Such a nice Sunday. I went to the 8:00AM Mass. Then visited with Mother for a bit before heading home to fix breakfast, assemble the casserole for dinner and make an infusion from Lemon Balm leaves and stems so that I can make more Lemon Balm Wine when I finally free up some gallon jugs. Currently, I have two batches of Currant Wine and two of Concord Grape so my jugs are quite full and I need to wait until I can bottle. So I am making infusions and freezing fruit and flower petals so that I can make other batches when there are empty jugs available.

Bobbie, Jim and I went shooting this afternoon. My pistol shooting was OK. The first two weren't bad at all but the third was a little off. My elbow started hurting and I lost my steady hand. I only got a 15 on trap but I felt a little off. I need to keep reminding myself at EACH shot to line up the beads and keep AHEAD of the bird.

I talked to Bret tonight. He sounds good. The Santa Ana winds make his sinuses act up but he is far away from fires except for an occasional whisp of smokey air. He is working hard but today enjoyed a little fun at a church festival near his home that his friends Tony and Dee belong to. Their daughter, Emily, is his goddaughter.

And Oh YES! the Packers won big. 52/3 against New Orleans. So it has been a good day.

I have a puzzle. The Catholic church is talking about making a rule against gay men who are celebate and vow to remain so from becoming priests. Now, heterosexual men take a vow of celebacy and become priests all the time. (Well, Duh!) What is the difference. A vow is a vow is a vow.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your
hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always
catch the second person.
) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.


Tomorrow will be busy so I am going to get ready for bed. Have a good Monday.

Mary

I took Mother to Joanne's today. We found her backing for her quilt and some lovely blue fabric for the backing. She also bought a pillow form. She is working on a Hawaiian design square and plans on making a pillow out or that. She never quits. I must ask her if she wants me to sew the backing together. I can't imagine her doing that by hand.

I picked up some thread and some fusable bonding so I can continue on my Christmas Tree Skirt.

Dick and I then took Mother to lunch at Zana's. I made the mistake of mentioning that I had gotten the "Friends don't let friends vote Republican" for both Jim and Bart, our Republicans. Mother got on her political platform and said that she would like one of them to tell her ONE reason why they back Bush. They could, I am sure, they are as determined as she is.

We racked the 2nd fermentation of the Concord Grape wine today. The first racking into the secondary fermentor. The Condord Grape Wines are going to take a great deal of patience. Two years, much like the Two Year Currant. I am thinking that perhaps that is what the Wild Grape wine needed too. More time. I know in Dad's personal wine recipes, if the wine was not up to his or Mother's standards, he would alway add the not - Age longer. Here is a great example. Actually, a wine that I would never try. It must have been around the period where he said of the Bee Balm Wine that if that worked, he would try his old shoes.

LETTUCE WINE

Step 1: Lettuce, campden tablets, 1/2 the sugar (1 1/4 lb), the raisins. Pour one gallon (7 pints boiling) over the itens in the crock. Cool.

Step 2: Add acids, yeast and nutrient. Stir twice a day for 5 days.

Step 3: Add rest of sugar (1 1/4 lb) boiled in 1 pint water. When cooled, fit lock and ferment.

Comment: Not so good. Let age.

Enjoy

Mary

I have a "needy" little Roxie, sitting on my lap purring her heart out and looking at me adoringly.

I had lunch in Plymouth again today. I had a grilled cheese today and it was exceptionally good. Then stopped at Mother's on the way home because I wanted to talk to Jeff. He came to get Mother's yard trimmed down for the winter and to help bring in the plants that she winters in the basement. I have asked him to help me drive Bart and Barb's things down to them. Bart is not well, as I mentioned and Barb has enough on her plate. They are doing a biopsy on the 18th. Please keep praying for a benign test on that.

Tonight, some of us finished decorating the church for Fall. We put the wreaths up and scattered colored leaves in the greens and around the candle holders. Now just before Halloween, we will add Mums and pumpkins and gourds.

I also baked an apple pie today and it really tasted good.

I looked for a simple one and this is it. It is called Wonderful Apple Pie and I found it on allrecipes.com.

* 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Apple Pie Spice
* 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1 (9 or 10-inch) deep dish pie shell
* 8 cups medium cooking apples, peeled and thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine brown sugar, flour, apple pie spice, and butter. Sprinkle about 1/3 of this mixture over bottom of unbaked pie shell.
2. Put apples in pie shell. Spoon remaining sugar-spice mixture over apples. Place pie on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

I don't do apple pies often because you have to peel all those apples and I don't enjoy that. I also tasted the Lemon Balm Wine as it is now officially one year old. It is quite good, very light and fruity but not too sweet. I will have to see if I can gather enough leaves between Mother's and my gardens to make a batch this year.

A friend is someone who knows
the song in your heart
and can sing it back to you
when you have forgotten
the words.;

-- Unknown

Mary

This was a shopping day and Dick got his "finger pricked" to test his blood. Sue, the technician , was training another tech and told her that Dick is one of her boring patients. He is always just where he should be. Only once in the last two years or more did he test outside of the perameters.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning the bathroom and transcribing some things that I have been writing in longhand on our trips lately so that I can work on them. I hate writing in longhand anymore but when there is not computer and a thought comes, one does not want to lose it.

I am going to make an apple pie for the weekend.

Mark Twain said "Principles have no force unless one is well fed." Quite astute. Just like I always say. Underfed children do not learn well. To teach the children in our poor areas, we first have to see that they have a good breakfast, follow it up with lunch and see that they do not go to bed with empty tummies.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY ALREADY. Where did the week go?

Mary

Here we are mid week.

Dick and I bottled the Beaujolais today. 25 bottles that will be ready in three months. They say you can drink it right away but we have discovered that the red wines really need to age for that three months to really smooth out. Tomorrow, we can try the Lemon Balm. We just have to remember to chill it.

Tonight, Mother, Dick and I went to dinner at Nino's and then went to the Sheboygan Theatre Co at Horace Mann to see Noises Off. It was a really fast moving farce. Well done. The last act was confusing, but they made it up in the curtain calls which were as good as the play.

George Washington's prayer for America -

"Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection ! and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Be happy

Mary

Another warm day. It was up into the low 80's. The "end" is coming soon. It is supposed to drop 30 degrees in the next couple of days.

Chelsea and I had a really nice walk this morning. The rest of the day was mildly busy. I got my haircut at 11:30 and then did a whole bunch of errands between that and my appointment with Dr. Casey. I told him about my sore knee. He adjusted it and showed me a couple of excercizes that should strengthen the muscles and make the pain go away. I can even do them while we are on the bus so the knee shouldn't lock up on the mystery trip.

Tomorrow we will go to the Sheboygan Theatre to see the first show of the season. Noises Off is the farce that is being presented. Some prople saw it on opening night and said that it was confusing to them. Nora saw it in Dallas and says it is a wonderful play. At least, she and Leif really enjoyed it. Usually the Theatre company does a great job on farces.

I got the results of my bone density test and everything is normal. I kind of figured it was. I have not even lost any height. I am still 5'4" and they say that people usually shrink as they grow older. If you lose bone density it has to go somewhere. Height would be the first place as far as I can see.

Tomorrow we will bottle a batch of Beaujolais. We have a lot in the making but are kind of low in our stock. Well, we should have plenty for Christmas, when we like to give it away. In two days, some of the scrath wines that I made last year will be ready for testing. The first one ready is the Lemon Balm Wine. We will taste it tomorrow. If it is any good, I must harvest some from Mom's garden before it freezes.

A poem from R. S. Thomas on eternity. I just like it.

"I think that maybe
I will be a little surer
of being a little nearer.
That's all. Eternity
is in the understanding
that that little is more than enough."

Sounds good to me.

Till tomorrow.

Mary

I had to be at three meetings between 6:00PM and 7:00PM this evening and I made them ALL. The Environment Committee was doing some seasonal changes in church. I was able to help for about 1/2 hour. While I was there, Jim Wilsing, my bagpiper friend, came in. He is doing the music tonight for the Mission that we are having at church. He spent two weeks down in the Biloxi Miss to help with the Red Cross. He said that it was extremely traumatic. He is glad he went and was able to do some good but will carry the pictures in his heart forever. I am going to see if Fr. Gene would like him to come to talk to our faith community. While I was working, he played Lament on the organ for me. What a guy.

Next, I zipped over to the Parish office and gave my report on the Celtic Faire. I have the go ahead for next year. We will again have the same band, the storyteller and the the Cashel Dennehy Dancers. I will do some rotation of the acts and publicize the times each will be performing. We are going to move the vendors under the trees on the music side of the building. I think they were too hot and away from the "action" this year. Last year wasn't quite so bad because we had the band out there. So we will move them.

Last, I went to Rhine Plymouth for the monthly meeting. I was only about 5 minutes late and they were waiting for me. It was a comparatively short meeting with only two really important discussions, the parking lot and the fact that beer is disappearing from the cooler. The second is very distressing. We HAVE to resolve it.

This morning, I went to Mass because I really don't need to be out extra evenings at the Parish Mission. Then I had breakfast with my friend Joann between Mass and Bible Study. That was pleasant. Joann is a real delight. Fr. Hart, our Mission Priest (a Franciscan) joined us at our bible study. So I got a little bit more of renewal and was able to ask for more EXTRA prayers for the kids in Oklahoma.

