Just got home from a lovely evening at the Irish Center in Milwaukee where Jim, Michelle and I enjoyed the reading of the poetry of a group of women who wrote poems for poems written by a group of fiber artests. These women meet occasionally and exchange poems and fiber art. The poems are sealed in blank envelopes and the fiber art is also wrapped so nobody knows what they are getting. Then each poet writes a poem in honor of the art she has received and each artist creates a piece of art for the poem she has received. They have several months to create their poem or art piece. The body of work was beautiful and there is nothing more special than hearing a poem performed by the author.

We stopped at the Silver Springs Inn for dinner. I had a really good burrito. They serve it with chopped green onion and tomato on it which is really tasty. I liked the slice of orange that was on the plate too.

It was a beautiful day. Tonight we are seeing a bit of lightening and hearing a bit of thunder but that too shall pass.

My friend Bill Cain came over today to see the house. We feel that we may be considering moving in a year or two into a condo possibly and I felt that I would be more comfortable knowing what the market value of the home is so that we would have some idea what we would have to work with funds wise.

Tomorrow is another busy day. I start off at 8:00 at church with the environment committee so I need to get to bed pretty soon.

I think I shared this once before, but after my evening of poetry it bears repeating.

"I am always amazed that poems are willing to lie down and stay inside the flat closed pages of books." John O'Donohue


Mary

Today was a spectacular day. The sun shone, everything is green. Even the fields (at least the ones that the farmers have managed to get planted) are starting to grow. We did not see too many people out so just enjoyed the sun and the "avian choir."

The Guys from Richardson's arrived promply at 8:00AM. The guys that came on Wednesday had neglected to take off the boards and trim the side, so they had to do more prep than they should have, but they still got done by noon. Jim came home shortly afterwards and attempted to hook up the sink, diswasher and garbage disposal but ran into some things beyond his scope of expertise, so he called Bill. (Bill knows all that stuff.) Bill will be here in the morning to see what he can do. I think I will have to clean an disinfect the bathtub and do the dishes that I have been stacking in the dishwasher. I don't even have a sink big enough. The counters look wonderful but the beautiful stainless steel sink in unusable. I have almost everything back in the cupboards. I should be able to finish everything but the stuff under the sink back in the morning.

This afternoon, I went to the grocery store. I ran into Betty Becker and Ann Pirung from Writer's Club. We had a short visit. Betty will be on vacation at the next meeting. Ann stopped writing for the Press. Lots of news.

Tonight I went to choir practice. We will have a party next week and then disband for the rest of June and July. We will start practicing for Celtic Mass on August 17. Beth, the director, has a good idea. Put the words to the "Mass" (the Gloria, the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei) to a traditional Irish melody. Sounds good to me. I will have to start listening to my collection of traditional tunes and then we will consult with Jim Wilsing, our bagpiper/tin whistle friend.

THE KILT QUESTION ANSWERED.



Mary

Today was a whirwind.

The Summer Morning Trap League (a new thing) started at Rhine today. We have to shoot 200 rounds by July 7. We shoot from 10AM to 1PM on Wednesdays. I left at about 10:15 as the rain (which had been falling really hard ALL morning) seemed to be stopping. I was even driving into blue skies, BUT had to wait until about 10:45 or 11 to start shooting anyway. I did pretty well. My first time I shot a 16 and the second increast that to 18. I found that I can outshoot Tom, a dear man who spends a lot of time with us at Rhine along with his dachsund Rufus, who is also a dear.

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This morning Todd and his helper from Richardson came and tore out the old counters. They were done in about an hour and took everything away too. We had to move out the stove. EEEEEWWWWWW! was that a mess. It is NO longer a mess. I scrubbed both sides, the floor underneath and even cleaned the walls in back of the stove and above where the new counters will be installed.

Tonight, we picked up Mother at about 5:OOPM and went to dinner at Richard's followed by the Sheboygan Theater presentation of Damn Yankees. Mother and I wore our baseball hats and got our free popcorn. Of course, we were not really hungry but it was the principle of the thing. It was a good production. Lots of good voices. Applegate was especially wonderful. The orchestra left something to be desired but the singers made up for it. I like the music from that musical and the message that love and goodness conquer all. It was really cute to see Applegate (Satan) jumping up and down and stamping his feet when Joe and Meg's love just plain negated his "purchase" of Joe's soul.

Next year they are going to do Annie, Beauty and the Beast, Cheaper by the Dozen, Diary of Ann Frank AND Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Coat. Some years I think of not getting this series, (maybe switching to another company) and then they do a lineup like that.

Well, It was a VERY long play and we have to get up early tomorrow to be ready for our workers. You must all come to see the new counters.

From The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Lo, Money is Plentiful for Those Who Understand the Simple Rules of its Acquisition

1. Start thy purse to fattening
2. Control thy expenditures
3. Make they gold multiply
4. Guard thy treasures from loss
5. Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment
6. Insure a future income
7. Increase thy ability to earn


The Richest Man in Babylon



TOMORROW it will be June already. WOW!

Mary

Thunder and rain all day today. According to the rain gauge we got 1.57 in the past 24 hours.Chelsea and I had a good morning walk, though she got a little lazy and turned back before we got all the way to the end. After that, every time I took her out it was either raining or the thunder would boom. She did a lot of running back to the house. She doesn't seem as upset this year as she used to be. Maybe age has given her the knowledge that the thunder doesn't REALLY hurt or come and get her.

The rest of the day was reasonably busy. Dick and I racked the Marigold Wine. In a couple of weeks we can filter and bottle it, then we just wait for it to age.

I went to see Dr. Casey and then stopped at Wal Mart to pick up some plastic totes to store my fabric in. Jim and Michelle have Jim's things in the den so organized and cleaned out, that I feel I should organize and store my fabrics so the whole den looks nice.

I picked up Market Day, the last until the Fall. Chelsea got a nice ride which always pleases her.

Tonight I am sewing on the banner for Celtic Faire and we are watching Capote. I think the Netflix subscription Bart and Barb gave me is about expired. I am sure they will let me know.

Tomorrow, Todd from Richardson's will be here to tear off the counter tops. The next day, the new top will be delivered and installed. I have all the cupboards emptied and will remove the drawers in the morning. Good thing we are going to see Damn Yankees presented by the Sheboygan Theatre Company. As we always go out to dinner, that solves the problem of no counter tops or sink for at least one day.

They are really going all out on the baseball theme. They are even giving free popcorn to anyone who wears a baseball cap. Mother and I are going to bring hats. Dick says he is not. Perhaps we will share, perhaps not.

If the rain keeps falling we may need a boat. I remember the year that we bought this house was a year of torrential rains, actually in the later summer. We knew that this house was water tight because the basement was totally dry and non musty even after all the flooding around the area. This morning the ditches had water flowing. It will probably be even deeper tomorrow. Wonder where the ducks went. I haven't seen them for over a week and you would think they would like the water to swim in.

Remember this old poem?

If all the world were apple pie
And all the seas were ink
And all the trees were bread and cheese
What would we have to drink?

More rain predicted for tomorrow. Pray that we don't float away.

Love
Mary

We got to stay home ALL day today. Such a deal. It was wonderful. We had some hard rolls left from frying out yesterday, so I fixed us egg and cheese sandwiches on toasted hard rolls for breakfast. BOY were they good.

I spent about an hour outside in the front yard trimming some bushes this morning. Thought I had better get to it before they got away from me. With all the rain and now the hot weather, everything is just going to go crazy soon. Tomorrow, I want to trim up the junipers before they get scruffy looking.

Yesterday, Mother and I were talking about all the animals that we have had over the ages. I would really miss having them around. Mother had a bird up until about 6 years ago. She and Dad had dogs even after moving into the little house. I remember their Buffy. Buffy was a cock a poo. He adored Dad. Dad was not too steady on his feet in his later years but Buffy seemed to know just how to weave in and out around his feet without tripping him. Buffy was terrified of riding in cars because the only place he ever went was to the vet.

This is how the conversation started. I brought Chelsea with me when I picked Mom up and when I took her home. I mentioned that I like to take her for rides whenever I can so she thinks it is fun. Otherwise, she too will be afraid because they DO hate going to the vet. I can't say I blame them. I don't much like going to the doctor either.

Dad was very unsteady on his feet in his later years. On one occasion, Mother had her friends over at the old house playing cards. Dad was puttering around in the garden. Mom would look out on him every so often to see how he was doing. Eventually, he sat down in the lawn chair so she figured he was done gardening. When she looked out , he waved and she would wave back. Suddenly, she realized that it had started to rain so she went out to see why he had not come in. It turns out that he sat down and couldn't get back up. His "waving" was motioning for her to come to help him up. Fortunately, it was not raining hard and double fortunately, Dad had a marvelous sense of humor and thought the incident was funny.

Jim and Michelle went to Door County this weekend. They took an airplane ride (Jim's very first) around the peninsula to view the lighthouses. He liked it.


Have a nice week

Love

Mary

It was hot today, all the way up to the mid 80s so Dick turned on the air conditioning. I guess that is all right.

I went to the 8AM Mass, as I mentioned that I would. I like that mass. It gets me a good start on the day and I have the whole day ahead of me when I get done. When I got home, I fixed breakfast for Dick and me and made the potato salad for tonight's dinner. I went outside and cut all those dumb suckers that grow up under the tree outside the garage door. Chelsea came out with me but it was a little muggier than I think she likes. She put up with it because she like to be with me.

