Waylon - or as he was known in our household.

The Little Prince.

We are listening to Andre Reiu tonight. He is Mother's favorite orchestra conductor and violinist. So we figure that we better watch so we don't look bad to Mom.

He is really good actually, I recommend any of his shows to you.

Chelsea and I had a rather short walk this morning. It was kind of raining. I did not get wet at all, but could see drops falling into puddles that were alongside the road. I did not argue with her when she pulled me towards the shortcuts. It seemed reasonable as we never know if the sky will open up on days. 30% isn't much but if it is right over us, could be a problem. She even cut through the part of the wood where the trilliums bloom in the spring. I always have to carry her over the bridge that leads to the park there because she has learned that her little paws can get stuck between the slats. But it was a nice walk.

Mass was interesting, a carry over from bible study. We have to realize that as we work to provide for our retirement (which we certainly should do) how much do we need? What good does it do to work our tails to the bone and then go to heaven and leave it all behind? Are we earning for the power of earning or for our security? Do we have a "401K" or "Roth IRA" in heaven for THAT future. HMMMM!!! must think about that.

I worked at Rhine today. Harold had traded with me and I filled his place today. We expected it to be really dead, but kept a steady stream at the traps. Three of them me. I got two 14s. (Better than 12) and then shot a round with the gun the Tom is trying to sell me. Josh, our teenage member, came with me when I shot those rounds in order to advise me. What a nice young man he is. I learned a lot from him and will have to utilize the advice. I seem to shoot high, at least with Tom's gun. However, the gun has little or no recoil because it is gas powered. I still don't quite understand that but the guys tell me it is a good thing.

I just realized that as I mentioned my frustration with trying to get an 8/10 printed of our Waylon cat, some of you might not know what he looked like. (Most of you do of course) The picture I want was taken as he lay in a chair we had in the living room and he is looking at the camera as if to say "Is this really necessary. Have you forgotten who I am?" He was a wonder. So I will send it today. It is a great shot and worth sharing.

Love.

Mary

Jim and Michelle pointed out to me that I had not posted last night. I thought I had. But apparently, I saved the blog as a draft instead of publishing it. If you looked again early this afternoon, I discovered my error and posted it then.

Today was a mainly at home day. There was an awful lot to do around here. Nothing too major but a LOT of stuff. I did go to Walgreens to pick up some prescriptions for Mom and some first aid supplies for us.

Chelsea and I had a pleasant walk this morning. It was cool and there were no mosquitoes in the woods. Then when we got to the front of the house and started around to the end of Tall Grass Lane for our wind down, Chelsea saw a deer. Yes, she actually saw it. She even saw it before I did because I had turned down the road when it scooted into the woods. We were both pretty excited.

We had spareribs and potato salad for supper tonight. It sure tasted good. I made my potato salad. Tomorrow I am grilling some brats so we can use more of that salad.

We are listening to Public Radio and just heard Patti Page sing Doggy in the Window. It made me miss my kitties. It has been almost a year now and I know they don't love me anymore. I guess I never really believed that I wouldn't have them again. It makes me very sad.

I was trying to print Waylon's picture in an 8/10 size out of Picasa today and could not do it. What an annoyance. I will keep experimenting.

Just think, in four more days we should be free of Hunters Glen. On Thursday morning, I have to go over there with something to poke in the planter so that I can find St. Joseph and bring him home to his new home on the mantle. I will also pick up the three stones from the foundation of Fr. Mazzuchelli's church that Kate lent me to place near the house until it sold. I told you, I think, that when Fr. Mazzuchelli moved from Green Bay to the mining area that was full of the Irish, Cornish and Welsh, they had difficulty with his name and he became Fr. Matthew Kelly to them.

Have a nice Sunday. I will be working at Rhine and shooting.

Love
Mary

Dick and I went for what will probably be our second last visit to Hunters Glen today. We ran the water and checked things then went on to breakfast at Hardees. I do like their biscuits. Then we drove over to Discovery World to see their new digs. They have moved their offices into the old train depot on Penn Ave. I remember going there to pick up the train when I would go to Chicago to visit my friend Sally Juravic who I met in the convent. She also left the convent and moved back to Chicago. She married someone named Walsh and had a whole slew of children. I have lost track of her and cannot seem to find her. I must remember to try again.

Anyway, Jerilynn was there and took our payment for Thoroughly Modern Millie and our order to sign up for several shows for next year, including Chicago, and How to Succeed in Business without Even Trying. Jerilynn has Parkinson's. Since we saw her last, she had a surgery which has improved her situation so much that I can hardly believe it. Last time, she could not hold her body still at all. Today she was calm and looked wonderful.

On the way home I dropped some papers off for Beth at the Research Center.

I cleaned the kitchen before heading to the Dairy Queen for lunch with the girls On the way home from there, I stopped at Fleet Farm for ammo and Capelle's for corn. It has not rained in days again, so I started watering in the back and resoaked the plants on the deck.

We had to get up at 6AM in order to be ready to take Dick to the clinic for his ultra sound. When we got there, they told us it would take about an hour an a half, so I just went home and cleaned the bathrooms, watered plants. Then, on my way back, I stopped to the new Kwik Trip for my free coffee, milk and potatoes and my 99 cent donuts. It was fun. When I got to the clinic, Dick was all ready to go except for me helping him put on his stockings. Those over the knee high stockings really take two to get on a person. We found out that it is a good thing he has them because Dr. Siddique would want him to wear them after the surgery anyway.

After we got Dick home, I went to the Sheboygan Historical Research Center to assemble the prototype of the mass folder for the 12th at St. Michaels. That was fun and it really looks nice.

We seem to have a really big "infestation" of amphibians. After I saw the green frog that I showed you a picture of, Chelsea found a pretty good sized toad in the front garden. Then this morning when I was watering the plants in the garden by the front walk I saw a really teeny little toad there.

I remember one morning when I lived in Santa Ana CA. Bret was just little, maybe two and we were getting dressed for the day in my bedroom. Suddenly I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Bret saw it at the same time and let out a yelp and climbed me like a tree. It was a good sized toad. I jumped too until I saw what it was. I tried to convince him that it was nothing to worry about. Don't think I succeeded. I guess the cat dragged it in, otherwise, there is no way it could have gotten that far into the house. We took it outside an let it go.

This reminds me of another incident with "critters." I was hanging clothes in the back yard (still in Santa Ana. Bret was about four and playing with his friend, Bret Alan, who lived two doors down the street. Suddenly, I heard a blood curdling scream from the front yard and hightailed it out there. Here was Bret Alan about 20 feet away from my Bret with his eyes as big as his face and his hand over his mouth in absolute terror. Bret was on one knee and also terrified. He screamed. "A cocapiller is crawling up my leg."

Poor thing. A caterpillar WAS crawling up his leg. So I found some jars and we took that caterpillar and a couple more along with twigs and leaves and I showed them how to put holes in the lid and that they should be patient and lo and behold we got butterflies. We had a lot of jars after that but they were no longer afraid of "cocapillers".

Mary

It is a good thing that Chelsea and I take our walk early in the morning. It was in the mid 60s when I got up at a bit after 6AM and we had a perfectly wonderful walk. There are really not too many people out at that hour but we did run into Tim, one of the regulars and I saw a couple in the distance. (Chelsea didn't) She is not too alert you know.

Then we went to the Family Restaurant for breakfast and grocery shopping at the Pig. I got kind of smart on breakfast. I ordered one egg with toast and fruit and a side of corned beef which I shared with Dick. That seems the most sensible way, otherwise there is just TOO much food.

Today was Morning League at Rhine. I shot a 14, two up from what I have been doing so I was happy for that. Tom, and older gentlemen, (You know, Bobbie, Rufus's "daddy") lent je a gun to try. I shot five shots out of it and it has no kick at all. I will try it again on Sunday when I work and maybe if I can do well will buy it. It is heavier than my gun but as I said has no kick.

