A beautiful, sunny, stormy day. Sounds odd doesn't it. But this morning, it was kind of cloudy but pleasant so I finished trimming the privet bush. (I don't think it is really a privot, but I like the name.)

This afternoon, about 3:00, it started getting very windy, then some mild thunder then the biggest BOOM we have had in a couple of years. Poor Chelsea is a basket case and Oscar flew (literally) from the window to the door of the office without touching the ground. Dick and I went to two graduation parties. Jessica Bainbridge and our niece, Jessica Deeley. It was raining until about 5:30 then cleared up nicely. Jessica actually graduates on the 11th but she leaves on the 13th for 25 days in Germany. Wow, kids now days sure have opportunities. She has worked her little buns off to afford this trip with fundraisers and a job and she maintained her school grades and extra circular activities too. Randy, my baby brother, can be very proud of ALL of his girls and I am very proud to be their aunt.

It was fun spending time with Uncle Pat, Aunt Joan, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Bob. Next weekend, I will be taking Mother to my cousin Brian's daugher Amanda's graduation so I will probably see them again then.

Jeff and Kathy were there too, of course, Kathy is retired now. Jeff and Randy make their annual trip to Indy this year. Jeff said it was perfect this year. The weather was wonderful and the race was great. Danica, the young lady who managed to come in fourth on her FIRST major race, was quite a draw and VERY impressive. This group of guys have been going to Indy for at least 40 years. They used to camp out and tailgate. They still do tailgating but now they stay in a nicer motel out of the elements. They aren't stupid.

Jeff and Kathy said that the currants are looking really good this year. They should be ready about the middle of July. Last year we missed them and are we ever sorry. The wine needs to mature for a year but it is REALLY good. I told Jeff and Kathy that we don't want to miss the crop again.

A dear friend sent me the following. Try it. It is great.

HOW TO START YOUR DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK


1. Open a new file in your PC.

2. Name it "Housework."

3. Send it to the RECYCLE BIN

4. Empty the RECYCLE BIN

5. Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete housework permanently?"

6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly....

7. Feel better?

Have a pleasant relaxing Sunday.

God love you - I do

Mary

WHAT A DAY! The Plymouth ladies were all unable to come to lunch so I had to redo my plans. I ended up going to the bank in Sheboygan Falls and picking up some pins I needed at Evans. Then I went to church for the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and dropped some information off to Lynn in the church office.

I stopped at Mom's for a few minutes. Randy had brought over a big box of cook books that Dolores brought to their house. Donna and her girls took what they wanted and they are spreading them around. We aren't sure why Dolores sent them down. Has she stopped cooking? Maybe so. Did she decide to REALLY clean house? Such a puzzle. I brought home a Frugel Gormet cookbook and will go through the Taste of Home but lord knows I have anough cookbooks myself.

I trimmed half of the corner bushes around the birdbath. It is supposed to rain for the next three days. I hope it starts late enough tomorrow so that I can finish the bush.

We had lasagna for dinner. I am using up things in the freezer. The sauce I made up without meat worked well for this too. I sliced mushrooms and meatballs along with three kind of cheese, the sauce and the lasagna pasta. Yum Yum. We had chocolate cake too. If you come Sunday I have plenty left for everybody. (If you ALL came I would add stuff til there was enough. One of my curses. I love to feed people.)

Tomorrow is the graduation party for Jessica. That will be fun. At least for me. I hope that it does not rain before late in the evening. I sure would make it difficult for Randy and Donna. She actually graduates on the 11th but she leaves for Germany on the 12th. So this is quite a whirlwind time for that girl. Boy, the kids now days sure have wonderful opportunities.

Love

Mary

Dick's blood test was perfect again. Sue, his technician, says that he is getting boring. We all LOVE that kind of boring. She says he should continue doing what he is doing and not doing what he is not doing.

Today was nice and warm. Low 70s. I went out in the front yard and trimmed the bush that Bobbie says is really a tree. It is under the Locust tree. If I let it go it gets way too big and tries to overtake the Locust. Trimmed, it looks nice. With any luck at all, this weekend I will get the privot hedge that corners the birdbath squared up. Everything is healthy and thriving. A good thing, but it does make a lot of work.

