Today was quiet. This morning Dick and I went out for breakfast, just for the fun of it. Chelsea and I went for a walk. She seemed to get a bit tired today so we only walked for about a half an hour. It was chilly and damp anyway.

This afternoon, I cleared the Christmas stuff off if the dining room table and put the Christmas music away. Then I took a nap. I slept until 6:30AM and was still tired by noon. I think the gloomy days are getting to me.

I also worked on the appliqued Cocker Spaniel that I am putting on a quilt. So far, it looks great. We will see how things end up.

Two more days on our blast off 1000 calorie week. Tonight we had Hunt's spaghetti sauce on spaghetti with broccoli and a salad. So we are eating tasty meals just measured and planned ones and mainly NO grazing as we go through the kitchen. That kind of behavior kind of creeps up on a person.

Tomorrow, the choir will be singing at the 10:30 Mass. We are singing with the Kindercore. One is a straight duet, the other is a version of Away in the Manger. The kids will sing the song through a capella and then we will sing the modified hymn in parts and then the kids will finish with a verse a capella again. Should be really special. I think the congregation will like it.

Jim, Bobbie and I are going shooting tomorrow. League started Friday so we have to get signed up and started.

Yesterday, at Dairy Queen, Stan and Peg Payne came in about the time we were leaving. I worked with Peg at Wells for some years. We discovered that we both have roots at St. Michael Church near Parnell. Her brother, Bernard Michaels, wrote a couple of books about the Irish Settlers there. Also, her mother went to the "Normal School" in Sheboygan Falls. At that time the "Normal School" was the teachers college. A few years later, my Mother attended that school and taught for a few years before she married my Father. At that time she stopped teaching because that was what was done in those days.

Anyway, to conclude my thought, Peg's Mother, Margaret, stayed at my grandparent's house while she was attending the school. In those days, it would have been too difficult to travel there everyday and friends helped friends out - e.g. providing room and board for friend's children when they went to school some distance away. She said that she was just reading her brother's book the other day and came upon a story of a Michaels wedding in which a Bowser was the best man. How deep these ties are.

Have a lovely Sunday. Pray for sun.

Mary

We got our call from Leslie tonight. It was good hearing her voice and we had a nice long talk. The girls were out (it is Friday night after all) but they are both doing pretty well. Sara is working and has been there a while now. Nora has a job also but is a Senior in High School AND has a boyfriend so she is probably really stretched.

I had lunch with the Plymouth People today. Since we are still doing the Richard Simmons Blast Off week, I had a chicken breast salad and fixed a chef's salad for Dick. I cleanced the kitchen floor this morning too. So it was a busy day. I have been catching up on computer emails this afternoon.

We had turkey burgers, cabbage, noodles and salad for supper. Tomorrow I am thinking of spaghetti.

One year when Bret was just a baby, probably 9 months old, I brought him to Wisconsin to introduce him to the family. I remember one day that Mother and I went shopping and left him sleeping with my brother, Jeff and my sister Dolores babysitting. While we were gone, he woke up and needed changing. Neither Jeff nor Dolores were very adept at changing a baby. So - they removed the old diaper. Then Jeff held him up in the air and Dolores arranged and pinned the new diaper on him. Mother and I were in a "roll the eyes" mode when they told us that one. Bret giggled every time he saw them after that. I think he thought it was a fun game.

Have a nice weekend.

Mary

We got our call from Leslie tonight. It was good hearing her voice and we had a nice long talk. The girls were out (it is Friday night after all) but they are both doing pretty well. Sara is working and has been there a while now. Nora has a job also but is a Senior in High

What a busy day Dick and I had today. We started off with breakfast at Zana's, then proceeded to see Sue, who checks Dick's blood. He was within the perameters again, but right on the bottom rung so she wants to see him in two weeks instead of the usual four. We left her and got a cup of coffee from the Coffeology Cafe at the Clinic. Next we proceeded to Dr. Phelan's office and Dick had the compression bandages removed. The swelling was DRAMATICALLY reduced and we feel so relieved. Dr. Phelan's office got us an immediate appointment with Dr. Coulas, the podiatrist, who removed the callous with the blister from his left foot and another blister that was bothersome from the right foot. We have to go back to see him in two weeks also to have these checked. Then we went to Fessler's Drug Store on Superior to get Dick fitted for compression stockings to help keep the swelling from reoccurring. WHEW!!!