I think that I will get up my Halloween decorations tomorrow. I did hang the spider web wall hanging in the hall. After Halloween, I will hang the spinning pinwheel hanging which really came out looking good in that spot. I DO have to get a proper rod for it.

Mother is still quilting. Did I mention that. She has another quilt top ready for assembly. When we take her to the Sheboygan Theatre on Wednesday, I will ask her if she can go shopping for her batting and backing on Saturday. I can take her to Joanne's and then we can pick up Dick and all go to lunch. She likes that and we LOVE spending time with her.

Donna called tonight. Jessica wanted to know if we liked Wicked. She saw it in New York and was JEALOUS that we got to go. She would love to see it again. I will take the Discover books to Donna. It will be in Chicago til May of next year from the looks of it - or else in and out at least twice.

This seems to be a pitiful night for the Packers. They were tied in the first quarter but as we hit the half, Carolina is ahead by 16. Oops. I picked the Packers, out of loyalty, but thank heavens, I only gave them one point. My picks weren't bad this week. I believe I may move up a notch or two. Still below half but at least I am moving up.

An important fact to remember when raising boys.

When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.



Enjoy Tuesday.

Mary

Another beautiful day. Chelsea and I had the BEST walk this morning.

I met my cousin Mike, his wife Kellee and their children, Katie and Shawn for breakfast at Harry's Diner before they had to leave for the airport. Patty's funeral was yesterday and it was a lovely day for it. I guess everything went quite well. We had a nice visit this morning anyway. Mike still works for the airlines. He flies and also does some training. The children are busy in school and sports and whatever. They are beautiful children and very well behaved.

Then I went to church and this afternoon, Jim and I went shooting. This week was a big change from last week. I felt it was worth the trip to Rhine. My scores should be up. But that really BAD one from last week is definitly going to bring the average down. I shot a round of trap too and got a 16 again. Not bad but I hope to see some improvement as time goes on. Tomorrow is the club meeting. I am ALL ready. The minutes are copied and I updated the membership list with our two new member.

Please pray for Bart and Barb this week. They are facing health problems and need all the help they can get.

Take care. I read somewhere that we should live every day, as full of truth and kindness as we can, as though is were our last and to arise each day as if it were our first and a new and precious beginning.

Mary

We are home from Chicago. We got to the house at almost exactly 9:00PM just like they promised. It makes a long day but was well worth it. After picking up the extra passengers in Plymouth and Sheboygan Falls we headed directly to the Weber Grill Cafe in Chicago. All of their food is cooked on Webers. Dick and I had both ordered the Salmon which was brushed with a nice barbeque glaze. It came with salad, mashed REAL potatoes, steamed veggies and a great cheesecake.

Then on to the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (formerly and still recognized as the Oriental Theatre) for Wicked. It was one of the most energetic musicals that I have seen in years and we loved it. Again, none of the music is really memorable, by that I mean we did not come out of the theatre humming anything. However, we loved the performers, the performances and the message.

The premise is that one should always look at all sides of a situation. It is the Wizard of Oz from the viewpoint of the Wicked Witch of the West. Perspective can make the WHOLE story look completely different. One thing that impressed me was a statement by the Wizard that if one wants to rally people around you, one needs to find a common enemy.

Have pleasant Sunday. It is supposed to be beautiful with a chance of rain in the evening.

Love

Mary

A nice day. The weather was perfect. It was clear and sunnt but only in the low 70s for a high.

I had my bone density test today. It was the easiest test in the world. I just lay on a table and they took two shots. I paid attention this time and my height is still 5'4". I have been 5'4" for as long as I remember. That, to me, means that I am not losing height. So - my bones are probably OK.

Then I cleaned the kitchen and made Lavender Bread.

Had lunch with the girls in Plymouth at the Dairy Queen. I got a Grilled Chicken Salad. It was delicious. Then I stopped at Mom's and dropped of a card for her to take to Patty's funeral for the cousins. I enclosed a poem that I hope they like.

Tonight Bobbie and I worked at Rhine. I kept score because we needed scorekeepers. I had to be reminded a bit but it came back. I scored for a couple of really great shooters.

When I got home a call from Mike Holehouse was on the answering machine, so I called him. We will try to get together for a bit on Sunday Morning, but they have to be in Milwaukee by Noon so it could get tricky. Otherwise, as he says, since Patty is buried here, they will come occasionally. Though, that does not necessarily follow. I do not go to Tony's grave in Huntington Beach, but then I found that I just couldn't do that. I do want to go once more sometime. I only visited the grave twice since we buried him. Once with Dad and once with Grandma and Grandpa Bowser.
It is just too hard.

Tomorrow we go to see Wicked. I have to gather the things I want to take along and it is already 10:00PM so I will sign off now.

The Cadfael Book of Days, Ellis Peters, compiled by Robin Whiteman said. "What is done matters, but what is yet to do matters more."

Enjoy your weekend and pray for Patty. However, I believe that her angel has led her to God.

Love

Mary

Just a quick note as it is 10:00PM and I am about to go to bed. It was an interesting day. Dick and I went to breakfast and then shopping this morning.

Then I got a call from my cousing Lynn. She and her husband Jeff were in town early because they were not sure when the funeral for her mother Patty, was going to be. They have to leave EARLY on Sunday so would not be able to make it to a brunch on Sunday. So - I invited them to supper tonight. We had a very pleasant meal and then I led them over to Mom's to visit and I went to choir. I was done in time to lead them back. They are staying at the Comfort Inn just down in back of the Hardee's on J.
They seem very happy. Jeff drives truck - mostly locally and Lynn has been teaching for 18 years. They have two beautiful little girls, Katie and Sydney. I am really glad they came over.

Jeff called while I was gone. He is going to order a big floral arrangement from the whole gang of us and have it delivered to Wenig's on Saturday. That seems like a great idea to me. The obituary for Patty was in the paper tonight. I am so delighted to find that she also wrote poetry. I shared some of ours, (Dad, George, Matt and Mine) with Lynn. I gave her a copy of the book of Dad's poems that I compiled.

Tomorrow, I am having a bone density test. It will be interesting, but I believe that my bones are very good, so it is just a technicality.

Dave Berry said. "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog sill give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'"

Later

Mary

This was the quietest day this week. The only thing that I did that required any effort was ride to Manitowoc with Mary Yurk, my accross-the-street neighbor. She delivered blankets for the Linus Project to a baby care place and then we stopped at Quilts and Silks to browse. I did find a hanger to use in the hall so that I could hang my spiderweb for the holidays.

Aside from that it was quiet. I heard from my cousin, Laura, Patty's daughter. Patty's funeral will be Saturday and Dick and I will be in Chicago seeing Wicked. They will probably be in town on Sunday so I told Laura that I would love to have whomever over here on Sunday Morning for a brunch. I will bake lavendar bread tomorrow and make a fruit salad on Friday. Then, if they come, I can just cook bacon and sausage and scramble eggs for the brunch. I have some bagels too.

I feel bad missing the funeral but these plans can't be changed at this late date.

Tomorrow, Dick and I shop and I have choir in the evening. I also should go to the funeral of the mother of a friend. I must remember to get a lot of sympathy cards. I am totally out.

Did I ever give you the recipe to the easiest bread in the world.

Beer Bread

3 cups self rising flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 can beer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. Mix the three ingredients right in the pan. Let sit for 15 minutes or so. Bake for 1 hour.


Enjoy

Mary

I had the most wonderful experience listening to Dr. George Archibald's lecture at Lakeland College. Before the lecture, he actually walked up and talked to me. He thought he recognized me. I told him he looked familiar too and then he said he was the speaker. I told him that was why he looked familiar to me, because I am a crane fan. He is going to keep me informed as to when he goes up to Neceedah to watch the ultralights fly with the cranes. Wouldn't that be an exciting adventure.

The talk was informative and very easy to listen too. I learned a lot about the current condition of the flocks in Asia and Africa too. Did you know that there are no cranes in South America? Nobody really knows why.

I also picked up Market Day. As I said, we need to start emptying out the freezer now. We have enough food to feed us for a long time.

I got a call today from church. Lynn, the business manager, asked me if Doug Deeley was my brother. I told her no, he is my cousin. Then she said that the funeral home had called and that Doug's sister had died. I am so glad that she called. The sister is our cousin Patty. I haven't heard from her directly since my brother Tim died but have kept in touch with how she is doing through her daughter Jennifer. Jenny is a great gal for sending Christmas cards and responding to e-mails. Anyway, Patty was awful about writing or calling, but when you were with her, you always had FUN. Patty was a ray of sunshine in any room that she was in. I will miss knowing she is around. I am not too surprised, because I knew that she had congestive heart failure. I e-mailed Jenny and told her that if there was anything that I could do to let me know. And I called Mother. Doug MAY call but I wouldn't count on it.

Say a special prayer for Patty and her kids tonight. We want her soul to speed right up to heaven.


story that came out of Baton
Rouge.

Yesterday the Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up in Baton Rouge, I wished he would
have showed up in Sheriff Harry Lee's office as we would have NEVER heard
from him again. He said, "Bush has NOT appointed a Single Black to head up
this Katrina Relief, the Black Caucus and Black Leaders all over America are
upset with him putting the Black Folks on the side and it is OUR people who
are sitting on their roof tops waiting for Rescue, OUR people who are
standing in line at the Superdome waiting on Food, Water and a Ride to a
safe place, OUR people who have been locked down in Poverty..." and so on.

