Chelsea got me up at about 5 this morning, then I went back to sleep and it was 7 O'Clock when I finally woke up again. I actually felt pretty rested most of the day.

I spent the morning cleaning, washing and folding clothes and doing computer catch up.

I had lunch at the Dairy Queen with the bank people. Marlene said she will distribute communion on May 2nd when I am in Lake Geneva for the Celtic Gathering.

Tonight I picked up Nancy Roehre at quarter to five so we could go pistol shooting. I did not do TOO badly tonight. It is better than it has been anyway.

Tonight during Ghost Whisperer I worked a bit more on that lonely little doll that has been sitting naked for a very long time. Oscar came downstairs and cuddled in my lap for the longest time. He has been very affectionate with both Dick and I all day today.

That was the day. It is coming close to the end now. I will close with a quote.

Depak Chopra said, "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you," It actually reminds me of a motto I use under pressure. "Be like a duck. Appear calm an unruffled above the surface and paddle like hell below."

Love

Mary

Well, here it is, almost 10PM again. I try not to be up this late, but tonight was special. You know this if you have been reading the previous blogs.

Tonight Pat Becher, Peg Payne, Barb Fishbaugher and I met at the Kewaskum High School to see Caim, Heather Innes from Scotland and Jacynth Hamel from Ireland. They are an a capella Celtic Duo. They sing Celtic prayer songs and Celtic traditional music. I saw them last year at Mead and will look for them again next year. They come to Wisconsin every year it seems and stay for a few weeks. After the concert, we Celtic Women invited them to join us for coffee. Barb had arranged for the local coffee shop to stay open a bit late for us. Heather and Jacynth did join us. We had a lovely visit and I shared CWI with them. They may join us. We CWI ladies are thinking of perhaps sponsoring them in Plymouth next year.

Did I tell you I went up on stage and danced with Jacynth as I did last year at Mead. It was such fun.

The rest of the day was really quite busy. Before we went to have Dick's anti coagulation count checked at 10, I put together a spinach egg casserole for our lunch. His count was 2.8 - perfect again so we don't have to take him to get it checked for a month.

He had therapy at 1:00PM. That went very well. He walked twice between the parallel bars then twice using the walker. This is big. A few more times with the walker in therapy and he can start using it at home. He is still working on balance, of course, but looks really good when he is walking.

So this was our day. Tomorrow is much quieter. Dick has actually four days off as he does not have therapy until next Tuesday. So - we will have to keep him standing often and be sure to take the shoe on and off as Dr. Moreno wants us too.

Be good to yourself and enjoy this marvelous weather. It is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. I finally heard the peepers singing tonight when I took Chelsea out. Another VERY promising sign that SPRING is finally here.

Love

Mary

Maybe Spring really is here. Today was not TOO warm but I was able to run out with the dog without putting a jacket on. Of course, I would not have wanted to take a long walk. There was a bit of a breeze the the temps were only in the 50s. Bret would laugh at my "heat wave".

Dick had his appointment with Dr. Sharon this morning. That went very well. He is pleased with all of his vital signs and the blood tests. We did get a chance to weigh him so now we will have a base line weight. We are sure that he has gained some weight but it is hard to tell how much because in the Care Center he was weighed without shoes and without his prosthesis. But we now have a base weight and can work from there. We are careful with portions and balanced meals so I am sure that we will be OK especially now that he is doing more activities.

WE got home to find that Josh from VNA had called. I was able to reach him and he brought over the 20" wheel chair for us to try. It rolls a little better, he fits a little less snugly, I am able to lift it in and out of the car and Dick can maneuver it through the doors with little trouble. So we went for it.

After he left, I did the grocery shopping. Then we were both home for the rest of the day. I have been inordinately tired. I napped after our lunch and then fell asleep for about an hour again after supper. I had Dick wake me up to watch Bones. Then I will get the last minute night time things done and go to bed again.

We received an email from Jim and Michelle tonight. They are making another major change in their lives. They have accepted a position as a couple to be apartment managers for a huge complex in Oklahoma City. They will be moving in a couple of weeks to take over the position. It sounds really good for them. They will have an apartment, a salary and benefits.

Guess that is all and that is quite enough news for now.

All my love

Mary

It was a bit warmer than predicted but still damp and rather chilly. I was up at about 6:30 for good.

I had to take Chelsea in for a blood test as she was due for a prescription renewal and Dr. Pat wanted to see how her levels are holding. She is losing ground but there is not much we can do that is reasonable. Increasing her meds runs the risk of causing other problems. So we take care of her and wait. The coughing is really more intense, but I wish you could see how happy and alert she is when we go on our morning walk. And she is not in pain, though I am sure the coughing is not comfortable. It seems to be keeping fluids from forming in her lungs so that is a good thing. Anyway, she did not seem to mind her little outing.

Dick had therapy at 1:00PM. Tim, the prosthesis guy, was there and is really pleased with the walking progress and the condition and continued improvement of the stump itself. If it does not change in size over the next month, we will move on to the next step. A more permanent cup. Dick and I really felt good because Tim said that we are, as a team, really doing a good job getting him healed and shaped and ready for that.

I worked a bit on the doll that needs dressing and read a bit tonight. I wanted to be available to watch the final interview with Archbishop Dolan which is followed by Dancing with the Stars. The interview was very nice and included a bit of the Archbishops history and what he accomplished in our Archdiocese.

Tomorrow, Dick will have an early appointment with Dr. Sharon. I hope we can get some answers to a few questions we have. And perhaps some advice on a couple of problems.

So, a tired lady is going to take Chelsea out for her last evening bathroom break and go to bed.

Be good to yourself tomorrow. You deserve it.

Love

Mary

What a Monday.

Chelsea woke me up at her usual 4AM and I HAD to get up at 6. I did get more sleep which is a good thing because it was such a busy day.

I felt that I had put in almost a full days work before I left for bible study at a little after 9AM.

There were 6 of us there today. A nice group. Next Sunday's Gospel is the story of Thomas. Our usual source of information (Blest are We) has an error and is showing the Easter readings as being the readings for all of the Sundays until Pentecost.

I found a nice site that gave sample sermons (I assume for ministers etc) so I took advantage of it. I liked what it had to say about Thomas.

"Sometimes I think Thomas gets a bum rap. Everyone calls him "Doubting Thomas." But he only doubted for a week. He certainly seems to have done more believing than he ever did doubting.

Thomas said that he would not believe until he had seen it for himself. A rather good idea when confronted with a story as amazing as a man rising from the dead."

He did not have all the information we have and as we discussed it gave Jesus a chance to say. "Blessed are they who have no seen and yet believe." Namely us.

Stopped to see Mother next. She is looking good. The Visiting Nurse was coming by to give her some more help and training in her colostomy care. This will be her last visit, though Mother can call her with questions at any time.

When I got home, I fixed lunch and then we went to Plymouth Care for Dick's therapy. That went very well. He walked four times. Lori showed us a sock aid. It is a tool to help pull stockings on and we hope it will help prevent the abrasion sores that we are getting on his shin bone area. These heal quite quickly but occur easily because his skin is SO thin and sensitive. Hopefully because then we won't be doing tugging and possible hitting the skin with fingers it will avoid the sores. I will pick one up tomorrow.

Then I tried to take a nap. I did sleep for a bit but the phone rang with a call from the Visiting Nurses. We are going to see if I can lift a 20 inch wheel chair and if it fits halfway easily into the bathroom. This one is light and Dick DOES fit but snuggly. Because he fits snuggly, there is rubbing and it pushes harder that others that we end up in, at the clinic for example.

We had creamed egg on toast for our supper. Yum Yum.

I went to a Tallgrass Condo board meeting because I volunteered to be on an ad hoc committee to negotiate with Mark Kleinhans,the developer, for repairs and other things that need to be done around the complex. From what I see, we need to go over everything, get the promises and then follow up. It is simple but will not be at all easy. As a matter of fact with all of these people who are all "right" it will be tricky. But hopefully cool heads will prevail.

So that is my day. All settled in our nice little home with Roxie sleeping peacefully on my desk under the lamp.

Tomorrow will be a little quieter. So far we only have one appointment outside of the house, though I may have to take Chelsea in for a blood test before they will renew one of her meds. It never ends.

Have a nice Tuesday. It is supposed to be getting warmer every day this week. I wish it would be above freezing when I wake up in the morning.

Love

Mary

 

An EASTER STORY FOR YOU



Pine Trees Know Easter!

Last April on a Sunday we took one of our "nowhere" drives, my husband was quietly driving a back road. I was occupied in the front passenger seat watching the scenery.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my husband was straining to look out my window. This startled me, since his eyes should have been on the road in front of him. I asked him what he was looking at out the windows, and he quietly replied,"Nothing” His eyes went back to the road in front of him.

After a few minutes, I looked over at my husband and noticed a tear. I asked him what was wrong. This time he told me, "I was just thinking about Pop and a story he had once told me"

Of course, because it had to do with his Pop I wanted to know the story, so I asked him to share it with me. He said, "When I was about 8 years old, Pop and I were out fishing and that's when he told me that the Pine trees know when it is Easter.."

