We are HOME!!!! I am exhausted so I am afraid that you will not hear much about the trip tonight.

We saw Danny O'Donnell, Shoji Tabuchi, Yakov Smirnoff, Andy Williams, The Hughes Brothers, Bobby Vinton and The Baldnobbers. We also saw two Christmas Light Displays and ate for five days.

I have my picture with Danny O'Donnell and Bobby Vinton. It was an exciting trip. The most exciting was that Bart and Barb were able to join us on Wednesday and half of Thursday. We had such a good visit and they both look great. Bart did very well. Crowds do bother him a LOT but he did will at the two shows we went to together. I am glad we didn't push for more though. It was obvious that two were his limit. Barb looks GREAT. She has lost over 60 pounds. I am so glad we had that time.

Tomorrow I will tell you more, when I am more alert

Mary

Wow, what a day.

Chelsea let me sleep until 6:45AM. I could not believe it when she jumped up on the bed and whimpered at me. We went right out for our walk. The wind was AWFUL. At several points I was facing into it and was barely able to move forward. Doesn't bother the girl at all. She is just too low to the ground to be affected.

Then, I put in the pan of stuffing that I had picked up from church to cook for the turkey dinner. I took that with me when I went to the 10:30 mass. After Mass, I went down and sold tickets for the raffle of the print, the sewing machine, the afghan and my twin sized quilt until 1:00AM when my replacement came. I got the dinners for us and came home so that Jim and I could go shooting. It was TOO windy to do trap, but we like to keep our hand in on the pistol shooting. We each shot three. My first two were none too good, though the second was better than the first. However, my third was not bad. I got a 65.

When I got home, I got a call from Kitty Klitch at church. I won the limited edition print that she had donated. It is of her Main Street Memories collection and is of the Villager. It is beautiful and I am really jazzed. It has a value of about $250. I love decorating our house with works from people that I know.

Tomorrow, morning Dick and I leave for BRANSON. So - this is my last posting until next Saturday evening. We get to Branson at about noon on Tuesday. We will be going to see Daniel O'Donnell that afternoon before checking into our hotel. Then we will spend the evening at Shoji Tabuchi's theatre. Bart and Barb will be atht Grand Country Resort that evening, So we will be able to have supper with them before going out. The next day we will spend most of the day with them. I am excited to see them and Barb and I are looking forward to sharing our quilting projects.

I will miss posting but will enjoy the trip a LOT more than I will miss the computer.

Someone named Austin O'Malley said "A hole is nothing at all, but you can break your neck in it." I thought it was clever. Have a good week.

Love you

Mary

Dick and I had a lovely evening. The Friends of Mead Public Library, as I mentioned last night, I believe, had a fundraiser dinner in the Quiet Reading Room at Mead. As we walked in, we were offered glasses of wine and members of the board walked around with trays of delicious hors d'oeuvres - specialties of the board members such as marinated mushrooms, crackers with chese and homemade chutney and flavered cream cheese wraps cut into pinwheels. The meal was prepared by Berni Markovich. He had a wonderful salad with greens, apple, dried cranberries and nuts, followed by a plate of veggies and potatoes, accompanied by a pork chop and applesauce. We also had apple pecan pie.

We then walked over to the Weill Center for the Symphony. It was also a treat ending with a dynamic presentation of Bolero. This was the second of the conductors in the running for the job, and we liked him. I am really sorry that we couldn't see the first one. The ticket holders WILL have a small say in the selection of the new one, along with the members of the orchestra and the board.

Anyway, I am now very tired so will close this up and go to bed. I got some of my packing for Branson done today. I also got the last of my hanging pots into the garage. It is supposed to snow while we are gone and the ground could freeze. In that case, I would never get the pots emptied so decided to do it while I could. It was actually very pleasant today, in the mid 50s, though we did have a BIT of rain this evening.

Love.

Mary

I got the sharpshooter trophy for pistol league at Rhine tonight. Since I was the only one in my class, I would not feel that this was a great accomplishment, except that my average improved immensely since the last league. Bobbie and Jim each got trophies also. Bobbie got the Expert trophy. Jim will be pleased because that means that he beat Frank, his main competition.