That seems like quite enough, doesn't it? But we went home after that, had lunch, then went grocery shopping. We really HAD to because we were out of milk and a few other things that I needed.

We kind of flip flopped our meals. I fixed a hamburger, spinach and cottage cheese for lunch and then we had soup and crackers for supper.

While I was at the podiatrist's office, I found a recipe for "Killer Chile". It calls for cubed beef, beer and jalapenos. I want to try it with venison. If it is good, I will share.

"Women will only be equal to men when.....they can walk down the
street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy."

Tomorrow, I am going to Plymouth for lunch, the bank and to pay The Sewing Basket for two classes that I will be taking next month.

Tomorrow is Friday ALREADY.

Have a good one. It is starting to get cold again.

Love

Mary

I got to stay home ALL day. It was WONDERFUL.

I started appliqueing the Cocker Puppy for a quilt I am working on and cut a lot of squares for the Cathedral Window Quilt that I have decided to make.

Our blast off diet week is going well. We are eating plenty, just portions and careful planning. Tonight we shared a boneless pork chop, had a small serving of mashed potatoes, spinach and a salad. By the end of the week we will be "Off the Sweets". Actually I planned it all quite well, we finished all but one cookie and some breads before we started this.

Leslie said she was going to call tonight, but I waited until 8:15 and then called Bart and Barb because I have been a bit concerned about them. They are just fine, I am glad to say. Barb had been planning a 50th wedding anniversary party for her parents and as she has been working 12 hour days and her Mother is pretty demanding she had been afraid that something would go wrong. But nothing did go wrong. It was perfect and it is over.

Tomorrow morning is going to be way too busy as I told you yesterday. We will go to breakfast. As I told Dick, if we have our usual two eggs and toast with fruit we are right on target. That's what I like about this system.

When Mother and I were driving home on New Year's Day she was commenting on the size of houses now days. They just DON'T build the little two bedroom one bath homes they used to. Nobody would buy them. I told her that I wouldn't. Even if Dick and I were alone, I would want two bathrooms or at least one full and a powder room. I know that when we were growing up there were 11 of us in the red house with only one bathroom. We managed but we didn't have a choice and we did not know any differently. Now I do.

I should mention to her that we would not want to go back to the outdoor toilet that I can barely remember with a chamber pot for emergencies and night time either. It is just nice to have the sanitation and a "throne" for each of us.

Isn't it wonder ful to be so blessed?

Mary

January 3rd. Social Security day at the bank. When I worked in Plymouth, they always had cookies for the elderly who came in to do their banking on the third of every month when their checks arrived or appeared in their accounts as a direct deposit. Such a nice simple thing to do to make people happy. They usually got the cookies from the Pig. The Pig really DOES have great cookies.

Dick and I are using this week for a blast off, clean out the system of sweets and monitering the food week - starting today. Today was easy, I hope the rest of the week seems so.

I picked up some footware for Dick to wear around the house and hopefully to help while his feet are so swollen. We have an appointment to get his sox right after his doctor's appointment on Thursday. That will really be a big day. Shopping, blood check, Dr. Phelan and the sox check at Fessler's Drug store.

Tomorrow, I REALLY should get to stay home. I have tried since Sunday an alway end up having to do something. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the day.

It was warm and rainy again today and all the snow is gone. Supposed to be warm the rest of the week. Dick says it is the January thaw. I walked again today and find that I am building back up again. I really think that it will probably be spring before my ankle stops aching. I think I need warm.

I did some sewing downstairs and when I came up, found that Dick is watching the Orange Bowl. The game is fine but they had some group or person singing, (I guess) during the half and it was awful. Perhaps I am getting old, but I just can't see singers that rely on their actions to BE the performance and you never hear the lead singers voice, just the amplified, distorted mumbling. Anyway, I didn't like it.