Jim and Michelle got back from Door County at about 1:30. We played half of a game of Hearts. I guess we will have to finish it tomorrow sometime. At 3:00 Chelsea and I went to get Mom. We drove to the cemetary to check the boxes that Mom had planted for the family. Everything looks really good. The rain last night sure did not hurt. The sweetest thing. My nephew Todd, who has depression and had been e-mailing back and forth to Courtney, bought a statue of a cat and asked his mother, my sister Dolores, to put it on Courtney's grave. Someone also brought her a potted yellow rose bush. The cemetery truely is a beautiful one.

Dinner and the pie were really good and I cut up some watermelon that I had purchased on Thursday for a kicker. MMM MMM.

We were talking about cell phones and the fact that they have invaded every possible nook and cranny of our existance. People even use them while doing the most personal things in public restrooms. For some reason, it reminded me of an incident that my ex had happen years ago when he worked on the luxury yachts and fishing boats in Newport CA. The had finished a boat and took it out for a shake down. The boat had to be ready the next day. Mechanically, everything was going fine. Then they put it on auto pilot and one of the guys went down to the head. Suddenly, the boat did a 90 degree turn to the right and slowly but surely moved back to the correct heading. The guy in the head came running up asking what was going on. They soon discovered that whenever the toilet was flushed the boat would do that 90 degree turn and readjustment. Something was goofy in the wiring and they did not have time to fix it. So it went out that way as everything else was OK. They fixed it when it came back from the first real trip and nothing was said about it. I guess it was quite a ride in the bathroom when it happened, so apparantly the owners did not use the auto pilot, or else thought they were drunk or something.

Have a patiotic Memorial Day.

Mary

It was a gorgeous day most of the day. Up in the high 70s again. The minute it hits 80, Dick has vowed to turn the air conditioning on. Tomorrow, may be the day.

It is sprinkling a bit right now. We may get a few scattered thunderstorms between now and tomorrow afternoon.

I am going to the 8AM mass tomorrow. Then I will pick Mom up at 3
in the afternoon and bring her here for dinner. I am going to fry out - brats, venison brats burgers and hamburgers. I have decided to make the Kunert potato salad too.

I found a recipe for Impossible Cherry Pie which looks and smells delicious. It uses bisquik (which when combined with eggs and milk bakes a crust) and cherry pie filling. We will have that for dessert tomorrow.

Chelsea got a bath today. She was so dirty around her shoulders and legs that I just had to do it. She hates baths, of course. And it totally exhausts her. She has been a very sleepy girl today. She does not get nearly as upset as Zero used to. We could turn that dog into a trembling bag of bones by the mere mention of the word.

Animals are such an important part of our lives. Zero, for instance, came from California with Bart and I when we moved. He was such a faithful little companion and so patient with all the changes. When we got him from the Humane Society, I was just content that he was small and seemed gentle and (more importantly) housebroken.

He got out of the yard and wandered away ONCE during the first week. We frantically drove around looking for him. There was a park at the end of the street. Actually it had entrances off of several streets. It was an L shaped park that ran in from one major street and did a sharp turn ending on another. We drove down all the streets calling for him and finally, he heard us and came running joyously towards us. I think he got into the park and all the entrances looked alike to him. He never wandered off again. He was so funny. By the end of the weekends, he would usually get a bit cranky and grumble a lot. I finally figured out that during the week, he rested while we were gone to work and school, but on the weekends he tried to keep up with us all day long as we were home and he was just plain tired.

I still miss that littly guy.

Love

Mary

It was a beautiful day. Temps were in the upper 70s and there was a gentle breeze to smooth it down. It was nice from the beginning when Chelsea and I took our walk to the end when I was out at Rhine for the bust up party. Sara got beef tips, potatoes, corn and rolls for the bust up dinner AND Bill Olson brought his famous homemade peach cobbler and ice cream for dessert. So we ate like royalty.

There was a rather sparse crowd, probably because of it being the holiday weekend. Bobbie and I earmed trophies for the pistol league. Bobbie is an Expert and I am a Sharpshooter. Bobbie wasn't there so I brought her trophy home with me. I do improve with each league.

I got the planting done this afternoon after I came back from Plymouth and lunch with the retired bankers. That was a pleasant break. I had not seen them for several weeks.

This weekend will be quiet except for Sunday when I will pick up Mother in the afternoon. She wants me to drive through the cemetery so we can check the flower boxes. She puts out a lot of them. Dad and Matt and Mickey and Aunt Nonnie and Uncle Jack and Grandma and Grandpa Bowser. And now Courtney is with Dad. I imagine that George and Betsy will send flowers for her. It is a pretty cemetery. I already bought a plot near my folks.

I don't have much else. I am tired. Perhaps I will have a story for you tomorrow night. Tonight I will quote you from the Cadfael Book of Days.

"You are your own master, however ill you master yourself."


Love

Mary

It rained off and on all day today. Just a gentle rain with no wind and the temperature was up in the low 70s. However, I could not plant. Hopefully, tomorrow we can at least get the plants hung on the pole in the front.

I ended up grocery shopping by myself today because Dick did not feel to well after we had breakfast. I went to the Pig in Falls. We had not been there in ages, but the Pick n Save does not carry the napkins that we like any longer so we decided to check out the competition. I ran into lots of friends and really had a quite a good time. When I got home, Dick was sleeping and he felt much better by the time he woke

I sent the following to most of you, but for those who didn't receive it enjoy the following:


How to solve the U. S. problems in a nut shell.

Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.
Take the dirt from the moat and use it raise the levees in New Orleans.
Put those man eating Florida alligators in the moat.
Now. . . , any other problems you want me to solve?

I invited Mother over for dinner on Sunday. We are planning to fry out. I will do brats, hamburgers and a couple of the brat patties that I made. It is supposed to be very warm, so we may be able to sit out on the deck. I must try to get the plants in tomorrow, so it looks neat.

Have a great Friday. Dick and I get to shop.

Love

Mary

It was rather gloomy today. There is thunder tonight. Chelsea is valiantly trying to ignore it. She seems to be trying to do that lately. Instead of immediately hiding under the bed, she tries to look away and pretend it doesn't exist.

Jim went down last night to watch Michelle play her first volleyball games of the season. Her team won two out of three and she scored lots of points.

Dick and I went plant shopping this morning. Now, if it doesn't rain tomorrow, I can get some of them in the pots. For sure, I will get Dick to help me hang the pots that we bought for the pole in front. We got three beautiful New Guinea Impatients. Red - Dick's favorite color.

Mom and I went to church this evening to watch the students of St. Mary School put on their annual Spring Sing. This was a program called Of Mice and Mozart. They do a really wonderful job. They sing well, speak well and are required to memorize their lines. I believe that all of the students are involved in the production. They all said that they really liked learning about Mozart and his music along with learning their lines and getting to perform. Jeff came to help Mom in the garden yesterday and went to the Senior Meals with her for lunch. Mom always likes it if one of us comes. Of course, it makes her have to admit that her kids are seniors which doesn't exactly thrill her. Jeff knew quite a few of the people who come to the meals so I know that he enjoyed it. He brought me two nice tomato plants. Perhaps his will be better producers for me. I never have had much luck with tomatoes.


I got the following from a friend of mine through an e-mail. Did I tell you that a letter that I wrote to the Press regarding this got published?

1. If you migrate to this county, you must speak the native language.
2. You have to be a professional or an investor. No unskilled workers allowed.
3. There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools, no special
ballots for elections, all government business will be conducted in our
language.
4. Foreigners will NOT have the right to vote no matter how long they are here.
5. Foreigners will NEVER be able to hold political office.
6. Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No welfare, no food stamps, no health care, or other government assistance programs.
7. Foreigners can invest in this country, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000
times the daily minimum wage.
8. If foreigners do come and want to buy land that will be okay, BUT options will
be restricted. You are not allowed waterfront property. That is reserved for
citizens naturally born into this country.
9. Foreigners may not protest; no demonstrations, no waving a foreign flag, no
political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies, if you do you
will be sent home.
10. If you do come to this country illegally, you will be hunted down and sent straight
to jail.

Harsh, you say? The above laws happen to be the immigration laws of Mexico!



Tomorrow we go grocery shopping. Have a good one yourself.

Mary

It was a beautiful day from beginning to end. Chelsea and I did not see much activity on our walk this morning. One dog, Lucy, (I think that is her name.) and Alana coming home from her walk. I did a bit of seed and herb planting and trimmed around the beds that Patrick (our lawn mower) could not get close to because of the floppy tulips and all. Tomorrow, Dick and I are going shopping for the rest of the plants. I would like to have them all planted and up for Memorial Day.

I also went to Joann's and picked up some thread and fusable bond for a couple of projects that I have going.

Jim was home for just a bit on his way down to Milwaukee to watch Michelle play soccer tonight.

I fixed pork tenterloin, mashed potatoes and broccoli/cauliflower salad for supper and we finished the last of the banana chocolate cake.

For the first time in MONTHS there are three things that I want to watch on TV at the same time. I will forgo one (the earthquake disaster - which was a little too boiler plate anyway) and have Dick tape House for me. I want to watch the Stephen King movie.

"You can pray til Hell freezes over and you can pray on the ice, but unless you get up off your ass, you will never be goosed by teh Holy Ghost."

