Dick has had his "sleep machine" for two weeks now. He sleeps so soundly and is only taking a nap each day, not dozing off and on all the time. It is very quiet in our bedroom at night too, so I sleep much better now. He is still waiting for the Euphoria that many users of the machine speak of, but I find that his being awake and alert is enough euphoria for me.


I am going to share pictures of some of my nativity sets before the feast of the three kings. This is one that my son Bret sent me some years ago.



Love

Mary

Pistol league started at Rhine Plymouth. Winter Trap too, but I don't shoot winter trap because it is too cold as far as I am concerned. Jim and Bobbie and I are all shooting league. I hadn't shot for two weeks and it really showed. We are going to practice again on Sunday. Dick goes out on Sundays with us.

My cousin, Mike Shea, who is a missionary in Thailand sent me a DVD of his ministry in Thailand. He has started a home, Sarnelli House, for Aids Infected kids over there. This has expanded in many ways. The children come as a result of a ministry to Aids Infected parents who more often than not die of the disease. Therefore the children, often infected are orphaned. Aids victims are ostracized in Thailand, their families force them out of their homes. This is because of fear.

They now have over 90 children, many critically ill, many HIV positive but not Aids infected, and many healthy orphans. He has a girls home and a boys home in addition to Sarnelli House. Wow, the DVD was really good and Mother enjoyed seeing it last night.

I want to share it at Church and wherever else I can find interest.

Love

Mary

New Years Eve. I took a nap this afternoon and fully intend to be up til Midnight.


I will leave you this year with a quote from the Cadfael Book of Days.

"Life goes not in a straight line, but in a circle. The first half we spend venturing as far as the world's end from home and kin and stillness, and the latter half brings us back by roundabout ways but surely, to that state from which we set out."

Guests tomorrow. I love that. I am making the neatest cake with whipped cream frosting.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow night is New Years Eve. We are splurging on a PaPa Murphy pizza and staying home. I hope I make it up til midnight. Often, I do not. Maybe if I take a late nap it will work this year.

Quiet day at the Kunert house. I quilted a bit and read a bit and wrote a bit. Tomorrow I will be much busier because I have to get things kind of ready for dinner on New Years Day.

"A dead end is just a good place to turn around." Naomi Judd


Tomorrow.

Mary

Countdown. Two days left in 2003. Are you ready?

I am having Mother over on New Year's Day. I am fixing a stew. If finally found one (acually two) that really tastes good. Bill and Bobbie are coming over too and this will make a great gravy, which Bill adores. I am fixing colcannon too. Colcannon is mashed potatoes with cabbage. Num Num.

I will include the recipe and you really should try it.

Colcannon

8 medium potatoes, peeled
Bunch Green Onions
1/2 Cup Milk
Salt and Pepper
Teaspoon of butter per person

Cook potatoes, let them dry somewhat and keep hot. Cook green onion (including the green) in the milk.

At the same time shred and chop the cabbage and cook until tender.

Mash the potatoes with the green onion and milk and combine with the cabbage.

Cover the top with the butter and mix as you serve.

Great alone or with gravy.

Love

Mary

What a day for the Packers!!! Looked bad at the beginning. First, Seattle won yesterday. Then Dallas lost today. Then wonder of wonders, our last chance at the payoffs came when underdog Arizona pulled one off from the nasty Minnesota Vikings in the LAST 24 seconds. And to top it off, we beat Colorado 31 to 3. Could it GET any better. That makes us the DIVISION CHAMPS again.

Yee Ha!!


Only three more days in 2003. Are we ready for 2004? Guess it doesn't matter much, as it will come anyway. Such a tragedy in Iran. We should pray for and support those victims in the next months.

Love

Mary

I took off for Christmas and Boxing Day. In case you didn't know, Boxing Day is celebrated in Britain and British settled places on the day after Christmas. It is the day that the gentry gave their servants, who had to work on Christmas, the day off. The servants also got their "boxes" with gifts and/or bonuses. It was also the day the poor boxes were traditionally opened and distributed to the poor.

