Guess what!!!! On the way home from church, I swung by Wingert's (the farm that we usually get our corn from) and she was OPEN and they HAVE corn. So tonight we are having our first corn supper.

Aren't you jealous?

Love

Mary

After what seems like forever, we have been getting rain for the past week. Since Wednesday, we have recorded about 6 inches. The farmers, as attested to by Brian Walsh, a local farmer, are ecstatic. Dick, Jim and I are hoping that this will stimulate the corn. Some years, we have had fresh Wisconsin sweet corn in early August. During the season, we have each week a meal that consists of sweet corn and fresh sliced tomatoes. What a treat. I always buy extra and cut it off the cob and freeze for the long months of winter. Quick frozen like that it is ALMOST like a taste of summer. Usually we do that on Saturday, so come on by.

Mary

The following is from one of the Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters, specifically The Heretic's Apprentice. Brother Cadfael is conversing with a man called Elave, who in the year 1143 has just returned from a long journey to the Holy Land.

" 'Along the way a man lives a day at a time, and looks no further
ahead than the next day, and no further behind than the day just
passed. Now I see it whole, and it is wonderful.'

'But not all good", said Cadfael. "That couldn't be, we couldn't
ask it. Remember the cold and the rain and the hunger at times, and
losses by thieves now and then, and a few knocks from those who pray
on travellers - oh, never tell me you met none! And the weariness
and the times when you fell ill, the bad food, the sour water, the
stones of the road. You've met all that. Every man who travels that
far across the world has met it all.'

'I do remember all that, but it is still wonderful.'

'Good! So it should be,' said Cadfael."

The Cadfael Books are wonderful mysteries and several have been made for TV with Derek Jacoby as Cadfael. I recommend both books and show.

Love

Mary

Quiet day in our house. We stayed home and got a lot of little things done. I thought I would share a picture of O Brien's Tower on the West Coast of Ireland with all of you. The view from the tower is breathtaking.



Mary

Auntie Brandl was some relative on the Ziegler side fo my family. Aunt Helen Deeley talks about her coming to visit when she was just a little girl and Aunt Helen died in 1993, so Auntie Brandle would have been coming around in the first 20 years of the 20th century. WOW. She said that Auntie Brandl was a teeny tiny lady, all bent over, probably because of osterpheroses and a very loving person.

Anyway, Auntie Brandl made a salve that was supposed to be wonderful for healing open sores, rashes, dry skin . . . .I gather just about any skin thing. Dad used to want to make it after Aunt Helen's last batch ran out. However, there were several of problems. My brother, George, a chemist and says that red lead is seriously toxic and you can't just go out and buy it. Sweet oil is pretty much a mystery and nobody we have found even knows WHAT olebaum (or olebalm) is, much less where to get it. So the magical Wonder Salve has gone the way of Lily the Pink's "Medicinal Compound" or the super elixers sold in side shows years ago.

For what it is worth, here is the recipe.


Auntie Brandl's Wonder Salve

8 Ounces Sweet Oil
4 Ounces Red Lead
3 Drams Olebaum
2 Drams Burnt Alum
2 Drams Camphor

Heat oil to boiling point. Add all ingredients except camphor.

Boil until lead turns brown.

Take from fire and immediately add camphor. Beat until cool.


Love

Mary

This past weekend, the 1958 graduating class of Sheboygan Falls High School, celebrated their 45 Anniversary. I believe I mentioned that I was on the committee with Carol Van Dixhorn Kaat, Dan Moioffer and Mark Montaba. The experience of planning such an event is something that I would recommend. It is a lot of work, but the rewards are so outweigh the effort. We had a great turnout. We sent out 77 invitations. 39 attended the event. Twenty others sent regrets for many reasons but wanted to be part of the book. Seven of our classmates have passed on. So we felt the response was wonderful.

It was a real bonding event. As Tom Theune said as part of his prayer, we were in a very special class. We were small enough that even if we weren't all "best friends", we knew each other by name. This is lost in the bigger classes in many schools and even in the larger classes here in Sheboygan Falls now.

I designed the class book and it was such a pleasure to gather the information from all the participants. We are an impressive bunch of people who have become wonderful people. I am so proud to have been part of the class.

When I get the picture, I will put it on the site. I remember when I got the last one, I took it to show Mother. We looked it over and I commented that I wondered who all these middle aged people were. I wonder what we will look like on film this time.

Have a good week

Mary

My herb garden is really looking very good. The lavender survived the winter and is growing and blooming. I am drying a bit and make a couple loaves of lavender bread already. Yes. Lavender bread. It is quite tasty and tastes especially wonderful with homemade strawberry jam.

The oregano also came back and it huge. My thyme and rosemary are not spectacular but are big enough for my use. So, I made a big pot of spaghetti which we will be eating tomorrow night. Nothing better than spaghetti with fresh herbs.

I love summer.

Mary

The Baghdad Zoo reopened last Sunday. There was an article (Believe it or not) in the Sheboygan Press about the reopening.

Apparantly there was not a big attendance because of the fear of violence on the streets but a few dozen people, including several U. S. Soldiers came to see the animals. The zoo population is still low but includes the remaining animals that originally were in the zoo plus those that survived from the various private zoos in several palaces owned by Saddam and his family.

According to the article, the zoo was a very popular place prior to the war. It was usually so crowded there was little room to stand. However, it is a beginning and the animals are now being cared for. The zoo seems to need a lot of updating, as its cages are the old concrete cells and the keepers are not all that well trained in animal nutrition and/or care. But it is a beginning and there are several wildlife, conservation and zoo organizations behind the cause of maintaining and updating the facility and further training the keepers for the citizens of Iraq.

I'll keep updating as I find news.

