I felt that Oscar deserved his own spot. So here is the rest of the day.

The morning, as usual, was full. I left for Bible Study at 9AM. We had a good group. We finished reviewing the Introduction of the Gospel of Mark. Learned a lot about how it was written tying all back to the Old Testament and the symbolism involved.

Then I went over to Mom's. She is doing fine. We are hoping that after a week or two of the iron pills, she will get a little energy back. Tomorrow, she and I will be going to the funeral of Myrna Drossel, a neighbor from the Pinehurst Court neighborhood where I grew up. Myrna was a good neighbor and a good friend and card playing buddy of Mom's until she had to go to a nursing home and her memory declined. I wanted to go to the Mass and will be able to escort Mom.

I took Oscar at 2PM.

Then tonight was the Rhine Plymouth monthly meeting. It went very fast and we have 13 new members. Wow, is that a wonder and will be such a help.

I am not too inventive tonight because I am tired and very sad. I hope Roxie doesn't get too lonely. I remember how sad Waylon got when we had to take Taco and Bell in.

Be happy and if you have animals give them extra hugs tonight.

Love

Mary

 

BIG OSCAR - THE SWEETEST CAT IN THE WORLD.

This has been a rough day. Oscar had not eaten since last Thursday. So this afternoon, I took him in and had him put down. Kate joined me so I would not have to be alone.

It was painless and the staff at Kettle Moraine were very kind. They took him in and gave him a shot then brought him back to me and I was able to hold him as he just slept away. I wanted him to feel that it was just a normal vet visit and that he would be going home soon. Poor thing had lost much more weight, I did not ask to find out what he weighed but he was light as a feather and all bone and black fur. I feel so bad but could not just watch him starve.

He will be waiting for me when I cross over along with other special animals, like Zero and Sam and Waylon and others from even further back. Meanwhile I will miss the sweetest cat that I have ever known.

Update on Oscar. He still is not eating. I have offered him every kind of food that I can think of, The only thing he has eaten with any enthusiasm in the past two days is some of Bobbie's catnip. I have offered him everything that I can think of. Everything from fresh tuna to canned cat food to freshly cooked chicken and broth. He sniffs at it and then turns away. From the size of the lump in his side, I am sure there is not room for food. I have decided to call Dr. Pat tomorrow morning and arrange for him to be put down. I am not up to watching him just starve to death. I hope he understands. There will never be a kitty as sweet at our Oscar.

I went to the 9:30 Mass this morning. I had intended to go last night but the day just got away from me yesterday.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon, watering the gardens and planting the herbs. Everything looks very healthy and strong and I finally saw some tomatoes set on the cherry tomato plant. There are buds on the Roma also. So. I should be OK. The broccoli plants are all growing like crazy. I figure I should be OK on tomatoes, broccoli and herbs. The rest I can buy or, as Jeff says, they will have excess. Bobbie and Bill usually go on vacation in late summer and we get to glean a bit too.

We called Jim and Michelle tonight. They sound good. They spent the 4th with Bart and Barb and Don and Marlise and enjoyed their day immensely. It is good to have family close.

Michelle has been in touch with her brother in Tulsa and they are in hopes of getting together with him soon.

I talked to Barb this evening when she was on her walk. (She is having trouble with her ankle and will see the doctor tomorrow. We plan on sharing our diagnosis on Wednesday.) I was remembering that Bart, as a little person, hated loud noises and the 4th of July was almost torture for him. I think the noise hurt his ears.

On 4th of July, his Dad had a truck driver friend who dropped off lots and lots of fireworks that were really great and really illegal. Among them were sparklers that were at least three feet long and 3/4 inch in diameter. Boy were they impressive. They lasted forever. All of our neighbors were at our house enjoying the fun. Nobody sent any complaints about the skyrockets and other stuff because everybody was there.

But, poor little Bart and I were in the living room, sitting on the couch. I had my arm around his little shoulders and was holding his little hand and reassuring him that the noise would stop soon and that there was no reason for him to be worried or scared at all. Barb said he is still not thrilled with fireworks. Funny that he was assigned to artillery for a while in the service.


So. Lets pray for our guys and gals in danger overseas, that they come home soon.

Take care.

Until tomorrow.

Mary

Another long day for Oscar. He spent most of it in the little cave he found under the quilt rack in the corner of our bedroom sheltered by the walls and the quilts. He has not eaten. He is still drinking water and using the litter box. Bobbie, tonight I gave him catnip and he did get all excited and ate that. Must need drugs.

The rest of the day was pretty busy. I had to go to get some potting soil for some of my new plants and some carrots for chicken soup. Then I stopped at Kate's and we exchanged the plants that we needed to from out trip out to Herb 'n' Such. Tomorrow, I will get them all in the ground, or into pots as I decide.

Dick got his weekly full shower today. That is always an adventure but is getting easier all the time as he gets more mobile and able to help.

I made that chicken soup, a herbal cream cheese and a fruit salad. We had grill tbone steaks with boiled red potatoes and Brussels sprouts for our 4th of July dinner. Good stuff. I remembered to put the flag out too. I will leave it up til Monday.

Tonight our neighbors called. Harold and Helen wanted a picture of them both taken in front of their house to show off the beautiful flowers. So. I did that for them and then had a nice visit with them. They are both in their late 80s. Helen has had health issues, starting with shingles for the past year. That has finally healed and they just found out that she has a condition called ear rocks which was making her weak and nauseated. They can cure it and she is feeling a million times better now.

Now we are watching The Capital Fourth on PBS.

Tomorrow the only place I need to go is to Mass. I even grilled enough food tonight that I will have easy cooking all day. So my only big project is to plant. I bought one of those insect repellent gadgets that you are supposed to clip to your belt and it should make a kind of shield around you. Tomorrow will be the big test.

So that is the news from us today.

I got an email last week of "Canadian Billboards" One of them said. "Don't drink and drive, you'll only spill it."

It reminded me of a jeep run many years ago. Our friends Ernie and Linda and family had joined us. Ernie got in our jeep with my ex-Dick on the corner of Patten's Valley out near Yuma. The guys were shooting bowls. The wind forms sand dunes into a kind of a bowl and one of the fun things is to start at one end or the bowl, climb at an angle as your go up and work your way down at the other end. The trick is to keep your angle and your momentum, otherwise it is easy to flip down the hill.

Anyway, Dick handed Ernie his beer (Ernie had one too, so that makes one in each hand) and started up the hill. He was going great, then he glanced down as it was time to make his descent and to his surprise there was another jeep where he was supposed to exit. They had gotten stuck I believe. So all he could do was keep gunning it until he found another path to descend on. Which he did.

However, poor Ernie, holding those beers, just froze in fear and as he did he very slowly turned his hands down and poured both of those beers right in his lap.

Hope your Fourth of July was great. Pray for our servicemen all over the world and for my friend Gail's daughter Karen who needs surgery.

Love

Mary

Well, It was a busy busy day. I picked Mother up for her test at Plymouth Surgical Center at 7:15AM. Dolores had stayed with her all night and it was a good thing as she did have one weak spell during the night and it would not have been a good thing if she was alone.

Jeff met me at the Surgical Center and we got her all registered. They took her up at about 9 and she was back in her room at about 10AM. She was sound asleep for a good half an hour then started to come out of it. Doctor Sokhi came down about the time she was waking up and told us the results. All is fine. She has a bit of acid reflux but otherwise she looks very healthy in there.

Jeff took her home. I went to Walgreens and picked up prescriptions for Dick AND Mother, then over to Kettle Moraine Veterinary for Chelsea's prescription and finally home. Dick and I had our lunch. Hamburger helper, beets and salad. Sound familiar Bobbie?
Then after Dick walked, I took Mom her prescription. Jeff and I visited with her and we planted the herbs that I had purchased for her at Herbs n Such. She was delighted with them as they were all varieties that she did not have.

Now the day is done. Oscar is off his food again. I am going to try Barbara's suggestion, and boil some chicken off the bone for him tomorrow. I swear that the enlarged kidney is enlarging even more, perhaps that is why he is not hungry. No room. I am watching him closely to be sure that I do not let him suffer.

The next two days will be quiet. I intend to finish planting the herbs that I got for myself and just doing things for me. Do you think it might work? I can only try.

Have a Happy Forth of July and pray hard for our young men and women in the Armed Forces far from home defending us. And thank you all for the prayers for Mom. They helped and we are so very grateful.

All my love

Mary

Guess what. Chelsea slept til 4:30AM. I could not believe it. I did go back to sleep until 6 anyway.

Oscar seems a bit off of his food today. A disappointment after the past two days. We REALLY will have to take one day at a time.

Dick walked twice today and got up to almost 5 minutes the second time. We want to be doing it three times a day and five minutes or more each time. He had to go to the anti coagulation clinic today at 10:30AM and his reading was 2 exactly. That is just fine so there are no changes and we don't have to go back for four weeks.

Then Kate and I went to Kiel to Herbs 'n' Such, owned by Linda Hersey Godine who put on the herb lunch and talk at the Plymouth Garden Walk last Saturday. We drove into Kiel first and had a really good lunch at El Camino a Mexican restaurant that we found. They have chili rellanos. WOW. I was delighted. And they were really good too. We will go back there some time.

