This morning we had a nice discussion at the Bible Study. The first reading is in the Book of Wisdom. We find it interesting that Wisdom is portrayed as a woman. This in a society that considered women the possessions of the men - first the father, then the husband. Yet Wisdom was the portrait of understanding, and knowledge and was to be prized above all beauty, riches and fame.

I also picked up the banner from church. I will sew on the label tomorrow evening and will take it with me on Thursday to share. I actually remembered to get it.

Then Jim and Michelle took us with them to Appleton to shop at Sam's Club. Dick had never been there. I was to a Sam's Club ONCE with Bart and Barb. We bought a few things, of most interest, a package of instant potatoes with 10 packages of four different kinds. Yukon Gold, Red, Twice Baked and Sweet Potato. They all sound interesting and fun.

Jim and Michelle stocked up on lots of food and drinks for their wedding.

Tonight I met a friend, Donna, who wants me to assemble a baby quilt top for her. She embroidered five squares for a baby quilt for a mutual friend's grandson and does not quilt. Donna is a little different but a good soul and I decided to help her. We picked out sale fabric at Evans which she can afford and she still has enough for the batting if I don't have any in my stock.

Talked to Barb tonight. She sounds much better though she is dreading returning to work tomorrow after her four days off. Bart is much calmer and Dr. Davies has reintroduced his meds to him and has instructed him to go daily to the YMCA to exercize. He wants him busy with a purpose.

I have been thinking of the value of a human being. I remember when I was in my late teens or early 20s talking to my cousin, Jerome Ziegler, who was at that time a Catholic Priest, feeling down and inferior. He told me to always remember that I was as good as anyone and better than most. He told me that I should never forget that. I still hold those words in my heart and know it is true. It was clear to me and I hope it settles in your heart too, that God "don't make no junk." We are more precious than the angels.

Have a good Tuesday. Dick has a checkup tomorrow and Jim starts a job.

Love

Mary

The art is all hung up in the living room. We are pleased with the placement. Tomorrow, I hope to fine tune everything. There are rough edges but it looks nice.

Tomorrow, I have bible study in the morning and will pick up the banner to take with me to the Celtic Conference and share. Then Dick and I are going to join Jim and Michelle on a trip to Sam's Club. I have only been to a Sam's Club once and don't really know if Dick has ever been to one. It will be an adventure.

I pick up Market Day at 4:30PM up the hill at St. John the Baptist School. That will be my first financial association with St. John the Baptist Church. I have decided that November 5th will be may last official Sunday at Blessed Trinity. That is the Turkey Dinner weekend and I will pick up four turkey dinners for Dick and Me and Michelle and Jim. The 7th will be the Senior Mass and program. If noone has stepped forward I have done the best I can making sure that what is available is listed and known.

At 6:30PM I will attend the wrap up meeting for the Celtic Faire. Sure glad I have a meal kind of ready to go in the fridge.

Barb is still trying to get Bart admitted to the hospital that he should be in. There seems to be a shortage of beds. Pray that all goes well. He is calmer and wanting to get help, this is no time for delay.

It was quite warm today. We tried to enjoy it as the temperatures are dropping again tomorrow. I swept leaves off the deck and had quite a nice walk with Chelsea this morning.

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Every American citizen needs to read the above.

MARY

We only had to leave the house ONCE today and that was to go to Hunters Glen to flush toilets and run water in the sinks. Tomorrow ReMax is having an open house. Perhaps that will be fruitful. We are now settled in to Tallgrass and REALLY don't need two houses. It will become expensive after a bit too. (Already is.)

I spent a bit of time this afternoon clearing the path between our backyard and Lion's Park. Tomorrow, I will be leaving for Mass at 8:00AM but perhaps on Monday Chelsea and I can go through the park and come in through the back. That would be fun.

I also cut the two old pairs of jeans into 6 1/2 " squares for a future quilt. Now I only need 9 more pairs of jeans and I will have enough squares to do it.

Tomorrow I can assemble the quilt top with the doggies and kitties appliqued on it. Maybe I can get it done for the raffle at Blessed Trinity. If I can get it done by Monday, I could call Dianne and let her know. Maybe I am pushing myself again, but I seem to be needing to be very busy and very tired in order to sleep, other wise I just worry.

One night I dreamt that Bobbie brought Oscar and Roxie over to live with us again. The funny thing was that she had them both dressed up in frilly dresses much like the dresses made out of pillowcases for bed dolls. Boy did Oscar look goofy. Then Bobbie's "daughter" was explaining how I should hide them. How is that for a really wild night.

Tomorrow, we are going to hang pictures in the living room.

Please pray for my Bart. AND BARB. They are really under the gun right now.

All my love

Mary

It was a breakfast day again. As we had to go shopping again too. We picked up a shelf unit for the office closet and a little shelf cabinet for the downstairs bedroom.

When we got home, I put the unit together in the office and then unpacked another box and stacked paper and supplies on the unit.

Then I went to lunch with Ceil, Joyce, Dawn, Mary and Barb at the Dairy Queen and went to Wal Mart for some batting for a quilt that is ready to assemble.

Tonight I shot. I did OK all 30 shots on the target. I was using Randy Walter's advice and relaxing my elbow instead of holding my arm all stiff. He said to rely on my eye not my stiff arm. In time it will work. I was not unhappy with the results.

Then I watched Ghost Whisperer and cut apart two pair of jeans that will become a quilt eventually. I just need to cut the trimmed pieces into 6 1/2 inch squares.

Breakfast out has always been special to us. To Dick and I because we just like it. It gets us going in the morning when we have errands out of the house and when I was working was a good way to spend fun time together when he took me to work.

I used to take Bart to school most of the time after we moved here until he got his own car. Breakfast was a special time for us too. I treasured those times because it was just US and we could share what was happening to him and to me too. We made a good pair, I always thought. We were always so proud that we traveled all the way from California to Minnesota to Wisconsin, just Bart, Zero and Me. It was scary but we learned that we could do anything and I thought the times were good. We even bought a house. Just us. I feel sad now. I wish we could go back. But I don't think I would do anything differently anyway. All I could do was be there and love.

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda. We just do the best we can with what we have.



Be good to yourself

Mary

Some Guiness was spilled on the barroom floor
When the pub wash shut for the night.
When out of the dark came a wee brown mouse
And he stood in the bright moonlight.

He lapped up the frothy brew from the floor
Then back on his haunches he sat
And all night long you could hear him roar
"Bring on the goddamned cat!"

We stayed home all day and all evening. Yesterday, we left at 5:00PM to go to dinner and see Annie and had three phone calls. Tonight - NOTHING. We so seldom go out together of an evening but that is the night people call.

I called Barbara today and found out that Bart has a reaction to sleeping pills ( which he should not have been taking. ) They have been acting like a stimulant with his other drugs and that explains why he is so hyper. Such a worry. I wish I was rich and could just spin down there for a few days to help out. Or just to BE there.

I emptied three more boxes today and put all my bears on the cabinet in the den downstairs. I had no idea how many bears I have. They are all special memories too. Sometime we can share. I put more dolls in the guest room too.

Jim and Michelle are going to Michigan for the weekend. She had some loose ends to tie up.


Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr.Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.

Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor la ws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here . These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2006 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't st a r t talking about dismantling the United States just yet.
(signed) Rosemary LaBonte



Mary

We went to see Annie with Mother tonight. First we had dinner at Nino's. I was hungry for steak and ordered the first t-bone that I have had in years. That used to be my Dad's favorite steak. He and my Uncle George would go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve every year and then fix t-bones for breakfast in the wee hours of the morning. Following their sumptious breakfast they would gather up the Christmas presents for all of us from both the Grandpa Deeley and the Grandpa Bowser houses and get them all distributed around the living room.

