I stopped at the post office for stamps before going to the Kettle Quilters meeting. We had a nice meeting. I had seen Lucy and Helen after church on Sunday and they got me motivated to finish one of the challenge squares for show and tell before the meeting. I am pleased with the project.

Then I got my hair cut. Jessica does such a nice job but my hair is always all sprayed and stiff when I come home.

So this was therefore a very full day. We had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for our supper. Then this evening, I reviewed the Hallmark Christmas ornaments as Saturday is the big blowout beginning sale and I have lots of special offers. I like to go in there knowing what ornaments I need as it goes much faster.

I am tired. I did rest a bit when I got home this afternoon, but could not sleep so I am ready for bed at any time. Tomrorrow morning will also be busy but the afternoon should be quiet.

Have a good Wednesday yourself and God love you.

Mary

Another quiet day. The only time I left the neighborhood was to to to see Mother this morning. She had been weak on Sunday and Monday is my normal day to visit. So I went over at about 10AM. She seemed a bit stronger, at least her voice, when I got there. We solved a lot of the world's problems, as usual. Then I came home to fix lunch for Dick and Me.

I brought her some cheese, a chicken dinner and a piece of deep dish apple pie.

We had brats and beans for lunch.

The I rested a bit. I have everything ready for taking to get the poster on the Cliffords and Deeleys ready for the 17th at the Sheboygan County Museum.

So I am as rested as I can be for the next couple of weeks.

I was remembering, as we were watching something or other on Tv. That my friend, Janet's children, used to call my ex husband, Uncle Grumpy. That was because he never smiled and always grumbled at them.

Take care and have a good week. A short one for those that work.

Love and God love you

Mary

Happy Fourth of July. I hung our flag up yesterday and have decided to keep it up until tomorrow night because of the long holiday weekend.

We spent a quiet day today. I actually got to stay home all day. So there is not much to report except that I miss you all and wish you were all here.

We had a nice chicken dinner at noon and Irish Bacon, tomato and lettuce sandwiches for our supper.

That is really it. We are well and I am trying to get rested. I must need a lot because I took a two hour nap this afternoon and I am still tired tonight.

God love you

Mary