This was a strange day. I felt a little squeemish part of the day but it is gone now. Tonight was Rhine Plymouth meeting. It seemed to to on forever. But we did get a lot done. Bobbie and I have to refine the membership list. Hope everyone has paid.

Tomorrow is grocery shopping, haircut and the Sears repairperson is coming AGAIN. Sure glad we got the maintenance on that dishwasher through 2007. Best investment we ever made.

I won a buck from Dick today. We are making a batch of Chablis and racked it today. He thought this was our first try at Chablis but I was sure we had made it before. We bet and I was right. We call it Nottooshabby.

I am going to sip a cup of tea and then go to bed.

til tomorrow

Mary

The second half of Superbowl XXX1X is about ready to start. It is strange watching a game in which I don't care one way or the other who wins. A person can really enjoy ALL the good plays and laugh at all the dumb ones without getting personally involved. At the half it is 7/7 so they are starting ALL over again.

All the critters are sacked out down in the den with Jim. I came up to fix a cup a tea and they didn't even notice. Usually they follow me - I feel like the Pied Piper.

Paul Mc Cartney did the half time show and it was GREAT. He had the whole stadioum singing Hey Jude with him to lots and lots of wonderful fireworks. It was spectacular and also good to have someone that is worth listening to who doesn't need synthetic and vibrating altering of the voice to make their sound. He just plain sings!! What a concept!

Several of the commercials are distinctive. Always a big part of the show.

Bobbie and I worked at Rhine this afternoon. At about 3:00 it got gotally dead, so Doc told us to go home. I imagine that everyone was getting ready for Superbowl Parties and all. We didn't argue.

I had fixed spaghetti sauce on Friday so we had spaghetti for dinner with salad and garlic bread.

We had a pretty good turnout for the 10:30 mass which is good because it is usually hard to make two in a weekend. We sounded pretty good, I thought.

Hope your week is good. Mine will be busy as usual. Tomorrow,
bible study and the meeting at Rhine Plymouth Sportsman club. I will give Bobbie some of the venison. She doesn't want much because she said Bill doesn't care musch for summer sausage or venison sausage or something. So, I'll just give her some.

Later


Mary

We went to the Symphony tonight. It was excellent. The Youth Symphony, composed of the best young people from all around the county, played Prelude from Die Meistersinger by Handel first. Then we heard Dances Op. 64 from Grieg. The second half, the Symphony was joined by a pianist named, Michael Chertock who is really gifted. He generously played his two Concertos, then gave us two encores.


Wow.

I went to the 5:00PM Mass to sing. and we are singing tomorrow at the 10:30AM also. Mother says I am "very holy". Wait til next week. I have to speak at all three masses and am still trying to figure out how to get to the 5:00 on Saturday because that is also the Wild Game Dinner. I am planning on going to give my talk and coming back. Don't tell Dick. He will say that it will make me too tired. But I don't care.

I am making venison stew and I believe will add Over the Rainbow Mac and Cheese for the vegetarians. Since Friday is the first Friday in Lent and I won't be eating meat on Fridays, I can make it for our Dinner and just make two small instead of one big casserole.

A group called Lyra from Russia is coming to do a concert for us on April 21. They are doing to do the concert for their rooms, breakfast and for the free will offering at the concert which will be in church. Such a deal. I have heard them on their website and they are wonderful. They will be singing religious and Russion Folk music. I must talk to Beth. We can perhaps either cook or take them out for dinner that night.


Lots to plan

Happy Sunday.

Mary

What a gorgeous day. The temperatures got up into the 40s. It is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. Nice because a friend of mine has to go to a wedding. February weddings can be very iffy but these people picked a great weekend.

I went and had lunch at the Dairy Queen in Plymouth with friends. There were only four of us but we had a good visit. Two of the regulars had gone to the Fireside for a show.

Did I tell you that I got a call early yesterday morning from Barbara, my daughter-in-law? I am a great grandma. Her son Adam's wife Lexi, had a baby girl on Wednesday night. She is a nice baby, 7lb. 6oz. and her name is either Adria or Adriana Nichole.

Can you believe that Bart is a grandpa. He has a birthday himself next month on St. Joseph's Day, March 19. He will be 34. I cannot believe that MY baby will be 34. I still remember his sweet little scrunched up face. He was so intense, even as a baby. My neighbor, Joyce Nusser, called him Mr. Magoo. Actually, that nickname stuck in the family for quite a few years. At least I called him Magoo until, as children do, he asked me not to.

I've been thinking of my babies lately, maybe because of little Adria or perhaps that little Baby 81 in Indonesia who has all those parents claiming him. That baby needs to find his parents. He will surely never lack for love. I miss my babies. Actually, I wouldn't want to raise a baby at may age - for sure. But I still miss my babies, and the sweet smell of them.

I hope your weekend will be as warm or warmer than ours. I have to work at Rhine on Sunday.


Joy to you

Mary

Choir tonight. We sang A LOT, as we are getting ready for Ash Wednesday, our normal Sundays and a concert at Emmanual Lutheran Church that we are joining the weekend after next.

Next Wednesday IS Ash Wednesday already. It is early this year so Easter will be in March.

I can do my taxes next week. The last document arrived today. Yippee. I want to get that over with as soon as possible. With any luck we will get back what we paid in, or part of it and maybe we can squeeze in another trip.

The Catholic Herald had forty suggestions for things to do during the 40 days of Lent. I will have to keept them and see how many of them I can work into the season. It would be a lot better than giving something up. Remember, all you Catholics, giving up candy for Lent. I found out the other day that Sundays were supposed to be free days. Nobody told me that - I gave it up for the whole forty days. What a waste of Sundays.

I am now old enough that I don't have to fast anymore, but will anyway. It is not so hard on just two days. I just have to remember to only have one FULL meal and not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Of course, during Lent the family will have meatless Fridays. They don't care anyway. I fix good fish, vegetable and pasta dishes anyway.

A week from Saturday is the Wild Game Dinner. I am fixing venison stew and I believe I will make either Over the Rainbow Macaroni or Chili Rellano Casserole for the vegetarians. We have two now - Nora and Erin.

Til Tomorrow

Mary

Children of a Lesser God as presented by the Sheboygan Theatre Co. was very good. It is a "message" play and a little out of the ordinary. Ralph Maffongelli, our director for over 20 years does like to present at least one unique play each season. The acting was excellent, so we were pleased.

Dinner was good too. We went to the Villager. Mother and I had their "Create your Own Pasta", Dick had the haddock.

The next play will be The Sting. Ralph is very good with farces and this has that feel to it so we are looking forward to it.

I am only missing one form and I will be able to do the taxes. That is always an adventure.

We came home to find that we are "big" winners in Powerball. We got the Powerball plus one other number. $4.00 WOW. Better than nothing anyway.

10 Reasons why some Men prefer Guns over Women

#10. You can trade an old 44 for a new 22.
#9. You can keep one handgun at home and have another for when you're on
the road.
#8. If you admire a friend's handgun and tell him so, he will probably let
you try it out a few times.
#7. Your primary handgun doesn't mind if you keep another handgun for a
backup.
#6. Your handgun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo.
#5. A handgun doesn't take up a lot of closet space.
#4. Handguns function normally every day of the month.
#3. A handgun doesn't ask , "Do these new grips make me look fat?"
#2. A handgun doesn't mind if you go to sleep after you use it.
And the number one reason a handgun is favored over a woman
#1. YOU CAN BUY A SILENCER FOR A HANDGUN.



Got the above from a friend who knows I shoot. She also reads this site so thank you, Janet. I always like to share funny things.

Til tomorrow

Mary

Busy day as usual. It was rather gloomy but rather mild today. We went grocery shopping and then went to Office Max to pick up a couple of cartridges for the printer.

I cleaned my spice cabinet today. Sometimes one just has to face that job. I found out that I have two extra cans of black pepper. I guess I keep forgetting that I have one.

This afternoon, I got gas and the car washed, picked up Market Day and went to the bank. Whew.

Sears repair came today about the dishwasher AGAIN (as I mentioned yesterday) They are going to replace stuff again next week. I am sure glad that I have a service contract until 2007.

The reading for February 1 in my Cadfael Book of Days compiled by Robin
Whiteman was again so appropriate for the time we are living in NOW.
It came from Deadman's Ransom by Ellis Peters

"Those who go forth to the battle never return without holes in their ranks, like gaping wounds. Pity of all pities that those who lead never learn, and the few wise men among those who follow never avail to teach. But faith given and allegiance pledged are stronger than fear, and that, perhaps is virtue, even in the teeth of death."

We must pray that the successful election in Iraq, will speed up the return of our boys to us. There are too many holes in the ranks and too many gaping wounds in families all over our country and in our hearts.

Be Good

Mary

It was a pleasant day for a walk and Chelsea and I really enjoyed it. The temps are in the 30s. Ellis Peters who writes Cadfael had this to say about February. "There were occasional spells of frost, but none that lasted long, and such snowshowers as there were were fitful and slight, but did not lie long." Probably more descriptive of Wales and Cadfael's land, but we do know that spring WILL come.

