When I left for Bible Study, Dick was still in bed. I left him with some juice, iced tea, a pear and a scone. Pretty good service if you ask me.

We had nine people at bible study. A nice showing. Mark is an interesting study that leads us to all kinds of current problems that I am sure the early Christians faced too. We touched on the health care initiative among other things. One thing that struck me in the commentary today was the statement that the early Christians were not dealing with the Old and the New Testament or any conflicts. The New Testament didn't exist, it was BEING WRITTEN. Isn't that some thing to wrap your mind around.

Mom and I had a nice visit. I brought her some scones, brown bread, mac and cheese and a sausage and she gave me some of Jeff's corn on the cob which we had for dinner tonight. BOY was it good. She is feeling good and is going to the Senior Center tomorrow for lunch. Good for her and good for Lucy, her friend who drives them. Lucy had some health problems but is apparently back on track. Pray for Lucy. She is so sweet and refers to Mother and a couple of other older ladies as "Her Ladies".

When I got home, we had lunch and then I took a nap. Betsy called me back this afternoon. Her mother, Dorothy, had moved into Pine Haven Assisted Living and there are SO many details that have to be taken care of. Fortunately, Dorothy is not unhappy about the move. She has said that she really likes the food. At least the family knows that she is in a safe place. But Betsy is really tired. There is always more than we realize when such big transitions take place. We had hoped to have lunch or something while she was here but there is no time. So. I can be glad that we had a good telephone visit and next time will plan better.

I called Dr. Moreno about Dick's callous this morning. We are OK. I am much relieved. We need to keep checking it, BUT it was probably caused from a fold in his sock which caused irritation. I have to watch it. We have to be very careful of things that can irritate. He can start walking again. We will see Tim the prosthesis man tomorrow and he can double check the inside of the shoe. I am so relieved. I don't believe that I can go through another open sore event. I am way to tired.

So I am saved from that this time.


Take Care

Mary

I received this as an email and thought it funny.



Word is out that the Vikings got
$4,500.00 for Bret Favre
from the Federal Government.

Cash for Clunkers!

We got to be homebodies all day. I did go over and have a cup a tea. Jan was in the hospital for 5 days last week. They have finally determined that she had adult onset asthma. It took that long for them to get her breathing under control and determine that her heart was not at risk. We had a nice visit and I got to meet her sister who was visiting.

I spent a completely lazy day so have no exciting adventures to relate at all. I did make a mac and cheese for lunch that was quite good.

So I have something rather clever that I heard in the past two days to share with you. Dorothy Parker was kicked out of parochial school for referring to the Immaculate Conception as Spontaneous Combustion.

Dick and I BOTH loved that.

Love you and have a great week.

Mary

Called my stockbroker this morning and asked him what I should be buying.

. . .. He said "Canned Goods and Ammunition".

I got this in an email today and I liked it so I decided to share.

It was kind of chilly today. Today is Dick's bath day. That is quite a chore but is getting easier all the time. We found a problem today. The callous on the side of his foot looks like there is a blood blister under it. I am afraid. It is Saturday and there is no way to get in touch with Dr. Moreno now. (If it was an open wound , I would take him to emergency.) I will call first thing Monday but we have put his walking on hold until Dr. Moreno and the prosthesis people look at it. Not a good thing. He has been walking more and now this. Seems to me like there is some pressure and rubbing where it shouldn't be.

Our friend, Bob Fleming, brought over two dvd's that he thins I will enjoy. He got them from he library. He called yesterday to tell me that he had them so I invited him for lunch. He is a nice man and just lost his special friend so I am glad to spend time with him. Dick likes him too. He brought us a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the Farmer's Market. I prepared a tasty (if I do say so myself) chicken/cucumber salad with blueberry scones and brown bread for our lunch. I had some Zucchini Chocolate Cake left from Wednesday so we had some of that for dessert.

After Bob left, I took a short nap after calling Mother. She is doing fine. Betsy is in town. I will try to reach her before she goes back to Texas.

I went to Mass at 4PM. It was the first time that I was at St. John's since the surgery. The Mass was very nice. Fr. Van Beeck does do a nice service. The reading were nice. The first reading has one of my favorite verses. Joshua 24:the last verse in 15 "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The third reading from John after many Jesus disciples leave because they don't like what he is saying has Peter in Chapter 6, Verse 68 saying "Lord, to whom shall we go?" when Jesus asks if they want to leave too. I think I will just hang in there too.

The Packer pregame is on. I don't know if I will make it through the whole thing but wo far it is really exciting. We scored first. Isn't it interesting how we fans say "we" scored first. As if we were out on that field.

Have a lovely Sunday. I should be able to stay home ALL day.

Love
Mary

I got up at my usual time. Proceeded through the normal morning routine. Chelsea and I took a very short walk because it was raining. It was really just misting but if we had gone the full circle, we would have been soaked. I decided that I do not need a cold on top of everything else that I am trying to heal, so we came home quickly.

I spent the morning cleaning. I got the bathrooms done and managed to prepare our noon meal. We had baked haddock, colcannon, beets and cole slaw. Num num.

After lunch I drove in to Bobbie and Bill's house. Obviously the outdoor plants needed not watering as it has been raining every other day since they left on their vacation. I hope it has not been raining on their parade. But they have lots of things that don't require sunshine anyway.

When I walked into the back yard a bit black cat ran out toward 9th street out of their yard. I saw it on Tuesday in the back yard. That day it headed out into the alley. I picked some ripe tomatoes. This is such a pleasure when Bobbie and Bill are on vacation. I must tell you that the cherry tomatoes that I harvested are like candy. Dick and I are enjoying them no end. When I left, a rabbit showed up heading for the back yard. He saw me and I saw him and we had quite a conversation before I decided that perhaps I should head home. It is amazing how comfortable wildlife in the cities can feel with the humans that occupy their universe. This rabbit seemed to feel quite secure.

On the way home, I picked up prescriptions and then went to Capelle's for corn. The corn this year is really spectacular. We will have our Friday corn/tomato supper as long as I can get the corn. Eat your hearts out anyone who does not live in Wisconsin. The four seasons make some meals very special because they ARE seasonal.

I ran into Dick walking his Katrina dog today. He commented on meeting our Roxie. He says she is a fat kitty. Apparently she greeted him quite enthusiastically when Dick walked Chelsea last Sunday.

Did I tell you that I called Bart last night? Barbara is safe in Germany. I have an address. She is, for a week or so, at a place that will not allow computer hookup unless one pays 20 Euros a day. Oh My God? What Are they Thinking.? At least she has hookup at work and she and Bart can contact at least that way. In a week or so they are supposed to be moving to another place that does have hookup. She will be back for Christmas but may have to to back again. If they offer a permanent position, Barb will probably take it, if it offers an increase in grade. Then Bart would move over there until she is done. Sufficient unto the day.

The weekend is very quiet. The only scheduled event is Mass. I will go on Saturday evening and am designated Eucharistic Minister. I am pleased with that. I never get over being able to give the sacrament to the other members of the faith community.

Guess that is all for now. Til tomorrow then.

Mary

Another lovely day. I got up at my usual time. 6AM. I took Chelsea out before feeding her and Roxie because there was a 2:30AM request from Chelsea to go out and relive herself and I think that is long enough for her.

After shower, feeding, pills and cleaning the cat box, since Dick was still asleep, I decided to go grocery shopping. It was by then almost 8 so I shopped and then swung by Mc Donalds for breakfast for Dick and me. That was a nice treat. We enjoy that and do it so seldom these days.

After breakfast and putting the groceries away, I took a nap. We had ham, colcannon and cole slaw for our lunch. Boy do we like colcannon.

Then I left for Mead Library. Jerry Apps, a professor emeritus of Agriculture at UW Wisconsin and a prolific writer about Wisconsin, gave a workshop in the Quiet Reading Room about memoir writing. It was VERY helpful. I have lots of nice hints, we did some exercises that were fun too, much like the spillings that I learned in the workshop with Ellen Kort several years ago. We have an assignment to writ a short story in 6 words. I will let you know if it works. The example he gave was "For Sale - Baby Shoes - Never Worn." Doesn't that break your heart. I will try to find one that is not so sad.

Now I am very tired and intend to be in bed by 9PM no matter what.

Take care of yourselves.

Mary

Today was a very nice day. I got up at 6AM as usual. The mornings are always busy with feeding everybody and getting us all cleaned up and all.

Chelsea and I had a nice walk. My knee was pretty sore today but my hips don't hurt much anymore.

At 10, I went out to Rhine Plymouth for the bust up party for the Summer Trap League. It was a nice time. We had roast pork sandwiches, beans, potato salad and desserts for lunch. I brought some home for Dick. It was fun visiting with all the shooters and members of Rhine. Jerry Coenen thinks that Bobbie should come back to the club as she "promised" that she was going to take a year off and it is more than a year now.

When I got home, I took a nap on the couch which, of course, thrilled Roxie no end.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon being kind of lazy. I did clean the kitchen counters and prepared several emails for CWI.

Tomorrow, I will be driving in to Mead Library to take a class on memoir writing from Jerry Aps. I am looking forward to that. Seems practical to take advantage of free education that is of interest to me. I have to grocery shop in the morning too.

