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

Two thirty in the morning again. That Chelsea. The advantage to that is that I really do get back into a sound sleep and got up at 6AM refreshed.

We had quite a nice walk this morning. My knee did not start hurting too soon and it was cool and comfortable. We visited with a couple of the neighbors too. That is always a nice break.

We got Dick all cleaned up by 9AM. Early for us. Usually he gets a nap in first but today was much too busy for nappin'. Our first appointment was with Dr. Sharon at the Plymouth Clinic. He is pleased with most things and we have a couple of things to work on. Diet management and exercise are the main ones. His vitals and blood counts are just fine. We will see him again in October for his yearly physical. Hopefully Dick will be more mobile and a bit more in shape.

We came home for lunch and to take care of the critters. We had turkey/cheese sausages and Spanish rice for lunch. Good stuff. We ate some more of my Lemon Meringue soup too. There is just enough for Dick for his dessert tomorrow while I am gone.

We went to see Tim at Wisconsin Prosthesis at 1:30PM. Guess What!!! more good news. Dick got his "permanent" prosthesis today. It looks like a real leg from the knee down. He says it feels good too. Now he can start some serious walking. I want him on his feet and mobile as soon as possible. Tomorrow I am going to the Fireside with Discovery to see the Witnesses. Bobbie and Bill are going too so I will have company. SO we have to get him on his feet early as I need to be at KMart to catch the bus at 8:30AM. He can go again after I get home at 6PM. I am bring home bread. They have the BEST bread. I decided that I will bring a loaf for our neighbor Dick too. He is such a sweetheart to walk Chelsea when I am gone.

At 5:30PM, I loaded up the car and headed to Rhine for my Celtic Women meeting. There were only four of us there but it was a great meeting, those who could not come missed a lot. I brought a boom box and put Celtic music in the background and we all brought treats. Peg brought guacamole, chips and wine, Toni brought cheese dip and crackers, Joan brought peanuts and I brought Barm Brack (Speckled Bread). I just found it on an Irish site that is just wonderful. It is simple and really good. Here is the site.

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rBreads.html

Just cut and paste and you will be at the Barm Brack recipe.

We all loved it. It is a bit vague and I will tell you how I handled the vagueness if you ask.

Anyway, even with only four of us we had a great time and set up the next three meetings. Next month, of course, Irish Fest and/or the Reunion of the Clans at Parnell. September, I will do a music program comparing the similarity of the music of the Seven Celtic Nations. October we are going to do a Samhain celebration a bit early of the dark half of the year, associated with All Hallow's Day, Halloween.

So Now I am home and need to really wind down quickly as tomorrow will come early and I am going to be on my little trip.

Hope your weekend is special and that you are enjoying this summer. Perhaps the cool areas can warm up and the really hot areas can cool down a bit.

Love
Mary

Quite a busy day, yet a lot was left undone.

Chelsea did not wake me up until 5AM. I took her out and then rested until 6AM when I finally got up to feed Roxie and begin the day. Chelsea ended up with two rather nice walks. My knee was really hurting today after a couple of days of less pain. I was almost starting to think that maybe it would be OK without the procedure but then today, I knew better.

At 9AM, I had my preop appointment with Dr. Murthy. He did a thorough job. I had the blood pressure, pulse things and an EKG. Then he sent me down for an Xray and blood tests. I found Betty Fenner, who we met at Plymouth Care Center, also waiting for an Xray. She and I had a good visit. Her Bob is gone now and that is hard but we could share. I am kind of glad that they were running a bit behind because it gave us a good chance to talk. Her Bob was a guest at my Mom and Dad's wedding reception at Grandma and Grandpa Bowser's house up on Washington Street in Sheboygan Falls. So we share a lot of memories of the same people and places.

I got home in time to put together our dinner casserole. I tried a Cavatini which is a wonderful Italian casserole. It called for three kinds of pasta, rotini, elbow macaroni and rigatoni. I could not find rigatoni so made do with the other two. I also used my homemade ricotta cheese in it. Boy was it good. I have one extra casserole in the freezer. Don't want to be worrying about meals when I am semi laid up for a day or two.

Bobbie was here for lunch and we thought we had to do some wine racking. As it turned out, the wine we thought we would have to work on was not quite ready yet. It is pretty cool down there, so it is taking a while to get to the specific gravity we need.

She will be back next Wednesday unless the wine is ready sooner. We decided that I will just check it daily so we keep track of the progress.

After that I rested a bit then cleaned a bit and tonight watched the special on J. K Rowling that was on ABC tonight. As a true Harry Potter Fan, I wanted to see that. I can hardly wait to see the new movie. It came out yesterday but I want to wait for the crowds to dwindle a bit before I go to see it. Maybe shortly after my surgery. That would be a nice treat. I wish Dick would go with me.

Tomorrow, Dick has two medical appointments tomorrow, and we are going to Gander Mountain so I can pick up some ammo for trap shooting.

Chelsea has not had a seizure since Saturday. Good Deal.

Love

Mary

Grocery shopping this morning early, but first we treated ourselves to a Mc Donald's breakfast. That used to be our special thing (not always Mc Donald's). Breakfast and then grocery shopping. I hope that soon, Dick can come along with me again.