I remember that for many years Mother and Dad would decorate the tree on Christmas Eve after we were in bed. We would wake up to a fairyland and piles of gifts scattered all over the living room. Did I tell you that we "lost" the tree at least once a year for several years and finally Dad put an eye hook on the wall and would anchor it with a rope. With nine kids and lord knows how many animals it was just easier to keep it upright.

Annie was a delight. The voices were wonderful and the dancing exuberant and nice. The kids were cute, of course. One of the orphans is the granddaughter of my friend Mary Schroeder so that was fun. I had not seen her for perhaps 7 years and she has grown to be a lovely young lady. One forgets some of the great music in some of the musicals. We hear Tomorrow and Hard Knock Live so often, but what about Easy Street and Somebody's Baby. Both just great and done so well tonight. The stage design was fun and inventive.

Altogether a lovely evening.

Now it is time for bed. Tomorrow we get to stay home ALL day again. I intend to finish another side of the garage. Wish me luck and stamina.

Pray for Bart, Jim and Dick tonight.

Love

Mary

I slept like the dead last night. Good thing. as I was totally exhausted from the previous night.

We went grocery shopping and did a bit of shopping at KMart. We found some shoes for me, some PJs for Dick and another footstool for MY desk. I actually had one but we found that it is good for Dick as he is sleeping in his chair until the back is better. He should be elevating his feet and the stool was just right.

I finished unpacking and arranging one side of the garage today. Whew. Am I ever tired again. Then this evening I spent a couple of hours in the basement starting arranging my sewing area. I should be able to start sewing again now as I have located the current projects.

Tomorrow, Mother, Dick and I will go to Nino's for dinner and then on to Horace Mann School to see Annie by the Sheboygan Theatre Co. Should be a nice evening.



> NOTICE OF REVOCATION OF INDEPENDENCE
>
> To the citizens of the United States of America,
>
> In the light of your failure to elect a President of the USA and thus to
> govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your
> independence, effective today.
>
> Her Sovereign and Britannic Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume
> monarchical duties over
> all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she
> does not fancy. Your new prime minister (The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, MP
> for
> the 97.85% of you who have until now been unaware that there is a world
> outside your borders) will appoint a minister for America without the
> need
> for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A
> questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether any of
> you
> noticed.
>
> To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following
> rules
> are introduced with immediate effect:
>
> 1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.
> Then
> look up "aluminium". Check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed
> at
> just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. Generally, you should
> raise
> your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up "vocabulary". Using the
> same
> twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and
> "you
> know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up
> "interspersed".
>
> 2. There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft know
> on
> your behalf.
>
> 3. You should learn to distinguish the English and Australian accents.
> It
> really isn't that hard.
>
> 4. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as the
> good guys.
>
> 5. You should relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The
> Queen",
> but only after fully carrying out task 1. We would not want you to get
> confused and give up half way through.
>
> 6. You should stop playing American "football". There is only one kind
> of
> football. What you refer to as American "football" is not a very good
> game.
> The 2.15% of you who are aware that there is a world outside your
> borders
> may have noticed that no one else plays "American" football. You will
> no
> longer be allowed to play it, and should instead play proper football.
> Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls. It is a
> difficult
> game. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby
> (which is similar to American "football", but does not involve stopping
> for
> a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body armour like
> nancies). We are hoping to get together at least a US rugby sevens side
> by
> 2005.
>
> 7. You should declare war on Quebec and France, using nuclear weapons if
> they give you any merde. The 98.85% of you who were not aware that
> there is
> a world outside your borders should count yourselves lucky. The
> Russians
> have never been the bad guys. "Merde" is French for "shit".
>
> 8. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 8th will be a new
> national holiday, but only in England. It will be called "Indecisive
> Day".
>
> 9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for
> your
> own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we
> mean.
>
> 10. Please tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us crazy.
>
> Thank you for your cooperation.



Hope you enjoyed the ab ove. My brother George sent it to me a few years ago.

Mary

Took this during a storm this year. It was especially lovely and the storm tonight reminded me that I had it. ENJOY 

What an awful storm that we had last night. It got really bad sometime after midnight with horrendous thunder, lightening, torrential rain and even some hail. Chelsea was terrified and ran and paced and panted for hours. I got back to sleep several times only to be woken up by either the noise OR LEG CRAMPS! Then my stomach started hurting on top of everything. Needless to say, I woke up more tired than when I hit the pillow.

Had Bible Study this morning and turned over the information on what I have been doing for Celtic Faire to Lynn, the church business manager, to bring to the Celtic Faire wrap up meeting which was tonight at 6:30.

I couldn't go to that, because I also had the Rhine Plymouth meeting tonight and really needed to be there. We were discussing the proposed revised constitution and nominations for officers. Bobbie has generously offered to be secretary next year for the one year term that will be a fill in to getting the officers and board on alternating two year terms. The meeting went quite well and quite quickly. A storm was again raging on the way out there. I really had trouble seeing the road and was almost sorry that I had started out at all. It had passed by the time the meeting was over.

Tomorrow will be a bit quieter. We want to hang the clock in the living room.

Love. Mary

I went to Mass in Sheboygan Falls today. The countdown will be starting soon. I have decided to stay there through October so that I can get the one even t for the Senior Saints scheduled and done before I leave. After Mass, I talked to Helen and Judy Markgarf (actually that is their maiden name) and found out that their sister Janice, who had knee surgery is not doing as well as they hoped. The healing is slow and she has some really bad days. Must keep her in our prayers. Helen is in the bible study and says that she is DEFINATELY coming tomorrow. She has been unable to come several times lately, partly because she has been helping Janice.

Anyway, then I visited with Mother for a bit and stayed long enough to walk her over to the Mass at 10:30. My brother George called while I was ther and we had a bit of a visit.

Home again. Dick and I had our usual Sunday Brunch. Chelsea is relieved to know that that part of our life hasn't changed. She does enjoy Sunday Brunches.

We spent the rest of the day just puttering. I finished storing the herbs that I harvested. I am trying something new, freezing, from some information that I got on the net. I am sure of the thyme but not the lavender leaves. I had two kinds of thyme too so we will have to take advantage of that. Dick got three boxes emptied and put away.

Dick called from Madison this afternoon. Concerned because Jim "resigned" from the library. A long story that is not good. Jim has been putting feelers out and has several leads. We will be seeing Dick and Brenda at the wedding in three weeks. They are also fine though missing their Darwin kitty. They have "adopted" a couple of cats at the Humane Society. Paying a fee for a chosen cat to pay for its care until it finds a home. They are not ready for another cat in the house quite yet.

Bart called just for a phone number but I am always glad to hear from him. And Jacquie called. She and George are in good health but things don't get any easier as Dick and I are finding out. (The main reason we moved was to make things easier.) George is 84 going on 85 and I believe that Jacquie is close to Dick's age. We had a really nice visit. I miss that lady. She is really a special person.

Dick took me out for supper tonight. We went to the Wilderness over on 57. Dick had spaghetti and I got garlic shrimp. Both very good. When we got home, we called Jim and Michelle to see if they wanted to play some cards- and they DID. We played one game of hearts and then rummy until it was time for Michelle to go home and get to bed. 5:15 AM comes mighty early and she has to get up then to get to work on time tomorrow.

A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing t o look at either.

What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

Hope the above start your week off with a laugh.

Mary

Saturday was pleasant and I forgot to blog last night because I was watching the Green Mile and just got late and distracted.

We went to the house on Hunters Glen twice. Once, we picked the tomatoes and flushed all the toilets and noticed that the one in the basement had a ring (hard water). Then we came home and put down the mats for the desk.

Bart returned my call from earlier in the day. He sounds better but is still struggling. They are trying a new med regimine. He was much calmer and less down which is a good thing.

Then Dick and I went to Bobbie's for "visitation" with Roxie and Oscar. Roxie seemed reasonably happy to see us, as much as cats ever are, and I cuddled her a bit. Oscar crawled under the couch and when finally coaxed out was not pleased. I cuddled him anyway but he did not purr. I miss that big house shaking purr.