Mary

There was frost on the grass when I walked this morning. The temperature was 37 degrees. I thought it was supposed to be spring. Well, it did warm up nicely to the mid to upper 50s and is still pleasant this evening. There is no wind and the sun shone all day.

I spent a good chunk of the day at church. Bible Study, as usual, this morning. We had 8 attendees. An average group. We won't meet next week because of the holiday and then the following week, Tom and Kathy will be back. That is a big YEA!! because it means that Tom is done with the treatments for his cancer. I saw Kathy and she said that all went well so far. Now we all need to pray and cross our fingers that it is ALL gone.

This afternoon, a bunch of volunteers met to stuff the letter and raffle tickets for Celtic Faire. What a mess, everybody started just stuffing and labeling, willy nilly. Makes my business mind go on overload, so I took over making sure that they remained in alphabetical order. We put them in the vestibule at church to be picked up and Alphabetical order is a MUST. The prizes are 1. A trip to Ireland or $1000. 2. $300. 3. 18 Holes of Golf at The Bull. 4. Dinner and Overnight stay at 52 Stafford for two and 5. $100.

THEN - tonight I met a few of the Trinity Quilters to begin the hand quilting on the quilt that we are putting together to raffle, also at Celtic Faire. It is just BEAUTIFUL. I recommend that you ALL buy tickets for both the quilt and for the other raffle. They are the same price. $1 each or 6 for $5. (They are separate raffles but both well worth it. Just wait until you see the quilt. A queen size by the way.)

I learned something tonight. I pricked my finger and got some blood on the quilt. Chris Nett said that she learned that your own spit will dissolve your own blood. AND it WORKED. Hope that doesn't turn you off from buying tickets. You will never find it, I bet.

Michelle started her new job today. She was very excited.

I talked to Bret yesterday. He called for my birthday. He sounds good.

All my love

Mary

What a fun birthday. Not so great to begin with. That goofy Chelsea tried to get me up at 5:25AM. I let her go potty and then went back to bed and shut her in the hall until 6:00. Then we went for our walk.

I left for church at about 9:00AM so I could visit with Mother a bit before heading over to church to warm up for singing at the 10:30 Mass. Cindy Dorn, a choir member, started everybody singing Happy Birthday. As it happened, her husband and oldest daughter had gone to the 8AM mass. When they came home her daughter said, "Guess what, today is Mary Kunert's birthday." Cindy, mistakenly said "Did you read that in the "bible" (meaning to say "bulletin".) Her daughter said. "No, Mom, she is not THAT old."

Cindy told Fr. Gene the story. He did not tell the story to the whole congregation, but did announce to the whole crowd that I was 26 again.

A fun afternoon too. Jim, Michelle, Dick and I played Hearts. It was a lot of fun. We haven't played cards in SO long. Must do that again.

Got really nice cards to greet me when I woke up this morning. It turned out to be a special Birthday and turned out to last two days, Yesterday and today.

Hope your week is good. It is supposed to be warming up finally. I plan on planting the herbs on Tuesday and getting Dick out to choose the rest of the plants on Wednesday. (Don't tell him.)

All my love.

Mary

Such a nice pre-birthday. The birthday cards came today. And Dick and Brenda sent flowers, a special surprise. It is a beautiful arrangement of cut flowers with a Happy Birthday balloon. The balloon made me think very happily of Waylon. Anytime a balloon came into the house, he would make a mad dash for it and bit the ribbon holding it and turn that balloon into a free range ballon that floated around the house until it deflated.

Dick took me out to dinner with Jim and Michelle and Bobbie and Bill. We went to a restaurant on south 8th Street called Nonna Maria. It is not very big but serves wonderful Italian/Sicilian food. I had Pasta with Sicilian sauce and sausages. It came with a nice crisp salad and fresh Olive Bread. We had Tomato Crostini before the meal for appetizer and it was so good. A lovely evening with lovely company. Tirimisu for dessert.. Num Num. They have a nice website. www.foodspot.com/nonnamaria. Check it out. It is another place that we could take Dick and Brenda too. A good selection of vegetarian and/or seafood dishes. All prepared fresh while one waits.

I suddenly remembered a little story about Bret when he was in Kindergarten. He was in a small class of about 18 kids. 16 little boys and 2 little girls. He had a teacher called Miss Gammel who was marvelous. She suffered from Hypoglycemia and had 18 little kids swearing to her that they NEVER ate sweets.

The incident that I remember, however, is this. Bret came home from school one day and told me that there had been a fight and one of the boys hit another one twenty two times. Five year olds are really funny. I told Miss Gammel and we both marveled at how he managed to come up with a number so specific.

She was a great teacher and had them doing preliminary reading by the end of the year. She taught them the an e on the end of a word makes the vowel "say its own name." A very clever way of introducing the long sound of the vowel.

Have a nice Sunday. We had sunshine most of the and just enough rain to water the plants on the deck this evening.

Love

Mary

It was a rather lovely day today, albiet a bit chilly. We started out this morning by going to the Johnston Bakery for a donut and coffee (actually, I had some tea.) It reminded me of when the boys were little. We lived in Santa Ana Heights, just above the Newport Back Bay in California. A point of interest. This Back Bay is the only remaining estuary in Southern California. And estuary is a body of water where salt and sea water come together.

Every morning the "Donut Man" drove through the neighborhood. My neighbor, Joyce and I would buy donuts for breakfast for us and the kids. The kids were mine - Bret and Bart and hers - Chip and Mark. Those neighborhood bread trucks don't exist any more, I guess. We had an ice cream man too and I even had milk delivered for several years. I guess that those services are no longer profitable, though I did see an ice cream truck a couple of years ago. I miss the Donut Man.

Then I cleaned the kitchen and we watched one of the "camp" horror movies that Dick bought for me last Christmas. We have been working our way through them over the past month or so. Today we watched "The Giant Gila Monster". There was an actress called Stormy Meadows in it. We looked on the net and that is the ONLY movie she ever appeared in.

We went out for lunch too. I have some 2 for 1 coupons for Subway, so we decided to take advantage of that and then drove around looking at some of the condo complexes in the area. Jim and Michelle arrived shortly after we got home.

I went to Superior Gardens and got my herbs. I picked up a couple of Rosemary, Basil and some parsley.

Bobbie and I worked at Rhine tonight. It was pretty quiet as it was the last day of league and most of the teams are done. Next week is the bust up. I guess that Sara is fixing turkey for sandwiches. Jim and Michelle came out so that Jim could finish his last two targets for league. Michelle shot one target and got a 62. She seems to be a whiz.

I have been so looking forward to the DaVinci Code movie and now all the reviews are saying that it is really rather boring and a disappointment. I probably won't want to pay to see it now. The book is an exciting mystery and very well written. The movie is being described as tedious.

Today, Dick had his monthly blood test. He was perfect again! Sue says that he is very boring. She wishes, actually, that she could figure out what he is doing right for the rest of her patients. Now she is challenging him to be the EXACT reading for two months in a row.

We went grocery shopping too. We didn't need as much as usual, so that was a pleasant surprise. We racked the wild grape wine today. Once more and then we can filter and bottle it. It has a rather nice underlying flavor but, of course, needs to mature. I get a quick taste as I have to suck the tube to get the stuff flowing.

Tonight was choir night. We have so few people show up for practice. I think we need to regroup at the beginning of the church year which is September, just in time for Celtic Faire. We will be singing this Sunday, my birthday. We are singing two songs, that I really like. Come to the River and My Song Will Be for You Forever.

I worked a bit on the banner this afternoon too. I am drawing out the symbols for the Four Evangelists tonight. So far so good. I will definately put the picture on the blog when I get it done.

I am thinking of sending a story to Reader's Digest and/or Field and Stream. What do you think of this.

I made it to my stand overlooking the marsh at about 7:00AM, Thanksgiving morning, just as dawn was breaking. It was really quite beautiful, despite the cold. I had dressed in several layers with hand and foot warmers in my gloves and boots. To pass the time as I scanned the swamp, and sang songs in my head to pass the time. By 8:00AM, I was bored so I ate the bag of trail mix that I had brought for a snack. We were only staying out until 11:00AM so that we would be home in time for the big dinner.

Because of the cold, it was slippery and each leaf seemed to be its own little ice encased entity. After the snack I realized that it was time to “mark my territory”, to put it mildly, so I worked my way to a small stand of trees close by that make a kind of shelter. As I pulled down my pants and crouched down, (boy, do men have it made) to my dismay, my right foot slipped down a small incline. I discovered to my further dismay that in that position, it is impossible to stop the bladder from doing what it is doing. So I did the best I could to avoid clothing, and got myself put back together.

I maneuvered around the evidence and crawled back to my post, just before my nephew made his way around the swamp. I find it very important to retain one's dignity.

Let me know what you think.

Mary

The sun shone this morning until about 11:00AM then the rain started and it kept it up off and on all afternoon. Late this afternoon we had some good old thunderstorms. Chelsea seems to be handling them better these days. She gets nervous but does not completely panic.

I did get the branches from the bushes out front into trash bags. Would you believe that there were 5 bags full.

Dick and I bottled the Gewertziminer today. There are 25 bottles in a carboy. Good thing, the stock was dwindling and we do like to have wine to share. Some of the wines I make from scratch should be getting ready to drink AND some of them from this year are getting close to bottling.

Jim went to Michelle's this evening so Dick and I were alone for dinner. I fixed chicken, stuffing and gravy. Mom had given me some fresh asparagus that Jeff picked near his home. Boy it was good.