We had really great food for the bust up dinner. Sara Behr made chicken soup with some frozen chicken legs and thighs that we had in the freezer and german potato salad. Gary Hefter made beef and gravy for sandwiches and cooked up some brats that we had frozen with some sauekraut. Bill Olson brought his "famous peach cobbler" which is always a treat. I am literally stuffed.

Next league starts on January 6. Jim and I will continue to go out on Sunday afternoons as often as we can to practice and I will practice trap unless it is too cold. I don't like to get too cold.

I believe that all my errands that had to be done before the trip are finished. Tomorrow, I just have to pick up a pan of stuffing to bake for the turkey dinner on Sunday. Then in the evening the Friends of Mead Public Library are hosting a fundraiser dinner in the quiet reading room at Mead. Bernie Markovich is cooking the dinner which begins with wine and hors d'oeuvres at 5:30PM. We have been promised these plus a delicious dinner and dessert, all to be done in time to get us to the Stephanie Weill Center down the street for the evening's Symphony Orchestra performance. This concert will present the second of the four finalists for the new conductor of the Sheboygan Symphony. We missed the first one as we were in Washington D. C. Bill and Bobbie said that he was very. Good. Dick and I will have to decide between the three that we see. Sheboygan will miss Guy Bordo, the conductor for the past many years. But things do nothing if they do not occasionally change and I am sure a new conductor will bring new ideas and many new things to the community.

I bought a new fanny pack for the trip. On the Washington Trip, a pen leaked all over the old one which was such a wonderful size and shape. I hope I picked another that I like as well. I really never know until it is broken in.

If all the world was apple pie
And all the seas were ink
And all the trees were bread and cheese
What would we have to drink.

That just popped in to my head. It was a beautiful day. I hope it holds out through the weekend but my understanding is that the weather is going to turn.

Love

Mary

Today, I spent from 10 to 2 reading poems, essays and short stories written by middle schoolers for a contest the Sheboygan County Writer's Club sponsored with the Sheboygan Press. The Press has been VERY helpful with this project. They printed the ads totally free and have agreed to print the winning compositions and the names of ALL the participants. We received entries from most of the middle schools in the city mostly from the private schools. Most of the entries were pretty indifferent but there were glimmers of wit and talent and some of them were quite good. We found the poetry winners and narrowed down the essay and story entries to a managable number. The other four judges will meet on Monday to finalize those.

The five of us who judged the entries then went to lunch at the Mucky Duck. I had a tuna melt. Love them.

Jane, one of the fellow writer friends, has a Welch Corgi who has back trouble. The dog's name is Daisy and she is a sweet thing. Jane says she is usually a goofy playful thing and it is just heartbreaking to see her so subdued and uncomfortable. The vet she is seeing has not been able to help and she is going to try a second opinion. I remember when Chelsea had a bit of back trouble but that was when she would grab on to her rag and we would swing her around a bit and she would wiggle and fuss. We don't do that any more and fortunatly that has not reoccurred. It is so hard to have pets in pain. They keep looking at you expecting you to fix it.

We discussed pets. Jane said that when she taught she had all kinds of animals in her classroom including snakes. Ann Pirrung said that she hates snakes and it reminded me of an event that Aunt Velma told me. Joan, her daughter, was just a little and sitting in a high chair. A garden snake crawled into the kitchen as Velma was feeding her. Velma panicked and ran screaming out of the kitchen AND the house, leaving poor little Joanie sitting in the high chair. That is fear.

Tomorrow is quite a full day AGAIN. I am just about caught up so that I can leave this town for Branson with a clear conscience and nothing hanging over my head.

Here is a poem for you, I don't know the author but I like the poem.

"He stumbled home from clifton Fair
With drunken song and cheeks aglow.
Yet there was something in his air
That told of kingship long ago.
I turned and in me burned with grief,
The one so high should fall so low.

Bur the plucked a flower and sniffed its scent
An waved it toward the sunset sky.
Some old sweet rapture through him went
And kindled in his blood shot eye.
I sighed and in my cried for joy
That one so low would rise so high."

Have a nice Friday.