We spent Christmas full of joy. First, we went to Mass, Dick and I. Dick sat with Mother and the Randy Deeleys and Jessica, Randy's daughter, and I sang in the choir. I love the Christmas music and we all must because we sang with joy and enthusiasm. (On key too.) The bell choir accompanied us on several songs.

Then we went to Bobbie and Bill's house in the afternoon and evening to celebrate a wonderful Christmas dinner with dessert of Bobbie's candy. That is a taste treat.

And we exchanged gifts which is ALWAYS fun. Our children are VERY good to us.

Friday, Boxing Day, Bart, Barb and Timothy came for supper. We had such a nice visit, exchanged presents and had dinner. I made Banana Cream Pie which always goes over in this house. Timothy is Barbara's son. one of our step Grandsons and a really nice young man.

Hope your holidays were as pleasant as ours. I will be praying for all of you in the morning.

I have a big old black cat spawled accross my desk and a silly looking tailless one drapped over the back of my chair.

I love being surrounded by creatures.

Love

Mary

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in... you are richer than 75% of this world's people.

All the people that read my blog are that rich. Aren't we the luckiest?

Did you know that the first gift of Christmas was a Child?


A Blessed Christmas from ME to YOU!!!


Love

Mary

We bottled a batch of Riesling today. 31 bottles. It is a bit raw but will be ready in a month as smooth as can be. Tomorrow, we will put another batch in to a carboy to age. The winemaking is fun. We have rhubarb, marigold and wild grape made from scratch that are almost ready to bottle. We have learned that you cannot rack them too much. Too little and you get sediment.

I made soup today. Chicken soup with LOTS of veggies. We will have that for supper with grilled cheese sandwiches I think. (Because I LOVE grilled cheese.)

It was a quiet day. I did not have to go anywhere which was really a nice for a change. Tomorrow I have Bible Study and we will shop a bit. Bart and Barb and Timothy are coming for dinner on Friday and I need a couple things. Chelsea should get a bath too since she will go with us to Bobbie's on Christmas Day and really should be made pretty for the visit to the "Goddess". The Goddess is Bobbie as Chelsea just adores her.

Dick is complaining about his hand calculator. Good thing I bought him a new one for his stocking. I will fill the stocing tomorrow.

Have a nice evening.


Mary

Two days til Christmas day. We shopped today and took my Dad's and Uncle George's canes to Mother. She is planning on using one when the ground is wet, icy or snowy. Things are dry and clear now, but she wants to practice. I hope they are short enough for her. I told her to have Randy check it out because he could cut it off a bit if they are too tall for her.

There was a 6.5 earthquake in California today. It was felt in LA so I am sure my son Bret felt it. However, it was about halfway between LA and San Francisco and little damage was done. Another worry, I guess. Sometimes quakes trigger more quakes.

Remember the reason for the season. Actually, I guess it is a melding of ancient feasts and the birth of Jesus, but I like the birth of Jesus best. Perhaps, it can bring peace to this world yet.

Love

Mary

Sunday all day. I baked bread and went to church. As I said it is the last day of Advent and we sang some really pretty Advent Songs, Climb to the top of the Highest Mountain and Creation Will Be At Peace. Did I tell you that one or our choir members, Andy Gremminger and our director Steve Naffin are doing a bit of writing for the Psalm refrains. We are very proud and the music is really beautiful. Well, on Thursday we get to try our Christmas voices on the congregation.

I am reading a marvelous book called Celtic Christianity by a Timothy Joyce. Some of the points he brings up are really making me think and giving me small Ah = Ha moments. This is one of them. He said he has felt more spirituality in a pub than in some churches. Then he comments. "Of course, there can always be a case of too much spirits in a pub, but you can also have too much religion in a church!"

