Last night I saw fireflies for the first time in YEARS. I went out on the deck at about 9:30PM to see if I could see part of the fireworks down at the lakefront. And I could too. Not well of course but the higher ones appeared above and between the houses and the colors were magnificent. Also someone a few blocks away had some lovely rockets that they shot off for about 15 minutes so I had a show.

The fireflies were the most exciting though. Along with the stars, they made God's own fireworks.

Love.

Mary

Here is an update on the Baghdad Zoo. It is a little dated but they are not getting things out too often anymore.
BaghdadZoo>/a<


Have a good day

Mary

Another beautiful day in Wisconsin. One of those days that we look around and say. "Now we know why we live in Wisconsin!" Everything is so green and the corn is finally growing. It will be a little behind. Not much of it is going to be Knee High by the 4th of July. But some of it will. Soon it will be time for our annual weekly meals of fresh corn and sliced tomatoes. Heaven on earth.

My son Bret is going to be visiting in early August for his cousin Becky's wedding. It is way past time for him to be here. I keep telling him that he should move here but he has no desire for any part of our Winters. I told him that we have not had snow for months but he is not reassurred. He IS my California boy and probably would not weather a long winter very well anyway. They too have their beauty, you know. though I often wish they would be shorter too.

But now we are in the middle of summer and green and fresh fruits and vegetables. I intend to enjoy it to the fullest.

You do the same.

Mary

Well, it is almost July. Only two more days and summer is here. Already crops are starting to be harvested. So far two generous people have given us leaf lettuce. I got my first bunch from Charley at Bible Study on Wednesday Morning. Today, Mother gave me another bag. It is really nice to have the fresh greens to add to the salads and sandwiches.

I fixed chili on Thursday afternoon for this weekend. I put a pound of venison in it. That always makes such a hearty and flavorful chili.

Here is my recipe

1 lb hamburger
1 onion
1 large clove garlic or 1 teasp. garlic powder
1/4 lb chorizo
1 teasp. chili powder
1/2 teasp.cumin
1/2 teasp. cayenne pipper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 16 oz can small red beans
1 small can tomato sauce

Brown the meat, onions and garlic. Remove excess grease. Add the spices, undrained beans and tomato sauce.

Cook for at least an hour. Add extra seasonings to taste.

For best flavor let cool completely. I make it a day ahead of time. I usually do a four pound batch.


We do LOVE our chili. Dick has a recipe too and there is always Friday Chili too. Someday I will share them too.

Have a good Monday.

Peace and love to you

Mary

I hope someone missed me this past week. It has been an eventful one.

First, the Deeley's had a wedding. Actually the renewal or reconfirmation of vows by my nephew, brother Jeff's son, Matthew, who recently brought his lovely bride, Kaoru home from Japan. He met Koaru while teaching in Japan for the past three years.

It was a beautiful ceremony, Uncle Randy Deeley acted as the officiant. Matt's brother, Shane and his sister, Sara, were the attendants. They planned a ceremony encompassing Japanese, Irish and American customs and it was really nice. Everybody looked wonderful. We Deeleys clean up pretty good.

On Sunday, Jim, Bobbie and I went shooting, after I sang with the choir at the 10:30AM Mass. We shot down on the range, trying to sight in Jim's guns, then the 22's downstairs in the pistol range and finally I tried Harold Luedtke's shotgun to see how I like it for trap. I am really trying to find a gun that fits me and feels good. So far, Uncle Kenny's 1138 Automatic is the best that I have found. I have saved enough to buy a good trap gun but want to be sure that it is right before spending that much money. Tomorrow, Don Blake's stepdaughter is going to let me try hers. It is a youth model and may be a better fit. '

Monday I shot in league and did not do well. Del says that now I am trying too many suggestions at once and just to shoot for a while to let things settle in.

Thursday night was council meeting and Thursday afternoon, I went with several others over to Rocky Knoll to help the patients there play Bingo for an hour. We had about 12 of us to about 40 patients. The patients are a mixture of mentally retarded, mentally disturbed and elderly. Many of them need help reading the numbers but they all like to play and win. I really enjoyed it and two of the patients at my table won which is really fun. We gave quarters for the prizes which the patients can use in vending machines. They REALLY liked that.