This afternoon, I washed the outside of the bathroom and our bedroom windows. It was way too hot, I am glad I set myself up for only two windows because when I got done and came in I was SWEATING. I never SWEAT. That is a guy thing and I don't like it. So I went and rinsed myself off in the shower.

We had chicken drumsticks, rice and fresh green beans for supper. I baked some currant muffins today too. It dawned on me that I can bake down in the den and not heat the house up. I keep the door shut to the lower level anyway. Sometimes, even in this heat, that room is cold anyway.

Enjoy your Thursday. Dick gets the ultrasound of the veins in his legs tomorrow. One step at a time.

Love

Mary

DOG DIARY

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Look below for a treat. This evening I went out on the deck to read for a while. I did not stay too long as it is very hot and muggy still. To my delight, I found a little green frog right on the door. So I lifted him into one of the pots. But when Dick came out I couldn't find him. He showed up a bit later on the deck rather near the edge. I took two pictures of him and then picked him up and took him down to the bottom of the garden at the edge of the wood. I hope he has a happy life. He is really very pretty.

I DID get to stay home all day. I finished cut and pasting the worship folder and cleaned the downstairs area.

Chelsea was a bit lethargic today. When the Time Warner Man rang the bell, she barked and then laid down again until I got up to go to the door. I think she was hoping it did not really happen because she was really enjoying her nap.

Tomorrow we shop and I shoot. It will be very hot again, so shooting will be an effort but it is better than temps below zero.

Have a good Wednesday and enjoy the picture below.

Love.

Mary

Here is the frog I found on the deck tonight. Dick said he looks like a Disney frog.

Hot and muggy. That is what we were faced with today and what is expected for the next two days. Chelsea and I had a lovely walk except for the big dog that tried to attack us on Cattail Drive. I was NOT happy. Suddenly the garage door opened, which is not a big deal, but then this dog ran out and chased us down. The owner called her back and she did go but then she started back after us. At that point, I picked Chelsea up because I was afraid for her.

The rest of the walk was uneventful. I saw two crows on the backstop of one of the baseball diamonds in the park and came up with my daily haiku from that.

Perched on the backstop
Waiting for the baseball game
Two crows caw loudly.

I just do one haiku a day. Good or bad.

Bible study was quite nice we were talking about Vanity and the questionable value of accumulating a lot of riches. Lots of discussion, It is, after all, no sin to accumulate things. It seems to be whether we are gathering them just to have them or if it is a natural part of survival. After all, when we die, material things don't go along with us.

A nice visit with Mom. She had a doctor's appointment today. Jeff took her. She is just fine. Dr. Hancock wants to see her in three months again.

I had a busy day at home then. I worked on a lot of computer stuff. Then the computer AND the TV both went down so I spent about an hour on the line with Time Warner. Up until last week, we had been pretty happy with them, but this has been bad. Sure glad we have another server for our phone, otherwise, how could we contact them.

We have another technician coming tomorrow between 1 and 3. Since we made that appointment, we do have service again. You can tell that because, I am blogging. But, again, we will not cancel as something is obviously not right. On and off service is not what we expect or pay for.

Bret called tonight. He sounded very tired but is fine. I sure miss my boys.

Tomorrow, I will do some fine tuning on the mass folder. I need to talk to Beth about some changes that I have made, namely putting a biography about Fr. Mike in it.

We had fried rice and teriyaki steak for supper tonight. Very good.

Tomorrow, I don't have to go anywhere.

Have a great day.

Mary



I

It was a rather hot and muggy day today. Chelsea and I got up at 6AM and took her walk. She was not too enthused and took a couple of shortcuts. I figured that was OK because I was going to church at 8AM.

Mass was very nice. Fr. Van Beeck always does do a nice one. After Mass, I gave Mary Calvey the music and updated Mass schedule for August 8. She called me this evening and we made a couple of other minor changes. I have decided to put Fr. Mike's bio into the folder as there are probably many who won't realize the connection.

Then home for breakfast. Boy was I ever hungry by then. After that I cleaned and washed the currants that I had picked yesterday. I will be freezing them until there are some empty gallon jugs, then another batch of Current wine. I have to decide between regular or 2 year current.

I went out to Rhine to shoot a round of trap. Still not following through and trying to point. I will keep working on it. Maybe I can get Jim and Michelle, who went out with me today, may be willing to be a three man team with me this Fall. We will see. The three of us shot a couple of rounds of pistol too. That is always fun. I need to get some more ammo for trap.

That was really the extent of today. We had teriyaki venison with zucchini patties and salad for our supper.

My brother George called. I had called him the other day after finishing Harry Potter because he used to read them too. He wasn't home but returned my call tonight. It is always good to talk to him. They are doing fine. We will see them at John and Holly's wedding next month.

I also talked to Bart and Barb and my step grandson Tim who is always fun to talk to. He is starting grad school this semester.

Bart and Barb both sounded good.

Guess that is all. The coming week is really rather light. I hope it stays that way. We only have one doctor appointment.

Take care

Mary

A double rainbow for luck

Mary

Such a muggy day it was. Not too hot, but muggy. Chelsea let me sleep until 6:30AM. Of course, she did not have much choice as Dick had shut her out of the bedroom. She chose a very short walk today, and I did not argue with her.

I made a couple of calls this morning to set the two repairs needed for the house on track. Falls Glass will call me Monday to set up an appointment. I MAY call another glass company too (this is for the skylight, which is fogging up) as I was kind of turned off by the man I talked to at Falls Glass. He was really condescending. I called St. Nick's to check the fireplace cap. He will be there by Monday. He was going to try today, but his sister died and he wasn't sure he would make it.

Then I went over to Tom Lawonn's house. He is a friend from Rhine Plymouth and offered me currants. I picked about 5 pounds of them. I will wash them tomorrow and then take them to Mother's to her freezer as I won't be able to start another batch of wine until I bottle some of the batches that I have in jugs now. Got to get the fruit when it is available though.

I think the worship folder is ready for copying when we have all of our volunteers and I have the reading copied to take to Tom and Kathy Keyes and the music ready to take to Mary Calvey and Mary Fellenz.

Dick and I also took the signed amendment to ReMax so that is all ready to go. There is really nothing in my experience that could throw a wrench in things now. So less than two weeks and we will be free. Jennifer from ReMax has instructed Bill Cain that the six of us, Me and Dick, Jim and Michelle and Bill and Her are going to dinner at 52 Stafford that night. We all deserve it.

Dick took me out for lunch to Antoinette's so we just had soup for supper. And a piece of that wonderful strawberry pie. Num Num. Tomorrow I am preparing teriaki venison steaks. I think I will grill them. I want a BIG salad and some fried rice with it.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Mary

I was unable to post last night because we lost our internet connection. It was a real mess. We lost it at about 6:30 or 7PM. We tried rebooting, and disconnecting and reconnecting the modem several times, but nothing worked. SO, we called Time Warner. The gal I got had me do the same things over again and when that didn't work referred me to a "local" center. (I found out that the local center is in Milwaukee.) She transferred me and we waited, and we waited, and we waited. Finally over an hour later we got someone who decided that since she would just have us do all the disconnecting stuff again she would just set up an appointment for someone to come out. SO we have a technician coming on (would you believe) Sunday between 7:30AM and 9AM.

Obviously we have our connection again, but I am not going to cancel the appointment. It has gone out at least once since we got it back. Also, the TV service went down once.

Both are on at the present time, but I refuse to spend an hour on the line to tell someone NOT to come. Besides, I think they should check the equipment after all of that.

The past two days have been very busy. Dick had his physical yesterday. Dr. Sharon is pleased with most things. We are working on a couple of minor things (besides his legs of course). There will be a blood test in six months to see if the steps we are taking are working.