Tonight was choir practice, both adult choir and bell choir. Sr. Marcia, the ex-principal of our school, who has been here forever, 28 years as I understand, is moving to another ministry at the end of June. We are having a celebration of her service and a good bye party on Sunday. The choir is singing along with the childrens choir. We are singing a wonderful song along with the children called There is a Redeemer. The children will sing the first two verses and we will join in four parts on the refrain and both choirs will sing the last verse a capella. The children are so precious and we all enjoy singing together so it sounds wonderful.
Sr. Marcia will be so pleased. We are also singing her favorite - On That Holy Mountain.

Did I tell you that we have robots that do our vacuuming. They are called Roomba and are kind of like another couple of pets. After you make sure that the area you want vacuumed is surrounded by "walls" of one kind or another you turn them on. If you don't contain it, it escapes and you don't know where it will end up. They are fascinating to watch, they even know when there are stairs and turn around (usually, actually we have had the Roomba go tumbling down the stairs twice.) Anyway, I moved the carpet runners into the kitchen while we are doing the main carpet and you would really laugh to see Roxie jump on the end of the runners to get a ride.

Have a nice Friday.

Mary

We had dinner with Mother at The Villager. Mother and I both got their "Pasta Viola" a construct your own pasta meal. This is kind of fun. You choose your pasta, sauces, herbs and veggies and add meat or seafood if you want it. I keep trying different combinations and they are all good.

The Sheboygan Theatre did a fine job on Sondheim's Into the Woods. It is a typical Sondheim, full of good but not "humable" music and the story is fairytale and fun. Almost everyone dies which is really rather odd. It was a new play for Dick and me which is always an adventure.

And it is always nice to spend an evening with Mother.

Tomorrow, we shop and Dick gets his finger pricked again. He has had another long streak of being right within the perameters. We are very pleased with that. I means that his medication if working and keeping him stable.

I also have choir tomorrow night so it will be a busy day.

It was beautiful today. Well into the 70s. Dick says he is turning on the air conditioner tomorrow so summer is really here.

I am tired and hope to sleep tight tonight. Chelsea has been getting me up way to early lately. It was 5:30AM today.

Mary

What a beautiful day. The temperatures were up in the high 60s and everything is green and fresh. Days like this make me remember why we stay in Wisconsin. They almost make up for the icy below zero days we struggle through in the winter.

We cleaned the kitchen screens and windows today too. It is amazing how much that brightens up the room.

Chelsea woke me up way too early again. It was not even 5:30AM so Dick and I got out for our grocery shopping early too. But it makes for a long day.

Tomorrow night, Dick, Mother and I are going to the Sheboygan Theatre Company to see Into the Woods. Mother saw a production of the musical last year at Sheboygan Falls High School. Jessica, my niece, was one of the performers in that one. Dick and I have not seen it. Sondheim can be different. Some of his work I like a LOT and some I find rather odd. This one should be fun as it is a fantasy.

Well, I am tired. A E. V. Lucas said, "One of the most adventurous things left is to go to bed, for no one can lay a hand on our dreams." So I will start my evening's adventure. Hope yours is pleasant too.

Love

Mary

Yesterday was a lost day. I totally forgot to post on the blog.

Went to church early because the choir was not singing. The rest of the day was pleasant. Jim and I went shooting. I did pretty well with the pistol. Not so good with the trap shooting, but I was trying out my new vest. It did help with the bruising of the shoulders, but I need to get used to it. I will go again next Sunday so I have one more try before shoot league again on Monday.

Dick took Jim and I out for dinner last night. We sent to Nino's - always a good place to eat. I got pork, Jim got steak and Dick got fish.

Today was equally quiet. We fried out brats for dinner and I fixed the famous Kunert potato salad and beans to go with it. It was a beautiful day, up into the high 60s and sunny. We had lots of rain yesterday. A good thing for my new grass and I can see my bean plants coming up. Did I till you that there are buds on my peony bush. I am just delighted. This is the plant that I have thought was dead two years in a row. But it keeps coming back and this is its first year to bloom.

Yesterday, we had some really persistant thunderstorms. Our poor little Chelsea was just frantic. People in the area were setting off fireworks both Saturday AND Sunday nights and she is afraid of that too. Poor little thing keeps pacing and trying to find a safe spot. Jim and Dick both held her for a while and she just trembled. Her whole body turns into a little bowl of jello. We can't figure out why in the world fireworks are being used for Memorial Day. Neither can our girl. Hope they are out of them. I think if there were three days in a row, Chelsea will lose all hope.