Mary

It was a blustery day. Even more blustery than I think Winnie the Pooh experienced. We had cold bursts and long winds all day. I went out. I really did not want to but we were about out of milk and I needed to get stamps for the Gun Club. So I went. I got gas while I was out and was almost literally blown away. I started dispensing the gas and a big wind came out of the west and I had to grab on to the truck to keep myself on this earth. There is the old Irish saying. "An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hang on to one blade of grass and not fall off of the face of the earth." I had not had a drop and there was not a blade of grass on that pavement but I managed to hang on anyway.

Mother is going to celebrate her 90th birthday on January 21 of 2005. I have gotten messages from George and Nora wondering what we are doing. I had been under the impression that Eileen was working on planning something but when I called her tonight she said that she had just been asking Mother what she wanted to do.

SO - I called Mother and just asked her what she wanted. She wants a family dinner followed by a reception with cake and perhaps snack for friends following the dinner.
So - I can let George and Nora know what is up. Her birthday is on a Saturday, so that will work quite well. She seemed amenable to the Villager and I am sure they will go a little bit special for MOM. Now I will let Eileen know and e-mail George and Nora so that they can make their plans.

Tomorrow I will be joining three other gals from the Sheboygan County Writers Club to judge the entries that we have received for the writing contest that we sponsered with the Sheboygan Press for middle school students in the Sheboygan School District, public, private and home schools. We have about 30 entries and Jane said that Ann (who finds poetry beyond her grasp) does not want to judge the poetry. We also have essays so there will be plenty for the four of us to do and we will take a break for lunch. I am looking forward to spending three hours or so with these ladies. I will miss the meeting this month because we will be in Branson so I need my "push" to do something. It is really easy to put writing or quilting on the back burner when I don't get a push once in a while.

Enjoy your Thursday. It is downhill all the way to Saturday now.

Love

Mary

I got to stay home ALL day. It was really a lovely day too though there is thunder and rain outside now and Chelsea is a trembly little puppy. This was not a great day for her. I gave her a bath this morning too. She looks beautiful, of course, but she would just as soon stay dirty and a bit smelly. She is not a really doggy smelling creature actually.

I wasn't bored today, I will tell you. I got the Senior Saints program to explain Medicare D all set up and pretty much finished the flyer that will go out to our mailing list. Tomorrow, I will write a couple of notices for the Sheboygan Falls News and for the Sheboygan Press. I really need to have that done BEFORE Dick and I leave next week. The 20th is really too late to send notices out.

I am still in 15th out of 18th place in the Fantasy Football League. I just can't seem to get above that. Well, I can keep plunging along. I will actually have to do two weeks picks this weekend and just have to refine the second when we get back from the trip.

The Hmoung man who killed the six hunters over in the western part of the state was sentenced to 6 consecutive life sentances so he will never get out of prison. I am glad that we do not have the death penalty. I do not believe in a life for a life. God can take care of that and will in His own time. I wonder now, how Mr. Vang will fare in prison. There are some crimes that criminals don't like and they seem to deal out their own form of punishment.

Have a nice Wednesday. I am sure glad we are not in France right now. (or any other time frankly) But now with all their riots, it must be just awful. So much unrest in the world. It would be so nice if we could all just try to be kind to each other.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TO DIE FOR

6 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
3 eggs-Separated
3 Tbsp. water
1 Tsp. Instant Coffee
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Blackberry Brandy

Stir instant coffee powder into boiling water in small heavy saucepan until completely dissolved. Add chocolate, place over low heat, stirring, just until chocolate is melted.

Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks into chocolate mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in brandy and vanilla. Beat egg whites in a medium sized bowl until foamy, gradually beat in sugar - a tablespoon at a time - until meringue forms soft peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture until no streaks of white remain. Spoon into parfait glasses. Refrigerate at least one hour.

Garnish with whipped cream. Add a candied rosebud and mint leaf if you wish.

Recipe says 8 servings, I always make it 5. You COULD use any brandy but the flavored add such a great taste.

By by



Mary

Today was a VERY busy day. But tomorrow and the next day are totally free. I shouldn't have to leave the house at all (unless we run out of milk.)