We had the best time at Linda's home. She took us on a tour of her gardens. Kate and I both purchased some really nice healthy herbs. I got three kinds of basil, a scented lavender, a Greek oregano, a lemon verbena, and sage. I got three herbs for Mother's garden too. She will get sage, a lettuce leaf basil and a scented lavender.

I figure on being asleep as close to 9 as possible. I have to get up a bit early to take Mother for her test tomorrow. Dolores is with her tonight for her prep. Jeff will meet us at the surgical center.

No other news so I will sign off. Pray for Mom tomorrow. She will need all she can get.

Love

Mary

What a day. It was very good but very full and I am very tired.

I got up at 6AM. Dick walked for four minutes this morning. That is a record. We have to aim for 5 minutes or more constantly before we reschedule therapy. I understand that they have to "account" to the insurance companies of there will not be payment.

I went grocery shopping at about 9 AM. Bobbie came over to work on her wine and we three had dinner together. We had Hamburger Helper, beets and salad. Then after Bobbie and I finished the wine updates, we had cake for dessert.

Today, we racked the rhubarb wine. Then we racked the strawberry into a primary fermentor. Bobbie has four different kinds going now and is going to do at least one kit. We will have the winery almost up to full production pretty soon. She is still trying to figure out where to put everything in their home. We are enjoying having her come every week and it is nice to have the wine area full of wines in various stages of production.

Oscar ate pretty good today. He is not eating huge amounts but I am able to get him to eat something. I think perhaps those enlarged kidneys are pushing on his tummy. So. eating small amounts and oftener will keep him comfortable. I just want him to be comfortable.

Take care and enjoy Thursday. Tomorrow is also busy but I will tell you about it when it is ove.

Love

Mary

That goofy Chelsea woke me at about 1:30AM. I have no idea WHAT that was supposed to be. I got up at 6 though as I had to take Oscar to the Vet at 7:30AM. He ate almost nothing for the whole weekend. I just didn't know what to do. I still don't but now have some direction.

Dr. Pat gave me a pill that should help increase his appetite. I told her that I simply cannot watch him starve. In those two days he had dropped a half a pound. She also showed me how to dispense it and a couple of tricks to kind of make him eat.

We got home and he immediately started coming in for food. He is not eating much, but little bits and oftener. And he is picky. He used to be up for treats anytime, now he often walks away. I need to be watching for the appetite drop again, throwing up and change in his habits.

Dick had therapy at 11AM. We will not go back until he gets his walking time at home up to 5 minutes or more. So after eating lunch at Chester's and making a pit stop at home, we drove into Sheboygan to Wisconsin Prosthesis and got the prosthetic adjusted again. We hope we have it this time. It has been hurting him to walk which is why the time is not increasing. Tomorrow will be the test.

I took a nap at about 3 and then fixed Dick some supper before heading over to Rhine. We were hosting the Kettle shoot and last time, they were short handed. This time there was more than enough help so I was home by 6:30PM. Nice.

I talked to Bret tonight. He is doing well. He will be going out the the River to his new Mobile Home Palace for the weekend. He does not mind the heat out there and has so many friends. It was good hearing his voice.

Tomorrow is shopping and wine.

Love

Mary



A Point to Ponder.

If drinking and driving are illegal, why do bars have parking lots?

Got up at 6AM. There is always so much to do in the mornings. Dick walked after breakfast. I headed for bible study at 9AM. We had a nice group there.

One of our members was at the Herb class that was conducted at the Garden Walk on Saturday. When I mentioned the Lemon Balm Wine and she asked if I would bring a bottle to Bible Study. So I did. We all had a little bit and they loved it. We have started our study of the Gospel of Mark and are beginning by going over the introduction which gives a nice history and explanations of how, where, when and why the gospel was written.

Then I went over to Mom's. She and I, very carefully, reviewed the instructions for the prep that she has to do on Thursday before her colonoscopy on Friday. We have all set out so she doesn't have to think about it any more until then. Dolores will be out there in the evening to be with her during the prep part of the procedure which is really the hardest part. I will pick her up at about 7:15AM on Friday to take her to the Surgical Center for the procedure. Jeff will meet me there.

Jeff called Dr. Hancock and got a lot of our questions answered. I feel better anyway.

I was able to be home most of the afternoon and took a nice long nap this afternoon. My friend Kate called and asked if I would drive her to Kohler. Her husband, Ron, is being recognized for 45 years at Kohler and she joined him but did not want to have him driving home alone that late. She and I have been sharing the concern of husband health issues for well over a year. I remember being at a function where Sy Regan was also attending and he told us to just stay away from him.

Oscar is just about the same. The only things he has eaten are a few cat treats and some canned chicken white meat. He is still drinking. I am taking him back to the Vet tomorrow to discuss his condition and my concerns. I have decided that I will not try to force feed that poor critter. He deserves more than that. Why frighten him if it only serves to prolong his live and will not provide a cure.

Tomorrow is a busy day for Dick. - Therapy and a prosthesis check. I am planning on taking him to the airport for lunch. I haven't told him so. I hope he will go.

Love

Mary

It was a mixed day. Silly Chelsea was back to waking me at 2AM again. I had trouble getting back to sleep but finally did and got up about 6AM.

The morning was busy. I helped Dick with his bath and watered the outdoor plants.
The wind blew pretty steady and it was in the low 80s so I probably will have to do that again tomorrow. We are supposed to be getting cooler weather as the week progresses. No rain though.

At 10:30, Dick put Bill Moyers show on (we often watch that on Sundays) Bill had W. S. Merwin, the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry as his guest. So I watched that with great interest. I think I learned a lot.

As soon as that was over I went to St. John's for the Celebration Picnic. You see the picture of me and Archbishop Kaigama. He was our guest for the weekend, it is Mission Sunday. Amazing to have an Archbishop for our speaker and he is absolutely charming. He is only 59 and has been an archbishop for 9 years. One of our members told him that when he dons the white hat as pope, he wants good seats. He told us a lot about Nigeria in his sermon. His main problems as an Archbishop and father to his people are caused by the political unrest and the fact that his people are often displaced and come to him with needs for basic food and housing. In their poverty they want to build a church. I told him that I would write a poem for him. I also told him that it would take a while because I had to let it grow in my head.

Home again, I brought Dick a hamburger and popcorn from the picnic. Then he walked. He said that it is getting some better and tomorrow he wants to start walking longer.

At about 2, I left for Rachel Kroeplien's graduation party. Rachel, along with her brother Josh and her dad, Jim belong to Rhine Plymouth. Rachel will be off to college in the fall so we will be losing her at least for some time. They are a lovely family. Rachel just got back from a two week educational vacation to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. And yes, she saw blue footed boobies. I saw the pictures. She had one terrifying experience. In Ecuador, she and a companion were walking to school when a man with a knife shoved them against a wall to rob them. Fortunately, a cab drove by and beeped and the man ran away. They also ran, the rest of the way to school. The teachers acted like they didn't believe them but another man who witnessed the whole thing came up and had called the police so there was a report. She was SO scared. But she didn't tell her folks until she got home. She was afraid they might make her come home.

Guess who was there, Becky and Brian and little Elizabeth. The Kroeplien's are cousins. That was fun. Also Lena Lauer, an elderly lady who goes to the Senior Meals with Mother, was there and we had a lovely visit too.

Then home again.

I called Bart and Barb tonight and they are doing fine. I will call Bret tomorrow. He is easier to get on weeknights.

Oscar is worse. He has only eaten 6 little treats today. He turns up his nose at any food that I offer him and the one time he tried, he upchucked. Poor baby, is just sleeping. I will call Dr. Pat tomorrow and get some advice. He is still drinking water, albeit, not much.

Guess that is all. A lot, isn't it?

Take it easy and have a good week. You deserve the best.

Love

Mary

 

Here is a picture of Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Nigeria. It was fascinating talking to him.

I got up at 6AM. Kind of puttered around til 9AM. Dick did walk this morning and I fixed a really good breakfast. We had bacon, eggs and toast.

At 9AM I went to pick up Kate and we drove over to the Armory to pick up out SHARE. I have been getting the smaller portion, but next month I am going for the full portion as the freezer is not as full as it should be and I need to stock up. I also really liked the selection. I think I have told you about SHARE. It is a food program for anybody that supplies food at "discount". For $25. You get a package of groceries that is worth at least $45 to 50 and includes meats, veggies and a couple of extras like, maybe a cake mix, or strawberries. It is a great way to cut the grocery bill.

After we put our groceries away, Kat and I walked from her house on Collins down to Reed Street to attend the 2009 Home and Garden "Porches on Reed Street." Five classic homes on Reed, opened their homes, and/or their gardens for tour by the public. We had a great time. They had reenactor's, high school students who told us about the homes in character of the original builders of the homes. They were all wonderful. They re all trying to get Kate to put her home in next year. I told her I would help hostess if she does.

We ended with the program of the day,Linda Godine of Herbs N' Such gave a presentation on growing and using herbs. We ate like pigs. Starting with herbal dips and working our way through cheese spreads and pastas and rice and moving on to fruit salad and breads that were fantastic. Kate and I are going out to her place in Kiel to stock up on a few herb plants and I want to take her a couple of my favorite recipes to add to her stock. She was really excited about my Lemon Balm Wine.

Got home about and fixed a sandwich for Dick. Then I took a nap as I was exhausted. My knee really hurt during that walk. It got pretty rested while we were listening to the herb presentation.