Love

Mary

We had a very little bit of rain today, so I went out and checked the newly planted pots and watered the freshly laid grass seed. It was a pleasant temperature, about 68 and partly sunny.

The birds seem to be singing more loudly this spring. Perhaps we notice them more because we are leaving the windows and doors open rather than turning on the air conditioner. Dick is one to turn it on from the first warm day, close all the windows and doors and leave everything closed up until fall. However, now that we have Oscar and Roxie, who enjoy sitting in the windows and at the deck door observing the birds and the general outside, he is more amenible to opening things up rather than shutting things down. Now, he is complaining about the birds being too loud and persistant.

A peaceful day, I did some sewing and cleared off my desk. I am down to the last few projects at church, then will be all caught up.

Cadfael Book of Days had a great quote from Ellis Peters first book, A Morbid Taste for Bones today. "Well, well" said Cadfael silently to himself, and left the insoluble to the solver of all problems."

I made pizza tonight with my own sauce, the sauce I made Thursday with fresh herbs from our very own garden. Boy it was good. I made it the way I used to make a quick meal for the boys.

A frozen loaf of bread, thawed, risen and spread out on a pizza pan
Spread sauce
Sprinkle whatever toppings you want

Bake for about 1/2 hour at 400 degrees.

Have a nice Sunday. I will go to the 8:00AM mass and then shoot with Jim. I want to shoot a round of trap too so I can try out my new vest with the padded shoulder.

Love

Mary

The morning started off very sunny and quite warm. Chelsea ( or Sparky as Dick is wont to call her now that her hair is all shorn) and I had the NICEST walk. I actually slept til almost 6:30AM. It helped that Dick coaxed Chelsea out of the bedroom at about 5:30 so that she couldn't bug me. He said that she is getting wise to that trick however. She isn't so very eager to follow him out in the mornings. She knows that the door will be shut behind her.

By the time I left for Plymouth and lunch with the gals in Plymouth it had chilled considerably. I almost went without a jacket but threw one in the car at the last minute. When I stepped out of the car at the Dairy Queen and immediately got chilled.

I got a letter from Fr. Mike Shea in Thailand. He will be in the U.S. next month. He said that he is accompanying an 89 year old missionary home to see his family in Detroit for the last time. Then the old one (I love the term "old one" - it implies so much dignity, strength and peace) will return to Thailand and stay til he is called to God.

Mike said that Sarnelli has taken in three more little girls, one named WOW. I love their names. Two more will be coming in a few days and he is going to have to build another girl's dorm. He said that the donations are down a bit because many people have given their extra for tsunami relieve. He is so nice - he said he isn't complaining as that is certainly an important cause also.

Have a marvelous three day holiday. Remember our soldiers, those we are remembering and those who are still out there in danger. We must pray that those boys and girls come home soon.

Love

Mary

This evening was the last council meeting for my term. My term is actually through June but we have decided, as in years past, not to have a meeting in June. The two new members were there for a transition and information meeting. One of them is my dentist, Mark Huberty. They will be fine and I am relieved. I think that a lot was accomplished during my term and am proud of it but I need a break.

Dick has his new caps on his teeth and it looks wonderful. It went very smoothly. They said he would be 2 hours, so I went to the bank and on a couple of other errands, got back in 1 1/2 hours and he walked out to meet me. It had only taken about an hour and a quarter. He is so patient. As I said. His teeth look great.

I finished my planting this afternoon. All I had left was to plant the pots on the deck and put a couple of herbs in the herb garden. It was raining this morning but had cleared up nicely and the temperatures were in the low 70s.
I have meatballs, ravioli and ricotta cheese on hand and need to use them up. So I decided to make a meatless spaghetti sauce to divide and use for several meals. Tomorrow we are having spaghetti and meatballs.

Here is my recipe, in case you want to try it.

2 cans tomato soup
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
2 large onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
Fresh or dried oregano (to taste)
Fresh or dried thyme ( to taste)
3 bay leaves
1 teasp. salt
1/2 teasp. pepper
Olive oil
1 TBLSP Steak Sauce
6 oz. Mushrooms sliced

Cook onion and garlic until tender in 1 to 2 TBSP olive oil. Add all the tomato products, the herbs and the salt and pepper and the steak sauce. Cook for one hour or so and add the mushrooms. Cook until tender.

