Mother, Dick and I just enjoyed a truly special presentation of the Messiah by the Sheboygan Chorus and the Lakeland College Chorus accompanied by the Sheboygan Symphany Orchestra and directed by Richare Bjella, associate professor, director of Choral Studies at Lawrence University in Appleton. I was really impressed with him and kind of wish he was in the running for the permanent director of the Symphany Orchestra.

It was a productive day otherwise also. We got the packages mailed. BOY has shipping gone up. It cost a fortune. We may resort to gift cards in the future. But anyway, the boxes are on their way and now I don't have deadlines to meet. I suppose that I need to get the cards on their way this week but there still is time.

We had lunch at the Funky Bean in the shopping center built on Hwy 42 where the old Flamingo was. The food was good but the service was slow as could be. We will try again in a few months when they have shaken out the bugs. The shipping place was slow too so Dick was pretty antsy by the time we left there.

I decided that I don't like this business of "Happy Holiday" INSTEAD of Merry Christmas. I don't have a problem with Happy Holiday itself as several holidays do occur in this time period. But Christmas is Chrismas and I DO celebrate it and so do the majority of people in our country. Therefore I have decided to put stickers on all my Christmas Cards that say. "Rejoice - The Savior is born!"

Joy and peace to you tomorrow and have a good week.

Mary

WELL!!!!! My brothers Jeff and Randy and my brother in law Kenny helped me (actually I helped them) load the ABF truck with the things that Bart and Barb could not take with them when they had been left here two years ago. I am so grateful for family because there was no way that I could have done it myself. Now the kids will have all their stuff. As Mother said when she looked at it one day, there were things there that mean a lot to Barb and she should have them.

Tonight I am going to finish the tree skirt and look through pictures for Randy. He is putting together a collage of picture of Mother, Dad and the kids and grandkids for the big birthday party. Yea! I saw the pictures that Jeff brought today and they were so nice. I don't know how many I will have as I was in California for SO long.

Tomorrow, Dick and I will take the packages to be mailed. Then I can relax and just get everything else done at my leisure. I have not even begun Christmas cards but can send them out just a week or less before. Such is life. I suggested that we mail the packages at the new mailing center and then go to lunch. We like to go out and seldom go for lunch. There is a new coffee shop in the same mall as the new mailihng center. It is where the old Flamingo Restaurant used to be if you remember.

I had a rough time with my leg last night. I am hoping that tonight will be better. Sometimes it just aches and I cannot get it into any position that relieves it. If I get up and move around it helps a bit but I never really get back to a sound sleep. This is very annoying.


Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? (My sentiments exactly)

Until tomorrow

Mary

It was much warmer today. It is amazing how wonderful 17 degrees can feel when one has been living with 5 and below. It snowed this afternoon. We were supposed to get only a dusting but have about 2 inches it seems.

Dick and I went grocery shopping this morning and I spent the afternoon with Mother waiting for the truck to be dropped off in front of her house. Tomorrow morning we will load Bart and Barb's stuff into it and then I will call to get it picked up. Next week they will have it all. Jim helped me load the stuff that is in OUR garage into the Santa Fe.

While I was at Mom's, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Bob dropped by to say goodbye. They are leaving for the south (they are snowbirds) on Saturday and will not return until April. Aunt Kathleen said that she would just as soon be staying home or at least not going for so long. However, they do like it down there and Uncle Bob has a barbershop quartet group that he sings with all winter and it is really really fun for him.

December 5 was St. Nicholas Day. When we were kids, it was always somewhat of a precurser of Christmas - a reminder to be good little girls and boys. St. Nick alway brought a piece of fruit and a bit of candy to good little girls and boys. But naughty ones got a piece of coal. One year, my brother Jeff got a piece of coal. It sure impressed the little ones.

Mother remembers an incident from her childhood about St. Nick. They were living in Lomira. Probably just she and Noel were born as she thinks that she was about 4 years old. One of the neighbor men dressed up like St. Nicholas - he wore a fake beard, a big old fur hat and one of those long fur coats that men wore when they rode in open carriages and so on. He came in and talked to the children and asked them if they were good little girls and boys. They assured him that they were. At that time, Grandpa had a hired hand. "St. Nick" asked the hired hand if he was good and if he said his prayers. The hired hand said he never prayed and wasn't about to. St. Nick proceeded to "beat" the man with his wooden staff. The hired hand ran off into the night. Mother said she was scared to death. She is still saying her prayers regularly.