Today we went on a Discovery bus to the Fireside at Fort Atkinson to see Annie Get Your Gun. The food as always was really good. I always get such good ideas on meal planning from them. I also always bring a couple of loaves of their great bread home. Today, I brought cheese and dill. The show was lively and Annie was wonderful. One forgets that all of the songs in Annie are good and we have sung and heard them for years. "No Business Like Show Business", "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better", "The Girl That I Marry". Nice Nice Day.

SLOW ME DOWN, LORD

By Mary Kunert

Slow me down, Lord
Let me see the flowers
Let me smell the flowers
Not just plant them
Not just tend them

Slow me down, Lord
Let me hold my children
Let me play with my children
Not just chide them
Not just tend them

Slow me down, Lord
Let me hug my husband
Let me talk to my husband
Not just keep his house for him
Not just tend him

Slow me down, Lord
Let me see the sun today
Let me breathe the air today
Not just plan for tomorrow
Not just wait for tomorrow

Slow me down, Lord
Let me laugh at the joy of today
Let me cry for the sorrows of today
Not just yearn for what is to be
Not just wait for what is to be

Slow me down, Lord

Take me out to the ball game. What a fun day the "Deeley's" had at Miller Park yesterday for the afternoon game between the Cardinals and the Brewers. Unfortunately, the Brewers lost 8-3 but aside from that it was a perfect day.

Attending the gala outing were Leif and Nora (The game was Leif's idea. Thanks Uncle Leif!!), Jeff and Kathy, with Matt and his new bride Kaoru, and Shane and his friend Roxie, George and Betsy and Betsy's brother Danny, Randy and Donna, Eileen, Leif's friend Bob and me. We had a tailgate party before the game in the parking lot. Nora prefers to eat vegetarian, so I brought marinated portobella mushrooms for her and me. They were VERY good. We also had salads, watermelon and cookies.

Tomorrow Matt and Kaoru, who were married in Japan a couple of months ago are going through a reenactment for he Deeleys and the Harveys (Kathy's family.) It should be fun. Randy is officiating. We will be dressed to the nines and really celebrate such a happy occasion. Kaoru is a lovely girl. We are so glad to have her as part of our family

Mary

My Dear Aunt Helen was born 5/20/1905. She died 12/22/1993. She was my best friend.

We found a shoe box with pieces of a quilt in a closet in her home. All of the patterned pieces and a lot of the solid border were in the box all cut out and ready to go. A couple of motifs were even assembled so II was able to determine that it was Grandma's Flower Garden. I added more solids,a backing and fill and assembled it in to a quilt. It took me seven years to complete it, every stitch by hand. So far, it has been entered in last year's Sheboygan Quilt Show and also displayed at Kohler Art Center in a quilt show for the Sesquitenial. I think Aunt Helen would have been pleased to see it finished. The fabrics seem to be from the 40s or 50s so she held on to it for a long long time. I call it Aunt Helen's Flower Garden.

Tomorrow I am going to a Brewer Game with the family. Should be fun tailgaiting with everyone. Haven't seen George and Betsy or Nora and Leif for quite a long time.

Cheers

Mary

Tonight was my trap shootin' night. I did pretty good. Rosalee and I each shot two rounds of 25 and I got a 13 on the first and a 16 on the second. Usually I collapse on the second round but not this time. Uncle Ken Thuemmler met me yesterday and is letting me use an 11 38 Remington Automatic which seems to fit me much better than the gun I have been using, Randy's 870 Remington Pump. I have a lot to learn but "golly gee" I got more than half on both sessions. Doc and Bill gave me some more pointers when I finished so I will keep working on it.