I went to the 4PM Mass. We had a very special guest at our parish this weekend. An Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Niagra is visiting our community. He is fascinating. I will be able to meet him again tomorrow a t the Parish Family Celebration Picnic. As Fr. Van Beeck said. They have two bishops in Milwaukee this weekend, but we have an Archbishop in Plymouth. Quite a coup.

So the day is now waning.

Oscar is not eating well. He did not do badly at breakfast for did not eat at all this evening. His big green eyes are so wide. I just hope he is not in any pain. The site that Bobbie sent me about his problem indicates that there is usually not pain involved. I will cling to that.

So it was a pretty good day. Tomorrow should be nice AND busy also.

"Should you encounter a problem along your way, Change your direction, but not your destination."

I need to keep that in mind these days.

Love

Mary

I got to sleep until 6:30AM this morning. Chelsea got me up at four but I got back to sleep OK. I think I could have stayed in bed much longer if it was not for those critters needing food.

This in not a day that I would like to relive. You will see why.

Mom called quite early, about 9:30AM. She got a call from the nurse telling her when her colonoscopy is scheduled. It is next Friday, July 3, at 8AM at the Plymouth Surgical Center with a Doctor Rana Sokhi. I will pick her up at 7:45AM or so on Friday and take her too the surgical center to get her checked in. Jeff will join me that morning, as soon as he can get there. So I won't have to wait alone.

Dolores will be with her on Thursday night and Jeff will take her home from the procedure on Friday. (I will follow if he needs help.) Eileen is coming Friday after work and will relieve Jeff and stay the night if necessary. Randy and Donna will come over as needed and as they can. So I think we have it covered. It is so great to have such a loving support family as we have. But with a Mother and Dad like ours it is not too big a surprise.

The other thing that was difficult today was my Big Oscar. When Bobbie was here the other day, she noticed a lump in his abdomen. We thought it MIGHT be a hairball, but Bobbie looked things up in the computer and lumps are usually something to be concerned with. I had already decided that if he was off his feed one more meal, or did not throw up a hairball I was making an appointment with the Vet. I was able to get him in at 11AM this morning. The news is not good at all. Our Oscar has two enlarged kidneys. One is about the size of an orange. His BUN levels are up and his red blood count is low. With both kidneys affected, there is really nothing that we can do for him but keep an eye on him and when he develops symptoms of pain, or not eating then we will have to probably help him pass on. We have changed his diet and will just keep loving him. He is about the sweetest kitty that I have ever had. This is hard.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, the kitchen and the bathroom, and ironing.

Then, Nancy Roehre and I went out to Rhine to practice our pistol shooting. Some major renovations have been done to trap one. New cement poured and the electrical wiring all redone. Josh and Dennis and Matt were all there working on it. I guess there was another blow up at the club regarding the camping situation. I told Dennis that maybe I will skip the next meeting. I won't but good grief can't we all get along. I may ask to use the clubhouse for a CWI meeting on July 17. I am going to try the library first because there we could have access to reference material and maybe even computers. As a member, I can use it if it is not in use for a club function.

Guess that is all for now. Enough I think. After all the junk I will end with a joke.

The weekend is here and I intend to enjoy it with a Garden Walk, a picnic at church and a graduation party.

Love

Mary

THE IRISH PROSTITUTE

An Irish daughter had not been home for over a year. Upon her return, her Father cussed her. 'Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old Mother thru?'
The girl, crying, replied, 'Sniff, sniff....Dad...I became a prostitute...' 'Ye what!!? Out of here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You're a disgrace to this Catholic family.'
'OK, Dad-- as ye wish. I just came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat, title deed to a ten bedroom mansion plus a $5 million savings certificate. For me little brother, this gold Rolex. And for ye Daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible that's parked outside plus a membership to the country club (takes a breath) and an invitation for ye all to spend New Years Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera and... .'
'Now what was it ye said ye had become?' says Dad.
Girl, crying again, 'Sniff, sniff....a prostitute Daddy! Sniff, sniff.'
'Oh! Be Jesus ! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a Protestant. Come here and give yer old Dad a hug.

Got up a bit after six. I would have really enjoyed staying in bed longer this morning. It was a busy day at home.

Dick did get three walks in today. He gets breathless but said he is not experiencing quite as much discomfort in the effort.

I also vacuumed the upstairs carpets and did some other cleaning. The White Zinfandel wine that we are making is now all stirred and just has to sit to clear before bottling. I will also be stirring Bobbie's Strawberry Wine daily until she comes next week to put it into a secondary fermentor.

Bobbie has five batches of wine in various stages. Isn't that exciting and ambitious.

Chelsea had a little seizure this evening. Oscar is kind of off of his feed. (I think a hairball will be appearing soon.) So Roxie is the only totally healthy creature in the house.

Well, poor Farrah Fawcett died today. She certainly showed us bravery as she faced her death. Also Michael Jackson which was a surprise. We will be hearing about him for days. A lost soul. I will pray for both of them along with all the others on my list of needs.

Not anything else to report tonight. I am suddenly very weary and will be heading to bed now.

Take care

Mary

An early morning. We went on our walk after my shower and taking care of the cats at about 7AM. It was already getting warm. 76 degrees at 7AM. It got up to about 94 before the day was over and it is muggy.

Chelsea is always so alert and full of life in the early morning hours. The rest of the day her tail is drooping. We noticed when we first got her that her tail was most always flared up over her back like a fine wagging bustle. When she got very tired, her little tail would drag behind her as she tried to find a quiet place. Now, more and more, her little tail is dragging even when she is just observing things.

I went to Walmart early and got Dick an exercise ball that has been recommended by his therapist. Then I went grocery shopping. I got home at about 9:30AM. I put the groceries away and blew up the exercise ball. It came with a pump. Now the next chore is to get Dick to use it. The exercises are to improve the abdominal muscle strength so he walks more upright and does not lean so on his walker.

Bobbie came over in time for lunch. We had mainly leftovers, venison, bratwurst and carrots, with beans and salad. Then we went down to the wine room and Bobbie mixed up a batch of strawberry wine. She now has five batches going - all to onst.

She mentioned that she was going to have to start writing down when she has to do something on each or she will lose track. So I gave her one of my extra calendars to write everything on.

Two O'clock was the Amputee Support Group meeting. We had a nice turnout and played bingo. Everybody brought 5 white elephant gifts. It was a lot of fun and then we ended by just having a jam session sharing the things we have in common. I came home with a box of keeenix, a bag of hot chocolate mix and a puzzle book. Everybody all wish Dick would come. I certainly do. The wife of one of our amputees was a cookie lady at Plymouth Care and said that I must tell him that she is very disappointed that he has not come.

Bobbie was still here when I got home. She had to wait some time because the must had too cool before she could add the yeast. She will be back in a week now and I will stir the strawberry once a day until then.

Now it is getting on towards bedtime. The temperature has dropped but only to 85 degrees. Heat amd thunderstorms are predicted for the next couple of days though they say this is the hottest day. I hope we do get a bit of that predicted rain. I watered the plants that really need it but rain is so much better for the plants.

I also dried some lemon balm. I now have two jars of that for the year. More than enough as I can use fresh for most of the summer. My other herbs are doing OK but I wish the purple basil would be growing faster. My tomato plants look wonderful.

Tomorrow, I have no scheduled errands so except for cleaning it will be a quiet day. I intend to do some reading and some writing.

Have a nice quiet Thursday yourself.

Love

Mary

Chelsea let me sleep until 4AM this morning. I wish she would be consistant. I finally got up at a bit after 6AM. After feeding everybody, showering and walking Chelsea, we got Dick all ready for his busy day.

We left at about 10:45AM for Plymouth Care Center for therapy. Dick walked several times. Twice on the bars and twice with the walker. Wendy, the therapist, gave us some new exercises to do to strengthen his mid section. I have to go to WalMart to get a proper exercise ball tomorrow so we can start that.

We left there for Dairy Queen. We each had a cheeseburger and shared an order of fries and a Pepsi. Then, on our way to Wisconsin Prosthesis, we stopped at Mother's to pick up her fecal test that had to be dropped off at the Clinic and to leave her prescription for an Iron supplement which we hope will after a week or so leave her with more energy.

At Wisconsin Prosthesis, Tim did some adjustments to the prosthesis cup and his insole on the right foot which we hope will solve some discomfort and/or redness problems. We were home shortly after 2PM. This was our last errand.

The rest of the day I spent working on grocery lists, phone calls and on computer stuff.

Yesterday, at bible study, my friend Shirley Moioffer asked us to pray for them. They have a family of raccoons who have taken up residence in their attic. She was frying out on Father's Day and one came clicking out in broad daylight to observe what was going on. Raccoons cannot just be killed, they have to be trapped and relocated. Shirley has found someone who will come and trap them for her and Dan at $50 a crack. Pray that the mother raccoon did not have the maximum possible litter of 10.

I remember a trip that Dick and I took with our Zero to Wausau. We stopped at a rest stop just shy of Wittenberg so that Zero could relieve himself. We pulled into the stop and into a parking place. I was just about to open the door when we noticed movement in the headlights. To our "almost" horror there were at least 8 full grown raccoons cavorting in front of us. We immediately backed out and left. Zero just had to wait. Good thing we saw it quickly enough. Zero would have been torn to shreds by those raccoons.