The weekend is almost upon us. It is Memorial Day weekend. Reminds me of the first year Dick and I were together. I still had my little house on Broadway in Sheboygan Falls. Sheboygan Falls DOES have a Memorial Day parade. We decided to walk down the Broadway and Pine to watch it. We really rushed because we started a bit late. By the time we got there it was about over. The parade consisted of 1. about 4 Veterans, the Junior High School Band, A Girl Scout troup and Bruce Mertzig driving his antique car. Dick has never let me forget that.

Love

Mary

There are only 6 more days left in May. I did a bit more planting today. When we moved in to this house, there was a basketball pole and hoop next to the driveway. A permanent fixture. The basketball hoop itself was pretty well shot and we have no need for it anyway, so we removed the hoop and welded on three plant hangers. Today I planted geraniums, sweet potato vine, begonia and coleus in the opts and got them hung. Now, the only thing left to plant are the pots on the deck and a couple of herbs in the herb garden.

It was quite warm today. I brought Chelsea outside with me for a while this afternoon. She likes being with me.

Tomorrow morning, Dick goes back to the dentist to put the permenant crowns in place. This appointment will only last TWO hours as opposed to the four for the temporaries. Still a long time and he his not looking forward to it. I don't believe that they have to numb his mouth this time.

Choir was cancelled for tomorrow night, but I still have to go to the Church Council meeting. This is probably my second last meeting. I will be very happy when the committment is over. The last project I have been steering is the census and we are winding that down now. I really need two more people to make calls for me, but somehow that doesn't seem so difficult.

Everything in its time, one step at a time. Best not look too far ahead when lots of goals are out there. It is too easy to become discouraged. I learned that when I was working. I list everything that has to be done and just concentrate on one thing at a time.

Have a nice Thursday. I must bring in the tomatoe and pepper plants. They are still "hardening" because Jeff raised them under the lights.

Love

Mary

Thursday, Chelsea, the little wretch, woke me up at 5:06AM (I can see the clock the minute I open my eyes) and insisted that it was really important. She was right but it sure left me tired today. I took a nap but am still kind of worn out.

Thursday is also shopping day. Dick and I make it a twice weekly date. We get up and move apace until we are ready, then go to breakfast, on the grocery shopping and home again. It is fun.

I also planted the pots that go under the deck today. They look very cheerful with bright red geraniums and nice green ivy plants falling over the sides. It was not the warmest day we have had but the sun shone and that always brings warmth to the heart.

Something to ponder. Jonathan Swift said, "Whoever makes the fewest people uneasy is the best-bred man in the group."

I do agree in the sense that there is a lot to be said for good manners, although speaking up for right, even if it makes some people uneasy, is not a bad thing.

Love

Mary

Tuesday, shopping day. Chelsea, the little wretch, got me up at 5:06AM. I don't know why she gets these days. I even took her out at 10:00PM last night so she should have been fine. She was quite serious about it so I am glad she tells me but it sure leaves me tired. I took a nap this afternoon, but I am still sleep deprived.

Dick and I went grocery shopping this morning too. We do like those mornings. We get up and move apace til we are dressed and ready to go. Then stop for breakfast, go shopping and home again. Kind of a nice date if you ask me.

I planted and hung the pots under the deck today too. They look very nice with bright red ivy geraniums and lots of green. Did I tell you that the honeysuckle is all the way up to the deck and that one of my peonies has buds.

It wasn't very warm today but the sun shone and sunshine always makes the world seem more glorious.

A point to ponder - Jonathan Swift said " Whoever makes the fewest people uneasy is the best bred man in the group."

Mary

Tuesday, shopping day. Chelsea, the little wretch, got me up at 5:06AM. I don't know why she gets these days. I even took her out at 10:00PM last night so she should have been fine. She was quite serious about it so I am glad she tells me but it sure leaves me tired. I took a nap this afternoon, but I am still sleep deprived.

I planted and hung the pots under the deck today too. They look very nice with bright red ivy geraniums and lots of green. Did I tell you that the honeysuckle is all the way up to the deck and that one of my peonies has buds.

Dick and I went grocery shopping this morning too. We do like those mornings. We get up and move apace til we are dressed and ready to go. Then stop for breakfast, go shopping and home again. Kind of a nice date if you ask me.

It wasn't very warm today but the sun shone and sunshine always makes the world seem more glorious.