The day started out with Bible Study. I also took down the candles, book of names and risers of the display of the deceased from the altar. I got home just in time to fix lunch. Shortly after lunch, Bobbie and I went out to the Kettles to scope out our spots for deer hunting season. I think I mentioned that Dick and I will be still on the road coming back from Branson on opening day, SO I am planning on going out on Monday and Tuesday to see if I can harvest anything. Bobbie is planning on going with me and maybe Shane or one of the Carpenter boys will join us.

It was a truly lovely day to be out in the woods and we found a few hickory nuts too. Bobbie has quite a bag full of them already and is planning on making a hickory nut pie for Thanksgiving. She did this once before and it is even better than pecan pie which is heavenly. I don't make tree nut desserts as a rule because of Jim's allergy.

Tonight we had our Rhine Plymouth Conservation Club meeting so I just got home a bit ago. It is 9:20PM now. The Indy/New England game is about at the half and Indy is ahead. Thank heavens. I need the points. This was not one of my better weeks. Stupid Minneapolis was SUPPOSED to lose for one thing.

I was remembering Grandpa Deeley tonight. He smoked a pipe. That is probably why my Dad smoked a pipe when he smoked. Grandpa was famous for giving his grandsons a corncob pipe when they were WAY to young to be thinking of smoking. He really liked smoking a corncob. My cousin Patty told me one time that he was known for getting such a hot fire stoking in the bowl that he would burn out the bottom of the pipe. As I said, Dad smoked a pipe. He used half and half tobacco and to this day the smell of that tobacco gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. There aren't many pipe smokers around these days though. Cigar smoking seems to be on the upswing however much to my dismay.

Have a nice tomorrow. I intend to.

Mary

Were you all fans of Everybody Loves Raymond? If you watched it at all, you know that Debra, Raymond's wife, is a terrible cook. Marie, Raymond's mother, is an excellent cook and very proud of herself. She is one who loves to feed also.

Anyway, a few years into the series, Debra found a recipe that she called Bracioli. It is a Beef Roll cooked in a tomato sauce.

I found it on the net and tried it tonight using venison steaks. It was marvelous so I will keep the recipe and share it (with my modifications) with you.

1 lb Venison steaks (should be 4)
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 thin slices prosciutto
2 oz provolone cheese divided into 4 pieces
2 Tablespoons currants
1 large clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped. (I used part red because I had some sliced
in the fridge.
1 cup dry red wine
4 large rip tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Place the meat slices between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until they are 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay a slice of prosciutto and a peice of cheese on each one. Sprinkle with the currants and garlic.
Roll up the slices, tucking in the ends. Tie with kitchen string.

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Brown the venison rolls on all sides. Should take about 15 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 more minutes. Add the wine and cook til hot, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and comve and simmer until the meat is tender. Should be about 2 hours. If the sauce becomes dry, add a little water. Makes 4 servings.

I got to stay home most of the day. Jim and I did go out to Rhine to shoot. I was not spectacular at all. The pistol was kind of low, but I did get better each time. I only got a 14 in trap, but it was windy and I lost a couple of birds that way. Also, one of the guys was letting his young son shoot for the first time and he couldn't get the shell chambered which threw the timing off. I realize now how important it is to maintain a rhythm. It is amazing how much of the accuracy is dependant on concentration.

I got a LOT of paperwork done this weekend. Good thing because a week from tomorrow, we leave for Branson and I need to have several projects operating on their own. Mainly a Senior Saint function. I am working on getting a speaker to explain Medicare D to the members of the parish that do not go to the Senior center or know where to find out the information. I thought I would do it along with a short prayer service and a little Christmas refreshment in late November or early December.

I also am preparing a mailing to the official members of our Environment committee so they come to help at the end of November to prepare for Advent. That is one of the Biggies along with Christmas and Easter.

Have a GOOD week.

A wonderful quote from Timothy Joyce. "Of curse, there can always be a case of too much spirits in a pub, but you can also have too much religion in a church."

A point to ponder.

Mary

Rain tonight. Even thunder and lightning. Poor little Chelsea. She is behaving differently during thunder storms than she used to. Instead of sticking her head under our bed when there is thunder, she stays near us but turns her back on us. We are wondering if she thinks we provide some kind of protection or if she thinks that we are bigger and that the evil stuff will get us first.