Love
Mary

Roxie still hates it when I whistle. I started whistling a few minutes ago, forgetting that she is sleeping on the printer, and her eyes opened immediately. She looked at me, daring me to continue.

Chelsea woke me up at 4AM this morning, a great improvement over yesterday. I went back to bed and was able to sleep until 6AM. We had a busy morning as Dick and I were determined to get his clothes changed AND a walk in before I headed to Bible Study. This on top of all the usual just getting ready for the morning is a LOT. But we did it and did not feel too rushed.

Two people were not at bible study but we still had a good group there. Joe was back after his vacation and brought his wife, Felicia, along today. We had lively discussions about the woman who touched Jesus' robe and was healed of her hemorraging because of her faith AND about Jarius who believed that Jesus could heal his daughter. One a Jew and one a Gentile. So he will heal us all. Next week we are starting a study of the Gospel of Mark. Our books were there so we are set to go. We will read the introduction and decide how we are going to proceed.

Dick and I had pork cop and lima bean casserole for dinner and I went to the Cream City Writer's meeting. It was a good meeting. We only had to tone Don down from his preaching twice. There were two new ladies there who seem to be really interested in being a part of us. I sure hope so. We decided to give the Fourth of July or Independence Day as an "assignment" for next month's meeting.
Don has invited us out to his place for the next meeting. He is out in the country and really wants to share his "inspiration" deck with us.

Dick was sleeping when I got home, so I took care of wine and a few other things before he woke up. I remembered to stir the wine the three times it needs and Dick walked three times so we had a pretty successful day.

Did you know that if you look very closely at the Iwo Jima Memorial statue in Washington DC you will see that there are six figures putting up the flag but there are 13 hands. The sculptor simply said that the 13th hand was the Hand of God.
Also, if you start at the front of the statue and drive very slowly counter clockwise around it, as you come around, it appears that the flag actually is rising. It is phenomenal.

Have a great Tuesday. We are saturated with medical appointments, therapy , prosthesis and some errands for Mom.

Take care

Love

Mary

Two o'clock again. That dog is toying with me. At least I was able to get back to sleep and stay that way until 6AM. Last night was much better over all than the night before but I am still exhausted tonight.

There were several people out and about when Chelsea and I took our walk this morning. She is always such a perky and happy girl that noone believes that she is failing. Today was not great for her. I can tell because her little tail drags when she is not feeling too well.

However, Bobbie and Bill came over this afternoon. Bobbie had to do the next step on her Bay Leaf Wine. We went down to the wine room. Of course, Roxie was right behind us and complaining as usual. She doesn't understand what we are doing down there and tells us so. Oscar followed shortly. Then, to our surprise, we heard funny sounds on the stairs and, for the first time in months, Chelsea had managed to make her way down the stairs to see what was going on. She is really afraid of the stairs, I think because her cataracts are getting worse and she can't really judge the drop. Then, poor thing, she started up the stairs with Roxie and Roxie turned on her and belted her in the face. No claws, but I think it really confuses the her. She really is a sweet dog.

I fried out brats and venison chops this noon. We had brats, fresh cooked carrots and fruit salad with lunch along with pudding and whipped cream for dessert.

Tonight we had chef's salad. and an ice cream cone for dessert.

Dick had a pleasant Father's Day. We heard from everybody which makes him feel good. He walked today but only once. Tomorrow, I am going to push him a bit more. We need to get him moving.

Tuesday, therapy and a visit to the prosthesist again. He will be a busy guy. Wednesday will be the amputee support group meeting. I have been trying to get Dick to go. After all, though it is for caregivers too, he IS the amputee.

Today was the first day of summer. It got up to 82 degrees but has already dropped to 72. We might get a bit of rain tonight but it looks like a pretty good week ahead over all.

You enjoy your week now.

Mary

I did not sleep well last night but at least Chelsea did not get me up until 5AM. I woke up a bit before that and was actually afraid to get up and look for her. I sure was glad that she finally came to get me. We went out for our walk right away and I just stayed up.

I had a nice nap this morning, which was SO nice after the rotten night that I had.

Except for church, I was able to stay home all day. I finished my cleaning and did some baking. I made some Lemon Balm scones which turned out to be very tasty. I also put a fruit salad together. We do like out fruit salads. As long as the fruit is so good, we decided that I will make one each week. this one has watermelon, orange, blueberries, kiwi, grapes and strawberries.

Dick walked twice today and we got his bath accomplished. We both agreed that the bath is getting easier all the time. In time, he will be able to do most of it himself. The foot is looking pretty good after he walks, so we are encouraged.

Mass was nice. The folk choir sang and we were celebrating the 100th birthday of Dolores Gentine. She looks pretty darned good too. Next week an Archbishop from Jos in Nigeria, Ignatius Kaigama, will be spending time at St. John the Baptist for the Annual Mission Appeal. We are also having a Picnic to celebrate the conclusion of the Faith in our Future Campaign. So it will be a very full weekend.

Tomorrow I do not have to go anywhere. Bobbie will be coming over to work on wine. So company we will have. I am frying out. I am going to do some brats and some venison steaks. You can join us if you would like, there will be plenty.

Love

Mary

2:30AM again. I might as well just have a newborn in the house. No matter how late I take Chelsea out lately, she is still poking me early.

Oh Well, I guess there is nothing that can be done about it but I sure am starting to feel it. Broken sleep is a bummer and I need my sleep. Naps are helping when I can get them.

I vacuumed the living room this morning and Dick walked early. I left at about 9:30 take Mother to Fesslers for her colostomy supplies. It was nice dealing with Barb, the lady that handles those specialty items. She remembered helping Dick get his stockings fitted. She was sorry to hear that he lost his leg but pleased that things are improving.

Mother and I went directly from there to the Clinic for her blood test. That went really quickly. She should hear on Monday or Tuesday, I would imagine, if she is indeed anemic. If so, an iron supplement should correct that and perhaps she will get a bit of energy back. Years ago, I was anemic and was tired all the time.

I got home in time to fix a Chef's Salad for Dick's lunch. Then trotted over to the Dairy Queen for lunch . There were four of us there today. Betty said that someone actually dug up the flowers that she had planted at her husband's grave. Can you believe anyone being as low as that? To take tributes that people have planted for their departed loved ones? We were all just horrified. She did call the police but what good will that do.

When I got home, I did take a nap. Slept pretty good too. Roxie likes that. All I have to do is head for the couch and she is right there. She loves to nap with me.

I fixed pork chop and Lima bean casserole for our supper. Haven't had that in a long time and it is really good. Very simple too. You mix a can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup with a package of frozen green Lima beans and grate in some Velveeta (not easy to grate, but you don't have to be fancy). Put three or four pork chops in the bottom of a baking dish, spread the Lima bean mixture over the top. Top with a can of French fried onions and bake covered for about an hour, then take off the cover and bake about 15 minutes more.

Tonight I cleaned off my desk. I have a whole folder of things that need to be taken care of tomorrow, but did get rid of a lot of stuff. There is still too much on my desk but at least I have a bit of a handle on it.

Except for church, I get to stay home for the next two days. I am so glad.

Our newly paved road is a pleasure to drive on. We are no longer dodging holes in the road and the two visitor parking spots are now paved also so they are not mud holes any longer.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.


Love

Mary

Since I took Chelsea out at 10PM or later last night and she was very very "good", one would have thought that I could sleep uninterrupted until at least 4 or 5. But NOOOOO! the little goof came to ask me to take her out at 2:30am. I had to get up at 6AM because I had to do a lot of things before going to take Mother to the Drug Store at 10AM. I vacuumed the bedrooms and made cookies today.

So. I got to Mother's and she was in curlers. She thought that we were going tomorrow. I had said tomorrow but she had Friday on her mind and that was what she planned on. SO. I called Fesslers (Aurora Superior) and we found out the Barb, the person that was going to help us get Mom's supplies, was sick today anyway. SO. I am going to call the drug store at 9:15AM to be sure that Barb is there and then I will call Mom and start out to pick her up. This afternoon she called me again. Dr. Hancock's nurse had called her and he wants her to have another blood test. Apparently, the first one shows that she is a bit anemic and they want to confirm this. We are going to stop at the Clinic on our way home from the drug store for the blood test. This could be some of the reason that Mother is feeling so much more tired these days. Perhaps a regimen of extra iron will help to rectify that.

Home again, I parked the car back in Lion's Park parking lot. I need to go get it soon. They seem to be done with the paving and it has been long enough that I should be able to bring it home. As I walked home I stopped to visit with neighbors, Tom and Rita Engel. Tom filmed a lot of the paving for his grandsons. They are 2 and 5 and nutso over trucks. He is able to film in movies and stills and will show his grandsons on TV this weekend. The workers even waved for them.

I liked this crew. When Chelsea and I set out at about 4 to get the mail, one of the workers stopped is roller and called to me to pick Chelsea up as the blacktop would be too hot for her little feet. Wasn't that sweet?

That is really the end of the busy things that I did today.

Now is the time to just settle down and do nothing for the rest of the evening.

By the way, Dr. Murthy's nurse called and told me that the MRI shows that there is a small tear in the meniscus of my right knee and that I need to make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. So I called the Orthopedic department and Dr. Fehrman will call me early next week after he looks at the MRI. I feel better in that I know that there is something real wrong and maybe this time it will be something that can be fixed.