George Sell the Anchorman for TV 9 news responded to Jesse, "Rev. Jackson,
the Mayors of New Orleans and Baton Rouge are Black, the Police Chief's of
New Orleans and Baton Rouge are Black, the Head of the LA State Police is
Black, the Head of the Army conducting the Army's operation on the Ground in
New Orleans is Black, the Congressman from New Orleans is Black and for the
last 40 years, the leaders of LA have been members of the Democratic Party,
YOUR Party, don't blame us like you are doing, look in the Mirror, you pull
the Race Card any time you don't get your way, we are in a Terrible Crisis
and right now we need to come together and here you come to Louisiana and
holler Racism, just like you do, it is NEVER EVER your fault, ALWAYS someone
else, but here you are sitting High and Dry, why don't you go out in to the
waters where they are shooting at the Rescue personnel and help in the
Rescue???'"



From a copy of an e-mail that I received from a friend. I do believe that race is not a factor in the damage and devastation or the response. The response was poor management and the POOR suffered most because there is such a large poor population there.

Kind of an interesting commentary anyway. It brings out a lot of facts.

Til tomorrow.

Mary

Today was a quiet day.

Bible study was my only event, though Dick and I did have to pick up a couple of things this afternoon.

It is now still dark at 6:00AM when Chelsea wakes me up. So. I am just letting her out the door then and taking her for her walk a bit later, after we have breakfast and perhaps even a shower as it stays dark later and later and later. Winter gets that way, you know.

Bible study was lively. We are still reading Paul 2 Corinthians. In the 10th chapter, Paul is defending himself from charges that though he writes a nice letter, he isn't all that hot in preaching. We decided that out message is that not all ministers are equal. Some are preachers, some are good with people and some are good builders or managers. We are going to try to be aware that when people criticize a minister we should point out that even Paul had his drawbacks so we should be more accepting.

Tomorrow, I will go to Lakeland College to listen to Dr. George Archibald, the co-founder of the International Crane Foundation. As you probably know, the crane is my favorite endangered species and Dick and I try to go the the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo every year if we can. I never tire of it. I believe I will wear my crane vest and pin tomorrow. I will add one of my pictures of a crane to this blog posting.



We had pizza soup tonight. Such a good soup. I got the recipe from Aunt Mary Ann when Dick and I went to Texas several years ago. The real name is Zucchini Soup but Nora and Sara named it Pizza Soup when they were kids and it has stuck for us. I froze enough for three meals. It is time for us to start eating out of the freezer for a while.

These are two "givens" from a list of funny things boys do sent to me by a friend.

Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

80% of Men who read this will try mixing Clorox and brake fluid.


Good night sleep tight.

Mary

I am exhausted. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest but I was hopping most of it.

I mentioned that it was pheasant release day. Fourteen or so conservation clubs in Sheboygan County pool their money and time and raise 2500 to 3000 pheasant that are released in the county in the autumn of each year not too long before pheasant season. Granted this gives the pheasant hunter a bigger crop to harvest from, but it has been proved to be a way to increase the population of pheasant in general. The bird was almost extinct in the county. Now you often see the birds on the side of the road all year round. For sure, a big percentage of those released are harvested, but the smart and the lucky live to procreate and the population is growind.

Anyway, I got to the Maywood site at about 7:00AM and worked with the rest until about 10:30AM. We herded the birds into the holding pens, caught them individually, made sure their blinders were removed (Blinders are put on them as chicks so that they don't pick at each other and hurt each other in the rather confined quarters that they are raised in. Before release, the blinders come off so that they can see and hopefully protect themselves.) and put them in the crates for each club. Then the clubs drive them out around the county wherever they want them where there is good cover and food source and where the members want to hunt and release them. Many of the club members bring their children. This is really a good experience for them in conservation and in the knowledge of animals. I really like doing it. I think it reminds me of the chickens that Dad used to raise. We used to make pets out of them you know.

Then Jim, Bobbie and I went pistol shooting. By then it was POURING. I am not complaining because the rain held off while we were doing the pheasants. I shot miserably. There is no other description. The third target was not too bad but the first was bad and the second was AWFUL..

I think I need to see another rainbow for luck. These are the goofy things that happened today. 1. A Pheasant scratched my arm pretty bad. 2. The Packers lost. 3. An open coke fell out of the fridge and soaked my arm. 4. The trash fell over and I had to clean coffee grounds up off the floor. 5. I shot so badly.

There I have written them down - now they are over and good will happen from now on.

I don't think I told you about Bobbie's experience of a couple weeks ago. She was driving west on Highway J and at the corner of J and Rangeline Road, saw some large birds beside the road. Turkeys, she thought. When she got up to them she saw that she was right there were several turkeys and lo and behold along with them was a peacock. Can turkeys and peacocks mate? Wonder what that would look like and what would one call them - Perkeys? Teacocks?


Have a nice Monday

Mary

The Concord Grape pie is scrumptious. Kenny said that the lady who has the grapes is glad to have a taker so next year we will do it again. As Jim says "It is a keeper."

We also had what may be our last meal of corn and tomatoes until next year. Mr. Capelle, the produce man in Plymouth, expects there to be one more week of sweet corn. I will check next Friday but I am not holding my breath. I do have enough in the freezer for the winter now. I went to the 5:00PM Mass because tomorrow is pheasant release day. (I'll report on that tomorrow.) I fully expected to have to shuck that corn when I got home from church but that wonderful man I sleep with had the whole two baker's dozen ready when I got home so all I had to do was cook them.

I cleaned the lower cupboards in the kitchen today. I finally got tired of having to dig for things that have shifted and of having stuff falling out because everything is mixed up. I always find a few things that are expired anyway because they get shoved to the back.

I also cleaned my guns so I am ready for shooting tomorrow. I decided that I am goint to fix beer can chicken tomorrow with the last can of beer left from when Fr. Mike was here.

It was a lovely day for walking this morning. Kind of crisp. On weekends, Chelsea and I don't run into many people. Roger and Pepper aren't out because it is Roger's big work day and I think some of the other regulars take the weekend off. But it was nice. It is supposed to rain tomorrow.

Mother got a call from George and Betsy in Houston. All is well, the rain was heavy but not dangerous and they were really ready. They were spending today putting their house back in order. They took things off the walls and really battened down. They were well stocked, had a full tank of gas and had even filled their bathtub in case there was a problem with clean water later on. But by the time it got to them it was reduced to a bad but not catastrophic storm. Thank God.

"If you can't believe in God the chances are your God is too small." J. B. Phillips


Have a great Sunday. Come over for beer can chicken, if you want to.

Mary

I had an altogether wonderful evening at the Wonderful World Coffee on Michigan Avenue. Michael Perry, Wisconsin author from New Auburn WI, author of Population:485 and now Off Main Street was there to speak and sell and sign his books. I mentioned that I had heard him about a year ago. He is as interesting to listen to as to read. I recommend the books highly and if you get a chance to see him, he is a hoot to listen too.

Jane Kocmond, a fellow writer, joined me and we had a pleasant evening together too. The Wonderful World is a neat place to wile away some time too with tasty lattes and teas and nice bakery, soups and wraps. Dick said it was "OK" but I really like it. I orderd a chai tea and a cookie and bought a small bag of cookies to take home for Dick. He is sharing with Jim. What a guy.

I cleaned the kitchen this morning and also, (something I am VERY proud of) got a HUGE mess of ink stains out of my favorite pair of khaki pants. I thought they were lost but I kept pouring hair spray on the spots and brushing with a toothbrush until Wa La the spots were gone. I had already ordered a new pair of khakis (tsk tsk) so now I will have two. I really DID think that the other pair was shot.

Had lunch at the Plymouth Dairy Queen with the Plymouth people again. They said they missed me. We had the full crew today, Marlene, Betty, Barb, Ceil, Mary S., Jane and myself. It was a beautiful day, a bit cooler than it has been but sunny and pleasant.

I made pizza soup for dinner. A nice hearty meal, easy to eat. I picked up corn while I was in Plymouth so guess what we will have tomorrow. I am afraid that MIGHT be the last fresh corn of the season. Mr. Capelle seemed to think there MIGHT be one more week, so I will check next Friday. But I am not holding my breath.

Tomorrow should be a rather quiet day. I will be going to Mass at 5:00 because of releasing the pheasant on Sunday. Since we are having corn for supper, that makes and easy supper. We are also going to try a new pie, a concord grape pie, that I found a recipe for. I mixed the pie crust yesterday. That is half the battle I find. It says serve with vanilla ice cream, but I think that it will be fine with cool whip.

Have a nice weekend.

Mary

I sang to the Lord tonight at choir practice. We went over four songs. Three of them we sang several years ago, among them a Vivaldi - "Sing to the Lord". Very appropriate. It is, as all Vivaldi, very light but energetic.

Today, Dick and I went out for our,now only once a week, breakfast and grocery shopping. You sure could tell we had not been shopping for two weeks. We got a LOT, We ate breakfast at Zana's and ran into one of the couples, Ken and Phyllis, who were on the Washington trip with us.

I cleaned the bathrooms today and rested for a while this afternoon. I have been sneezing violently for two days and hope that is will not develop into a full blown cold. I should a bit nazel but no sore throat or fever, so I am hoping it will just disappear.

It rained and thundered today. We got quite a bit. Mother Nature is trying to make up for the summer, now that the growing season is over. She just wasn't using her head this year. But better late than never, we need to build up the water table.

