Just got back from a lovely soup supper at Bart and Barb's.   Marlies was there also.   We had such a great meal and visit.   Tomorrow Leslie and Bill leave for home.   So sad:(  it has been a lovely visit and iI will miss them.

Enjoy the poem

Dia dhuit

Mary 


What if you slept...
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge


What if you slept
And what if
In your sleep
You dreamed
And what if
In your dream
You went to heaven
And there plucked a strange and beautiful flower
And what if
When you awoke
You had that flower in your hand
Ah, what then?

Sorry I missed yesterday, but Leslie, Bill and I are having such a lovely visit that it just got so late that I was tired.

I have finished all of my tests to see what is wrong with my tummy.   ( I like the word tummy better than stomach.)   Bill has been kind enough to drive me and with his hospital experience is a true blessing.  Yesterday, when I was put "Out" with the GI test, he was there when I was not awake to find out what Dr. Morgan had to report.   Basically, I have an "area".  He did a biopsy and we have to wait.   Today was the CT scan.  We won't know until my doctor gets the results.   This has been the slowest process EVER.

The rest of the day was nice. Today was the Lawton Celtic Club potluck Samhain Dinner.  I took Les and Bill.  There were 8 of us there, a nice turnout for our group.  We had a super meal.  Irish cheese and crackers, corned beef, colcannon and pumpkin pudding.   A true feast and the best company.   I am glad that Les and Bill got to meet some of my friends.

This evening we went to Red Lobster for dinner.

The will be here until Saturday morning.  YEA!!!! I love having company.    Dick would approve since they are family:)

Dia Dhuit

Mary

Hi You all.   I know, in the South, they say Y'all but I am still a Wisconsinite at heart.

I WAS back from Chicago yesterday morning and home by noon.  However ---- Guess what---- Leslie and Bill are visiting and we have been having such great visits and all.  And frankly, last night, I was just to darned tired to post.

IBAM was wonderful.   My talk went well, got lots of good feedback.  I even sold one of my cookbooks and traded my poetry books with another author for HER book.   It was great.   Heard so many wonderful talks at the Literary Salon and sat in on a panel discussion by three authors ( Ken Bruen, William Doyle and Turtle Bunbury).  Ant this was just Saturday.  Sunday brought more lectures, after a lovely, poorly attended Mass, in the auditorium.   I finished off the weekend with a concert by the winner of the IBAM music award winner, Tommy Fleming. 

I am so grateful to my friends, Frank and Sharry Avilla for transporting me back and forth from the hotel to the Irish American Heritage Center for those days, they are truly special  I got to meet the son of the Person of the year and Visual Arts person of the year.  Remember the black and white painting of Che on the red background.  That is Jim's.   His son is adorable and a charmer.  I have his card and he has mine so I hope to hear from him.

Loved the big expensive awards dinner and learning about and meeting the awardees.  

A wonderful experience - again.

Got home and found out that Leslie and Bill had come a day early just to be on vacation.  We have been just soaking up the family time.  Bart came over this afternoon and the five of us, Bart, Barb, Leslie, Bill and myself all went out for dinner tonight.

More to come.   I LOVE having people in the house.   Nicky likes it too as long as they don't stand up.   Kind of a private joke but he gets afraid of Bill every time he stands up, I wonder if it is because his is so tall?  Loves him when he is sitting down.

Oh well

More tomorrow. 

Dia dhuit

Mary