Take Care

Mary

What a day. It started early (6AM) and is finishing late (for me anyway, it is 10PM already.)

It was raining when Chelsea got me up at 3ish but had stopped by the time I finally got up. I did all the morning things with cats and dog and showering and all and then drove over to Mc Donalds. Dick and I had decided to have Mc Donalds breakfast because it was grocery shopping day and we always had breakfast out when we shopped together. We will do that again some day.

After breakfast, I did go grocery shopping. I got home to find that Dick and Chelsea were napping, so I put the groceries away and made the phone calls that I needed too. Mother called. The colostomy supplies she needs are at Fessler Drug store and she has to go in to pick up the first batch because they need her Medicare info and her signature. After that she can just call in her order. We are dealing with a gal named Barb who was very helpful for Dick when he got the elastic stockings that he needed. SO I will take her to Sheboygan tomorrow to take care of that. Tomorrow they are blacktopping Tallgrass Lane so I parked the car in the parking lot at Lions park. They are doing it in such a way that we CAN get in and out but I would really rather wait until everything has settled before I drive over it.

AT 11:15AM, I went to Plymouth Aurora to have an MRI done on my knee. I don't have a lot of hope that they will find anything, at least anything they can fix for me. I am being told that I am a very young and healthy 69. Yet, I have side aches, neck and arm soreness and my knees are really sore. The diagnosis so far have been to tell me what it is and say. Live with it. I am taking Tylenol twice a day for the aching. I wonder if it would be worse without that.

We had meatloaf sandwiches and soup for lunch. Then Bobbie came over and we mixed up two more batches of wine for her. She is trying bay leaf and grapevine. They both smell really good. The other two that she has working are settling nicely and are still fermenting. Sunday she will be back to do the next steps on these last two and will help me finish adding to the White Zinfandel.

Tonight was the Celtic Women meeting. We went to 52 Stafford for dinner and the music. It was very pleasant but we decided that next time we will dinner somewhere else where it is quieter and then go over to the Stafford for the music. We will do that any time that the 17th lands on a Wednesday when Stafford has the pick up band playing.

There were 13 of us there which is a good turnout and we all had a lot of fun. I ordered corned beef and cabbage and brought home enough corned beef for lunch for Dick and me tomorrow.

Well, that covers the day. I will hear about the MRI by Monday, I would guess. Hope they find something and that something can be done. I have not had a good long walk for such a long time. I walk until it starts hurting then turn back. The doctor said that walking won't damage anything but it isn't any fun walking when it hurts.

Take care and enjoy your Thursday. We are supposed to have dry weather until late in the afternoon, then thunderstorms are rolling in. I will be back home and hopefully will be able to get the car back into the garage.

Love

Mary

Would you believe that Chelsea got me up at 2:30AM? I had some trouble getting back to sleep but then did not wake up until 6:40AM. Kitties were a bit miffed because their breakfast was late.

Chelsea and I had a reasonable walk. I was able to go a bit further than I have been. My knee actually did not hurt too badly till later in the day today.

Dick had his therapy at 11:00PM. We told them that he had not walked on Sunday or Monday because of that funny little blister that kind of dried up and then peeled. Dale, the therapist, and Tim, the prosthisist, looked at the foot and said that it looked really OK and that he should be walking. UNTIL he walked for the first three minutes and when they checked his foot, that area was shiny. Shiny is not good. Dale said that I had a very good eye.

SO - we followed Tim back to his office so that he could do some corrections to the shoe. Now, for the next few days, we will inspect, walk and inspect again to see if the corrections have fixed the problem.

We got home at about 12:30 and had a lunch of meatloaf, potato salad and beets. I took a short nap before going over to Just Jane's for my haircut. I zipped over to the Sewing Basket to get some thread and stopped at Walgreens on my way home to get Dick's prescriptions.

I have spent a chunk of the day trying to figure out how to scan a packet of papers from my HP6400 into Picasa as one file. I can do each sheet individually but should be able to do them through the feed as one file. Oh Well, I will try again tomorrow.

Bobbie is coming over tomorrow to mix up another batch of wine. I hope that it is time to mix the rest of the addins to the White Zin. Then she can help me with that. We will see what the specific gravity is at when she gets here.

It will really be a busy day. We decided that we are going to get Mc Donalds for breakfast as it is grocery shopping day.

Have a good evening.

Love.

Mary

After my three o'clock jaunt with Chelsea we finally got up at 6AM as usual. I had a couple of calls to make before leaving for bible study.

I also had to stop at Walgreens on the way. I thought Dick had a prescription ready but have to stop again tomorrow. It was not a wasted stop because Mom needed vitamins and we needed batteries.

There were seven of us there this morning. We are still discussing the Sunday readings but I had Lynn order the books for the study of the Gospel of Mark that we will start as soon as they arrive. The readings today were from Job, Paul and Mark.

Job was getting chided because he was complaining about things and God told him to remember who made the earth and set up the boundaries for the ocean and the waves and, after all, who is in charge. Mark was about the trip out on the water with the disciples when the storm hit and they got scared. He was a bit exasperated with them. He said "Why were you terrified? Don't you have faith yet?"

At the end of this I will put an email that I received this week that fit in beautifully with the Gospel. Oh Heck, I'll put it here.

Cherokee Legend

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him
alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the
blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he does this, he must not talk about it.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad
must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified.
He can hear all kinds of noises.
Wild beasts must surely be all around him.
Maybe even some human might do him harm The wind blew the grass and
earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the
blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his
blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next
to him.

He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don't know it,
God is watching over us,
Sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes,
All we have to do is reach out to Him.

Well, enough of that. I stopped at Mom's next. Jeff was there. He took Mom for her doctor's appointment today. We all reviewed what she wanted to ask the doctor. I am hoping that Jeff and Dr. Hancock can bring her closer to agreeing to have someone in with her in the mornings when she sometimes gets weak.

I had lunch with my friend Peggy. Peggy's husband is a resident at Plymouth Care and was across the hall from Dick for most of his stay. He is now on palliative hospice which is for those not really near death who need help and their caretakers. Peggy said that they have been invaluable for her since they came on. They go to the staff if she sees problems or if they see problems. I got a bruschetta pizza and was it ever good.

Home again. One of my calls was to Mike the appliance repair guy. Had two things. The vent hose thing had come off of the dryer again. He fixed it and put a metal clamp on which will hold better. The icemaker was not working on the fridge and he fixed that too. Boy, I hope that is the last of these appliance mishaps.

We had chicken, potato salad and beans for supper. Then I picked up Kate at 6PM and we went to Mead for the second part of a four session event called Sheboygan Reads. It was a panel discussion on Self-Publishing. We learned quite a lot. I was impressed that the book featured in the program "The Green Steed" by Betsy Jones Michael was published by Sun Graphics. Terry Evans, owner of Sun Graphics, his graphic designer, a graphic designer named Gary Shaw and Betsy's marketing specialist were on the panel. Kate wrote down their names and I will get them from her as I need to know them.

So now the day is over and it is 9:45PM. Not too bad considering all that managed to get packed into it.

Tomorrow we go to Dick's therapy in the morning. And will see what they think about the foot.

Take care and sleep tight.

Mary

I was home ALL day today. What a nice situation but I had way too much to do.

Got up at 6AM and after shower and everything took Chelsea for a nice walk. We got quite a ways down the road before my knee started to hurt. We had scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast. Then Dick went down for a nap and slept until noon.

SO. I spent the morning catching up on the computer. My desk is mainly clear. I have to prepare a couple of envelopes for mailing and get a few items up from downstairs for a Wednesday meeting.

I made a meatloaf for our lunch, we had fried potatoes and beets for side dishes. I have enough potatoes and eggs to make a potato salad for tomorrow's supper. Tonight we had some leftover dump soup and egg salad sandwiches.

Tomorrow will be a day mostly for me. I have bible study, lunch with a friend and a program at Mead Public Library tomorrow night on Self Publishing.

I will stop and see Mother after Bible Study. Jeff will be there as he is taking Mom to a doctor appointment at 11:30AM. We are really trying to encourage her to consider having someone there in the mornings when she gets up. That is when she is weakest and it would be safer for her and make us feel better.

Jim and Michelle called this evening. We were so glad. They are through with their training at work so are now fully in their new positions. They are settling into the community and are learning their way around. They are going to start taking classes as they were in Oshkosh so are busy people. AND they have found a couple of acceptable Coffee Shops in the city. Whew.

It was so good to hear their voices and know that they are well.

That is all for now. Soon it will be time to go to bed. I will take Chelsea out and make sure that all water dishes are full.

Til tomorrow.

Mary

I got up at 6AM as usual. Chelsea and I had a pretty good walk before my knee started hurting. Dick had not slept well at all, so after all the morning things (which seem to get more complicated every day) he went back to bed. He slept until I woke him up shortly after noon so we could have lunch.

He did only walked once today because we are keeping an eye on a red spot on the graft on his foot and want to keep things kind of quiet until the therapist and/or the doctor give their opinion on it. I think it is ok. It feels firm and is not in any way open but it is reddish and it seems a bit shiny. We will check it again in the morning and have him walk again then.

I made a fruit salad and an apple crisp today. I used Splenda Brown sugar for the apple crisp so it is an OK dessert for Dick.

I also cleaned the bathrooms today.