Bible study was interesting today. We were talking about setting a good example. Paul had his hands full with those Corinthian Christians. We seem to have our hands full just trying to do our best to be Christian.

Dick and I mixed up a batch of Chablis in the primary fermentor. We are down to three gallons of from scratch wines (2 Marigold and 1 Chokecherry) that need to be racked, filtered and bottled. I am about out of bottles too. We will have to start collecting from our sources again before the chablis is ready.

The rest of the day was quiet. I even took a nap at about 2:30. The animals all join me when I do that. Very comforting. Dick calls it the Peacable Kingdom.

Tomorrow is shopping and Market Day pickup. I also have the Sears person coming to check the dischwasher AGAIN. It is not draining. AGAIN.

Have a nice Tuesday.

Mary

Well. Sunday and the 30th of January ALREADY. 2005 is speeding by. It is supposed to get warmer this week getting all the way up to 40 degrees by Friday. That means that most of the snow will be gone again. This sure has been a strange winter. Nothing is like previous years.

Just had a minor emergency. Dick was clipping his toenails and nicked himself and started bleeding. With the blood thinners he is on, we spent a while with compresses and now have it bandaged really good. Should be fine by morning. He just takes longer to clot.

Today, I went to the 8:00AM Mass. Jim had breakfast with us because he was up to go shooting with Bobbie and me at 12:30. Still holding my own, though my second target was not too good. I was shooting low.

Now I am tired so will hit the bed pretty soon. As Mother used to say. Up the wooden hill to four corners. It took me ages to realize the the wooden hill was the stairs up to the bedrooms and that four corners was the bed. I don't have to climb a wooden hill here, but four corners is just as inviting as it was when I was a child.

February is just around the corner. Sara, our oldest grandaughter will be 18 this month. That does not seem at all possible. She should still be a round faced little munchkin.

Have a nice Monday.

Mary

Chelsea and I had a nice walk this morning. We ran into her friend Pepper, the schnauser and his master Roger. I used to think that schnausers were awful dogs. Aunt Helen and Uncle George had one called Yogi who was a real icky creature. They loved Yogi and Yogi loved them, but he barked the whole time anyone was there. He was was so bad that they used to pen him in the kitchen when they had company. Helen said he was just protective but I think that he just didn't like his quiet life with them disrupted by anything. When my brother Tim got married, he and his wife Joyce stopped off to see Helen and George after the honeymoon. Tim said they went in and sat down for a visit with Yogi yapping and jumping and pulling against his leash. Then suddenly, he leaped one last yappy leap, collapsed and died. Poor Tim and Joyce just gently left - they didn't know what else to do.

Helen and George mourned that dog, as well they should have, but frankly noone else did. He was really hateful.

We bottled the Gewertziminer today and will mix up some Chablais tomorrow. We are getting a nice stock again.

Sleep tight.

Mary

Bobbie and I worked at Rhine Plymouth Gun Club tonight. It was busy, so the guys make us stay til the end. If it is quiet, they always let us go home early. They are a bunch of sweethearts.

Dick and I went to see Meet the Fockers this afternoon. It really is a FUNNY movie, well acted, well crafted and FUNNY. Great cast too.

I found a pumpernickel bread for the bread machine that turned out good. I love black bread and this is really dark and tasty. Dick is trying low carb so I will be experimenting with different breads for me. I always end up freezing some because a loaf lasts too long and dries out otherwise. Anyway, it is really good.

Tomorrow we will be home all day. That will be a change. We are going to be bottling wine and mixing up a new batch.

A Minnesotan dies and is sent to hell. He was a horrible man
throughout life and the devil really wanted to punish him, so he
puts him to work breaking up rocks with a sledgehammer. To make it
worse he cranks up the temperature and the humidity.

After a couple of days the Devil checks in on his victim to see if he
is suffering adequately. The Devil is aghast as he looks at the
Minnesotan happily swinging his hammer and whistling a happy tune.

The Devil walks up to him and says, "I don't understand this. I've
turned the heat way up, it's humid, you're crushing rocks, why are
you so happy?"

The Minnesotan, smiling looks at the Devil replying, "This is great,
it reminds me of August in Minnesota. Hot, humid a good piece of
work to do - it reminds me of home. This is fantastic!"

The Devil, perplexed, walks away to ponder this. He decides to change
things up a bit -drops the temperature, sends down driving rain and
torrential wind. Soon, hell is a wet, muddy mess. The Minnesotan is
happily slogging through the mud pushing a wheelbarrow full of
crushed rocks.

Again, the Devil asks how he can be happy in such conditions.

The Minnesotan replies, "This is great. Just like April in Minnesota.
Reminds me of working out in the fields with spring plantin'!"

The Devil is now completely baffled. In desperation, he tries one
last ditch effort. He makes the temperature plummet. Hell is
blanketed in snow and ice. Confident that this will have to do it,
the Devil checks in on the Minnesotan. He is aghast as he sees the
Minnesotan dancing, singing, and twirling his sledgehammer as he
cavorts in glee.

"How can you be so happy. It's like you're celebrating. Don't you
know its 40 below zero!?" screams the Devil.

"Hell's frozen over!" replies the Minnesotan, "The Vikings won the
Superbowl!"




With Superbowl just around the corner, I thought this old 2001 e-mail might be fun.
Love

Mary

Today was REALLY busy. Dick had his blood tested this morning, then we went grocery shopping and I signed up for a Basic Pistol Shooting class at the Recreation Department. Three gals, who are members of the Tri County Women's Club that Bobbie and I joined before we found Rhine Plymouth, are taking the course too. I am always glad to learn more about the sport and this will get down to the nitty gritty.

The rest of the day was spent sewing, and walking and bookkeeping.

Tonight I had choir and council. But home I am and home I will stay.

Dick wants to go to see a movie tomorrow. We are going to see Meet the Fockers. It is supposed to be really funny and we did enjoy the Meet the Parents.

So popcorn will be my lunch tomorrow. Bobbie and I are working at Rhine tomorrow night. Saturday is a quiet day with nowhere to go. Wow. We will probably bottle the Gewertziminer and mix up a batch of Chablis.

I hope your Friday will be as much fun as mine.

Love

Mary

I'm a rambling a bit but that is because I am tired.

Hello - Are you all keeping warm? We feel so cold here. When Chelsea and I walked today, the wind was blowing and my legs lterally got stiff. So I was really glad to get back into a warm house again.

We filtered the Gewertziminer today. On Saturday, we can bottle it. We are really getting stocked up down there.

I have asked Fr. Gene if we can use Fr. Mike Shea's Sarnelli House for one of our alms focuses during Lent and he has given permission. I am listening to the DVD now so I can know the time it takes to run it. I would like to share it with the parish and hopefully get a little mission society going. I wrote a letter to Good Morning America about Fr. Mike's mission. After watching Dianne Sawyer around the tsunami area, I thought perhaps they might find Sarnelli interesting to feature.

We will be going rabbit hunting the last Saturday in February. The season starts this Saturday, but everybody is busy all the other weekends. Sometimes I think I should just hunt right outside the garage. I know we have several out there.

We are all like crayons.
We start off fresh and bright.
We leave our mark on the world.
We break.
We get lost sometimes.
We wear out.
Some of us are used more than others.
But in the end we fill the BIG box of crayons and make beautiful pictures.




Make your pictures bright and beautiful with big splashes of color.

Love

Mary

Well, we shopped this morning. It was a good day to buy some of our vitamins. They were marked 50% off and I had a dollar coupon for each of them too. Wow, do I feel like a coupon queen.

I wrote two articles for church and printed labels for the Boozie Lady wine and took care of a LOT of bookkeeping.

It was really nice today, up into the 30s. My morning walk was really special because it was warmer with NO WIND. That seems to be the important part.

We "Roomba-proofed" our bedroom and set it loose in there today. We are getting through the house, then we can start over again. It does do a nice job of cleaning. It needs cleaning too. Jim says he thinks that Roxie thinks that it is another animal. He cleaned it out the other day, put it back in its perch and Roxie ran over and smelled it't behind.

Have a nice Wednesday.

Mary

Bible Study this morning. That was the only time that I ventured off of Hunters Glen Drive.

Chelsea and I did go for a walk at about 7:30AM. I am really glad that Dick and I decided that walking in the dark in winter is really not too wise. It is so much nicer to be able to see where we are going and to be aware of icy spots.

Aside from that, we bottled some wine today. The beaujolais. It was a five gallon batch and the initial taste is good. Beaujolais is probably my favorite red. Maybe because, unlike most reds, it can be served chilled.

Tomorrow we shop and I go to see Dr. Casey the chiropractor. That is quite enough. I want to quilt one of the baby quilts for the At Risk Babies at Children's Hospital. I have the top all done and have picked the backing and pined the two to the batting. One step at a time.

Have a nice Tuesday.

Love

Mary

When I drove to church this morning the temperature was -2. It warmed up to 21 by this afternoon however, and Chelsea and I had a very nice walk when it did. Then, right after her walk, she got really hyper. She ran around like a crazy dog and we had a heck of a time settling her down.

Went shooting. My average for the three was pretty good. My first one was the best - a 61 but the others were in the upper 40s so I am happy.