Mary

I spent part of the afternoon with my Mother. She is such a treasure. Years ago, I heard Liam Clancy recite a poem that I always felt was a portrait of her. After I heard it, I ran into him at Irish Fest and asked him the name of the poem and it's author and he kindly told me. I will share it with you. Everyone who knows my Mother will see her in this poem.

The Planter's Daughter by Austin Clarke

When night stirred at sea
And the fire brought a crowd in,
They say that her beauty
Was music in mouth
And few in the candlelight
Thought her too proud,
For the house of the planter
Is known by the trees.

Men that had seen her
Drank deep and were silent,
The women were speaking
Wherever she went -
As a bell that is rung
Or a wonder told shyly,
And O she was the Sunday
In every week.

Enjoy your day

Mary

Ostrich Burgers DO taste like beef.

Mary

Was I ever busy today. Last night Dick and I went to my brother, Jeff's house, to meet his houseguests and do some trap shooting. Jeff's houseguests are a Japanese family that were English students of Jeff's son Matt when he was in Japan. They became very good friends of Matt's and Jeff, Kathy, Shane and Sara also spent time with them on their trip the year before last.

Anyway, we were invited up for some trap shooting at the Ox Tail Conservation Club accross the street from Jeff's home. Believe it or not, I shot an 18, my best score ever. I was SO excited. I think things are finally coming together. Monday will tell the tale, I guess.

Then Kathy and I picked currants. She has quite a crop and doesn't have time to do anything with them right now. I spent this afternoon cleaning them and have enough to make three gallons of wine. Yahoo. That should be fun. We also racked the Nectarine Wine and bottled a batch of Chardonnay. In other words the winery is getting built up again.

Three weeks until Becky's wedding and my Bret will be here. I can hardly wait to see him.

Joy to you


Mary

I took this picture this spring when the trees were in full bloom. It turned out so well that I thought I would share it with all of you.

Love

Enjoy the beautiful.

Mary

Dick and I ate at the Palmer House in Chicago today. We had a champagne brunch before we went to the Cadillac Theatre to see The Lion King. What a wonderful fantasy that is. I would go again tomorrow if I could. The choreography was so unique and totally spectacular.

Our come down was eating supper at the Taco Bell on the way home but we are still floating from the show.

Love


Mary

Today I am presenting Oscar, or as we refer to him in our household. The Big O. He is huge.

Actually he is not the heaviest cat we ever had but he is by far the longest and takes up more room in our arms than any other cat we ever had. He is like a big bag of pudding.

Big O

Big Old Cat
Cat who purrs so loudly.
Loudly enough to wake me,
Wake me in the night.
Night when he gets lonely.
Lonely for a touch
Touch to comfort and soothe.
Soothe my big old cat.

As most of you know, we had our Waylon Cat for well over 17years and our hearts broke when he went to Kitty Heaven. Actually, knowing Waylon, he is probably in human heaven because he certainly never felt that he was less than human. He wasn't the Little Prince and Sir Wales for nothing, you know.

Here is a picture of one of our current cats. INTRODUCING ROXY. She has found no place in this house that she cannot reach. This picture shows her sitting on top of the 5 shelf bookcase in our office. I like the picture but will have to eventually get one that shows her stubby little Manx tail. I checked out Manx cats on the net and found out that there are two types. Those with a little stub tail, like Roxy, are called Bumpies and those with no tail at all are called Rumpies. Isn't that cute?

Enjoy. (Big Oscar will be next.)



Mary

I found out how to post pictures and this is my first attempt. I am sending a cute picture of our dog, Chelsea.




Mary

"Sleep easy, for God is awake."

Ellis Peters (The Monk's-Hood - Chapter 4)


Mary

Our new kitties are not so new anymore. Little Miss Roxy is really a busy little minx, I guess I should say Manx, which as I mentioned is her breed. I will mention again that she is a bumpie not a rumpie, as she has a little stub of a tail as opposed to no tail at all.

In the past two days, she has knocked a plant off the shelf in the spare bedroom and also knocked a lamp off of a end table. I am not exactly sure what she was trying to do in either incident but I have removed the plants from the spare room and we are just hoping that she doesn't get the lamp again. Thank heavens, it is still intact, though one of the glas pieces did break a bit.

Big Oscar just is a big lump. He still comes to me in the middle of the night and bumps me until I pet him. I am starting to get better at ignoring him or faking sleep. He can be a pest. But he is a handsome little devil.

Mary

Yesterday, I went for my weekly trap shoot in the league at Falls Conservation Club. It was a good day. I equaled my best score previously. I got a 16. This is very exciting for me. I started last year you know and the first time I shot, I only got 1. My partner, Rosalee, told the scorer that it was my first time and I got one quick instuction. "Point the gun that way."

Actually, over the past year many of the shooters have been very helpful in giving my tips. I have been doing some reading and watched a couple of videos. Sometimes I have the most trouble when I try to remember too many things at once. This week, I concentrated on pulling the gun tight to my shoulder, keeping my cheek on the wood and following through. I know when I am off. Sometimes not quite why, but I know it is wrong. And even better, I know when it is right.

Anyway. I wanted to share. Trap shooting is REALLY fun.

Love

Mary

Jeff and Kathy, my brother and his wife, sent the following to me by e-mail the other day. I sent it to several people in my address book but thought I would post it too. I think it is a good message and would like it to spread.

This Pastor has guts!
Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their
Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new
session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is
what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction
and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that is exactly what we
have done. We have
lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the
absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and
bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly
ask these things in the
name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6
short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone
calls with only 47 of those
calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this
prayer from India, Africa, and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio
program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other
he has ever aired.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so
that we again can be called "one nation under God."

I like what he has to say and hope anyone who reads this will repeat the last paragraph of Rev. Wright's prayer often, in these times of such unrest and turmoil.

Love

Mary