On the way home we stopped and cleaned that toilet and I cut the herbs as long as we were at it.

A quiet evening.

Today, church and another quiet day. Dick had a pain free night in his chair.

Love

Mary

Another day. They are all goofy lately. I started off this morning by locking myself out of the house.

We always lock the door from the house into the garage at night because we don't know how many people know the combination to the automatic garage door opener. (We will be changing that soon.) Anyway, I went out to try to find my business card folder and shut the door, completely forgetting that I had neglected to unlock the door. Dick had just laid down for a nap about 20 minutes before so there I was. I was trying to decide if I could climb a ladder to the balcony when it dawned on me that the window to the bedroom is right there at eye level. DUH! So I knocked and woke Dick up and he rescued me. I think my mind is shot. We are going to have the locks changed next week and will hide an extra key out there somewhere so if such a thing happens we are covered. We are also going to change the combination for the automatic door opener so the world won't know what it is.

Dick called the Clinic today and got an appointment for this afternoon with a Dr. Johnson about his back. Dr Phelan is on vacation til the end of next week and his back is just bothering him too much. He cannot lie down to sleep. Dr. Johnson told him that if he is comfortable in the chair, he should just plan on sleeping there for the next week or so to give his back a chance to heal. He ordered an MRI because he was concerned about possible bleeding into the spine and reissued a prescription for the pain killers and muscle relaxants. We got out of the clinic at about 5:30PM. The technician told Dick that he has a very badly bruized vertibrae and had better be very careful not to injure it further.

We got home at about 6:00. I fixed a plate for Dick and a sandwich for me and headed out to Rhine to work the balance of my Friday shift. I had called Doc and Bobbie and told them that I would be late and why. It was really busy despite the misty weather but went well. I even shot my pistol league. The first was bad, only 28, but I worked at it and got a 74 on the last target. Yea, I am learning something. Randy Walter, who is REALLY GOOD, said I need to learn to relax a bit and let my arm take over. He was proud of my improvement too.

That's all folks. I need to call Bart and Barb in the morning and I still haven't reached Jacquie.

Take care..

Love

Mary

This has been a NICE day. We stayed home the whole day, which was wonderful. I got a couple more boxes unloaded AND finished my report for the Celtic Faire committee. As it turns out, I will not be able to attend the meeting because it is the same night as Rhine Plymouth and I am NOT going to try to attend two meetings anymore.

I can finish the last details and give the folders to Lynn who will be attending the meeting, I am sure. They can call if they have any questions.

I was thinking today of the boys when they were little. They were like night and day. Bret easy going and goofy. Bart intense and serious.

One time we were talking and Bart, who was all of three at the time, told me that he knew something because he read it in a book. When I mentioned that he couldn't read, he looked a little surprised and said. "Oh Ya." and just went on with the discussion. He really was a lot of fun because he had so many questions and was always on the go.

Bret slept through the night by the time he was three months old. I don't know if Bart does yet. I understand that he has sleep apnea so perhaps he is. I keep forgetting to ask him how the machine works for him.

Dick's back is a bit better today. He still has trouble sleeping in bed, mainly getting up or turning over.

We got a few more things on the walls today too. Dinner was easy. Leftover venison and guiness and colcannon.

Tomorrow I lunch with the girls and have to work at Rhine. Hope you have a good day.

There is an Irish Superstition that says "Every day has one hour in which a wish may be granted and in which a person has the power to see spirits. Only by trial and error can that period be known."

Let's try together.

Mary

This has been a NICE day. We stayed home the whole day, which was wonderful. I got a couple more boxes unloaded AND finished my report for the Celtic Faire committee. As it turns out, I will not be able to attend the meeting because it is the same night as Rhine Plymouth and I am NOT going to try to attend two meetings anymore.

I can finish the last details and give the folders to Lynn who will be attending the meeting, I am sure. They can call if they have any questions.

I was thinking today of the boys when they were little. They were like night and day. Bret easy going and goofy. Bart intense and serious.

One time we were talking and Bart, who was all of three at the time, told me that he knew something because he read it in a book. When I mentioned that he couldn't read, he looked a little surprised and said. "Oh Ya." and just went on with the discussion. He really was a lot of fun because he had so many questions and was always on the go.

Bret slept through the night by the time he was three months old. I don't know if Bart does yet. I understand that he has sleep apnea so perhaps he is. I keep forgetting to ask him how the machine works for him.

Dick's back is a bit better today. He still has trouble sleeping in bed, mainly getting up or turning over.

We got a few more things on the walls today too. Dinner was easy. Leftover venison and guiness and colcannon.

Tomorrow I lunch with the girls and have to work at Rhine. Hope you have a good day.

There is an Irish Superstition that says "Every day has one hour in which a wish may be granted and in which a person has the power to see spirits. Only by trial and error can that period be known."

Let's try together.

Mary

Dick and I hung two pictures and the clock that Dick gave us for our wedding in the office today. We hung the Marilyn Monroe picture and the picture of Dick and me in the "saloon" setting. We sure were young.

We went to the Pig shopping this morning and stopped and did a couple of errands for Mother.

Tonight we took Jim and Michelle over to 52 Stafford for dinner and to enjoy the Irish jam session that they have there every Wednesday night. I asked Shawn and he said that if I brought the music and words, I could sing my words to "For Ireland, I won't Say Her Name." We had to leave at 8:30 because Michelle has to be in Milwaukee at 7:00 which means getting up at 5:15AM. I'll have to to over alone some night and just enjoy the show.

Tonight I just had a cup of Irish Root Soup and the Smoked Salmon Appetizer plate. It was SO good and I have enough food left for lunch tomorrow. Dick had the County Clare meatloaf and said that it was quite good.


Dear Dogs and Cats,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food.
Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.
The proper order is kiss me, THEN go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!

Love

Mary

Haircut for me and the foot doctor this morning. Then we went to Office Max to check out floor mats. Found the kind we want and are checking around. I did get a real deal. We bought ink cartridges for the printer and got a whole bunch of AA batteries free.

Did I tell you that Bill fixed the door from the garage into the house. It was banging the closet and driving us nuts as well as beginning to leave a mark. Now, as long as we don't fling it open , it just swings gently open and stops.

We also stopped at Walmart and got some picture hangers,various screws and a bath mat for the shower.

Lots to do. I called Oklahoma and talked to Bart and Barb. I put Bart on the prayer chain yesterday. He has been having a bad time of it. And poor Barb too. She is working so much overtime and worried about Bart at the same time. He has always been such an intense person. Even as a baby. I remember when he was just a couple of weeks old, having to go to the hospital with a neighbor and his daughter and leaving Bart with the neighbor's oldest son until another neighbor came home to take over. It was a very complicated emergancy.

The gist of the story is that when I got home, Bart, only two weeks old, had been fussing the whole time I was gone. The minute that I took him into my arms he stopped crying, sighed in contentment and went to sleep. He expected that I should be there ALL the time.

He is, as I said, so intense. I always just wanted my boys to be happy and I hope he succeeds in finding that.

It is late now, I am tired and going to bed. Dick's back was not really very good today. I hope we don't have to go back to the doctor. Please say special prayers for Bart and Dick.

Love

Mary

Finding your way ANYWHERE in Sheboygan Falls is still an adventure. I went to bible study this morning and ended up parking in front of Randy and Donna's house on school street because they were tearing out the sidewalks in front of church and the rectory and I couldn't get in from Summer Street because the parking lot is blocked off to protect the school kids. What a mess that is. I hope they are winding down. Downtown Sheboygan Falls looks like a war zone.