I had no idea what he meant by that, so I pressed him for more information.
He continued on... "The Pine trees start their new growth in the weeks before Easter -- if you look at the tops of the Pine trees two weeks before, you will see the yellow shoots. As the days get closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch off and form a cross. By the time Easter
Sunday comes around, you will see that most of the Pine trees will have
small yellow crosses on all of the tallest shoots."

I turned to look out the window and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a week before Easter, and you could see all of the trees with the tall yellow shoots stretching to Heaven.

The tallest ones shone in the sunlight like rows of tiny golden crosses.

Well, the Easter Bunny came to the Kunert house. The Easter Bunny even knew that Bobbie, Bill, Michelle and Jim were going to be here and left baskets for them too.

I went to Mass at 8AM. It was a lovely mass. The childrens' choir sang beautifully. I was especially impressed with a trio, a boy and two girls who sang the song "He's Alive". The boy sang the narration, one of the girls sang harmony and the other played the guitar. It was very moving. I am especially pleased that in our weekly prayer requests, Fr. Van Beeck is making special mention of the needs of so many unemployed and underemployed in our area and in our country.

Jim and Michelle arrived shortly after I got home from church. They started things for dinner and then headed over to Bobbie and Bill's to pick out the things that Jim wanted of their Mother's things.

Everybody was here by 11:30AM. Jim and Michelle worked like busy little worker bees in the kitchen and put on a wonderful array of appetizers first. Deviled eggs, of course, were the hit of the array. This was followed by a delicious ham dinner accompanied by potato cheese casserole, green beans Alfredo and Jim's famous from scratch corn bread. We were stuffed, but managed to find room for the delicious cherry cake that Michelle had baked.

Lovely meal, nice company.

I talked to Bret and Bart today too. They are all fine.

Shortly before everybody left, Dick got so tired that he had to lie down for a nap. Chelsea ran into the bedroom with him so that she could nap too. She has been sleeping ever since except to wake up long enough for dinner. Poor little lady is getting weaker and more tired every week.


How nice that we can give thanks for the safe rescue of that boat captain, Richard Phillips, that had been held captive for so long after bartering himself with the pirates for his crew's safety. It is a shame that life had to be lost in the process but perhaps this will tell the pirates that if they threaten to take the life of a man, this will be their probable end. And pointing a rifle at his back certainly constituted a threat. Anyway, I thank God for his safety and for the joy his family must be feeling.

Have a good week.

Mary

Well. I did it again. Got so tired that I went to bed without blogging.

HAPPY Easter!

We were home all day and I still got too tired. I died eggs and fixed baskets and cleaned and washed and took care of Dick and the animals and the day was gone.

Dick had a few problems yesterday, nothing really serious, but time consuming and rather tiring so I will use that as my excuse.

Jim and Michelle are cooking dinner here today and Bobbie and Bill are coming for dinner too. So I will have a happy day to report tonight.

Love

Mary

Guess I forgot to post last night. I was VERY tired. I will catch you all up tonight.

I get to stay home all day today. Yippee I AAAAAA!

Mary

Another two appointment day.

Chelsea woke me out of a sound sleep at 4AM this morning. I was really sound asleep too. But I was able to get back to sleep again and got up shortly after 6AM. After feeding critters, cleaning the catbox, showering and walking Chelsea, I got Dick up and we got him washed up and ate our breakfast before heading out to Sheboygan to see Dr. Moreno.

It is a red letter day. Dr. Moreno was very pleased with the shoe and with the condition of Dick's foot. It was as described and is doing what he wants it to do. Dick stood up for him so he could see how the two worked together. Dr. Moreno commented that he had not been aware how tall Dick is. So. All three of us, the doctor, Dick and me were very happy. Dr. Moreno told Dick to "Go forth and walk."

On the way home, I stopped at the Research Center to take some labels from Fr. Mike to Beth Dippel to merge with her labels for the Reunion of the Clans in August. She was coming in just as I started into the building so it worked out very well.

We also stopped and gave Mother her vitamins and last prescription for this month. So my errands got done.

We had lasagna and more of the great cole slaw that I made for lunch. I bought cole slaw dressing from the St. John's fish fry people. That is the best cole slaw dressing that I have ever had.

Dick had therapy at 1:00. Bobbie came and helped us get him to the second appointment. That is always such a help. By then I am tired. I showed her the way I have figured out to get the chair in the back without wrecking my back and that old injury in my rib cage. It worked for her too. We decided that they really should provide lessons for loading wheelchairs into cars along with the delivery of the chair. It took me weeks to figure it out.

Lori was also just delighted with Dr. Moreno' proclamation of success of the shoes. So Dick Walked. And Walked and Walked. He is to wear the shoe for 1 1/2 hours three times a day for a week and then 2 hours a day three times a day for a week. Then we will see him again.

In the meantime, Lori only wants him walking supervised with her. He will gradually move from the parallel bars to the walker. Wow. Is it good to see him walking.

Tonight I went to the Holy Thursday service at St. John's. It was a nice service. The adult choir sang, beautifully. They were full choir and have lots of people if everybody comes and lots of guys. I love the guys voices. I missed the washing of the feet though. It seems to me that Fr. John did not do that last year either. I don't really know why. Dick says maybe I should let the Pope know.

Tomorrow all I HAVE to do is go to the Good Friday Service at 12:30 and go shooting at 5PM. I will finish all the cleaning but the kitchen too.

Leslie sent a picture of the kids with Bill Schroeder at a fundraiser that St. Mary School had years ago. It is really a nice picture and I had forgotten it. The girls look so cute. We had fund that night. That was when Sara was a real died in the wool Packer Fan. I wonder if she still is after all of these years. Some day, I have a package of stuff from the last year that the Packers won the Super Bowl. That was quite a year. A year to hold in the memory until it passes our way again. I still remember the team coming home in that awful cold and watching as crowds waited for ages along the streets to get a glimpse of their heroes. And those valiant players exposed themselves to the cold too, giving their loyal fans a chance to see them. There are no fans like Packer Fans.

I will be going to a wedding reception on May 23 at the Legends Club at Lambeau Field for John Bowser, my Uncle Pat's son. The wedding is at 1PM and the reception starts at 5PM. This is really too long a time for Mother, so I told her that perhaps Dick and I could take her just to the reception. She looked pleased with that idea so I will do that. I know that Pat, Mom's youngest brother, and his wife Joan would be so pleased if she could be there.

So this day is over. All the critters are sacked out and Dick and I are going to follow suite very soon.

Be good and have a Good Friday. (Wasn't that clever?"

Love

Mary

A double busy day since Dick had two appointments. We had to be over at the Plymouth Clinic at 8:30 for his blood tests. They are in preparation for his physical next week with Dr. Sharon.

We went from there to Mc Donalds for breakfast as soon as they were done. Dick had to fast for the blood test so we were very hungry. Therapy started as soon as we could get to the center. Dick stood in his new shoe three times and it really looks good. Then he had to have his "every 10 visit" evaluation. While he was there, I decided to take care of a COUPLE of the errands that I had today. That did make the rest of the day easier.

We got home at about 11AM. I got Dick settled and then drove to Mother's house to bring her pills to her. She is doing well. Barb Mac Ewen had left my Mary Kay there so it was a win win situation. Mom's house cleaner was there when I got there. I didn't stay long because there was still a lot of day left and a lot to do with it.

It was truly a beautiful day. The temperatures got up to 55 degrees. It was sunny and there was no wind. I stopped at Walmart on my way home for MSM and new gloves for Dick to use pushing his wheel chair. His first pair is almost worn out. This pair is more leathery and should last a little longer.

When I got home, Dick was sleeping so I zipped back to the Pig and did our grocery shopping.

He was up when I got home so we ate our lunch. Good old leftovers. I tried to take a nap but was really not able to settle down enough.

So that was the day. I am almost done with the sweatshirt jackets for to take along to the CWI Gathering. I will have four - 2 red and 2 navy. So it was a busy and profitable day.

When I left Dick at the Center to do those errands, I had to come home to pick up my lists and coupons. On the way back out of Tallgrass two does appeared up on the berm near the railroad tracks. I stopped to look at them and they looked at me. Finally they bolted and ran across the road in back of me. It is really nice to see the wildlife. When Chelsea and I walk in the morning we have a regular chorus of happy birds singing now that spring is trying to come.

We go to see Dr. Moreno tomorrow. Pray with us that we get the green light to really get to walking now. That will make our lives so much easier AND will also help to speed up the process to get Dick's permanent prosthesis.

Love

Mary

A rather eventful day. It took me until almost 9AM to finish just getting everybody fed and walked. (Chelsea was really the only one that was walked. Everybody else got fed though.)

Finally at about 10:30 I headed out into the wide world. I went first to City Hall to vote. We felt bad because we had forgotten to get an absentee ballot for Dick in time for it to count, so I had to vote for both of us. I hope he agreed with me but
he only got 1/2 a vote anyway.

Then I went to Walgreens to pick up prescriptions, a few supplies and Easter things.

Easter is almost here and I am ready. Of course, since Jim and Michelle are fixing dinner, I don't have a whole lot to do.

This afternoon we had therapy at 1PM. Tim brought the shoe back and it seems to be just right now. Dick stood and took a few steps to be sure that here is no rubbing. We brought it home with us so he can wear it more. I called and we have an appointment for Dr. Moreno to see him on Thursday - with the shoe - to check out the pressure points. It did Dick and me both good to see his feet with the same kind of shoe on them.