Things, on the other hand, are dire down in the Gulf again. I emailed brother George, who lives near Houston. They are staying put, as they are high and well stocked and the solid highways at this point seem more dangerous than staying. Seems practical from what I see. He is more concerned with sustained winds than water at this point. Please keep him and Betsy and the whole endangered area in your prayers.

We had leftovers tonight. The noodles, beef and gravy that I told you I was planning for Dick and fresh cauliflower and a lovely mixed green salad.

Two very exciting speakers are coming to Sheboygan County in the next seven days. Tomorrow night, Michael Perry, a Wisconsin author, who wrote Population 486 about his experiences as a volunteer fireman in his hometown which has a population of 486. I heard him speak at last years Aestival Festival. He is an interesting speaker and will be at the Wonderful World Book Store over on Michigan tomorrow night from 6 to 8PM. Some of the othe writers from the club will be there so I won't be alone. I have a copy of the book, if you would like to borrow it. He has another one out, I understand. It will be interesting to hear about that.

On Tuesday evening, George Archibald, a co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, is speaking at Lakeland. I am utterly delighted and will definately go to that too. You do know that Cranes are my endangered species cause. I will wear my crane vest and crane pin.

I understand that Kathy, the bell choir director, is planning practices for Tuesdays. I am not sure I am up to committing another evening to something. I kind of liked all the music on one night. Especially, now that gas is up so high and we are trying to cut down on trips to everywhere.

A funny quote, emailed from a friend.

On a Swedish chainsaw -- "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals."
(Oh my God..was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)

Have a good Friday.

Mary

What a day. Kenny and I picked about 15 pounds of Concord Grapes at his friend's house. I got home with them and realized that I did not have enough sugar so I drove over to Woodlake to get it. It seemed best to mix up the wine right away while the fruit was fresh off the vine. I have enough for 2.5 or 3 gallons. Now the only problem is where do I get enough gallon jugs. I am OK for JUST this, but will have wild grapes soon and I have frozen the marigold blossems already. So I will be busy making scratch wines this winter too. Dick and I also mixed up a batch of Gewertiminer today. So. There is a lot fermenting in our basement right now, but we are pretty low and Christmas is coming so we need to stock up because we like to give it away.






Sharing two pictures from the Washington trip. The first is a picture of the Rose Window in the National Cathedral with a nice shot of Dick to go with it. The second is a picture of one of the pools of cascading water at the WW2 War Memorial. I like the shot as there was a bouquet of roses lying on the edge of the pool on the IWO JIMA engraving, under the quote from MacArthur. I don't hink that you will be able to read it so it says. "Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won, The skies no longer rain death - The seas bear only commerce - Men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world is quietly at peace."

Too bad we couldn't keep it that way.

Til tomorrow

Mary

This was a quiet day. I cooked and wrote today. With just Dick and I eating during the week food goes a long way so I divided 1 1/4 lbs of chuck steak up into two dishes. I made a really good vegetable beef soup for lunch. There is enough for lunch tomorrow too. The rest I cooked in the slow cooker and there is enough of that for another meal too. Don't tell Dick, but we will have that with noodles on Thursday.

Tomorrow was to be another quiet day, but my brother in law Ken called and said that his friend's concord grapes are ripe, so I am going to meet him at his house at 1:00 and we will go to pick them. I found a nice recipe for Concord Grape wine. It has a recipe for a 2nd batch out of the same pulp which I will try too. Dick and I worked on the Riesling that we have fermenting in the basement. On Friday, we rack or filter the Beaujolais, depending on how much sediment is there.

When we were in Washington, we went to the National Cathedral. It is spectacular. There are so many beautiful stained glass windows and it is huge. There is a special chapel for the armed forces. Any one who has served can have his or her name registered there. We had a great guide who was knowledgable and easy to hear. We went there on Wednesday and knew ahead of time that President Bush was going to be there speaking at the National Day of Prayer on Friday.

Have a pleasant Wednesday.

My friend and fellow author Jane Kocmoud wrote the following which appears in the 2006 Wisconsin Poet's Calendar.

SUMMER FASHION

lanquid squirrel
sprawls across the birdhouse
roof of fur


Isn't she great


Mary

It rained today. I got up a bit after 6:00AM and kind of hurried out with Chelsea because Sally Severenson of Channel 12 News said that there was a severe thunderstorm alert. We started down the road with our usual eagerness and excitement. Before we got to the first turn, thunder rolled across the sky, the angels must have ALL been bowling. Chelsea did an about face on the spot.

When we were in Washington, we saw all three War monuments. We had seen the traveling Vietnam War Wall when it was in Sheboygan. Bart was still in high school, I remember and it was up at the UW Sheboygan campus. The Washington Wall is MUCH bigger, of course. We looked up Dick's sister's son, John D. Fitzpatrick's name and took a rubbing of it. If Teresa doesn't have it we will give it to her. Otherwise, we will keep it as part of our memories. I took pictures of the Women's Memorial that is also on that site.

We saw the Korean War Memorial twice. On Tuesday Night they took us on an "Illumination Tour" and the Korean War Memorial was best seen at night. It is touching to see that platoon in the half light posed as they are coming throught the rice paddies. Crickets are chirping as you walk through. The figures of the members of the platoon are bigger than life and very imposing. I got pictures the next day in the daylight.

That night we also went to the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the Iwo Jima Statue. Did you know that if you start by view it on the left front corner and walk slowly around it counter clockwise, the artist designed it so that as you round the back of the statue it appears that the flag has raised to the upright position. Spectacular!

Tomorrow, I don't have to go out at all.

Yippee!

Hope your day looks as good.

Mary

Today was a pleasant day. I slept like the dead last night but woke up at 6:00AM. My usual time. Chelsea was still sleeping when I got up so I missed an opportunity to be a slug-a-bed. Once I am up, she does not go back to sleep.

I went to the 10:30AM mass this morning. A friend of Beth, the choir director, who is a violinist joined us. So, we sang Pachebel's Canon of Praise which I pretty much had to sight read because I was in Washington on Thursday night when we practiced. A pretty sparse choir. About half our numbers were gone or working.

Jim and I went shooting at Rhine today. I shot a 16 in trap. Not the greatest but after only getting two on each of the first two stations, I got four on the last three, so at least I improved. The same thing with the pistol. I shot three targets and each one improved on the last.

Packers lost. Ick. Two in a row, not a good beginning.

I still haven't had a chance to look at the pictures that we took on our trip, but when I do, I will share a couple on this blog.

I hope the pictures of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier turned out. We learned so much about the guards that serve there. They are a very elite group and make a committment far beyond the normal soldier.

If chosen, a soldier commits to an two year assignment, six months of training and eighteen months guarding the tomb. One soldier marches before the tombs 24/7 and they have done so since 1937. The changing of the guard happens every half hour during daylight hours in the summer months, every hour during the night and every hour in the winter daylight hours. Upon qualification, they receive a special wreath pin that they are entitled to wear for the rest of their lives.

Any soldier who requests this assignment cannot have a waistsize of more than 30 inches. During their six months training, the soldier cannot speak.

They take a vow never to drink alcoholic beverages and also vow never to swear. This is a lifetime vow and if they break their vow at any time, their pin will be taken away and they will have their name removed from the board below the tombs. (This is what the guide on the tram said, but the web site, says that this is a rumor.) Behavior that reflects badly on this elite corp, can result in removal and the taking back of the wreath pin.

The guard is strictly carried out and a thing of precision and reverence. All revolves around the number 21- the maximum gun salute given to any soldier or great person. They make 21 steps in front of the tomb. At each end they face the tomb and pause for 21 seconds. This is repeated during the entire shift.

We were priviledged to see the changing of the guard and I recommend it as part of any tour of the D. C. area.

We also saw the Kennedy tomb at Arlington. What a privilege.

That is all for today.

We may get some rain tomorrow. The storm that occured while we were gone, surely helped but the water table is WAY low. Everything actually looks pretty green.

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself. (from an e-mail I received.)

Joy all week

Mary

We are home. It was a long long day, so I will keep this short and tell you more highlights as the next week progresses.

We saw SO much in our short time in D. C. All the memorials and many many monuments. Our nation's capital is inspiring in its beauty and richness of culture and history. It is also overwhelming with all the people and traffic that is constant.

We stayed at the Hampton in Alexandria VA and were very pleased with Lamer's choice of accomodations. We were within walking distance of two (we heard of another but never made it there)excellent restuarants. The Joe Theissman where we shared a quesidilla one night and ordered a whole dinner the next. I ordered crab cakes that night and they were delicious. Dick had a steak.

The last night in that area, we went to a Thai restuarant down the street that was also very good. Dick found out he likes rice noodles too. Somehow I am not surprised.

I think I have about 150 pictures. The digital is handy because one can take several shots of the same thing at different angles and try odd things if one wants. If they don't turn out - delete works just fine. I will have to wait until tomorrow to see them because after I reviewed 158 emails I am just too tired.

So - We are home safe and sound. We had a great time. I will tell you more tomorrow.

love

Mary

It was hot today, but the Celtic Faire was quite successful, at least we believe so.

We know that the Mass was VERY well attended and people were pleased with it. The band, the Cashel Dennehy Dancers were both hits. Everybody wants to see them again so we have already asked them for next year. The storyteller was well received, but I know now that I will rearrange the schedule and have her come on SOONER while more children are there and have her entertain everybody and then take the children for some games etc. Our Children Games chair let us down this year, there were no organized games for the kids and by the time Patti O'Clover got on most of them had been taken home.