The study was a good one. Both the first and last readings stress that good done in the name of the Lord is GOOD, even if it is not done by a "Catholic" or a "born again" or a "Jew" but in the name of the Lord. Moses said so and so did Jesus. Joe, one of our participants, was interested in the symbols I used for the banner in Church the Hand of God, so I must remember to bring my research next week for him to read.

I stopped at Mom's on the way home and picked up a deposit to make for her. I also need to call Walgreens and square away her prescription situation. She is getting a bit bucky about taking medication.

Home again and I unpacked a few more boxes, mostly clothes, though I did get a bit of the desk squared away and found the Insurance and receipt folders. A minor miracle.

We had leftover meatloaf and noodles for supper. Pretty good. Tonight was the Rhine Plymouth Board meeting. Took a bit longer because we reviewed the proposed revised constitution and will have our suggestions incorporated into the copy we will give to the membership.

I just took Chelsea out for her last evening walk and saw the lights of a plane flying overhead. It, for some reason, reminded me of my previous life. We belonged to a jeep club. It was a family club and we would go well off the beaten path for our camping and exploring, usually in sand or high desert areas.

One of our members, Ella Jones, had a very unique problem. No matter what dune, what hill, what grove of trees she would retreat to to take care of the neccessary functions, (as our buddy, Orrin Nordin always said, visiting the "tickle bushes), she would get caught. The very classic was a trip down to Mexico. She and Jeannie Gibson retreated over several sand dunes on the beach, made sure no one was in sight and then Jeannie stood guard on top of one of the dunes. As poor Ella was relieving herself, she heard a noise and looked up to see a two seater airplane cruising slowly by her with the guys in it waving like crazy.

Have a good day and cover yourself.

Mary

Sunday is over. What a busy day. Bobbie and Bill came over this afternoon and Bobbie helped me empty and put away the contents of LOTS of boxes. The gnomes are scattered all around the condo. Books are on shelves, tapes and cds are distributed (at least until we ran out of room.) Then we had dinner. Jim and Michelle joined us.

I fixed venison and Guiness, colcannan, fresh beets (for those who like them), corn (for those who don't) cole slaw and for dessert chocolate zucchini bread with vanilla ice cream. Altogether very good.

Chelsea is a very exhausted little girl. She had one of her little epileptic episodes this morning and I think it pretty much did her in especially with all the company and excitement.

Bobbie and Bill are enjoying Oscar and Roxie, though Bobbie assures me that when we can they will not stand in our way of taking them back. She is starting to experience cat hair all over and not sure that they want to put up with that as a permenant way of life. She is experiencing the "wonder" of Oscar's needy nature and tries to keep her eyes shut and ignore him when she is in bed.

I went to church in Sheboygan Falls today. I was thinking of going to St. John's in Plymouth but Mother indicated that she was expecting me, so natually, I went to Blessed Trinity instead.

A Ben Walsh said. "Scientists now say that people should not use their cell phones outdoors during thunderstorms because of the risk of being struck by lightening.

You should also avoid using them in movie theaters because of the risk of being strangled."

Have a good week.

Mary

Sunday is over. What a busy day. Bobbie and Bill came over this afternoon and Bobbie helped me empty and put away the contents of LOTS of boxes. The gnomes are scattered all around the condo. Books are on shelves, tapes and cds are distributed (at least until we ran out of room.) Then we had dinner. Jim and Michelle joined us.

I fixed venison and Guiness, colcannan, fresh beets (for those who like them), corn (for those who don't) cole slaw and for dessert chocolate zucchini bread with vanilla ice cream. Altogether very good.

Chelsea is a very exhausted little girl. She had one of her little epileptic episodes this morning and I think it pretty much did her in especially with all the company and excitement.

Bobbie and Bill are enjoying Oscar and Roxie, though Bobbie assures me that when we can they will not stand in our way of taking them back.

Today I felt rather lost. It seems just overwhelming sometimes.

Dick had a bad night with his back but the rest of the day has been pretty good and I believe that we are over the hurdle. We even went to Chuck and Sue's (a bar - used to be Dale's Bar almost forever) in Sheboygan Falls for Randy's 50th birthday party. I ate cake and was it ever good. It was a nice party. Saw a lot of relatives and several friends that I had not seen for quite some time. Randy was really surprised. Just think, my baby brother is 50. He got a great t shirt that said "Fifty in Dog years is dead."

Dick and I went to the house on Hunters Glen and swept out the garage. That should be the last major thing that we have to do there. I sure hope so. I am just too tired to keep up two houses. Hope it sells quickly. I sent for a St. Joseph house selling kit. Don't know if it will work but we must use evey means possible.

Tomorrow, Bobbie and Bill are coming over and Bobbie will help us put things in place. I hope we can find some more of the garage floor.

Be good to yourself.

Love

Mary

Here it is 9:33PM and I am TIRED. I got my hunting stuff all put away in the cabinet today.

This noon, I went over to the Dairy Queen for lunch with my bank friends. And this evening, I went out to Rhine to shoot pistol league. Didn't do TOO well but with the aching in my arm didn't do too badly either.

I talked to Barb tonight and also my step grandson, Timothy. He is such a pleasure to talk to. Such a caring pleasant young man. He is in his last year of college before graduate school. He is majoring in psychology and should be very good at it as he is a caring personable person. I like him and am proud to have gotten him in the package along with Bart's wife Barbara who is a real treasure.

Bart is much better. I don't know if I told you but he had a med imbalance problem recently and that is always distressful. With his constant back pain, keeping the meds in balance is always a challange.

This has been quite a week. Dick's back, Bill's heart, Bart's meds and Jim's flu. Michelle and I were wondering what we could get on the open market for used damaged mates. Yuck Yuck.

We had turkey breast and fried rice for supper along with leftover green beans and salads.

Tomorrow we will go and clean the garage at Hunters Glen. That should be the last BIG chore there. Now if we can just get the place sold. We need some family like ours that has someone like Jim go downstairs and go OOOOOHHHH!

Remember - Maya Angelou said that "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will NEVER forget how you make them feel."

Everybody has feelings. Let's try to be gentle with each other. We don't know what is in the heart.

Love

Mary

Still not in a routine. I forgot last night. OOPS>

Will update tonight but wanted to say HI to any of my regulars. I heard from ONE of you so know my first Tall Grass posting went online.

Dick is now 20 months with his blood count within the save perameters. He is the talk of the clinic as this never ever happens. His nurse is delighted.

Have a great Friday.

Love

Mary

I am trying to send. We got hooked up on Monday BUT were unable to send anything out. I hope this appears.

The move went fairly smoothly. We are able to function. The kitchen is coming together nicely. And the bedroom, bathrooms and living room are functional.

I went to church at 10:30AM on Sunday and then right out to Rhine to work the bar. It was so slow that Doc told Bobbie and me to leave at about 2:00. I was just as glad as there is SO much to do here. Bobbie was bit late with rather distressing news. Bill had been experiencing some pain in his chest that was spreading to his elbows. He finally consented to be taken to ER and they had admitted him for tests. Monday night they took him to St. Lukes and yesterday put a stint in. These are fairly minor procedures (though, of course, not when it is being done to someone that WE love) and he was sent home the same day. I called this evening and he is doing fine. He has been told to quit smoking and is chewing gum like crazy. I hope he doesn't have the trouble I used to and bite the inside of his cheek or lip as he frantically chews.

Monday the carpet cleaners did the Hunters Glen house and today the guys came and took all the stuff that will be auctioned. The house is clean and empty. We are having two showings tomorrow. Pray that all goes well and that the house sells quickly now.

I am SO tired. Hopefully, next week will be a week that I won't have to be packing, unpacking or cleaning two homes.

My kitties are doing quite well at Bobbie and Bill's house. They are eating and "talking". I miss them. As soon as possible, I want to bring them here.
COWS
>
>
> Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can
track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where
she sleeps in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to
their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens
wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.

Hope I am BACK. Did you miss me.