It was dry most of the day. Chelsea and I had a lovely walk this morning and I was able to clean out the pots on the deck and bring in the garden decorations. I didn't tell you this, but last night when Bobbie and I came back from Rhine there standing in the middle of the driveway were my garden gnome and my metal bee. Later I saw a gang of kids running around, so they must have been pulling a few pranks. As long as they don't break and destroy, I don't care. Actually it was rather funny.

The choir sang at the 5:00AM mass tonight. I picked up some fresh eggs from the farm at Range Line and Hwy O. I have been seeing their Eggs For Sale sign for a couple of years and finally stopped last week. I do like fresh eggs and I know that the chickens are healthier and that they eat better than the chickens that lay the eggs for the supermarkets. These eggs are all shades of brown and she said that they even have a few Aracondas, but I imagine that they keep the green eggs for themselves. I really liked having chickens when I lived in Huntington Beach. Kind of wish I could have them again. Once you get their housing set, they really aren't much trouble. Their clucking is quite comforting too.

Had bean soup made with the hunk of sugar cured ham that I brought back from Kentuky. BOY is that good soup. I fixed Marie Calendar muffins to go with the beans. Num Num.

There is a new Harry Potter movie coming out in two weeks or less. As soon as the crowds thin, Dick and I will HAVE to go.

Saddam Hussein was sitting in his office wondering whom to
invade next when his telephone rang.

"Hallo, Mr. Hussein!", a heavily accented voice said. "This is
Paddy down at the Harp Pub in County Sligo, Ireland. I am ringing to
inform you that we are officially declaring war on you!"

"Well, Paddy," Saddam replied, "This is indeed important
news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Paddy, after a moment's calculation,
"there is myself, my cousin Sean, my next door neighbor Seamus, and the
entire dart team from the pub. That makes eight!"

Saddam paused. "I must tell you, Paddy, that I have one
million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Begorra!", said Paddy. "I'll have to ring you back!"

Sure enough, the next day, Paddy called again. "Mr.
Hussein,t he war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry
equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be, Paddy?" Saddam asked.

"Well, we have two combines, a bulldozer, and Murphy's farm
tractor." Paddy replied.

Saddam sighed. "I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 16,000
tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my
army to 1-1/2 million since we last spoke."

"Saints preserve us!" said Paddy. "I'll have to get back to you."

Sure enough, Paddy rang again the next day. "Mr. Hussein,
the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We've
modified Harrigan's ultra-light with a couple of shotguns in the
cockpit, and four boys from the Shamrock Pub have joined us as
well!"

Saddam was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat.
"I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter
planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air
missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO
MILLION!"

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!", said Paddy, "I'll have to ring
you back."

Sure enough, Paddy called again the next day. "Top o' the
mornin', Mr. Hussein! I am sorry to tell you that we have had to
call off the war."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Saddam. "Why the sudden
change of heart?"

"Well," said Paddy, "we've all had a long chat over a bunch
of pints, and decided there's no way we can feed two million prisoners."

God Bless the Irish!

The story in italics is an old email that I received and thought you might enjoy.

Mary

Bobbie and I worked at Rhine tonight. It is the last night for league shooting and almost EVERYONE was through so it was very slow. The guys let us go home after about an hour. The last team had two more rounds and then a couple of guys came in for open shoot. I'll bet that the shooting will be over by 7:30 and then they will just sit around and drink beer and smoke cigars for a couple hours. Those guys!


Bobbie and I finished OUR pistol league shooting too. Neither of us really shone but we were not awful either. Now if Jim feels well enough, (he is home with a flu or cold) we can just go out Sunday to play. Next Friday will be the bust up. We will find out Monday at the monthly meeting what we are going to have to eat.

The Famous Kunert Spinach, Noodle and Egg Casserole was delicious. It is such a good meal, the recipe is one of the many benefits I got when I married Dick. I have shared it with many people. Some people foolishly use cheeses other than Velveeta to prepare it - But - to really get the full wonderful flavor one needs to use Velveeta. Just like there is nothing better (or more truely American) than grilled cheese made with Velveeta.