So the day is over and we are possibly going to get more rain. Trying to make up for all the dry days at once.

Love

Mary


~DEATH~
WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT .


A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to
Leave the examination room and said,
'Doctor, I am afraid to die..
Tell me what lies on the other side. '

Very quietly, the doctor said, ' I don ' t know. '

'You don ' t know? You ' re, a Christian man,
and don ' t know what ' s on the other side? '


The doctor was holding the handle of the door;
On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,
And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room
And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said,
'Did you notice my dog?
He ' s never been in this room before.
He didn ' t know what was inside.
He knew nothing except that his master was here,
And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death,
But I do know one thing...
I know my Master is there and that is enough. '

I feel pretty good about today. My goal was to clean "Roxie's room" and I did get that done. I am trying to take a room at a time. Things have really gotten behind with all this leg stuff.

This afternoon, I went to my friend Joan Kramer's and she gave me a truly marvelous reflexology treatment. My hips and knee are much better I feel just so relaxed. Usually it takes about an hour but she spent over twice that on me. What can one do with such good friends that take such good care of us. Then I swung by Bobbie and Bill's house to check out the plants and all. I picked a lot of delicious cherry tomatoes which will make great snacks for the next couple of days.

Part of the treatment is a pedicure so I have pretty toe nails again. Joan and I always get to talking and then into the relaxation part of the treatment before I pick out a nail color, so she has picked it out the last three times. I think it is meant to be. The color she picked today is called Happy Anniversary. I asked her how she knew that Dick and I had our anniversary Sunday. 23 years. That is cool. I was married 23 years the first time too. So in 4 years I will have 50 years in. Right?

I did a lot of computer work this morning also. I still have an update to do for the Sheboygan County CWI group on the Irish Fest and our next couple of meetings.

We had Slim Veggie Soup for supper. It is SO good, had virtually no calories and if lots of veggie portions. A win win if ever there is one.

Love

Mary

Hello again.

I went to bible study this morning. We had a nice group. The study of Mark is really interesting. It is amazing how often things kind of work together. This part of Mark has the Pharisees questioning Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. The first reading yesterday was about Wisdom preparing a feast with wine and great food and inviting the simple to dine.

Then I went to Mom's. She is still kind of recuperating from last week. It was a busy week for her but she is very happy with the events that she attended. Time with family is always so important for her. I brought her the worship folder from the Mass at Irish Fest and the booklet that I put together about the Clifford family for the Clan Reunion. I know she will enjoy trying to put that together in her head. It is hard to get one's head around but fun.

On the way home, I did a couple of errands, most importantly getting the first sweet corn of the season for our supper. I got home to late to fix it for our noon meal, so we had leftover meatloaf and potatoes then. But that corn and sliced tomatoes for our supper was taste from heaven. The corn from Capelle's is absolutely delicious already.

I took a nap this afternoon after lunch and totally forgot the it was the Cream City Writer meeting day. Bill, one of our poets, emailed me that it was Sy Regan's last meeting. His sight is now so bad that he can no longer drive at all and he is regrouping his life and eliminating some things, among them the Writer's Clubs as he will be getting help with aids to assist him in writing and reading and needs to concentrate on learning and moving on. I felt bad missing the meeting so I called him tonight. We have been friends for a long time. My Dad was Sy's Boy Scout leader. That was before Dad and Mother were married. My Grandfather was Sy's Confirmation sponsor so the family ties are over 70 years.

I made a veggie soup today. One of my favorites called Slim Veggie Soup. If I have everything, I will probably make Zucchini Chowder tomorrow. Then we will be really stocked up on soups again. We eat soup at least four times a week and it is nice to have a homemade variety.

We got a refreshing steady rain today. Such a blessing. The morning news said that it was going to miss Sheboygan County but we are grateful that they were wrong and it managed to come all the way up here. We ate our first tomato off of our own tomato plants today. There are others ripening. I have never done too well with tomatoes so this is a real thrill.

Til tomorrow. Take care of yourself.

All my love

Mary

Got back from Irish fest at about 6:30PM. I am tired, but it was very much fun.

Bob Fleming picked me up at 8AM on the dot and we got into the Amphitheatre almost at 9:30 on the dot, just in time for Mass. The Mass, as always, was spectacular. The celebrant was Bishop Anthony J. Farquhar of Ermiana, Northern Ireland. He gave a marvelous sermon. He spoke of the progress made for peace in Ireland, both North and the Republic. One story he told really impressed me. He told of a woman of our faith who was wakened at 2AM in the morning to be told that her son had been shot by a Protestant. The woman, in her grief, thanked God that her son was not the one that had done the killing. How is that for faith that your child is in the hands of God.

After Mass we worked our way over to the festival grounds and got breakfast. I ran into Rosemary Bauman and Betty Gavin who joined Bob and me for breakfast. We had already found Bob's friends but they had gone off to look for some other mutual friends.

Then Bob and I walked to the north end of the grounds, listening for a while to the Jeff Ward Band, getting ourselves a glass of mead, and generally shopping. I got some tea, some Walker Shortbread cookies, a jar of whiskey mustard for Dick and a shirt. I picked up two fairy stones for gifts and the place that had the fairy stones promised me they would have cranes next year. I did look at Claddagh rings but after my experience with the place last Christmas when I never did get my Christmas ring from Dick and it cost us a minor fortune in phone bills, I have decided I no longer want a Chaddagh ring. I think I would like a Harry Potter Griffindor ring. That would be lots of fun.

Anyway, on my way to the song circle which is south of the Dog Area, I stopped and listened to Carmel Quinn sing one song and shake her hand. Yes, I know that she is at least 300. But she looks great and sounds wonderful. I bought one of her CDs later. Had fun at the song circle. I was number 19. We sang so many old favorites and I led the singing of Whiskey on a Sunday.

Moved on after I sang to the Poetry event in the Hedge School. The first part was a lovely tribute to James Liddy an Irish born poet teacher who landed and graced Milwaukee for many years. He died last November 5 and had been always active with the Poetry events at Irish Fest. A very memorable quote from him the I hear today. "I have no problem with abortion as long as the foetus doesn't object." Then they read some poems from well known Irish poets followed by the winners of the two poetry contests offered every year at the fest. Then they kind of ended the event. I was not a winner this year but was under the impression that all entrants who were there could read their poems. My friends Kathy, Barb and Bob had come to hear me so I mentioned it to Nancy and she said that I should go ahead. So I did. I will put one here for you.

Bob and I then got something to eat and headed home. It was a lovely day. I am going to bed soon exhausted but content.

Love

Mary

LEGEND OF A COUNTRY CHURCH

The conversation swirled around us,
Third and fourth generation from Ireland.

We spoke of many things,
This family,
The Priest and his cousins over a meal.
A memory.
A legend.
A curse.
Placed on an IrishCatholic parish
By a circuit mission priest in the mid 19th century.

Someone offended him, you know.
Perhaps he was not housed properly.
Or perhaps he was defied in some way.
The details are gone with the dead.
But he cursed them and future generations
With a curse that shook the community.

“For 100 years you shall not have a priest come from your midst.”

Large farm families of Irish birth
Expected to give a gift to God
Of a son or a daughter for His harvest.
And now this curse.

It was fulfilled

The priest who told the story that night
Was one of the first TWO priests that came
From this same faith community
Exactly 100 years later.

For a quiet day at home, it really got quite busy, but I guess most of you who know me expect that.

Chelsea and I had a rather nice walk this morning. It was in the upper 60s and felt good. She is still like a puppy when we are on our walks. Nobody can believe how old she is.

We had a nice breakfast and then Dick walked for a bit. We got his shower in today too. That is always kind of a chore for both of us. So with a haircut and a fresh shower he is irresistible.

I fixed a mini meatloaf for lunch so we could have something special with the first fresh green beans of the season for us. Sure was good.

I did take two naps today. I am really trying to be rested for tomorrow's day at Milwaukee Irish Fest. Kathy and Barb, two of my Celtic Women, came to pick up the two passes for Irish Fest that I won't need because I am bringing food for admission to the Mass in the morning. Now they know how to get to my house when I host the September meeting at which I intend to share what I learned about Celtic Music over the years, especially through that class at the UW Madison.

Tonight it will be difficult to get to sleep because ---------The First Green Bay Packer Pregame is on at 7PM. They are playing the Browns. I will still go to bed at 9PM and if I fall asleep, I fall asleep. I suppose I should be paying attention because the season starts in four weeks. And so will the Fantasy Football league.

When I was a little girl, there was a woods in back of our neighborhood. We kids played in that woods a lot. There was in the middle, a tree that we called the Tarzan Tree. It was called the Tarzan Tree because you could climb up into its branches and there were vines growing all over the tree. Then you could grab one of those vines and swing from the crook of the Tarzan Tree to another tree across the way. It was a lot of fun.

One day however, I was playing with a couple of my friends and climbed the tree for my swing. The vine broke and I landed on my solar plexus knocking the air right out of me. I could not get my breath and was naturally terrified as were my buddies. I obviously managed to get my breath back but still remember that fear and the expressions on the faces of my buddies as they, one on each side, helped me out of the wood.

Love

Mary

Today was a tired day. I don't know why I am so tired but I am, so this will be short and probably dull.