Mary

Hey, Everybody. We are coming to the finish line and we are exhausted. We made two trips today. When we got there the second time I was so tired that I found a pillow and a throw and fell asleep on the living room floor.

I swear that the house is creating things as fast as we take them out but we ARE making headway.

Bobbie and Bill are coming to pick up Oscar and Roxie sometime between six and seven tomorrow evening. We are planning on being back from our second delivery by 5:45PM. Should be easy.

This will probably be my last posting until Monday or Tuesday. We are taking the Charter modum, boxes and controllers to Charter which means that though I won't be able to go online for a while. But we are having Time Warner hook us up on Monday and Jim and Michelle will help us get set up on Monday evening.

Saturday, I will be leaving for the condo as soon as the movers arrive. Dick will be here to direct them and I will be at the other end to tell them where to put things. I hope our ideas work. Removing things would not be easy.

I will leave you for a few days with a quote that I read the other day.

"If you can't be kind, at least learn to be vague."

Have a good weekend and I hope you miss me.

Love

Mary

Another busy day.

I spent the morning catching up on computer stuff and doing a bit of packing.

I had to go to the dentist in the latter part of the morning to have the gum area at the back of my teeth checked. I had gotten a little infection in there and we had to make sure that it healed. It has improved a lot and I just have to keep flossing to make sure that it gets all better.

Then I came home and we had lunch. Beffore we went out to the condo with another load I went to the Blood Center and donated again. Ran into my friend Bob Weber, from Blessed Trinity, who helps out at the blood center getting the donors drinks and cookies and all. He was not aware that we are moving and like everybody else tried to convince me to just stay on in Falls and make the drive. Just not practical when we will be so close to St. John's.

THEN, we went out to Plymouth, via voting in the primary AND taking Mother a bottle of wine. Mother said that she is sure that Dick has ESP because she had just run out.

We unloaded the car and had a visit from the treasurer of the Tallgrass Condo Association. Jim. He was very helpful, gave us some information and got a signature that he needed and answered several questions that we had. I restrained myself from mentioning how much I will miss my kitties. We stuck around until Jim and Michelle came home. We wanted to thank them for setting up our music system. Tomorrow, I will find the cds and tapes so we have somehing to listen too.

We got home at almost 7PM and I heated some cheese hotdogs with saurkraut for supper and we fed our very hungry critters.

Children's Books That Didn't Make It


You Are Different and That's Bad

The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables

Dad's New Wife Robert

Fun Four-letter Words to Know and Share

Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book

The Kids Guide to Hitchhiking

Kathy Was So Bad Her Mom Stopped Loving Her

Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence

All Cats Go to Hell

The Little Sissy Who Snitched

Some Kittens Can Fly

That's It, I'm Putting You Up For Adoption

Grandpa Gets a Casket

The Pop-up Book of Human Anatomy

Strangers Have the Best Candy

Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get Your Way

You Were An Accident

Things Rich Kids Have That You Never Will

Pop Goes the Hamster and Other Great Microwave Games

Love

Mary

I just got back from Rhine Plymouth general meeting. The last meeting of the day. It went fairly fast as I was home by 8:30PM, a record. We had quite a bit of business but it went smoothly without a lot of repeating. Those men are great about rehashing things after they have been resolved and voted on.

I also had Bible Study this morning. It was quite interesting as we are reading the letter of James in this church year for the second reading on Sundays. This was on the theme of faith versus good works and we wonder what God decides about all the good people in this world who do not believe in Him. Perhaps He just chuckles because He knows that He is in their hearts and they just don't see Him.

I read the Living Faith for Friday the 8th and felt it was worth sharing with my friends at bible study and I will share the first paragraph with you all. It was written by an Anne Bingham.

"I read somewhere that you really don't want and angel showing up in your life, at least not a Biblical angel. Unlike Hollywood angels, who make your life easier, biblical angels usually bring job assignments from the Big Guy, jobs that are not only completely unsuited for your particular skill set, but also extremely inconvenient. If you say "Yes," it's a sure bet you'll either have to annoy someone at the top of the food chain ("You want me to tell Pharoah WHAT?") or turn your life upside down (A baby? But I'm not married yet!")"

Pretty good, right?

I also had Writer's Club this afternoon. We had a speaker but I will have to tell you about him later. He has a book that is coming out next month about a photagrapher who filmed the Ziegfield girls. What a story. Not only what he wrote about but all the things that happened as he was getting it published.

Tomorrow, the dentist, giving blood and taking more stuff out to the condo.

Later

Mary

Celtic Faire was a great success. The Mass was truely beautiful and the church was full. The dancers found their way and were very well received by the audience. The food was good and we almost sold out. The beer sales were down because it was a bit cool.

I don't know if it is better to have it chilly or over 90 degrees. The heat drives people away and the chill slows down the beer sales.

Anyway, we should turn out OK.

Jeff and Kathy came for the first time and say they will never miss it. I hope the congregation finds someone who will take over, as I will be in Plymouth next year. I would hate to see my "baby" fall apart. I will break the things I do down into four areas and perhaps they can find people who are willing to take one or all the areas. They ARE all loosely related but could be made easier (less work for one) if separated.

I also sold two of my books. So I feel good about the day.

Tomorrow I have meetings all day (Bible Study, Writer's Club and Rhine Plymouth) so will do that and then Tuesday, we will start hauling things out to the condo again.

I am going to sip a cup of tea and then go to bed.

Be happy


Mary

It has been a lovely day. Actually the weather was rather cloudy and it was a bit cool. BUT for the first time in days, I was not packing or unpacking anything OR cleaning anything.

We got up at 6:00AM. I walked Chelsea. She was rather lazy this morning. She only went about a block and a half and then turned around. Then she did not even want to go to the OTHER end of the tract which is very unusual. She turned in at the driveway. I did not argue with her as it gave me a little leeway in getting ready for our trek to the Fireside for 42nd Street.

We had decided to change our pick up point to Plymouth. It takes ALMOST as long to get to Discovery in Sheboygan as to the Plymouth K Mart and their pickup and drop off are a half hour different than Sheboygan. I figured that since we were leaving our poor little old lady, Chelsea, for that many hours, if we could cut and hour off of the time we were gone, it was only fair. And she did just fine. But she was VERY glad we were back.

The meal as always was really good. We had an antipasto salad, beef and gravy with scalloped potatoes, asparagus and carrots and a delicious dessert. Along with their great breads of course. Michelle and Jim came with us, I think I told you that. Michelle and I bought bread before the meal. Then after we ate, we went through the shops. Always fun.

Several years ago, the Sheboygan Theater Company put on a production of 42nd Street. They usually put on a commendable performance. However, the only time I ever saw a worse one was when they attempted to do Zorba. Of course, since I saw Anthony Quinn live as Zorba, I may have been expecting too much. But, if so, so did many in the audience who left at intermission. Mother, Dick and I were just much too polite.

Anyway, Dick was SO disappointed in their 42nd Street, which is one of his very favorites.

The Fireside "way" made up for it. They were wonderful. I had forgotten how many really great songs were in that production. Those were the days that music and lyrics were more important than special effects and you ALWAYS had songs that you could sing along with and stuck in your head.

We had bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches for dinner after we zipped over to Bobbie and Bill's to take in their paper and mail. Mom's potato bread and Bobbie's tomatoes sure make a wicked sandwich.

Love

Mary

We had the car serviced very early this morning. Then we loaded the car again and went back to the condo. My kitchen is functional. I now have most of the spices in.

Dick did a couple of loads of wash while we were there and I ran the glasses through the dishwasher. They came out nice and sparkly. All the appliances are Maytag . Judy left the manuel for the washer and dryer but not the dishwasher or stove/microwave, so we will have to wing it.

Had lunch with Betty, Joyce and Ceil at Dairy Queen. Dick ate some leftovers at the condo. Jim and Michelle popped in at about 2:00PM so we went over to see how far they have come in getting their home together. It is coming together so well and is comfy and very lovely. They are so proud and should be.