So far so good.

I think I have mentioned how deep Chelsea is sleeping these days. Tonight, Roxie and Oscar were really begging for their dinner so I fixed their bowls and also Chelsea's. Chelsea, however, was sleeping so I covered her bowl and waited until she woke up. When she did, I gave her pills to her and then set her bowl down in HER spot. The next thing I saw was that greedy Oscar nosing Chelsea aside and chowing down on her food. Poor Chelsea is so polite and so confused that she just stood there and didn't object at all. I had to chase that greedy cat away and KEEP chasing him away so Chelsea could eat. Dick remembered that we trained Chelsea to leave Waylon and his food alone and she probably thinks that hey have first dibs. I think that they know that she is old and they can have their way with her. Poor Baby. I will have to be sure to feed them all at the same time AND be sure Chelsea can finish.

Love

Mary

This was a typical Monday. BUSY.

Chelsea woke me up at 4:30 for her quick out but I did get back to sleep until 6:00AM. Had a lot to do to get ready for the rest of the day but Chelsea and I took a nice long walk again this morning. It was rather cold but with none of the promised snow and no wind we sailed along pretty good.

We had a full crowd at bible study, 10 of us in all. With the readings geared for Easter, we had a lot to talk about. It was so good to have all those people there.

Then over to Mother's house. The VNA had asked if one of us could be there today when they came to review her case. They said they would be there between 10:30 and 11 but did not show until almost 11:45AM. I was able to stay, they went over the things they have shown her and we all discussed her strength and all. She should be alright alone, at least for the foreseeable future, as long as when she takes a bath or if she should have to irrigate, she lets someone know when she goes in and when she goes out. Actually, she no longer has to irrigate every day so this is making it much safer for her and it is working out very well. I stopped at the bank on the way home and was home by 12:30 which at least was not too late for a lunch.

We had a quiet afternoon, I took a nap after lunch and we got Dick all cleaned up and changed.

We had soup and sandwich for supper. Then I went to Rhine Plymouth for the monthly meeting.

Missed the first hour of Dancing with the Stars so I can't vote this week. Darn. But at least I will be able to see the recap and who is voted off on tomorrows show.

Friday, when I was working at Rhine, Doc asked how Bobbie is doing and said he really wishes she would come back. Doc and Judy will be spending several winter months in Missouri (I think Missouri) with one of their kids. A bit warmer and they like it there. Tonight, Sara asked about Bobbie. I said that maybe some day she would be back but that she said she really wanted another year after retirement with no obligations because she enjoyed the first one so much.

Now I am home and am so happy that it is almost time to go to bed. It has been a long day.

Tomorrow is a little quieter so maybe I can fit in some time for some fun.

Have a good one yourself and don't forget to vote.

Love

Mary

I did get to stay home all day today. Chelsea woke me at 4:30 but I got back to sleep and didn't get up til 6:40AM. I fed the critters and then took Chelsea out for her walk. We had a good walk but not as far as yesterday. She did not seem as interested today, maybe she doesn't like the colder weather either.

I made a dessert and mixed up some baked beans for our noon meal then took a nap at about 10:30. It helped I think but I am really tired now.

This afternoon, I did some sewing on some sweatshirt jackets that I want to take to the CWI gathering in May. I also worked a bit on another stump doll. She now has a skirt and hair. I am thinking of pipe cleaners for her arms this time and a vest and a cute wool purse or sporran that will be at her waist. She is evolving.

Roxie has been especially needy today. She keeps crawling into my lap for more loving. This is very nice but I always feel bad when I have to get up and disturb her. She is patient with me but I am sure it is an annoyance.

It is hard to believe that next week is Easter Sunday. I can go to the 8AM Mass or if I want to, maybe, go on Saturday night for the big Easter Vigil mass. It is a long service what with the blessing of fire, water and the baptizing of any who have been preparing and takes two or three hours. The trouble is that by 8PM of an evening, I am so beat that I can barely function.

Anyway, it was a quiet day. Dick slept most of the afternoon and a good chunk of the morning. His sleep patterns are getting all mixed up again. I hope it settles down soon. It makes it quiet around here but I miss having someone to talk to. Well, I guess I DO have three critters so what am I complaining about.

Take care and have a good week. The last week of Lent and then the feast of Easter.

Love

Mary

Saturday. I did have things to do today outside of the home. First, at 10AM, there was a special meeting of the Condo association to decide if we were going to take legal action against the developer for things that need to be done yet. We were being told by our board the the statute of limitations is almost up on being able to force him to do certain things, like put in the road and fix some drainage issues. Mark was there and disputed many things that the board said. I had my doubts about whether we have utilized all of our negotiation tools before causing a permanent rift with litigation. Apparently the majority of the residents agreed with me because the vote was over whelming to not press for a lawsuit. I must tell you that Mark, the developer, is also a resident of the condo complex, so he has a lot to lose too. As we left, I told him I just wanted the road to be put in. He laughed and said that as soon as the board told him, he would go ahead with it.

I did offer to be on a committee to work with Mark to see that the problems are solved. I do not believe that the board has been doing a good job of that at all.

I cleaned the kitchen floor today too and watered plants. Hopefully I can start putting some of the heartier herbs outside soon to see if they come back.

I went to Mass tonight at 4PM. It is Palm Sunday weekend so I brought home a fresh blessed palm. I must remember to give my old ones to Jeff. He still burns things and that is what is supposed to be done with them. It was a nice service. Next Sunday, Easter Sunday, I will be able to go to 8AM Mass. That will be nice. I preferred that Mass when we had it. Regardless, I will have basically the whole day. Jim and Michelle are providing dinner and bringing it here so Dick does not have to go anywhere. At least we won't have to be taking things over to the Care Center as we did with Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow I will be able to stay home ALL day. Isn't that nice.


Love

Mary

A satisfying day. Chelsea woke me up at 4:30AM again but I got back to sleep until 6:30 and since I was in bed by 9:30 last night, I am reasonably rested today. Spent a good bit of the morning vacuuming the office and the living room. I also got several appointments coordinated and several other questions answered as well as getting the desk a little cleaner.

I did go for lunch at the Dairy Queen with the bank ladies. I had not been able to go for several weeks because of conflicts and it was good to catch up again. We will not meet next week because it is Good Friday and most of us do attend Good Friday services in one church or another. Betty and Marlene both work at the polls in the Town of Sheboygan so they will be busy on Tuesday. At least they hope they will be busy, otherwise that day drags on for the workers. We forgot to get an absentee ballot for Dick so unless something changes, I will be the family voter. Hope he likes my choices.

I picked up a fish fry for Dick from St. John's. I worked at Rhine tonight so I just took a container full of pasta salad with crab for my supper. I also splurged on a candy bar for my dessert. Something I have not had since the mini bars from Halloween were eaten up.

I must make a dessert of some kind tomorrow. We want healthy desserts but do like a bit of sweet after our meals.

We were busy at Rhine. But there are less shooters these days. I think the economy is hitting them too. Ammo is more expensive as is the cost of the leagues. Our league fee is the same but the Trap fees have gone up so people are paring back a bit. This was the second week and after tonight we have 16 teams, which is less than usual but not too bad. We are down on pistol shooters, I hope some of them come in. Otherwise, I hope they come back in the fall league. It was so nice to have 15 or 16 pistol shooters in the winter league.

Anyway, I was in charge of the gun room and signed people in so was a busy person which is nice and makes the evening to fast. We were done with the shooters at 8:30 and I had the money all counted so they let me come home. They are very good to me because they know I need to be with Dick as much as possible.

My friend Maureen sent me the following:

After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion, that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, a California archaeologist dug to a depth of 20 feet, and shortly after, a story in the LA Times read: 'California archaeologists, finding traces of 200 year old copper wire, have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.

One week later, The La Crosse Tribune, a local newspaper in Wisconsin, reported the following: After digging as deep as 30 feet in his pasture near Coon Valley
Wisconsin, Ole Olson, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing.

Ole has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Wisconsin had already gone wireless. Thank Heaven for Ole.

Who said Wisconsinites are hicks?

Enjoy your weekend. We are supposed to be getting another snowstorm. What the heck is that? Doesn't Mother Nature know that it is April and almost Easter?

Love

Mary

Last night really left me tired this morning. We had such a good time, but it was after 11PM when I got to bed. I took Chelsea out at 4:30AM and went back to sleep. I must have been having nightmares because I woke poor Dick up yelling. Then went back to sleep but I HAD to get up by 6:15 or so because of our morning schedule.

We got Dick to his first appointment with Dr. Cheryl at Advanced Eye Care at 8:35 by the skin of our chinny chin chins. That went OK but they made an appointment for Dick to see a specialist because there are signs of aging and possible macular degeneration. Nothing serious yet but there are things to do to stop it if it is caught on time.

We went right from there to therapy to try the shoe again. It is almost perfect. Lori is going to ask Andrea to make one more small adjustment. Then with any luck at all, we can go to see Dr. Moreno next week and then WALK. He did stand for almost 20 minutes today.