The only time I left the neighborhood was to go to Mass at 4PM. It was a nice Mass. I visited with a couple of people that I know. It is nice to feel part of the community. I was able to give communion again. I always feel good about that.

Chelsea has a small seizure this afternoon, nothing like that last one but a seizure none the less. She is always so confused.

So that is Saturday. We heard from Jim and Michelle with a new phone number and a blog entry a couple of days ago. They seem to be doing fine.

I need to go to bed now so Good Night and Sweet Dreams.

Mary

 

Roxie and Jillian - Bonding - Kind of

Chelsea slept until 4AM this morning. I got up finally at 6AM. We had another short walk as I stopped as soon as my knee stopped working. I did tell you that Dr. Murthy has scheduled an MRI for Wednesday, just to be sure that there is not tear or anything. If not I guess we will try a cortisone shot. I know that really helped when I had the problem with my sternum tear.


I finally was able to connect with Heidi, the VNA who was working with Mother. We arranged to meet at Mom's at 10:30AM. I think we have things under control now. As the VNA had actually released Mother and Heidi has been working with her questions just because she is a nice gal, we got the problems solved. 1. Heidi called Dr. Hancock and has them ordering the equipment (bags and appliances and adhesive) for six months. We have the numbers of the items and will be getting them from Aurora on Superior the old Fesslers. That is where Dick gets his knee sox when he needs them so we know Barb, the liaison there quite well. 2. She did not know why VNA had told Mom to make an appointment with Dr. Hancock. But Mother indicated that she would really like to see him anyway because she has questions so Jeff will take her on Monday to see him. I made a list for her to take with her of her questions and will make sure that Jeff takes it with them. It is so easy to forget things when one is actually with the doctor. 3. Everything is working just as Heidi expected it too.

Mom has been released from VNA and from now on will call Dr. Hancock with questions. We would really like to get someone in there in the mornings when she gets up. Mother is resistant to that so we need to try to make her comfortable with the idea.

I got home in time to fix Dick's lunch and the then to the Dairy Queen for lunch with the Bank Ladies. We had a nice visit. Everybody is fine but I am not the only one who is having leg trouble. Ceil is also having trouble with ehr legs.

Then home again.

I got the kitchen cleaned, the garage floor washed down and the downstairs bathroom cleaned today. Pretty good. It will be a quiet weekend so maybe I can get some stuff done just for me. Especially on Sunday.

We had leftovers for dinner, Red beans and rice, cauliflower and hot dogs. Really good. Now tomorrow I will have to start from scratch as the leftovers are all eaten up.

My friend Janet Bieschke stopped by this afternoon with her granddaughter Jillian. Janet was picking up something for CWI. Jillian is two and adorable. She was fascinated by Roxie and Chelsea and the stuffed animals also. Roxie and Chelsea were kind of fascinated by her too. They have not seen little people in at least three years. Jillian is a sweet child so they interacted very well.

I went out on the deck for about a half an hour this evening to read. It was wonderful. The deck is above the mosquitoes, but I sprayed with Listerine just to be sure. This is the first day that it was warm enough to do this. Hope there are a lot of days like this to come.

Have a lovely weekend. We intend to.

Love

Marymom

What a strange morning. Chelsea slept until almost 5AM. Dick and I were almost afraid to get out of bed. With all the coughing Chelsea has been doing we don't know exactly how we will find her. But she finally came to get me to take her out. Guess What, I did NOT shower today. I wasn't going anywhere anyway so I just got dressed and took Chelsea for a walk. We couldn't go far because my knee started hurting really quickly.

I vacuumed the rugs this morning and swept the second half of the garage this afternoon. I still have to wash the concrete in the garage but at least I have made some headway. Dick walked twice today for three minutes each time. We are going to try to increase it to three times tomorrow.

We went for a little drive in the country about lunch time and got our lunch at Culvers. By the time Dick was ready, it was after 12. We wanted to go to Chesters but at that time on the last day of school, there is no way that we wanted to wait that long to eat there. We drove out towards and through Rhine Center, then worked our way back on Highway M. Just admiring the fields and the farms and the scenery. It was the first time that Dick wanted to go out so I was pleased.

It is kind of warm in the house tonight so I opened windows and doors to freshen it up in here. The trouble is that if I open the front door both kitties run there so I can't leave it open too long. We don't want the wrong people to see two kitties.

They have done the prep work on Tallgrass for the paving. The paving will be done late next week, weather permitting. Hopefully that will shut up the dissidents in the complex. The ad hoc committee has been very effective if you ask me.

Guess that is all for now.

I did a bunch of Celtic Women work today too. I am almost all caught up on paperwork.

Take care

Mary


Headline in paper:

Ten Commandments, Supreme Court says some are OK some are not.

As the caption said. Didn't know we had a choice.

Well, another Wednesday gone and one more therapy under out belts. Dick had therapy at 11AM this morning. Diane, a therapist who has worked with him before, helped us today. She had him walk twice in the parallel bars and then for a couple of sessions using a walker.

We, I looked too, checked his foot after each walk. We noticed some redness on the graft area but it seems to fade with resting and shows no sign of breaking down so we are just going to go slow and keep observing it. No therapy until next Thursday. We found out that Jaren, who was supposed to work with him tomorrow, broke his wrist, arm and possibly shoulder. It is OK because now Dick just needs to practice and can do so here.

So until next Tuesday, we will be doing walking exercises and I will be checking the foot.

I went grocery shopping and too the bank this morning and then after therapy we stopped at Walgreens for Mom's meds and a few other things.

We had hot dogs, beans and salad for lunch. I had purchased Johnsonville Butcher shop hot dogs in casings and they are really good.

Bobbie got here shortly after lunch and we worked on wine. We had to put both her elderberry/rhubarb and our White Zinfindal into the secondary fermenters (the jugs). Now we wait. In 10 to 12 days, I will be adding the rest of the additives to the White Zin and we just have to wait for Bobbie's wines to settle out. Probably about 30 days will be right for the first racking. Then racking every several weeks until clear. Patience. As they say, No wine before its time.

Roxie and Oscar always come downstairs when we are in the wine cellar to check things out. This is brand new territory, you know. The door to the downstairs is usually closed and when I go down to quilt, the wine room is always closed. So WOW. They are fascinated. Roxie always complains a lot. She would really like to get up on shelves and work benches but we discourage that.

Poor little Chelsea won't come down with me any more. The stairs frighten her. I believe that the cataracts in her eyes are impairing her vision so that she cannot see depth. So she patiently waits at the top of the stairs, usually sleeping, these days.

My knee started hurting earlier in our walk this morning. I just don't know what to do to fix it. I left a message for Dr. Murthy to contact me now that I am done with the series of Celebrex that he gave me.

Tomorrow we do not have to go anywhere. I intend to do some cleaning and computer catch up and Dick said that perhaps it would be nice to just go for a ride in the country. We haven't done that in years. I think I would like that. I hope Dr. Murthy calls early.

Til tomorrow

Mary

A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord,
if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time just like I am."

Well, this morning I was at least able to read the clock correctly and got up at about 6:15AM. I was able to walk as far as yesterday before my knee started hurting. But it still hurts. I guess I will have to call Dr. Murthy in the morning to find out what to do next.

We had to be at the first therapy session at 11:15AM. That was exciting for us. Dick did very well. Dale was his therapist today. Lori, the therapist that has been working with us for all those months in Plymouth Care, is on maternity leave. We will be having whoever is available for the next six weeks, perhaps until he is done with therapy. We don't know how long it will take. Dale said that he must walk at home and build up his time. We are now at 3 minutes each time with rest in between. We will have one more session this week. We were supposed to have two but Jaren, Dick's first therapist at Aurora those many moons ago, was in an accident an will not be able to be there on Thursday. Pray for Jaren. He is a nice man and has a family. Let us hope that it is not serious.

We ate a quick lunch then zipped over to Sheboygan to see Tim. He is pleased with the way things are going with the prosthesis and will see us again next week on Tuesday in therapy at Plymouth Care. The next step with him is a leg that looks pretty normal.

When we got home, Dick used the walker a couple of times. It is harder than he thought it would be. Good thing there is no deadline. He will keep practicing, and tomorrow, I will bring our walker to the Center. That takes a little different skill.

We are listening to Yo Yo Ma at Lincoln Center. It is a very pleasant concert with a group he formed called The Silk Road Ensemble. It is very oriental. Covering Korea, China and others. I find it interesting but beyond my understanding on much of it. I suppose that thest artists would feel the same way about Irish traditional music. I am no expert on that but have learned much and it is in my ethnic soul. I can listen to that for hours. I need to prepare a mini lesson on Celtic music for the Sheboygan CWI group. I want to share what I learned from my correspondence class through UWM. I am excited to have two CDs of Cornish music and hope that Mary Schultz was able to find some Galatian music for me. I only have one Galatian song that I am aware of. Oh well, we share what we have.

Hope you have a good Wednesday. I will be shopping and then taking Dick to therapy.

Love

Mary

A totally strange beginning to the day. Chelsea got me up at her usual 4AM or so. It was pouring so she made quick work of her outing. Then I got back to sleep. When I woke up I thought it was 6:30AM so I got up again and fed the kitties. In their room I glanced at the clock and to my surprise, it was only 5:30AM. By this time I was wide awake and there was no sense in going back to bed, so I went right into the shower and proceeded with the morning.

