It was a fruitful and fun day.   Jody came and cleaned this morning.   She helped me roll up the big desk mat and get it out into the garage.   

I now have all the banking either clear or well on its way.   By the end of January, I will be able to set up a good budget and know what is coming in.   What is going out will be a bit more difficult.    Many things will be eliminated and many things will be reduced.    I am going to try to estimate myself this next week.

I have finished all the thank you notes.   Today more lovely flowers arrived with a card from the people at Advanced Eye Care.   All his caregivers wrote their sympathies.    They were always SO good with Dick and really enjoyed his humor.

I also got a card from Beth at the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.   They are putting a rose bush in their garden dedicated to Dick.   I am so touched.

 Today, I joined my Bank Lady friends at the Dairy Queen.   There were five of us, Marlene, Betty, Barb, Ceil and me.   It was fun.   I ate a bacon cheeseburger which tasted great.  Had a lot of catching up to do.  

Then this evening, I drove out to Rhine Plymouth.   It was the first night of league.    I have decided not to shoot the winter league so that I can give my body a chance to heal, but will be going out some Fridays to visit.    Hopefully I will be not hurting when Spring league starts because I do like shooting.   I even bought ammo this week because I was close to Gander Mountain and thought I should stock up a bit.

So it was a good day.    Now the weekend and I will continue putting Christmas  away.    I am doing it slowly this year as I am going to sorting and give away things that I really don't have a strong attachment too.  

Dia Dhuit

Mary

I am tired tonight and I have good reason.   Dick would be proud of me.

I had a lovely gathering with three of my Celtic sisters at the Exchange Bank this morning.    How wonderful is the sisterhood of woman that can just BE for their sisters that are going through a rough time.  Rough time.  That is not quite a description of what happens when your best friend goes ahead to eternity, but you know what I mean.   I was glad that Janet, Joan, LuAnne and I met for this breakfast as I went on to take care of ALL the bank things that have to be settled  after Dick went on to heaven.

I took care of most of the Investment stuff and all of the banking stuff today.  I also have an appointment for the legal stuff and the SSI stuff.   Wow am I good or what. Again, Dick would be proud of me.    He always said that whatever I did he was proud of me.   Who will be proud of me now?

Roxie gets quite distressed when I am gone for too long.   I will try to reassure her.  After all, I should have at least 20 more years.   Much more than she will stay with me.

Bart called this afternoon.   How nice is that.   I need my kids and they are being really great.

How lucky am I.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

Guess I forgot to post yesterday.    I am going to be a bit disorganized for a while, so be patient with me. 

Yesterday and today were at home days.  I am just doing things as I feel like it.   There is a lot of nervous energy here, but I am trying to hear my sweetheart telling me to rest.

Yesterday afternoon, my cousin Chris and her husband Ron dropped by for a short visit and Ron took all of the wine bottles and gallon jugs from the wine making.   Ron was so sweet, he made sure that I wouldn't be making wine any longer as he didn't want to take what I might need.    I was able to tell him that this was a hobby that Dick and I had enjoyed together.   The memories brings smiles and I still have some wine that we made left but I wouldn't want to be doing it without him.   We all agreed that it is really wonderful that Bobbie has taken over the "wine business" for the Kunert family.
They were SO impressed with her label.

All of the thank you notes are done.   I am still receiving some and am writing the notes as they come in.     So many loving people who remember Dick so fondly.

Today I worked on a quilting project for about an hour.   That was a pleasant hour.   I am going to finish the wall hanging of Mother's Crazy Quilt squares by next Monday.   My intention is to take one UFO at a time and finish it.    Then I can feel that I am back quilting again.

I will in the next few days roll in some writing and reading also.  I thing, schedule person that I am, I will try to schedule for these things that I want to do and see how it turns out.

Jeff stopped by on his way home from Mother's this evening with an acorn squash and some desserts from Kathy.   I am getting spoiled.   

Tomorrow I will go out for the first time really.   I will have breakfast at the Exchange Bank at 8AM with Janet and whoever else can come.   Then an appointment at the bank in Sheboygan at 10, a couple of quick errands in Sheboygan as I am there.   Then finally an appointment with a personal banker at 12:30PM in Plymouth.   

Time to get back into the world

Dia Dhuit

Mary
  

I can't believe that it is New Years Eve already.     The end of 2012 is down to the last  5 hours.   There is something about the beginning of a new year that provides the feeling of new beginning.  Perhaps this is my gift.    Starting new at the beginning a a new year.   Wow.    Dick would be so proud of me.

Had the nicest call from Jim and Michelle yesterday.   We were able to review the funeral.   They knew most but it was good to share with them.  Bart and Barb have the funeral folder and an obituary for him. Also his and Michelle's name tags.    So sad they did not come but the weather just got away from them.   Jim and I were talking about Zero - how he used to wait for me at the door when the guys got home first, no matter how long.    I have this vision of Dick crossing that Rainbow Bridge and having this swarm of critters run to greet him.  I can see Zero greeting him and then going back to the bridge and sitting to wait, all the time glancing back at Dick as if to say,  "OK.   where did you leave her?" 

Jim and Michelle have been having some difficulties too.    Hope that this New Year turns the tables for us all.

I drove to Sheboygan Falls to see Mother today.   I brought her lunch.   We had Barb's Goulash with mashed potatoes and an apple salad with a pumpkin cupcake for dessert.    Got all the bills paid and the pills in the box.   We had a really good visit.   We now share the missing of our guys.   I am grateful for her courage and hope I can be as brave.

I got home in time to take a nap before it was time for Mass.   A lovely Mass.  I sat with my friend Ceil.    She is one of the bank ladies.    I will start meeting for lunch with them at the Dairy Queen on Fridays again.

Tomorrow I get to be home all day.   My cousin Chris and her husband Ron are stopping by sometime during the day.  It will be good to have a visitor.   Ron makes wine and will be taking some of the leftover wind jugs and bottles.   Then the rest will go in the trash because Bobbie already took all she wants.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

Dia Dhuit


Mary


 "For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice."
  T. S. Eliot

What a sweet day.    I slept until about 8:30AM when Roxie started to think that perhaps I should be getting up.

We were lazy.    I didn't even shower!!!.    I had breakfast and then spent the day going from one easy project to another.    I wrote some of the thank you notes.  I cleaned out one of Dick's desk drawers.  I cleaned the kitchen after I had lunch.    I had steak, potatoes, carrots and broccoli salad for lunch.

I took a nice nap this afternoon and had phone calls from Jim and Michelle, Nora, Eileen and Jeff today.   AND Bart and Barb checked in at 4:30PM, they were between Tulsa and Oklahoma City.   Then they called back at 7:30PM, passing Ft. Sill on their way home.   All they had to do was pick up some milk and then home to their critters.

Now I can relax,knowing that all of my children are safely home.

My friend Janet called and we are going to meet on Thursday at the Exchange Bank for coffee in the morning.    Won't that be a nice way to start facing the world again.

Love you all and I still feel all your love.

Dia Dhuit

Mary