A lovely Saturday.    I had to get up a bit earlier than I had hoped but still got to be in bed until 7:30AM.    I treasure every hour.

The day was busy with a lot of things, I couldn't give you a rundown, but it was a lot of emails, some phone calls, sending some poems to a contest and that kind of thing.

I called Bret. His friend, Lance is not responding and all his friends are gathering to say goodbye.   I could hear the sadness in his voice.     I tried to reassure him that whatever happens is for the best.   Lance's wife game a DNR because she knew that he would not want to live as a vegetable.   Pray for his easy ride into eternity if that is what is to be or else, that all the prayers bring a miracle, which is always within the power of our God. Please pray for Lance, his family and friends.

I have decided that I must get back to writing.   I have the bones of a book I want to do on the patron saints of the Celtic Nations.   This morning, I chose Galatia as my first section to get serious about.   The patron saint of Galatia is St. John The Greater.   This weekend's Gospel is the story of James and his brother John asking Jesus to be seated at the right and the left of him  Mark:10:35-46.  Somehow that is weird and I think a sign that I need to do this project.    I have been getting these signs lately.   I think perhaps they are my relief from the daily grind.  God's giving me signs.   I have always said that when I don't know what to do, I travel as far as I can see and then another vista is revealed.
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I left for Mass at 3:30PM.    It was a lovely Mass and I feel renewed.   I stayed a bit to visit with my friend Kate.  She called me this afternoon to tell me that her daughter, Dawn, called.  Dawn has an Immune Deficiency disease and is in a lot of pain.   Please pray for Dawn.

Dick and I are having a nice quiet evening together.  We had a bean tostada for our supper.   Really good.  I had not fixed Mexican for quite some time.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

I received this as a part of a bigger email stating the differences between men and women.   I  have seen it before, but this time, this particular paragraph really tickled my funny bone.  Hope you like it as much as I do.


OFFSPRING
· Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
· A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

A dreary rainy day today.   I don't know if it was enough to help the water table but I don't want to water any more. 

We had a 'show" outside the windows today.  They finally came and pulverized the trees that were cut down for the coming of the railway.    It was a spectacular as the killing of the trees was.   There were two big machines.    One of them picked up most of the trees, the ones that had branches it seemed, and shoved them into its craw and spit out the remains of them along the old tracks.  The other big machine picked up the big logs and took them down to the ends of the road.  They were again done in ONE day.

I still have a pretty clear desk as I have been able to almost keep up with things.  I called a couple of people about CWI stuff and cleared up emails.

I also have become "friends" on Facebook with my old friend Joyce and her son Mark.   This weekend I will email them to catch up a bit.

Bret called tonight too.  He was checking on his Grandma.   I am so glad that I am able to tell him how well she is doing.    He also mentioned a friend of his who was injured early this week in a motorcycle accident.   He has severe head injuries and they still don't know if he will make it.  Pray for Bret's friend, Lance.

I shot pistol league tonight also.  My arm and ribs are pretty sore, BUT I shot pretty well anyway.   That was a relief.   Perhaps I can get my score up a bit before the end of league.   I had a nice visit the Nancy Roehre and Nancy and Jerry Coenen.   Jerry said he will clean my gun for me next week.   I don't like to take it apart because I have trouble getting it back together.  I do clean all the exposed surfaces and all the spots I can get to with rags and q tips and stuff. 

Home again, Dick was in bed already, but he seems restless.  I think it is going to be a goofy night.   Good thing tomorrow is a quiet day.   All I have is Mass at 4PM.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

A small haiku

Heavy lies my soul
I dream of flying way up
Beyond the rainbow.

A mixed day for me.   Roxie let me sleep until 6:05AM.  This is a milestone as she is often telling me at 5:15AM or so that she feels that I should be feeding her.

As I wanted to be up this morning,  (Kay from Embrace was here at 7:30AM). I was a bit disappointed om her.   But this was way close enough.  I was able to get everything I needed to do before Kay got here.

While Kay was here, I zipped over to Walgreens to stock up on some supplies and to pick up three prescriptions.  I believe that if I did not show up for a week,  Walgreens would send the emergency crew to find out if we were all right.

We had to be at Joseph and Joseph for Dick's dental visit.  He is still doing well.   I don't know if you all know this but we both still have all our teeth but one.   We have root canals but only one tooth each had to be removed.   Our dentists tell us that we are doing a great job.   Brushing, flossing and general care.   Yea for us.

We were home at about 11:30AM.  We had mac and cheese for lunch and then took a nap.

This has been a quiet afternoon.  I got a call from a friend, Jana Hertz to tell me how to get in touch with a family that used to live next door to my first husband and me when our children were all young.   Michael(Chip) and Bret were born the same year.   I have thought of Joyce,the mother, often in these recent years and now have connected with Mark, the older son, and hope to reconnect with Joyce.   Our sons, Chip (Michael) and Bret were like brothers when they were little boys.

Dick is in bed.  It is only 7:30PM but I think I will take advantage of it and go to bed too.  This was a painful day for me and perhaps some extra rest will help the healing.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

Not a bad night.   Only had to get up once during the early hours of the morning.   Of course, that does not include pesky Rosie trying to get me up shortly after 5PM.   I had to get up at 6AM anyway.   Heather came at 7AM to take care of Dick from 7 to 10.   Of course --- Dick had to get up at 6:30AM so I ended up getting him partly dressed so that I could take care of his needs and we could ease an achy back.  