I did a lot of work on the worship folder for St. Michaels yesterday and then today, went to the Research center to do some copying as I will have to cut and paste the music in the rest of the service.

I went to the Research Center after lunch with Marlene and Barb. Then on the Hunters Glen to run the water etc, to Walgreens to pick up a prescription and over to Capelle's to get fresh corn for our Friday supper. We had a fresh strawberry pie for dessert and Jim and Michelle joined us for that.

What happened was this. We got a call from Sue at Re Max. The buyer's inspection was complete and there was a request for some work and an amendment at Re Max for us to look at. Not knowing when Jim and Michelle would be home, Dick and I went over to see what was up. There are two items, not huge, that they would like repaired. So, we brought two copies of the amendment and that page of the inspection home and pasted one on Jim and Michelle's door with a note to come over when they got home. Fortunately they came home in time to have their "dessert first" with us after we discussed the amendment. I will call tomorrow for some estimates and we will proceed. I am relieved that part is over and now we have less than two weeks til closing.

Did you hear about that Cat in the nursing home who always goes to sleep with patients who are within four hours of dying? Apparently, the cat is aware, ofter before the vital signs signal the end. It climbs in bed and curls up next to the patient purring until the demise. The staff has taken to calling the next of kin if this occurs. The families are quite grateful as it gives them tome to come and say good by.

I believe this. When I was really sick, Waylon, who was just a kitten, spent the time that Dick was at work, curled up on my hip purring. It was very comforting. I also had a cat, my black Sam, who was aware when earthquakes were imminent. Cats are very attuned to changes and intense things like that. I would find it very comforting myself.

I guess that is all for now. I probably forgot a lot but at least you know why there was nothing last night.

"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made." M Acklam


Have a nice weekend. I am going to pick currants tomorrow.

Love

Mary

We had a very productive day today. This morning Chelsea and I had a very nice walk just before the skies opened up for a heavy rain that lasted quite a long time. After the storm let up, Dick and I went to McDonald's for breakfast. I tried their McGriddle breakfast sandwich but told them to leave off the cheese. Somehow cheese on a pancake does NOT sound acceptable. The egg and bacon tasted good however.

Then we did our grocery shopping. Quickly, Dick was very tired by then. I went to Rhine to shoot trap. Didn't do any good AGAIN. I will just have to keep trying. I have to remember to follow through. That is my main problem right now.

At 11:00 Dick and I arrived at Aurora Health Center for his 5th Diabetes Class. This was very informative, reviewing reading of labels and giving hints on how to cut salt and fat and all.

That was the last place I had to go today. It rained again this afternoon. Just as hard as this morning and there was even thunder along with it.

My Uncle George Deeley, my dad's brother was a bachelor. He was a very handsome man and very shy. He had a beautiful voice, I was told and wrote poetry sometimes. I learned these things from friends of his. He used to walk downtown one evening a week to hang out with his friends. He would go to three or four of the bars downtown on a kind of regular schedule. If he didn't show up, invariably someone would call the house and check on him. "Is he OK. Does he need a ride?" One evening he was talking to Gert Nitsche, who lived next door. She asked him why he never got married. She told him that there were probably a dozen women in Sheboygan Falls who would be happy to marry him. George looked at her and said. "Name two."

Tonight Mary Calvey, who is going to cantor on August 12 out at St. Michael's church, came over and we finalized choosing the music for the Mass. I think we have done very well. Now I have to cut and paste and get it all in to the folder. I need to copy the music for Mary and Mary Fellenz, the organist. Mary Calvey said that she may be able to get us a violinist. Yippee

Have a nice evening and a great Thursday. Except for Dick's physical, it is a rather quiet day for me. I might go and pick currants.

Love

Mary

"You can't stay young forever, but you can be immature for the rest of your life." I got this in an email and sent it (along with the rest) to several of you.

Nice way to start a blog.

Today was quite productive. I went to the Historical Research Center today and met with Beth Dippel to be sure that we were OK with the plans for Mass at the Gathering of the Clans on August 13 at St. Michaels. After I got home, I made a few more calls and then did the skeleton of the Worship folder and sent the general idea to Fr. Mike so he can be aware of what is happening.

I got a call from Mother. She did not get her paper - AGAIN- She must have a delivery boy/girl who is as bad as the one Dick and I had several years ago. She has to call at least once a week to report that she has not gotten her paper. I sometimes wonder about their followup. They are quick enough to send someone out with the paper but can't seem to get reliable delivery people. She always has Donna or me call for her and I can see why. The instructions to report the problem are way to confusing for someone like my mother. Without us, she probably would just get screwed out of a paper.

The other day on the way home they were talking about the riots in Detroit in 1967. It reminded me of that horrible hot summer in 1965 when there were riots all over the country. I was living in Southern California at the time and we well aware of the Watts riots where 34 people died. There were also smaller insurrections in Santa Ana which is much closer to where I was living. I remember that it was a horrible time and that Watts and that part of Santa Ana were much like a war zone. How times have changed yet how much they have remained the same. It was in 1992 that the Rodney King riots occurred. For a different reason we know, but still awful and such violence and hate. I still remember seeing Reginald Denny laying in that street and being so unmercifully beaten by those men. I remember my fear because Bret lives there and Bret drove a pickup through some of those areas. I did not rest until I knew he was safe. All mother's sons should be safe.

Have a good Wednesday. We go to another diabetes class tomorrow.

Mary

I

Chelsea is still trying to wake me up way too early. This morning it was 5:15 AM again so I shut her out of the bedroom until 6 again.

We had 9 people at bible study this morning. The Gospel was the one where Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer. We got to discussing the fact that prayers like the Lord's prayer are said so often that we become immune to the meaning and just say them without thinking about it. It reminded me of Bret when he was a little boy. We had come for a visit to Wisconsin. At that point Dr. Seuss's One Fish Two Fish was his favorite story. I had read it all the way from California to Wisconsin and he still wanted it read to him. Even Grandma Deeley got tired of it. Finally, he asked again and I sat down and was flipping the pages and reading in a droning monotone when my brother Matt said that this was not way to read to a child. So he took the book and Bret and read that story like it was the most dramatic piece of literature he had ever read before. That is the way we have to look at some of the bible readings and prayers that we have heard over and over and over. Pretend that we are children and hearing them for the very first time.

Stopped at Mother's for a visit. I took her some coleslaw and cucumber salad. She gave me a zucchini. Jeff brought her two on Sunday. She asked that I stop at St. Mary's cemetery to water the planters on the family graves. Donna had said and she is right that the plants on Dad's grave are just a skosh prettier than the others. We wonder what he is doing. Actually they all look pretty good.

Dick and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix today. It is excellent. I LOVED IT. And so did the rest of the audience apparently. At the end, when the Minister of Magic, Fudge, FINALLY admits that Voldemort is back, someone in the audience said " Well, DUH!!" Dick and I giggled inside because we were as entranced as everybody else.

When we got home I finished the last book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I loved it too and was VERY happy with the ending. I am glad that there are two more movies to look forward too. It will be rather sad when it is all over.

We had spaghetti and meatballs for supper. I had made a sauce using fresh herbs from my planters on the deck and the very last package of tomatoes that I froze last fall. I am trying very hard to empty the old stuff from the freezer as I will need room for the new.

Have a nice day for evening, depending on when you read this.

Love

Mary

This has been a perfectly lovely day. The night was not so good. Dick was very restless and then Chelsea tried to get me up at about 4:45AM.

I decided that his was not an option, so I took her out into the kitchen, gave her some lettuce and went back to bed, closing the door to the bedroom with her conveniently on the other side of it. I got up when the alarm went off at 6AM. We had a pleasant walk. It was only 50 degrees or so but was dry and clear which makes for very good walking.