I went to Sheboygan Falls shortly after 9 for bible study and my visit with Mother. Bible study was interesting. We got off onto a discussion of this new program that the Diocese has come up with called Faith in our Future, which is supposed to insure education funds for our future by establishing an endowment and several other contingencies for our parish. 40% of the funds stay with the diocese, the rest comes back to the parish. Our discussions covered the expensive marketing that they have done (who is paying for that) how broad is the education to be, (will it cover clerics to help take up the slack that the over stretched priests are now unable to handle.) and how much of the funds will be used to make up the difference caused because of the massive settlements caused by the sex scandals. I think I will ask my friend Marlene, one of the people on the committee some of these questions.

Mother is doing fine. She has been having trouble getting the VNA nurse to call her back with answers to questions. I told her that if she had not heard by this afternoon, I would call. They DID call back and are resolving her questions and promised to be back to her by Wednesday with the answers.

I got home in time to fix Dick's lunch, then drove over to Kate's house. We went out for lunch and a visit, Our schedules have been such the past few weeks that we have not had a time to just visit. It was nice and we covered a lot of ground. Her poor Riley cat is very subdued. It told you that he has a very badly injured front leg. It is all bound up and will be for at least a week or two more. Riley is getting discouraged. I brought him a little of the catnip. Kate said that he seemed to like that.

We had Chicken Vegetable Pasta salad for supper. It was really good. Then there was a meeting of the Ad Hoc committee for the condos. It went well. They have started the prep work on the biggest problem, the paving of the road and will do the paving next week, so our committee is doing well. We covered the rest of the problems and I believe that our work is actually all done.

Since I have been up since 5:30AM I am really tired tonight and am looking forward to that wonderful bed.

I am still reading Dinah Federer's book Chasing Normal. She has a wonderful paragraph in her chapter on loneliness. "A disability isn't something to be fixed. It's a new way of life for everyone to adjust to. Just take it slowly. There may be some awkward moments. That's okay. Take it slowly and trust that you'll find your way." It's a really helpful book and I would be glad to share it with anyone who is interested.

Take it easy. Tomorrow Dick starts therapy. Yippee!! On his feet again.

Love
Mary

I am very tired tonight. Not for the amount of work I did. But just because it is Sunday, a day of rest as we all know.

I went to Mass at 9:30AM. St. John's is now on it's summer schedule so I really have a choice of Masses. I really like early Sunday Morning and 9:30 ain't bad but 4PM on Saturday is OK.

Saw a lot of friends and visited a bit after Mass. Mary Schroeder was there. I saw her at lunch with the bank ladies on Friday. She had not been there for several months and then here she was at Mass this morning with her husband Dave.

I got home an Dick was sleeping so I just relaxed and prepared dinner. We had ham, red beans and rice and cauliflower. Nummy, nummy. After lunch, I took a nap. Bill and Bobbie came over a bit later and Bill fixed the light switch in our bedroom. It had "died". We were unable to turn the light or the fan on in that room and that is not a good thing. Bill fixed it. I don't know what we would do without him. We are so grateful for them. Not for what they can do but for who they are. Bobbie and I are having so much fun with the wine. We tested what is in process and she is coming back Wednesday when both the elderberry/rhubarb and the White Zin will be ready to put into secondary fermenters by then. They are close, but not quite ready.

Now, we are watching the Tony's. We are Broadway "lovers". We learn a lot at the
Tony's and always wish that we could be there, meaning New York, to see the plays. I will be so glad when Dick is better and we can again go on the tours to see the touring companies when they come around.

A busy week is coming up. Yea. Therapy is starting up on Tuesday. We brought the walker into the living room today. We hope that Dick can start using it soon. He gets up easily nowdays but feels a wobbly. Therapy will help that and build up endurance. Tomorrow is my day. Bible Study, lunch with a friend and then a meeting in the evening with the condo ad hoc committee. WE are just about read to get the road paved which is really the biggest of the problems. Of couse those with minor problems are going to immediately say "But what about me?" Whimper Whimper.

Some people do not know how to roll with the punches or to do anything for themselves.

Guess that is all for now.

Take care.

Love

Mary

It was damp and chilly all day. There was some rain but not enough to be really beneficial or even bad to walk in.

Chelsea and I had a really nice walk though I did shorten it because my knee started bothering me. Every day I am able to walk a bit further before it starts hurting so I think the Celebrex is working.

I just cleaned and stuff today. We also got Dick's bath accomplished.

Then at about 4:30PM I left for Howards Grove and Dolores and Ken's 40th Wedding Anniversary celebration. The boys, Kurt and Todd and their wives did a wonderful job of planning the celebration, putting together a DVD and keeping it a surprise. Dolores and Ken had no clue. It is always a delight when with all the people that end up knowing about a surprise like this can keep it a secret.

It was at the Wagon Wheel and Ken and Dolores thought that they were just meeting their boys for dinner. We had a great meal, as the Wagon Wheel always puts on. Chicken, tips and gravy, with all the good side dishes and cake and ice cream for dessert.

I took Mom home at about 9PM after food some visiting and pictures. She was exhausted and I needed to get home too. What a lovey evening.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend too.

Love

Mary

It was a busy day. And a nice day. The weather was perfect. Chelsea and I went for our walk at about 7AM after I had taken care of feeding kitties, showering and cleaning litter box. I got further today before my knee started hurting so I think that perhaps the Celebrex is working. I had a couple of times today when I twisted it so there is SOME inflammation, the doctor says that the xrays just show arthritis.
Guess I should take it easy for a day or two. That is hard.

I cleaned the kitchen today. So the general cleaning is up to date. I do have to get to the garage soon. I figure I will do 1/2 each day that I work at it. Maybe I can get the first half tomorrow morning.

I had lunch with the Wells Fargo ladies today. It was a good day. Almost everybody had good news. Mary Shroeder was there to tell us that she got promoted to the trust department at Community Bank. All other reports were good. People are doing well at jobs and coming home and attending great seminars. After lunch, I went to Kmart and bought a present for Ken and Dolores for their 40th Wedding Anniversary which we will all be celebrating tomorrow night at the Wagon Wheel. I am looking forward to that.

After I got home, I made a fruit salad and some scones and our dinner. WE had Chicken, red beans and rice, cauliflower and fruit salad. And raspberry bread pudding for dessert.

Now it is time to be settling down and getting ready for bed. I did not get my nap today so I am sure that I will sleep very well tonight.

Chelsea had a very bad seizure tonight. Her appetite is kind of down too. We will be watching her very closely and if this continues, we will have the vet look at her.

Tomorrow will be quiet until evening so I can just putter along, except for Dick's bath. That is still somewhat of a production because of the getting in and out of the tub but we are getting better every week.

Have a good weekend yourself.

Here is a picture of the roadways at this time of spring.

Lavender and white
Blooms of wild phlox punctuate
Green wooded byways.


Enjoy

Mary

I slept until almost 7AM (barring of course, Chelsea's early morning walk). We had a lot to do before 10 when we had to leave for Aurora Plymouth. Dick had to to to the anti-coagulation clinic today AGAIN because he has been off the norm that we are aiming for. For a month, he has been off. First the count was very high. Then low for two weeks but Hallelujah. Today his count was 2.4. Which is perfect. It is supposed to be between 2 and 3.

We came home for lunch and then had to get to Sheboygan to see Dr. Moreno to have him write off the shoes. He is very pleased, declared Dick's feet healed and has prescribed therapy for the next month at which point he will reevaluate. He has stressed that we have to be vigilant to any signs of wounds or changes on his feet.

SO, on the way home, we stopped at Plymouth Care to schedule the therapy. Leah got us all set up for next week. With any luck at all we will have Jaren on Thursday. Jaren started Dick on Therapy before it got to a point that he couldn't stand because of the knee problems. He was working on balance and building strength. It will be good to see him again.

We were able to stay home the rest of the day. I got the vacuuming done. Whew. I hate when I get behind. With the cats back with us it does not bode well to leave the vacuuming to for a week.

I read that David Carradine died. He was "grasshopper" in Kung Fu. He is part of a fond memory. The boys liked watching Kung Fu when it was in its prime. Bart was about four and apparently suggestible. We went to church one Sunday and I was talking to one of the young associate pastors. Suddenly Bart yelled "Kung Fu" and kicked him in the shin. The priest was very nice about it but Bart was excommunicated on the spot.



So. Have a good evening and I will check in again tomorrow night.

Love

Mary

This was supposed to be a quieter week, but the excitement of Dick's new shoe and the extra appointments has kind of turned that around.

I started this day off as all the others. Chelsea had a bad appetite day. I have decided not to worry about it. She is perky enough and all other functions seem fine. She IS eating something and I guess we just have to respect her feelings. (Right now, it is almost midnight and she wants me to go to bed. She has this THING about settling down when I do and gets quite bossy about it.)

Anyway I started on my shopping marathon at about 8. I finally got rid of the old battery backup for the computer. I took it over to the City Yard and asked someone what I was supposed to do with it and he took care of it. What a guy.

Then on to the Pig for our grocery shopping. I also had to go to Walgreens to pick up some prescriptions for Mom and go to the bank to make a deposit for her and to pick up some money for us.