I left shortly after 7AM so that I could do the grocery shopping before my haircut appointment at 9AM.   The hairdresser that I have had since we moved to Plymouth, Jessica, has gotten a full time job with a bank and is no longer doing hair.   I am trying the new owner, Terry.   I like her and it seems that she has done a good job.  

Home again, I had a sleepy husband all day.   Dick took two naps.   One this morning and one this afternoon.   We had ham, beans, Brussels Sprouts and salad for our lunch.    Good ham.  I just bought a steak as I didn't want a ton of it and we will have at least one more meal out of that steak.

One of Bret's friends, who I knew as a little girl, posted a ton of pictures on Facebook, several of my Bret.   I loved it.

For some reason, I was thinking of dogs that have meant the most to me through the years.   The ones that will be waiting beyond the Rainbow Bridge.   I can list,   Chip, Clancy 1, Clancy 2,  Spook, Tara, Zero and Chelsea.   There are a few in there that I loved but may not remember me.  Beau and Buddy.  Buddy we gave to a friend that adored him.  Beau died, sick with hip displacia.   Anyway, I expect to be tackled by sweet puppies and licked and welcomed with joy when I pass into the other world.   I cannot believe that they will not be there.   Tomorrow I will list the cats.

Dia Dhuit

Mary





Jimmy Breslin said that writers used to go to the bar to listen to old-timers tell stories, but now "they all go to health clubs and then go home. They're in fantastic health, but they wish they were in the bar, and their wives wish they were in the bar, too."

Last night was a rather difficult one, but Dick and I were able to stay in bed until after 8AM.   This helped a lot.   It was trash day, so that was about the latest I felt safe being a slug-a-bed.

I have everything put away from the weekend.  That and cleaning took most of the day.   We had sausage and eggs for breakfast, a late breakfast.  We snacked in the early afternoon and then I prepared a t-bone with fried potatoes and salad for our supper.

Heather came tonight at 6:30PM and I took off for Sheboygan to visit Mother.  She looks wonderful and is figuring that the doctor and therapist will give her the go ahead to go home in a week or so.   As well as she is doing, I have no doubt that this will happen.  We had a lovely visit and I gave her the little gifts that I picked up for her at IBAM.

Roxie has been very happy to have me home.   She misses me when I am gone.  That is OK because I miss her too.

So winding down as I have to get up at 6AM tomorrow so that I can shop early and get my hair cut while Heather is here in the morning.

Not an especially busy week but something every day.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

What a weekend, what a day today.    Both were wonderful

As you now, Felicia, Luann and I left between 1 and 2PM on Friday for Chicago and IBAM.    We got to our hotel at about 5PM.   I called my friend Maureen.   She was just leaving the Irish Center, so came to our hotel and the four of us has dinner at Harry Carey's which is attached to this particular Holiday Inn.  What a pleasure to spend and evening with Maureen again.   We have been Celtic friends and personal friends for over 12 years now.   We met at one of the early Celtic Women conferences and have been close ever since.

We got to bed fairly early that night which was good because Saturday night was late (for me anyway).   Luann, Felicia and I got up at about 7:30AM or so, got all dressed and ready and then went downstairs for breakfast.  Joan and Richard Kramer joined us for breakfast.   We all caught the shuttle to the Irish Center provided by the hotel at 10:30AM.  I met some great new (hopefully) friends on the shuttle.   Rob, a sweet man from Ohio, who had come to see Phil Coulter and connect Bat Burns, a seanache,who was also at IBAM with his CDS , books and story telling presentations.   I did not get to a presentation but met him (also on the shuttle) and at breakfast on Sunday.  I bought two of his CDS and the three of us listened to them with great pleasure on our drive back home from Chicago.   Great stories.   Anyway, Rob kindly carried my bag, full of my props for my presentation to the shuttle, and into the center for me.    Ran into him several times during the day too.  

I also met two men, muralists, Mark Ervine and Martin Levine from Ulster who painted two murals LIVE during the event.   I fill show you the murals as soon as I figure out how to download them from my phone.

I gave my presentation at 2PM in the Literary Salon, right after Mary Pat Kelly of Galway Bay fame.   My presentation was on how I envision,  design and put together the wall hangings that I create sporadically.  I brought several of them and Maureen liked that as we had something to hang on the walls to brighten things up.    I am always so flattered that people like them.   The talk went well, I was told.   And I felt so also as I had a good time doing it.  

I went to the awards dinner with Maureen and her husband Marty.    It was up in the top floor that used to be a gymnasium.   The room has been completely remodeled and was nicely set for a grand dinner.   Awards were given at the dinner - Phil Coulter for music, Morgan Llywelyn for literature,  Matt Lamb for visual arts, Stephen Rea for performing arts and Richard Moore for the Person of the year.   Richard Moore was blinded by a rubber bullet fired by a British Soldier at the age of nine.  He forgave him personally and in 1996 founded the charity Children in Crossfire.  

The next day started with mass in the auditorium with the Irish Center choir singing (Much of the mass in the Irish).  Then on to more lovely programs, most of them in the Literary Salon where I gave my talk.   I did join the children when the Fairy Queen let them make Magic wands.   I wanted one too.   So I now have one.

Today was busy.  Bobbie came this morning and I went to bible study and then over to Mom's to pay her bills.   Then home to start putting things away and catching up around here.

Quite successful, actually but there is always SOMETHING left.  Seeds for tomorrow, I guess.

So rest tonight and tomorrow will be another great day.  I am going to see Mother tomorrow night.

Dia Dhuit

Mary