Guess What. I found nectarines for 58 cents a pound!!!!! I'm going to make wine tomorrow. Doesn't that sound fun. I tried the LAST bottle of the Oldenberry(Elderberry - Bobbie gave me lots of frozen elderberries last year and I made one batch of wine that we called Oldenberry and another Port type, we called Roberta Red.) Now it tastes really good, similar to Domaine De Sac and Beaujolais and woe is me, it is all gone. Hopefully, Bobbie will have a good crop of elderberries one of these years. You never know about those crops. I try to take advantage of excess fruit.

Later

Mary

You'll never guess what I did today. I don't know whether I mentioned that I have joined Rhine/Plymouth Field and Stream, a sportsman club. I suppose that since Bobbie and I joined, it is truely a sportsPERSON club but I don't get concerned about that. Sportsmen is fine with me.

Anyway, our club is a part of the county pheasant program. Each year we get several thousand pheasant chicks and raise them for the summer and then release them all over the county. Of course, most of them are immediately harvested, which may seem kind of unfair. However, the strongest and the smartest survive and breed and pheasants are becoming a much more common sight all around the county roads. They also have a pretty pleasant life during the summer with food, water, shelter and protection provided for them. At least they have a chance to live on, unlike domestic turkeys or chickens.

Today we prepared the brooder pens for the baby chicks who will arrive on Tuesday. Then in a month, when they are stronger and bigger, we put blinders on them (so they won't beat each other up) and release them into the outdoor pens where they feed and grow. In the Fall, we remove the blinders and transport the birds all over the county. That is a really fun day. Maybe next year, I'll go pheasant hunting. I haven't done that yet.

My greatest hunting day will be the day I actually get something. It is FUN being out in the woods and doing the hunting but just like playing any game, it is much more fun when you win.

Mary

Today was a beautiful day in Wisconsin. The sun was shining. The temperatures were pleasant. We had lots of errands to do so were out and about for most of the morning. I sit in the office this evening and can hear birds singing outside. So pleasant. This is what it is all about.

Went to Quilt Guild last night. It was a good meeting. The speaker lives in Wausau but spent 10 years in Hawaii and told us a lot about Hawaiian quilting and had a wonderful slide presentation of two quilt shows in Hawaii. I was very impressed that one of the most prolific quilters and designers in the show is a man. Bart and Barbara (my son and daughter in law, for those that don't know) came down from De Pere for dinner so Barbara could to to the Guild meeting with me. That was fun too. I do like to spend time with them. Barb needed a bit of time out too. Bart stayed here and watched TV in the family room downstairs. He has been having a lot of pain and other problems lately. He loves cats and I was pleased that both Big Oscar and Foxy Roxie spent some time with him purring and being general cuddlers. Good for all of them.

Mary

Up until a few years ago, I could not make a good soup. Over time, I have practiced and learned a few tricks. I have also found some recipes. But I do a very successful Dump Soup and will in the following give you basic directions. First, I always cut the back, the neck and the wing tips off of chickens when I buy whole ones and boil them with onion and celery. Then I strain that for the broth. (You can use canned broth if you don't want to bother with the homemade broth.) I saute more onion and celery in a bit of butter (or cooking spray if you want to avoid the fat) and add the broth. Then you add chopped celery, carrots, and whatever leftover vegetables or salads you have in the fridge. It pays to dissolve a bullion cube and salt and pepper to taste. If you don't have any leftover or fresh vegetables, throw in a can or a handful of frozen.
mixed vegetables. Chopped tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes give it another flavor. It is amazing and I don't throw any leftovers away.

I can finally make a decent stew too but that is another story.

Mary

I don't think I said much about Johnny Bill Shea's funeral. Needless to say it was very Irish. There were also about 8 priests and at least 2 Brothers at the ceremony. Mostly they were fellow Redemptorists of Fr. Mike. I mentioned Fr. Mike before. He is Johnny Bill's son and has been a missionary in Thailand for over 25 years.

He introduced each of his fellow priests. I was impressed that one of them, I believe Fr. Sarnelli, who had also spent time in Thailand, had raised enough money to build a special building at the Viengkhuk Children's Hospice for the critically ill - the dying children. They used to have a room called the dying room. Such a sad statement. They call the building Sarnelli House which is still heartbreaking but at least not SO grim sounding.