Got the following from a friend today. I know that I have seen similar postings but this is a good time to share the thought.

Happy New Year, this is God.

This year, as with every year, I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember, I do not need your help.

If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.

Kindly put it all in the SFJTD BOX. (Something for Jesus to Do)
It will be addressed in my time, not yours. Please be patient.

Once the matter has been placed in the box, do not hold onto it. Do not become impatient and take it back to see if you can find a solution.

Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem. You must surrender the problem to Me for proper resolution.

If a situation you think you cannot handle arises, please consult Me in prayer. Together we will come up with proper resolution.

If you do not receive what you anticipate as proper response
from Me, remember--some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayer.

Because I do not sleep, there is no need for you to lose any.
Rest, my child...if you need me, I am but a prayer away.

-Author unknown



Mary

This was a very strange day in the weather department. It rained off and on and ACTUALLY thundered and there was lightning. This NEVER happens in January but there you are. Dick says this is the January thaw. We are supposed to have another week of the warm weather and at least some more rain. Bobbie and I went out to Rhine for the meeting and the parking lot is treachorous. It is so bad that Doc fell last Monday and broke his ankle. Poor guy was all alone and had to drag himself back to his truck and drive himself home.

Dick got in to see Dr. Phelan today about the swelling in his legs. Dr. Phelan had the nurse put compression bandages on both legs, gave him an antibiotic for the blister on the left sole and is going to get prescription compression stockings ordered for him. I am relieved that we are doing something to help correct the problem. Apparantly it can't be healed but can be controlled.

Got all the company dishes put away today too. So it was a busy one. We had meatballs, potatoes and cabbage for dinner again. It was so good we felt it deserved an encore.

Tomorrow I should not have to go anywhere so will spend the day in beginnng of the year stuff and racking some wine. The Concord Grape is ready for another racking and in two months it can be bottled. However, they recommend that it age for two years before being tasted.

Bye BYE

Mary

The meatballs were really good. I fixed a great cabbage dish also. I browned chopped bacon in a big frying pan. Then I added one tablespoon of butter, a chopped onion, a cup of celery, some chopped fresh green, red or yellow peppers, a small cabbage shredded and a can of mushrooms liquid and all. Steam until done then salt and pepper to taste.

I am always pleased to have Mother here on New Year's Day. Bobbie and Bill often join us so we have a nice full table and lots of great conversation.

The Packers won. Such a relief, though Jim says their timing is bad. They should have lost to maintain draft picks. I figure winning is always better than losing. As a coach in little league told Bart's team after their first game, which they lost. He said, "Did you have fun?" They all hollared "Yes!" He said, "Good and it is even MORE fun when you win."

I hope you have fun whatever you do this coming year. And I hope you win.

Mary

The last day of 2005. Wonder why we put such significance in the end of one year and the beginning of another. I still find it amazing the the turn of the century causes such a todo. I will never again experience one of them in my lifetime. I guess I am fortunate to have gone through it once. At least in 2000 there was some reason for excitement and trepidation because of the potential computer problem. Actually it was amazing that the programmers did not factor the problem in and it was amazing that most of the problems were corrected beforehand. It always takes more to fix something than to do it right in the first place.

Anyway, we had scalloped potatoes and ham, cauliflower and salad for supper. We also had S'mores made with a couple of the marshmellows that Bobbie made for Christmas Candy. Messy, (when made in the microwave) but very very good.

I spent a good hunk of the afternoon mixing and rolling meatballs for tomorrow. That is why I don't make them often. They are SO good but such a production. It will be nice to have Mother here for dinner. I do like to share the Christmas decorations. It was nice to be the host this year. Next year Bobbie gets the Christmas honor.

I promised to share a picture of the Millinium ball that is housed at the Waterford Factory in Ireland. This is one of the three pictures that I took when Bart and Barb and I were there.






Bart and Barb called last night. It was a rather odd conversation as their phone kept cutting out. They are trying a new Vonage line and said they'd call back but haven't. I will call them on Monday if I haven't heard from them again. Leslie is supposed to be calling this weekend too. I guess she told Jim when she was going to call but I haven't heard.