I did a little more work today on my Hand of God Banner for the Celtic Mass. I need to draw the symbols for the Four Evangelists for the center of the banner. I have decided to use the Zodiac Symbols which are clean and simple and should transpose quite well.




ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

Love

Mary

It was raining this morning and I didn't have much hope for the day. We took the Santa Fe over to Hyundai for servicing and spent TWO hours there. We had the systems flushed but never dreamed it would take that long. We got there at 7:00AM and by 9:00 we were starved. We went over to Mc Donalds and had breakfast. Boy, did that taste good.

By the time we got home, the rain had stopped so I went out and trimmed bushes. I have a whole pile of branches that I have to cut up and put in bags. I am sure that Jim will be "thrilled". Another bunch of stuff for the dumpster. But it all has to be done. I also dug up some of the oregano that is invading my lavender plants and planted marigold seeds. WOW. It was good to be able to be OUT. I only brought Chelsea out for a little while because with her short hair and wet grass, I didn't think it was wise to have her out too long.

Dick and I also filtered the Gewertziminer and will bottle it tomorrow. I don't have to go ANYWHERE at all tomorrow. What a treat.

Mother and I were talking Sunday about age. She mentioned that I have a birthday coming up and I said that I can't believe that I will be 66. Where did all those years go? She said that she wonders where her last 90 went. Then I said that I could not believe that I have a son who will be 39 in September. It was just yesterday that he fit in my arms with his head snuggled into my shoulder. So SHE said, she is trying to figure out how HER baby got to be 66.

Let's hope for sun tomorrow so that I can get those branches in bags.

Love

Mary

We actually had a bit of sun this morning (fortunately while Chelsea and I were out for our morning walk.) Then it kind of sprinkled all day until about 4:00PM or so when the sun came out again. Too late for me to do anything outside. If we have a day like this tomorrow, I will go out and trim a couple of bushes and plant some marigold seeds.
Maybe I'll pick up a couple of geraniums to accompany the beautiful one that Dick and Brenda brought for me on Dick' birtday. I have kept it on the deck so it didn't get beaten up by the wind and rain. We are still getting the rain but the temperatures are up and the wind seems to have died down a bit.

On my way to Bible Study, I took Mother her Mother's Day Card. I forgot it yesterday. I also took the Vermont Bear that Dick got for me to show to her. He is such a cute bear with his blue jeans, white t-shirt with rolled up sleeves and cool sunglasses.

Bart called today. He sounded pretty good. He was on his way somewhere with his friend Brett but wanted to touch base because he didn't get time yesterday. I told him that I knew he was thinking of me because I got the e-card but that his voice was the best greeting.


Subject: unbelievable

Another way to Unlock Your Car" - AMAZING - but it works.

One can't believe it, but this works -- who'd a
"thunk" it? Have you locked the keys in the car?

If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys
are home, call someone at home on your cell phone and
ask them to get your car keys.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door
and have the other person at home press the unlock
button on the spare keys while holding it near the
phone on their end. Your car will unlock. It will
save someone from having to drive your keys to you.

Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles
away, and if ! you can reach someone who has the"remote"
for your car, you will be able to unlock the doors (or
the trunk this way!)



I don't know if this is true or not (not having had to try it) but it is certainly something to be aware of since most of us have cel phones and remotes.

Let's opt for sun tomorrow

Love

Mary

Another gloomy day and it is supposed to continue until Wednesday - at least. It was Mother's Day. Fr. Gene gave all the mothers in church a special blessing this morning at Mass. I got lovely and/or fun cards from the boys and Leslie and Bobbie. Bobbie brought us rhubarb pie for dessert. Yum Yum. Her rhubarb is ready ALREADY. Mine is coming along but has a way to go.

Bret called this afternoon and we had a nice talk. I miss my boys being so far away from them. He was at the mobile home he owns at "the river" (the Colorado if you are not familiar with the area - that is what was always referred to as "the river".)

I went out to Rhine and finished shooting my pistol league. AGAIN - the first one was not good, the second better and the third was nothing to be ashamed of.

Aside from that it was a quiet day. Michelle was here to join Dick and me for our Sunday brunch. I went to the 8AM mass so we ate at about 11:00AM. Dick and I do enjoy our sunday brunches. Today we had fried potatoes, bacon and scrambled eggs with feta cheese scrambled in. I tried the pepper jelly. It is a bit hotter than the last batch but VERY good.

A quote:

"God, give me the grace to be open to the surpising ways you can change heart - even mine." Amy Welborn

A new week is upon us. Much quieter than last week, thank heavens.

Mary

We just returned from a marvelous final Sheboygan Symphony performance. It was a celebration of Broadway from way back when to the present. Boy, do we have talent in Sheboygan. We had two excellent guest vocalists but many solos were handled by members of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus. The guest conductor, Richard Hynson, was charming and Very good. He was not one that applied for the position of our conductor but I was glad that I saw him work. He even sang a bit for us at the beginning of the performance.

I have never seen Les Miserables in its entirety, the movie does not hold my interest, but they finished with three songs from that musical and I was as the kids say "totally impressed." Live is the only way to see some things.

I made pepper jelly today. We were all out. This batch may be a bit hotter because I used jalapenos instead of Pete's peppers.

I also make a batch of mexican beans that I found on the Good Morning America site. Pinto beans, ham, bacon, chorizo, tomatoes, onion, tomatillos and spices. It really tasted good, unmatured even. I like a nice batch of something to intersperse during the week. I maked my days more free to do other things.

Our sleep last night in our new bed seemed a bit broken but Dick and I both agreed that we were very comfortable so I am sure that it was just the newness.

Rained lightly today. But when I got up it was dry and Chelsea got her first walk in two days. She was a happy girl. The dampness didn't bother her a bit. She dragged me right by the house for the last stretch. This wet weather is now being predicted through Wednesday. I WANT SUN!

Love

Mary

Today was another adventure of a day. I gave blood for the very first time. My friend, Peggy Feider and her husband Bob, sponsor a blood drive every year in honor of their son Joe. It is called "A Gallon or so for Joe". I really never thought much about it before. Peggy had mentioned it last year but I believe we were out of time on the day of the special drive. Anyway, I went over there at about 11:00AM. They took my history and an initial test. I found out that my count is 43 which I was informed was very good. Acceptable is 38 to 50 and women are usually lower than men. Then they took me to the room to hook me up. It was really quite simple. I felt no weakness or anything. I took their advice an got up a bit at a time and walked slowly to the waiting room where I had a piece of great poppyseed cake and a can of orange juice. Then, Peggy and Bob had arranged for a massage therapist to "do" necks and backs. It was great.

I also got a t-shirt because I was a first timer. AND my blood type is B+ which is apparantly one of the rarer types and quite in demand.

Had a grilled cheese and french fries when I had lunch with the ladies in Plymouth. It was the first time I had seen them in three weeks so we had a lot of catching up to do. I also went to the Sewing Basket and got the rest of the fabric that I need to complete the Celtic "Hand of God" that I am making for Celtic Faire. I am really jazzed with the color choices. Now I can get going on the next section.

Tomorrow, I get to stay home ALL day until 6 or so when Dick and I will be going to the Sheboygan Symphony. This is the season finale and will be a Broadway Extravaganza. We always enjoy them and this one will be very light and easy to listen too.

Now I am tired and must go to bed, our NEW bed. We had ordered a new air bed. The old one had sprung a leak. It took weeks. I think they lost our order (after confirmation which is REALLY odd.) But it arrived a week after Dick called and they scrambled to correct the error.

Mentioned it to Jim and Michelle and suddenly Michelle had everyone spinning around and the old one was out of the bedroom and the new one in. Sure glad they were hear because, Dick and I could not have done it. Well, we probably COULD have but it would not have been a pretty sight and would have been a morning to nignt job with lots of frustration and tears. The new bed is SO comfortable.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mary

Let the rain come down. My roof's got a hole in us and I might drown. Oh Yes! My roof's got a hole in it - I might drown.

Remember the song? Since I decided to get Chelsea trimmed (seemed like the cold weather was over) we are having five days more or less of temperatures in the low 40s to high 60s. The cool air doesn't seem to be bothering her much, but she looks a bit bewildered. She is definately aging. Tonight when I got home from choir she was sound asleep under my desk and didn't hear me until I called her name.

I went to a funeral today. A dear little man, Bill Berg, a member of Blessed Trinity and a wonderful musician (he has been the only tenor in the choir for over a year) died this past Monday. He was 89, a year younger than Mother. I stopped and walked Mother over and then took her to the Villager for the meal. I feel that if one knows the family, the meal after the funeral should be attended because it is a tribute to the deceased and a chance for the family to share, care and be cared for before facing the home and the next steps in clearing everything up. A celebration of what that person was and is in the hearts of us left here.

Enough. Tomorrow I am going to give blood for the first time. A friend of mine sponsors a drive every year in memory of her son and I thought there is no reason not to. I guess, I am somewhat of a prize because I have B+ which is a bit rare.

Then I will go to Plymouth to have lunch and do several errands. Hope you stay dry and warm.

Michelle will be here for supper tomorrow night. Then they are going to Flint, Michigan on Saturday so Jim can meet her sister. Sounds fair, she has met most of Jim's family.

Have a great day

Mary

It was an eventful day. I only had to leave the house once. Chelsea got her hair cut today. She was a perfect angel again. You would not believe how much hair can come off of one little doggy. How do you like the picture? Doesn't she look little?