Shortly after I got home and put the groceries away, Bobbie came and we did the next steps on the wines that we have brewing downstairs. The rhubarb was not quite at the Specific Gravity we wanted but one of the recipes said to just rack it without testing so we put it into the secondary fermenters (the glass jugs). So we did and were rewarded with seeing that the yeast is indeed working its little heart out in the brew.

This afternoon we had two repairmen here. The water softener had started just running a couple of days ago so I called for repair and the clothes dryer had blown its heating element. WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO HAPPEN AT ONCE!!! Anyway both repair people were able to come quickly and do the job with little fuss. I am grateful. Oscar, however, is not happy. He stayed put for Bobbie and enjoyed his time with her but disappeared when the Culligan Man came and stayed hidden until dinner time. The second doorbell did him in.

This evening Mother, Kate and I went to see 1776 after a lovely dinner at the Villager. It was one of the longest productions I have been to but worth every minute. The cast was mostly men, except for Abigal Adams and Martha Jefferson, and covers the great debates that led to our Declaration of Independence. The talent was special. We loved it.

My only concern was that it was after 11 when I got home. It was OK but if Chelsea had asked to go out , Dick would have been in trouble. She was fine, she no longer expects him to be able to help her so apparently she stirred once but found that I wasn't home so she went back to bed. Such a trusting little pup. She knew that I would be back.

When I got to Kate's I went to comfort her poor sweet kitty, Riley, who has a severely injured front leg. He was quite accepting of my sympathy. He may still lose the leg, or it may be useless when he heals but they are trying. Kate's other cat, Victoria, is being quite the guardian, she sits with him most of the day and the other day when he managed to get upstairs and Kate couldn't find him, Victoria took her up to him.


So that was the day. We are actually into tomorrow. (AND they say tomorrow never comes.)

Enjoy today!!!

Mary

Pete Seeger was quoting Carl Sandburg who said something like this. "My son, perhaps someday there will be a war and no one will come." I received a letter from Tom Petri, our U. S. Representative who swore that he is on my side as far as our responsibility to support and to take care of them when they return as long as it takes them to be re assimilated into civilian life. We send them over there, our future and they defend us and do whatever we ask them to do. We OWE them. If they cannot return to their previous lives because of injuries, we need to care for them. Forever.

This was a very busy day. Chelsea was a real pest. Very demanding. But she is sleeping now and I am SO glad. Sometimes I just get tired taking her in and out of this house.

Dick had an appointment at Wisconsin Prosthesis this morning to get the new cup for his prosthesis. We had a bonus when we got there. His shoe was there too. So - We spent an hour and a half with Tim learning how to put the new cup on. This is different. The sleeve is put onto the stump and then inserted into the cup which locks in place. It is not easy to get it on as it has to be positioned correctly so that when he stands it is straight. Also there cannot be any air bubbles. Wow. Do we have our work set out for us. Especially Dick. He has to be able to do this himself because he gets up during the night and has to put it on without help.

The new shoe fits very nicely. Dick said it feels good. We have an appointment to see Dr. Moreno on Thursday. He will check it out and then we can start therapy and get him up on his feet walking again. Tim, the prosthesist, says that he believes that Dick can be walking with just a cane and not need the wheel chair except for special long occasions. Yippee.

We stopped and picked up a bacon cheeseburger and fries for our lunch from the Dairy Queen. That tasted good.

Then Dick took Chelsea into the bedroom for a nap. She loves that quiet time with him. So I took care of some calls. I called Dr. Murthy's office about my knee hurting and he had me come in for xrays. Modern technology is wonderful. Dr. Murthy had the xrays immediately but of course he has to find time to look at them. It will probably be tomorrow when I hear from him. He did give me some Celebrex which I hope will help the discomfort. It is just that I used to be able to walk off the pain and now it gets worse the longer I walk.

We had soup and sandwich for supper and now I am just about done for the night.

There was a rather interesting situation occurring in the Town of Plymouth. A local restaurant petitioned the town to allow them to change their restaurant to a "Gentlemen's Club" with topless waitresses serving from 4PM to 2PM every day. It was a shock to everybody and the citizens of the area came through in droves. There were six letters to the editor published in the Review against the "Club". All of them articulate and stating their reasons for their disapproval from several perspectives. I was one of the letter writer's. Here is my letter.

I am a resident of the city of Plymouth. It has come to my attention that the Wilderness Restaurant on Hwy 57 at the gateway to the city has applied for a permit to expand the restaurant into a cabaret (topless bar).

I sincerely hope that the Town Board of Plymouth, where the restaurant is located, will stand up and deny this permit. This is not the image that I believe very many of the residents of the Plymouth area wish to convey to the wold.

We are a small town, proud of our roots, our children and our family values. Let's unite to keep it that way.

Thank you.

That was my letter. I only put the name of the restaurant in this blog because the owner of the restaurant, hearing of the concerted opposition, withdrew his application before the meeting. I think that he should be lauded for seeing the mistake and as soon as Dick is able we will again frequent the restaurant for meals as we did before. They are a pleasant place to eat and it would have been a shame to lose another place to eat breakfast that has a smokeless area.

Take care and pray for my friend Gail's daughter Karen who is preparing for serious surgery later this month.

Love

Mary

Chelsea woke me up at 4:30AM this morning. Unbelievable. I did not reawaken until almost 7AM. That is a record. I cannot remember the last time that I slept that late.

As I had to be at Bible Study at 9:30 this did throw me a bit behind. But it all came together. We had a pretty full table at Bible Study. I think that I mentioned that we have been studying the previous Sunday's readings for three years now and have gone through the entire cycle. We have decided to now take a hiatus from that type of study and pick a specific study. The group has settled on the Gospel of Mark and we will chose which series of study we want to use next week and ask Lynn at the church office to order the books for us.

Then I went to Mom's. She wanted to go to the cemetery to look at the boxes by the graves. They really do look lovely and are healthy and colorful. We noticed that there is nothing at my cousin Michael's grave though, and Mother wants something to go out there. I will try to do something to help with that. It is always good to go out there and say Hi to everybody. It is a beautiful cemetery. They used to say Mass out there on Memorial Day. There is a nice altar out there. The statues on the altar have been changed since my day. I remember going down there sometimes as a kit and playing on that altar.

I picked up a couple of plants at Evans today. I found Rosemary, Purple Basil, some petunias and some vines. That is ALL that I am going to do. I got them all planted, I vacuumed the car and switched the floor mats in the car with the summer mats. The winter mats are washed and put away until next winter.

Tonight was the Rhine Plymouth meeting. It was full of business. The club voted not to rejoin the Sheboygan County Conservation Association. I think this is a mistake but the majority do not find it beneficial. Aside from that it was pretty tame but we got a lot done.

The weather was very pleasant but it has chilled down quite a bit this evening. I almost headed out without a jacket but fortunately put it on before I left. I even needed it in the clubhouse.

Tomorrow, Dick gets the new cup for his prosthesis, so we will be gone for a good chunk of the morning. I hope they have some news on the shoe. He needs to get on his feet and walking again.

I do get to stay home all afternoon tomorrow.

I have to get to bed now. It is getting late and we are, as you see, having a busy day tomorrow. I am hoping on talking Dick into eating out somewhere at noon. Wish me luck. It would be good for him.

Love

Mary

 

Just a really good picture of our Big Oscar. Isn't he a handsome guy.

Mary

Such a nice day. Chelsea DID get me up too early, 2:40AM, but it was at least better than it was yesterday. We did not walk too far this morning, because my knee was hurting and I had to take her out twice before we really got to walking anyway.

When she got me up at 2:40AM, I put a roast in the slow cooker for our dinner. It turned out pretty good. The recipe said to cook for at least 12 hours. You just rub the roast with dry onion soup, lay it on a bed of sliced onion and any other veggies you want and let her go on low until you are ready to eat. It is not dry and the juice makes a dark brown gravy.

I also made a coconut meringue pie for dessert. Since Bobbie and Bill came over this afternoon, I could go all out for our evening meal. Bobbie and I were moving to the next step on her Rhubarb wine and she brought more rhubarb and some elderberries to start another batch. The "winery" looks pretty good right now with three batches of wine going all to onest.

I went over to St. John's at 1PM for Mass and a celebration for Fr. Van Beek's 40th Anniversary as a priest. I had not intended on going to two masses in one weekend, I was a Eucharistic Minister last night and really figured that would be enough. But someone from the church called and asked if I was coming and guilted me into it. It was a just fine, a lovely mass with a choir that sang beautiful special music for the occasion and allowed us to join in on many truly lovely songs also. I wrote a haiku for Fr. Van Beek and put it in a card of congratulations that I gave him. He really doesn't know who I am but has been a good parish priest and I love his sermons and the way he brings prayer to us.

I thing I called the Haiku "Congratulations on 40 Years of Priesthood" but I am not sure. Anyway here it is.

A wink of His eye
This time you labored for Him
And yet eternity.

I visited with several people I know. Kate was there. She and Ron ended up unable to go to their daughter's wedding after all. Ron got weak and the trip became not a good idea. We could not talk too long. She will call when she can. Her kitty, Riley, has a broken leg and got out of his cast and she had to take him to Port Washington to the veterinarian after she left the reception. This is on top of Ron. Pray for Ron. He has not had a bad spell like this in several months and it is not a good thing.

Tomorrow is a new week and a new month all rolled into the one day. It is hard to believe that it is the beginning of June already.

Take care. This will be a busy week.

Love

Mary