The biggest need is medicine for the children that are AIDS infected. Maybe medicine could make Sarnelli House a RECOVERY house. Fr. Mike and his staff are trying to make the homes as self sufficient as possible but they do run short. He did say that they tried to raise goats for meat but the kids adopted them as pets and they didn't have the heart to kill them, so that didn't work too well. Anyway, if you can help, let me know and I can tell you where to send money. I always sent it to Johnny Bill but I understand that his son Jack is taking over that roll. Sending money to him will get it directly into Fr. Mike's bank account and available for immediate use.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. i would pick more daisies.

Written by Nadine Stair, 85 years old of Louisville Kentucky. I received this from a friend some 25 years ago. Enjoy.

Some days are so hard and it is so hard to hear the sadness in my Mother's voice. Today we received word that her brother, my uncle Roman Bowser, died in Austin Texas. He has been ill and earlier this week they decided that there was not much more they could do in the hospital. He wanted to go home. And home he went. He got home yesterday and he died this morning - so he must have been waiting to be home and with his Mary Ann.

Uncle Roman was a wonderful man, a World War II Veteran who served through the Viet Nam War. He retired and taught high school history for many years too. I remember him from my childhood in my first memories. He was 82 years old.

Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt
Dance like nobody's watching
Sing like nobody's listening
Live like it's heaven on earth.

I read the above somewhere. Uncle Roman would like it. Remember him in your prayers.

Mary

I checked for an update on the Baghdad Zoo situation. Here it is. Log on.

Baghdad Zoo Update

Just trying to keep people aware of the plight of these animals.

Mary

Two very busy days with no time to post. But today I can begin again.

Today is a wine day. We have a batch of Chardonnay that is ready to be siphoned into the secondary fermentor. Always exciting and tomorrow and the next day we will be racking both Merlot and Beaujolais. After this racking they MAY be ready to bottle. It depends on how they clear up.

I wrote a little poem for my class reunion. We had a meeting last night and the others liked it so I will put it in the Memory Book that we are preparing for the event. I will share it with you all. Let me know what you think.

Class of 1958

We were Invincible.
We walked tall and
Strode into the now
With great promise.
We dreamed of a future
Higher than the hills.

We are Invincible.
We walk tall and
Stride into this future
With giant steps.
We leave a path
Wider than the sea.

In preparing this booklet for the reunion, I am so impressed by the people that I graduated with. They have left paths that are wider than the sea and brought such good to this Earth.

Mary

Did I tell you that those new kitties of ours are working out just fine?

Big Oscar is just a big old loveable blob. He likes to sleep up above us on the headboard, coming down occasionally for a little cuddling.

Don't see much of Roxie at night but she is quite the adventurer. I don't believe that there is a flat surface at any height in this house that she cannot reach. She has made it everywhere but the mantle so far. We are all quite delighted with them.

I want to have a bagpiper play at my funeral.

Mary

June 1st already. Five months of 2003 gone.

It is a beautiful day, though a little chilly and there was a definate frosty look on the ground when Chelsea and I went for our morning walk, though the temperature registered at 38Degrees, 38 Degrees is too cold for June, but the sun and the freshly leafed out trees made up for it today.

Tomorrow I will go to a funeral with my Mother, my Aunt Kathleen and her husband Bob. Johnny Bill Shea of Armstrong, WI died on Thursday Morning. He was my Mother's age and married to her cousin Eileen O'Connor. I did not know Johnny Bill until I came back from California some 20 years ago and became the transportation for Dad and Mom to the various Shea events out at Our Lady of the Angels parish, usually when Johnny and Eileen's son Mike was home on a visit. He is a missionary in Thailand and Johnny Bill was his most enthusiastic supporter. Johnny Bill is probably the last family person of my Mother's generation who was still alive. Uncle Pat, Mom's brother (who is much younger, only about 6 years older than me) went to see him often and sometimes would bring him in to visit Mom. They enjoyed those visits so much and I know Mother feels a great loss.