Jim and Michelle had asked me to look in on Boots. Boots had left me a very sweet message asking me to feed him and give him water and scritch him since his owners weren't there to do it. He is a handsome kitty. I sat with him for a while last night and then went over just after my shower while I was drinking my coffee.

When I got home from Mass, I fixed breakfast and then read the Harry Potter book until it was time to go to Holly's bridal shower. That was very special. Eileen and Mary had fixed good food and cupcakes. We had wine or coffee or punch. The games were fun. You try to think of something related to weddings for every letter of the alphabet in five minutes.

I always love the unwrapping present part. It is such fun to see all the really nice things and know that someone you love will have them to start off with. I met Holly's mother too. She is lovely as her daughter is. Mary and Eileen had a nice little gift bag full of cute little gifts for all those who attended too.

I see I forgot to post yesterday. The trip to Sweet Charity and getting emmersed in the Harry Potter Book just whisked it out of my mind.

Sweet Charity was really good. Patty Davis, the lead was wonderful and the actor who played Oscar, Guy Adkins, was exceptional. I wish you all could have seen the scene where they were trapped in the elevator. The back of the program had an advertisement of Some Condos in Elm Grove called the Watermark. This may sound silly, but I am going to share it with you.

BEAUTIFUL

beautiful in Afrikaans is defrig, mooi
beautiful in Dutch is schoon, fraai, knap, fijn
beautiful in Finnish is Kaunis
beautiful in French is beau
beautiful in Latin is formosus, bellus, decorus
beautiful in Portuguese is belo, bonito, formoso
beautiful in Spanish is bello, bonito

I think it is very special to think of beautiful in as many languages as there are - along with love, and hope and kindness.

Another week and only 18 days until the Hunters Glen property closes.

I sent a poem to Garrison Keillor's site at prairiehome.publicradio.org. He put it on the site. Lower right hand corner. I am excited.

Love

Mary

This morning, I joined Gary Hefter at the pheasant pens again. This has been a very good year for the pheasant program. I only helped twice, but Gary said that there have been NO dead birds all week which is almost unheard of. There are so many that usually a few are lost just because. They are getting very big and look wonderfully healthy. I do enjoy helping take care of them and later helping with the release of them into the wild. The program IS working. Of course, most of them are harvested and some die when released, but the smart ones and the lucky ones love and reproduce. We are seeing more pheasant by the roadsides and in the fields.

I stopped at Hunters Glen on the way home, ran the water and did a bit of trimming of bushes. Still have to keep it up but I figure I will have to go there only two, maybe three more times before the closing. My peace rose is blooming and the petunias that Bobbie and Bill planted are beautiful.

When I got home, I cleaned the kitchen and the outside of the windows of the office. Next week, we will do the bedroom windows and I will only have the living room left. Those will be a challenge as they are too high up.

I joined the bank ladies for lunch at Dairy Queen and picked up fresh corn for supper on the way home. Boy, was that good. We had corn, sliced tomatoes, cole slaw and cucumber salad for dinner. Num Num. Are you jealous?

There were several phone calls that I had to make also. I feel that I accomplished a big thing today because I found an organist, Mary Fellenz for the Mass at St. Michaels on August 12. Everything else is EASY.

Chelsea has been coughing and gagging more the past day or so. Last night was very hard on her. It can't hurt because she remains cheerful and does not complain. She just coughs until it is over. If it has not subsided by Monday, we will call the vet. She still went on a good long walk this morning and did not tire. As a matter of fact the activity seemed to help the problem subside for a bit.

Here is a dog quote for you. An Anne Tyler said, "Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul, chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!"

Tomorrow we get on the Discover bus and will to to Milwaukee to see Sweet Charity and enjoy a wonderful lunch somewhere. Don't know where we will be eating but we have always been satisfied and expect no less tomorrow.

Have a great weekend. Love

Mary

Today was a nice day, though it couldn't top yesterday, of course. Dick had his blood tested and Sue was very proud of him again. He is right where he should be. He has been instructed what to do when he goes off of the coumadin for the week before his angioplasty.

We stopped at Mom's on our way home, I had cashed a check for her. She is fine and looking forward to Holly's wedding shower on Sunday. Pat and Joan may be coming to the Reunion of the Clans at St. Michaels. She said Pat was really interested. We might have our own small family reunion.

Dr. Ziegler's office called this morning too and he now has his updated glasses. He is really pleased with the results. You may remember that he had to have the implanted lens lasered to clear the accumulated film off of it.

I feel that I was busy all day today, but I really can't tell you what took the time.

Last night we did go to 52 Stafford for the session that they have there every Wednesday. Dick and I had gone to one several years ago. That one was nice but they have come a long way. These musicians have been jamming together for long enough and just obviously have a good time. They even have a lady come with a harp. Beth, from Blessed Trinity, joined us. She said that she wants to learn the harp next.

I joined WFOP (Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets www.wfop.org) and they offer a "poet's page" on their site, so I have taken advantage of it. Maybe I can sell a few books through the site.

It is just beautiful outside tonight. We have opened all the doors and turned off the air to take advantage of it. I just took Chelsea out for her last walk and there is a crescent moon shining in a clear dark sky. Very special.

Have a good Friday. I get to play with the pheasants again AND we will be eating fresh corn on the cob for supper again. If you want to join us, let me know in the morning as I am getting the corn in the early afternoon and can always pick up a few extra.

Love

Mary

Boy do we have news today. Got a call from ReMax this afternoon at about 3:30PM. Shauna said we had an offer. I called Jim and Michelle and (miracle of miracles) Michelle had taken the day off and they were in Sheboygan.

So, they came here and we went right over to ReMax. Jennifer took us into the conference room smiling all the way. We talked for a few minutes and she covered up the offer. Then we each got our copy and -- Lo and behold -- It is a full price offer (on the new price) and they want to close in three weeks on August 9. The only condition is that THEIR current property which is scheduled to close on August 9 closes first that same day. Talk about perfect. We are ecstatic.

This has been a good day otherwise too. Actually, my trap shooting was abysmal but it will be better next week. I just was not following through.

I joined my friend Kate at her Rotary meeting to give a speech and someone else had been scheduled without her knowledge so I am coming back on August 22, the first Wednesday that I am not committed to something else.

Tonight Dick is going to join the Beths and me at 52 Stafford. I will have a wine and a Bailey's to celebrate this wonderful day.

Keep the prayers going so that all goes well.

Love

Mary

Started early this morning. I walked Chelsea and then went to Maywood to help Gary Hefter, from Rhine Plymouth feed and water the pheasant chicks. This is Rhine's week to take care or them. Gary and Greg Reich really do it all. Too bad there aren't a couple of others to ease the load, but everybody is SO busy. Greg called and I am able to help Gary, who comes right from his night shift at Kohler and is really tired, twice anyway. I can go back on Friday. With two of us working it takes about an hour. We fill the feed bins, check and refill water as needed and remove any dead birds. No dead ones this week at all. That is amazing. I guess the weather is just right and they started feeding them the water enriched much earlier than last year.

I kind of enjoy doing it as the pheasants remind me of when I was a kid and Dad raised chickens. We make pets out of them you know. Mine had crippled feet and would you believe that I named him Crip. I won a pet show at the school the year we had him. We eventually ate him. I know I was not a happy camper but must have been a "farmer's daughter" because I accepted the fact that he was raised for food.

When I got home, it was still cool enough and it was not raining, so I went down to the garden and lilac bushes in back. I trimmed the lilac bushes. We did not get many blooms this year so I decided to do some trimming. It may be a little late, but will help in the long fun. I re-edged the other gardens too. They were getting a little ingrown. The hostas and day lilies are blooming now.

Then it was time for a shower to get all the pheasant stuff, sweat, dirt and insect repellent off of me. AND take a nap.