We were able to stay home all the rest of the day. I made some soup and a pasta salad, cleaned the kitchen and washed what seemed to be 1000 dishes. Now I am exhausted.

We called to see if someone could come to check the wheelchair because it seems to push so hard. The man stopped right over which is really great. There is nothing wrong, it seems to be just that there is rubbing because Dick JUST fits and there is some rubbing. Chelsea was sleeping along the wall when he came in and never woke up until he was almost ready to leave. Then she woke up and looking very confused walked over and sniffed him. He laughed and said that he kind of wondered if she was alive when he came in because she didn't move and she was laying there so still with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.


But she is still with us and still amazes me in the mornings when we go for our walk.

We are supposed to have a snow storm coming in again. Mother is so disappointed. She wants to go to church on Palm Sunday and if it is slippery it is dangerous. I am thinking that maybe driving her over to the front of the church and picking her up might work.

Anyway Have a pleasant Friday. Wear red in honor of our service men and women overseas if you think of it.

Love

Mary

Here it is 10:30PM. I have just arrived home from a delightful evening. Mother and I had dinner at the Villager in Falls. We both had their pasta special, penne, with veggies and a spicy Alfredo sauce on it all. It was delicious. Then we went to Horace Mann to meet Bobbie for the Sheboygan Theater production of Over the River and Through the Woods.

It was a delightful play. If anyone wants to have a good evening between now and Sunday, I would recommend it highly. It is a true comedy/drama and the characters are wonderful. Two sets of Italian grandparents and their grandson and their intense loving relationship. We laughed and laughed and then there is some sadness too. Much like life. The last line of the play is "Didn't it come on nice?" Referring to many a meal and to life.

The rest of the day I was pretty much on the go. Roxie and Oscar had their annual checkups. They got their shots, blood tests and have been proclaimed healthy. Roxie,however, will have to have her teeth cleaned. So she will be very disappointed in me in three weeks time when I take her in for that.

I had an appointment with a banker and my investment banker at 10AM. That went very well. I have some tweaking that I would like to do but need to be sure that Dick understands and approves of the changes.

Then I went grocery shopping and filled up the gas tank while I was out.

After lunch, I took a nap. Had a pretty good one too. Then it was time to get Dick all squared away and fed before I went to pick up Mother for dinner.

And now I am home again. So far Chelsea did not wake up for about 15 minutes after I got home and has had me take her out twice since she woke up. I hope that is all for tonight. She will probably want to sleep late tomorrow and I can't. We have to get Dick to the eye doctor by 8:30 and to therapy by 9:30.

Leslie emailed that she and Bill are back home in Bossier City safe and sound. That is a relief. A long drive is always a worry. She said they were exhausted. We will communicate later to find out how the trip was.

Guess that is all for now. I am ready to wind down and head for bed myself.

Til tomorrow

Love

Mary

 

Here is the picture of my voice teacher (Isn't that cool. "My voice teacher") Samantha Pool and her son Michael, the leprechaun. Isn't he adorable.

Today was a comparatively quiet day. I picked up my glasses at about 9AM. I CAN see better. I will however have to get used to the change in the bifocal because it makes a difference as to how I position my head. But distance and close are much better. Now Dick has his appointment on Thursday.

Then both of us had dentist appointments. We got a call moving the appointment up from 11:40 to 11AM which was fine with us because we got our lunch at a reasonable time. Dick's abscessed area is all healed and I have the cleanest teeth in the house.

We stopped at Dairy Queen for our lunch. We had good old cheeseburgers with fries. We got two burgers, split a coke, split an order of fries and split a bowl of chili. It all tasted really good.

The rest of the day we kind of rested and just puttered around. Chelsea is totally exhausted. I think the weekend with all the company was hard on her. Tonight I had my second voice lesson. That really was a lot of fun. For two lessons, I think I learned a lot. Samantha Pool is a good teacher. I will post a picture of her and her son. When she sang in Mary Calvey's Shamrocks and Shenanigans, her son, Michael, dressed up like a leprechaun and I took a picture of him and her. I asked her tonight if it was all right for me to post the picture.

When Leslie was here, we started talking about pets that we all had had in our lives. In the Deeley house, we had almost every possible pet except for large farm animals. (We even made pets of chickens.) Then someone gave us a parakeet. This parakeet was really ugly, he did not have many feathers but we felt sorry for him so he had a home with us until he died. He was not a really nice bird. When he was let out of his cage, he proceeded to eat Mom's wooden spice cabinet. And he was not really pleasant but he was ours. One warm sunny day, somebody took his cage outside so he could enjoy the nice weather. Somehow or other he got out of the cage and disappeared. I think everybody was secretly glad he was gone because they would have liked to get a bird that was not naked. But no such luck. He made it clear across town and someone found him. Our friends the Petri's heard about it and told whoever found it "The Deeley's have a bird with no feathers." So we got him back. He finally did die as all God's creatures do and I hope he was given a nice place in heaven and that his feathers were thick and gorgeous.

I tried to replace the license plates on the car with the new ones that we received the other day. The front ones were easy. Then I tried to take the back ones off. I could not budge the screws. I tried a couple of times and then was afraid of stripping the screw heads. So I stopped and sprayed them with WD 40. I called Jeff to see if he had any suggestions. He said that he would stop on their way back from taking Mom to the doctor. I drove around to the couple of errands I had with different plates on the front than on the back. Just in case, I carried the new back plate in the car. I figured is the unlikely happened and I got stopped, I could ask the police to fix it.

By the time Jeff got here I had managed to get three of the screws out. He did the last one for me. And I was then easily able to put the plate on. As Jeff, Kathy and I were visiting, I heard a dog collar rattling in the garage. I was wondering how Chelsea got out of the house and then realized that it was Katrina, my neighbor, Dick Kastberg's dog. So here came Dick. I introduced him to Jeff and Kathy. Suddenly, Jeff and Dick realized that they knew each other from the bowling alley in Cascade.

Small world.

So today is done and I need to get ready for bed. Tomorrow, Mother, Bobbie and I are going to the play Over the River and Through the Wood in Sheboygan. I have heard that it is wonderful.

Love

Mary

When Somebody Calls after Ten P.M.

by Bruce Dethlefsen

when somebody calls after ten p.m.
and you live in wisconsin
and you're snug in your bed

then all's I can tell you
somebody better be missing
somebody better had a baby
or somebody better be dead


Garrison Keillor had this on his Writer's Almanac today and I simply HAD to share.

It was a great day. I started off with a large group at the bible study. Helen Morgan is back from a well deserved vacation in Florida and Tom and Kathy Keyes are back from Texas. Only two of our regulars were unable to be there and Liz , one of our gals who comes when she can was there. So we were nine strong. Would you believe that Sunday will be Palm Sunday already and the gospel will be Mark's telling of the Passion. When I was a little girl I dreaded Palm Sunday because it is such a long reading. Now I like it, especially when the reading is done with different voices and the congregation becomes the crowd. Oh Well. I digress. The second reading is Paul's letter to the Philippians 2:6-11 and is an old hymn from those days. We always wish that we could hear the hymn. It is kind of like reciting How Great Thou Art. So much of the hymn is the music. I am going to try to fix that.

Stopped at Mother's next. She sounded much stronger today. I was pleased. We had a good visit and I threaded three needles for her so she can work on that quilt. She had Donna do three a couple of days ago. So we are keeping her sewing. Threading the needles seems to be impossible for her. Wednesday we will be going to the Sheboygan Theater production of Over the River and Through the Woods. It is a new one to me. Bobbie is going with us.

Then home for lunch and getting Dick ready for therapy at 1PM. Tim met us there with the shoe. It is better, but Tim took it back for a couple of small adjustments and it will be back on Thursday at 9:30AM. SO we canceled the Wednesday therapy because he won't have the shoe to work with anyway.

Leslie and Bill came by shortly after we got home from therapy for a last visit as they will be heading home tomorrow morning. They were invited to Bobbie and Bill's tonight for dinner. Good sister time. We had a nice visit. They spent some time yesterday and today "touring" Sheboygan and visiting all the places that Leslie, Leslie and the kids and Leslie and Bill had lived, getting pictures for the kids per their request.

So it was a full day. Tomorrow will be much quieter. (I hope it stays that way.)

Hope yours is also quiet. ( Unless quiet means less to you than to me.)

I will be in bed shortly after Dancing with the Stars is over. It is really fun this year.


Love

Mary

 

Kittie in a box. Roxie enjoying herself. I think she likes her picture taken.

Chelsea let me sleep until 5AM this morning. I took her out and then went back to bed til after 6. The promised snow storm came but was much less than was projected. At 5 the roads were not even covered. The snow kept up all of the morning very lightly and the roads did get covered a bit but there was not sleet here and it was warm enough that nothing froze.

Leslie and Bill and Bobbie and Bill were able to make it here for the brunch that I had planned. They got here at around 10.Richard and Brenda had spent the night here.

My breakfast strata turned out really good. We also had brown bread, cranberry scones, fresh fruit and cheese.

Richard brought and installed an arm for Dick's monitor. He mounted it to the desk that we have the printer on. Now the monitor can be moved to a lot of positions, depending on where Dick is settled at the desk. It frees up room both on the desk and on the floor as we were able to remove the tray that we had the monitor set on. Now he can roll in and out easier.

