The weather held out quite well.   It was cold a a witch's nose, but the sun shone and there was no wind to speak of.

The event, Family Day Ireland, was very successful.   I am really a little too tired to tell you the whole scenario, so will save that for tomorrow.   Let us just say that  our Celtic Women International High Tea was very well received.   I did OK with my first storytelling attempt and the music and other amenities were super.

I got home at 4PM and we had leftovers, mainly from the Ireland day.    I brought home colcannon and potato patties and Mulligatawny soup which was left from my lunch.   I am glad that Dick got to share it.    He would have liked the event.    I will  go into more detail tomorrow.

Be happy and rest for tomorrow.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

Whew!   This day our house was like a revolving door and I had to be part of the revolving.

Jody came at 8AM to clean.   We got the Santas down from above the kitchen cupboards and she cleaned up a storm.    I had to leave at 9:30AM to be at Blessed Trinity before Wally Dobrzynski's funeral so that I could hug the family before Mass.   As it turned out, the choir of five of the members that I had sung with several years ago was singing for the service with Zack Holzer playing and leading, asked me to join them.   I thought that was OK, as I had been in the choir for so many years with them and with Wally and his family too.   It seemed a fitting tribute and way to honor Wally.    I teased Zach in the fact that the least he could have done was have a Mass that I did not have to sight read.

I had to leave in the middle of Judy's Eulogy, as it was very Wally.   I had to get home because Rachel, the RN was coming at 11:00Am.   Fortunately she was a bit late so I even beat her home.    We got blood drawn for the anti coagulation clinic and a urine sample to see if his infection is gone.   Both came out very well.   The coagulation count was 221.    Which is as close to perfect as one can get and his urine infection is apparently healed.   Thank God.

I cooked up some grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.   We were just finishing lunch at about 12:30PM when Sara, PT, came.  Then Dick got a coughing spell.   It was pretty bad.    We finally got it settled and had him do a Albuterol inhalant, which seemed to provide some relief.    He was pretty weak by then but was able to walk and do a  number of the exercises that will keep him strong.
 
At 1:30PM Andrea, the home health aide came to give him his bath.   He really needed it after the coughing spell.    I took advantage of that time to switch the sleeve of his right prosthesis and wash the other one.   Tonight I will clean the left sleeve and have it ready to put on in the morning.

Shortly before 3PM, my Scottish friend Mike, from Accessability came to check out the chair.    He took the stump rests, as we don't need them any longer and showed me how to tighten the foot rest when it gets loose, as it has been.  He also told me that there is a Highland Games in June.   I will be in communication with him as to when that is as I would like to see him in action.   I will probably need a break from the action here about then.

So now you know why I am saying WHEW!

This was a really crazy day.    Tomorrow I will be spending about 6 hours enjoying my Irish heritage at the John Michael Kohler Art Center.   I baked scones to add to the Barm Brack and Lavender Cookies that I am taking for the Celtic Women High Tea we are hosting.    I won't be able to do much with the tea as I am being a storyteller poet for at least an hour probably more.     I just hope that I make a good storyteller/poet.

Pray for me.


So I want to get to bed early tonight so that I can finish gathering stuff for tomorrow.  I feel like I am taking half the house with me.   

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow after I get home.  Bobbie is coming to spend the day with Dick while I am gone.   So I won't have to worry about him at all.

God love you and bless you this weekend.

Mary

A day spent totally at home.    I slept until almost 8AM and Dick slept until 8:30AM which worked out quite well.

We had breakfast and then I started baking.   I made the country bread that I had started yesterday and Barm Brack and Lavender cookies.   The Barm Brack and cookies are for Saturday.   Tomorrow I still have to make scones.   Then I will be all ready.

I did some wash, sewed and took two naps.   

The only visitor we had was Sara, the PT, shortly after lunch.  He did very well with the therapy, including showing him how well he is getting in and out of bed using the bed pull up.   That device was Sara's suggestion and since we got it, I no longer have to get up to help him sit up.   This is such a relief as I can get a much better night's sleep.    Dick is one to wake up of and on during the night and if he can sit for a while he can usually get back to sleep.

So that was the day.   Tomorrow it is going to be like Grand Central here.  So I am going to bed early and trying to get ready for it.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

I would have been able to stay home all day except for one thing.    As I wanted to start a batch of Barm Brack for Saturday,  I needed brown sugar.   Imagine my surprise when I looked in the cupboard and was out of it.  

I did not bet up until 8AM and Dick slept til 9AM.   I kind of like him sleeping later than me because I can get myself ready for the day and do a couple of things before the second wave hits.

We had a good late breakfast, washed Dick's hair and then I zipped off to the store to get the brown sugar before we had to think about Andrea, Health Aid and Sara, PT, coming.    I mixed up the raisins, sugar and tea for the brown bread and made a few phone calls while all of that was going on. 

He is all sparkly clean.  He informed me that he ALWAYS sparkles though.   And his exercises went very well.  He walked and did several balance and strengthening routines.   Sara says that he is definitely getting stronger as we go on.   I know he is working hard between sessions as we have goals to meet.   We may have slightly different goals but they aim for the same targets.