When I got up, Dick told me that the computer had been down most of the night. When I got home, we still did not have a connection, so I called Time Warner. They had a BIG wait so I gave my number and waited. They called back in about 45 minutes (which is what they said) and after about a half an hour of trying different things, we got back online. I learned one more thing to try before calling them. Will Smith, the technician, was very good and told me that they had done some updates overnight and some problems had developed.

I went to Capelle's Farm Market for some fresh veggies and then we got waffle sundaes for lunch. About once every two months we treat ourselves like that. Usually a blizzard but these are new and looked good.

I spent the rest of the afternoon washing windows, watering plants and getting ready for my speech at the Rotary tomorrow.

Dick took me out to dinner to the Family Restaurant. He ordered meatloaf and I ordered liver and onions (It was really good, Bobbie.) Now we are home and in for the night.

During the tributes to Lady Bird Johnson, I heard someone who had been in the Johnson White House say that during that term, it was often the case that a calming voice would be heard saying at very important times saying. "Now Lyndon. Now, Lyndon." I know that he was very volatile and she was a rock at his side.

I could relate. I remember, my Grandpa Bowser, who was a great teller of stories, sometimes getting carried away and my dear Grandma saying in a calming voice. "Now, John. Now, John."

Mary

Good News Today. At 10:15AM we met with Dr. Siddique, the vein specialist at Sheboygan Memorial. He went through the records and checked the MRI of Dick's legs and says that he can help him. He showed us the MRI. It is easy to see where the arteries are blocked. He says that the veins are also in poor shape and had us schedule an appointment for an ultrasound of them. First, however, we tackle the arteries. He will have the first procedure on August 2nd. It will take two or three times before he can finish. Each procedure will be two weeks apart. We are so excited. It looks like this will do just wonders. Pray for us. We are so hopeful.

We stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch. That was nice. As Dick said, it is almost like going out for dinner.

I went to the Cream City Writer's Club at 1:00 at Book Heads here in Plymouth. There were seven of us there. We need to recruit a couple of more people. As it is one of our members gets a little preachy as he is an elder in his church. He writes very nice song lyrics associated with scripture. The trouble is that he seems to sometimes feel that everybody should be preaching. After reading Michael Perry's Population 485, he thinks that he wants to let Michael know that he should have used that book to show religious comfort to the victims that the fire department dealt with. Kudos for Sy Regan, who is a deacon, for saying that emergency workers need to be providing care and not counselling either with psychology or religion.

Anyway, I read the entries that I have for the WFOP Triad contest and they seemed to like them. The words we chose last month were plover, glorious, tranquil, concert, flag, fireworks, lavender. I had also written a poem using them. Here it is.

Concert in the park
Fireworks on the 4th of July.
Where is tranquility?
I found mine on my morning walk
Punctuated by plover sitings
And lavender wild phlox
Glorious in its simplicity.


This month we are just going to write on summer's end. It is kind of nice to have an "assignment". It gets one started.

I went over to Kate's today because she ended up not being able to make the meeting. I had several things for her. We have set the first meeting for the new Celtic Women's Club for August 29. Kind of close to Labor Day but it is the Wednesday before so should not be too bad.
Kate, Bev (Cream City's President) and I have decided to go next year to Kohler to hear Maya Angelou speak. Want to come? Let me know by the end of the week. It is on Saturday, April 26, 2008.

Mom looked great today. We stopped off with her eye vitamins. She had gone over to church for the funeral of Adeline Lawrence. She lived right around the corner from my Aunt Helen. Randy and Donna live in Aunt Helen's house, you remember. Adeline raised strawberries and I miss them. I am sure Aunt Helen was there to show her around heaven. Mother commented that there was no Mass which surprised her. Just a prayer service. We decided that perhaps, since most of her children are not practicing Catholics, they asked for just a service.

Anyway. That is the news from our house. Have a good Tuesday. I get to feed pheasants tomorrow morning. Did I tell you I sprayed ANOTHER wasps nest. It is in the last possible crevice on the house.

Mary

It was a beautiful day. Started out that way albeit a bit chilly, all the way down to 54 degrees. Chelsea usually likes that kind of walking but she took a lot of shortcuts. One through the park and then cut through the woods where we saw the trilliums this spring and that Little Miss Adventure took me on a path that we had not taken before, but which I knew would take us to the park. Then we got to one of the little bridges that go over the creek and she was afraid to cross it. I had to carry her. I think that she just hasn't figured out how to keep all four of her little feed out of the gaps in the wood slats.

I went to the 8AM mass. Then came home and we had leftover roast beef hash with eggs for breakfast. Nummy. I worked on the quilt today. And painted four more tiles for trivets today. It is a fun, easy creative thing to do. I have traced some from a book of patterns and have designed a couple of my own. Maybe I can get a picture of a group of them to show you later.

I finished reading a book today too. It is Sunday and I was so glad to have a day with no commitments so that I could relax a bit.

Jim and Michelle went and washed the windows at Hunters Glen today. The flowers that Bobbie and Bill planted out front are spectacular. The color makes such a difference. I am so grateful that they did that. Next week, I will go back out and trim the bushes again. They still look OK but will need a little finishing by then. This week I have to spend some time on the gardens here.

When Jim got the hose and squeegee to clean the windows he noticed that there were two wasp nests starting above our garage door. One on each side. So this evening I soaked them with hornet spray. There were two on the front porch on separate days last week. I don't know WHY they have decided that our house is home, but I am doing my best to ensure that they know they are not welcome here. I would hope that death will do it.

We had strawberry shortcake on the marble pound cake with cool whip for dessert. Boy is the fruit this year ever good. We had a small bowl of strawberries and blueberries with our lunch too. I am kind of delighted that Cappelle's Farm Market is open. I will check them on Tuesdays and get as much produce fresh from them as I can. We do our regular grocery shopping on Wednesdays.

It also means we can have corn and tomatoes for our Friday dinners. Yahoo.

I remembered something kind of cute today. When I had Bart, Dick told him that we were bringing a little brother home for him. So when we got there, I showed the baby to him and he smiled very politely. I asked him how he liked the baby and he said that the baby was OK but where was this brother we told him was coming.

We realized that his friend's brothers were older and able to play too.

Have a great week.

Love

Mary

I liked to day because I got to shop and shop with a purpose.

Started off a bit early, Chelsea woke me up at about quarter to six but it was not early enough for me to be really irritated with her. We had a nice walk. She took a shortcut through the playground, so we were back a little sooner than expected. It was comfortable. There had been a little rain during the night and everything was very fresh.

I left at 8:30AM for Hunters Glen and ran the water and cleaned the fixtures and sinks with Windex to freshen things up. All of the air fresheners that I had plugged in the walls in the various rooms are gone. Except for the one in the bedroom and that someone took the freshener out of. They may have needed replacing, I was going to check that today too. Tis a mystery.

Then I went over to the Mall and had a ball at the HallmarkKeepsake Ornament Premiere Weekend. I got all but one of the ornaments I need for gifts. I was a good shopper. Had coupons worth $11 and got lots of bonus points for more coupons because I did the shopping this weekend. I noticed when I got my last notice that the Hallmark store's name was Amy's Hallmark. This threw me a bit as it was always Mary Lee's. I found out that Mary Grube sold the business to an Amy, who is very helpful and pleasant.

After I put the ornaments in the car, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to purchase wax for my hand paraffin dip machine AND shower and wedding presents for Holly and John. Successful there too.

I stopped at Mom's on the way home as I won't be able to go there on Monday because Dick has a doctor's appointment. (As it is I forgot one thing that I was supposed to give her and we will probably drop it off on our way home.) We usually have a good visit after bible study though.

I did some sewing, watering and painting of tile for pot holders this afternoon and now am ready to call it.

I hear this morning about a manager of a business who showed up at his secretary's door nude. He claimed he was sleepwalking ---- All three time.