Have a nice Friday. I will be packing a truck.

Mary

Last night was miserable. I woke up shortly after midnight with my whole left leg aching and could NOT get comfortable. Dick fixed me a cup of tea and I took a pain pill and did get some sleep but I kept waking up even with all that. Then Chelsea woke me up at 5:30AM. I tried to go back to sleep but twenty minutes later she was at me again so I gave up.

Today, I went to church and Marcy Eppers and I got the Blessed Mother Statue out of the closet and put it on the altar for the feast of the Immaculate Conception which is tomorrow. We put a BIG rosary on that statue and on the big statue in the back of the church. The I did a bit of shopping and came home for a nap.

Dick, Mother and I went to the Villager for dinner tonight and then to the Sheboygan Theatre. They had a nice feel good program. Three short Christmas skits followed by the feature, The Best Christmas Pagaent Ever. Ralph did a great job. He had one of his biggest casts ever and LOTS of kids. They were very talented as was the lead adult in the feature. We really enjoyed it a lot.

Now I am tired and sore. I just soaked in the tub and am icing my ankle then will go to bed. Pray that I sleep tonight.

"The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket." (from an e-mail)

Love

Mary

Another COLD day. It was 1 degree on our thermometer when we looked the first time. It makes me feel less guilty about not being able to walk Chelsea because we would not be walking in this cold anyway.

Dick and I took Mother to Gibbsville Cheese Factory to buy Christmas Cheese packages (and a bit for ourself). Then we went out for lunch at the Parkview in Falls. It was a nice outing. I am almost ready to seal all the packages that have to go out to the far away kids. I need to pick up a couple of things tomorrow, which I will do when I go to church to put Mary on the altar for the feast of Immaculate Conception. I will stop at the store on the way home and FINISH. Then we can post everything by the weekend, with any luck at all.




Well, I finally got around to it. Here is a picture of me with Daniel O'Donnell in Branson. We sure did have a good time on that trip.

Have a nice Wednesday.

Mary

It was cold cold cold AGAIN. My poor little Chelsea goes out and eagerly rolls in the snow. Then she surveys her domain. Then she gets down to business. By then her poor little pads get cold and she ends up finishing her business on three feet. Well, that's her problem.

Went to Bible Study this morning. The Advent readings are really nice. Full of promise. We especially liked the 2nd reading for next Sunday. Paul 1 Thes. 5:16-24.
"Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing!" Those are the first two lines.

I took care of lots of phone business today. I spent time trying to get Medicare D plans for Dick, Mother AND me. I have Dick and Mother almost figured out and am waiting to hear from my insurance company to see if I want to go that way. I think that the same idiot who designed a couple of freeway sections that I know of was assigned the Medicare D program. Some things are put together strictly to confuse the consumer.

We had hamburgers, beans and apple pie for supper. Num Num.

Have a nice day and pray for a warmup.

Mary

Tonight, Bobbie and I went to Rhine Plymouth for the club meeting. It was handled quite well this time and we were home by 8:30PM.

I DID get to stay home all day today. It was very very cold and quite lovely with blue skies and the sun glinting off fresh snow.

Dick and I bottled the Gewertziminer wine this afternoon and I also wrapped the remaining Christmas presents.

The Packers lost so we are depressed. This was a BAD week for my fantasy football picks. I really struggled and made some pretty poor choices apparantly. At this point I am clear at the bottom only outscoring one of our members who did not get his picks in. I might be able to pull out of the basement but things are not looking good.

Barbara called today. She has been working LOTS of overtime and is stretched for time but has been healthy lately. Bart, however, has a sinus infection that is bothering him. All else is well. She is, amid taking care of Bart and working, trying to plan a 50th wedding anniversary party for her parents.

Students in an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last question was, "Name seven advantages of Mothers Milk," worth 70 points or none at all.

A funny email that I received the other day. I am tired and can't think of anything clever myself.

One student was hard put to think of seven advantages. He wrote:
1. It is perfect formula for the child.
2. It provides immunity against several diseases.
3. It is always at the right temperature.
4. It is inexpensive.
5. It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6. It is always available as needed.
And then, the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bell indicating the end of the test rang, he wrote.................................
7. It comes in such cute containers.
He got an "A"

Love

Mary