A day so quiet that I almost forgot to post.   I got up at 6AM to take care of Dick and the cat and then went back to bed until 8AM.  What a pleasure.

The rest of the day, as I said,was quiet.   I did go to church at 4PM and our new pastor, Dan Volkert is in residence and said the mass.   Already a couple subtle changes.    Each pastor has to put his print on his work.   I found him pleasant and am sure we will learn much from him.

It was a lovely day and we may get a bit of rain tonight.

Bless you too.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

Today was a super day.   Until I came home.

Actually, I had intended to get up at  6AM.   But I heard a sad sounding "Mary" at 5:30AM or sooner.    It was not Roxie.   She had been yelling at me and poking me but I can ignore her until 6 without any difficulty.   But I can't ignore Dick.   He had to get up for necessary things so that was that.  

I did manage to get everything I had to do done and was able to lie down for about a half an hour before Kim got here.
   
Then I drove to the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice for a Spiritual Renewal for the Family Caregiver.   It turned out to be a wonderful experience.   It started at 8:30AM with a nice breakfast followed by music in the drawing room.   Piano playing and singing led by Steve Hamer, a realtor turned pianist, who I have know for many years.   He is truly wonderful and enjoys playing for nursing homes and that type of venue. 

We went from there to the chapel for a meditation to harp music.played by Marie Larson.   The bulk of the music was Celtic and I found it so special.   The senior director of Libby's house, Tracy Cinealis conducted the meditation.    I am now back to where I was yesterday after Joan's reflexology session. 

The rest of the event consisted of Journaling, discovering your strengths, massage relaxation and a beautiful closing prayer.

The lunch was delicious.   Make your own sandwich, salads and a really chocolaty chocolate brownie.  We had time for a walk around the grounds too.   They are lovely.   It was my first time to the Hospice and I am really impressed.   Wonderful beauty,comfortable loving surroundings and a staff that is so caring.

I got home right around 3PM.   Kim finished up things and then Dick and I spent a nice quiet afternoon, EXCEPT for the thing that made the day turn.   My computer won't work.   I couldn't get the screen to come up so I manually rebooted it.   Then it said that windows would repair it but it lied.   Then Dick said that I should call Dell.  So I did, but our warranty is up and I don't know if I should renew it or not.    So I called and asked Richard to call when he is able.   I just hate to bother him and Brenda.   I feel like such a bother.

So I will update you tomorrow on that continuing saga.   I am using the laptop.   So.  Glad we have that.Dia Dhuit

Mary

Today was somewhat a ME day.    I had a doctor's appointment at 8AM. 

Dr. Murthy is always very easy to talk to.   He had me fill out a questionnaire before I came in so he was able to address my concerns quite easily.  He has adjusted one med to less and added Omniprozole for my stomach pain.  I will see him in a month to see if this is helping.

I hope so as I am rather sick of a sore tummy.

This afternoon, my friend Joan Kramer, came over to the house to give me a reflexology treatment.   It was wonderful.   It only took until 7PM before I lost that really great rested feeling.    But I know that at least I got the best afternoon rest that I have had in weeks.   She is SO good and provides a lovely meditation too.   I even have the coolest green toenails ever.

So to bed soon.    Tomorrow I am going to an Caregivers Retreat at the Sharon Richardson Hospice gathering space.   I am blessed that Dick's care is being paid for.   It starts at 8:30AM and I will be home by 3:30PM.   There are several breakout sessions, including music, walks, journaling and massage.   Lunch is also included.     I know that this , following the reflexology will do a lot to replenish my soul.

Til tomorrow night. 

Dia Dhuit

Mary

Too busy a day.    It did not start out this way but things mushroomed on me.

I got up at 6:06AM.   I know the exact time because Roxie was yelling at me and poking me in the back and I told her "No1".  Then I looked at the clock and I had to apologize to her for my lack of concern.   So.  I got up and fed her and dived in to the shower to begin the day.

Kay got here at 7AM.   Dick was ready to get up and I was able to head to the grocery store to do the shopping. 

When I got home Dick was pretty much set up.  Good thing as Mark from Van Horn brought a van over for Dick to look at.  He likes the van.   Now we have to give him the opportunity to see how the seat lift works so that he will be comfortable with the change.  Otherwise, I guess I will have to find hired transportation forever.   I am kind of hoping that we will be able to achieve this measure of independence, but what is, IS.   So we will cope with whatever happens.

Tim, from Custom Care, was here at 10AM to take us to the Sheboygan Clinic for Dick's appointment with Dr. Herman, the urologist.  Life is good.  Dr. Herman has released Dick.   He should check with a doctor as to his urinary tract once a year but he is in good shape as long as we keep up the cathing and he stays healty.

Bad news.   Dr. Herman is retiring.   I really like him but perhaps we will never need him again anyway.

Home again, we had the egg salad sandwich I had bought at the Pig for our lunch.   They do have a good egg salad sandwich and it was on a  croiissant.   Very good.   We go him down for a nap at 12:30.   My friend Janet, came over at 1PM to stay with him while I drove to Mother's as Fr. Mike Shea, my cousin  who is a missionary in Thailand, is in the states.   My uncle Pat and aunt Joan and my aunt Kathleen all went to lunch with him in Sheboygan Falls and then went to Mother's.   Jeff and Kathy and I met therm there.   We had a nice visit.   He looks good.   I told him that Thailand is on my Bucket List.     They left at about 2PM and then Janet called and had a bit of "trouble" telling Jeff which Mary she was trying to reach but we finally connected.   Dick was awake and really needed me to come home.   So I did.   I got here in time to be of help to him.  

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting Quicken reset.   Working a bit on what we need for the van and just straightening up around her.   Now I am tired.    Very tired.   Dick is planning on going to bed soon and then I just need to set out his pills and get myself to bed too.