Dick got his hair and beard trimmed at Shear Delight over at the Plymouth Care Center. We saw Lori and Leah, the physical therapists, and updated them on his progress. When he gets to walking 10 minutes at a time a couple times a day, we can see about restarting therapy to train him to walk with a cane. This will be a happy day.

I took a nap when I got home, then went over to Dairy Queen to have lunch with the bank ladies. I left there tired too and took another nap.

Well, I have tomorrow with no errands so I can rest as much as possible to be ready for Sunday when I am going to Irish Fest. I think I have that planned with walking interspersed with good times to sit and rest too. We will see. Sunday is our anniversary -23 years. I will find him something special in Milwaukee.

I called Barbara tonight - it is her birthday. Also, she leaves for Germany tomorrow. That sure went fast. I got to talk to her mother, Marlise too. She will miss her daughter. It is only supposed to be for four months and is a big feather in Barbara's career resume. Bart did well when she was in Florida and will have to take the reins now. He will go to visit her in late November, as I understand. So that will break up the separation.

So, I ached this evening and took a nice soaky bath in water as hot as I could stand it. Now I am sipping some decaf tea, took a pill and will go to bed in about a half an hour. I'll bet a good long sleep will make a new woman out of me. As Dick would say. Who will I be?

Love

Mary

This was a nice day. I felt pretty good most of the day. My knee is somewhat sore from using it but overall it is much better. My arm, however, from the blood donation bruise is really really sore. My whole arm below the elbow is a ghastly purple.

Chelsea and I had a good walk this morning. I just am going down the first cul de sac but that is enough for now. We go slowly. She is a good girl and does not pull me but just does her sniffing and running back and forth within the length of the leash.

I went grocery shopping this morning. That went well. I did the bulk of it today because they had such good specials that were not available on my usual Wednesday shopping day.

Then at about 11AM I left for Sheboygan Falls to meet the family for lunch with Fr. Shea. Pat and Joan and Fr. Mike were already at Mother's when I arrived, then Kathleen and Bob and Jeff and Kathy came and we sent down to the Other Place in Falls for a wonderful lunch and visit. WE all still call the Other Place, Fitz's and actually the dining room was my Uncle Jack's clothing store called Deeley's Men's Wear. Lots of history in that old place. We are wondering if the bowling alley is still down in the basement. Jeff used to set pins in that alley as a boy.

Fr. Mike is full of stories and reports on his mission in Thailand. He now has 6 houses and 160 children under his care. This does not count his out reach program which provides medical and other support for AIDS infected families who stay in their own homes but need help. In the past week they have just had 6 month old boy added to their rolls. I told him that I would like to learn how to cook Thai and he said that I should come for a visit and he would have the cooking people teach me. He said I should bring Mother along. I told him that Thailand is on my list of places that I want to go.

They have rather large gardens to help feed the kids and the kids are supposed to help. He said they don't like it much, especially the girls so I had Mother tell Fr. Mike how much I hated gardening when I was a little girl. She delights in telling that story on me SO much.

I got home at about 3 and immediately took a nap. I was totally exhausted. I woke up to a phone call. It was Doc Blake, a friend from Rhine Plymouth. He offered to pick me up next week for the bust up party for league. I was unable to finish because of my knee but want to go to the party. Nothing wrong with that. He goes early, but I can bring a book to help pass the time til people get there.

Talked to Bob Fleming this evening. He will pick me up at 8AM on Sunday to go to Irish Fest. We plan on leaving the grounds by 6PM so it will be just long enough. Lots to see but most of the things I want to do will involve a long sit after a walk so should work fine.

Now, I need to sleep. Tomorrow, Dick gets a haircut and I hope to go to lunch with the gals at the Dairy Queen. Someone, probably Ceil, had a Mass said for my recovery by the Franciscan Fathers. Maybe that is why my legs are finally feeling better. Tomorrow I hope it is even better.

Later.

Mary

Chelsea got up rather early this morning but I was able to get back to sleep so that is worth it. I did a bit of shopping this morning, prescription, lottery tickets and Capelle's farmer's market. Then home to put things away and relax until it was time to head to Sheboygan Falls.

I had lunch at the Villager with the members of my high school graduation class that could attend. We are meeting quarterly for lunch nowadays, dear Lorraine lets everybody know and those can come do. There were close to 20 of us this time. It is always pleasant. I had a grilled cheese and tomato basil soup for lunch. I had left Dick lunch of noodles, beef and gravy so he did not miss me at all.

I was exhausted when I got home so I laid down right away and had a good nap. Roxie knocked things off of my desk trying to get over there. She does love our naps. I did feel better today than I did yesterday. So my hope is that this is a turning point.

This evening, I walked over to Lions Park with a dump cake that I baked this morning for the Tall Grass summer picnic. They supplied chicken and coffee and we all brought side dishes. If anyone went home hungry, they were certainly foolish, we had such a nice array of good salads and desserts. Alison, one of the neighbors and our president, walked me home so I didn't have to carry my pan and all. It was fun and I had nice visits with several of the residents. BUT my hips are really aching now.

I am going to be taking a vicadin and going to bed soon. I only take them at night now so that I sleep better. Sleep will help me heal.

Tomorrow I will finish shopping then have lunch with Fr Shea and the relatives.

I sure hope Dick can come with me. I miss having him along.

I saw a monarch butterfly yesterday and a blackish one today. They sure are lovely. We have a lot of dragonflies around lately. I hope they are doing their job and eating all the mosquitoes



Love

Mary

Here we are at the end of a quiet day, a whole day spent at home.

I woke up aching and really ached all day. It seems every other day is good. Chelsea seems content to be home and has settled into her old routine. We are not able to walk the walks she was getting with Bobbie, but we will build up our distance as I can. I miss the morning walks too.

I am able to feed Chelsea and Roxie both in the kitchen. Never thought that would happen, but they both finish their meals and neither is particularly interested in the others while the meal is being served and they both finish their meals.

I got a lot of computer work done for Celtic Women and other things. I also made some cookies. I had six egg yolks left from making a dessert that called for 6 egg whites. I fortunately have found a cookie recipe that uses the exact 6 egg yolks that are left. So we have cookies coming out of our ears right now. We had grilled T bone steak for lunch. I also grilled some brats which will make the rest of the week easy. The steak sure was good. I am so glad that the Pig had a sale. We have a couple in the freezer still.

Tonight we ate the chicken soup that I made yesterday for our supper. I am now reasonably stocked up on soups after having completely deleted the stock while I was laid up.

This is a week for birthdays. Tomorrow is Leslie's birthday AND it is also her and Bill;s anniversary. Then Friday is Barbara's birthday. So lots of things to be grateful for.

Tomorrow will be a bit busier. Some shopping, a lunchan engagement and a picnic. The weather should be perfect. As a matter of fact we are supposed to be having nice summer weather through Sunday which will make Irishfest by the lake quite pleasant.

That is all for now.


Mary


THE CAT IN THE HAT ON AGING...

Just incase you weren't feeling too old today.

The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1989.

They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.

Their lifetime has always included AIDS.

The CD was introduced two years before they were born.

They have always had an answering machine.

They have always had cable.

Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.

Popcorn has always been microwaved.

They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.

They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.

They never heard: 'Where's the Beef?', 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel ',
or 'de plane Boss, de plane'.


McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.

They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.


P.S. Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.

I was able to go to bible study today. What a joy. We are into the second chapter of Mark. There is a lot to discuss and the study guide we have is full of information. I amused them today because we were talking about the fact that we must pray. However, God does expect us to use our own talents to solve the situations we face in this world. I told them a quote that I got from a man at an AlAnon meeting probably 30 years ago. "You can pray until Hell freezes over and you can pray on the ice. But unless you get up off of your ass you'll never get goosed by the Holy Ghost."
This tells us that God gave us a lot of gifts and resources and they are also answers to prayers.

Then I drove over to Mom's for a visit. She is tired but looks good and we discussed the previous day's festivities at St. Michaels. That was a fun time. I was ablt to bring her some cookies. I try to bring her leftovers, but she didn't need them this weekend. She got lots from Randy and Becky.

Home again, Dick and I had Tastefully Simple Potato soup for lunch.

Bobbie came over this afternoon and brought our Chelsea home. I sure am glad to have her back home again. So far so good. She is sleeping now. I will have to wake her up in about an hour to take her outside so that I can go to bed. She seems content and Roxie seems indifferent to her. So life is back to somewhat normal again. We are complete.

Bobbie and I also racked her rhubarb and rhubarb/elderberry wines. At the end of the month, she and I are going to do a marathon and rack the two kit wines. That will be 11 gallons total so it will be a full day's work.

Tonight we had chicken and fresh asparagus with a potato casserole and fresh cucumber salad. Love Summer and all the fresh veggies and stuff.

Be happy. Tomorrow I get to stay home.

Love

Mary

 

A family grouping.

Betsy, Aunt Kathleen, Mom, Aunt Joan, Me, George, Ron, Christine, Kathy, Sara, Jeff and Uncle Pat peeking over Kathy and Sara.

You can see the T shirts in this picture.

Mary

What a lovely day. I slept pretty well last night - kind of made up for the night before. Good thing because the 5 hours spent at the Reunion of the Clans sure wore me out. It was worth every ache though.