I will have to watch her in the sun for a bit and be sure that she doesn't get chilled. Wouldn't you know that the temps are due to drop into the 50s for the next few days. But she sure will be grateful during the heat of summer.

The rest of the day was spent making Rhubarb Struesel Muffins, homemade venison (bratwurst) patties and working on the computer. This evening I just finished a quilt top - the one with the applqued kitties. I found a small hole in a motif, so I added a sleeping mouse next to the sleeping siamese cat. Now I need backing and batting so I can get it quilted.

Til tomorrow

Mary

Richardson's came and did the final measurements on the kitchen counters today. They say they probably will be able to do the installation in two to three weeks. That is as long as it takes to make the tops to the specifications. We are getting Corian with a stainless steel under the counter sink.

Aside from that and spending almost an hour in Walgreens waiting for a prescription to be filled, it was a very quiet day.

This evening I went into the den and worked on my animal quilt. I should be able to finish the last kitty tomorrow and put the final sashing around the edge. I really like it. Next step will be backing and quilting.

I really don't have much to say so I will send you two pictures of Rose Windows. The first is in the National Cathedral in Washington DC and the second is from the Basilica of St. Josephat in Milwaukee. Enjoy.






We sure enjoyed seeing them.

Mary

Tonight I picked up Mother and we drove accross the street to the church office and helped put the squares for the quilt being constructed for Celtic Faire into the order we wanted them. I knew that she would enjoy seeing all the squares and seeing all the quilters. About 10 of the quilters made it. She was delighted to see that all these people quilt. It is again going to be just spectacular. Pat Mersberger is going to join the squares with the green sashing that we bought. Then we will have it basted to the backing and fill and hand quilt it.

We decided tonight what we will do next year so it won't creep up on us again. We have decided on a holiday quilt and will try to get the fabic this year when the new stuff comes out and there is a big selection.

Went to Bible Study this morning and Writers Club this afternoon. Why does everything have to happen on one day?

I thought you might like to see a picture of Kenny and his turkey.




Kenny said that he looked like a dinasaur walking through that brush.

Dad's poem to my Mother when he retired called

TO THE BOSS IN THE KITCHEN

Mary, Mary much contrary
How does your kitchen grow
Since you've declared sovereignty
To it I fear to go.
So please relent and repent
For this you've always known.
No matter what you think or do
What's yours is mine and what's mine, My own.

He was a tease. On May 11 it will be fourteen years since he passed on. We miss him

Love

Mary

Today was DOUBLE gorgeous. It was in the high 60s, blue skies and still air. Chelsea and I had our first walk together in four days. The past three days I had MY exercise out hunting but poor Chelsea was on her own as I am the only one who does more that just let her out the back door and telling her to "Run Chelsea, Run."

We had a nice breakfast, Dick and I, Dick and Brenda and Jim and Michelle. I had put an overnight egg casserole together. Michelle asked that I put the recipe on the blog. So I will but it is a meld of two recipes that I found on the web and a hint from a realtor in California who used to serve when we would have realtor open houses. So here it is.

Spray a 9 X 13 or somewhat equivilant baking pan with cooking spray.

Cut the crusts off of enough pieces of half and half rye or marble rye bread to layer the bottom of the baking pan. This makes a psuedo crust.

Suggested additions: Layer over bread. Pice two or three AND the cheese.

3 green onions diced
3/4 lb cheese (your choice - I used fresh parmesean, and colby/mozzerlla)
Sliced mushrooms (sauteed and cooled)
Veggie crumbles
Bacon - fried and crumbled
Sausage - Fried and crumbled
Ham - Diced
Peppers (red, yellow and/or green) diced
Spinach - fresh or frozen (thawed and dried out)

Whisk together.
6 to 8 eggs
1/2 cup milk for each 2 eggs.
1 teas sea salt
1/2 teas pepper

Pour over all and sprinkle a bit more cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or perhaps a bit more if needed.

It was served with some breads - toast, lavendar bread and chocolate zuchini. Such a pleasant visit we had.

I had to leave at 10:00AM to get to Mass to sing at the First Communion Mass. It was so nice to see all the beautiful children. I told one of the Dad's that I know a bit that since he had his daughter all coiffed and dressed in that beatiful white gown that he ought to see if he could arrange for her to get married before she out grew the dress. He laughed and said that he thought that there was probably as much fuss.

Anyway, they were beautiful. Thank God for Kids.

Hope your week is WONDERFUL.

Love

Mary

It was a perfectly lovely day.

I DID have to get up at 3:30 again. I met Kenny out at the field at 4:30AM and we walked in. Jeff arrived sometime later. It was colder than on Friday, but with clear skies and a nice warm sun, it did not seem so. Another day of hens tromping around and feeding on the alfalfa until about 9:15 when I heard a shot from Ken's direction.
I waited a few minutes and then called him on the walkie talkie. I said "Did you get it?" He said " I sure did." We folded up at about 10:30AM. The only bird that got close to me all morning was a hen that almost joined me behind my blind. AND I wanted to be sure to get home to get a nap so I could be ALIVE for the rest of the day.

Anyway, I packed up and walked to Kenny's stand. He was folding up when I got there and had a nice 20 to 22 pound Tom lying there. Between us, we loaded his stuff and mind and walked to the cars with only two stops to let him rest a bit. (Dead weight turkeys are HARD to carry.) Then Ken and I waited for Jeff who had been unable to communicate with us on the walkie talkies and took a bit longer because he walked over to OUR sites from his own before making his way to the cars.

I got home at noon and with a shower and one errand managed to get down for a nice nap at about 1:30. I slept for about an hour so was rested for the evening.

Tomorrow is Dick's birthday. He will be 76. Dick and Brenda, Bobbie and Bill and Jim and Michelle took us to Rupps on 8th Street in Sheboygan for dinner. Such a lovely evening. The food was good, even though the waitress tried to burn Michelle, ( a way to hot plate) and some of the potatoes came in time for dessert. Good company is what makes the meal and we had plenty of that.

Then we came back here to enjoy a bit of the Baileys and a cup of de caf before calling it a night.

For some reason, I remembered the incident where my dear departed mother-in-law, Lily, served marguaritas to her sister,Ruth, and some of the ladies her sister worked with at the school lunch program.

Lil made a round or two of marguaritas and then ran out of tequila - SO - to "fill in" she took some 150 proof alchohol that Victor, my father-in-law had gotten in Mexico and used that in place of the tequila. Needless to say these ladies got bombed out of their minds. So Lily piled them in her jeep which did not have a top and drove them around Costa Mesa for a while to sober them up. We asked her later why she wasn't drunk too and she said that she had more sense than to drink that stuff.

Happy Sunday

Mary

We spent a bit less time out in the fields today. Just Randy and myself. I went to the same spot that I was at on Thursday, Randy went over where Jeff saw the big one. We sat and watched for four hours. Then Randy said he was getting restless and my feet were cold so we left at about 9:00.

Jeff called tonight. He got there at about 10 and stayed until about 1:00. He used Ken's tent and said that he saw a huge Tom up by my spot and near Randy's Thursday spot just a'dancing and preening and prancing. It was too far away for him and he could not get it to come with his calls. Ya just never know. If I could have held out, just MAYBE I would have my big Tom.

Tomorrow, Jeff, Ken and I are going out for one more try. I am not going quite as far in. I am going just above the creek in the planted field. I chased one out of a roost this morning there and just hope that he will be back.

I was really tired and took a nice nap this afternoon. Dick and I had leftovers for supper, so I was able to relax today. Good thing because tomorrow I will hunt in the morning and then the kids are taking Dick (and me) out for his birthday dinner. We are going to Rupps Downtown. Should be nice, I haven't been there in quite some time but they have always had good food.

Haven't seen Dick and Brenda since Christmas. It will be great to be with them again.

Have a nice weekend. All my love

Mary

Well, the first of my three turkey hunting days is over. I got up at 3:30AM to meet the guys out at the field. BOY AM I TIRED.

All we saw were a bunch of hens. And there were a bunch of them. Actually, Jeff saw and got a shot off at a tom early in the morning, but he missed. This is the first year he has ever gone turkey hunting, so that was a real thrill for him.

After I got home, I took a shower and then Dick and I went grocery shopping. It really was our only chance and we were running short of milk and a few other things.

Tomorrow, I have to get up at 3:30AM again to meet Randy out there. We will try again.

Went to choir tonight too, thank heavens, we had a short practice.

Anyway, I am too tired to be very creative tonight. So I will just say. Have a nice Friday and perhaps I will be more awake tomorrow night.

Love

Mary

A wonderful day in Milwaukee.

Our tour was totally different than we thought. We thougth we were going to spend the whole day at the Museum but as it turned out, this was our itinerary:

We left Sheboygan at 8:00AM and were taken directly to the Basilica of St. Josephat. Dick and I had seen it once before when we went on the Church tour a few years ago. Then they still had quite a bit of scaffolding up as the renovation was still being done. It is absolutely beautiful. Maybe on Sunday, (after hunting and
Dick's birthday weekend is over) I will send a picture of their rose window and also a picture of the rose window from the National Cathedral. They are both so beautiful.

We left the Basilica and were taken to the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum & Renaissance Garden. This is an old home on Lake Michigan that was once owned by Lloyd Smith who was owner of the AO Smith Company. It was a beautiful home and the view is spectacular. They do rent out for weddings and special celebrations. Our docent was very knowledgeable and full of fun facts.