Tonight we went to a new Thai restuarant. We were very pleased, I had a chicken veggie dish with a peanut curry sauce and pork rice. I tried fried bananas and was not impressed with them, but I sure liked the rice and chicken. We WILL go back. They were very friendly and the service was good to go along with the food.

Mother sent a picture of Great Grandpa and Grandma Uelman with all their children, including, of course, Grandma Matie Bowser. What a handsome group and what a great picture. I am having Jim scan it and if it scans well, I will copy it for the brothers and sisters. Grandma sure was a beautiful woman. I can see why Grandpa John fell for her.

I talked to Barbara last night. She and Bart were worried about us because of all the snow reports and I think they secretly wanted to gloat a bit because they are out of all of this. It is "cold" there now. They are getting temperatures in the 40s. Last week, they had to go to Oklahoma City for some medicine for Bart and he went with her to a quilt show. She said that he got a little bored but was interested in the things that the embroidery machines can do and was very patient. He is doing well most days and is content. I just want my boys and girls to be happy and content.

A friend is someone who knows
the song in your heart
and can sing it back to you
when you have forgotten
the words.;

-- Unknown



Sing the song in your heart and if you are blessed, someone will hear.

Mary

When I opened the back door this morning for Chelsea to go outside, the snow was higher that her. She valiantly leaped over the drift and bounced about like Pepe Le Pew for a bit but I had to clear a little spot for her to go potty. It is pretty hard to do your duty when your buried up to your tummy in snow.

Eventually, when Jim did the snow blowing, he cleared a spot on the grass so she has a bit of a spot to roll around on and run a little bit.

Thank heaven, they cancelled that quilting class and we didn't have to itgo anywhere at all today. We had planned on going out for Thai food but are putting that off until tomorrow. Dick's made chili yesterday so we had that for supper. He really outdid himself this time. It is DELICIOUS.

Sunday the weather should be better, after it warms up from the 5 degrees that it is supposed to get down to. Bobbie, Jim and I will go shooting in the afternoon. I am kind of holding my scores in the mid forty to upper fifties so am much better than last year. Now if my wrist and elbow hold out I will be fine. I now have a Rhine Plymouth Sweatshirt and Hat so I think I will wear them tomorrow.

Haven't heard from any of the out of twon kids lately. I miss their voices and the news. I guess that all is OK and I will call them eventually.

Have a nice Sunday.

Mary

Dick and I went to see the movie Phantom of the Opera today. Mother had seen a review that stated that it was not good at all. We disagreed. The movie has been adapted for the big screen and has a slightly different slant and impact than the stage production, but the music is just as big and the singing was wonderful. We are very glad that we went.

Then we drove out to take Mother a birthday card. She is 89 today. She said her day was perfect. She stayed home and people came to her. Randy and Donna brought her a hamburger from Dairy Queen for lunch and ate with her. Mary Margaret, Eileen's daughter, stopped in for a few minutes and then Dick and I came. She got cards and calls from lots of people and beautiful pink roses from Nora. She said she might just end up with a big head from all the wonderful complements and good wishes. We told her, why not.

Dick is making chili today for the weekend. Actually, we are going to a Thai restaurant tomorrow. We want to try Thai food and Paulette, a friend at Mead Library, recommends a restaurant on Michigan Avenue. I'll let you know. It will be an adventure as none of us have had Thai food before. Paulette informed Jim that he will be able to get food as spicy hot as he wants there. We will see. He likes it so hot that his ears turn red and his eyes water. (Not me.) I just like to try new kinds of food.

George W. Bush is sworn in as our president for his second term. I hope all goes well. I hope he doesn't expand the war. I hope he is wise about Social Security.
I wish they hadn't spent so much money on the festivities.

I did notice that all the former presidents except for Ford were on the platform during the ceremony. I hope that Ford is OK. We do not hear anything about him at all.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a quilting day for me. The Quilt Guild had planned a Local Talent day and I had signed up for a couple of workshops. However, as we are supposed to be getting up to 6 inches of snow (maybe more) over night, they have cancelled. So now I have to find things to amuse myself. And I intend to do it here at home. I am thinking of possibly trying to quilt one of the baby quilts for At Risk children. We will see.

Anyway , have a nice Saturday and let me know how you are all doing.

Love

Mary

It snowed for hours this morning, I would guess at least two inches. I took my walk after it got light. Chelsea's feet bothered her so we cut the last leg off the trek but she was still a happy girl.

Then we went shopping and when we got back, I TURNED ON THE ROOMBA and it vacuumed the main part of the living room. It is really fun to watch and it does a nice job. While I was at choir, Dick did the dining area. He said it got out of the area he thought he had designated at least once but we are still working on the virtual walls and all that.

I got a prayer request from my brother that is from a serviceman in Iraq who will be delivering voting machines at the end of the month. I will post it here and will also be passing it on the any areas, such as church, and my bible study. Please share it also.



These are America's sons and daughters who are on the line during this
election. God's speed.

Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 12:02 PM

Prayer request from Iraq

Captain Lyle Shackelford
Battalion Chaplain
HHD, 57th Transportation Battalion

As a transportation battalion, my unit will be delivering the voting
machines and the ballots to villages and cities throughout Iraq during
the upcoming elections. (January 30/31) Our convoys are prime targets
for the insurgents because they do not want the equipment to arrive at
the polling stations nor do they want the local Iraqi citizens to have
the chance to vote; timely delivery must occur so that the elections
occur. Encourage your friends and family members and those within our
churches to pray specifically for the electoral process. Historically,
the previous totalitarian regime would not allow individual citizens to
vote. Democracy will not be realized in Iraq if intelligent and
competent officials are not elected to those strategic leadership
positions within the emerging government; freedom will not have an
opportunity to ring throughout this country if the voting process fails.
Announce this prayer request to your contacts throughout your churches,
neighborhoods, and places of business. Those with leadership roles
within the local church post this message in as many newsletters and
bulletins as possible. There is unlimited potential for God's presence
in this process but if we do not pray then our enemy will prevail (See
Ephesians 6:10-17) A prayer vigil prior to the end of the month may be
an innovative opportunity for those within your sphere of influence to
pray. This is a political battle that needs spiritual intervention. A
powerful story about God's intervention in the lives of David's mighty
men is recorded in 2 Samuel 23:8-33. David and his warriors were
victorious because of God's intervention. We want to overcome those who
would stand in the way of freedom. David's mighty men triumphed over
incredible odds and stood their ground and were victorious over the
enemies of Israel. (Iraqi insurgents' vs God's praying people). They
don't stand a chance.

I will pray with my soldiers before they leave on their convoys and
move outside our installation gates here at Tallil. My soldiers are at
the nerve center of the logistic operation to deliver the voting
machines and election ballots. They will be driving to and entering the
arena of the enemy. This is not a game for them it is a historical
mission that is extremely dangerous. No voting machines or ballots. No
elections. Your prayer support and God's intervention are needed to give
democracy a chance in this war torn country. Thank you for reading this
e-mail. Please give this e-mail a wide dissemination.

Thank you for your prayer support for me and my family. Stand firm in
your battles.



All my love

Mary

Dick and I have been "wining" this week. We bottled a batch of Luna Bianca, a chardonnay type on Monday. We will never be able to dupicate this. It was a 6 gallon kit and we measured wrong, then had to top off with a purchased chardonnay. I IS really tasty and quite hearty so it really is a shame that it is one of a kind.

Today we filtered the Bougolais. It looks great and we should be able to bottle that on Saturday or Sunday.

It was in the 20s today, so Chelsea and I had our walk this morning. We waited until it was light and the plows had come through. There was a snowfall last night of one to two inches, much less than predicted. We were not unhappy about that at all.

I finished putting Christmas away today. Kind of sad, isn't it. The tree and lights are still in the livingroom until Dick can get them down. Tomorrow we are going to start the Roomba and see how it works upstairs. The den really looks great so we are expecting great things. I did tell you that the animals seem to accept the unit as another non-threatening creature that we've added to our zoo.

Tomorrow we shop and I have choir in the evening. So the day will be busy.

Have a good one yourself

Love

Mary

This morning started off at 0 degrees again. But by 2:00 it had risen to 18 so Chelsea and I went for our first walk in five days. Boy was that girl ready. She ran the whole way and sniffed and marked all the best spots.

Now it is windy as can be and snowing - we may get up to 3 inches. Dick and I do not have to go anywhere tomorrow anyway, but it is always a worry that Jim has to be driving home after midnight.

I finally got all the ornaments off the tree today. Tomorrow, I will pack everything else still Christmas that remains, dust and put out the other stuff.

The second Roomba arrived today and Jim has it charging. We will have to Roomba-proof the room and then let it loose. The one downstairs if really making a difference. No cat hair at all any more.

Another good resolution from Bob Hostetler in Women's Day.

Pray for Strangers.

Sounds good. It is easy to pray for friends and family but maybe strangers don't have anybody.

Love

Mary

Still cold today. It only got up to 4 degrees that I was aware of. However - the sun was shining and all is right with the world. Tomorrow, the temperatures are supposed to climb up in to the 20s and Chelsea and I will be able to walk again. She is so off schedule and really in need of a good trek.