I accomplished a lot of other things.    I got more done downstairs on the quilting projects that I am working on. I have a box of tea pots and tea cups and saucers ready to stow in the car for Saturday and I have started a batch of country bread.

So it has been a very satisfying day.    Tomorrow I get to stay home also.   Then Friday will be a day from hell.

Please pray for the soul of my friend Wally Dobrzynski, who went to be with Our Lord yesterday.  His funeral is Friday at 10AM so I have fit that into the day along with everything else.    I sang in choir with him and his daughters Debbie and Judy and son Tim.   His wife, Ruth, is a dear person too and I know she will miss him.

So that is the day.   We are having Chicken Breasts stuffed with Spinach for supper tonight.  

Hope you are eating as well.   My brother in law, George Hiner, used to say when sitting down to a great meal. "I wonder what the rich folks are eating tonight."

Dia Dhuit

Mary

EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE OVER 50
Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.
With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.
Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.
Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute (I'm at this level).
After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.
 
   

It was a snowy day almost all day.    I left for grocery shopping before it started, hoping to get home before it was slippery.    That did not really work.   By the time I finished, the car was white and so was the parking lot, but as I am not far from the store, it was  a slow but careful and safe drive home.

My friend, Bob Fleming, was coming for lunch.  I called to see if he felt safe coming because of the slippery roads but he was already on the road for another errand so DID come.    We had a great visit.   He has been working on an Icon art piece of Bridget for me and is done unless I want some embellishments.    It is so great.   I will share it with the other Celtic Women on Saturday.   But I told Bob, that I want to buy the original.   I want it to be mine.    We had salad, chili and strawberry shortcake for lunch.    A great visit, now I am worried about him as he was going to call when he got home to let me know he made it.   I am sure he was just running late and went right to work.    I left a message on his phone and will call again in the morning.

The rest of the day was quiet as will be the next couple.   I need to be gathering up things for Saturday and baking.   I have no other outside commitment until Friday Night.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

An extra busy Monday.

I got up reluctantly, as my night's sleep was rather broken, at 6:30AM.  As Dick was sleeping, I took my shower and got dressed and cleaned the cat box and got the medicine out before he  wakened.  Then we finished up the morning things and had our breakfast before I had to leave for Bible Study at 9:15AM.

There were 5 of us there this morning and it made for an intimate discussion.of what integrity means to us in the royal sense.   We all have a royal obligation to be truthful, the  sweep the wicked from our lives and to love one another and cherish one another.

  Did you know that God expects us to follow a royal code of conduct?  Read Psalm 101.

Then I went to visit Mom.   She is doing well but seems tired to me.    We got her checkbook and bills updated and had a nice discussion of everything, as we are wont to do.   Just before I left Aunt Kathleen called.   She wanted Mother to know that she was coming out to visit her.   That will be good for both of them.    Mother and Aunt Kathleen have always been close and it is good for them to be together this close to losing Uncle Bob.

I got home in time to fix a good meal of ham and mac and cheese for our lunch before picking up Lynn and Jena and Kate to go to Beverly's home for our Cream City Writer's meeting.. Beverly fell and broke her hip just before Christmas and ended up with a hip replacement.   She just got home from all the rehab and everything last Friday and asked us to come to her home for the meeting as she is still healing and shouldn't be doing a lot of traveling and/or moving.    We had a nice meeting, reading what we had written in the past month and discussing what we want to do in the next.   

I have more little cuts and wounds on my hands and arms and managed to cut my index finger on a soda can tab tonight.   Good Grief.   One \would think that as one gets older one would get more adept at things.

I received the following from a friend today and thought you all might get a kick out of it.

To help save the economy, the Government will announce next month that the Immigration Department will start deporting seniors (instead of illegals) in order to lower Social Security and Medicare costs. Older people are easier to catch and will not remember how to get back home. I started to cry when I thought of you. Then it dawned on me ... oh, crap ... I'll see you on the bus.

A good rest to you and Dia Dhuit

Mary 

A whole day at home with nobody coming in to disrupt the flow.

I spent the morning working on preparing a quilt or two.   I have two that have to be done by the end of the month.   At least the top assembly.   We had meatloaf, roasted potatoes and veggies for our lunch.

Then I took a nap.

I actually did not get to sleep but did gt a bit of rest.   I made some very important calls this afternoon and then baked some beer bread for my friend Beverly and for Mom.

Then we watched the Packers lose.    BOOOOOOO!!!.   Where was our defense?   Aaron did the best he could but with all those dropped balls by the offense what could he do?    Oh Well.   There will be a next year.

I am drowning my sorrows in a glass of Bailey's and then will go to bed.

Hope you had a good weekend.   I will be busy all week getting ready for the Family Irish Day at John Michael Kohler Art Center.   It is next Saturday from 11AM to 3PM.   Cost $8 for non members and $6 for members.  The Celtic Women will be hosting a tea and I will be doing poetry reading and story telling.  There is music by Ceol Cairde and dancing lessons and much more.
  Hope you can come.

Joy to you and a super week.

Dia Dhuit

Mary