The food was wonderful and we sold out most of it. There was a Nesco of meat left, but I am sure that was sent home with someone. We did not run out of corned beef this year and had less than a Nesco full of that which we sent home at a reduced price.

The bar is always successful.

SO!!! once we determine the financial results, we will know th total success. So far it is up there on 3 of the 4 criteria.

Then, when I got home, I had to sew the binding on the Waterwheel Spin quilt that I have asked my neighbor to take to the Quilt Show next Saturday. Nothing like finishing up at the last minute. Mary has two beautiful items she is entering this year, an Underground Railroad quilt and a really cute wall hanging called Mittens. It has MITTENS in big quilted letters and then four "mittens" hanging from it.


This will be my last post until next Saturday evening. We leave at 8:00AM for Washington DC. I hope you will miss me. I will miss posting. However, Dick and I are so excited about the trip. First times to special places are always SO exciting.

Have a great week. I will store up stories for you.

Love

Mary
We will know for sure once we determine how financially successful it was.

Today was quite a day. It was hot. In the upper 80s.

It was a day of triumphs for the Deeley women. George and Betsy went to Hilbert, I guess actually Appleton and ran in the Cheesehead Run. I am SO impressed. Betsy won her class and Kathy won hers also. The announcers commented on the fact that two Deeleys in a row were the winners of the event. Betsy won a cheese tray.

I went to the Aestival Festival with Jane and Sylvia from Writer's Club.
The Aestival Festival is really a great day for Wisconsin Writers it lasts from about 8 to 3. They provide a really nice continental breakfast and a great lunch. They always have a well known Wisconsin Writer as the keynote speaker. This year the author of The Final Frontiersman, James Crawford. There are two workshops, one before and one after lunch. You get a choice on these. Three choices in each time slot. I chose Journalism and Poetry. Then there is a final speaker and away we go. All of this is in addition to the writing contests and the prize drawings.

Jane got an honorable mention in the poetry contest and I GOT FIRST PLACE. I was SO excited. It was for a poem I wrote several years ago called They Soar. I will add it here for you.


THEY SOAR

They Soar.

We send them – Emissaries to the edges of the grasp of the planet.

They stride
These heroes of our time,
With joy and pride and courage.

With reckless abandon, they enter the capsule
And we fling them into the void.

We name them astronaut – cosmonaut.
These names make our hearts and minds ache with pride
Because they are human – like us.

We thrill as they rise from the shackles of Earth,
Feeling as they rise, the thrill in the pit of our stomachs.
As they experience
The ultimate carnival ride-
A journey beyond the clouds –
A reach for God in his heaven.

They satisfy
Man’s eternal curiosity,
His need to see a little further down the road.

We see them leave the womb of the capsule and float in the nothingness
On a man-made umbilical cord.
So Brave – So foolhardy.

We watch them walk on other worlds – with Giant Steps.

They talk of God, and of Pride and of Beauty that leaves them breathless.

In view of the whole world and yet beyond our reach,
They perform their deeds in glory.

And sometimes our emissaries don’t come back.

And we cry for them.

Have a neat Sunday.

Monday we leave for D. C.

Love

Mary

Another BUSY day. The church is decorated. That was my last stop.

The morning started quietly enough. I did my usual Friday kitchen cleaning. Then ironed Dick's shirts. At noon, Dick and I joined George and Betsy and Betsy's mother Dorothy, Jeff and Kathy and Mother at The Other Place for a really great fish lunch. I had not been in the Other Place in years. When I was a kid, it was called Fitz's and had a bowling alley in the basement (we wonder if the alleys are still there.) Jeff used to make money setting pins. There were no automatic pinsetters at Fitz's. The Other Place has expanded some in the past several years and now has a larger dining area that takes up the ajacent building. Interestingly enough, that adjacent building was my Uncle Jack's, Deeley's Men's Wear store.

The fish lunch was fantastic. I ate every bite and just snacked a bit for supper.

I had to leave at about 5:00PM because pistol league started this week and since I won't be here Sunday OR next Friday, I decided that I had better get a start. The first target was a bit wild, but the other two were better. I still have a long way to go, but am improving each league.

After I finished there I went to church. The church looks beautiful. We have decorated in green, white and orange, the colors of the Irish flag. Stan and Linda brought lots of beautiful fresh asparagus ferns and we have them mixed with white and orange mums and green plants.

Tomorrow, I will be going to the Aestival Festival with Sylvia and Jane from Writer's Club. I am looking forward to the break and feel that I have done all I can for Celtic Faire anyway.

I even am all packed for the trip to D. C. So, I should be able to relax and enjoy the conference.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Love

Mary

Nice day today after the rain yesterday. Yes we did have rain and it was quite heavy for a while, with thunder and everything. It cooled a bit this evening but is warming up to the mid to high 80s on Sunday. Just in time for the Faire.

Dick and I went grocery shopping today and had several other errands to run also. We were gone for three hours which is really a long time for us. I dropped a quilt off for the quilt turning at the Quilt Show, we went to the bank and the drug store and stopped at Discovery to pay for the Mystery Tour which we will go on in October.

This evening we had choir practice. The words I wrote sound pretty good. I think it will go quite well. We are also singing several other traditional Irish songs. Be Thou My Vision and Christ Be Near at Either Hand. Jim Wilsing, the bagpiper, told me that he is taking a crash course at the Red Cross and then will be sent down to the Gulf Coast to help with the rescue effort. I told him that I was glad but that he must be so careful and to let me know when he is leaving so that I can get him on our prayer chain whild he is gone.

When Dick went in for his test on Monday, we were talking with one of the nurses about the situation in the Golf. She said that the news was not on much in her house because she has a very impressionable 5 year old daughter. When the tornado did all the damage in Stoughton Wisconsin, her daughter started getting obsessed with the "tomatoes".

I was amazed at her daughter calling them "tomatoes". When Bart was about 4 years old, I was living in Santa Ana California in one of my previous lives. We planned a visit to Wisconsin. That year a tornado had swept through Sheboygan County and actually caused the death of a baby in the Sheboygan Falls Area. Bart kept saying he didn't want to go to Wisconsin. I finally got out of him that he didn't want to go because they had "red tomatoes" in Wisconsin and he didn't think it was safe because it killed that baby in Sheboygan Falls. Two little people both misunderstood the word tornado but knew tomato. How funny is that.

Another quote from John O'Donohue. "I am always amazed that poems are willing to lie down and sleep insid the flat, closed pages of books."

Appropriate since I am going to a Writer's Conference on Saturday.

Have a good Friday.

Mary

Another day closer to Celtic Faire and then the trip to D. C. I will be very happy when we are finally on the bus and I can relax for 6 whole days with NO phone calls or problems. Someone else will make all decisions and take us where we need to go. WOW. Such a deal.

Another day of uncertainty for the poor victims of Katrina. I pray each day that some of their problems be resolved. The government has stepped in with debit cards, a new concept, for clothing and necessities. This will at least get them out of rags and get the children outfitted for school. I heard some of the children being interviewed. They are brave little soldiers but are so lonely for their OWN homes and the friends and lives they are familiar with.

I heard a very disturbing interview with some people in one of the affected areas, not New Orleans. The victims had been put up in hotels in a larger town because their homes are destroyed. FEMA officials FINALLY arrived several days after they were first needed and made the REFUGEES living in the hotel leave so they could use the facilities. Talk about insensitive and defeatest. Let's throw a few more sheltered homeless people out into the street. What was that anyway? FEMA seems to be doing one insensitive thing after another stupid thing.

At least the American people themselves are jumping in to help in any way they can.

Enough of that for now.

Dick was fine today, though this afternoon he got very tired and slept for two hours. I know he needed it. After all, any time one is sedated, even mildly and "invaded" there is a shock to the system. He is really just fine.

I am doing a daily reading from a second book by John O'Donohue called Eternal Echoes. He is the author of Anam Cara which I have referred to quite often. I would like to share a quote that really impressed me for the end of my little entry today. I hope it impresses you as much as it did me. This is from the first chapter called Awakening in the World.

"Children come here without knowing where they are landing."

What a concept.

Love

Mary

Dick's colonoscopy went very well. They did find a couple of more pollups. Dr. Genji removed them and we will have the results in a few days. He did not think that they were malignant, however. Dick was tired but did not suffer much discomfort besides a little tummy ache which went away after a nice nap. Anyway, it is all over and we can put it out of our minds.

Aside from that, I made sure that all the vendors for Celtic Faire are on track and if they needed tables and/or chairs and did some sewing. So it was a quiet day. It remained cloudy all day but was rather warm and muggy.

I read that Wisconsin will be getting some of Katrina's refugees, at least for a while. The State Fair grounds and a few other sites are capable of housing lots of people and will do so. A long way from home for these poor people, but then most of them do not know if they have a home any more. I cannot even fathom such a thing.

Bret and his cousin, Britt, my sister Nora's daughter, are only 9 days apart in age. When Leif left the Navy and they were moving to Kansas City, Nora and Britt came to visit us in Santa Ana Heights while Leif was doing some interviewing or something like that for his new job. They had packed up their house and Nora had dropped Leif off at the airport and poor little Britt saw her Daddy leave and was confused by their empty house before they drove down to visit me and my family.