I left for St. Michael's at about 10AM and got there in plenty of time. First, I took the Cherry Dream Pie that I baked for dessert down to the kitchen. With whipped cream and cherry pie filling, it had to get into a cool area right away. Then I took the wine up to the sacristy. Rosemary had already left the hosts. Rosemary, Fr. Mike and I met shortly thereafter along with Tom and Kathy Keyes to get the chalices, the lectionary and the other Mass accessories set up. We started at 11AM, almost exactly on time. We figured out how to ring the bell and get attention and then Lori Luther and Mary Calvey started the music. Mass was wonderful. Fr. Mike gives a nice sermon and there is nothing more lovely than hearing this crowd sing the ending song. It is to the tune of Danny Boy, then we always finish WITH Danny Boy. Kind of schmaltzy but everybody knows it and really sings out.

Here are the words to the sending song.

Celtic Song of Farewell (Danny Boy)

May choirs of angels lead you into paradise
and may the martyrs come to welcome you
To bring you home into the holy city
So you may dwell in new Jerusalem
May holy angels be there at your welcoming
With all the saints who go before you there,
That you may know the peace and joy of paradise
That you may enter into everlasting rest.

Then with a steady stream of visiting, we all,(by all, I mean my family, I listed them yesterday,) met downstairs for the meal and more visiting. A lot of the Celtic Women were there too. I think I got them all to sign or signed for them in our little book. To my surprise and delight, Gail McAleese, from Milwaukee. a member of our CWI International board and her husband Tom, who will be St. Patrick in the parade at IrishFest in Milwaukee, were there. They know the Slatterys too. I was SO glad to see her and have her and Tom meet my family.

I got to share a folder about the Clifford ancestors that I put together this morning with a couple of people too. Several of us were wearing the tshirts that Jeff put together last year. They feature the Clifford Crest and have CLIFFORD printed above the crest and BOWSER below. My cousin Christine asked about the Clifford/Bowser connection, so we went upstairs where I had left the folder and I was delighted to be able to share the Clifford family tree as I have it. It is pretty complete, though as she noticed, her kids are not in it. I told her I can put them in if she sends them to me. I just did not have the details.

As an aside, Aunt Kathleen looked through the book too. I have a picture of Great Grandpa Joseph Bowser and Great Grandma Mary Clifford Bowser in the folder. Aunt Kathleen has mentioned that Great Grandma Bowser (the Clifford connection) was a very severe lady and scared Aunt Kathleen to death when she was little. She says she remembers Grandpa Joe picking her up for a hug but that she never remembers a hug from Grandma Mary at all.

I got very tired by a little after two and with the usual delays did manage to head for home by 2:30PM. I led Sara to Hwy 57 so she could make her way back home to Milwaukee. It is hard to think of Sara as all grown up, but she surely is. Jeff and Kathy gave me some zucchini and some cucumbers. Num Num. Fresh Cucumber salad tomorrow.

Tomorrow I can go back to Bible Study.

And my Chelsea will come home. Bobbie is going to bring her in the afternoon and we will rack some wine. I know that I will get tired taking care of Chelsea but it will also help me build up strength.

Take care

Love

Mary

 

Richard and Brenda are back from their Niagra Falls trip. Richard sent a picture of himself on the Maid of the Mist all drenched and all. So I thought I would share a picture of Dick on the Maid of the Mist when we went on our trip to the Falls. I am not sure if everybody saw it or not but I really like this shot.

Mary

I had SO much trouble sleeping last night. Just achy. I did take a rest this morning which helped a lot but am really hoping that tonight is better.

We had a quiet day. I rested mostly. Since we had leftover cavatini for lunch and roast beef sandwiches for dinner, cooking was easy. I did make a Cherry Dream pie to take along with me tomorrow to help with dessert. I am not leaving any of it home because we have so much dessert now, that it isn't necessary, besides, I am going to make another one for Wednesday at the Tallgrass Picnic.

I did go out once to fill the gas tank and to pick up prescriptions AGAIN. They know me so well at Walgreen's. I ran into Alan Pape, a very interesting friend of mine, who is an artist and a historian and very interested and knowledgeable of the history of our area. We had an interesting visit.

It is nice to be getting out a bit. I am sure looking forward to tomorrow at St. Michael's. There is going to be a pretty big group of my relatives there this year. Mom, Jeff and Kathy, Sara, George and Betsy, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Bob, Uncle Pat and Aunt Joan, Aunt Kathleen's daughter Chris and her husband Ron, plus a bunch of the Shea relatives. Wow. I have to be there a bit before 10:30AM so that I can help Fr. Mike get ready for Mass along with my friend, Rosemary, who is bringing the hosts. We kind of thought of having Mass outside but the church is air conditioned and it is going to be hotter than the hinges of Hades. It is better to be a little tight in the church than out in sweltering heat. We will have enough of that AFTER mass at the picnic.

I read that Eunice Kennedy Schreiber is in critical condition from a series of strokes. She was one of the people who founded the Special Olympics. I remember when the Special Olympics were very new, they had an event in Anaheim California. They send out word to the jeep clubs in teh area that they wanted volunteers to come with jeeps to carry the celebrities that were attending the event around the arena along with the participants in the parade.

So I along with a couple of others from the Orange County Four Wheelers and some from other clubs in the area trucked on up there to help. It was really fun. I was assigned to carry a wrestler named Boom Boom Mahelik. He was quite well known in the 60s. I was lucky, one of the guys had an animal act which consisted of a man dressed in his animal trainer suit and a big cougar that kept growling and clawing. He was not happy to be in the jeep. I was glad that I had Boom Boom

Special Olympics is a lasting legacy for her and she did it for her sister Rosemary who was retarded. Rosemary was cared for at St. Coletta's Home in Jefferson WI which was run by the School Sisters of St. Francis, the same order that I spent two and a half years at as a postulant. The school still exists though as St. Coletta's of Greater Wisconsin and the sisters still have a hand in it.

Hope your Sunday is as nice as mine will be.

I have decided that Monday, I would like to go and get my Chelsea. I know it will not be easy, but I miss her and want her home. Bobbie and Bill have been SO good and love her too but I am sure they will be glad to have her come home. After all if they wanted a dog, they would have one.

Love

Mary

I believe that things will be better soon. Today was not bad. I was sore but since we had two appointments today and I had to transport the wheel chair in and out of the car twice, I think it went pretty well.

I found that I can get the wheel chair into the car without twisting the ankle. We had an appointment with Tim the Prosthesis expert at 10AM. Dick has been complaining of pain on the side of the foot. Tim made an adjustment to the insert and it seems to have helped. Then we went over to the Blood Center for my blood donation. I was able to give today as my iron count was OK. Last time was the first time that it was not high enough and I was a little worried. They had a bit of trouble getting the blood to flow but with a small adjustment it went OK.

We stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch today. It is fun to do that. After we ate, I took a nap and boy did I sleep. I guess draining a pint of blood out of a person does that.

I talked to Bob Fleming today. He likes the dedication that I wrote for Steve for the Celtic Mass and Faire in Sheboygan Falls next month. We had another nice talk. He is going to let me ride with him to IrishFest next weekend. That is a big relief. Kate can come with us if she wants. She has been making noises like she is changing her mind and Dick won't let me go alone. I am glad that he is insistent on that because I would probably be dumb about it and it will be nice to have someone else driving. I am a bit concerned with the healing process. Patience is not one of my virtues and I need it for this.

I hope to get my Chelsea back on Monday. I know that it will not be easy to handle her but I miss her so much. My friend Janet Winchester sent me the following.

PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS....

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is
likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me..

3 . Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment.
You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only YOU.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand
your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt
you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself
if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food,
I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say
you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is
easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good
care of them.
Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's
critters


You do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love,
and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!

This was a red letter day.

I got up feeling pretty sore. That doesn't sound good, does it? However, things got better. At 9AM I drove (got that , I DROVE) over to Just Jane's on Eastern Avenue to have my hair cut. It went well. I came home feeling a bit tired and a little nervous but OK. After lying down for a while, I got up and puttered on the computer before fixing Dick's dinner and leaving to go to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in Sheboygan with Bobbie.

We met at 12:30PM. For a while, it looked like we were going to have a private showing but a family showed up before the movie actually started and we had to share with four other people. Bobbie and I both loved the show. Bobbie wants to catch the others now, preferably in order so that she can see the build up. You can, however, see each movie individually and enjoy it. I had my popcorn and soda for lunch. Totally decadent and I loved it.

I stopped off to see Mother on the way home and dropped off her blood pressure pills. She doesn't worry about missing a day or two, but we know that he blood pressure has been SO good lately and there is no sense in messing with what is working. Did I tell you that her iron level is also up? All good signs and she does look much better than two months ago.

George and Betsy are in town. I know that I will get to see them on Sunday at Parnell. That may be it. Betsy has her family too and there are only so many hours in the day when one is only in town for four days. They may be going out for dinner with Randy and Donna sometime this weekend as this week is anniversary week for BOTH of them. August seems to be a wedding month. Dick and I will be married 23 years next Sunday. I am going to Irishfest that day. I want to be there on Sunday so that I can read my poems at the Poet's Corner during the afternoon. Dick said that is OK as long as I bring him a present. He does like his presents.