Bobbie and Bill left for home at about 1PM. Leslie and Bill stayed a while longer to visit and will come back tomorrow after Dick's therapy for a couple of hours. They left to to exploring. Leslie wants to drive around Sheboygan and has instructions to get pictures of every place that they lived for the girls. Nora called while they were here. She is, you know, in the Air Force and out in California. Can you believe that she will be 21 this year. Sara is also out in California and doing well.

Richard and Brenda left shortly after that and emailed when they got home. We were still JUST a bit concerned about the roads but they said that there was really no problem.

Brenda is celebrating a birthday on Tuesday.

Dick and I had the leftover pizza for supper and then he went to bed. We had such a good time but he is not used to being around a lot of people and being part of so many conversations. He is a tired and very content Dad. I am going to bed very soon too.

Richard also has scanned many of the pictures that his mother had of the family when they were young. It is fun seeing pictures of them when they were young and at various ages. I also now know what Barbara looked like as I never met her. I just knew her as the mother of four people that I love very much. There are also a couple pictures of Dick's parents. A real treasure trove.

Roxie was quite the little social butterfly while the gang was here. Oscar stayed under his chair until everybody but Richard and Brenda were gone. He is getting used to them (actually if only two people are here he can sometimes be coaxed out after a time). They have said that they will come and stay here on May 1/2/3 when I go to Lake Geneva for the Celtic Women Gathering. I am so relieved. Dick can kind of be alone and will be that much further along, but taking care of Chelsea would not be possible. She is not so dependable as far as her times for going out any more. She is after all, just a little old lady.

Tomorrow Dick gets his adjusted shoe back. It was OK before but needed a few little adjustments.

Sleep tight. I am now officially exhausted and am going to bed.

Love

Mary

 

Here they all are, Dick and his kids and their spouses. Good picture too.

Bill Smith and Leslie, Brenda and Richard and Bill May and Bobbie, holding Roxie, with Dick sitting there being very proud.

There is a big storm coming in. We are supposed to get 4 to 6 inches of wet snow overnight. Not a good thing as far as we are concerned. After all it is supposed to be spring.

However, today, though cold , was not too uncomfortable. I picked up SHARE today. Kate and I went together. Actually, we went to the Armory and it looked much too busy for SHARE, so we thought maybe that had moved to the church on Eastern Avenue again, so we drove over there. Not a car in the lot so we went BACK to the Armory and sure enough, someone had scheduled a rummage sale the same day as the Share pickup. The coordinator of SHARE was not happy. After we got our food, Kate and I went to Mc Donalds . Kate had breakfast and I had a latte. She had not eaten because Ron was sleeping in. We had a good catch up visit. I told her that I was ready to make pasties again and she is all excited. Ron has been asking for them and we both are all out.

Home again, I fixed lunch. After lunch, we gave Dick his bath. He then put on some of the new clothes that I just got him. He is now in 2x sizes, probably could wear XL bu he likes the ability to move around comfortably.

Then I made the fruit salad for our brunch tomorrow which hopefully will come off. If the roads are too bad, we may have to postpone. Time will tell.

I went to the 4PM Mass. When I got home, Richard had called and as it turned out everybody came over here for the evening. We ordered pizza from Dee O Malley's and drank wine and visited and took pictures. I will put a picture on the net tonight. It was very fun.

Now it is almost my bedtime and we are content and happy. Oscar, however, is still under the chair.

I read a quote from Benjamin Franklin that really hits the nail on the head. "One today is worth two tomorrows."

The kids brought over a box of several things from Barbara's things that they thought Dick should have. Pictures, books, some ivory figurines and a couple of wall hanging things. They will be fun to go through.

Have a nice Sunday.

Love

Mary

Today was a lovely day. It was not really very warm but did not feel very cold because the sun was shining and the wind stayed home.

I dropped off my reading glasses at Advanced Eye Care to have the new lenses put in. This evening it dawned on me that they never called to tell me they were ready. I had been promised a call at about three or so. Oh well, I can make do with the good old drug store readers for a couple of days.

I cleaned and baked this morning. And cleaned the kitchen floor. I had one more pan of bars to make for the Fish Fry at church and I made some Irish brown bread to take along to the play tonight. I have been hungry for brown bread and going to a production of an Irish play seemed the perfect opportunity to share it. The play Winners, 1/2 of a play written by Brian Friel called Lovers, Winners Losers was presented by the Kettle Moraine Players. We, as I told you, were invited to a dress rehearsal. It was like going to a private showing of a play, and the actors were so grateful to US for coming. They had an audience to play for and we had a question/answer session after the play. It was win win for all of us. They loved brown bread which made me feel really good.

I am up late for me. It is almost 11PM and Chelsea is getting pushy about me heading to bed.

The other exciting event for today was the arrival of Leslie and Bill. They called from their hotel at about 3:30PM. We asked them to come right away for a visit and then the three of us drove over to St. Johns to pick up fish fries for dinner. Now Leslie has had her Sheboygan fish fry and can cross that off of the to do list. They both look great. The drive up from Bossier City was easy and uneventful. (The best kind.)

I received a message from Bobbie. Bill May's sister died unexpectedly. So we need to pray for her and for her family, especially for Bill as he is ours. It is hard to lose a sibling. We are supposed to be just there.

One year when Mother came out to California for a visit, we went to see Aunt Lenore, Aunt Jo and Aunt Gee, my Grandpa Bowser's sisters. Grandpa had died the previous year. Aunt Lenore was just devastated because my Grandpa had died. She said that it did not make any sense that she felt so bad,. But he was her big brother, and even if she saw him so seldom, maybe every five years for a few hours if they were lucky, she always knew that he was there. It was just so hard to know that her big brother was not there any more.

Til tomorrow

Mary

What a day. I tried really hard to get all the vacuuming done and almost made it. I had to start cooking too. I am making two desserts for St. John's Fish Fries again. I think I mentioned that. My friend Kate helps cook almost every Friday during Lent. Then they told her that she was supposed to bring desserts two Fridays. I told her that I can't commit the time to help in the kitchen but surely can take the job of baking desserts off of her plate.

Anyway - today I made an oatmeal cake and tomorrow I will make a blueberry torte and then take them over at about 4PM for the dinner. By then I will know how many dinners I have to get. Tomorrow I am going to Campbellsport to see the play rehearsal but Leslie and Bill are supposed to be arriving sometime in the afternoon. I won't be leaving until about 6:30 so there is plenty of time for us to eat together if they are available and then they would be with Dick for part of the evening. Good for Dick and Leslie to spend some time as she lives so far away. It has been a long time. Leslie and I believe that it is about 8 years. Wow. Where does time go to.

Dick had his therapy at 1:00. Tim, the prosthesis guy, was there in place of Andrea, the orthotic gal, because Andrea was sick. He stood for well over 15 minutes total and they checked the spots that we noticed might be rubbing. Tim took it with him for the adjustments and will bring it back for our next therapy on Monday.

I was exhausted when we got home so I took a nap. I had to disturb our Oscar but I think he has forgiven me. He was asleep on the couch and I just slid in next to him. He stayed for a while but decided that I was taking too much room.

When I woke up, I frosted the cake and finished the chicken soup that I had started yesterday. We had that for supper and it is really good.

Bret called tonight. He is doing just fine. The economy isn't good for anybody but he is getting along. He was going out to the river to deliver two golf carts that he had repaired for some of his neighbors. He loved the river. This is a perfect time of the year to be out there too. Though with the water right there, he likes it all year round. Heat doesn't bother him much - never has.

I called Betsy tonight too. She is here visiting her mother, Dorothy. I am sure Dorothy needs a lot of help from her. We had a nice visit. She is SO glad that Oscar and Roxie are back with me. Betsy was the one who kept telling me to just go and get them. Now they are here and I will never let that happen again.

Tomorrow should be a relatively quiet day until after 3PM. Leslie and Bill will call after they are checked into their hotel.

It is after 9PM and Chelsea has not awakened from her sleep to ask me to take her outside. Soon, I will have to wake her myself so that I can go to bed.

The oatmeal cake that I made is so easy. I got the recipe from a friend of mine who hated to fuss with baking and cooking. This one just required dumping everything together - no sifting or anything. Then I frosted it with a nice caramel icing. Too bad it is all going to the church. I will have to make one for us one of these days.

Love

Mary







I read this verse from Psalms today at the end of a nice email about a man who has reconstructed the ARK. I liked the quote so am going to share it with you all.

Love

Psalms 71:18

God, don't leave me
even when I'm old and have gray hair.
Let me live to tell my children about your power.
Let me tell all of them about your mighty acts.

Guess what! I was stomping on worms on the driveway this morning. Spring is REALLY here. Of course, it never got over 46 degrees so I am not putting the winter coat away yet.

We had a super busy day today. I went grocery shopping as soon as everybody was fed. Got started shortly after 8AM and was back before 9:30AM. It was a big shopping day. I bought some extra stuff in anticipation of extra guests this weekend and I was out of SO many cleaning products. Should be stocked up for a while now.