She and Bret were less than two years old. I will never forget the expression of total joy on that little girls face when we went to the airport to pick Leif up. She grabbed him around the neck and laughed and hugged and gave him Eskimo kisses. I often wonder what was going through her little mind. First her home is gone, then her Dad and then - miracle of miracles - Dad came back.

Some of these little people from the south will never have the joy of anything coming home. Fortunately, they are also risiliant, these little ones and with love and care and reassurance, they will be fine. Are we up to it? I hope so.

Love

Mary

Today was a lovely day. Mid to high 70s, sunny with blue blue skies. Actually I was in most of the day. Didn't have to do any cooking because Dick had his liquid diet thing going today and I the chili for Jim and me. Boy is that chili good.

I started sewing a Christmas Tree Skirt together today. I found an easy assembly pattern which I am tweaking a bit. Instead of pieced squares all around, I want to applique the animals of Christmas, one in each square. I can think of sheep, camel, donkey, dove and cow. Can you think of three more? Let me know, otherwise, I will have to repeat some of them, as I need eight panels filled.

Now I am worried about all those poor housepets that had to be left in New Orleans when the evacuations were conducted. I think I may do a little investigating. I sent some money when all those zoo animals were starving in Iraq. I feel even more motivated to help animals in our own country.

Tomorrow I get to be the nurse.

You have a great day

Mary

The day started out gloriously. Chelsea and I started on our walk at about 5:45AM. It was just getting light and was kind of cloudy. As we came back down the street the sun rose high enough to send coral glow onto the clouds to the west and then all of a sudden - A RAINBOW appeared in the west. Such a surprise. As we got to a clear spot I could actually see the other end of the arc between the houses. What a special way to start the day. Must mean luck, since this was the sign of the Lord in the Old Testament. Why Not!

This afternoon, I worked at Rhine. It was quite slow, so I was able to practice my pistol shooting. It was mixed today. The first was really bad but my gun was jamming. The second was better and the last was good. I was also able to shoot a round of trap and got a 16 so it was and OK use of time.

Then Dick, Jim and I went over to Randy's for the party. It was a good time had by all. Lots of hugs, good food and visiting. We decided to acknowledge that three of our own will be hitting the magic age of 60 this year; Jeff, this month - Ken - November and Fred - December. We then found out that Aunt Joan, Pat's wife, is turning 60 in October so we had another to add to the list. They were surprised and pleased.

I made them all cards and found a quote for each of them. Here are the quotes.

"If you live long enouth the vererablility factor creeps in; you get accused of things you never did and praised for virtues you never had." I. F. Stone

"I'm just turning 40 and taking my time about it." Harold Lloyd (in his 70's)

"So, lively brisk old fellow, don't let age get you down. White hairs or not, you can still be a lover." Goethe

Tomorrow Dick starts his all liquid diet, so we will not be a cheerful place around here. Thank the Lord it is only for one day.

Mary

Weather was great again today. The first sign of rain is on Tuesday and that is a slight one.

The first Badger football game was on today and it was great. They won 56 to 42. The first quarter was a bit shaky but then they settled down, pulled ahead and never looked back. I was quite fascinated in watching. College games show SO much of the coach's preference. The Badgers play a running game while the Bowling Green team was much more into passing. In this case the running game was the winner. This is Barry Alvarez last year as coach. He will be sorely missed. His replacement is already chosen and doing (I believe) the defensive coaching. So everybody is watching him.

Dick and I finished all the trimming of bushes that we are going to do this year. Jim hauled 11 bags and three bundles of trimmings and sticks to the disposal site. He was impressed.

He informed us that he is the hot news at the library right now. He has lost 60 pounds in the past few months. He also got contacts. He is really looking good and should be very proud of himself.

The choir sang at the 5:00PM Mass this evening. We sang Circle of Love which is rather difficult. However, we needed the practice as we are singing it at Celtic Mass. We did OK tonight and I am sure that Thursday's practice will firm it up. It was also a celebration of the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Roland and Veronica Gilles, Veronica went to Ireland on my second trip. Their daughter, plays flute and she played the communion song and did some accompanying for the choir too. It was very lovely.

Tomorrow is the party at Donna and Randy's house. It is a kind of surprise birthday acknowledgement for my brother Jeff, and my brothers in law , Fred and Ken who are all turning 60 in the next couple of months.

The news says that they have most of the survivors out of New Orleans - finally. Not soon enough. There should have been massive inflow of help on the very first day and it should not have stopped till every person was on dry land. Well shoulda, woulda, coulda. We need to get past that and get on to providing aid and comfort to these survivors and as soon as everybody is fed, we need to get the kids in schools. ASAP. It sounds to me as if the majority of these little people are those who can least afford to miss any school.

Next, I am already worrying about the animals. The pets who were left behind and are now, with no means or knowledge of how to do so, expected to fend for themselves. I will check on that in the next few days.

There is a quote, I don't know who by that says.

"Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can.
It will be enough."

We must all do that - the important thing is that we do something, each and every one.

Love

Mary

Here it is the beginning of the Labor Day weekend and I always feel, the beginning of Autumn.

It was a lovely day today, topping off at the mid 70s. Dick worked on trimming bushes most of the morning and I get the job picking up all of the branches and filling the trash bags. I also cleaned the kitchen so am pretty darned tired tonight and am going to hit the hay as soon as I finish this.

I made a big batch of chili yesterday so it was ready today and we had it for supper. Dick is having a cononoscopy on Tuesday, so he will begin eliminating medications and certain foods as of tomorrow. Monday, Labor Day will be his liquid diet day. I guess we won't be having any culinary delights that day. I figure that Jim and I can have chili.

I will be going to Mass on Saturday because the choir is singing. I must copy the words for Lament for the choir. We will be able to practice Circle of Light again tomorrow. Extra for preparation for Celtic Faire.

Have a nice day.

Love

Mary

Dick and I had SO many errands this morning. We left the house at 7:30 and didn't get home until after 11:00. First, we went to breakfast. Then to see Sue to have Dick's blood tested. Next, we went grocery shopping, followed by stops at the Post Office, the bank and Mother's house. Tomorrow would have been Mom and Dad's 66th wedding anniversary. Dick and I always give her flowers for the anniversary. I did that the year Dad died and when Mother got this wonderful smile and said that she wondered if anyone would remember, we knew that this had to be a yearly event. And it has.

After we left Mother's we went back home, via the Pet Store on the south side of Sheboygan, where we got a new retractable leash for Chelsea. Her old one broke on Wednesday as we were passing Reverand Tim's house. Chelsea and his dog Isiah were barking and running at each other both on leashes. She was just as surprised as I was when it broke.

The last stop was at Walgreen's to fill a prescription. Then home and were we EVER glad to get there.

This evening the Blessed Trinity choir practiced for the first time since July. We are getting ready for Celtic Mass. I went a little early to help introduce the Brendan song to the Kindercore who practiced from 6 to 7. They are such a nice group of young kids. We sang Circle of Love and reviewed the Lament that I have written the words to. I will keep you informed as to how that goes. I can hardly wait to go to Writer's Club in October and tell our young Don that I have written lyrics too. He does a lot of them. Quite a talented young man.

So that was my day. I want to finish with Cadfael. It was so appropriate for this season and for this year.

"September was again September, mellowed and fruitful after the summer heat and drought. Much of the abundant weight of fruit had fallen unplumped by reason of the dryness, but even so there would be harvest enouth for thanskgiving." Ellis Peters.

It amazes me how often the daily readings of the Book of Days fit the day.

Enjoy Friday. It is supposed to cool down to the 50s tonight.

Mary

Pray for all those souls in New Orleans. Let them be provided fresh water and a healthy place to sleep.

"God be good to anyone
Whose sleeping out tonight.
Tuck them in and keep them warm
And don't put out the light."

I called Leslie last night because, though I knew they were way far northwest of Katrina's damage, I wanted her to know that we were thinking of her. They are all fine. Sara is trying hard to find work and Nora is working AND going to school. Leslie said that they are actually experiencing almost drought conditions and could have used some of the rain. But Katrina veered northeast after she destroyed New Orleans.

It is indeed heartbreaking to hear of the devistation and all the suffering the survivors must be going through. It is almost unfathonable to think of their plan to evacuate the 15,000 or more souls from the damaged Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. But they obviously have to get those people out of there.

A friend of mine, Steve Naffin, who was the choir director at Blessed Trinity before Beth Hoegger came, was in the music department at the Cathedral in New Orleans. It is apparantly an old old structure of great beauty. He is terribly upset as he says that there is no way this church could have survived the hurricane.

As Leslie said, What were they thinking, building a city in a bowl next to the ocean.

Dick is talking to his son Dick and mentioned that he no longer wants to go to New Orleans, at least for a long long time. We should have gone a couple years ago. We did talk about it several times. It will not be the same again, I am sure.

I had to do some repairs on one of the first quilts that I designed. It was really not quite made for hard use. I am going over it with freehand random quilting to mend and to make it sturdier. I think it will work and will keep mending until it is OK. Because I like it and it goes well in our bedroom.

Becky, my niece, called me this evening. They have wild grapes on their property. So, after the first frost, I will be a busy little harvester. Ken and Dolores have a good crop and I will go over to Becky's and get hers too. I am going to have to figure out how to "smooth" the flavor. My first batch is a bit "foxy" (a term we learned from Bobbie for a rawness in some wild fruit wines.)