I decided to call Jacquie tonight. I was lonely and had not talked to her for ages. We had a great visit and I got caught up on a lot of people. I even got to talk to Todd for a bit. He may come to visit sometime which I could dearly love. He is a nice boy.

Guess that is all for now.

Take care

Mary

Today was OK. I never felt too much pain.

This morning I got some wash done and got Dick and I all cleaned up.

Bobbie got here at about 11:30 and we had a lunch of cavatini, garlic bread and salad.

Chelsea again came for a home visit with Bobbie. I am sure glad to see her and miss her. I was hoping to pick her up tomorrow, but Dick thinks that I need another day or two to get my strength back so I am aiming for Sunday. I know that it will be difficult. She is a demanding little girl and needs to go out a lot. We will also have to build up to really good walks and she is definitely used to good walks with Bobbie. Chelsea and I have been limiting our walks for a long time because of my knee. But she and I will work it out. I intend to build us up.

My doctor appointment was at 1:00PM. It went well. I found out that the reason my hip has been hurting so much is probably because, during this surgery, the doctor usually has to twist a person's leg like a pretzel in order to operate and it is held that way for quite some time. I happen to know that if I had to sit in the yoga position like I used to when I was younger, I would never get up and I would die right there in the lotus position. SO it seems that there is a good reason for the pain. Today was much better. I have taken no pills at all today and am only mildly uncomfortable. I will take a pill tonight and perhaps that will be the end of them. They took my three little stitches out today too and I do not have to wear that stocking unless swelling reoccurs.


After the doctor, Bobbie took me grocery shopping. So that chore is all out of the way.

Tomorrow I will try driving. I have permission from the doctor. I will go downtown to have my hair done first, which is a short hop. If that works, I will drive in to Shebogyan to see the new Harry Potter movie with Bobbie. She said she will come to get me if it is too hard to drive. I am opting for good. We will be meeting for the 12:40PM show. Popcorn for lunch. YUM YUM. It has been a long time since I have been to a movie and Harry Potter makes me really happy.

When Bret was about 11 he told me that he wanted Ocean Pacific clothes for school. (Yes, even the boys get label happy.) They were very expensive and I told him that I was sure that none of his friends would have them but lo an behold they did. Fortunately, Bret's father worked on the boat owned by the founder of OP and he let us go to the warehouse and I got lots of shirts and shorts for a song. Bret was a happy camper . I wonder if OP still exists. It was all the rage at the time. The designer had designed the clothes for the surfers and the shorts and shirts just took off.

Have a good day.
Love

Mary

When I woke up this morning, I noticed that I had no pain. I was totally delighted. I stretched my muscles and slowly got up and still felt great. So, silly me, I thought that I had finally crossed a bridge. But the knee and hip started hurting within an hour or so and by 3 PM I finally broke down and took another Vicidin. I will take one just before I go to bed and see how tomorrow turns out. I see the doctor tomorrow and will find out if this is normal. I am sure it is as the pain is definitely reduced - it is just so constant.

We had a quiet day. No one called or came over. I cleaned Dick's bathroom floor and the kitchen floor. I told you they were sticky and I couldn't stand it any longer.

We had chicken and teriyaki rive for dinner this noon. And grilled cheese for dinner. I baked some cookies with the ricotta cheese that I made. They are nice a subtle shortbread kind of cookie. I used Splenda so Dick won't have to worry about sugar.

He went down for a nap this afternoon which he has not done for several days and slept for hours. This is always a worry because sometimes his body gets to mixing up day and night. And I don't like spending my days alone.

I did some writing today - some of it successful. The past two weeks have been a bit dry, but I try every day to get something down even if it is pitiful.

I can look out the livingroom windows at the beautiful wall of trees that backs us. Today I saw several crows heading into the trees. I have noticed that they seem to gather there just about where my path really takes off over the railroad tracks to the park.

One wonders about crows. In some cultures they are brave and symbols of heroic things and in others they are bad luck and evil. I remember that the crows in California were even bigger that they are here. Zero, sweet Zero, used to love to chase birds away. One day, he came out of the house and saw a crow down the street He raced towards it barking his head off expecting it to fly. The crow just stood its ground and stared at his. Poor Zero screeched to a stop about three feet from this bird, almost a big as he, and hightailed it back to me as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Have a lovely evening and pray for me tomorrow when I get my leg checked. My appointment is at 1PM.

Mary


Zero

I am really tired tonight. The day was quite busy. I woke up at about 4AM pretty sore, so I did take a pain pill that helped me sleep until 7. Roxie was very disappointed in me. She expects breakfast to be served by her minions by 6AM and is quite concerned about the recent breakdown.

I started a pot roast right away so it would be ready by noon. I have been running out of some kinds of things upstairs. I had no onions, potatoes, chicken or fresh fruit upstairs. So I fixed the roast with the half onion that was upstairs combined with minced onion.

Bobbie got here at about 11:30AM. She went downstairs and brought up the things that I needed. Whew. The roast was good and made a really rich gravy. We had to have instant potatoes because the potatoes were all downstairs. Everything tasted good and we had brownies for dessert.

Bobbie brought Chelsea along again. She is looking great and is such a happy girl. I will be glad to get her back but we decided to wait until I at least see the doctor on Wednesday. She seemed reasonably glad to see us but she loves Bobbie and Bill and they treat her so well that she is not the least bit upset about being with them or about being away from us. Hope she wants to come home again.

I went to the bank, the drug store and the Pig with Bobbie too and got a few errands done. We were down to NO cash and needed a few groceries and a couple of prescriptions.

Tomorrow is a nice quiet day except for meeting the Tallgrass Committee at 5:30PM across the street. I am also going to try to clean the bathroom floor.

Things seem to be better but I wish the healing was faster. Wednesday at 1PM will be the test. Bobbie is going to take me.

Guess that's all for now. I am too tired to think of anything else.

Love

Mary

Hello World. It was a quiet day with a mildly sore leg for a good part of it. However, each day it is less pain so I know I am mending - finally.

I spent my quiet day making cheese and meals and washing. I made a small batch of ricotta cheese out sour milk. One would think that I would learn not buy milk in anything over a half gallon. However, every once in a while a gallon is so cheap that I can't resist and I always end up with sour milk and trying to find uses for it. Cakes and breads and cheese work but it does not always sour at a convenient time.

We got a call from Richard today. He and Brenda have arrived and are enjoying Toronto. They are enjoying a Canadian vacation for his fiftieth birthday which is on Tuesday. So far the trip is fine BUT their luggage is vacationing somewhere else. They were planning on replacing necessities today and hope the luggage will appear. I told Richard about the first two vacations Dick and I took together. They were driving vacations to see scenic sights in Wisconsin. Driving, we did not have lost luggage, but Dick forgot his shirts. So here we were on our first day of vacation in a Sears or KMart buying Dick 6 or seven new shirts. He was a very well dressed man for many years.

I was able to water the front plants a little today, I did the deck yesterday. They really need more than I carried out but this will keep them going. Maybe tomorrow I will go out and just stand and run the hose. I think I saw a start of broccoli flowers on my broccoli plants. Yippee.

Roxie and I had a very nice nap this afternoon. She is really coming to expect me to lie down after lunch.

Only three more days til I see the doctor and hopefully get released. Soon we will be able to have our Chelsea back again. She likes summer camp but I do miss her. I have to admit that I don't miss taking her out right now with the sore leg, but I think I could manage now anyway.

We'll see how it is in the morning.

Have a good week.

Love
Mary

A Pan Am 727 flight, waiting for start clearance in Munich , overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany . Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"

A pretty quiet Saturday. I had a great night and woke up to very little pain. Though I ached off and on all day, it was a MUCH better day and I believe that the corner is turned. Tomorrow will tell the tale.

I felt good enough to do some baking today. From mixes so I did not have to be on my feet for too long a period of time. I made brownies which I was able to share tonight. I will tell you about that. I also made a Tastefully Simple beer bread.

I had a nice nap this afternoon. Roxie just loves it when I nap on the livingroom couch. Her head pops up and she rushes over and jumps on me. I usually cover my legs with an afghan and she uses the blanket between my legs as a hammock. There are days when she starts nagging me in the early afternoon and I think she is trying to tell me that it is time for our nap.

Then my friend, Nancy, picked me up at about 3:30 to go to Mass. She is so good. She called this morning and asked if I would, perhaps, like to go to Mass at Blessed Trinity and then spend some time with Mother. I was so grateful. I do miss my visits with Mother and won't be able to drive to Bible Study this Monday either. Nancy visited a relative of hers after Mass and then picked me up at about quarter to six to go home. So Mother and I had a lovely visit. I shared the brownies with Mother and with Nancy. Nancy came in the house, of course, when she picked me up, so Mother had another visitor. As Nancy and I graduated together, our mothers also were in Christian Mothers and knew each other quite well when Nancy and I were growing up.

The Blessed Trinity Celtic Faire quilt is hanging in the church. It is a Christmas quilt - Lots of snowmen on the quilt with a border of mittens. Absolutely beautiful. I will buy chances at the Celtic Faire. I sat with Joan Schueffner, one of the quilters. I told her that if they ever run short of quilters, I would still be glad to do a square or two. Seeing it actually got me wishing that I could get downstairs and do some quilting. Hope the feeling lasts until next week when I can.