A point to ponder - Jonathan Swift said " Whoever makes the fewest people uneasy is the best bred man in the group."

Mary

I shot my first two trap league sets this evening. The first was quite good. 16. But the second dropped to 13. My shoulder is so sore form the two yesterday and the two today that I guess I was lucky to get that. I was not following through and it was quite windy. I think I will look for a shooting vest. I think the slight padding on the shoulder would help the discomfort. I am just too bony and bruize too easily. There will be no league next week because it is Memorial Day so I have an extra week to heal.

Bible study was quite lively today. We were in to the discussion of the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist part of the Mass and everyone was quite enthused about it. Tom Keyes brought a meditation on last Sunday's gospel with a wonderful quote from St. Augustine that I would like to share with you all. "God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love."

We had the leftover stew and potatoes and rhubarb cake for supper tonight. They Still tasted good.

Mother has been the historian for church for about 16 years. She mentioned that she thought someone else should take over that job. After all she IS 89 and as she says is not really active in the daily doings of the parish any longer. So - about 2 months ago we started advertising in the bulletin for someone to take over the job. It is not hard. She cuts out any newspaper articles, includes any picture she gets and takes things out of the bulletin and the Angelus (the quarterly paper) and upts them into scrapbooks for the archives. We tried first by asking for a scrapbooker. No luck. So a couple of weeks ago, we changed the request to a request for a historian. It worked, a really nice member of the Parish, Don Lau, who also does a lot at the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center stepped forward and came over today to collect the current scrapbook and the supplies. What a nice gentleman he is. He LOVED Mother's spoon collection which covers two walls of the kitchen.

Anyway,

That was my day.

Love

Mary

Jim and I went out to shoot at Rhine this afternoon. Pistol league is over but we want to keep practicing over the summer, hopefully to improve before Fall League starts.

The club was hosting a 50 Bird Lewis Shoot, which means that people shoot 50 clay pigeons in a trap meet, 25 from each of 2 trap houses. The entry fees are divided up between the sponsoring organization and the participants in a certain order. I have never shot a competitive event, other that league before, but wanted to practice. I was pleased with my scores - a good trap shooter would probably laugh, but I got a 15 and followed with a 14. Tomorrow night I will start a weekly two man (I suppose "person" is a more acceptable term) league with my friend, Rosalie at the Sheboygan Falls Conservation club.

We had Mother come for dinner tonight as I mentioned in an earlier post. The stew is still good and I prepared mashed potatoes, peas and salad too. I harvested the first of my rhubarb and made super moist and delicious cake.

I guess that is all. I am supposed to be remembering something from the readings at Mass this morning for Bible Study. Paul said in Corinthians 2 - "Greet one another with a holy kiss." I like that - Loving hugging is so essential to mental and emotional health.

Hugs to all.

Love

Mary

What a nice birthday. I finished a quilt square. I seeded a bit of the lawn that has been in need of reseeding. Dick took me out for dinner to the Villager. (I had a filet - for some reason I have been wanting a steak lately, probably because we eat so little beef.)

I received cards from almost all the kids and Bret called tonight. So it has been a full day.


That is all I am writing tonight.

"May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone."

From Anam Cara by John O'Donohue

Love

Mary

I just got home. It is 9:30PM. Bobbie and I worked at Rhine for the bust up party for the spring trap and pistol leagues. Jim got a first place Marksman Trophy for his pistol shooting this time.

The meal was excellent. We had barbequed chicken, broasted potatoes, potato salad, baked beans prepared by Gary Hefter. This was followed by two, count 'em, two desserts. Sara Behr prepared rhubarb tort and Bill Olson brought his famous peach cobbler. Both were excellent and it reminds me that I must check the rhubarb. I believe there is enough for a pie in my garden.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Cards started to arrive today. I received one from Mother, from my friend Esther Hasler and her son Adam and the office staff at Blessed Trinity. Bobbie brought hers with her tonight. They are all special. People are so good to acknowledge it. I can't believe that I will be 65 years old tomorrow. I remember that when I was young I marveled at the fact that in the year 2000 I would be 60 years old and that seemed so very far away. Way beyond my sight. I guess that it is important to remember that we don't have to look that far ahead. We just have to live each day to its fullest and treasure everything and everyone that comes our way.