I got home from shopping shortly after 9AM and put the groceries away, then went out to Rhine to shoot. John and Jerry both brought guns for me to try. All the guys said that my 12 Gauge Bacall is beating me up. I shot one round with John's automatic and one with Jerry's. John's was really better because it is a bit lighter. By the time I got done with the second round my wrists and hands were quite sore. The guys have told me that I should look for a 1100 Youth Trap or a 1187 Youth Trap. So now I know where to begin. I got a 12 on my first round and a 15 on my 2nd. I have to remember the rules again. Follow through and don't rush it. Now that I am used to loading the automatic, I can concentrate on that. John said that I can use his gun until I find one of my own. They are SO good to me and keep cheering me on.

I shot some pistol with the two Nancys - Nancy Roehre and Nancy Coenen. I was awful. I really need to get my gun sited in. Jerry said he will help me last week.
Actually, I should have probably shot pistol first as my arms and wrists were so sore after shooting two rounds of trap.

I got home in time to fix our dinner, then I napped until three. I finished staining the ramp this afternoon. It has plenty of time to dry before we have to run the wheel chair on it. Tomorrow afternoon, I can put the safety strips on it. First I had to wait for warm enough weather, then I had to wait until cool enough weather and now I wanted to get it done before I have my knee surgery. Even if it is minor, I know that it will slow me up a bit.

Tonight is nice and quiet. I need to water the plants on the deck, even if we did have a little rain last night. Tomorrow, before I get my pre op, I will water the front. Dick I tell you that I have a couple of tomatoes set on two of my tomatoe plants and buds on the other. My broccoli is growing quite fast.

I think Dad would be proud of me. I was always the worlds worst gardener. Mother still laughs at the lengths that I went to get out of helping. Fr. Mike said that he gave the girls house at Sarnelli the garden and the boys the livestock and the boys were complaining that there were a lot more eggs than produce. I told him that I understood. I did much better with the chickens and rabbits that the plants myself.

Take care and enjoy the summer.

I was really impressed by the gorgeous green against the vivid blue sky the other day.

love

Mary

A whole day at home. I finally got up at 6:30AM. Roxie was sure glad to see me. Chelsea and I went for a somewhat longer walk than usual as my knee was not hurting as badly as some days and it was good to venture a bit further. The weather was beautiful all day and I was so glad to be able to take advantage of it.

I spent a good chunk of the morning staining the railings on the ramp. I also swept the ramp itself and intend to stain that tomorrow after I shop and go shooting.

I used some of the roast pork in a really good wrap for our noon dinner along with Spanish Rice and a salad.

Then this afternoon, I took a bit of a nap before vacuuming the stairs and sweeping off the ramp for tomorrow's staining.

A lot done but tons more to be done.

Oh well, I am retired and there are no deadlines but in my own mind.

Dick and I had a discussion this morning about how proofreading is going out of "vogue". People depend on spell check and other checks that do not always see the obvious. Then today I received an email that listed several cases that would have been certainly helped by proofreaders.

Here are two.

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.

I just couldn't help but sending this along. Too funny.
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No crap, really? Ya think?
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Enjoy your hump day.

Mary

A very nice Monday. Chelsea got me up at about 4 and I got back to sleep again til 6:00AM.

Bible Study was fun. There were 8 of us there today. We started the actual Study of the Gospel of Mark, having finished the introduction last week. There is a LOT in there. It helps having the commentary provided by the Collegeville series. In just a few sentences, we found so much to discuss. For Instance. John said he baptized with water but that Jesus would be baptizing with water and the Spirit. We hear in this that the Jewish people did do "baptism" or washings. Wish we knew more about it.

Had a nice visit with Mother today. She is looking good and all is back to normal with her. She plans to go to the Senior meals tomorrow and she walked over to church yesterday so she must be doing OK.

This afternoon, I took a nap, then cleaned the kitchenette downstairs.

Tomorrow I get to stay home ALL day. Chelsea is going to get a bath. SHH!! Don't tell her. She is starting to get suspicious when I beckon her into the bathroom already.

Dick slept all afternoon. His body seems to have flipped night and day.


Love

Mary

I may be schizophrenic,
but at least I have each other.

It was a nice quiet Sunday. I woke up this morning at 4:30AM hearing Chelsea coughing and then she had a seizure. I got up to comfort her and took her for a quick walk as it was about time anyway. Then I went back to bed until 6:30AM. So I had a pretty good sleep. Poor little doggy. After all these months seizure free they seem to be reoccurring now.

We had a lovely walk. I even went into the park a bit as I was nosy. They were setting things up - a fake cow for example- and I wanted to know what was happening. There was a baseball tournament and the 4H was setting up exhibits as part of the event. The lifelike cow can be "milked." I saw it at the Mill Street Festival the other day.

Then I had some quiet time this morning before heading over to Rhine Plymouth to help with the Pig Roast/Lewis Shoot. It was much quieter than last year, they tell me, but the food was wonderful. I brought home dinner plus. Pig roast for sandwiches, German potato salad, and beans with wonderful homemade desserts.

I had a good time visiting with Rachel and Josh's Mom and Terry's wife, also a Rachel. We got everything all cleaned up and stashed by about 3:30 and I was home at 4 to take care of critters and Dick.

This evening is quiet and peaceful. I am working on some poems and hope to submit them to a couple of contests that I have faith in. Wish me luck.

This week is busy but not too much so. We only have three medical appointments this week and they are all on Thursday and Friday.

Hope your week is quiet too. It is funny how much I look forward to quiet these days.

Love

Mary