By the way, my brother Jeff sent me the nicest e-christmas card that I would like to share with you. just copy the following into the address box. http://holidays.blastcomm.com.

Have a good week


Mary

The tree is up and decorated and looks WONDERFUL. I put all the bows on the presents and have them neatly sorted on the mantle and under the tree. It looks like Christmas in our house.

Bret called today and the packages arrived safe and sound and he is snacking on the cheese and sausage and buckeyes already. Good for him. He is all settled in a new apartment and a new job and has a new girlfriend and sounds very content.

"God direct all. It is, after all, a way he has." (From the Cadfael books) Isn't that neat.

Tomorrow is the last Sunday of Advent. After singing at Mass, I am going to help change the decorations from Advent to Christmas. Should be fun but I will miss out on practicing with the pistol.

Happy Sunday

Mary

Dick slept for 7 1/2 hours last night. He has taken one nap this afternoon, but used the machine so he REALLY slept.

Had lunch with my Plymouth friends today and took them each a bottle of our homemade wine. Seemed appropriate for Christmas. Our friend Marlene joined us today. Last week she was in the hospital with pneumonia. She is still coughing but said she feels well and that this was her second outing. Yesterday she got to go to Fleet Farm. Whoop - de - do. But I am sure she is glad to be up and around.

The tree is "growing" There are only two rows of branches and the top to go. We have all the lights working except one. If Dick can't get it easily, it gets pitched and we go for a new one. MUCH easier and they aren't THAT expensive anyway.

Another poem from my brother Matt's book. Just a wee short one.

APOLOGY

i apologize for keeping you from church......
god is much better company than me
Matt Deeley




Mary

We got "The Machine" for Dick today. A Sandy from the Visiting Nurse Association came over with us an gave us very detailed instructions as to how to use it. We have great expectations. I will keep you informed as to how the sleeping goes. He is so looking forward to REALLY sleeping.

What a busy day. The tree is 2/3 up. I have all but one package wrapped. Went to choir and council. Wow. Dick is right - that is too much for one day.

Only one more week til Christmas. Are your ready? We are going to Bobbie's for dinner and family that day. The choir will be singing at 9:30AM. So it will also be a full day.



An Irish Superstition

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

Mary

When we were children, the Christmas tree went up on Christmas Eve. Mom and Dad decorated it and put out all the presents after we were tucked in our beds fast asleep. I know that lots of the presents were picked up that night from the Grandparents by my poor long suffering Father. Then Dad would go to Midnight Mass and come home and fix a T-Bone Steak for a Christmas breakfast. The poor man barely got to bed when the first of his offspring would be waking up and asking if Santa was here yet. They always made us stay in bed at least until 6:00AM but it was impossible to hold all of us past that time. The whole living room was full of presents in neat little piles and we would frantically look for our personal share of the loot. We did not do the one present at a time patiently handed out by a doting parent. They had done their doting the night before and were more than content to let us just tear in while they watched and rested and oohed and aahed appropriately.

More that one year we lost the tree so that Dad finally started to run a wire from the tree to a hook he screwed into the wall. With nine children and innumerable cats and dogs running around, it was much much safer.

We are just getting our tree up this week. I hope we make it by Christmas Eve. It seems that since we are both retired, we are just SO busy. I have all of my Nativity sets up around the house, however. I love them all and love to share so come to visit.

"Today is the victory of yourself over yesterday." Gerald R. Gartzke

Slainte


Mary

The Visiting Nurses will be here on Thursday at 1:00PM to set Dick up with his machine. I am so impressed with the speed of this process. We were initially given a two to three week window but I think because of the severity of Dick's apnea, they are really speeding up. Today, he stayed up all day but he is in bed now and it is only 7:00. Not a good sign for the night.