When I was a kid, we had a sandwich griddle. That griddle was black with the burned grease on it. Why we didn't all die of the fat, I'll never know. We practically lived on grilled cheese sandwiches. We would take two slices of bread, put Velveeta between the slices, butter them LIBERALLY and then smash the sandwich in that hot griddle until the cheese was all melty and nummy. MMM MMM

We also grilled peanut butter and summer sausage sandwiches. Also a culinary delight.

Have a nice Saturday.

Mary

The weather was springlike today, all the way up into the 60s. WOW. But it is chilly tonight. Tomorrow, much the same.

We went grocery shopping today after Dick got his blood checked. He is right where he should be again. Sue said that she is very proud of him. If he stays good til February he will have gone a WHOLE year without needing any adjustment on his meds.

I worked on the Christmas Tree Skirt again today. The top is assembled so I need to cut the backing and fill and pin it for the next step. That made me remember that I needed to pick up the fabric that Mother got for the backing for quilt top that she has finished. It needs to be sewn together and I had promised that I would do that for her. I picked it up tonight when I went to choir. I will take it back to her on Saturday and then we can decide when she wants to "make the sandwich" so that she can do the quilting.

I have decided - The Senior Saints at Blessed Trinity are going to have a program in late November or early December. I am getting a speaker to explain Medicare D (I need that information myself) and we will have a Christmas Tea. I will get some nice cakes and cookies and have coffee, tea and punch for refreshments. Doesn't that sound like fun.

It is time to start organizing for the Branson Trip. We will be leaving on November 14 and returning on the 19th. Branson is always fun and Bart and Barb will be joining us for one day. The day we will be seeing Yakav Smirnoff and Andy Williams. They will not go to the evening show, the Hughes Brothers, because we feel that the day will be quite long enough for Bart as it is. The following day they will leave for home. We have that morning free, so hopefully we will be able to have some visiting time then.

The dishwasher is not draining properly again. I have Sears Repair coming tomorrow. It is really annoying that one has to schedule the WHOLE day. They don't even tell you if they are coming in the morning or the afternoon, so you have to figure that you had better be there every moment. If you miss their call you have to reschedule. So I have to be sure that if I take Chelsea out, Dick answers the phone.



The above is a picture of the burning bush that is in our front yard. The burning bushes this year are spectacular. Leaves are falling so fast now that it will not be long before all the trees are but skeletons.

Have a great Friday. I am making spinach, noodle casserole if you want to come over for dinner.

Mary

I had to get my mammogram today. I just hate that. Don't you wonder why? Now I have to wait for the doctor to look at the x rays. The last two that I had required an ultrasound also. Dr. Wenberg said that I am in good health otherwise.

I finished the decorating on the tree skirt that I am making. Now I just have to assemble the pieces and then layer the backing and batting and quilt it. I hope I can get it done for Christmas. The old one is a felt one that I found at Grandma Bowser's after she died. It is rather small and very worn and faded. We really deserve a new one.

I think I will take the pieces I was working on during the Mystery tour when we go to Branson. I should be able to get the sashing between the squares. It will be a little tricky because the sashing is narrow.

Dick and I racked the Concord Grape wine today. It has a pleasant taste. The recipe says that if it is not sweet enough for your taste you can add a sugar syrup to sweeten it. I will test it in about three months when it is ready to be bottled. I had to suck the tube to get it to rack and it certainly does taste like Concord grapes.

Tomorrow, Dick gets his blood tested and then we will go grocery shopping.

The reading for today in the Cadfael Book of Days today was very good. It read:

"It is only that the step from perfectly ordinary things into the miraculous seems to me so small, almost accidental, that I wonder why it astonishes you at all, or why you trouble to reason about it. If it were reasonable it could not be miraculous, could it?" Ellis Peters

I do believe in miracles and even ordinary things.

Love

Mary

It was a nice crisp morning for Chelsea and I again. We really enjoy these Fall mornings. It was quiet. We only saw one other doggie and one walker.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. I saw Dr. Casey today. He checked my knee and reviewed the exercizes that I need to do to strengthen the muscles. Then I had church tonight. It is All Saints Day. A holy day of obligation. Most people don't consider these days so important any more. It used to be announced on the prior Sunday and we were threatened with the Mortal Sin card if we missed it for any than earthshaking reasons. Now it is noted that it is a Holy Day on the calendar that we get from the funeral home each year but is not even listed as such in the bulletin. I am confused but I am not the priest and as we have been informed - the church is not a democracy, it is a hierarchy and the priest and the diocese have the final say (and responsibility for communicating the rules as far as I can see.)