We stopped at Bobbie and Bill's on the way home to take in the paper and mail and I picked a few more tomatoes.

Now I am tired and will hit the bed soon as we are going to Fort Atkinson tomorrow to the Fireside to see 42nd Street.

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the
clothes you were buried in for eternity?


Mary

Another day of moving. We took a car load down to the condo and on the way, signed up at Time Warner for our cable service and internet access. We are being moved on Saturday the 16th and will get our service hooked up on Monday the 18th. I checked with Michelle and she said that she and Jim will be around an will get us all "computerized." Can't be too long without service, you know. However, and I will remind you again, you will NOT hear from me on the 16th or the 17th. I hope you miss me.

Tonight was the last choir rehersal for Celtic Mass and I think it went very well. Jim Wilsing has three young musicians joining him, playing fiddle, bodhran and guitar. Natalie Seich, a dancer, is going to help with worship dance during the prelude and the Mass. She is wonderful and the congregation loves it. Did I tell you that we are doing the Lake Isle of Inishfree by Wm. Yeats at the offeratory. It is a lovely poem and a lovely song.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Enjoy.

I have a TON of calls to make tomorrow.  Hope you all come to the Faire on Sunday and buy by book.


Love

Mary

The picture is of the banner that I designed for Celtic Mass and Faire and donated to Blessed Trinity. It is not showing the brightness of the colors. I will work on it when I am not so tired and if I can refine it will republish at a later date. However, it is done it is hung and I am very proud of it. It is such joy to share a vision like this with others. I will add what I put on the lable that is on the back of it so that you too can see the meaning and symbolism.

THE HAND OF GOD

The Hand of God blesses the congregation, rising up from earth into a cloudy sky. The snakes that are entwined form four frames that contain the symbols of the Four Evangelists.
On the right are seven Celtic designs that symbolize the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. On the left, ten Celtic designs that symbolize the Ten Commandments.
Designed and created by
Mary J. Kunert
September, 2006


The rest of the day was also very busy. Dick and I went shopping this morning. Then I packed a couple of boxes and cleaned the bathrooms. The guys from A-Better Home Services came and took away all of our trash. Then the moving company came at 5:00 and gave us an estimate. It is fine and they will be able to come a week from Saturday to get us over there.

The last thing I did was go over to Blessed Trinity and help decorate. The church is beautiful. I hope you will all come. The Mass starts at 10:00AM followed by the Faire which is finished at 3:00PM. You will love it.

Guess that is all for now.

Tomorrow is just as busy. I will let you know.

Be safe and healthy. Love yourself


Mary

 

This is my second attempt at this tonight, I left it to go to find the following and lost my whole posting. I had some really clever things in it too. Hope I can recreate them. Here is the treasure that I went to find.

Ten Guidelines From God




Effective immediately,
please be aware that there are changes YOU need
to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be
completed in order that I may fulfill My promises
to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in
this life. I apologize for any inconvenience,
but after all that I am doing, this seems very
little to ask of you. Please,follow
these 10 guidelines



1. QUIT WORRYING:
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit
and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here
to take all your burdens and carry them for you?
Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little
thing that comes your way?



Now for today. Dick and I took one carload of stuff out to the condo today. I spent an hour or two putting food away in the kitchen. Boy do we have a lot of food.

It is a family joke that we could survive almost any catastrophe because, I have this thing about having enough food in the house and Dick is just as worried about running out of paper towels and toilet paper.

There were two times in my life where I was able to provide just enough food for my family. No more, no less. I even accounted for snacks for the kids after school or whatever. I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. It is fun not to have to plan every bite that goes in ones mouth though there is, I must say, a certain satisfaction in being able to do such a thing.

I picked up Market Day this afternoon too. We now have pork chops, ham steaks, chicken steaks and blueberry muffins and chicken pot pies to add to the larder at Treegrass.

Tonight I had to attend the Rhine Plymouth Board meeting. We handled that with dispatch and I was home by 8:30PM. Whew. Good thing because I am a bit tired again.

Tomorrow, the trash collector is going to pick up all our stuff that can't go into the regular garbage. We are hoping to hear from a mover out of Plymouth otherwise I will start calling around as we want to get everything done by the end of next week. Actually, I have mixed feelings as I am going to miss my kitties but things have to be done.

Roxie has been exceptionally loving lately. I think all the emptying is getting to her. I wish I could explain to them.
Love

Mary

Dick and I "wined" all day today.

We filtered and bottled the white zinfindal. Then Dick cleaned the carboys and we got all the filtering equipment boxed up and ready to move. We also racked the current wine and will be able to move it with a careful bubble wrapped box on the floor of the car behind the seat.

I also got four boxes wrapped and spent a lot of time holding and petting Sweet Roxie. She is awfully affectionate today. She even took a nap with me this afternoon.

We had steak and raw fried potatoes for supper. Boy was that good.

Tomorrow we move some more again and make many many phone calls.

I finished the banner. Now I have to get a label on it. We will hang it up on Wednesday when we do the decorating.

Love

Mary

It was a lovely Sunday.

I got up at 6 AM to walk Chelsea so I could go to the 8AM Mass. As it turned out, I could have gotten up later. There were goose hunters out in the field and they started shooting. Chelsea heard the shots and high tailed it for home. We had a VERY short walk.

Church was short too, Fr. Gene's sermon was only a recap of the settlement that the Milwaukee Archdiocese is making to the victims of the priest who was sent out of state to Orange County California and did more damage there. The Archdiocese is selling a lot of property to pay the settlement. Perhaps this is the lesson. Getting rid of some of the excess wealth. If we can function with less property and buildings, perhaps we should have been all along. Too bad this excess wealth is not going for something proactive but to repair damage.

Then I had a nice visit with Mother and came home. We paacked a few boxes and went back to Plymouth where I UNpacked a few boxes. The kitchen is shaping up and I am able to put lots of extra things in the kitchenette downstairs. I have decided to make that the bread baking area. I can just leave the bread machine there all set up.

We went out to New China Kitchen for a nice dinner, just the two of us and are now home and settled in for a bit.

Tomorrow, we intend to stay here and bottle and rack wine. I need to do some cleaning too. It will be a relief. Hopefully, we will be able to just be home. The kitties will like that. I wish I could talk to them and let them know that I really DO love them and want what is best for them.

Have a wonderful Labor Day. It is my son Bret's birthday tomorrow. And it was actually Labor Day the day he was born. I remember going up on the elevator to the OB and finding that there ended up being about six women all in labor at the same time. One of the nurses said, and I quote. "Just because it was Labor Day didn't mean that you all had to come in at the same time."

Enjoy your day.

Mary

 

Quite a day.

Bobbie and Bill and Jim and Michelle all came over this morning and we packed and loaded cars and drove back and forth to the Condo Twice. Most of the stuff that we are taking is now there. We will gather the rest over the next week and a half as I get through Celtic Faire.

We will have a mover come to take the furniture, the auction company come to take what we are selling and a trash man to haul off the rest.

I got hold of a carpet service, I know the owner and feel confidant, and he will come to clean and deoderize in the Hunters Glen property so we don't have to worry about that. I will have SOME cleaning but it will be OK.

I am so very tired. It will be so good to be in one house and at least partially settled.

Tomorrow we hope to be a bit more laid back. A couple of boxes to Plymouth and some unpacking. It would be good to have the kitchen and bathrooms ready before we move in.

Love

Mary

And I thought I was tired last night.

Today, we loaded up the car twice and made three trips to the house. The third, we picked up Mother so she could tour both houses. Then we took her out to dinner with Jim and Michelle also to the Villager for a Fish Fry. Very Sheboygan. YA!