THEN we went to Giovanni's Restuarant for a meal that was quite good and very pleasant, though Dick was not really too impressed with the sauce on their pasta dish, I thought it was quite good but he was very indifferent about it. Their tiramasu was VERY good.

Lastly, we were dropped off at the Miwaukee Museum to experience the St. Peter and the Vatican exhibit. Actually we had free run of the museum, but by the time we finished that it was almost time to go. The pieces displayed and the history behind them provided was wonderful. It is so special to have things like this so close to us. AND even better that the bus companies have the tours. We love them because we don't have to worry about ANYTHING. Driving, getting there on time, parking, meals. All handled by very capable experts. Such a deal.


"The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house."
--Jeff Foxworthy

Wish me luck at the turkey hunt tomorrow.

Love

Mary

It was in the mid 60s today. Very good for the lawn after the wonderful rain. It really will go crazy when we get more sun. I actually had to cut the morning walk short because it was still raining a bit.

Went to see Dr. Casey today and my arm is getting better. I will go back in three weeks instead of the two that we have been stuck at since the darn thing started hurting. I can tell it is better because my pistol shooting in staying pretty steady and getting better overall.

Today was Market Day too. Those were my only two outings. As long as I was out I went to the post office to mail a quilting pattern to Barbara and an entry in a poetry contest and to the bank. With the gas prices at the highs they are it is best to consolidate errands as much as one can.

The rest of the day was spent gathering things for tomorrow's trip to Milwaukee. I am going to take the camera. I hope that we can take pictures of the items in the Vatican exhibit. We are spending the whole day at the museum. First the exhibit, then lunch, then the IMAX theatre and then the rest of the museum. I assume that the museum has good lunches.

I also got everything together for my Turkey hunting on Thursday. Do you believe that we meet at 4:20AM? Uncle Kenny says we need to be in place before 5:00 as we can start shooting (If we see something of course) at 5:10. However, it is pretty difficult to tell if it is a Jake or Tom that early as it is still rather dusky.

I received word the other day that the two poems that I sent to the Wisconsin Poet's Calendar were not selected so I will share them with you. I still like them and will include them in the book that I am thinking of self publishing this summer.

Laughing Spring

If all the trees could laugh and sing
And all the clouds could dance
And rabbits all grew furry wings
And squirrels wore underpants.


If dogs meowed and kitties barked
And birds crawled on their bellies
Then all the tales that nature sparked
Would not be worth the telling.

I got a message from Jim's Michelle who is all the way in Richmond VA on a business trip. She told Jim tonight that she got the President's Award for innovation tonight. Quite an honor.

Love

Mary

Chelsea and I had a very nice walk this morning. It was not raining then, but did pick up as the day went on. The only problem I had was that she woke me up WAY to early. 5:25AM. The trouble with digital clocks is that you know the EXACT time.

Bible Study was very stimulating this morning. We even got into the immigration issue and we all agree that the important term here, that seems to have been forgotten by the media is that we were talking about ILLEGAL immigrants. Illegal is illegal. I have no problem with immigrants. I also believe that if they intend to live here they need to speak English. English is our language. I also think that they can learn our National Anthem in English and should fly the United States flag not a foreign one. It should be flown it in a proper respectful manner. People who cross the borders illegally into our country should be either imprisoned or deported. I heard that Mexico handles the illegal immigrants from their southern border by imprisoning them for two years and then deporting them. I don't see massive protests about peoples rights in Mexico.

We had some great rain midday. It is nice to see everything turning green again. Now we will get a warm day and everything will go bonkers and I will have to be out trimming and weeding like a crazy person.

Tonight I joined Ken, Randy and Jeff out at the 57 and J to check out the lay of the land for Turkey hunting. Part of the fields are planted in alfalfa so it is a bit easier walking out. My feet got all wet and muddy anyway. We did see a couple of hens working their way accross one of the fields. I can't go on the first day so Jeff is going to sit where I usually do and I will go there on Thursday. It is supposed to rain on Wednesday BUT Thusday they are predicting just a cloudy day. On the way out Jeff stepped on a bunny. It squeaked just like a squeaky toy and ran away. I am sure it was not hurt badly because the ground is so soft and wet. We also found the carcass of a deer. The coyotes have been feeding on it and someone has taken the horns.

Did I tell you that I have my own decoy and my own camo half fence this year? Every year I get a little more equipped.

Have a nice day tomorrow. It is a quiet one for me.

All my love

Mary

It has rained gently all day today. A welcome rain that is soaking into the ground and will result in rampant green as soon as it stops and the sun sends a little warmth upon this earth of ours.

However, it has left me rather tired and feeling sludgy (is that a word). I am minded of a turtle who kind or plods along just slowly looking left to right and not being feeling any urgency no matter the flurry and hurry around him. Bobbie and I went out to work at the Rhine Club today but we were able to come home early because of the rain and the fact that the only people hanging around were a few members playing cards. They can get their own beer and lock up as easy as we could have. SO we were home about 2:00 and I took a nap for all the good that did.

We pretty much finished up the chili and ate the last of the rhubarb pie for supper. An easy day altogether. Nice on such an overcast day.

Stopped to see Mom after Mass this morning. We had a nice visit, as usual. We were discussing how Courtney seemed to be drawn to the neediest of God's creatures, both animal and human and how much this was like her Grandfather.

Mother remembers Dad, when he was the president of the union at Gilson Industries in Plymouth. These union members would come to talk to Dad about their problems. Mom said that sometimes their problems were so silly or so self imposed or so stupid. But Dad would listen to them. He would patiently sit as they went through their problems and he would advise them or help them as best he could. I have NEVER met a person that knew Dad as the President of that Union who did not consider Dad his "best friend." They adored him and it was because of his ability to make the person talking to him feel that what he was presenting to Dad was important and that Dad felt that he was important. I tried to remember that lesson when I was a mortgage banker and sometimes the people who came to me to buy their first home were really kind of pitiful. I think because of Dad's gift, I was able to help many people get homes that might not otherwise been able to do so.

Have a lovely week

Yours

Mary

This was a stay at home day. Such a pleasure after busy weeks. I feel better today too. My cold seems to have subsided somewhat. I hope so because the coming week is starting to get filled up.

Jim's Michelle came to Sheboygan for the afternoon. It is nice that he has his area with the den downstairs because they can just do their thing and listen to their music and WE can do ours. I know that Jim was getting his laptop ready for her to take with her on a training business trip that she is taking early next week. Actually, she leaves tomorrow and comes back Wednesday. We enjoy having her around. She likes pork and lima beans and rhubarb pie.

Pork and lima beans is really good. Even Jim was surprised when he first had it. He was prepared to be unhappy but found out that it is good. It is VERY simple.

Four pork chops or pork steaks (preferably boneless)
1 large package of frozen green limas
2 cans of cream soups (I use the reduced fat and any variety like cream of mushroom
or chicken or celery)
1 small can of French's Fried onions
Velveeta cheese

Spray a casserole or baking dish. Layer the chops in the dish. Salt and pepper. Put a few slices of Velveeta on top of the chops. Spread the limas on top of all. Then mix the two cans of soups together and pour over the whole thing. Top with the onions and bake for one to on and one half hours at 350 degrees.

I did my research so I believe that I can fill out the paperwork for Rhine Plymouth's tax status. However, I am going to ask Bobbie and John to agree with me before I continue as the packet is 26 pages long. Granted, most of it does not relate, but one has to go throuth the whole darn thing to find that out.

I, also completed the workbook that I am preparing for Blessed Trinity's Environment Committee as far as I can at this point.

AND I sent some poems to two writing contests. One through Writer's Digest and the other through the WI. Regional Writers Association. So, whew! I was busy.


I decided to end with one of my poems. I sent it to the Milwaukee Art Museum. I don't THINK I ever put it on the blog, but if I did, you will have to read it again.

ORGANIZED CHAOS

Organized Chaos
Frenetic Frenzy
Intel dropped two
The sky is falling
Sweet juicy Mangos
Picked fresh this morning
A dozen eggs – (brown are best)
One million shares - at market
Trade you mangos for chicken
Oil is up – Buy – NO! Sell
Hand woven shawls in corner stall
Fingers stab the air – one – two – three
Red, green, blue shirts - fluttering birds
Red, gold, green, jackets - prowling foxes
Just like a hen house
Throw food and they swarm

We are getting a welcome rain and I think it is to continue for a day or two. We need it. Maybe it will warm up again too.

Love

Mary

It was a strange day today. I think I feel worse tonight than I felt when the I was sneezing and congested. I will be going to bed as soon as I finish this, if I ever do, I already goofed up my first try. It is not very forgiving.

Dick and I went out for lunch and then over to Richardson's to discuss the redoing of our kitchen cabinets and a new sink. We decided to go Coreon for the resale value. Hopefully we will be done with that in a month. It is looking as if we may be looking at rejoining condo life in the next year or so and we want things easy.

Jim and Michelle are in Madison tonight at a Kansas Concert. They were very excited about the event. I vaguely remember the group from when the boys were young. I'm sure they both do. Apparantly they have been going strong since the 70s. Should be a really neat night for the two of them. Music from their time.

I will close with a story that I am SURE you have seen before but it is special and feel good and motivational and I reread it once in a while because I like the message.

NEED WASHING??