Tomorrow will also be quiet.

Mary

I had a mixed night. Terrible in that I woke up at about 12:30AM with my hip so sore that I had to get up, take a pill and stay up until the pain subsided somewhat. However, then I did get back to sleep and woke up feeling much more comfortable. Today, I just ached a bit most of the day. Always bearable and generally better than the past few days.

We spent a very quiet day. Got ourselves cleaned up and fed. I watered the plants on the deck AND walked out to get the mail. I took a good nap this afternoon.

Excitement. Today, the "invitation" came from Commissioner Stenn Salvesen to join the Pro Football Pool I have been in with family and friends for the past four years. Am I excited! It means that we are getting closer to Packer season. Dick and I are watching a Packer Training Camp Special tonight to start getting in the mood. Do you believe that the first pregame is in two weeks? And I know nothing about the current team.

Needless to say I signed up. Immediately!

Roxie has decided that the cute little bear that Brenda and Richard sent is her toy. We find that poor little guy in the middle of the floor almost every morning and heaven only knows what he goes through before she tires of him.

We had a delicious salmon dinner with Olive Oil and Garlic Linguine this noon. And tonight some of that soup I made yesterday. It is one of those that tastes even better with reheating.

I am bravely watching the housework pile up around me. With Chelsea at summer camp and Dick and I not going in and out a lot it is getting dirty much slower than usual (except for the kitchen, both Dick and I are dropping a lot of things.) Perhaps it is good that I am noticing as it means that maybe I AM really getting better. A couple of floors are getting sticky. I remember - in my raising children days - hearing a fellow Mom announcing that when she started sticking to the floor, she would scrub it.

Tomorrow will not be much busier but my friend Nancy is going to come and pick me up for church. I am so grateful. I missed last week because it was too soon and I was in a lot of pain. I missed it in my heart too. Mass just brings me into focus for the week and keeps me centered.

Hope you had a wonderful week and that your weekend will be fun and fruitful. It is supposed to be nice. Maybe some rain tomorrow but we really need it. Brat Days are this weekend. I hope they are successful. A lot of good is done from those funds. I remember years ago, when Brat Days were downtown Sheboygan on 8th Street. The whose street from Fountain Park to at least Pennsylvania was blocked to through traffic and lined with stands. People wandered the streets drinking and eating and there was music. I really only got involved in one, maybe two of those events. Now it is much more organized and located in Kiwanis Park. Lots of bands, lots of food, not only brats, and lots of market area.

Enjoy yours.

Mary

Today was the busiest day that Dick and I have had since my surgery. He had his coagulation test and I had a dentist appointment.

I got up at 6AM, a little sore, so I tried to rest but had trouble with that too. So. I got things ready for our dinner.

Bobbie came at about 10 or so to be our chauffeur. It has only been a week since my surgery and I have to wait another week. I am still in enough pain that I would not trust myself in a car anyway.

She brought Chelsea for a visit. What a joy. Our little girl looks great and seemed happy to see us and be home for a while. She did not object to leaving again though. She loves rides and is treated like the little princess she is at the Mays.

Dick's visit to the anti coagulation clinic was a success. His count is 2.1 so the next check is in a month again.

When they came back, Bobbie headed down to the winery to rack, as it turned out, two of her wines. The kit had to be racked which was a BIG production as it is 6 gallons and needed to be racked twice, once into a primary fermenter and then back into the secondary. She said that the hardest part was cleaning out the carboy because that is such a lot of wine. And racking 6 gallons takes a lot of time. She also racked the strawberry. There is a lot of wine being prepared down there.

We had kicky steak, rice, broccoflower and fruit salad for our lunch, then Bobbie took me to the dentist. I now have super clean teeth and found out that the dentist chair is ergonomically perfect for me with my gimpy leg. After an hour in that chair my leg did not hurt one little bit. When I left I told them that I might come back.

I received a beautiful card today from my friend Bob, celebrating the life of his life partner, Steve, who passed on July 20. I did not hear about it until Tuesday when the obituary appeared in the paper but I had known that Steve was very close to leaving. Steve himself designed the card and I will treasure it as I have all of his and Bob's beautiful artwork.

I finished up a dump soup for our supper. I had gathered a bunch of veggies and broths into a container in the freezer and today browned some Italian Sausage to which I added some chicken broth, a couple of cans of diced tomatoes and the container of stuff. I also had some leftover Spanish rice which became the starch. Boy is it good. I finally have something to put back into the freezer for backup. I had wiped everything else out in the past week. I kept some out for the next couple of days of course.

We had a little more rain today, and I mean little. But I think it is enough to satisfy the outdoor plants for a day or so anyway. Everything looks healthy. I am getting lots of tomatoes on my plants.

Bobbie and I are going to see the new Harry Potter movie next Thursday. I can hardly wait.

Have a lovely evening. Wear red tomorrow in honor of our servicemen far away overseas in danger. We can't forget them.

Love

Mary

 

I miss my girl. Bobbie, I am sharing the picture that you took of her with her "shawl". She looks so sweet.

Love

Mary

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money." Alexis De Tocqueville

I found the above quote on Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac today. I liked it. We should all keep this in mind. The government is NOT giving us anything that we are not paying through the nose for.

We stayed home all day today. Good thing. I was really sore again this morning. So I rested as much as possible and just tried to exercise just enough to keep the muscles stretched. I called the nurse to ask what to do about my hip hurting so much. They said that I should back off on the exercising and let the pain be my guide. I am also doing the same thing with the pain meds. I hate taking them but am trying to just take enough to keep things at bay. I feel better tonight than I felt this morning.

Bart called this morning. Yea - good news. Barbara will be going to Germany for the Army as she did when she went to Florida and to Washington DC in the past two years. She will leave in mid August and come back just before Christmas. She and Bart are so excited. They wanted to take a trip to Germany. Barb has uncles and cousins that live there. And now they will just have to pay his way. He will go sometime about half way for three weeks. Similar to the way they handled the other assignments. She is certainly the perfect candidate for the job. She is so competent, she has done this assignment before, she speaks German and she has her passport. This will be so great for them.

We called Jim and Michelle tonight just so we could hear Jim's voice for ourselves. Had a nice comforting visit with both of them. Jim is sorer today than yesterday, which is understandable, but sounded strong. This was reassuring to Dick and me. They sent pictures of the car and it is really a smashed up piece of junk - our poor little Hyundai.

Yesterday when Katie Dippel came to pick up the Mass folder for St. Michael's Mass, she glanced over at my desk and said. " Oh - your statue moved." Roxie had moved. So Roxie got a little extra scritching. Which we all know that she KNOWS she deserves.

I heard a report on how swine flu is projected to spread in the next three years through the US. It reminded me of a "mini" epidemic that hit the Orange County Four Wheelers on one of our jeep runs. We were out in the Borrego Badlands camped in a usual circle. A goodly number of the families were there. Then in drove the Bernicas, one of the families, consisting of two parents and four kids. They pulled in with a camper full of sick. On the way down some of the kids started with a stomach flu that just swept through that family - then it started moving through the rest of the camp. I never saw anything like that. Every family was affected in some way though not everybody got sick. We called it the Pollack Love Bug and it became a Jeep Club Legend.


That is all that I have to report today. Not bad for a slow day at home.

Love
Mary

 

The day started off really good and is ending up OK. I had a nice quiet morning. I managed to get a couple of loads of wash done today.

John Nevicosi picked me up at about 11:30 to to to his wife, my friend Toni's Tastefully Simple Party. I had a very good time but found that by 2:30PM I was exhausted. I bought some really fun things, including a wine slush that I want to try when we have the family here for dinner some time. I met some nice people and noshed my way through samples of about 15 of the Tastefully Simple products.

I had prepared a Chef's Salad for Dick's dinner. When I got home he was sleeping so I took a nap too.

Today, I felt about the same as I did yesterday. I am finding that my leg and knee are sore as heck at the end of the day now. The first couple of days I woke up sore.

Dolores called today and we had a nice talk. I called Nora this afternoon and we had a nice talk too.

I hope you like the picture. Today in the mail was a card from Richard and Brenda. It accompanied the cute little bear that is seated under my computer. I tried to get a picture of Roxie right next to the bear but she tried to beat it up so this was the next choice. Not bad though. I love it. He has a sweet face.

Today, two of the samples we tried were drink mixes with rum in them. We had all of a tablespoon sample of the slush of each but they were good. Somehow, they reminded me of my mother in law, Lily. I don't think I told you this story, forgive me if I do repeat.

Her sister, Ruth, worked in the school cafeteria in Costa Mesa, CA. One day, she and a couple of the other ladies that worked with her stopped by Lily's home after they were done with work. They started to be having lots of fun, so Lily mixed up some Margaritas for them all. After a couple rounds were downed, Lily ran out of tequila. She found a bottle of 150 proof alcohol that Victor had purchased down in Mexico and substituted that for the tequila.

Needless to say, in short time those three ladies, not Lily, mind you, were bombed. Well, she couldn't send them home like that, they certainly couldn't be driving in that condition. So, she loaded them up in her jeep, with no top on it and road them around town til they were able to function.