I stopped at Souchon Funeral Home on the way from Mom's to the condo to give my condolences to Del Mc Clintock, who's wife passed away this week. They were married for over fifty years and he is going to miss her very much. He was very sweet and said that he is not good at letting go of things he likes and loves. All I could tell him was that I cared and that he should remember that he DID have over 50 years. Much more than most.

At the house, we finally have garage door openers. The garage is getting full. I have unpaced about five boxes, not much but I do a bit whenever I have a moment.

The neighbors "donated" their son Patrick, who mows our lawn, to carry boxes up from the basement to the garage for us. What a help. People are REALLY good.

Take care. Tomorrow is coming much too soon.

Mary

Well, the deeds are done. Dick and I followed immediately by Jim and Michelle closed on our adjacent condos in Tallgrass in Plymouth.

Dick and I signed first and then went directly to the new place with the loaded Santa Fe, dropped off those boxes (and did we ever have it jammed) and moved the five boxes that I had put in Jim and Michelle's garage as we had one of the garage door openers.

Then things got a bit goofy as we, along with a representative from the Realty Company, managed to lock the garage door opener in Jim and Michelle's condo and couldn't get the garage door shut with the control panel. So, Stacy, the rep, went looking for keys and Dick stayed while I went and loaded up the car again. By the time I got back, they had found a key and closed things up again. We still only have one key and no garage openers for our unit but are sure this will be resolved by tomorrow.

After I got back, we unloaded the car again and then went to lunch, where I managed to leave my purse. Didn't discover that until after we had come BACK to the Hunters Glen and loaded up AGAIN, including Chelsea. She has been rather distressed and I thought it was a good idea to get her a bit used to the new place.

So, we got her there and she was afraid of the kitchen floor. Reminescent of the weekend that she spent with my Mother, where she spent the whole weekend in the living room because she was afraid of the kitchen floor there. Mother and I have concluded the at the "little people" had taken up residence in her kitchen. The last two times we took her to Mother's she has gone into the kitchen, so we believe that the "little people" have moved on.

After, Chelsea wandered around on her own for while, she became comparatively comfortable and did explore every room. The cats are also quite agitated but I am just trying to love them enough as they will have to go to stay with Bobbie and Bill for a while at lease.

Anyway, at about 4 I discovered that I had left my purse at Culvers. Thank heavens, It was there so the potential mess was resolved quite easily.

I had choir tonight and took the banner to see if it will fit. Everybody seems to like it and thank heaven's it does fit. and is quit spectacular, because of the colors when it is hanging.

That is all for tonight I believe that it it enough.

May the angels keep you save until morning.

Love

Mary

We are on the count down to the big signing. As Dick just said. Another "Great Adventure". An expression Dick apparently used when he built the new library on 8th Street. Many of his staff, including Bobbie, remember that phrase.

Today, we did a final walk though on the house. Had a nice visit with Judy Richards, the current owner. We found out that SHE is having the carpet cleaned so that is a load off of our mind. We checked out the connections for the TV and what shelving is there and what we will bring with us. We then went over to Plymouth Utilities to sign for the transfer to us and went grocery shopping at the Pig in Plymouth.

This afternoon Kaye called with the final amount that we need to bring to the closing, so we went over to the bank and got a cashier's check to take with us.

Tonight we loaded the car and tomorrow morning will fill the ice chest so that we can go RIGHT to the house from the closing and start unloading. We got quite a bit in. We were really rather surprised to find out how much will fit.

Anyway, tomorrow at 8:30AM we will sign the papers and be the owners of two places. Hopefully that will not last long. Pray to ST. Joseph that this house sells VERY quickly.

Wish us luck tomorrow, I will update when I get home from choir.

Love

Mary

Only two more days til we sign on the condo. I packed the pans and trays and things on the shelves in the laundry room today. That was my three boxes.

Dick had an appointment with Dr. Hodous for his feet today. Things are looking pretty good there. He will be checked in a month now. The sores are healing quite well and he trimmed the callouses some more today. We also did a bit of shopping and dropped things off at St. Vinnie's.

It was a hard afternoon for me. I think I am tired and a bit overwhelmed. Took care of the insurance this morning and made several phone calls for church and the Celtic Faire.

Tomorrow, we will have a walk through on the house. We need to find out if we want to clean the carpets or not. If we do we want it done BEFORE we move in, not after the fact when furniture needs to be moved and all. I will also have to send a notice to the Beliefs editor at the Press regarding the Fair AND I want to harvest the Marigold blossoms to freeze for wine. If I don't get them, I will lose out. Frankly, I don't know what I will do next year as Marigold is my best wine.

I cleaned the upstairs refrigerator today too. I REALLY scrubbed it. I will get the freezer section later, but I wanted to check everything and then bring up what little we have in the basement refrigerator. I will have to clean that throroughly before we move too. Can't leave a mess, you know.

I fixed some teriaki chicken and from scratch fried rice for supper tonight. It sure was good and I fixed enough for tomorrow too. We will be eating out and on the run for the next couple of days, so I wanted something really good and something easy for tomorrow because we will be loading up the Santa Fe in the evening.

I believe that things will work out for the best. It seems that the condos are right and the other pieces will fit. I must trust that everything will be OK.

Did I tell everyone that you can take a virtual tour of the place at billcain.com. Just go there and then under his listings. Look for 725 Tallgrass under the condos and click on virtual tour.


Have a great day

Love

Mary

 

Bible Study this morning. It was quite a stimulating conversation. We discussed Deuteronomy where Moses told his people that they were not to add to or detract from the commandments. What is interpretation however? Is there ever ANY justification for fudging. Should you tell a person who is really ill that they look like hell? Do we have the right to kill someone in defense of our own life or the life of someone we love? We didn't resolve that but I don't think we have to.
We learned in the letter from James that we are responsible for the weak and defensless of this world.

Anyway. Dick and I between us got five boxes packed. We have an appointment to do a walk through on the condo onWednesday at 9:00AM and the names of a possible moving company and two carpet cleaners, one from Michelle and one from someone in Kiel from Tom Cain. We will order that on Wednesday, when we know if we need one or two places cleaned.

Tonight was the Environment Committee meeting at church and we firmed up Celtic Faire and they did some future planning. I don't care about anything beyond Celtic Faire because I will be gone by then.

That was ENOUGH for today.

I will post a picture from my files to brighten your day. It is a picture of the rose window at the national cathedaral in Washington D. C. and a picture of the Cathedral itself which I took through the arch leading to it and published just like this in a sepia in my book.

Mary

Church was very pleasant this morning. I distributed communion and Joan, my friend who is having hip surgery on Tuesday, asked that I carry the empty cups and all down from the altar after communion. It is a BIG tray. Fr. Gene carried a bowl and followed me down. When I got there ( it is rather awkward) I whispered to Fr. Gene that Dick would never have believed that they let me do that. I am not the most graceful person in the world and would have never made it as a waitress.

Dick, Jim, Michelle and I had our last breakfast in THIS house together before they left for West Allis. We had pancakes, hot sausages and eggs. Before they left, I gave them a St. Brigid's Cross, blessed by Fr. Gene to hang in their house when they sign on Thursday. I had won one of them at the Irish Reunion and I bought another one at Irish Fest so we can both have one. Jim had expressed concern that if we had one in our house, it would drive all the evil to their side. This way evil will have to skip the entire building.

Then I trimmed the bushes out front and Dick and I spent a bit of time down in the basement emptying the metal shelves that Jim and Michelle will pick up on Thursday.

I even took a nap for about an hour. I am still tired though and I am still worrying about my kitties.

Talked to Bret and Bart and Barb today. All is well, except that Barbara is being worked much too hard in too many directions. She needs to relax a bit but HOW.

I received the following from my friend Harold Diedrich who belongs to Rhine Plymouth Field and Stream. I liked it so I will share. Tomorrow, I will put some pictures on again.

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college.

He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with jeans, his T-shirt, no shoes, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything.

Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill.

Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy.

The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.

And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget."

"Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read!"

Just be kind to everyone. My Dad taught me that. Mother always remembers how gentle and caring he was to all of those workers at Gilson when he was their union representative. And she said that sometimes these men or women were so stupid. But he was unendingly patient and made them feel that they were important. Because he really believed that they were.

Love

Mary

Another busy day that ended with a very fun evening.

Got up a little late. Dick was up early and kept Chelsea out of the bedroom so I was able to sleep until 6:30AM. WOW. Then I showered and fixed breakfast for Dick, Jim, Michelle and myself. Then I packed a few boxes and finished an article for the Celtic Women Newsletter. Then I napped.

I napped because this evening I went to karaoke with Jim and Michelle to Hauser's Hideout in Port Washington. We were there once before to see Michelle's friends Randy and Diane, who are Almost Live, a dj and karaoke service. Tonight was a birthday party for someone named Scott. They called him Scotty the Hottie, which Jim told me is a wrestler or fighter's name. He had a wonderful time but I am afraid that he will not feel that way in the morning and he spent a fortune. The saddest part was when he tried to sing. But Michelle, Jim and myself all sang and had a great time.

For some reason or other, I was thinking today about some friends of mine back in California. They belonged to the same jeep club as we did. Big Al and Mary had three daughters. The girls at one time decided to get their Mother a dog. She wanted one of those dogs that is kind of small and its hair kind of covers their eyes. I forget the breed now. Well, they saw an ad in the paper, so called the owner and went over to see the dog to see if it would work.

The owner was a nervious wreck. One of the girls was only about 11 years old. The other two were older teens. For some reason, this owner was concerned about the dog going to a home with "young children." But it was a sweet dog and the girls liked her and finally talked her into selling the dog to them.

So they paid her and loaded the dog into the car and started to drive off. As they were driving off the woman started running frantically after them and flagged them down at the end of the driveway. She leaned into the window and said. "By the way, the dog is blind in one eye."

The kids were shocked but decided to keep the dog anyway. It turned out to be a perfect pet and whenever anything was a little weird someone in that family would say, "By the way, the dog is blind in one eye."

Sometimes blind in one eye is not such a bad thing.

Love

Mary

It was a busy day. I had an interview with a Jeff Peterson at the Plymouth Review office for the Sheboygan Falls News about the Celtic Faire. Followed by a stop at the book store, where I introduced myself to Sue the owner. She said that she would carry my book in her store if I bring it down. Yippee. She also belongs to St. John's, so there is another person I know there.

Had lunch with Barb, Betty, Marlene, Ceil AND Mary Schroeder, who came because she missed us and she is worried because David is not feeling well. We must all pray for him and her.

I cleaned the kitchen this morning and we had a couple with four kids, a friend named Jim, who I used to work with at Wells come through the house today.

Clelsea had another of her little seizures today. She seems subdued tonight.

I guess that is all. Tomorrow, I am going to Karaoke again with Jim and Michelle. That is always fun. I can wear my 'Forgive me for I have Zinned" Shirt since I got it at this bar.

Love

Mary

We had a little rain, most of it last night and early this morning. The thunderstorms that we were promised are turning out to be nothing but promises, though we are getting a bit of thunder as I do this posting.

We had a showing today. So I spent the morning cleaning the kitchen and running the Roombas.

Then I had an appointment with a Jeff Peterson from the Sheboygan Falls Review in the Plymouth office to tell him about the Celtic Faire. He took volumes of notes. If he writes an article that long, we will REALLY get the publicity.

Then I went to the book store where the Plymouth Writers Club meets every third Monday of the month. I re-met Sue, the owner and introduced myself.

 

I am very proud. I packed THREE more boxes today. I still have to take one out in to the garage, but it is packed.

We did our grocery shopping this morning , then went to the drug store on 5th and Superior to pick up Dick's new support stockings. The woman who helped us with them was truly amazed at how much better his legs look now. Some things that we are doing are working.

Then I cleaned bathrooms, packed and finalized a few things for Celtic Faire.

We are having a showing tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 so I will have to hurry home from my lunch in Plymouth to help get the critters out of the house for a while. I spent a while today cleaning and sprucing up. I have an interview about Celtic Faire at the Plymouth Review at 11:30AM.

We had choir practice tonight. The songs for the Mass are coming along just fine. Did I tell you that we are singing the Lake Isle of Inishfree. It is a beautiful piece that we are all enjoying. The only thing is that on that particular piece, they have made the printing REALLY tiny and we are all squinting.

The picture that follows was taken at lat year's faire. I especially like it because it shows such action. We are having dancers again this year. They are VERY popular.

Have a neat Friday. We will be having fresh corn for supper again, if you want to join us.

Love. Mary

It has been a long day . Dick and I went shopping this morning, to Walgreens and Office Max. When we got home, I brought up the dishes from the cabinet in the basement and packed most of them. Three boxes worth. I figure two more boxes will accomodate the silverware and serving dishes.

Then I realized that I didn't feel too well, so I laid down for a bit and even napped. It did help. I made potato salad and barbqued turkey breasts for dinner. Then Dick and I played a couple of games of rummy. Amazingly, I won them both. Kind of an exciting evening for me.

Chelsea had one of her little seizures again tonight. She seems so confused by them.

One week from tomorrow, we will sign the papers on the condo. We need to find out where we are signing. I also want to ask Bill for a walk through so that we can see if the carpets need cleaning or not. We are going to load the Santa Fe as full as possible when we go to sign and then head right over and start unloading.

We did not get our promised rain. I will turn on the water again in the morning and leave it on while we do our grocery shopping.


Love

Mary

I am so tired. I could not nap today. And I have been doing STUFF since 6:30AM.

Chelsea and I had a nice walk. Then I packed a couple of boxes, wrote an article for two, made a few phone calls, did a bit of sewing, cooked a couple of meals and I am NOW very tired. It is really too early to go to bed, but I just might have to.

I want to share a story that my Mother told me yesterday.

First I must give you the set up or the background of the story. When I was a little girl, and perhaps for many years before, when we had familiy gatherings, there was always singing. I may have mentioned this to you before.


During picnics or parties, at some point someone would start singing. We did not have accompanyment with this singing. Someone would just start singing. Then, maybe a couple of guys or maybe a quartet would sing another song and then someone would ask for a special song from somebody there. Some of my best memories are of my Grandpa Bowser, my Dad, my Uncles and some cousins singing in the dusk as a picnic or party wore down.

Anyway, my Dad loved to sing. In case you don't know, his name was Francis David Deeley. He was known all his life as Hutz. A name given to him by his brother, George, who could not or would not pronounce Francis. Daddy died 14 years ago.

Another of the singers was Uncle Leo Ayers. Uncle Leo was a musician and a bandleader. He was married to Aunt Kathleen, my Mother's sister and my godmother. Most of you won't know but he was well known around here as a bandleader. His band was called Leo Ayers and the Millionaires. Uncle Leo died 32 years ago of cancer

Now, for the story. A couple of year ago, Uncle Roman, one of my Mother's brothers and a WWII Airforce veteran, was dying. He was mostly in an state of rest, not responding to too much but very peaceful.

Cousin Andrea, Uncle Leo's daughter, came to visit him during his last days. He did not really respond to much, but Uncle Roman's wife, Mary Ann, a real lady and a treasure, asked Andrea, who is an accomplished musician in her own right, to sing him a song.

Andrea thought that this would be a good idea and chose an old song, something like Shine on Harvest Moon, or Blue Hawaii or some thing like that.

When she finished the song, Uncle Roman opened his eyes, sat up in the bed and said, "Hutz - Leo" and laid back down contented and calm.

Uncle Roman joined my Dad and Leo not too long after this event. I know they were waiting at the gates of heaven, ready to have him join them in the old songs.

Love

Mary