I have FINALLY used up all of the "Grandma's Flower Garden" petals that we found in Aunt Helen's house after she died. I have the quilt, of course, and have made several sets of placemats for some of my nieces and some doll blankets for a couple of others. The last pair of placemats will use everything up. I am giving them to Mary Michels Gustafson, Eileen and Fred's daughter. She married recently in a private ceremony and I think she would like a memory of Aunt Helen. She knew her well too.

Tonight, Foxy Roxie is back under her lamp on the desk. Big Oscar is taking up the rest of the desk. He came just as I was trying to sort through the paperwork that keeps piling up no matter what I do. I complain a bit about the lack of room but I do like having critters around me. "The Peaceable Kingdom" you know.

Just over a week til Christmas. Are you ready?

Love

Mary

A very nice Monday. The weather was pleasant so I put greens, bows and a lighted star on the post lamp out in front. Last year the lights wouldn't work. This year they came right on. Go figure. I also got up my music boxes and placed them all around the living room and guest room.

As I post to this, Roxie is sitting in her favorite spot, in the mddle of my desk under the desk lamp where she is warm and close to people. She is falling asleep as I type.

We got a call regarding the results of the Sleep Tests that Dick had last Thursday night and the nurse said the Dick has SEVERE sleep apnea and someone will call by Wednesday to arrange for the machine that will make him feel like a new man. He is so looking forward to it. That one night made such a difference the next morning.
He actually felt alert and rested until afternoon but now he is falling asleep all the time and not waking up refreshed.

Soon it will be Christmas. I baked again today. Really didn't need to but I love to and will give some away. I made Lizzies and Hello Dollies.

Love

Mary

WHAT A DAY!

Saddam has been captured with no more killing and hopefully this will HELP the healing and reconstruction in Iraq and maybe our boys and girls can come home soon. Hopefully all the little children in Iraq will soon be able to sleep without fear, grow up healthy and safe and ready to face the world.

Then we went shooting and I got a 71!!!!! Wow, was I ever pleased.

Then to top off the day, the Packers won. It was a roller coaster game but they won by a nice cushion and we were very pleased in this house. Since the Vikings lost to the Bears today, we are now at least in the playoffs.

The Kindercore sang with us at Mass this morning. I always love to hear the children. We did pretty good too.
The Messiah was really beautiful last night - what a lovely way to really kick off the Christmas season.

Hallelujah.


Mary

Well, Dick went through his tests very well. The Sleep Therapist, Susan, was just wonderful. He does have sleep apnea. There is a solution. He does not really get any sleep at all it seems so he does not get needed REM sleep. The chart was really amazing. After she put him on the machine he actually had two episodes where he did sleep and he woke up refreshed for the first time in as long as he can remember. The Visiting Nurses will come out with the machine and instructions in the next couple of weeks after Dr. Willis has a chance to review everything and make his recommendation. We are so excited. EVERYBODY says that this will do wonders for his energy and his health. Susan said I will get my husband back. WOW.

I have to remember everything because Mother will be asking. Tomorrow we go to see the Messiah. The Sheboygan Symphony and Chorus ALWAYS do a wonderful presentation of that.

Love

Mary

Dick has been having trouble sleeping. His doctor thinks that perhaps if his poor sleeping habits could be determined and corrected it might help control his blood pressure, so I just dropped him off at Sheboygan Memorial for tests. They will hook him up to all kind of moniters and he will be done and wants me to pick him up at 7:00AM tomorrow. So I will have to go to bed and be there when he wants me to be.

I read the neatest thing in my Cadfael Book of Days.

"In our various degrees, we are all sinners. To acknowledge and accept that load is good. Perhaps even to acknowledge and accept it and not entertain either shame or regret may also be required of us. If we find we must still say: Yes, I would do the same again, we are making a judgement others may condemn. But how do we know that God will condemn it? His judgements are incrutable."

From Brother Cadfael's Penance Chapter 16.

Sometimes maybe we are required to do something or moved to do something against the "Rules". But it may be the thing to do. An interesting concept, not to be abused.


Love

Mary