Love

Mary

It was so pleasant outside that we left the doors and windows open all day and the house stayed very comfortable. I think windows open tonight will keep it that way.

On our walk this morning we felt like we were on a treasure hunt. When we got to the woods end of the park and headed for the path through the woods to home, I found a baseball. So I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Then when we headed into the path and next to the little creek below the culvert, Chelsea started sniffing in back of this tree and there was a plastic bag there. I looked closer and it was full of fireworks, so I picked it up too and brought it home. It had obviously been there since we had rain because there was wet on the outside of the bag.

When I got home, I cleaned the kitchen floor and helped two Culligan men to put salt in the water softener. We think we finally have ourselves on a route. When we moved in we had them bring some, told them we wanted to be serviced. But we had to call them several months later and again thought we were on a route. Obviously we were not because when Dick looked the other day, we were just plain empty. But this time, I am sure they will be back in three months because the manager even called to confirm things.

Jim Bordeau, one of the board members, came over to "interview" us for the newsletter. We learned a lot about the workings of the board and the association. Now I wish I had been able to go to the annual meeting and had run for the board.

Had lunch with Betty, Ceil, Barb and Mary at Dairy Queen today. I was hungry for a "California Burger" So ordered a cheeseburger with nothing but lettuce, tomato and pickle on it and grabbed a packet of mayonnaise. It tasted GOOOOOD!

I picked up some sox and MSM at Walgreens, got gas and YIPPEE!!! found out that Cappelle's is open. That is the local farmer's market. THEY HAD FRESH SWEET CORN! Guess what WE had for dinner. It was so good with sliced tomatoes and fresh green beans from our patio. We wondered, as my brother in law George used to say, "Wonder what the rich folks are eating tonight." They don't eat like that for sure.

I did a bit of sewing tonight, cleaned my desk and got all ready for tomorrow and Monday.

Whew. Another busy one. I hope it rains as they promised otherwise, tomorrow I will need to water.

My friend, Kate, asked me to write a haiku about a rainbow. I have written two, one yesterday and one today, I am not totally satisfied so will try again tomorrow. Her is one

Rainbow arched on high
Appearing as a handle
For the basket - Earth.

Enjoy your weekend. I am going wedding shower shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond and Christmas ornament shopping at Mary Lee's. I like shopping IF I have a purpose.

Love

Mary

Chelsea and I had a lovely walk this morning. We ran into several of our fellow travelers which is always a nice break. The walking temperature was perfect. It was cool enough that we made it through the woods without stirring up too many mosquitoes.

Then I chopped up a bunch of veggies for the pot roast that I was preparing for tonight's dinner. Dick had to be at Advanced Eye Care at 8:30AM for a check on the laser treatment that he had and to be refitted for a new glass prescription.

Home again and then I finished getting the pot roast in the slo-cooker.

Kate Hermann called. She is safely back from the mission trip that she went on to Philadelphia. It was a bit harrowing but she had a good time and felt that the kids were wonderful. We had a lot to catch up on. I am going to speak at her Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday. They are trying to become more aware of the cultural clubs and events in the Plymouth area so I will talk about the Cream City Writers and Sheboygan County Writers and the new Celtic Women Group that we are starting.

Then lunch and a nap.

We had two people come to the door today. Judy Richards, the previous owner of our condo, stopped by for a moment and someone from the condo association dropped off a flyer about the Tallgrass Picnic which is near the end of August. I think we should probably go. Anyway we NEVER have two people ringing our bell so Chelsea was VERY excited.

An appointment with Dr. Hodous to have Dick's callouses checked rounded off the afternoon. They actually look pretty good about now.

The pot roast is delicious. Way too much food of course, but we are looking forward to several more meals out of it. We had some more strawberries and blueberries on pound cake for dessert too. Boy is fruit ever good now.

My desk is SO clean. I have a little pile of stuff in the center that must be done tomorrow or everything will get out of hand again. Tomorrow is a quiet day, the only time I have to leave home is to have lunch with my friends.

When the boys and I would go out anywhere for dinner, we would always order different things and then get to try each other's choices. This was lots of fun. I remember that their father found this to be a very embarrassing thing. Of course, he was embarrassed by doggy bags too. I thought of that because of a commercial on TV. Dick and I sometimes do this, or order a sandwich plain and then one with fries and split the fries. We are amazed at how much food is put on a plate at a restaurant.

Dick is continuing to lose weight. He is not eating much which is OK but I have to keep reminding him to eat the proper things when he does eat. With his pre-diabetes, he must be very careful. We are excited about the weight loss though.

Have a good Friday.

Mary

Today was a big step up from yesterday. The weather was perfect. Maybe a bit cool, but clear and fresh. Not too hot and no rain.

We had to go to the Plymouth Aurora Clinic for Dick's blood tests this morning at 8:30Am. He had to fast so we went out for breakfast afterwards to the Family Restaurant down town. They have SUCH good bacon.

It was also grocery shopping day and that went very well. Dick was tired when we got home but not like yesterday and he no longer is suffering from that chill. He took a nap and I went out to Rhine for the first day of the Summer Trap League. Guess what - I shot an 18. Was I ever jazzed. I signed up a guy after I shot and told him that he was really going to face some stiff competition because I got an 18. He found that amusing.

I spent the afternoon sewing, racking currant wine and stuffing little dolls. It was very productive.

Tomorrow will be rather busy too. We may get some rain which we still need.

The deck plants look great. I wish the tomato buds would start producing little tomatoes. I have nice little peppers growing on those plants and my herbs are really taking off.

Have a great Thursday. Enjoy the following. My friend Janet sent it to me. I think I will take it to bible study the week after next for our opening prayer.

Love

Mary

This Pastor has guts!

Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people.

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in Protest!

In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.

We had two thunderstorms sweep through the area today, one this morning late and one this afternoon. They both dumped quite a bit of water but passed by very quickly. It was hot too. In the mid 80s.

We had to move "a pace" this morning, as Dick had to be at Sheboygan Memorial Hospital for his MRA by 9:15AM and we knew that meant being there earlier so we could get checked in and all.
Everything went very smoothly. It seemed to take longer than they said it would. The technician/Nurse said it would be 25 minutes but it was a bit over an hour. Dick said it seemed to go quite fast for him except that it is SO uncomfortable for him to lie still in one position for any length of time. But we were home a bit after 10AM so it wasn't too bad.

After lunch, Dick took a well deserved nap but woke up with very severe chills. We wrapped him in that nice wool Galway shawl but he still couldn't get warm. So he went back to bed under the electric blanket. That seemed to help but he really is not feeling well.

Tomorrow he will get two blood tests. One a fasting one for his physical with Dr. Sharon. Then the second for Dr. Phelan. He needs to call Dr. Phelan because we don't think that he really needs that weekly one any more. Dr. Phelan and his nurses are hard to get ahold of though.

On the way home we were listening to the radio to an interview with a banker about mortgage practices. They were talking about redlining, the practice of denying clients from certain neighborhoods. I was remembering how things were when I first started out in the lending business at Pacific Finance Corporation when I was 20 years old. The applications we received were hand filled out by the interviewer. We scored them. The client got points for several catagories and had to have a minimum score to qualify for the loan. They got 0 through 5 points for each catagory. Now, we would be sued for discrimination on a chunk of them. There were points for age groups, gender, whether the party was married or not, the race, job and length of job. Can you even believe it? Credit bureaus were in their infancy. We did have one in the Santa Ana area. We would call with the client's information and they would call us back with "inquiries". Inquiries were calls from lending agencies. They would give us the name of the institution that had called and the date they called and then we would have to check to see if an account had been opened. We also had to call the places the client told us about and get the rating from them.

Now, agencies just contact the credit bureau through the internet and download the information directly onto an application. My friend Evelyn Green told me that recently she requested a hard file from 1992 or sometime there and found that it was one of mine and all handwritten. This was WAY past Pacific Finance but before the great computer boom.