We asked her why she wasn't drunk too and she informed us that she had better sense than to drink those last margaritas.

Have a good night and enjoy your hump day tomorrow.

Love

Mary

Today was much better. I woke up this morning with very little pain. I am quite sore and tired tonight, but that seems normal since I have been up and trying to exercise as prescribed off and on all day.

Again, I worked on computer projects. I think I am about caught up on CWI deadlines. I need to work on an article for the next newsletter but there is at least a month before that will be pressing.

Got a call from Michelle today. Not a happy call but it could be much worse. She was on her way to pick up Jim. He was in an auto accident and totaled the Hyundai. As I said, it could be much worse. Jim was not hurt, at least according to what he told Michelle. Apparently he pulled out into traffic behind a big semi and did not see the car in back of it. He is probably very shook up. I sure was when I hit that car over on Clifford. Dick and I are so glad that he was not hurt. Lets all pray for them tonight. That is a lot to digest and we need to give thanks that he is OK.

Bobbie came over this afternoon to help us out. She left Chelsea sleeping. Probably glad of the quiet. She watered the outdoor plants for me, then it rained, but it did not rain all that hard or long and the plants were really dry since they had nothing since last Wednesday. Then she did a little shopping for us. She cleaned the currants and put them in the freezer so that they will be ready to mix up when we are ready for another batch. When I am better, I am going to harvest lemon balm here and at Mother's and get that frozen for a batch too. She will be back on Thursday to take Dick and me for appointments. If all continues to improve as well as it did today, she will bring Chelsea back too. I do miss the little fuzz ball a lot, but still would find it too hard to be taking her out as often as she needs it.

Bobbie said that she is eating really well and is perky as all git out but is coughing. There is no change in that for better or for worse.

So that is the day. Good things and not so good things. Like most days I guess, but these ups and downs were rather dramatic.

SO. We head into Tuesday. I am planning on feeling even better tomorrow morning.

God love you all. Be safe.

Mary

 

Bobbie and I were talking about headstones the other day. She did not recall seing this picture on the blog before. It is the headstone of my Grandpa Michael Deeley's first wife Margaret Kenna. She died when my Auntie Marge was just a baby of a fever she contracted at a picnic she attended with Sarah Spratt. Then later, Grandpa married my Grandma Helen Ziegler.

When we were planning the cemetery tour for the Celtic Women, I told Beth that I had to look for a Deeley headstone. As you can see from the size of it, it was not hard to find. And Grandpa must have used granite, not marble because it shows very little wear from the elements.

Anyway, Bobbie, here it is. It is in the Cemetery at St. Patrick's Church in Adell. That church is in danger of being torn down. There is a group trying to keep it maintained from year to year.

Mary

A strange Sunday with no Mass. I prayed though. But it just isn't the same.

I had another rotten morning. It was noon before the kinks got out of my body and I was able to move almost normally. I guess that must be normal. I feel pretty good tonight, stiff but bearable.

I rested a lot today. I also got the worship folder for Fr. Shea's mass put together. After Beth's approval, I can get it to her for copying. One down, one to go. The one for Blessed Trinity is easy, I just need to write a new cover sheet and make sure that Sandy has the songs and all. She does all the work and an excellent job at that.

So that was our day. Dick talked to Bobbie and Chelsea is doing just fine. She is eating better than she does here. I miss her and hope I will be more mobile soon so she can come home.

Now I am going to bed. Pray that tomorrow morning will not be a repeat of today.

Love
Mary

Today was the hardest day. I woke up so very sore. I made an adjustment. Today, I have been taking two of the Vicadin (I don't know if it is spelled right and I don't care.) every four to 6 hours.

They make me kind of sick feeling so I take them and then lie down for an hour or so. It is working and I do believe that the pain is lessening a bit.

It has been a quiet day by necessity. Kate picked up my SHARE today and brought it her and put it away. That was our only visitor.

Got a cute message from Bobbie about "Chelsea's fun day at camp". Chelsea is doing just fine. She is eating and talking Bobbie into lots of walks and outside time. I am so grateful that Bobbie was able to do this. I miss Chelsea being here but could not be taking her out yet. I expect that each day will now see improvement and soon we will be ready again to have our girl. I hope she will have us, after meals with fresh gravy and new territory to explore.

Actually, I can hardly wait until we can be doing our longer walks again. I missed them too.

Barb and Bart called tonight. They are fine. It was so good to hear their voices.

I took the wrapping off this afternoon. There is no swelling and there was no bleeding. So I guess all is well. There are just three little incisions, each with one little stitch.

Tomorrow, maybe I will be able to be more stimulating. Tonight I am just tired and still sore.

Love

Mary

I got up at 6AM. No Chelsea to wake me up but I was ready and so was Roxie. She was a hungry girl.

I hurt today. I have done some of my exercises and have been trying to put cold packs on more often but it hurts. So. I have decided to take two pain pills every four hours for a day or two to stay ahead of that pain until it gets under control. I am very early with this tonight because I am intending to go to bed and just stay there til morning. I hope that total inactivity will help me heal. I think I have done enough stretching and moving today anyway.

I worked on the worship folder for St.Michaels today. I hope to get that sent to Beth by Tuesday so she has lots of time to get it printed. The time is getting close. I have to be healed by then and the next week is Irish Fest. It will be pretty disappointing if I can't walk pain free by then. I imagine that once the healing begins it will go very fast.

I took two naps today. Roxie liked that.

Jeff and Kathy stopped by this afternoon with currants for wine and some early veggies. A nice sweet zucinni and some leave lettuce and spinach. We had a wonderful chef salad for supper. All those wonderful greens with other veggies with teriyaki chicken sliced into it. Nummy.

Today, working on the worship folder reminded me of something said at Bible Study on Monday. We were talking about the picture of walking up to the Pearly Gates and finding St. Peter with his book and a feather pen with ink well to hear our story. Then Peggy said that she thinks that St. Peter must have a computer by now.

Actually, since the stock market and the Mercantile work with colored jackets and sign language quite effectively, I think that St. Peter probably does allright with his pen and book too.

Til tomorrow. Perhaps things will be less sore then. I WAS warned.

Mary

I am glad that this day is over. As soon as I finish this, I am going to go to bed and stay there til morning. Thanks, Bobbie, for making that possible. She has Chelsea as a house guest, you know. From the sound of things, Chelsea may not want to come home. Bobbie forgot her canned food so Chelsea is getting hot home made gravy on her dry food. Quite a treat and she is loving it.

Got up at a bit after 4AM. Took Chelsea out, showered, fed critters and gave Dick his juice and tea and yogurt. Bobbie got her at about 5:30AM and we left shortly for the Plymouth Surgical Center. I checked in and the registrar remembered me. The when we got upstairs, Denise, one of the nurses who took care of Mom and even more was one of our regular nurses when Dick had that awful infection that took 6 to 8 weeks of intravenous meds twice a day to cure. She is special. In time she knew us well enough and one evening offered to pray for healing with us. We were touched and took her up on it.

So I was all prepared by 7:30 when the nurse came down to take me to OR. I only saw Dr. Fehrman twice. He came in to draw pictures on my knee and then in OR before they put me out. Bobbie was there after surgery when he came down and got the results from him for me. All went very well. There were two small tears which he removed or smoothed out and he also corrected some arthritis. He said he was pleased.

I started waking up at about 9:30AM but was in and out quite a bit. We came home at a little after one. I am able to walk around using a cane, which is easier and, we think, less dangerous than the crutches. I had to learn how to walk on them. Now I need to remember that I shouldn't do more than necessary. I have a series of exercises to do also.

My biggest problem is that I cannot drive for two weeks. So I spent a little time this afternoon changing a few things around. Bobbie will take Dick and/or me to any medical appointments which is the biggest thing. I am totally unused to being homebound and am going to have to be really careful not to walk too much.

Today is easy. I am tired and even if it is only 7:30PM, I am going to bed. Probably will not get to sleep right away but bed sounds awfully good right now.
Most of my exercises are lying down anyway.

I thought I heard thunder in the distance twice tonight. I hope that means a little more rain. It is supposed to be warm tomorrow. After a good rain, heat would really help the herbs and tomatoes grow. Did I tell you that all three of my tomato plants have little tomatoes on them now? I am SO proud. Tomatoes have never been a successful crop for me. This may be a first.

Love you all and thanks for all the prayers and good vibes that have come my way today. In two weeks, my knew will hurt no more.

Mary

It rained today. When Chelsea got me up at 3:30AM the streets were a little damp and still so at 6 when we went for her walk. BUT by the time I started to the grocery store it was pouring and it continued to come down in a welcome steady rain until after 11AM.

I am so grateful, otherwise, I would have been out there part of this afternoon trying to get everything soaked as I will not be able to do that for a couple of days anyway. Did I tell you that I now have little tomatoes on all three of my tomato plants? I am very excited about that.

Shopping went well. I did not go to shoot trap as shooting in the rain is not something I am thrilled about. SO, I may or may not be able to finish. I don't know if I will be able to shoot next week or not. I will try if Dr. Fehrman says I can.