Dick and I did also bottle the Riesling. It tastes OK but needs to mature for a month or so.

Tomorrow, I have to go for my yearly physical and mammagram. I am not happy about that. Let us hope that all is OK this time - I hate going back for these "further checks".

I got the following from a friend in my e-mail. I had mine, did you get yours?

A True Lover


I shall seek and find you

I shall take you to bed and have my way with you

I will make you ache, shake and sweat until you moan and groan

I will make you beg for mercy, beg me to stop.

I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I finish with you.

You will be weak for days.

All My Love


The FLU

Now get your mind out of the gutter and go get your flue shot



Go out and enjoy tomorrow.

Mary

A nice Autumn Day for Halloween. The "goblins" were out in all their glory. We had over 100 kids come by between 4 and 7PM, the witching hour. I gave them all a candy and a copy of the English blessing.

"From Ghoulies and Ghosties
And long leggety beasties
And things that go bump in the night
Good Lord Deliver us.''

I firgued that they needed a little extra protection on this "night of the ghosts and goblins." We all commented at our bible study that guardian angels were going to be awfully busy tonight and I believe they were because there were a lot of munchkins and gnomes out there on the street begging for their candy.

Be safe and I will post again tomorrow.

Mary

This was a cool day. Jim and I went shooting this afternoon and I was not unhappy with my results. I got an 18 in trap. I might have done better had I not gotten a little shook at the beginning, because one of my ear plugs was missing (I found it on the livingroom floor when we got home) and I had to delay everybody while I went back into the clubhouse to get a new pair. But 18 is about my personal best.

Pistol was not QUITE as successful. I only got a 39 on the first, a puny 30 on the second, BUT the third was a 66. Nice day as I say.

The animals are properly confused by the change to standard time. Chelsea DID sleep until 5:30AM which was 6:30AM by her little tummy. I hope to ease her into 6:00AM again. They were all very irritated with us by 5:00Standard Time. I am sure they think we are really mean humans.

Mother and I were discussing Halloweens of years gone by. Sheboygan Falls used to have Halloween parades and prizes were given for the best costumes. One year Nora and I went in the parade with Jeff firmly ensconced between us. The older kids ALWAYS had to take care of the younger kids in our family and it was expected that we take them with us on occasions like this. Jeff was adorable, dressed like a little old man. Part of his costume slipped over his face and he still remembers Nora and I hauling him through that whole parade, him not seeing a thing. He did get a first prize in some catagory or other so I guess it was worth it. We had some really great costumes that had been passed down to us by Grandma Bowser. I remember a gypsy, an Indian, Batman. They were great as she was quite a seamstress.

Here is a little quote for slowing down and relaxing in this life. Slow down and see some of it as it passes you by.

"Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." Nathaniel Hawthorne.


Love

Mary

I am posting very early tonight because I want to watch The Sixth Sense on TV tonight. If you haven't seen this movie. DO! It is wonderful. I am constantly amazed at Bruce Willis. He keeps playing these super hero guys but does things like Sixth Sense which show how versital and what a really good actor he really is.

I took a LONG nap today. Dick says I need more but I hate to waste the days sleeping. This morning I went to the Legion of Mary Mass and luncheon. Blessed Trinity has 90 member in its Legion of Mary Auxiliary, which is me. I say a rosary and the accompanying prayers every day. The active members have to put in a much bigger time commitment than I am able to give at this point in my life. I can however say a rosary each day. I usually say it while Chelsea and I are on our morning walk.

A Fr. Mike Dineen gave our talk at the brunch. He gave a suggestion that we go home and suggest to our husbands that we say the rosary together. He suggested that at the beginning or end of each decade we hold hands and give each other a kiss and tell each other we love each other. I told Dick the idea. He said that he doesn't have to pray for kisses and love, he just has to get over his cold. It was a sweet suggestion though.