Brave new world.

Love

Mary

We got some welcome rain this morning. Not enough but a nice steady soaking rain that lasted an hour or more. I went to bible study this morning and we prayed for rain. It was just starting to sprinkle when we left. Mary, Shirley and I thought that maybe we had better hurry back to the table and pray for world peace since we were on a roll.

Had a good visit with Mother this morning. She went to Eden with her friends on Sunday for the church's chicken dinner. She said it was very good and the new church out there is very pretty. But she still likes the old country churches better and they tore down several of them.

Tonight I attended a meeting at Beth Hoegger's house to plan the Mass for Celtic Faire at Sheboygan Falls. Jim and Alice Wilsing and Joan and Don Otto also attended and I think we got it all put together. I will get the worship folder put together and email it to Beth who can insert the music and get it to Sandy at the Blessed Trinity office. We have three months actually but it is good to get a head start and to be sure we have our musicians and all.

Now home and ready for bed. Chelsea is really starting to get pushy about that. She spends so much time sleeping. But after 9PM she wants either Dick or I in the bedroom with her. AND she lets us know.

Take care. Tomorrow Dick has his MRA. Please pray for results that can bring some help.

Love

Mary

Another hot one. It peaked out at 97 + according to the thermometers we have on the deck.
Thank heaven's for an air conditioned house.

How EVER did we get by without air years ago. But we did. I remember as a child going to bed on hot humid nights with all the windows open, lying on top of the covers praying for a breeze. We must have slept eventually but I remember feeling sticky and uncomfortable those nights.

Then if there would be a storm, it would sometimes help, but sometimes get so humid that it was almost worse. I remember one summer that Bret, Bart and I were visiting from California. A huge storm came up. Thunder and lightening all around us. There are not storms like that in California. I casually asked Mom if we should be turning off the TV. Bret asked why and we told him that sometimes lightening can come through appliances into the house. (It can too. It happened to Nora and Leif not too many years ago in Texas. They had to replace several appliances. ) Mom said that she thought we could wait and see. So a couple of minutes later, Bret suggested that we go to bed.

The boys were supposed to be sleeping in a different room than I was. BUT suddenly, I had a hot little boy on either side of me. As thunder boomed and lightening flashed they would occasionally ask, obviously scared how close it was. I was all prickly and hot but finally got to sleep. I wonder if they even remember that.

We are supposed to get rain tonight but I am not holding my breath.

I worked the 100 bird Lewis shoot for about three hours at Rhine this morning and afternoon. Got home about 2 and just have been puttering. I am glad the day is almost over. Without my nap, I am a bit tired.

Hope you all have a wonderful week. We are busy. Three medical appointments.

Take care

Mary

A real scorcher today. It was very pleasant, only 65 or so when Chelsea and I walked, but got up over 90 by the end of the day.

The only place I had to go today was to the Pig. I actually probably wouldn't have had to go but wanted to take advantage of a good price on blueberries and strawberries which will be over before we actually shop again.

The rest of the day was really very nice. Dick and I racked another of the scratch wines. I cut out 27 more denim squares for a future quilt. I am half way there. If anyone has any worn jeans, cotton jeans not blends, that they are going to throw away. I can use them. Any color is OK. Different shades and color and even weight will give character to the quilt.

I baked a cake with the small amount of currants that were left after I mixed up that newest batch of currant wine. It is actually called Red Currant Pie (Or is It Cake). Isn't that interesting. It is baked much like a pie but has a cake like crust and a meringue/currant topping. It is very good. Did I tell you that I traded some of my pepper jelly to Tom Lawonn for some of his currant jelly?

I have been working on three poems for a poetry contest that is put on by the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. I just joined them about a month ago and this contest is only open to members. I was a member several years ago but did not renew and never heard from them. This time I joined and have had emails from at least two members of their board, received a welcome packet AND a first "museletter." (Isn't that poetic.)

I remember when I was still living at home, for all the time that I can remember, that Mother canned all summer of the things they grew or could buy very cheap during the growing season. I remember an entire wall in the basement aglow with the beautiful colors of all the things she canned. Shelves full of tomato juice, and green beans, and pickles, and peaches, and pears and sauerkraut and jellies. Enough to feed 11 people (and all the stragglers that appeared at various meals) for an entire winter. And we ate good too.

I learned some of that. I never was a big canner, but do make Jelly and refrigerator pickles. I also freeze if I have excess fresh foods. I guess it is just built in to me not to be wasteful.

Have a nice Sunday. We are going to have another scorcher.

Love

Mary

Another warm day but not as warm as is projected for tomorrow and Sunday. We could get up to 95 degrees tomorrow. Thank God for air conditioning. These days, I am really glad that Chelsea gets up early for a walk. It is usually very pleasant at 6AM.

I cleaned the kitchen this morning. And Dick and I racked the chokecherry wine.

I gave blood at the Blood Center in Sheboygan. That goes quite well. So far I have always qualified. Has something to do with the iron count. I guess because I eat well. The technician said that peanuts and nuts help the iron count and I have peanut butter almost every day.

Then I went to the bank and on to the Dairy Queen for lunch with the bank people. We had a full crowd today. Even Dawn and Mary came. Hadn't seen Dawn in weeks so that was nice.

I went to Walgreens and picked up Mother's prescription and copied a couple of pictures for the Clan Reunion. Beth Dipple is trying to get information on the families that settled the area and where they came from as well as any descendants that still live in Ireland. Jeff had three pictures from Kanturk where the Cliffords (my Grandpa Bowser's mother came from). He has two pictures of the church and a picture of the last living descendant that he could find. So that is a beginning.

When I got home, I was exhausted and took a nap. Since then I have been watering. We may get rain on Sunday but I want things to stay healthy until then.

Tomorrow should be a quiet day. We have NOTHING scheduled. I LOVE that. I can sew and bake and just lay back.

My purple green beans are doing just fine. We had one meal on Tuesday and will have some more this weekend. My herbs are also thriving. I may have established lavender, thyme, oregano and lemon balm in the gardens. Now if they get strong and can withstand the winter. I hope I have enough lemon balm for wine. Otherwise, I am sure that Mother will have plenty. The lemon balm wine is such a pleasant summer wine. Kind of like lemonade with a slight kick.

Hope your weekend is pleasant and restful. We all need weekends to recover from the business of living. Even if one is retired.

Bret and I are reading George S. Clason's The Richest Man in Babylon together. (I read it years ago and have used the things I learned to some benefit.) We are now on Chapter 2. The main thrust of that chapter is to always pay yourself first. "A part of all you earn is yours to keep." It is kind of fun. He is a slow reader but is cooperating.

Love

Mary

It was HOT today. I watered all the pots because my gauge, the over planted marigolds, were sagging. Then there was a tiny sprinkling of rain shortly after we ate. I am glad it came then as I had been reading on the deck before dinner. It was really pleasant then. Kind of warm but there was a nice pleasant breeze which made it very comfortable.

Chelsea and I went for our walk at exactly 6AM and only saw one other walker and she was a new one. Then when we came out of the woods and on to Tallgrass, there was our neighbor Dick and his doggy. She is a sweet poodle and always gives me kisses.

We left at about 7:30 for Sheboygan. Had breakfast at Hardees and then went on to the Clinic where Dr. Ganju looked at Dick's legs and that open sore of a callous. He checked and says that the circulation is so poor that it will take forever to heal if ever. So he scheduled a MRA for next Tuesday and an appointment with another doctor about circulation. After that Dr. Ganju will see him again.

When we got home, I had a lot to do today. I cleaned the upstairs bathrooms, added yeast to the currant wine and had Dick go down to the cellar and help me rack the Marigold wine. Next we will filter and bottle that. We will give it two weeks to a month before we do that.