We had our bible study this morning. We got half through discussing 1 Corinthian 7. We really got hung up because it is so hard to sort everything out. We are so grateful for the wonderful commentary. The thing about Paul's writings is that if you don't understand the times he lived in and the place and people he is writing about and for he sounds very harsh. From what I am learning, though he was himself very set on celebacy and all, he isn't really anti woman or marriage, as it seems if you just read the letters. It is interesting to know that in Paul's time, slavery was perfectly acceptable (slaves were told to accept their lives) and women were the property of men. Wow, sure glad we have progressed. Anyway, a lot to talk about.

The cheesecake was wonderful. You can find it on the Kraft site, but I will save you the trouble as I am sure they won't care. I cut calories by using a combination of low and no fat cream cheese and it tastes great.

TRIPLE CITRUS CHEESECAKE

1 cup HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. grated lime peel
1 tsp. grated orange peel



PREHEAT oven to 325°F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 300°F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Mix crumbs, brown sugar and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
BEAT cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients; pour over crust.
BAKE 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.




KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS


Size It Up
Sweets can add enjoyment to a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions.

How To Avoid Cracked Cheesecakes
After adding the eggs, be careful not to overbeat the batter since this can cause the baked cheesecake to crack.






NUTRITION INFORMATION



Nutrition (per serving)

Calories 340

Total fat 24g

Saturated fat 15g

Cholesterol 120mg

Sodium 310mg

Carbohydrate 25g

Dietary fiber 1g

Sugars 19g

Protein 6g

Vitamin A 15%DV

Vitamin C 2%DV

Calcium 6%DV

Iron


Yummy Yummy

Mary

The Adult Choir sang with the Kindercore (The Kids) this morning at Mass and it was powerful. We sang Go Light Your World. I can't describe the song, you have to hear it. That is the thing about music. It is for the ears ( and the heart.) Anyway we were Good!

Then I went with Bobbie and Jim to shoot pistol. Pretty good again. I had a 43 and two in the 50s. Steady anyway and I will keep working at it.

Tonight we are going to watch the Golden Globes. That is one of the more entertaining of the award shows. We can also watch the Roomba if Jim turns it on. He thinks that the cats think it is just another animal that we have brought into the house. It moves around and doesn't hurt and they have to move aside from it occasionally. They have to do that with Chelsea - so what is new?

We are still having the intense cold. It got all the way up to 7 degrees today. This is supposed to last for at least one more day and then warm up a bit. Chelsea will be happy. She doesn't understand why we are not walking. I am sure that she does not associate lack of walks with sore feet. If she is out too long, her poor little feet hurt. The rest of her is fine as she has that beautiful warm coat. I keep telling her that I don't have a fur coat so cannot stay out as long as she can.

We will be having the Triple Citrus Cheesecake in a few minutes. If it is good you will get the recipe tomorrow. It is from Kraft. Otherwise, you won't hear another word about it from me.

May the wind be at your back til we connect again.

Mary

It never got over 7 degrees today. Started out just below zero and inched its way up. I did my walking on the treadmill this morning. I just didn't want to go two days without my walk. It is not much fun down in the basement staring at the walls. Well, we have at least two more days of this bitter cold ahead of us accordint to the forecasts. Kind of makes us wish we had someplace to go during these cold months. I wouldn't mind being a snowbird.

We went to see the Classical Mystery Tour at the Weill Center tonight. I had purchased two tickets for Dick at Christmas. The "Beatles" were very authentic and sang two hours of Beatle music, backed by the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra. One of them was a Huntington Beach native. Pretty exciting. They came back for four encores which was really special. They encouraged us to sing and sway along on the choruses. Randy and Donna were there too. (Randy is my youngest brother for those of you who might not know that.) Randy has ALWAYS been a Beatles fan.

Here is my poem about Winter. I feel this way now.

CRANKY OLD MAN



Cranky old man sucks joy out of the world.
Cold and harsh is his way.
Life pulls in to the ground, away from his fury
As Winter marches in, cold and forbidding.
Snow covers ground, trying to protect,
To shield the earth from his wrath

Some of God’s creatures sleep away his reign.
Some flee South before his rage.
Some timidly creep out to search for food.
Cold and hungry they nip at weeds and tree bark,
While struggling to survive
Then rush back to shelter among the trees.

Cranky old man stays much too long.
The earth sleeps and gains the strength.
To finally answer the call of sun and light
And dare to bring color back to the world.
Winter grows empty and weak
And falls before the strength and joy of Spring.

Tomorrow the choir sings at the 10:30AM. Then Jim, Bobbie and I are going pistol shooting at Rhine Plymouth.

Have a good Sunday yourself.

Mary

Cold! Cold! Cold! It never go above 4 degrees today. Needless to say, Chelsea and I did not walk today. She did not object but was rather confused. I let her out OFTEN.

Went to Plymouth for lunch with the gals despite the cold. Dairy Queen has a mushroom Swiss burger that is delicious. Ceil gave me a .50 coupon, so I tried it and liked it. It was a break from my usual Sheboygan County Fair Grilled Cheese.

Blessed Trinity had a second collection at the weekend masses to be sent to Catholic Charities for the Tsunami victims. I have always said that the people of Blessed Trinity are really a generous bunch. Gary Henderson said that the monies collected amounted to over $6000. Give us a need and we respond.

I read something by a Bob Hostetler in the January Family Circle. He have suggestions for New Year Resolutions and this was a good one. Give something away every day (or once a week, if that's too challenging). It could be money, but it doesn't have to be. A smile, a compliment or a helping hand will do just fine.

It is really fun to give things away and we have SO much. I am snug in our warm friendly home and feel so sorry for the homeless or those without the means to keep warm.

You keep warm and try giving something every day.

I give you friendship.

Mary

I gave a very short speech at the St. Mary Home and School meeting tonight, relating my experiences at St. Mary WAY back in 1951 through 1954. The thing is that there is a proposal to extend the school gradually back to a K through 8. (Actually I started when the school was new, as a 6th grader and graduated from 8th grade. Then as years went by they dropped the last two grades.) There is also a proposal to combine classes as the classes are so small. As I am the product of combined classes, I was able to relate my experiences in this also. The parents were smiley faces as I spoke so we should be OK.

Then there was choir. So it was a busy evening. I am dabbling a bit in the bell choir too.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be Friday already. I have no plans beyond lunch with the Plymouth ladies at Dairy Queen. If it is as cold as they say it will be I may have soup or chili for lunch. Jim will not be home for dinner until Sunday. We had leftover chicken and stuffing today and will have Kraft Dinner with ring bologna tomorrow.

I am making a cheesecake though. I am still experimenting for the cheesecake contest they have in Sheboygan Falls every year. So far the winner is the Bunratty Poteen Upside Down Double Chocolate. But I am going to try a triple citrus this weekend. It calls for Orange, Lemon and Lime juice and zests. Sounds super refreshing.

If it is good, I will share the recipe on Sunday.

Mother and I were updating some notes that I wrote about the various places that Grandma and Grandpa lived during their marriage. She was remembering Uncle Henry, my Grandma Bowser's younger brother, who was a veteran of WWI and died at King Hospital here in Wisconsin a few years ago. He was such a courtly man and made a woman feel like a lady. He was married to my Grandpa Bowser's sister Clare. Poor Uncle Henry was surrounded by women. For some time Henry and Clare ran a B & B type of place in New Prospect where they put people up and took them on tours of the Kettles and stuff. I guess that Henry's sisters in law, Genevieve, Lenore and/or Jo were involved in it also and really drove poor Henry crazy, surrounded by all tese women.

Anyway I have a few changes to make in my notes and must remember to correct Grandma's birth place to New Prospect. We are also pretty sure that they would have been married there, as people usually marry in the bride's home church and even more so then.

An old Chilean proverb says: Why should a man without a head want a hat?


Love

Mary

We ended up going twice for Dick's doctor's appointment. We got there this morning and Dr. Schwalbach had been called to the hospital for an emergency. They were able to reschedule for this afternoon. As we said, we would hope he would come immediately if Dick needed him too. All is stable. He said we should continue as we have been and come back in six months. We have to try to get a bit more exercizing in, which is difficult as Dick's back and hips hurt with very little exertion and I can understand his reluctance to push it. Dr. Schwalbach suggested water walking. Dick said he would consider it but I wonder. We will see. I will mention it in a day or two.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I got all my computer and church stuff caught up. Tonight I can sew while I watch LOST.

Jim got a Roomba ( the robotic vacuum) and we are having fun watching it move around the den. The animals seem mildly interested but not alarmed. Actually, I don't know if Oscar has seen it yet. He seems to be staying upstairs though.

It was up in the upper 30s today and rained most of the day so the snow is melting very fast. More preciptition on the way and then the temperatures are going to drop to single digets and below zero. Think of us. I understand that my California readers are going to get a respite from all their rain. What a tragedy in that massive mudslide.

Have a nice Thursday

Love

Mary

Another busy day. I helped take down Christmas in church today. How sad. I got there at about 9:30 after I went grocery shopping and I had to leave at about 12:00 when Dick called because the Sears Repair person was coming earlier than the 1:00 to 5:00 window they had projected.