I have frozen two batches of marigold flowers and will start that batch as soon as I get a couple of empty gallon jugs.

When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country..
-Elayne Boosler-

Love

Mary

Except for grocery shopping this morning, I got to stay home all day. Tomorrow I don't have to go anywhere.

The weather was beautiful again. If it wasn't so day we could wish for these days to go on forever. Chelsea got me up at 5:30 this morning. I really prefer that extra half hour and it is only just beginning to get light at 5:30. Pretty soon, we will have to be waiting a bit for our walk. I have decided not to walk in the dark any more, especially when it gets cold and slippery out there. I can just see me crawling home in the dark if I fell. Of course, there are usually several of us out between 5 and 7AM so I am sure SOMEONE would find me.

I cut down a bush on the side of the house that is over half dead and looked like heck. Actually hell. I only got two new bruises on my hands and arms. I wish I could get Jim or Dick to dig it out and maybe we could put something better in there. At least, as Dick said the meter reader will be happy because I uncovered the meter with my efforts. Maybe it will grow back healthier in the spring.

We are getting closer to Celtic Faire. This Thursday, the Kindercore and the Classic Choir will start practicing for it. I am getting calls from the vendors confirming thier spots. I must call Beth Dipple at the Research Center as she sets up a booth to plug the center and advise people how to start looking for their ancestors. She had a great ad for the Faire in the Researcher, the Research Center newsletter. Probably more people with see that than the newspaper ads. That makes me remember that I still have not heard form the Sheboygan Falls Review. I guess I should let Tom, the publicity guy, know that.

Anyway, tomorrow is an at home day. Dick wants to trim some bushes which means that I will be gathering the branches.

"May sunlight shine upon you and warm your heart 'til it glows like a great peat fire so that the stranger may come and warm himself by it."

The second line of the Irish Blessing that will be in the Celtic Mass worship folder.

Enjoy.

Mary

The day is winding down. It was a beautiful sunny, warm, clear day here in Wisconsin. Something to be really grateful for when one hears the news about violent storm, Katrina, and the damage that is occuring in our Mississippi and Louisiana. Thank God, that the hurricane has been downgraded from 5 to a 1. Apparently hitting land really knocked the wind out of it.

Bible study was animated this morning. Chapter 8 of II Corinthians records the first (I believe) request for a collection to help the poor and the "saints" in Jerusalem. Sounded much like an appeal that might be made from the pulpet today. Next week is a holiday and the following week is a holiday for Dick and me, so we will not meet until September 19. They say they "need" me to lead. I think they put more importance on my abilities than are warrented. I told them of a poster that a friend of mine had over her desk years ago. The poster was a landscape of a great expanse of snow, Antartica perhaps, as in the middle of the snowscape was a small lone penquin trudging along. The wording on the poster was. "Dear Lord. Either lighten my burden or strengthen my back."

While I was at church, I sewed the labels onto the quilts that we are raffleing at the Celtic Faire. The sales are not going too well. I was afraid of that , but feel that we will probably be able to sell a lot at the Faire itself. They are both beautiful. The queen sized quilt is more green and blue and the throw or lapquilt is also green and blue but has more gold in it. If you are intersted look at blessedtrinityparish.org. Under upcoming events find the Celtic Faire and then the mention the quilt. I can get you tickets and have I got a deal for you. They are $1 each or 6 for $5.


Have a good Tuesday.

Mary

I decided to share this picture that I took of Big Oscar some time ago. I believe that we have mentioned that it is almost impossible to get t good picture of him because he is black. By black, we mean there are no variations, no contours - nothing to give any angles or dimension. I apparantly just got close enough and there was enough light in the room so that this picture turned out just great. To top it off, he was not looking directly at me (I think he was trying to pretend that I wasn't there at all) and the green lights in the eye were avoided too.

Bobbie, Jim and I shot pistol today. Jim was really hot I believe that his best score was an 85. WOW. I didn't do TOO badly. I got a 41 and two 51s. Haven't shot for a couple of weeks and my hands got sore. I have to get past that because league starts in two weeks.

The next five days are projected to be rather quiet. Then everything will break loose, starting with Labor Day Weekend and visits from George and Betsy and Nora and Leif with a get together at Randy and Donna's on Sunday. It will be so good to see them. The party starts at 4:00PM and I am working at Rhine from 12:00 to 4:00PM so it WILL be a busy day.

This morning, Beth and I sang the words I wrote to the music of Lament that we are singing at Celtic Mass and with a couple of minor changes, they work just fine. I am really rather proud of the effect.

I was telling Beth and Chris Musel, when they heard me walking accross the church after Mass, whistling softly that Roxie hates it when I whistle. They asked what she does, so I told them. She yells at me. I told them how the other day Dick decided to teas her and he whistled constantly until she stormed from my lap over accross the desks and stood right in front of him and told him off. If she could have crossed her arms and stamped her feet she would have. They thought that was really funny. So do I frankly.

Mary

Have a good week.

Another lovely day. We had rain last night. I didn't hear it but there was enough that it even left a few puddles on the roadway. Very Welcome and we could use much more.

Loren and Mary did come by this afternoon and we had a catch up visit. They have moved three times since we heard from them last. Dick has their e-mail so we will hopefully be able to keep in touch from now on. They are now living in a remodeled farm house with three acres or so with her parents. They seem very happy as they always have been. They spent two years in St. Louis, Mary wanted to live somewhere warmer and was able to get a transfer within her company. They moved back to the Appleton area about 4 years ago. Boy time goes fast. Anyway, it was good to see them.

Dick and I left early this morning, had breakfast at Perkins (I got my raspberry muffin) and then proceeded on to Wingert's for corn so we could get out of Sheboygan Falls well before the Falls Fest parade. With the parade AND the torn up streets it would have been a nightmare.

The Packers were rotten last night. The only good thing about the evening was that I finished sewing the binding on a quilt that I have been working on for a couple of years now. It has a lot of greens and yellows and is bound and sashed in brown. Quite cheerful.

Tomorrow, Jim and Bobbie and I will go pistol shooting. Good thing. League starts in a couple of weeks and we haven't done much shooting for a while. Going to lose our edge if we don't get out there.

"May the blessing of light be with you -
light outside and light within."

Love

Mary

A beautiful day. Not too hot, not too cool. Chelsea woke me up at 5:30AM. A little surprising. I tried to ignore her and go back to sleep but she persisted so I had to get up. This meant that I was very tired around two o'clock so I took a nap.

We found out that Loren and Mary Sperry are going to be in Sheboygan tomorrow, so Dick called Loren. Mary Sperry introduced Dick and me 20 some years ago. She and I worked at United Savings and Loan, now M&I Bank. I was a single mom at the time and mentioned that it would be nice to have someone just to go to the work parties and things like that so I wouldn't be alone. It was getting close to Christmas. She mentioned that her husband had a friend who was also single and offered to introduce us. She was a nervious wreck for years and swore she would NEVER again set anyone up because it was just too much responsibility. Dick said that when they come we should tell them that things just aren't working out and that we only stayed together for these 19 years for their sake. Isn't he silly?

Anyway, they are coming over tomorrow afternoon about 4:30 for and hour or so. We would have liked to have them over for dinner, but they are expected at her sister's so we will just have a visit. It will be good to see them. I think it has been 8 to 10 years.

I have been writing lyrics for the Celtic Mass for a song we want to sing at the Communion. I (the worrier) ended up writing three sets because I couldn't quite decide which theme would be best. This is the one my Choir Director felt fits the best.

LAMENT

Maker, Father, Creator of life
When we follow the road you have shown
It will lead to the end of all strife
Where we’ll dwell in your glory as home
Jesus, Brother, the Message of love,
You walked among us and died as we must.
Lead us safely to heaven above
And be ever the one we can trust




Spirit, teacher, who makes all so clear
Imbue in us love, faith and peace
Be our courage in conflict and fear
Be our wisdom in this troubled place.
Blessed Trinity- three yet one God
Leaves of shamrock remind us of you
Circle us with the shield of your love
And send us out to witness for you

Have a nice weekend. Except for the visit, it will be quiet around here.

Love

Mary

Last night, my friend Jim Wilfahrt called me. He is a member of Sheboygan Falls Conservation Club where I shoot trap with Rosalie during their summer league. I had to leave the bustup party on Monday before they gave out the trophies because of a meeting. Jim called to tell me that I have won the most improved shooter award. I am really excited. This shooting award, I really feel that I earned and it makes me feel that there is hope. He will bring it to church on Sunday morning. We are both going to the 8:00AM Mass. Wow, is that cool, or what!!!


Kind of an eventful day. This morning Dick and I went grocery shopping and did several other errands.

Sam's funeral was at 11:00AM. As I said I was priviledged to be asked to carry up the gifts and to be a eucharistic minister so felt that I was able to send Sam off in style. A friend of Sam's, Joe Couch, I believe, spoke of him during the servide. He said two things that I felt were really special.

One: He worked with Sam. He spoke first of Sam's integrity and work ethics. Then he said that when Sam retired because of his illness in June, the company had to replace him. Joe said that after a time they realized that there was no way to replace Sam. They have found someone who can do his job. But - noone can replace Sam.

Two: Sam LOVED to eat. Sam especially enjoyed dessert and always kept his fork. His life was like that. He relished and loved his life, his God, his family, his work. But he hung onto his fork and now he is enjoying the dessert. Joe reminded us all to "Hang on to your fork."