I tried a little tile painting today. It worked pretty well so I will do more. They make nice trivets and I intend to use just Celtic designs.

We had pork quesidillas and ice cream cones for supper tonight. Pretty good. I have enough of the quesidillas left for at LEAST one more meal.

Tomorrow we will have leftover brats and venison steaks and salads. Pretty easy week. Tomorrow, I am also giving blood and having lunch at Dairy Queen, so it will be a busy day. I need to get quilting again. I have a top all pinned to the backing for a cuddler and am afraid to start. I am afraid it will bet all bunched up. I need to practice first with a square.

Have a nice Friday.

Love

Mary

Notice in a farmer's field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

Happy Fourth of July. We had an at home day. Jim and Michelle joined us for dinner. We sure had a good one. Michelle made Ramen salad, I made potato salad and we fried out venison chops and brats to go with them. I had found some nice BIG mushrooms so I stuffed them for Jim Michelle and me. We had ice cream cones for dessert. Nice and simple and good.

I spent a good chunk of the morning cleaning currants for currant wine. Got them all destemmed and washed though and did the first few steps required for wine. Tomorrow I will add the yeast.

Dick goes to see Dr. Ghandu tomorrow. Hope he will be able to help. There was some bleeding again today when we cleaned things up for the shower. All we can do is keep it clean, massage and treat with the antibiotic stuff that they have given us.

I am really tired tonight and will sign off pretty quick.

I did write 4th of July Haiku that I will share with you.

Love

Mary

Fire flowers in the sky
Bold strokes of vivid light
Etched on jet black sky.

We are finally getting some very welcome rain. When Chelsea and I took our rather short walk this morning, there was a little bit of a sprinkle and I was afraid that might be the extent of it.

Dick had his blood coagulation test this morning and despite the antibiotics is still within range, so he doesn't have to adjust his medication. He will have it rechecked in two weeks when he is done taking the antibiotics. Then we went to Hardee's for a quick breakfast.

On the way back to Plymouth, I stopped at Mother's house and picked up the currents and lettuce that Jeff and Kathy had brought with them yesterday. Tomorrow, I will be mixing up a new batch of current wine. Tom Lawonn from Rhine says he has some too and will let me know when they are ripe. I need to get three batches racked one more time then filtered and bottled. They are Marigold, chokecherry and current (all of these got a late start because of the move. I had frozen everything until I could get to mixing everything up.)

We finished our morning errands by stopping at the bank and grocery shopping. Boy were we glad to get home. I spent the rest of the morning writing and organizing my desk again. The rain has been coming off and on, sometimes heavy sometimes light and tonight we are getting thunder. Surprisingly it does not seem to be bothering Chelsea. She is either not hearing it or choosing to ignore it. Sometimes I am not sure that she hears too well.

I got my hair cut this afternoon. Boy did it need cutting and shaping. After I had it cut the last time, I did not make an appointment because I wanted to see how it turned out. Then I kept putting off calling. Jessica at Just Jane's does a fine job so I made my next appointment right away. It will be just before John and Holly's wedding.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July. We will put our flag up in the morning.

I talked to Bret tonight. He sounds good. He is going out to his place at the Colorado River for a few days. He has some personal days coming and will use them with the holiday and the weekend for an extended break and a chance for his body to rest. I miss him.

Have a spectacular holiday.

Love

Mary


"One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when one of them shouted, "Look at that dead bird!" Someone looked up at the sky and said, "Where?"

They Walk Among Us! "

This morning while Chelsea and I were on our walk, we joined up with the older women that we often meet on our journey. The three of us walked together to the end of the park where Chelsea and I turned to head for home. It was quite pleasant, about 65 degrees so the mosquitoes were not bothering us in the woods today. We heard LOTS of birds singing around us. Today we got a really close look at a robin, I was beginning to believe that he would let us walk by him without flying away but he finally took off.

We had a lively discussion at bible study. It was the reading in Luke where Jesus sends 72 disciples out without any money or shoes or extra clothes to preach the gospel. We found out that 72 was a special number because at that time there were 72 known nations. (Wonder how many nations there are now and how many disciples he would have to send out today.) So it was all symbolic. I learned from Fr. Van Beeck a couple of weeks ago that when people in those days had visitors, especially interesting ones, the neighbors thought nothing of just dropping in and lining the walls or sitting on the floor to listen to the conversations that were going on. There was little else for entertainment so this was perfectly acceptable to everybody AND was why the word of Jesus was able to spread as fast as it did.

I stopped and visited Mom after the study. She is a wonder and was getting ready to go to lunch and then to her friend Helen Murphy's house to play canasta. Jeff and Kathy came in today to help her with some bush and tree trimming. I talked to Jeff this evening. She came home from her card game at about 4 and, of course, tried to chip in. They finally convinced her to go and sit down. Jeff and Kathy brought me the currents and some fresh lettuce from their garden. We will pick them up on our way back from the clinic in Sheboygan tomorrow morning.

Tonight was the Rhine Plymouth meeting. I asked Bobbie whether it was a problem that green hickory nuts are falling from the big beautiful tree, well before they are ripe. She said that it is probably the dry weather and/or the tree self pruning. We will see how much is left in the fall when they are supposed to be ready.

Love

Mary

Hymn #365
>>
>> This is a hoot, but I expect the minister didn't appreciate it.
>>
>> A minister was completing a Temperance sermon. With great emphasis he
>> said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into
>> the river."
>>
>> With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had All the wine in the
>> world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."
>>
>> And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he Said, "And if I had
>> all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."
>>
>>
>> Sermon complete, he sat down.
>>
>>
>> The song leader stood very cautiously and announced With a smile, nearly
>> laughing, "For our closing song, Let us sing Hymn #365, "Shall We Gather
>> at the River."

Just for pretty. This was on the deck at Hunters Glen. I thought it was sweet.

Mary

Today was a very pleasant one. I drove to West Bend with my friends Gloria and Dottie Ziesel to celebrate Fr. Mike Moran's 25 th Anniversary as a priest with him and his friends and family.

I had enjoyed preparing that present for him yesterday. I know money is always appropriate, but wanted to give him something a bit more personal. Last night just as I was getting ready for bed, I remembered a picture that I had blown up from the tour to Ireland that I went on with Fr. Mike. The picture is of a bunch of us. Martin, the bus driver, Fr. Mike, his brother Tim, their Dad Howard, myself and a lady that we can't remember her name around a table at the Brazen Head in Dublin. By some miracle, I found it so I added it to the basket. He did not unwrap his presents today, but I showed him and his brother and father the picture because I wanted us to share the memory.

The mass was very lovely. Prior to beginning, Fr. Mike introduced his family and then asked guests from his previous parishes to stand and finally the parishioners of his current post Immaculate Conception in West Bend. Such a nice idea. There were four priest who con celebrated with him. One of them, a classmate, gave the sermon. The reading from the Old Testament speaks of Elijah asking Elisha to be his successor by placing his cloak on Elisha's shoulders. (Guess that is how it was done in those days.) Anyway, Father's classmate said that because of his size maybe it will take TWO to replace him. He chose a lot of music with Irish roots and I am planning on using some of Liam Lawton's music at St. Michaels and at Celtic Mass in Falls.

There was a lunch served at the KC Hall in West Bend after a reception in the church hall, so he really did it up big. The food at the KC was excellent. Heavy hors d'oevres and excellent cakes. It was very very nice.

Beth Hoegger emailed to set up a meeting to plan the Celtic Mass for next Monday. I had said I would help with just the mass as I like doing that.

Tomorrow will be bible study. In the evening I have Rhine Plymouth so will see Bobbie.

Jeff just called. He is coming to Falls tomorrow and is bringing currants for wine. I can't believe that they are ripe already. He says too, that they are very early.

Have a great week. Pray for rain

Love

Mary