I needed to be there, because I do the dishwashing. We had a female repairperson who just loves animals. She always tries to get Chelsea to come up to her. Chelsea is not the cuddliest doggy in the world and only puts up with me after 7 years because she has come to understand that I expect it. But I don't push it either.

This woman, Jan, is delighted to see the kitties too but for some reason, Roxie doesn't like her. Both times, when Jan has pets Roxie and she meows and eventually hisses at her. I can't quite figure out why. Roxie is usually pretty friendly. On New Years Day, she walked up to Mother and introduced herself, which we thought was very nice of her.

We racked the Marigold wine today. I have to suck to tube to get the flow going, so I always get a little taste. It is still one of my favorite scratch wines. It will be ready for tasting in late July, I would guess and be REALLY ripe in January of 2006. Patience is the name of the game. If you want to try it, let me know.

A month from tomorrow is the 28th Annual Deeley Wild Game Dinner and Beer Tasting Contest. I will be bringing venison stew this year. I finally have found a good stew recipe and it is fantastic with venison as the meat. The feast will be hosted by Kurt and Jody Thuemmler, my sister Dolores's son and wife. For those of you that may not know. The winner of the beer tasting contest hosts the following year's event. A very efficient system. We are all plugging for Kathy, Jeff's wife. She has valiantly competed for lo these many years and REALLY wants her name on that trophy.

Have a good Wednesday


Mary

We regrouped for bible study today. It was good to get back. We are still studying Corinthians and are finding it challenging.

Then this afternoon, I went to Writer's Club. I read a story that I wrote. I don't often finish stories. I got good feedback. One of the other writers called it riviting. I entered it in a contest, so we will see what happens.

When I got home, I was really tired. It is hard to get revved up when you have two events during the day.

Tomorrow is not much better. I will be shopping, then going to help take the Christmas decorations down at church, then waiting for the Sears Repairman. We bought a new dishwasher last year because we were not happy with the old one. This one is worse. BUT we have a 5 year service contract, so they will be coming out here until it is right.

This morning when Chelsea and I stepped out for our walk. I found a thin vaneer of ice covering all paved surfaces. Needless to say, we walked on the edges of the road and driveway, just long enough for her to accomplish those things that good doggies do outside. She is funny when there is ice all over. She falls a lot but just bounces up and continues on her way. She does not have very far to go you know. I, on the other hand, worry about broken limbs. It got up to the mid 20s today. You in warm climates can smirk if you wish. We will get up to the forties tomorrow and the next day, I hear. Then the temps will plummett to sub zero again on Friday and Saturday.

Dave Matthews said."You lean on me and I'll lean on you and we'll be OK."

That reminds me of the first time Bret went to a movie with out me. The school had a special afternoon movie, so my neighbor and I took Bret and Chip and dropped them off at the door. They were about 7. On the way in they kind of huddled against each other for courage. When we picked them up, they had "grown up." They were "Cool." They pranced out of the theatre like big guys. Another little step towards independence.

It is funny how you remember these teeny little milestones.

Have a good Wednesday.

Love

Mary

Packers got smacked badly today by the Vikings. Ich!!! It was not a fun game and I finally did something else for the last quarter. It was just too painful.

The rest of the day was fine. The choir sang at the 10:30AM Mass. That was fun and I brought my Spiderweb stitchery to share with Mother and Mary Bainbridge. They liked it so that made me feel good.

I have spent the rest of the evening watching the People's Choice Awards and trying to find a needle in a haystack - a picture of the eigth grade graduating class of 1954 from St. Mary School in Sheboygan Falls. I am speaking to the Home and School Meeting on Thursday at St. Mary School about going there through eighth grade and also about my experiences with combined classes. These are two proposals for St. Mary for next year to help keep the school practical.

I guess that is really all for today. Going through those pictures really brings back memories. Pictures of my babies and the pets and friends and places and things that are not in any order at all. Do you have that kind of a memory pool? I found things from Aunt Helen's house that I did not even know I had. I have rememberence cards from MY great Uncle Oscar Ziegler's ordination commemorating his first Mass dated 1904 and 1919. Wow.

A quote from Ellis Peters - Cadfael

There is a right place for every soul under the sun.

Remember that you are special and have a place under the sun too.
Mary

I went to the Pampered Chef Party today at Becky's and bought "lots" of stuff. I still have things I want to get but soon enough another party will come along. I know that my sister-in-law Donna's sister, Shirley is having one in the summer and Donna can bring me. I got stoneware muffin tins, bamboo pinchers, a paring knife and some really good spatulas.

Randy, Jeff and Bryon were putting Mom's washer and dryer in while we were Pampered Chefing. They hope to get it done today but may have a few finishing touches before she can use it. We will feel much more secure when she does not have to go up and down those stairs to do her wash. So will her neighbors. She has the nicest neighbors and they worry about her too.

St. Louis just beat Seattle in the first wildcard playoff game. I sure was pleased and it was a nail biter. Tomorrow the Packers play Minnesota in our (hopefully) first playoff.

I am going to wind down for the night. I have to watch TV in the bedroom. I want to watch a movie that noone else does.

Have a nice evening.

Love

Mary

The Blessed Trinity Paris Council holiday party was tonight. Almost everyone was there and it was a pleasant night with great hor d'oeurves and good company.

This noon I had lunch out in Plymouth with the Wells Fargo people. We had not seen each other before Christmas so had a lot of catching up to do.

Aside from that I cleaned the kitchen and spent the rest of the time playing catch up on my desk. Paperwork had been piling up. I should be all caught up by Monday when the next batch comes in.

Tomorrow we will be filtering the Gewertziminer wine and I am going to a Pampered Chef party at Becky (my neice's) house. I have been kind of hoping for a Pampered Chef party. They are fun and I do like their product. I had purchased a bread baking tube at one a few years ago. I finally got out the directions, found out that you use refrigerated bread dough and just spray the tube. I was always afraid to use it because I had visions of the bread getting stuck in the tube and chipping it out. Anyway I got brave and baked a loaf the other day. It is very interesting shaped round scalloped bread, a little dense, but tasty and it did NOT stick. You are also supposed to be able to make things like rice crispy candy and cut it into pretty shapes.

Well, Chelsea is getting very tired, so I think I will wrap this up. Sleep well and keep in mind the Old English night prayer. "From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night, dear Lord, deliver us."

Mary

Hello again. The snows came. We got at least 4 inches overnight and Chelsea is happy. You can tell she is getting older though. When she was young, she would hop and run through the snow like Pepe Le Pew. Now she tries to find less deep snow patches to run in so she doesn't get so tired. But she still loves it.

Schools were cancelled and also choir practice tonight. However, we did have our parish council meeting. I think it was productive. Underlying currents of dissention are still eddying and probably always will. I just hope we can get past them as a church family. There was a lot of enthusiasm about a lot of the items brought up, such as the school, future clustering with St. John Kohler and the condition and future repairs on the buildings and grounds. Fr. Gene said he would work with me to establish a mission group for Fr. Mike Shea and his AIDS kids. I got an e-mail from Fr. Mike. He and his associate went to the affected area and offered to take any AIDS orphans that need to be cared for.

I promised a picture of my Spiderweb wall hanging. I FINISHED today and took the picture which really turned out well. So (drum roll.) HERE IT IS.







Love

Mary

I finished the spiderweb wall hanging today. Tomorrow I will try to take a picture and put it on the blog for you all to see. I hope the picture does it justice.

Tonight I went out to the Rhine Plymouth club house and helped put the prime coat on the walls. Since Bobbie and I joined, they have been doing lots of repairs and redecorating. The main room walls and ceilings are now off white and look great. The room looks bigger and fresh. Tomorrow another crew will put the final coat on.

Tomorrow we shop, then quiet. But in the evening I have council AND choir. Those double duty nights are a little rough. Friday, the council party will occur at the rectory. Dick is really "thrilled". I have to bring an hor d'oeurves. I think I have a Market Day something that I can fix easily on Friday afternoon.

I read the following in the Reader's Digest. "I fear that one day I'll meet God, he'll sneeze, and I won't know what to say." Ronnie Shakes


Have a nice Thursday.

This was a quiet but busy day. The temperatures were in the mid 20s but it was still so fairly comfortable. Chelsea and I enjoyed our morning walk, but it was cold enough that I was getting eager for spring or a warm climate by the time dark came.

I am paying all the bills this month. Dick has me do this once a year so I keep my hand in. I am really glad that he usually does it, but do know that I need to be aware. He provides a nice instruction sheet.

Tonight, Bobbie and I went to the Rhine Plymouth meeting tonight. It was rather uneventful. Actually, I had not been out to the club since late November when pistol league ended. A new league starts on Friday. I have to go the the parish council party then so will have to catch up either Sunday or the following Friday.

Guess that is all the excitement. Tomorrow will be just as thrilling.

Just a little quote from Winnie the Pooh

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.


Pray for all the lost and their families in the tsunami area. Pray especially for all those that are working so hard to bring them relief.



Love

Mary

A kind of busy easy going day today. The temperatures were in the mid 20s but it was still and therefore did not feel too cold. However, Chelsea really asked to go out more than I thought was necessary and I was wishing for spring by evening.