Johnny was a great story teller, a true Irishman. I remember at one of the fish boil fundraisers, Johnny was talking to Fr. Robinson who was a pastor at Our Lady of the Angels. He told him that Fr. Mike was going to be back in the U. S. for six months that year to get some schooling. Then he proceeded to tell Fr. Robinson what he was studying. He said that since there was talk of allowing married priests, "Mike was coming home to take some classes to learn how to live with a woman."

Fr. Robinson's face was worth a million dollars and he couldn't believe that he fell for it.

A prayer for a fine Irish Gentleman please.

Love

Mary

This winemaking has become a fun and exciting hobby for Dick and me.

We are mixing a Chardonnay Wine Kit into the primary fermentor today. We have Merlot and Beaujolais in the carboys settling out and several varieties of "from scratch" almost ready to sample. I believe that the Grapefruit from last year and Paulette's Mountain Ash are almost ready.

My Dad made wine years ago. I remember sampling many varieties when visiting. I have a particularly fond memory of Mountain Ash. I hope it lives up to the memory. Especially after spending an afternoon picking all those darned berries - standing on a ladder. Then I had to wash and pick them over before processing. I had enough left over for some jelly and that was quite good.

A few years ago, I assembled the wine recipes that Dad had written in a spiral notebook in to a little book (my first publishing attempt) for everybody to enjoy. Dad had comments on most of the wines. They ranged from "Not so Good" to "Very Good". His solution to any problems was always. "Let age." Perhaps that is good advice for most things. Time and aging.

Have a good weekend

Mary

A story my daughter Leslie sent me reminded me of a story I read in Familiy Circle about prayer.


"A Hindu teacher was asked the best way to pray. He answered
with this story.

Once there was a dog who was attacked by a pack of wild dogs. He
fought his way free, limped home bleeding and presented himself at
this owner's feet. And what did the owner do? He carried the dog
indoors, washed and bandaged his wounds and set his broken bones.
Every day he gave his dog food, water, a soft bed. And soon the dog
got well. The dog did not ask for anything. The dog merely presented
himself. "That is how you pray." my teacher said. "For is you ask
for a shirt, you will get a shirt, and if you ask for trousers, you
will get trousers. But if you simply present yourself, every blessing
will be yours." (Sophy Burnham)

Leslie's story was this:

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, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which 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."

Have a great day

Mary

Do you have a favorite meatloaf recipe? I have a really neat meatBALL recipe using my favorite meatloaf mixture. Years ago, there was a bar called Fitz's in Sheboygan Falls, the little town that I grew up in. Sheboygan Falls is a charming place. They are a blue ribbon example of what Wisconsin's Main Street Program to revitalize small towns can do. Mother says that the town NEVER looked as good as it does now with all the restored and well maintained storefronts.

Anyway, Fitz;s was owned by a friend of my Dad's, named of all things Mr. Fitzpatrick. (I can't remember his first name, but will ask Mother the next time I talk to her. In my childhood all adults were Mr. or Mrs. and half the time we didn't know they had a first name.) Fitz's served chicken dinners and parboiled the chicken to speed the cooking. Mrs. Fitzpatrick asked Dad if he had a use for some buckets of chicken broth from the parboiling. So Dad would occasionally bring a bucket home and my Mother became very inventive. This is one of our favorites. We named it Schilizhagen. Schlitz because the broth came from a bar and hagen because it sounded German. Why was sounding German important? I don't know, I was only a kid.

If you don't have a favorite meatloaf recipe, e-mail me either direct of by clicking on Tell Me under Contact to the left and I will tell you mine.

SCHLITZHAGEN

3 lbs of your favorite meatloaf mixture.
1 quart of chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste.
Flour to roll the meatballs in.

Start warming the chicken broth in a dutch oven.

Form the meatloaf into balls and roll in flour.

Brown the meatballs in a frying pan ( I find enough fat comes out of the burger but if you must add a little oil or spray with cooking spray.) Drop the meatballs into the hot chicken broth and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes until cooked through.

Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles. (The Kunert's love noodles but I love the gravy that forms on mashed potatoes.)

Hope you like

Mary