When I got home, we got Dick ready for his therapy session. That was scheduled for 11AM. He stood twice in his new shoe and we saw no signs of rubbing on the bottom or sides. The brace is touching the outside of his ankle and we want Andrea to check that out to see if it can be repositioned a bit. Lori is trying to teach Dick to stand flat and not roll his ankle out. He did that for so many years that it is a difficult to do and difficult to remember but with encouragement, practice and the shoe it can be done.

I had put some chicken int he oven on a very low temperature before we left so all I had to do was steam some broccoli, warm up some mac and cheese and we were ready to eat by 12:30 or so. I have always said that I am the master of a quick healthy meal.

Today was the monthly Amputee Support Group meeting out at Rocky Knoll. There were 13 people in attendance this month. I am hoping that Dick will feel strong enough to go soon. It is very useful to share ideas and experiences. Today ,Janice mentioned that she and Lee put a commode, without the bucket of course, in the bathtub for Lee to sit on while showering. That might be worth trying. It has a side strong enough to push himself up and over on the slide board back to the wheel chair. Something to think about.

Janice and I are going to see if we can plan a joint trip to the Fireside. Seems logical. We could drive down ourselves together and enjoy the show. She thinks maybe in October or so.

I took a nap when I got home and actually slept for a good 45 minutes, wouldn't have minded even more but had to get up to feed critters and get our supper prepared.

Tonight was a fun time for me though. I had the first of my two singing lessons with Samantha Pool. Remember, I won them at the Shamrocks and Shenanigans show the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day. It was great. First she determined my range. I am a mezzo soprano. I learned that Alto is not really a voice. That there are actually three women's ranges - Soprano, mezzo soprano and contralto. Choirs use only two and use the last two syllables of Contralto (alto) for the lower voice.

I don't know if I mentioned that Samantha, her sister Tamara and their mother have been regular performers in the Sheboygan Theater productions. Samantha played Marrying Sam in Lil Abner a year ago, and I vividly remember her sister as Bloody Mary in South Pacific.

Anyway, after we determined that, we picked a song to practice with. We picked Honey Bun from South Pacific. I learned a lot, just how to stand to keep the voice projecting was cool. My next lesson is next Tuesday evening at 6PM.

Getting home at 8PM was nice. I had a lot left to do here and now am all ready to just close things up and hit the hay.

Maxine said. " I try not to limit my madness to March." I am inclined to go along with that philosophy.


Love

Mary

It was cold and rained off and on all day.

Not very pleasant at all.

Chelsea woke me up at about 5 which was a big improvement over yesterday. I did not shut her out of the bedroom because Dick was kind of up. She tried to convince me it was breakfast time at 5:30 but I informed her that she was mistaken.

Got up finally at 6AM and took care of everybody. After my shower I put together a mac and cheese for supper. We usually have our main meal at noon, but since Dick had his dentist appointment at 11:20AM, I knew that I would not have time to prepare it at noon. So we shared a packaged chicken/penne and a sandwich for lunch.

We had the dentist appointment because Dick had discovered a lump on his gum. It was not hurting except when he brushed but we were sure it was an abscess. Dr. White agreed with us as he opened it up. He now has one more prescription. This time for penicillin and he has to be rinsing with salt water until next Tuesday when we go to get it checked again. We were able to get that appointment for the same time as my cleaning so I won't have to make two trips out that day anyway.

Leslie and Bill will be here on Friday afternoon. Leslie is getting excited and looking forward to "cruizin'Sheboygan. I know that Dick is looking forward to seeing them. Of course, Saturday will be the memorial for Barbara and they will be spending most of that day with that family and remembering their Mother.

Mom called this morning about 7:30AM. As promised, when she goes into the bathroom for a shower or anything serious, she is going to call when she goes in and when she goes out. That is when she gets faint, and by calling, someone will know she is there and if she doesn't check back in can check on HER.

My voice lesson was postponed until tomorrow night. Samantha called. She had forgotten that her son, who just advanced from cub to boy scout, had his first meeting tonight. I had no problem with that at all. Boys are more important than a voice lesson.

Well, it is time to wake Chelsea up to take her outside for her final chance to relieve herself. I also have an upside down kitty laying on my desk looking very comfortable. She loves it under the light.

Tomorrow, therapy and more chances to use the shoe. I also have to shop in the morning.

Guess that is all. Time to "climb the wooden hill to four corners." Mom used to say that. We actually DID climb a wooden hill to four corners. It is a nice expression. If you can't figure it out, let me know. I am sure you will.

Love
Mary

That Chelsea. She woke me up twice before 6AM this morning. At 4:30 or so, there she was, so I took her out and she was very good. Then to my surprise, there she was at 5:30. I had shut her out of the bedroom but Dick woke up and was working on getting up and out so the door was open again. SO I took her out the second time and she was very good AGAIN. By that time Dick was up so I shut her out again so that I could get the half hour that was owed to me. (I usually get up at 6AM.) THe next thing I knew it was 6:40. WOW. I felt good for most of the day so I must have needed the sleep really bad.

On the way to bible study, I stopped at the bank and the drug store for errands for Mother. Bible study was very nice as usual. There were five of us. Again the message is that Jesus came for both the Jews and the Gentiles,though in the Gospel he says that it is after the crucifixion that he will allow the message to go to Us, the non Jews. As per the covenant, they got the first chance to follow Him.

Visited with Mom. She is doing quite well. She was SO happy. She was able to go to Mass yesterday. That always gives her strength. I have a great story about Mother that I forgot to tell you on Friday. When I took her too the eye doctor, they asked her birth date to confirm that they had the right patient. She said January 21, 1916. The lady next in line to check in said "1916? I can't believe it." She then said that she noticed because her birth year is 1926. Then she said to just "Look at her(meaning Mom) She has NO wrinkles." And she was right. Mom has few wrinkles which is what makes her look so young. I hope I will be the same as I have the same genes.

This afternoon, Dick had therapy at 1PM. He wore his new shoe for most of the session. There were only a couple of questions we will have for Andrea. He stood for two sessions of 10 minutes each.

Home again, I only had one other chore today and that was to monitor the telephone conference for Celtic Women. That went very well. We accomplished a lot. The new branch booklet is ready for distribution. We decided a LOT about the Spring Gathering which I am looking forward to with such joy. I need a break and will be gone for two days. A chance to be me. Dick is doing so much better but I will ask if someone can come and spend some time with him because of Chelsea. In another month maybe he WILL be able to take her out but I wouldn't count on it. At least we can ask the neighbor Dick to take Chelsea out if we have to.

Now we are watching Dancing with the Stars. I am still trying to figure out how I got Dick to watch it with me, but I DID. It is fun.

Guess that is about all that I have to say today. Tomorrow - Dentist for Dick, haircut for me.

Have a good one yourself.

Love

Mary

I did get to stay home all day today. I got up at 6AM anyway. Chelsea and I had a nice walk. It was only in the low 30s but the air was still and the birds were singing and we enjoyed ourselves anyway.

When we got back, I fixed breakfast for Dick and me. Then poor Chelsea became very disappointed in me. I decided that this was the best day for her to get a bath. She was gray all over again and we will have company next weekend, what with the kids being around. She is now simply gorgeous and ready for anything. Of course, it took the starch right out of her. She has been sleeping almost all day.

I make a really good dump soup today. Also some cranberry scones. I froze a slew of them so I can bring them out when the kids are here for breakfast next weekend.

This afternoon, I spent some time downstairs ironing and on the sewing machine putting edging on a quilt for Mom. I want to bring it to her so that she can finish basting the last of it. Something for her to do to keep her hands busy.

Dick and I were watching a game show today and a young lady had trouble determining that polliwog is another name for tadpole.

I asked Dick if he had ever brought tadpoles home in a jar. He had not. When I was a kid, we would go down to Richardson's pond in the spring when the tadpoles hatched and bring a jar full home. We always tried to grow them to frogs. We usually made it til there were two legs on the little fishy looking things. Sometimes even four legs. But seldom did they get to be full fledged frogs and let go. I don't remember how long the process takes but we would forget to bring fresh pond water to them after a while. They were really cute little things. They started out as fish, then grew two hind legs, then two front legs, then the tail would begin to absorb and they were teeny tiny frogs.

Some of the boys would build rafts to row around the pond. One summer day, I climbed on one of the rafts and it started drifting out into the pond. Nora ran and got Mother who came down with Mrs. Painter and boots but they decided that it was too swampy and I was too far out to wade to me. So Mrs. Painter went back home and got her son Kenny who found one of the other rafts and rowed it out to save me.

All my love - Have a nice Monday.

Mary

Today was not QUITE as quiet as I wanted it to be.

I got up at 6AM. Did all the usual morning stuff. We had breakfast and then Dick went down for a nap. He took Chelsea in the bedroom with him. We remembered that he used to do that all the time. It had actually gotten to a point where she would start begging him to go into the bedroom at certain times.

So, while they were sleeping, I cleaned the kitchen and then went out to do a couple of errands. First I went to KMart to find some thinner cotton sox for Dick and I also picked up a couple of shirts that were on sale. They are too big but will be comfortable for around the house. I then went to Walgreens for Dick's prescriptions. To my dismay, only two of them were ready. Unfortunately, the one missing was the painkiller. He takes two of them to ease his back pain when trying to get to sleep and was out. SO I drove over to the Clinic to the Urgent Care Unit which was open today. They checked the records and then got on the phone with a nurse. Here is when I really lucked out. The lady next in line to be checked in to Urgent Care works at the Clinic. She got on with the nurse and asked her to click on the Hydrocodone on Dick's chart. It showed that an order had been faxed. Apparently the FAX prescriptions fail often enough that she knew about it. She told the nurse to refax it. It worked. In the few minutes it took me to drive back to Walgreens, the prescription was ready. Somebody was watching out for me.