Love

Mary

Mother had her hearing aid cleaned and her ears checked this morning and then Dick an I took her to lunch. We went to Perkins. None of us had been there since they rebuilt after the fire. They have probably been reopened for at least a year, maybe two. It was good but I was hungry for tuna and they don't have tuna. Dick and I both had turkey clubs which were really delicious.

Tomorrow, we go grocery shopping in the morning and then I will be going to Sam Allison's funeral at 11:00AM. I did go to the viewing for a few minutes this evening. I felt I should. The funeral parlor now does a video collage of pictures provided by the family and then backed with music. The Allison Family had a series of pictures of Sam's life set to Danny Boy. Very nice.

I made macaroni salad and bars to take for the funeral lunch.

This came to me through e mail and impressed me. I hope you like it too.

Running Through The Rain…
A CHILDS PERSPECTIVE

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6-years-old, this beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in.

"Mom, let’s run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let‘s run through the rain!" She repeated gleefully.

"No, honey. We’ll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated

"Mom, let’s run through the rain,"

"We’ll get soaked if we do," Her mother replied.

"No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom’s arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I promise you, you couldn’t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s’ life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If GOD let’s us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.


We all can use a little washing sometimes.

I made a new kind of bar today too - Banana Chocolate Chip

They were really easy.

3/4 cup margerine
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 smashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream margerine and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs. Then stir in the flour mixture and the banana. Blend in the chips and bake in a greased 9x9x3 pan at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

enjoy

Mary
1/2 tsp sale

Shopping and a hair cut today. Aside from that I was able to just spend the day catching up. I had to sew some strips on a quilt backing to enlarge it. I am having Brenda Ottman from Sheboygan Falls do the machine assembly of the pinwheel quilt top that I made last year in a Quilt Guild class. It was the class that I invited Barbara to go with me just before they left for Oklahoma. I think I will hang it in the hall when I get it back. It is colorful and very pretty. I am entering it along with the spider in the Quilt Show next month.

Dick and I will actually be on our Washington Trip and coming back the evening of the show, but Mary Yurk, my neighbor said she would take and pick up the quilts for me. I took hers last year for her. We do share.

Tomorrow I will be taking Mother to the Dr. Nytes to have her hearing aid cleaned and checked and will take her out for lunch. If Dick sleeps well enough he is going with us. Mother would really like that and so will he if he is rested. It is just as well she gets it checked before Labor Day. George and Betsy (who is already here spending time with her mother, Dorothy) and Nora and Leif along with Britt and Stenn will all be here and Donna is hosting a party on the 4th for everybody. I must remember to call Donna to find out what she wants me to bring.

Tomorrow I need to bake bars and make a salad to take to Sam Allison's funeral lunch. The funeral will be on Thursday at 11:00AM. Sue asked if I would present the gifts with a couple of other ladies who were close to Sam. And if I would be a eucharistic minister. I am truly honored to be part of Sam's sending. Soon Sue and their children can rest.

Have a special day tomorrow. The weather is so pleasant and bearable.

Below is a 'List Poem' that I wrote. I learned this technique in an afternoon class at the UW Sheboygan.

COMFORT FOOD

Fresh bread baking in the oven.
Grilled cheese dripping in butter.
Prepared – smashed and cooked
On a griddle that is black with burned grease and cheese.
Rhubarb, fresh from the backyard
Eaten raw, dipped in a cup of sugar.
Fresh apple pie (hot OR cold) big juicy slabs.
Meatloaf!!!
Prepared with LOTS of onion, (Because that's how Dad liked it.)
Chocolate Éclairs with homemade custard filling
A dozen.
One for everyone - one extra to fight over.
Corn on the cob, slathered with butter and salted.
Contest! Who can eat the most.
Creamed Egg on Toast for supper during Lent
Poured liberally over Mom's homemade white bread toasted and slathered with Oleo.
Talk about creamed.
How about creamed kohlrabi, creamed cabbage, creamed green beans?
How come we didn't die from all the fat?
Friday Chile in an age of meatless Fridays
Horror of horrors, Mom softened the onions with bacon grease.
Meat on Friday?
Will we all go to hell?

Love

Mary

Shopping and a hair cut today. Aside from that I was able to just spend the day catching up. I had to sew some strips on a quilt backing to enlarge it. I am having Brenda Ottman from Sheboygan Falls do the machine assembly of the pinwheel quilt top that I made last year in a Quilt Guild class. It was the class that I invited Barbara to go with me just before they left for Oklahoma. I think I will hang it in the hall when I get it back. It is colorful and very pretty. I am entering it along with the spider in the Quilt Show next month.

Dick and I will actually be on our Washington Trip and coming back the evening of the show, but Mary Yurk, my neighbor said she would take and pick up the quilts for me. I took hers last year for her. We do share.

Tomorrow I will be taking Mother to the Dr. Nytes to have her hearing aid cleaned and checked and will take her out for lunch. If Dick sleeps well enough he is going with us. Mother would really like that and so will he if he is rested. It is just as well she gets it checked before Labor Day. George and Betsy (who is already here spending time with her mother, Dorothy) and Nora and Leif along with Britt and Stenn will all be here and Donna is hosting a party on the 4th for everybody. I must remember to call Donna to find out what she wants me to bring.

Tomorrow I need to bake bars and make a salad to take to Sam Allison's funeral lunch. The funeral will be on Thursday at 11:00AM. Sue asked if I would present the gifts with a couple of other ladies who were close to Sam. And if I would be a eucharistic minister. I am truly honored to be part of Sam's sending. Soon Sue and their children can rest.

Have a special day tomorrow. The weather is so pleasant and bearable.

Below is a 'List Poem' that I wrote. I learned this technique in an afternoon class at the UW Sheboygan.

COMFORT FOOD

Fresh bread baking in the oven.
Grilled cheese dripping in butter.
Prepared – smashed and cooked
On a griddle that is black with burned grease and cheese.
Rhubarb, fresh from the backyard
Eaten raw, dipped in a cup of sugar.
Fresh apple pie (hot OR cold) big juicy slabs.
Meatloaf!!!
Prepared with LOTS of onion, (Because that's how Dad liked it.)
Chocolate Éclairs with homemade custard filling
A dozen.
One for everyone - one extra to fight over.
Corn on the cob, slathered with butter and salted.
Contest! Who can eat the most.
Creamed Egg on Toast for supper during Lent
Poured liberally over Mom's homemade white bread toasted and slathered with Oleo.
Talk about creamed.
How about creamed kohlrabi, creamed cabbage, creamed green beans?
How come we didn't die from all the fat?
Friday Chile in an age of meatless Fridays
Horror of horrors, Mom softened the onions with bacon grease.
Meat on Friday?
Will we all go to hell?

Love

Mary

I came home from the bust-up party at Sheboygan Falls Conservation Club and the Celtic Faire meeting to find a football pregame, Dallas vs Seattle. It is half time now and Dallas is ahead 10/7. Pretty close actually. It seems generally too hot for football though the weather this evening is in the low 60s. I put a long sleeved shirt on while sitting outside at the bust up.

We were served the greatest beans I have had in a long time. They also served potato salad and steak sandwiches. Nice evening. It is always a nice social event.

Celtic Faire is coming along. The committees seem to have everything in order.

I haven't had to cook since Friday. Hope I remember how. The leftovers are finally used up, so I have no choice.

A friend died on Saturday night. Sam had cancer and it had gone into his brain. The funeral will be on Thursday. Sam was a good man and was an example of how to die with joy, trust in the Lord and dignity. His family will miss him and so will those of us who knew him. Pray for his family and let let the earth rest easy over him so that his soul speed up and off to God.

Mary

The past two days were a real adventure for me. I saw SO many people that I only get to see at these events. A big surprise was that The Green Fields of America had a reunion of some sort and both Jimmy and Robbie were there. I have pictures. I didn't know until today or I might have gone to see them both days. Probably just as good as then I would have missed Barley Bree. This is the first time THEY had appeared together for 12 years and they still sound great.

Tom Sweeney of Barley Bree was invited to the White House by Clinton to sing his Anthem for the Children. Quite fun for him. He described being picked up in a limo and traveling on an Airforce plane. He was letting us know how our tax money is or at least was being spent.

Suzi, Dick's niece, went with me on Saturday. This was her introduction to the Irish. She seemed to like it all and bought a Gaelic Storm CD. We watched Liam Clancy and went to the back of the tent where I was able to catch up with him and FINALLY tell him how much I enjoyed his book. The last time he was there was the year after 9/11 and the security was tough. The guards got so nasty I just forgot about it.

I was also able to connect with Cindy Matyi, the Celtic artist from Cincinati, and Maureen Smith from Chicago. Saw several people from Sheboygan County including Steve Naffin, our previous choir director and Bob Flemming, Sheboygan's Celtic artist.

Altogether a very satisfying two days.

Hazel, Dick's sister, stayed home. She is about Mom's age and feels about the same way Mom does about those events. She knows she would like it but would just get too tired. We had time to visit however and she is doing very well. They have a very shy kitty. I slept in Hazel's bed and during the night, I think Kitty (her real name) forgot herself and thought Hazel was there. I felt kitty feet on me. I didn't think too much about it until they left right away without waiting for a cuddle. She realized that I was not Hazel and I realized that I was not home.

Have a great week.

Mary