Mother is also a member of the auxiliary so I got to have brunch and some time with her.

Hope your Saturday was as pleasant. Dick and I filtered the Riesling wine today too.

Love

Mary

Chelsea and I walked again in 32 degree temps with no wind and nice sunshine. It warmed up to a comfortable mid 50s today which we really enjoyed.

I had lunch at Dairy Queen in Plymouth again today with the Wells people. Barb had her grandaughter with her. Anna is no 18 months old. She had a very shaky start as she has Down's Syndrome and has experienced most of the physical problems that these little people have. She is adorable and is learning sign language to express her needs. We were all SO glad to finally meet Anna.

This evening, the Environment Committee added the mums and the book listing the deceased from the past year to the altar in Church. It looks very nice. I think the relatives will be very pleased with the results. We put the book that I made on the altar with 22 candles to represent the 22 members that have passed on this year. So far God has listened to me prayer and not added anyone else. I do have room for possibly two more in the book if I have to.

Tomorrow is the Legion of Mary gathering and lunch. Mother is a member now too so I will walk her over to church and back. It is fine this time of year but I think that it is a good idea for her to have and escort whenever possible. I must remember to give her the money from the chekc that I cashed for her.

Two weeks from Monday, we will leave on our final vacation of the year. We are going to Branson. Bart and Barb are going to be able to come up and spend a day with us. I am looking forward to the trip AND seeing them. Barbara is so very proud. She has lost over 50 pounds this year and is excercizing and really getting in shape. I hope the two day trip will be good for both of them.

Til tomorrow.

Mary

Our last two nights in Kentucky were spent in Louisville or Lou-a-vul as it is properly pronounced. You kind of slur it all together too. We stayed at the historic Galt Hotel which has been and is still being refurbished and remodeled but is a very nice hotel. We were up on the 10th floor overlooking the street and the twin building of the Galt. They are connected by a bridge on the third floor. It is the biggest hotel and convention center in the state. From our window, we could also see the Ohio River and one of the bridges crossing over into Indiana and the boat that we traveled on in the rain. I will add a picture from the window here. I do love taking pictures from hotel windows. I did that a LOT in Ireland.



"Louavul" also had decorated statues of horses scattered all over the city. Much like the cows that Chicago had several years ago. I got a picture of the one that was in front of the Galt.




Today was clear but chilly. It was supposedly 32 degrees when I went out with Chelsea, though our thermometer said that it was 37. Big deal. We had a nice walk however BECAUSE it was dry and there was no wind. Chelsea is so darned happy it is funny. She REALLY misses our walks when I am gone or it is raining.

I went out with several other ladies to play bingo with the residents of Rocky Knoll. This is a group of mentally and/or physically challenged people. We bring quarters for their prizes and they love it. I was asked to be the caller today which was a kick. I like helping the residents find their numbers too. Part of our service is to sit with those who have a bit of trouble either reading the numbers of closing their boxes. They all understand quarters though. There are vending machines around you see.


The last of the questions that really need answers is:
17. Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Dick and I are both MUCH better today. We went grocery shopping this morning and out for breakfast as is our usual Thursday morning.

No other excitement. Have a nice Friday.

Mary

I finished printing the names of our deceased on the "book pages" Now I have to wait to assemble it until I am sure that I don't have to add any more. I think it will look nice. The only time I had to go out today was to pick up some more poster paper to finish the project. Roxie was a pest while I was working at it. She kept mewing at me to pick her up. Then - when I put her on my lap she would move around back of me on the chair and paw at me. What a strange little kitty she is.



The above is a picture of Cumberland Falls. We saw this just prior to our show at Renfro Valley. Isn't it beautiful. Cumberland Falls is second in size only to Niagra Falls in the United States. I go several pictures that turned out quite well. I love the digital camera. The following is a picture that Dick took of me playing the washboard at The Old Stable Restuarant. Sure was fun.




A few more questions that really need answers:
13. Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the
same tune?
14. Stop singing and read on..........
15. Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
16. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at
you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the
window?

We are recovering from our colds. I am MUCH better and Dick is a day or two behind me but definately much improved from yesterday. Jim stayed home sick today too. WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Have a HEALTHY Thursday.

Mary