After lunch, I tried to nap but did not succeed. So we got Dick's bath out of the way before I headed over to Mass. A nice Mass. The adult choir sang and they are very good. We are in the forth week of Lent already. Fr. Van Beeck always says a nice sermon and I was privileged to be a Minister of the Eucharist. That is always a joy.

When I was at KMart I got to pet two greyhounds. They are part of a program to find retired racing greyhounds homes. Nice doggies. The one I petted most is all housebroken and is a nicely socialized dog. He was very friendly and amienable. If you want a dog I would recommend him.

A Margery Facklam said "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare. In return dogs give us their all. It is the best deal man has ever made."

Tomorrow will be my day. The only things I plan on doing are baking scones and washing the dog. I figure that Chelsea needs a bath before next weekend when all of the kids will be here at some time or another.

I am hoping to have them all for a meal - together. Of course, anybody can come and grab something or join us. But Dick would really like everybody together at least once. It is seeming that Sunday morning will probably be the best as the prayer service for Barbara is on Saturday afternoon and Dick and Brenda won't be coming until sometime on Saturday. Saturday night will probably be committed to something and Leslie and Bill will be leaving sometime Sunday. So it seems that a nice Sunday brunch or breakfast would work.

But to get back to tomorrow. I want to do some sewing, some writing and prepare an email for CWI.

Be happy and be safe. Spring is coming on fast.

Mary

I'm back on track again.

Chelsea woke me up at about 4:00AM again. So I took her out and went back to bed until 6AM. That little girl is coughing more and more these days. Some days better than others. She no longer jumps up on the bed and if I lift her up she is afraid to jump down alone. But when we go for out walk, she is like a young puppy. She runs and pulls me. Of course, sometimes she sits down for a bit to get her breath. As long as she is happy dog and not in pain she can just keep on being our little friend.

Will Rogers said, "If there are no dogs in heaven, I want to go where they went."

I cleaned the bathrooms today before we had to go to Plymouth Care for therapy. The shoe is back. Andrea did her adjustments and pronounced it ready for use. Now, for the next week or two, he will wear it only AT therapy sessions until they are sure that it is all settled in and that there are no hot spots. If anything shows up, Andrea will come and fix them. Next week, Tim, the prosthesis guy, will come to make sure that both legs are the same length. That is important too.

We got home in time that I could fix lunch and eat it at my leisure before going to take Mother to her eye doctor. She has felt that there was a change in her vision so we don't mess around with that as she only has one good eye now. As it turns out, there is a slight change but it is not correctable and Dr. Lavey says it is part of the aging process. But this usually does not progress very fast and should not be much of a problem.

I got a fish dinner from St. John's for Dick's dinner. Nancy picked me up at about 5PM so we could go to Rhine for the bust up party. A good dinner of chicken, potatoes and cookies and cake. It was fun and I won a split the pot raffle and came home with $20 more than I started out with. Not a bad night at all.

The weekend is looking very quiet. Tomorrow I will pick up some prescriptions and go to Mass and on Sunday I should be able to stay home all day. Such a deal. I hope to get caught up on a bit of rest. I will have to do the kitchen floor tomorrow. It is really a mess and there was no time today.

Today was the first day of spring starting at 6:40AM. It was cold - not windy but cold anyway. But the birds were singing and Mother even has some of her bulbs showing above ground. So spring must be here. As Ellis Peters said in the Cadfael book Dead Man's Ransom "A time for all manner of births and beginnings, and for putting death out of mind."

Have a lovely spring starting with tomorrow.

Mary

 

Here we are all ready for the big walk.

My brain must have shut down after the St. Patrick's Day Walk. I forgot to post that night and last night. It did not even dawn on me until Richard called tonight to see if everything was OK.

SO I have three days to cover. It still will not be too long as I am, again, very tired.

Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day, was perfect. I left at about 9:30AM for the Exchange Bank to meet up with the rest of the Celtic Women. There was a good group of us. Eleven. We had a quick meeting deciding the next two, maybe three meetings. Next month we are going to Kewaskum to see Caim in concert. Bobbie, Kate, Nancy and I saw them at Mead about a year ago. They are two women who sing Irish and Scottish music. It is all a capella and truly lovely. If anybody else wants to join us the concert starts at 6PM and is at the Kewaskum Theater which is in their school.

Rich Bieschke transported all of us up to the walk site by 11:00AM. It took two trips but we all got there. The weather was absolutely SPRING. It was in the 70s. There was a bit of a breeze which made holding the banner a challenge, but what is that to be complaining about. We have walked in snow, rain, sleet in other years so this was a real pleasure.

When we got to the Stafford, Rich had two tables reserved for us so we all had lunch together. I ordered a Reuben which was excellent. After we ate, I sat with Nancy and mingled a bit while listening to the music before heading home to Dick. A friend John Mc Mullen asked where my brother Jeff was. I told him that Jeff had hurt his shoulder so badly that they were concerned about surgery. He said that was no excuse so I got Jeff on the phone and then gave the phone to John so that they could talk it up. That was fun.

Yesterday was just plain busy. I went grocery shopping in the morning before taking Dick to the Plymouth Clinic to have his coagulation blood test. It was perfect. I think I have mentioned that the blood is supposed to be between 2 and 3 and his was 2.5 on the dot. WOW. So we don't have to go back for a whole month.

Then, after lunch, he had therapy. Andrea came with his shoe. YEA!!! She got it on him and he stood up so she could check the pressure points. There were a couple of immediate needed corrections so she took it back and will come again tomorrow so we can try again. After she has the best fit she can by observation, Dick will wear it in therapy for a couple of weeks so that they can check for any possible abrasive spots before letting him walk and letting us take it home. Dr. Moreno will have to see it when the bugs are all worked out too.

Today was another one. This morning I tried to get things picked up around here then ran about four errands. One of them was quite important. As I was getting Dick back into the car yesterday after therapy, we noticed an envelope under the windshield wiper. I could not see it from inside the car. Anyway, it was a parking ticket. On St. Patrick's Day, I was parked in the lot across from the Stafford which DOES have a two hour limit. I was kind of holding my breath when I parked there but hoped that perhaps they were going to be generous that day. Boy was I wrong. It was worth the ticket though to be so close and have the car safe all day.

So, I paid that ticket, mailed the CWI Banner back to Maureen and picked up a 12 pack of coke. I had an eye exam at 10:15. That went well, I think. My eyes had failed some since last year so I had to order a new pair of glasses. I am using some old frames so that helped a bit. I also ordered a new set of reading glasses which I got for half price so it was not too bad, I guess. Aside from that my eyes are OK.

This afternoon, I took a nap, then vacuumed the upstairs carpets.

Again, it is finally time to go to bed and will I ever be glad to get there. I am so very tired. I will send a picture of the CWI group for you to see.

Love

Mary

Today had to be micro managed.

Chelsea got me up at 5AM for her first walk but then I slept until 6:30 so was pretty rested.

I got everything done and everybody fed in time to leave for bible study at a bit after 9AM. There were 6 of us there, not a bad crowd since four people are on vacation in Florida and Texas.

The theme of the reading is choosing dark over light in other words accepting or rejecting Jesus. We discussed the fact that it is easier to be light to those we love but that we have to do so to everybody. There is that old song "They will know we are Christians by our love."

I stopped for just a minute to see Mother. I took her bulletin as she didn't get to Mass yesterday. A wise move. She wants to go to the meals tomorrow and Lucy Carderelle, who drives her and a couple of other ladies, called me tonight. She wanted to be sure that it was OK for Mom to go. I told her that Mom does get tired but got a clean bill of health from the doctor so - go for it.

I got home just in time to get Dick in the car and take him to his therapy. That went well. He had to be evaluated today and he stood for over 13 minutes. Pretty spectacular. Dr. Moreno has spoken to Andrea who is constructing the shoes for Dick. We are HOPING to have the shoe on Wednesday. Then after they are sure of the fit, he can walk.

Then when we got home, I fixed some quick sandwiches and headed over to Book Heads for the Cream City Writers meeting. It was very nice. Everybody had something worth listening too. Sy suggested that we consider putting together a book of a compilation of our writings. Sounds like fun. We gave ourselves the assignment of all attempting a Pontoum. That is a poem that has a very defined structure. I will print one from my book so you can see how it goes.

THE SENTINAL

The red-winged blackbird waits
Bounding jauntily
On the street sign at the corner.
He trills his song for me.

Bounding jauntily.
Is he greeting or scolding?
He sings his song for me
Each morning.

Is he greeting or scolding
There on his perch
Each morning.
I would miss him.

There on his perch.
How long will he stay?
I would miss him.
The red-winged blackbird waits.

I have been able to stay home since and am being very lazy. Good thing as tomorrow, with the walk and all will be very tiring.