Tonight Bobbie and I went to the Rhine Plymouth meeting. It was rather uneventful and actually the first time I had been out to the club since late November when the pistol league ended. A new league starts this Friday. I have to go to a parish council party that evening, so will have to start either on Sunday or the following Friday. I definitly want to participate again, as I am getting better and want to continue to improve.

This is the month that Dick has decided that I should pay the bills so if he is ever unable, I will know what to do. It is a very good idea, but a real pain. I like him to do it. He really has things set up very nicely and even gave me an instruction sheet.




And remember a quote from Winnie the Pooh

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.

Love

Mary

A kind of busy easy going day today. The temperatures were in the mid 20s but it was still and therefore did not feel too cold. However, Chelsea really asked to go out more than I thought was necessary and I was wishing for spring by evening.

Tonight Bobbie and I went to the Rhine Plymouth meeting. It was rather uneventful and actually the first time I had been out to the club since late November when the pistol league ended. A new league starts this Friday. I have to go to a parish council party that evening, so will have to start either on Sunday or the following Friday. I definitly want to participate again, as I am getting better and want to continue to improve.

This is the month that Dick has decided that I should pay the bills so if he is ever unable, I will know what to do. It is a very good idea, but a real pain. I like him to do it. He really has things set up very nicely and even gave me an instruction sheet.




And remember a quote from Winnie the Pooh

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.

Love

Mary

The streets were no longer slippery this morning. It was wet but not slick. I went a bit early so I could walk Mother over to church. Fr. Gene decided to have just one Mass this morning. Instead of two. Usually we have an 8:00AM and a 10:30AM. He decided to have just a 9:30AM. The trouble is that he does not announce these things from the pulpit the week before. It IS in the bulletin but not everyone reads that from cover to cover, especially the Sunday Mass schedule which so seldom changes. Frankly, I had not read the schedule myself. The only reason I knew is because I discussed it with Mother and we figured it out. As we were leaving there were tons of people driving into the lot. I am afraid there will really be a ruckus about it.

The Packers played the Bears today in their last regular season game. They won as expected. (The poor Bears are really bad this year, I don't know how they beat us the first time we played, but it was early in the season and we were really struggling then.) Actually their quarterback got sacked NINE times. Dick heard that the first playoff game will be against the Vikings. BOO!!!! HISS!!! He heard that that would be the third game they play against each other this season.

A story that was e-mailed to me the other day, for your amusement.

A priest, a Pentecostal preacher and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the experience.

Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first. "Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he claimed, "WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to him from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to rassle. We rassled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a crick. So I quick DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the week in fellowship, feasting on God's Holy Word, and praising Jesus."

They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. He was in bad shape. The rabbi looks up and says, "You fellows don't even know what trouble is until you try to circumcise a bear."

Love

Mary

We had Mother over for dinner this evening. Always a pleasure. The Schlitzhagen and the blueberry pie were both very good. Jim and I took her home at about 7:00PM. As it turned out, we picked a good time. There is a freezing rain out there and by the time we got to her house it was quite slick. I was glad that Jim was there to help Mother, because she needed help getting into the house.

Since we are home, Jim has been listening to the scanner and reporting every so often on salt trucks that are stuck out there at the bottom of hills unable to even get back to the lot. A warm spell is supposed to be coming in over night so we should be able to walk and drive by morning. It is good to be safe and secure on a night like this.

Just a note to usher in the New Year. Helen Keller said, "No effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."

Pray for the living in the Tsumami area. Bless the rescuers and speed them on their mission of hope and relief.

Love

Mary

I am trying to post early because it is New Year's Eve and I want to post a picture of the duplicate ball that drops on New Year's Eve in Time's Square. When Bart and Barb and I were in Ireland, we went on a tour of the Waterford Factory, they keep duplicates of everything they make and have that duplicate on display and lighted. It is really a beautiful thing.



One last note on Reggie White. In the glory years, the year of the Superbowl win in 1997, I was still working, of course, and we had a holiday party after Christmas at a hotel, I believe in Appleton. We all came in Packer Gear. I had to buy something because I had nothing. I ended up with a Reggie 92 Jersey. I wore green jeans, a gold turtleneck and the Jersey and won a really nice Packer throw, because "everybody was mistaking me for Reggie." Still have the throw. It is in the den with all the other Packer stuff, such as the Packer Care Bear and Packer troll to bring us luck during the games.

Sunday is the last regular game. Then the playoffs.

Happy New Year.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!


Mary

Dick had his appointment to have his blood checked today and it is finally back within the parameters that they want it. For the first year, after they discovered the irregular heartbeat, we had the count just perfect and then about 6 weeks ago it went just a teensy bit high. Sue, the nurse in charge, adjusted the medicine dose and we are now perfect again. Nice to end the year that way.

One more day left in 2004. The death count in Asia keeps climbing and climbing. I keep praying and we sent a bit in care of the Red Cross to hopefully help a bit. The numbers are staggering.

Reggie White was buried today. How sad for his family. His children are still so young, a daughter in high school. I am glad that I have my Reggie 92 Jersey. The last regular Packer game is against Chicago, Sunday. They have already cinched a playoff seat so it really doesn't matter but we had BETTER beat Chicago. We lost the first game with them and they are really BAD this year. People say that Bret should not play to "save" him for the playoffs. I found it interesting that he said that he does not understand "saving" people who are healthy and doing well for a later game. He does love to play football.

Gloria Vanderbilt said "Have great, secret, big, fat hopes for yourself."

Sounds good to me. You must all do that.

Love

Mary

Lunch with my classmates was so nice. There were 10 of us at the Firehouse, including two spouses. Lorraine Schmitt Schaap, Bob Guse, Diana Brown Jurista, Nancy Gallagher Roehre, Ken and Barb Richter, Joe and Sharon Ehren, Elaine Evanoff and me. Not too bad on three days notice. The Firehouse is always a good place to go. The food is tasty and the atmosphere is pleasant.

After lunch, I stopped at Mother's for just a few minutes. The guys have started the work necessary to intall the washer/dryer we got for her.

I am very tired tonight so this will be short. Only two more days left in 2005. We are spending a quiet evening here at home. We invited Mother for dinner on New Years Day. I am fixing Schlitzhagen with mashed potatoes. I need to decide what to have for dessert.

Did I ever tell you the Schlitzhagen story? Years ago, Dad was a good friend of a man named Fitzpatrick, who owned Fitz's Tavern on Broadway in Sheboygan Falls. They had a bowling alley in the basement and served dinners. Their chicken dinners were very good I guess. Anyway, Fitz asked Dad if he had any use for chicken broth. They preboiled their chicken for the dinners they served and had buckets of the stuff that was otherwise just tossed. Dad would occasionally bring a bucket home and Mother became very inventive.

One of the recipes was Schlitzhagen. She would mix up a meatloaf mixture, roll it into meatballs, flour and brown the meatballs and drop into the hot chicken broth and cook til the meatballs were cooked through. It is just great over mashed potatoes or noodles. We called it Schlitzhagen. Schlitz because the broth came from a bar and Hagen because we liked the sound of it.

Have a nice Thursday.

Love

Mary

Dick commented today that my haircut and my chiropractic appointment cost exactly the same. I did both today.

The weather was comfortable - in the mid 20s and not at all windy. Chelsea and I both enjoyed our walk this morning. The little vixen talked Jim into taking her out at 5:15AM then woke me up acting pathetic at 5:55AM. What a faker.

Tomorrow, I am going to have lunch with some friends. I got an e-mail from Diana Brown Jurista, a gal that I graduated from eighth grade with. We also both were in the group of young girls who all went to the School Sisters of St. Francis Convent in St. Francis WI right out of grade school. Actually 13 girls from Sheboygan Falls went to the convent in a three year period. None of us are still there. Sister Rosanne was our religious education teacher while we were very young. We all admired her so much that we literally migrated to the sisterhood. At that time, they let girls come as Freshmen in high school. After a year our two we found that we were not suited for the life after all. At least that was my experience. We were much too young and eventually, they realized this.

Anyway, Diana is visiting tomorrow and wondered if we could get together.

Lorraine, another classmate, and myself, contacted all of the members of the 8th grade class that we could and there will be at least five or six of us there. Not bad on such short notice. We were the first to graduate from St. Mary's Catholic Grade School 50 years ago.

Friends after all these years. Pretty special.

I read something in a catalog that I think is funny.

If it has tires or testicles, it's gonna give you trouble.


Enjoy

Mary

What a Sunday. First the news of the tsunami in Asia. Death tolls are still rising. I e-mailed Fr. Mike Shea, my cousin, who has a mission in Thailand. First, I checked the location of his school and orphanage in relationship to the west coast and found that the mission is far north and east. He sent a blanket message to us and I know that they are OK but that the death and devastation is awful. I am so relieved that he and the 0ver 100 children he has under his care are OK.

Then the word came that Reggie White, the retired Packer #92, died suddenly at the age of only 43. What a shock. He helped lead the Packers to the Super Bowl in 1997. I always admired him. Some of his ideas were a bit odd, but he was a sincere Christian, who became a practicing minister and wore his faith proudly.