Bobbie came over and had dinner with us today. We had teriyaki chicken, potato salad and blueberry cheesecake for dessert. Then Bobbie and I went down to the "winery". We had a LOT to do today. First we racked the bay leaf and the grapevine. Then we put the kit wine, I keep forgetting the name, into the secondary fermentor. It is a beautiful red wine so will be fun to bottle. Next one to rack will be the strawberry which is really throwing off the sediment.

Most of these wines are new to us so this is really fun.

Now it is time to just listen to the President and then wind down to bedtime. This time tomorrow, my knee will be all done being operated on and I will be down to the business of healing. Everybody tells me that this is an easy fix. I told Dr. Fehrman that since it can be fixed, I wanted it done. If one can make something stop hurting, it seems like a very good idea to me.

So - please pray for me tomorrow. Pray for Dr. Fehrman that his hands are true for me and the others he will be helping tomorrow. I am so grateful for Bobbie for agreeing to get here before 6AM to get me to the hospital on time. I should be home by noon.

Til tomorrow. I will be doing a lot of computer stuff the next few days in between the exercises that they give me to do.

Have a good Thursday.

Mary

Already it is July 21. How fast these days go. Summer is almost half over already. Chelsea woke me up at 1:30AM the silly goose. I got back to sleep, of course, and got up at 6AM. That throws the whole schedule off. I fed Roxie but then took Chelsea for her walk before feeding her since it was light. I figured that after almost 5 hours she was probably more in need of a bathroom than food and I was right.

I spent the morning cleaning. The kitchen really needed it. Then at 11:30, I met Mary Calvey at Dee O Malley's for lunch and so that we could plan the Mass for out at St. Michaels on August 9th with Fr. Shea saying the Mass. We did a good job I think. Now I just need to get the worship folder ready for Beth to get printed for the day.

Home again, I took a nap then made a dessert to get us through the next few days. The Plymouth Surgical Center called with my instructions for Thursday's knee surgery. The surgery is scheduled for 7:30 and I have to be there at 6AM. Poor Bobbie. She said she will be here. We only need about 5 minutes to get over there from here.

Tomorrow shopping and shooting. Then Bobbie will be over and we will rack her kit wine into the secondary. That is the 6 gallon one. Should be an adventure.

Roxie has been the cuddliest kitty in the world today. I am delighted. While I am recovering, I will spend a lot of time on the couch with her settled between my legs. She uses the blanket over me as a hammock and is very content.

Til tomorrow then.

Love
Mary

What a day. I had four separate meetings.

Chelsea and I got up at 6AM. Dick slept rather late. His night was not too good, but the early morning was fine, so he was able to stay up today and maybe tonight will be better. He got up shortly before I had to leave. I just had time to say give him his juice and yogurt.

I was able to do some cleaning however, getting the living room vacuumed. Tomorrow will be much easier now.

My first appointment was Bible Study. We had a group of 9 and are really getting into our study of Mark. We are still in the very beginning chapter and finished as Jesus just began choosing his disciples. We were still on Jesus' baptism when the "Spirit, like a dove descended upon him." I loved the commentary. It said that the dove is a term used for beloved also. It is a beautiful picture to think of the Holy Spirit as a beloved.

Next I went over to Mom's for a visit. She looks wonderful. Tomorrow she is going to the Senior meals in Falls and last week she went to the meals AND had canasta at her house. So I think she is actually starting to feel better. It is subtle but her eyes seem a bit brighter.

Next home to fix and eat dinner with Dick before heading over to the Pig to pick up Jena and Lynn and then Kate to go to our Cream City Writers. We had been invited out to Don Cooper's home to meet on his deck out on the Fond du Lac/Sheboygan County line. He and his wife Ruth have a lovely home with a backyard looking out on a lovely yard surrounded by woods. It was very pleasant. We did a lot of good reading of our work and enjoyed lemonade and cookies provided by Don and Ruth.

I got home in time to get my wits together before a 4PM conference call with the Celtic Women Board. It was SO good hearing their voices and we solved a lot of problems and got a real lot done in that hour.

I fixed egg salad for our supper tonight. Aren't you jealous? It was really good too. Then I went to Beth Hoegger's house to meet with her and Jane Lorenz to plan the Celtic Mass for Blessed Trinity's annual Celtic Mass and Faire. We did very well. I believe we have everything pretty much settled and just need to assemble the worship folder and get everybody together for the practices. It will be special, we have a couple of new things that look great. You must come if you can.

Now I am done for the night and am I ever glad. Tomorrow, I want to finish getting things done that I won't feel comfortable letting go when I have my knee surgery (just an orthoscopic trimming so not serious). I won't be able to do much for a few days and I can't stand messes.

But I must remember what Bret and I always tell each other. "Don't worry. It's going to be ALL right. It's going to be Okay. Don't Worry."

So now you know what I did all day. This only happens on the third Monday of every month. Thank heavens.

Love

Mary

Except for Mass, I got to stay home all day today.

We got a little rain yesterday, but I spent a good part of the afternoon, watering the deck plants and the front gardens.

Dick walked three times today for 5 minutes each time AND we got his shower accomplished. Those things also take a lot of time.

We had cheeseburgers on slices of Fireside cheese bread for dinner this noon. I tried a recipe I found for flavored potato chips made in the microwave. They were really good and very easy. You just scrub red potatoes, slice them really thin (l/16 inch), spread them out and coat with olive oil. Then you sprinkle with chili powder and cumin. Place three paper towels on a microwavable plate and layer as many as fit "comfortably". Microwave for three minutes, turn and microwave again for another 2/5 to three minutes.

We had breakfast for supper. Since I went to Mass this morning and we just had some early toast for breakfast, it seemed logical to have our eggs and sausage for supper. It was darned good too.

Bart called tonight and I talked to him and Barb. That was reassuring. Richard called tonight too. Dick had called them on Saturday because his computer was not connecting to the internet. Richard and Brenda were out near La Crosse to Brenda's family reunion. He was pleased to hear that Dick's computer seems to have learned how to fix itself. But we had a nice visit.

I didn't mention that on the way home from the Fireside last evening we saw two parachuters coming down. They did this funny flip when they got close to the ground. It looked like a stunt to me but we saw them both land safely. I wouldn't mind being up there where it is quiet and peaceful again. I did that once behind jeep using a para sail. What a rush.

I wrote a poem about the experience. Here it is.








RIDE THE SKY


Tethered to the jeep
A long umbilical cord
Is anchored – To prevent me
From achieving orbit.

The chute stretches out behind
Held aloft to catch the wind
By friends who somehow
Talked me into flying.

The jeep moves, slowly
Until the cord is taut.
And I run, praying that
The chute will fill and lift.

Billowing behind, it does
Fill and shoot skyward.
Carrying me still stepping
Up to the blue above me.

Climbing wild wind currents
Into the cloudless sky,
I look down on an endless
Carpet of desert below

Rising on wings of imagination
To quiet clear blue
Above the noise – Floating -
Alone – Free – I ride the sky.

High above the desert,
Above the world.
I glide like tuft of dandelion
Or eagle or butterfly.

Below, the others are planted.
They don’t know the joy
They don’t know the freedom
Of soundless flight.

Embracing the vast silence
I laugh out loud.
Close to the face of God
I know why the songbird sings.


Love

Mary

I had an wonderfully enjoyable day today at the Fireside with Bobbie and Bill. Two people asked Bobbie and me if we were sisters.

My night was a bit interrupted last night so I imagine that I will really sleep good tonight.

I drove over to K Mart at about 10 after 8 as the bus was to pick the Plymouth passengers up at 8:30AM. The bus was already there. It was not a sellout program and there were no passengers in Sheboygan Falls so they were running ahead of schedule.

It was a usual Fireside special event. Dinner was SO good. It started with Sea Scallop wrapped in a potato crust resting on a sun dried tomato sauce, followed by Chicken Roulade, Rice with sausage, fresh asparagus and the Fireside's fresh baked breads. Key Lime Cheesecake for dessert.

Then Bobbie and I went shopping. I got the CDS of The Rock and the Rabbi and The Witnesses. The two together had a $5. discount so I was pleased. I also found a cute pair of sox with black kitties on them. They will remind me of the wonderful performance of the Witnesses AND my Oscar every time I wear them.

I liked this as much as I liked the Rock and The Rabbi that we saw last year. There will be a third but not til 2011. In the meantime, Danny Hamilton, the composer is going to be writing a Christmas special for the Fireside called The Child which will be presented in 2010 as their Christmas program. I want to see that for sure.

These musicals are full of such energy and tell the story of the Gospel in such a refreshing light and you like the apostles. They are such real people. It makes one realize that Peter was just a fisherman that was called by Jesus, not an educated or powerful person. There is so much in them. If you get a chance to go, - do. You will not regret it.

Now it is time to wind down for the night. I have a Roxie kitty resting comfortably on my desk under the lamp, occasionally asking for a little loving. She is a dear little thing and I am sure glad that she is here. Chelsea and Dick are already in the bedroom asleep. I will have to wake Chelsea for a final walk. Hate to do that because she jumps so when I wake her from a sound sleep but it must be done.

We saw two accidents, both rollovers, on the trip. One on the way down and one on the way back. Both looked bad so pray for the victims.

Take care enjoy your Sunday.

Love

Mary