There is going to be a prayer service for Barbara on the 28th at St. Peter Claver. So all of the kids will be in town. I would like to have a meal with all of them here. Leslie and Bill are driving up from Louisiana. It would be good for Dick to have everybody together. Only God knows when that will happen again.

Now Dick and I are watching Dancing with the Stars together and then I will go to bed.

Have a good night. It is supposed to be 60 for our walk tomorrow. Yippee.

Mary

I took Chelsea out at about 5:30AM when she woke me up, then went back to bed and slept until almost 7:00Am That is the latest that I have slept in years. The cats were quite upset with me. But they forgave me the minute that I fed them.

I made corned beef and cabbage for our noon dinner. It was very good. Before noon, we got Dick into the bathtub and all washed up.

After lunch, I loaded up a ton of food and headed for Mother's for a visit. I brought her beer bread, cupcakes, Friday Chili and a corned beef and cabbage dinner. When I got there Jessie, Randy and Donna's youngest was there. We laughed because, Donna is sending over steak sandwiches and potato salad and Mom probably won't have to cook until Thursday. She was delighted.

Had a lovely visit with Jessie before she left. Continue to pray for little Sean. We think he is probably home but has a lot of healing to do and he is such a little guy. I was remembering Jessie's Dad Randy when he was a little guy. He had to go to the hospital when he was very little too. In those days, noone was allowed to stay with the patient and he was just frantic. He cried and cried for Mother. For a long time after that he was devastated whenever Mother left. I remember that he would sit on the floor hugging his little legs and rock and say. "Him's never coming back." It was heartbreaking and we, his older brothers and sisters all did out best to make him feel better. Eventually, he did get over that fear but I can't imagine how he must have felt. I can imagine how Mother must have felt leaving him there.

David Bowser, a cousin who does a lot of genealogy, sent a package of information. It will take a while to go through it. I hope that someone, Jeff, Randy or Kurt will be able to really follow up on all of the leads that we have. I just never have the time. It was my great great great grandfather Michael (Buser) Bowser who came to Town Mitchell in 1848 or there about. There is a collage of pictures of men who were on the county board (I forget the year) and my great great grandpa Joe was pictured in that collage. ( I think I have the "greats" right)

On the 27th I am going to Campbellsport to see the dress rehearsal play Winning put on by the Kettle Moraine Players at the High School. The gentleman who invited us is a John Brandl. I am anxious to see if he is related to the Aunie Brandl who made the miracle salve.

Did I tell you that I won two voice lessons from Samantha Lin Pool, one of the entertainers last night. I am rather exited. It should be fun and kind of make up for missing out on the storytelling classes.

Take care and have a good week.



Mary

It is almost St. Patrick's Day and I wrote this years ago for my Irish Grandpa Deeley.




GRANDPA'S WALLET


An Irishman who never set foot on Irish soil.
He was born - in London - on Christmas Day,
To emigrating parents – the oldest boy.
They came to America when he was eleven months old.

He was born - in London - on Christmas Day.
No one EVER dared call him British more than once.
They came to America when he was eleven months old.
His father worked the mills throughout New England.

No one EVER dared call him British more than once.
He started work when he was only eleven.
His father worked the mills throughout New England.
He was boss carder at age 16.

He started to work when he was only eleven.
He came to Wisconsin in 1889 to work.
He was boss carder at age 16.
I think leprechauns look like my Grandpa Deeley.

He came to Wisconsin in 1889 to work.
My Dad looked like Grandpa.
I think leprechauns look like my Grandpa Deeley.
He married twice and had six children.

My Dad looked like Grandpa.
I took Grandpa's wallet to Ireland.
He married twice and had six children.
He was an Irishman who never set foot on Irish soil.

 

This is the picture of Tyler Tuttle on stage with Mary Calvey the show organizer. It was a wonderful evening.

I sat with my friends Peg Payne and Nancy Roehre.

It was a pretty quiet day, made more quiet because Dick was very tired all day and kept napping.

I did a lot of things, but just at my own speed. I did have an appointment at the bank to review our accounts but was only gone for an hour.

I baked some of the Tastefully Simple beer bread and some cupcakes and I made a nice lime jello with sour cream, pineapple and nuts. So I am pretty much stocked up on food again. Good thing. Except for tomorrow, the days are going to be very full next week. Tomorrow I am going to visit Mother in the afternoon. I am also going to make corned beef and cabbage.

St. Patrick's Day is looming very fast. I am looking forward to the walk and the companionship. I decided that tonight I am going to go to the Plymouth Art Center to see Mary Calvey's Shamrocks and Shenanigans show. This is her forth year. It is always fun and I need a break. Since the play AND my storytelling class fell by the wayside, I am looking forward to an Irish fix.

I finally believe that spring will really come. Yesterday I saw a robin, but that was not so conclusive as people have been reporting seeing them for the past two or three weeks. Bobbie said that she and Bill saw SIX in their back yard a couple of weeks ago.

But today ----- I heard two red winged blackbirds calling to each other. I thought I heard them yesterday, but today I was sure. Now when we get a nice long soaking warm rain, and the worms come up from way down deep and cover the road I will KNOW that Spring has really come.

In our old neighborhood, I could also listen for the kids playing basketball in their driveways, but we don't have any kids here.


Hours have passed since I did the above and I have just returned from Shamrocks and Shenanigans and am so very glad that I went. The songs were a nice selection of Irish and Irish American. Fun songs and sad songs. Drinking songs and goofy songs. Mary even had a bagpiper this year. He is a 10 year old from Kiel named Tyler Tuttle and he is sensational. If he is this good now I can't imagine how he is going to be when he gets older. I will send a picture of Tyler and Mary.


I was talking to the Dippels, Beth and Dean, and mentioned that I was on a baking frenzy this today and had baked cupcakes, bread and made jello. Dean thought that I had made Irish brown bread and was quite hurt that I had not brought it along. I was happy to assure him that it was not brown bread but beer bread. I bring brown bread to gatherings and it is such an Ireland reminder and SO good.


Til tomorrow.

Love

Mary

Today was a reasonably quiet day. Though I don't know quite how it went so fast.

Got up at 6. Did all my usual morning things. Chelsea and I had a really, really good walk at about 7. We were able to get through the park, so walked between the ball diamonds out onto Valley Road and back around the park to Tallgrass again. She was just beside herself. It was cold, but there was no wind and the grass was frozen enough that we were not wading in it.

Then we worked on getting Dick ready for his therapy. That went very well. He stood three times, the longest for 9 and a half minutes. A record. We like records. After next week, we will drop the therapy to twice a week until he has his shoe. Monday he will be reevaluated again as part of the Medicare paperwork. It was supposed to Wednesday but I had to go to the hospital with Mom. They wanted to reschedule for yesterday but I was just too damn and I mean damn tired after we had that doctor appointment in Sheboygan.

I decided not to go out for lunch as I am still very tired. So we had lunch here and then I took a nap. I cleaned the bathrooms and did some wash and vacuuming but am still behind on cleaning.

This evening, I picked up fish fry from St. John's. Dick says that they should really have Lent longer as he likes it a lot.

Paula Poundstone said, "The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their face whether they see a moth or and axe murderer."

Roxie is taking up half my desk and Oscar is waiting patiently for me to go to bed so he and get to sleep. Don't you wonder who in in charge around here?

Mary

I can't believe that this week has gone so very fast. It has been way to traumatic.

The phone rang at about 4AM. It was Michelle with the message that Barbara had passed away just a short time before. It was a peaceful passing so we thank you all for your prayers. Dick's children are grateful. I went downstairs and gave Richard the message, then went back to bed. I was unable to get back to sleep after that. Chelsea finally got me up at 5:30AM and I just stayed up.


I had plenty to do with general cleaning and stuff around here until everybody was ready for breakfast. With Brenda and Richard still here, I scrambled eggs with onion and cream cheese. We had fruit salad and toast with it. I also spent some time this morning making Friday Chili so that if anyone is around, I will have something ready to feed them. Otherwise it keeps AND freezes well. I made it true Friday chili. Usually I used bacon grease to soften the onion and celery but today I used butter flavored crisco instead. It is good. We had some for supper.

Dick had his appointment with Dr. Moreno. Dr. Moreno proclaimed him healed. Now we need to get the shoe. He was not happy with what we think the Orthotic person is doing for the shoe so he is going to call them and discuss it with them. We just want it right.

Leah called from therapy to see if we could come in today. I told her no. I am so tired, I can hardly see anymore.

We stopped and I went in to see Mom for just a minute. The VNA were there doing their evaluation when I got there. Dolores and Ken were with her. I did not stay because I had Dick in the car with no wheel chair. Dolores and Mom will have all the information.

After lunch, I took a nap. I slept for over an hour. I am still exhausted, but that did help.

I was reading a news item, that Atheists and Christians are competing advertising on buses in Madison. The Freedom from Religion Foundation bought ads, then Pilgrim Covenant Church responded with its own ads. Rev. Ovadal said that the Foundation has a right to it's opinion and the church has "the privilege to respond with truth from the word of God." I say good for that church. We Christians have a tendency to be complacent sometimes. Witnessing is a good thing.

I did like the comment from Madison Metro also. Their spokesman Mike Rusch simply said that any ads help the Metro.

Take care.

Mary