Chelsea and I went for a walk again today. I plan on upping the route to the full two miles on Monday, depending on weather of course. Today, we saw Sam - the white eskimo that looks like a larger Chelsea, my friend Steve, who lives up the street and that is about all. I am surprised that there are not more children out playing as this is Chirstmas break. But it is damp and cold and perhaps they all got new computer games or are off visiting families.


As the New Year rolls around, remember the poem I shared a few years ago written by the anonymous Scandanavian

May you always have light on a sunny day
When you need to be home may you find the way
May you always have courage to take a chance
And never find frogs in your underpants.

Love

Mary

Early Saturday. I sluffed off and went to bed VERY early last night. I slept all night too.

I went to have lunch with the gals in Plymouth yesterday for the first time in three weeks. There were only four of us. I haven't seen Mary Schroeder in a couple of months I bet. But Barbara, who left Wells and has started at Community was there. She is very happy with the change and looks good. Betty and Ceil were there too. I had my usual grilled cheese. They only make them at THAT Dairy Queen, a tribute to the grilled cheese at the Sheboygan County Fair.

Chelsea got her bath yesterday and is gorgeous. She, of course, was not happy with me but knows that at least I will leave her alone for a while now. I cleaned the kitchen too so it was a busy day. I kind of lazed off the rest of the afternoon.

I will send an evening New Years Eve message later.

Love

Mary

Another quiet day. Dick and I did have to go out to buy the "winning" lottery tickets for the coming week and I went to choir and visited with Mother for a bit this evening but aside from that it was quiet.

I cleaned the bathrooms and mixed up the crust for the banana cream pie that I will make for our New Year's Day Dinner. I told Mom that we will pick her up at about three as I am fixing dinner for 5:00. There is just one Mass on Sunday morning again. It will be at 9:30AM.

I wonder if Fr. Gene will be there. His father died today and the funeral is on Saturday. The choir is going to take a collection and use the funds to have Masses said. I know that his Father has been very ill and that the lastest news had been that they were going to have to amputate his second leg this week but he died before this occurred.

Only two days until 2006. On my Dec. 31 posting, I will publish on of the pictures that I took at the Waterford Factory in Waterford Ireland of the duplicate of the Millenium Ball that drops each year in Times Square. When Bart, Barb and I toured the factory we learned that every special order has a duplicate that is kept at the factory as insurance in case anything happens to the original. You will like the picture.

I was doing a bit of writing today and remembering Tara, the black lab that we had while living in Huntington Beach. She was a really beautiful animal. One day Bart called me at work because Tara was sick. She had gotten on the couch and wouldn't get off. I hurried home and she was obviously in great pain and great distress. I took her to the vet. He said that it looked like she had eaten something that was bad for her. It must have been thrown over the fence, because we were careful what our animals ate. Anyway, she died the next morning, shocking us and the vet who felt SO bad.

Bart wanted another dog right away and held a garage sale to earn the money. We went to the Humane Society and after one small disaster that I will tell you about some other time, we found Zero. Zero is legend. He was the sweetest little dog that one could ever have. I knew he was the one when one day as I was attempting to take a nap, (this was a time of great stress and I was exhausted) he climbed up into my arms and never moved until I woke up. I remember too that on weekends when we were home all day, he would turn kind of grumbly by the end of the day. He was used to napping while we were at school and work and found that keeping up with three people ALL day just plumb wore him out. Yes, he was special.

Have a nice Friday. Chelsea gets a bath in the morning. She is going to be 12 years old soon.

Love

Mary

Today Dick and I did our grocery shopping a day early. We were right, the crowds were down considerably. Of course, since Christmas was LAST week, tomorrow might not have been bad anyway but we did not want to find out.

It was a dreary day. Gray and damp. I took Chelsea for a short walk but she seemed to be limping, so we cut it short. I think that perhaps there is too much salt on the roads. That always hurts her little pads.

Jim made Spinach Casserole for his friend Dora last night. He said it was very successful. He felt it could have used more cheese but she liked it and as I told him, it is a very "forgiving" recipe. All the ingredients are good and you can't really go wrong.