My fondest memory is the following. During those glory Super Bowl years, our grandkids, Sara and Nora went up to Green Bay with the Recreation Department to watch a practice. At that time, they were probably 6 and 8. Nora was a teeny little blond thing and Reggie at 6' 5" , 304 pounds must have looked like a true giant next to her. Anyway when they came back, Nora was wide eyed with wonder and told us in a trembling, awe struck voice. "Reggie White touched my hand."

I am going to try a picture again.



Have a good Tuesday and let me know if you see the picture.

Mary

It was kind of warm today, all the way up to 22 degrees. WOW. We had a dusting of snow too and Chelsea was in her glory. She kept thinking of excuses to go out so she could roll in the snow.

Church was nice this morning. It was the feast of the Holy Family and Fr. Gene talked on the value of our families. We need to be sure to let our children AND the other members of our family circle know how we value them.

We had a nice visit with Dick and Brenda before they headed back to Madison.

The rest of the day was just laid back and goofing off. I rested and did a bit of sewing and puttered on the computer. Tomorrow is soon enough to get back on the fast track.

There was an announcement at Mass this morning that there is a desperate need for bedding, so I went through our closets and found a couple of blankets and quilts and sheets and pillowcases that we have not used in years and probably never will. So, Dick and I will drop them off at the church tomorrow. I shudder at the thought of anybody being cold when we have so much.

I understand that pictures have not been coming through recently. Jim just fixed it and tomorrow will be the BIG test. Look forward to a picture tomorrow. I am just too tired tonight.

Only five more days til the New Year.

Love

Mary

Christmas is almost over. We have eaten the meal, exchanged the gifts and are settled down to a nice quiet visiting time.

I talked to Bart and Barb this morning, Bret this afternoon, and Leslie, Bill, Sara and Nora this evening. It is good to hear those voices since we cannot physically be together for hugs and sharing.

Dinner was very good and I DO recommend the Guy Pie. Everyone loved it and I can see how it won Emeril's contest.

The animals are very tired. Chelsea is hoping that I go to bed soon. Her tail is still bravely curled over her back but whenever she stops moving her eyes start closing. She isn't as young as she used to be.

Santa was very good to us again. We are indeed blessed in all ways. Especially with family that love us and that we love in return.

Stay warm and keep in touch.

Love

Merry Christmas


Mary

Christmas Eve is drawing to a close. The choir sang at Mass tonight. The teen-young adult group joined us and sang before Mass and at communion, so we didn't get to sing out great numbers during Mass. Fortunately, we rehearsed before Mass so most of the attendees heard us sing -Mary Don't You Weep and Peace Peace. It was a nice service anyway and I can stay home ALL day tomorrow which is nice for me.

After Mass I stopped to see Mother and wish her a Merry Christmas. She goes to Eileen's on Christmas, a tradition for many years. This year, for the first time in many years, there will be no children. It is time for more children. We have Mary's little ones about 10 and 8, (Mary is Eileen's daughter). They will be with their father this Christmas day. We have Dolores's Evan and Brandon, who are about 5 and 2. (You do realize that I am talking Mother's Great Grandchildren. We have Denise's children who are about 11 and 5 and mine are 21, 20, 17 and 16. Where are the babies. We need babies. Now, I am not advocating babies without families. (This is the Grandma talking.)

Dick, Jim and I exchanged gifts tonight, as always. I am again bedecked in jewels. The guy s seemed pleased with their gifts. Tomorrow, I get to cook. If anyone wants to join us, I always have plenty. We are having Tomato Tart. An Italian sausage, tomato cheese dish which is to DIE for. For dessert, we are having Guy Pie. Guy Pie was the winner of this year's Emeril pie contest and is banana cream, chocolate, coconut cream pie with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Eat your hearts out if you don't come to partake.

Anyway, Merry Christmas. and I love you all.
Mary

Because I have choir tonight, I am going to post early. It is about 1:30PM and the temperature has risen from 3 degrees this morning to a rousing high of 11 degrees right now. The garage had dropped to 31 degrees. I actually am grateful right now as I look at the snow that is causing such difficulty in many parts of the nation. However, we must be aware, as we snuggle in our warm homes that there are still homeless out there and these snows in some of our usually warm states are likely to be catastrophic. I understand that the shelters are really stretched. I also heard that - in this cold - Chicago did another sweep under the overpass bridges and again found homeless. Seven in fact that they are trying to direct to help.

Many years ago, while I still lived in California, and the boys were three and seven, my ex husband, the boys and I, flew here to Wisconsin for Christmas. It was a wonderful trip BUT I don't think the temperatores were higher that 3 degrees the whole time we were here. When we stepped out of the airport and ran to my sister Nora's car, the boys actually wailed with shock at the cold. Most mornings the temperatures were 15 to 16 below zero. Not many of the homes on the street that I grew up on had garages. Cars were just parked outside and it was quite an adventure in the morning as people got ready to go to work or school. If one person got their car started, they helped jump the others or whatever else worked to get them moving.
My three California boys really got an education and my ex husband did not drive as he was nervious about ice and snow, for good reason.

It was a wonderful Christmas though and a really special memory.

Take care, stay warm and remember those who are less fortunate.

Love

Mary

I am sure that you have all heard the following by now. It has been around for several years. But I will repeat it and expound on it.

THREE WISE WOMEN

Do you know what would have happened if it had been Three Wise Women instead of Three Wise Men?

1. They would have asked directions
2. Arrived on time
3. Helped deliver the baby
4. Cleaned the stable
5. Made a casserole, and
6. Brought practical gifts.


I want to expand on that a bit. I may have told this story before, but it also is worth repeating. My Grandma, Matie Bowser, was quite a women. She died November 1, 1986 just 17 days short of her 93rd birthday. When she died, except for bequests and special requests, we grandchildren were permitted to go and choose things that were meaningful to us.

Years ago, Evanoff's, now Evans, used to sell Nativity scenes in pieces. There were bins of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, animals, shepherds, Wise Men and Angels. Grandma had purchased a small set. This was way before women's lib and the above little story, but Grandma was practical and made a definate statement with her Creche.

It consists of Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, and angel and - -- - - -three Women. Bet your bottom dollar she was making a statement. If a new baby was born in a stable or a barn, the women would have been there to help providing food, and comfort and begging to cuddle the baby.

I have that little Creche in my home now and display it proudly.

Only two more days.

Love
Mary

Three more days til Christmas. We are really counting down now. Today, Dick and I went to Hartland and took two deer hides to be tanned. We had lunch there too. It was a nice drive. Cold of course, but while we were on the road the snow we started with stopped and gradually changed to blue skies and sunshine.


Tomorrow, Chelsea gets her Christmas bath. As I will tell her, she can't be a dirty doggie when company comes. Then I am taking a bunch of clothes and stuff over to St. Vincent and a meal of soup and bran muffins to a friend who is not well. Please pray for my friend. Esther has a heaviness in her chest and has to go to St. Joseph's Hospital in Milwaukee on Thursday for tests. She is very brave but frightened and her son Adam is in need of prayer too.

I am so grateful to have so many blessings. So many in this world need so much.

Bless the little children, our soldiers and the homeless.

Mary

Countdown to Christmas. Four more days. The very last of the presents we are giving arrived TODAY. So I will wrap and put under the tree tomorrow. The presents from Bret and Bart arrived today too. It is a red letter day.

Tomorrow, Dick and I will take two deer hides down to a place in Hartland that tans them. I figure I need four to make a nice vest and one of the hunting guys, either Jason Karls or one of the Carpenter boys gave me one of theirs to start my collection. I hope that by the time I have four, one of them is mine. Randy, my brother, said that this is a really nice store too, so Dick and I will really enjoy the trip. There is no snow expected tomorrow anyway. We are going out to lunch too.

God direct all. It is , after all, a way he has.
Ellis Peters



Silver bells are ringing.

Mary

Packers lost. What a drag. They came back from behind again but not soon enough.

The choir sang at the 10:30AM mass. After Mass, we all had a sandwich and cookie lunch and then trucked over to the Mall to sing Christmas carols in the atrium. It was fun. The Kindercore sang first. Then we sang two songs with them and then we sang a few songs on our own. A nice way to kick off Christmas week. It is almost like going out caroling.

I fixed Chili Mac for dinner tonight. I haven't fixed it for a couple of years. One of the good basics.

It is really quite simple.

Brown 1 pound of hamburger, with 1 medium chopped onion, 1/2 chopped green pepper and 1 diced clove of garlic. Add chili powder, garlic salt and black pepper to taste. Throw in 1 small can of tomato sauce and 1 16 oz can of stewed tomatoes and let simmer.

Finally, boil about 3 ounces of macaroni until tender. Mix in to the simmering sauce and let cook together. Add some shredded cheese, (if you want) and serve with a nice green salad.

Love

Mary

Another Saturday with no reason to leave the house. Dick put the tree up on Thursday so I put the ornaments on today and the tree is beautiful. Now it is coasting all the way til Christmas.