A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypn! ! otic trance we were all caught in "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.

"Lets run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain,"

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one ! ! came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.


Have a wet weekend. We might and it will be a good time to rinse off.

Love

Mary

The temperatures have warmed a bit. It was in the 40s when Chelsea and I walked. Chelsea seems to tire a bit lately when we walk. This morning, she pretty much chugged along, but sometimes she will just sit down an look at me for a bit. Like she is catching her breath or something. One morning, she seemed pleased to just shut it down early. Well, she is getting old. She is 84 in people years now.

Dick and I went for our usual breakfast and then grocery shopping. We racked the Marigold Wine today. Now it just has to settle a bit and then we can filter and bottle it. I think I will let it sit for one month because I detected a bit of fizz and that means that the yeast might be working a bit. Better to be ALL done before one sticks a cork in it.

I went to choir tonight and stopped at the Humane Society on the way.

They had told me that they would have the etching for Courtney done by tonight which was their Open House. Then I got a call just before 6:00 telling me they didn't get it done because they had been called on a rescue to Adams County on Monday and it took all evening. So I tried to call Randy and Donna who were going to the open house to take a picture for George and Betsy. They had already left.

Now you know why I went over there. I did manage to be there when Randy and Donna arrived and explained. The Society will call when it is done. They did send a letter of thanks and acknowledgement to George and Betsy. I heard the story of the rescue mission that they had gone on.

There was a couple in Adams County that the Society called dog hoarders. They had 75 dogs in their home. There was a job loss and apparantly the people were running out of funds to feed the animals. They had accumulated them over time from many sources - never had an animal spayed, so they were breeding. The animals had never been on grass. They were out is was only occasionally during the day and then on concrete. It is not known if they are housebroken. The dogs knew only their owners. Apparantly this rescue was done while the animals were still well fed and they are gentle creatures. I saw one of the dogs, a mother with several puppies, in the reception area. She looks well cared for, is very shy and has the cutest litter of nice rolly polly puppies. She is what you would call a sled dog. Her name is Ginger ane I watched as one of the helpers was trying to socialize with her. She was not at all against it but very shy and became very submissive as she accepted petting, literally plastering herself on the ground in front of the volunteer. What a story.

That was my day. How was yours?

Be healthy and happy

Mary

This was a pleasant day.

This morning was so special. Dick and I went to Rick's Flower Shop this morning and picked up a bud vase with four perfect pink roses and baby's breath to take out to Courtney. Then we picked up Mother so she could go out with us. The day was pleasant. The temperature was a bit low, probably in the low 40s, but it was still and the sun was shining. The yellow roses were pretty much done, so Mother and I replaced them with the roses. A fitting bouquet to give to a lovely girl from HER mom.

Mother and I walked over to say Hi to Grandma and Grandpa Bowser. There is a Legion medallion on Grandpa's grave and the Legion always gives him a flag, though Grandpa Bowser actually never served in any war. Grandma was always very active in the legion and they had three sons who served in WWII so I guess they figure that he deserves it.

Want to hear a cute story about Grandma Bowser? One year my ex husband and I were visiting Wisconsin and stopped at Grandma and Grandpa Bowser's for breakfast the morning that we were leaving. Grandma placed some fresh blueberry muffins on the table, and my ex said. "How come you never make fresh blueberry muffins?" Grandma said that it was really easy and she went into the kitchen and brought in the empty Duncan Heinz box. Needless to say, I got a box or two after we got home.

Now I make them from scratch.

Grandma was quite the woman. Whenever I want to know how to behave like a lady and with dignity, I use her for an example. Did you ever see the picture of her as a young woman? She was a beautiful woman.

I do seem to have caught a cold. I was supposed to go out to Rocky Knoll tomorrow to play bingo with the residents, but cannot go out and infect those people. Now I am going to head for bed.

Have a great evening or morning, whenever you happen to read this.

Mary

I think I am getting a cold. (Darn it). I have been sneezing all day and my throat feels funny too.

Today was quiet. I got my hair cut early, then came home and cleaned my desk. I took a nap after lunch and did a bit of sewing. After that I stuffed and sealed 300 envelopes for the Senior Saints at Blessed Trinity. I sent them a little cover letter summarizing what will be happening the rest of the year, an invitation from St. Mary School for them to attend the annual Spring Sing put on by the students and a brochure that I made up for them that lists all the services they can get from Blessed Trinity parishioners and committees in times of need and a few important Sheboygan County Resource numbers.

Tomorrow I will pick up the flowers Betsy wants for Courtney. Tomorrow would be her birthday and she asked that I put pink flowers, preferrably roses on the grave. I called Rick's and he is going to have a bud vase with four pink rosebuds and baby breath ready for me in the morning. Dick and I will then pick up Mother and take her with us. She would like to go out. She said that she wanted to also visit Grandma and Grandpa's graves across the path. I mentioned that when we were leaving the cemetery on Saturday, I mentioned to Dick that I hoped that Grandma & Grandpa weren't hurt that I had not walked over to greet them.

It is comforting to have so many roots in this community. And so many relatives and friends. Our friend Lucy Carderelle says that you can't talk about ANYBODY. Everybody is related or tied in SOME way. She came from somewhere else and is a wonderful person. She seems to be a big mother hen to lots of little old ladies, my Mom among them. She takes them to the Senior meals and several of them shopping and other errands too. There sure are a lot of kind people in this world. Most of them unsung.

I am going to take some nighttime cold medicine and "hit the sack" as Dad would have said. When I was a little girl, Mother used to say "Up the wooden hill to four corners."

Til Tomorrow

Mary

I forgot to post yesterday. Guess was so tired, and I just forgot. Last week was SO exhausting.

Yesterday was busy busy busy. I stopped at Mother's before the Volunteer Dinner at church an was able to say goodbye to Nora, Leif and Stenn and to George and Betsy. A bittersweet parting. Mother was really tired. She decided not to go to church for the dinner as she was not up to all the people who would have been trying to comfort her and talk about it. I am really glad she did not go. It was hard enough on me.

George and Betsy had gone out to the cemetery Sunday Morning and were so comforted to see that the hole was all filled in and smooth and whoever had done it had carefully arranged the yellow roses on top of the grave. I talked to one of the guys that works out there and was able to thank him for the care. He actually got teary. The crew out there is so caring and helpful.

Today, I took the money that we, as a family, had collected over to the Humane Society. They will etch Courtney's name and a statement about her on the glass of a door in the "cat house". It will be ready by Thursday when they have an open house and Randy and I will go an take pictures. George wants pictures of the building, the yards, the animals and Courtney's dedication. We will get them all.

The Volunteer Dinner was a great success. We had 150 to 170 in attendance. The meal and companionship were pleasant. And the cleanup was a snap. It is nice to cater to volunteers - While we were washing the silverware, they were policing the hall and had it done before we knew it. I was home by 8:00PM. Good thing. I was, as I said, exhausted.

Today, Bible Study, the trip to the Humane Society and Rhine Board Meeting.

Tomorrow, will be quiet. Darn good thing. It will be nice to cave up. I mentioned that I had made chili on Friday. The guys had it Sunday and Dick and I ate it tonight. Boy is it good. I had enough venison, so I just used it and chorizo for the meat.

Jim went to have supper with Michelle tonight. She was quite sick on Sunday but was feeling better and in need of company. That way he can see that she DOES eat and is OK.

"You'll never get to be a saint if you deny the bit of devil in you." from the Cadfael Book of Days.

Have a great Tuesday.

Love

Mary

The long sad day is over. We all gathered at St. Mary's Cemetary at 12:00Noon. A big crew with all the aunts and uncles and as many of the neices and nephews who could get here. It rained a bit on the way to the cemetary, but stopped before we all got out of our cars, so though it was a bit cool it was not an unpleasant time to be spending gathered around the grave.

We were there perhaps an hour. Shawn's father in law was a gentle and knowledgeable shepherd for the service. He kept us on track and pointed out the goodness of God which will follow the Good Friday that we have felt this past week and the Holy Saturday that we experienced today. He reminded us of the legacy of Courtney's goodness to the misfortunate of this world, she was like a magnet and always kind to them. I read my little story and told some of my memories of Courtney and then finished with the Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem that George requested be read. I finished but made sure that Dick was right there, because I knew that when I was done, I would need to be held. I had practiced the poem a couple of times at home because it needed to be read correctly to convey his message. Then George placed Courtney in Grandpa's arms and added a few things that were important to her. Two collars from her favorite cats, a windcatcher that Betsy made her using a couple feathers from the famous chicken that she spent $700 to try to save and her Aggie ring from college that she was VERY proud of. I put in a birthday card. Those who wanted took a yellow rose from the plastic tub that was waiting there and placed them next to the grave. We all went directly to Randy's to celebrate Courtney with pizza and beer.

It is NOW almost 11:00 I got home about a half an hour ago. It is hard to say goodby to each other.

I had the most wonderful surprise, Jim stopped by to comfort me and to express his sympathies to George and Betsy on his way to see Michelle. That meant the world to me and SO much to them.

I went to church tonight as it seemed like a good idea. The choir was singing and for an hour noone really missed me as there were conversation groups all over the house. I was glad I went. We sang You Raise Me Up and another song from the Unity Festival with Jim Wilsing playing the penny whistle for Joan and Don Otto on their 50th anniversary. Joan was in tears (of joy). So I am super glad that I did go over.


Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there - I did not die.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you awake in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there - I did not die.

Traditional

The above was on the prayer cards at my Dad's funeral. Courtney LOVED it and had several copies around her condominium. Randy read it for her today.

Tomorrow we will be fresh. Thank you all for your concern and prayers and love.

Mary

Today I went on a cooking frenzy. I had to do something to keep busy. As we will be eating at Randy's after the funeral, and Sunday is the Volunteer dinner at church, I made a big pot of chili for the guys and to enjoy part of next week too. I made carrot raison salad, cucumber salad, two pans of bars, (rhubarb and mint brownie) and the Kinert Spinach Noodl Casserole for dinner.

Michelle and Jim both got off work early today, so Michelle came up to spend the afternoon and evening with us (mainly Jim of course) they are watching movies downstairs. She passed another test, she likes the Kunert casserole.

It was beautiful for most of the day, though this afternoon it has become cloudy and a few raindrops are falling. George and Betsy and Nora and Leif arrived this afternoon. Stenn (Nora's son) and Shawn and Sara (George's son and wife) came too along with Sara's parents. Sara's Dad, Dwight, is going to conduct the graveside service for us.

It is good for all of us to be together and we are glad that they brought Courtney home to us. All the people do tire Mother, is is so important fo us all to be here, despite that.

I saw the workers getting ready for tomorrow night's spaghetti dinner fundraiser for St. Mary School, so I went over and gave the tickets that Dick and I had purchased to my friend Cindy to see if she could find someone who could use them as we will not be able to go. Cindy said that she would give one to her sister who is coming and planned to buy a ticket but is on rent assistance and this would be a nice surprise. Perhaps they can find another person who has a need.

Cadfael's reading for the day was thought provoking. "If I have guessed right, there is here a problem beyond my wit or yours to solve. I promise my endeavour. The ending is not mine, it belongs only to God. But what I can to, I will do."

Special

Mary

A beautiful sun shiny day. It was in the high 60s with a mild breeze wafting around. There had been rain last night and the streets were covered with worms. The robins should be very full tonight.

Dick and I went out to breakfast as usual on Thursdays, followed by the weekly grocery shopping spree. I cleaned the bathrooms when we got home. This afternoon, I went and picked up some groceries for Mother. George will stay with her while they are here and though she will not make any major meals, she really needed a few things in order to be able to supply breakfast and a lunch if necessary.

I also had to stop in church and replace one of the banners on the St. Francis Chapel wall with the Divine Mercy tapestry. Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday and my friend Esther, got permission to have the tapestry purchased and the Legion of Mary is celebrating a Holy Hour on Sunday in honor of the Divine Mercy. I thought I might need help but it was surpisingly easy to haul the ladder over there and switch the hangings.

Tomorrow, I am going to go on a baking and cooking frenzy. I will be making chili, spinach-noodle casserole and two pans of bars. The bars are for the gathering after the interment on Saturday and the meals are for Dick and Jim as I will not be here to prepare Saturday or Sunday meals.

Whose cruel idea was it for the word "lisp" to have an "S"
in it?

I hope I sleep well tonight. I am VERY tired.

Love

Mary

Today was better. The weather was lovely. Chelsea, however, seemed to be tired on her walk. She kept sitting down about when we got to the end of the street and did not want to go the full distance. I did not make her either. She is getting old, after all, and should have some choice in the matter. And frankly, usually she is the one dragging me the last half mile or so.

We racked the second batch of wild grape, the one without the bananas in it, to the secondary fermentors. I have to remember to check the specific gravity tomorrow. It is the most beautiful color. A deep deep purple.

Tonight, Rocky Knoll put on a thank you dinner for the volunteers. I have helped throughout the year by going with the church group to play bingo with the residents. They alway have a nice dinner, give out cute party favors, lots of door prizes and have entertainment. This year the entertainment was a Celtic Harpist playing a wirestrung Celtic Harp. I could not understand the introduction. Then when I went to see about getting a tape or CD (which I knew I would have to send for because I didn't bring that kind of cash with me) Imagine my delight when I discovered that he is Jeff Pockat. I have a CD of his that I got almost 20 years ago from Heather in Wausau. She thought I would enjoy his music and lent me the tape. I did and eventually purchased one for myself and another one for a gift to Fr. Mike Moran who loved traditional Irish Music. He gave nice introductions to his music and played a lot from way back when, including two from Carolan.

A nice break. Tomorrow we begin again.

We are going to pool our money that would be used for flowers or such and donate in a lump sum to the Humane Society. They will then engrave Courtney's name on a glass door in the Cat Room. Kathy and I started to laugh as we remembered the when Courtney worked at the Shelter in Texas, Betsy used to say that her daughter worked in a Cat House.


Love

Mary

The weather was lovely today. The temps were in the mid to high 50s and we were out in it for a bit.

Dick and I went to the funeral of Wally Horvatinec, who worked in maintenance at the library for MANY years. Jim came also, because Wally was his boss for 14 years or more and Jim was very fond of him.

Then we drove out to St.Mary Cemetery so I could get a lay of the land as far as how the graves are situated in the Deeley area. On the way home we stopped at Walgreens to pick up a couple of prescriptions and went to Harry's Diner for lunch.

When I got home, I called George and told him all that I had found out and they finalized their plans for the interment on Saturday at noon. Courtney will rest right on top of her Grandpa Hutz Deeley's coffin, just about in his lap. That will be comforting to George and Betsey as she and Dad had a really close relationship. Courtney lived out of state, most of the time, but they wrote letters in between visits. It was special. Dad wrote a poem especially for her too.

You might enjoy it.

Courtney dear you make me happy
A joy, a cheer to your Grandpappy
Cute as a bug, I love your hug.
Pretty and sharp you'll always be
One thing I don't like, you are so far away
And I don't get to see you grow up every day.
But when you come here a thrill it's to me
To see that you are still as sweet as can be
So bigger or not what difference Really
To me you will still be my Courtney Deeley.

Now, we mainly have to wait. Such a sad time.

Til tomorrow

Mary

Went to Bible Study this morning. It is comforting to have a group of people who pray and study with one. When we have a need, we know that people are praying with and for us.

After we were done, I stopped at Mother's to visit with her and Jeff and Kathy who were there to help get her gardens ready for planting and the trash hauled off to the dump. It was a good day for them to be with her anyway. We are all rather numb about our Courtney. I ended up staying for lunch and Aunt Kathleen called while we were eating and came to stay for a while. I left at about 2:00 and came home.

I had a message from George when I got in so I returned that call right away. Betsy and George want Courtney buried here in St. Mary Cemetery, close to her Grandpa. Our Dad, her grandpa and Courtney did have a special bond. When she was a little girl and did not live close, they wrote letters to each other and had a wonderful communication. They would like to have the buriel on Saturday, if all goes well in Texas. I was able to get the information and will call George and Betsy tomorrow for their decision. I do want to stop at the cemetery to get a visual before I call him and confirm Mother's ideas. Maybe I can convince Dick to go out to breakfast with me tomorrow and we can take a swing by there.

Aside from that I sewed today. I made some progress on the Hand of God wall hanging that I am designing. That was a relaxing project and I also watched Walk the Line. I recommend that movie just for the music. I liked it a lot.

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

Love

The sun will come up tomorrow and we will all be OK. We will remember the words for each other.


Mary

Last night the phone rang at 10:00PM. This is a bit unusual under any circumstances, but when I heard my brother George's voice, for some reason, I was thinking, perhaps Houston was in a different time zone. I now remember that it is not. However, the news that he called to tell me was heartbreaking. Their daughter, Courtney, took her own life that morning. They had tried to call her all morning, then called work and though she WAS supposed to be there, had not showed up. So George and Betsy called the police to check and the police found her. Randy, Donna and I met at Mother's at about 9AM so someone would be with her when George called to tell her the news. It is heartbreaking and watching Mother hear the news was one of the most difficult.

We, Randy, Donna, their girls, Mother and myself all went to Mass. I asked Fr. Gene to ask the congregation for prayers, so a lot are being said for Courtney and for the family. We need them to get through this difficult acceptance. So you can help us out too. George told Randy that he should hug all three of his girls and then go back and hug them again.

The rest of Easter and I am exhausted. Jim picked up his girlfriend, Michelle, and she spent the afternoon and had dinner with us and Bobbie and Bill. I guess menitoned that she was coming yesterday, but just in case you just tuned in.

Michelle is fun, charming and lovely. We had a wonderful time and hope to spend more time with her in the future. Dick even gave her his chocolate bunny.

Jim, Michelle and I went out to Rhine to shoot in mid afternoon. Michelle chose to just watch, but I think she will join us the next time. She did like the club and the people she met. Not too many as Easter was a dud for business. Only about a dozen people, including us, and all were members who could have come anyway.

My first target was a dud again, only a 36, the other two were better 52 and 62 so I think from now on, I will shoot a practice target. (Then it will probably be my best one but we have to try.) I also shot a round of trap with Krunch as the Falls Club will start their league sometime in May and if Rosalee will shoot with me I would like to try again. Remember, I was Most Improved the last league there.

Today I only got a 14 in trap today, but after a whole winter of not shooting, I figure it will only improve. I was not following through - Need to reestablish my rythum.

The meal turned out really good. I will be reheating different combinations all week.

It is now time to call it a day. Remember our sweet Courtney and my brother and Betsy in your prayers. They need SO much comforting.



Love and Happy Easter


Mary