Pray for us.   Please pray for my neighbor's son Ray Wiffler who has cancer and is in a relapse.  

Dia Dhuit

Mary

We had a rollicking Thunder Storm during the wee hours of the morning.     Lots of thunder and lightening and an inch and a half of much needed rain.  Then it started to get HOT!    My deck thermometer showed 95 degrees this afternoon.   That is usually the hot time of the day.   It was muggy too, naturally because of all the rain.   Thank the Lord for air conditioning. 



Bobbie came this morning at 9ish and I left right away for Bible Study with the Guinness Cake.   I am not sure I told you this.   Last week, we discussed harps, as they were mentioned in the Psalm we are studying.  Peggy looked up harps on the internet and noted that the Harp is a symbol of Ireland and is on the Guinness Label.    I mentioned that I used Guinness to cook with.   For example, a Guinness Cake and all their ears perked up.   So I baked the cake yesterday.

They all liked, if they ate it right away, or took it home and I will hear next week.    I took it from there over to Mother's house and cut her a piece.    Dolores and Ken came while I was there so we had a nice visit and they got some of the cake too.

Yea.   Bobbie, Dick and I had a nice lunch of hamburgers and some of the cake. Now it is all gone and I can bake something else.   You know how I love to cook.

The flowers that Leslie and Bill sent Dick for Fathers day are opening so nicely.   They came all in bud and I have been taking a picture each day to show the flowering.    It is a lot of fun.  Thanks Leslie and Bill

The afternoon was quite enough.   I think I am caught up and have everything in place from the transition from Visiting Nurses to private care for Dick and for getting supplies.    It is nice to be with VNA because EVERYTHING is covered.   With private insurance we have to pay 20%.   Not bad but still - ouch.   At least he needs somewhat less in supplies than he did in the beginning.

Tomorrow is another quiet day, though I will be going to Van Horn to look at vans in the evening.    We have come to the conclusion, that the VW Wagon, as much as I LOVE it, will never be a practical car for Dick so are looking at a conversion van.   Some research is done and now we have to look at vans that can be converted.  

It is getting to the end of the day and I am very glad about that.    I got to bed a bit later than I had hoped last night and as I am still trying to catch up from Saturday, I am really hoping for a 9PM bed time.  

The rain was very happy for all of my plants.    We are supposed to have strong storms tonight and possibly severe storms.     The rain is welcome, but violent winds and hail are hard to take

Dia Dhuit
Mary

Today was a nice quiet day.    After yesterday when I got home much to late for this nine o clock wonder to even try to blog.

The Bloomsday event went SO well.    Kay got here at 3:30PM so that I was able to begin my evening.   The first part of the events, of course, was to go to Mass as I usually do on Saturdays.    I especially wanted to go yesterday because it will be my last Mass presided over by Fr. Van Beek as pastor of St. John's.   I was able to talk a bit to him before Mass and wish him well with a big hug and a kiss.   He will be missed, I know, but the new pastor sounds like a gem.

I was wearing my Irish Odd Socks, one green and one orange, and ended up having to distribute the wine at the Eucharist.   So there I was on the altar with green pants and green and orange sox.   On the way out, I mentioned to one Mom that her youngest daughter was a little perpetual motion machine.    One of those kids who just cant sit still.   She is, however, well behaved and quiet. She just wiggles.   The Mom told me that her oldest daughter loved my sox.   So my day was made.

Then I went home to take care of Dick for a minute and get my Gorgonzola cheese for the big event.

Here I will insert the part of my newsletter for the Sheboygan CWI group about the night itself.

The Bloomsday Celebration was lots of fun.    We felt quite continental as we knew we were joining Joyce and Ulysses fans all over the globe in our endeavor.  CWI members started arriving shortly after 6PM.   We had dinner reservations for 6:30PM.

It turned out that eleven of us including three spouses were there.    It seemed to be a rather quiet night at  52 Stafford which gave me a better chance of being heard.   We had it planned that every half hour from 7 to 9PM we would read a bit from Ulysses and/or give information about Joyce and his novel and his poetry. I was amazed to realize that as I read it out loud, it made much more sense than when I read it out of the book in my head.

Anyway, Joan Kramer with her husband Richard,   Peg Payne,  Nancy Roehre, Nancy Coenen, Pat Becher, Felicia Reindl with her husband Joseph, Peggy Feider with her husband Bob and two friends, the Twohigs, and ME were there.

We tried to be as close to the Bloomsday in Dublin as possible.   As we can't tour Dublin, we chose 52 Stafford to be our Dublin.    At 7PM and every half hour until 9PM, I told our audience about James Joyce and his novel Ulysses which instigated this event or read excerpts from the novel.   I introduced the protagonists and I found out that reading it out loud is a much better way to  read it. Much like poetry.

So we had a great time and will do it again next year.









Now you know what a good time we had.


It is now after 8AM this Sunday evening.    I am anxious to get Dick to bed and follow closely behind so that I can be rested for tomorrow.






This was a great Fathers day for Dick.   Cards from Richard and Bobbie came on Saturday.  He got flowers from Leslie and Bill, cards and calls from all the rest.   Jim and Dick both called just after Dick had settled down for a nap before noon.   But they both called back and had good visits with their Dad later in the afternoon.    Bart called shortly after he woke up.   So it was a day that he knew how much is Kids love  him.
  


If things settle down around here I will have scads of pictures to post.   I may not write.  I may just put pictures on for a couple of days.  Ad an example.  The flowers that Leslie and Bill sent are all closed up and are designed to open over a week.   I am taking pictures every today.   Already there is activity.   How fun is that.


Dia Dhuit

Mary