Yesterday, I made the applie pie recipe that I heard about which mixes chilis in with the apples. It is really good. It is just basically any apple pie recipe with a 4 ounce can of Ortega chopped chilis mixed in with the sliced apples before you pour it in to the crust.

We had a few flurries today and Chelsea is trying to take advantage of the few flakes that are managing to stay on the ground by rolling around in the grass everytime she gets outside.

Have a nice day. Tomorrow the choir is going to sing at the Mall at 1:00. Perhaps you would like to come and hear us.


Love

Mary

Had a perfectly lovely Christmas lunch at the home of Marlene Schueffner, one of my "Plymouth" people. We are a group of about 7 ladies who all worked at Wells Fargo and meet every Friday for lunch, usually at the Dairy Queen.

Marlene wanted us to come over to her house for lunch. There were 6 of us. Betty, Ceil, Barb, Joyce, myself and of course, Marlene. Mary and Dawn were unable to come. We will not meet until after the New Year turns now. Wow. Only two more weeks of 2004.

After I left there, I went to Mother's house. Jeff brought the new washer/dryer combination, that we bought for her for Christmas. It is really sharp looking. Now the boys have to get it installed. She will no longer have to go down into the basement to do her wash. This will be a great relief to all of us as we worry about her falling. I think she does too and is really pleased with her gift. We were getting a delight out of her neighbor. He asked Mother when she brough him a stollen that she baked to thank him for all he does for her, whether she had an upstairs washer yet. She assured him that it was coming and he said Good. It is so special to have neighbors that are so good to her AND so concerned.

While I was there, I saw a quotation on her refrigerator that I really like and will share with you. She said that she heard it on TV from an Irish group in a song. She can't remember the group so I cannot give credit.

God be good to anyone
who's sleeping out tonight.
Tuck them in and keep them warm
And don't put out the light.

Especially this time of the year, God needs to be there for all the homeless in our country. It is mighty cold out there and I am sure that Guardian Angels are mighty busy.


Mary

It was a Christmassy day. Not at first, Dick got his blood checked early and then we went out for breakfast. While we were at the clinic, we found out that they have more flu vaccine and that people over 50 now are eligible. Sue, the nurse that tests Dick's blood, was able to give me my shot so I am now immunized. This makes Dick feel better anyway, because he likes to know that I am protected.

Then I picked up Mother and we sent to dinner at the Senior Center in Sheboygan Falls. It was fun, we exchanged gifts and I got two really pretty Christmas hot pads as my gift. We had a tasty lunch of a 1/2 Cornish game hen with pumpkin pie for dessert. Then I took Mother to the eye doctor where she got a clean bill of health. He said that her vision seems to have even improved a bit. Perhaps the Vita Eyes she takes is helping.

Tonight we had choir practice. Took a bit longer because of Christmas and then I stayed for the bells and even played a bit. Always wanted to try them and it is really fun. - -- Fun but a bit confusing.

I received the following by e-mail this week and at Christmas time want to ask everybody to please pray for our sons and daughters in danger over there. Pray for safety and a quick resolve to the conflict.

Let's remember them especially this time of the year when we count our blessings.
Let's all pray for their safe return.................



The picture is beautiful

Love

Mary

Today Dick took candy to Mead Library and Eastern Shores. He has done that since he retired and he and they all enjoy it. He says that he sees less familiar faces. Some are retiring after 13 years and some are of course on vacation or just not on at the time.

I had lunch with a friend. A few years ago, Blessed Trinity asked if anyone would volunteer to be a confirmation sponser for a young man who did not have family in the area, so I volunteered and met David and his family. He is now ALMOST done with four years of college and I see his mother, Jane, sometimes. We decided that it was TIME to lunch so we did.

Did you know that Tommy Smothers said. "When you don't know what your're talking about, it's hard to tell when you're finished."

I like that

Tomorrow is SO busy. Dick gets his blood test, checking the wine, lunch at the Senior Center with Mom and then on to the eye doctor with her and choir in the evening. I got some chili out of the freezer for supper. Sure glad I have it in there. It is the venison chili and is SO good.


Love

Mary

I flat out forgot to post last night. It was a good day too.

Started out with bible study. There were five of us there. It probably will be a bit sparcely attended until after the new year - and then until spring. Many are very busy with Crhistmas and all and some of our members are snow birds and will be heading for Texas/Florida for a month or two or three. One of our regulars is experiencing medical problems. She is a wonder. She has diabetes, back and hip trouble and now is complaining of chest heaviness (congestive heart failure has been ruled out) and is going through a series of tests to see what can be done. We ended up with a very lively discussion on the roles of women in the church and throughout history. It was pointed out the science has been useful to women. I ancient times, woman was the "nest" - the man "planted the seed". Science showed the human race that it takes the sperm and the egg together to make the child. I pointed out that since boy babies are so prized in many societies, it must have been a real shock to the males to discover that it was their fault if only girls were produced as they provide the gene that determines sex.

Then I went right on to the Writers Club party. We went to Arabellas. It is a good restuarant. For those of who, who know Sheboygan but don't know where it is. It is located on south Eighth street on the roundabout where the Hardee's used to be. We had about 25 writers there, some even came from the Plymouth Club, which is a branch of our club. We ate, exchanged gifts and stories and I got home at about 3:00.

I then finished the little booklet that I am making for the family about Uncle George and his limericks. I will include a couple of his limericks for your enjoyment.




Today we shopped and I have been decorating. I am still waiting for Dick to finish putting the tree up so I can decorate it. Well, there are 10 days to go. I hope that I am not frantically throwing ornaments on the tree Christmas Eve. That would not be fun as the choir is singing then too. I am going to make Apple Cinnamon Liquor today so it can mature before Christmas. That should be fun to share with the GUY PIE.

Have a good day.

Mary

Good day. We had a substitute priest, as Fr. Gene is still recovering from his surgery. He was here two weeks ago. He is an older priest, a Salvatorian, who gives wonderful informative sermons. He explained why, Palestine, so arid and not to fertile, was such a prize all through the ages. It is the passageway to just about everywhere in the Middle East and therefore stratigically vital.

Then the Packers won. The first half was a disaster, but they rallied during halftime and won 16/13. We were happy campers and went out for dinner.

I will end with a quote from Cadfael.

What Cadfael did not regret, he found grave difficulty remembering to confess.

Don't we all.

Love and prepare for Christmas and Peace and Hope

Mary

I got to stay home the WHOLE day today. It was so nice to not have to leave. Silly Chelsea got me up at 5:30AM which was way to early but I took a nap this afternoon, so that helped a bit.

I am putting up Christmas decorations a little every day. Today, I put up another Nativity Scene and brought up the last one. I end up with them all over the place. I also have to find a place for the Santas and the Angels. Dick is working on the tree. He has two rows of branches on. As long as he has it done this coming week so I can get the ornaments on before the big day, I don't really care.

I fixed Huevos Rancheros for supper tonight and were they ever good. I made my own Salsa.

Here is the recipe.

1 Corn Tortilla per person
1 or two eggs per person (their choice)
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic - diced or pressed
1 14 to 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz can of ortega chilis
1 TBLSP. jalapeno pepper chopped
Pinch of chili powder
Shredded cheese

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray. Add tomatoes, onion, chilis, garlic and chili powder. Heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Put plates in oven on the lowest heat you have available

Spray a bigger frying pan and fry the tortilla until soft, about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer to warm plates. Fry eggs until white is done, do not flipping. Transfer to tortillas. Top egg with cheese and hot salsa (which cooks the top of the eggs) and serve with extra cheese and refried beans on the side.

Num Num

Mary

L

It rained all day again today. What a drag. We must keep telling ourselves that, at least, we are are not shoveling. We probably would be up to the rooftops if this was snow.

Dick has an echocardiogram today. Sometimes called just an echo. It is just a checkup on the heart because of the irregular heartbeat, the atrial fibrilation, that exists. The technician said that everything looks the same but the doctor will review it before his six month checkup next month. Then we mailed the packages to the out of staters. NOW, I can relax. Anything else can be done last minute.

We had salmon croquettes for supper. They are SO good. I had some fresh green beans to go with them. I also made up a batch of lentil soup. We can have that for lunches and dinners if it is cold and damp. I used a hambone from a Market Day ham. It was such a rich tasting ham. I wish you all could have had a dish of the scalloped potatoes.

I am doing up a little folder about my Uncle George to share with my brothers and sisters. I think I will send one to Patty and Doug too. They drive me nuts but they are my cousins and did grow up in Grandma and Grandpa Deeley's house with Uncle George. He was my bachelor uncle. Never moved away from home.

Years ago, when I was about three or four years old. I saw Billie the Brownie at our front door one Christmas Eve. Now that I am "grown up", I believe that it was really Uncle George that I saw. He was peering through front door to watch me come from the kitchen to the living room of our old house to see the tree and the presents. I entered the livingroom and saw a movement at the door. There was this tall brown thin "brownie" with a pointed hat and big eyes. Uncle George was home on leave from the Army and in his khaki uniform with his pointed garrison cap, to my toddler eyes he WAS Billie the Brownie, who I heard on the radio every night. I was in my 30s before it dawned on me that it was probably Uncle George.

Have a Christmasy weekend

Mary