All my love

Mary

This evening was my music night. Both regular choir and bell choir. I enjoy both so it is a good thing. I have a long way to go on the bells. I am finding out that there is more to ringing them than just ringing. You can dampen and clank and trebble and I suppose other things too. I am still just trying to keep time and remember to ring.

We got our German Music tonight. I think I told you that most of the Blessed Trinity Choir members are joining the choir at mass at Germanfest on July 31. We are going on the bus and will spend the afternoon enjoying the festival after singing. The big challenge is learning the read the German. I think I will practice the melody and beat with la las before then. We will have two practices with the main choir in July.

It was chilly and damp all day today. My understanding is that it is going to warm up by Sunday but will keep on raining. I know we need the rain but a little sun always does wonders for the spirit. Besides, I have a bit a planting to do and I also know that it will take some warmth to make the seeds I planted sprout.

You know how the song goes. "Someone bless the seeds I sow, Someone warm them from below, til the rain comes tumblin'down." We are getting the tumblin'down without the warming.

I think Chelsea is ready to go to bed. At this time of night she always looks a little wobegone if I stay up.

Tomorrow night is bust up for the pistol league at Rhine Plymouth. Bobbie and I are working too so it will be a long night. At least we won't have to be collecting any money, as the bust up is a freebee.

Love

Mary

Today I DID get to stay home all day. I cooked up a storm. We are having stew tonight but I got a big enough chuck roast to make three different dishes.

We will have the stew tonight and I also made "Old Rags", a Cuban Dish that tastes wonderful over rice and I have the dough for pasties in the refrigerator. That dough has to sit overnight and tomorrow, I will combine the meats and veggies and complete them. I think I'll ask Mom over for Sunday dinner and we can have the pasties.

The dishwasher people came AGAIN today. They replaced almost the whole machine including the drain hose which they say they think has been the problem. We will know in a couple of weeks. That dishwasher has just been a curse and Bosch is supposed to be the best. The repairman says that he advised his son to put one in his new home, so that says something.

We are watching reruns of How to Marry a Millionaire. I have watched Regis for probably 30 years or more. Off and on of course. I bring this up because when I saw him first he had a local show in the Los Angeles area with Cindy Garvey. Cincy was a lovely blond lady who was at the time married to Steve Garvey. It was a very similar format to the Regis and Kelly show. The two of them bantering and guests. She was a lot more formal but certainly the times were also more formal. One day they had a blind actor call Tom Sullivan on the show. He apparantly was visiting with her while she was getting ready and dressed for the show. She mentioned that she felt a little odd changing in front of him but knew that he couldn't see and therefore was comfortable. He simply said that he operated on sound and smell. She turned forty shades of green and moaned.


Have a nice evening.

Love


Mary

It is still rather damp and rainy in Wisconsin. I am trusting that the weather predictions are correct and that we will reach 70 by Sunday.

Friday night is the bust up party at Rhine Plymouth and Bobbie and I are also assigned to work. I always like to get two things done at once and the bust up party is easy to work because there is no money exchanged the drinks and shooting is all free. Yippee.

Today, Dick and I went grocery shopping and to the bank in the morning. Then this afternoon, I went to see Dr. Casey to have my neck adjusted.

While out, I took Ken, my sister Dolores's husband, the turkey stuff that he had lent to me and brought them the finished Wild Grape Wine that Dick and I made from the wild grapes that Dolores and I gathered from the vines in their back yard two years ago this September.

Dolores asked us to name it for her neighbor who has been their very close friend "forever." As long as they have been in their home. So. We named it Lou's Wild Grapes for Lou. I was just pleased that it made Dolores happy.

Last year, the grape crop was very bad and this year, Ken thinks the vines are dead. They don't know where they came from in the first place but it will be a shame if they are dead now that we know what to do with the fruit. This is the first true wine that Dick and I have made from scratch. We have made many fermented drinks from various fruits such as rhubarb, plum, current etc. But a true winemaker will say that wine is the fermented product of grapes. This is the only time we have had the opportunity to do so. It is good too. The color is rich and wonderful and as most dark wines is best tasted at room temperature.

Again, I have a desk full of cats. Both Oscar and Roxie are sprawled over much more than their share of the available space.

From the Cadfael Book of Days on the 14th. "A little excitement, after all need not be mischief, and does sound a pleasant counterpoint to the constant order, however much that may be loved and however faithfully served." Ellis Peters


Happy evening.

Mary