I got two delayed Christmas cards this week. One from Aunt Velma Patterson, my ex mother in law's sister. Velma is the sweetest person and has to be at least 96. Her handwriting is very strong but she complains about being tired. Sounds like Mom. I was so pleased to hear from her. The other was from my friend Steve Hanson. He has moved to Idaho and sounds good also.

Here are the last two Dog's Rules for Christmas.

6. Likewise, your humans may take you visiting. Here your manners will also be important:

a. Observe all the rules in #4 for trees that may be in other people's houses. (4a is particularly important.)
b. Respect the territory of other animals that may live in the house.
c. Tolerate children.
d. Turn on your charm big time.

7. A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from your fireplace in teh middle of the night. Don't bite him.

So there they are. Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

We had scalloped potatoes and ham for supper. That is such a wonderful meal. We have enough for Saturday too. Have a good Thursday.

Mary

It was rather warm today - all the way up to the high 30s. Sure is a welcome relief from those bitter cold days we had early in December. I went to see Dr. Casey today for my monthly back adjustment. He adjusted my foot too and said that since Chelsea and I are walking again, it would be a good idea if we walked after I got home. We did. I am now able to go every day and next week intend to be back to the full route. We are only going about 3/4 of the way now.

I started assembling a quilt top of squares that I have been putting together now and then with a bunch of odd blues that came from somewhere. I can't even remember. But I finally figured out HOW I want to do it and have decided to use a pattern for dogs and cats at the top of it. Hope it works out like my "vision" is showing it. I need to start planning the banners I want to quilt for church. I want to do "The Hand of God" from a Celtic Pin I bought at Irish Fest years ago and a companion piece of a Celtic Cross. I think I will use the pictures that Bart, Barb and I took at Clonmacnoise for the basic pattern.

The rest of the day was very quiet. Jim went up to Appleton to see his friend Dora. He is cooking a meal for her. Quite interesting. I told him how to make the famous Kunert Spinach Casserole.

Here are two more of the Dog's Rules for Christmas.

4. They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and dcecorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know:

a. Don't pee on the tree.
b. Don't drink water in the container that holds the tree.
c. Mind your tail when you are near the tree.
d. If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesging or that have your name on them, don't rip them open.
e. Don't chew on the cord that runs from the funny looking hole in the wall to the tree.

5. Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some discretion on your part.

a. Not all strangers appreciate kisses and leans.
b. Don't eat off the buffet table.
c. Beg for goodies subtly
d. Be pleasant, even if unknowing stangers sit on your sofa.
e. Dont drink out of glasses that are left within your reach.

I'll share the last two tomorrow. Dick and I are going grocery shopping tomorrow. We are afraid that Thursday will again be too busy. After all New Year's is another big weekend and besides all the kids are off school this week.

We had leftover cheese enchalada stacks and the last of the cheesecake for dinner tonight. So the refrigerator is almost managable now. I have decided on Swedish Meatballs and Mashed potatoes for Sunday dinner. Mother and Bobbie and Bill will also be here. Come is you want. We are having Banana Cream Pie too.

Love

Mary

Today was really nice and rather quiet. I took two naps but am still very tired. I had a difficult last night as my ankle started bothering me and I got very little sleep after 2:00AM.

Dick and Brenda were here through breakfast. I had cranberry scones and scrambled eggs with fresh onion and cream cheese. Then they left to go visit their mother in Cleveland WI. Jim joined them and said they had a nice visit. Their Mother had surgery a couple of weeks ago but is recovering nicely now and Jim said she feels pretty good.

Chelsea and I had a nice walk early this afternoon. She is so pleased and so am I to be getting out and stretching again. My ankle did get a bit sore so we did not do the WHOLE route but still got some kinks out. I also took two naps today. I am really rather tired. Hopefully tonight will be a better night than last. Chelsea is also exhausted and is trying to catch up on her sleep. We certainly are becoming aware that she is getting older. She needs more rest and does not feel that she has to stay awake the WHOLE time we have company.

Fr. Gene published A DOG'S RULES FOR CHRISTMAS in the bulletin this week. I will give you a couple a day because they are very funny.

1. Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and they will appreciate long comforting dog leans.

2. They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours.

3. Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.


More tomorrow.

We had ham and mac and cheese again for dinner. It was still just as good as yesterday.

Have a nice Tuesday. We are rapidly sliding out of 2005.

Love

Mary

Chelsea is a very VERY tired little girl. Bobbie and Bill got here shortly after 1:00 and Dick and Brenda arrived not too much later than that. Went to Mass and sang at the 9:30. We did quite well. Frankly, our bass section has been lacking but they really came through today. I must tell them how GOOD they sounded at the next practice. We sang Ding Dong Merrily on High and Mary Did You Know.

The ham and mac and cheese were very good. I fixed a green bean dish that you might like to try. Just soften chopped onion, mushrooms ( about a cup each) and a small can of water chestnuts, drained, in olive oil and then add two cans of drained green beans and season with thyme, oregano and basil. Salt and pepper to taste. It was really good.

We always have fun exchanging presents. Did I tell you that Dick got me a new Celtic Cross and a very pretty watch that has a band of Conamara marble beads. Very pretty. He remembered that one of my watches had just died.

The coming week well be quiet. There is no bible study and very little else happening. I am glad. I would like to do some sewing and perhaps get a little writing done. There has been a long dry spell and it is time I do something creative.

An e-mail from a friend.

The Pastor had a kitten that climbed a tree in his back yard and then was afraid to come down. The Pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The Kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to the tree and attached it to his car, he could drive away and bend the tree down. He could then reach the kitten. He put the plan into effect, all the while checking in his rear view mirror. He decided he could just go a little farther and be able to reach the kitty, but as he moved the car farther the rope broke... The tree sprung and launched the kitty which instantly sailed through the air out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. He looked all over the neighborhood for the kitty but on one had it so he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping."

A few days later he met a church member buying cat food, but he knew she was a cat hater so he asked, "Why are you buying cat food, when you hate cats?" She said, "You won't believe this. My daughter kept begging me for a cat so I told her she could have one if God gave it to her. Pastor, she went into the yard, kneeled down on the grass, and prayed to God for a cat. And really, Pastor, I saw it with my own eyes!
a Kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky and landed right in front of her!"

Love

Mary

What a busy day. I got a lot of prep work done for the dinner tomorrow. Chelsea and I went for a lovely walk this afternoon. It was rather foggy and a bit damp but the temperatures were pleasant enough and Chelsea was certainly a happy little puppy.

This evening, before dinner, Dick, Jim and I exchanged our presents and opened the ones we got from Bret. That is always fun. We were all very happy with our gifts. I got some beautiful jewelry from Dick again, Frank Mc Court's new book and two DVDs of classic horror and sci fi movies. Jim got both Dick and me new wireless keyboards and mouses. It will be so nice not struggling with those cords AND the kitties. Bret sent sweatshirts, a cookie jar and a set of bath and shower stuff. It will be usefull as I have been taking soaky baths to ease up the muscle aches in my legs.

We had pizza tonight. I fixed it the way I used to for the kids and I when I was in a hurry.

Defrost a loaf of frozen bread and let it rise. Then squishit out into somewhat of a round on a pizza stone (a cookie sheet or pizza pan will work as well).

Spread sauce on it (I had some leftover spaghetti sauce but tomato sauce sprinkled with oregano, garlic and any other Italian spices works as well).

Top it with mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni (or anything else you like on pizzas. I used to slice hot dogs on it for a meal for the boys and me.)

Top with grated cheeses and bake it for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Boy is it ever good and hearty.

Tomorrow the choir is singing at the 9:30AM Mass, then I will stop at Mother's and take her presents to her. Dick, Brenda, Bobbie and Bill will be here at about 1:00. We will visit and do presents and then eat at about 4:00. It should be a very nice Christmas. I hope we talk to Bret, Bart and Leslie as it is a special day. Wish they could be here for the ham, mac and cheese and Triple Chocolate Poteen Upside Down Cheesecake.



Merry Christmas Eve.


Mary

It was nice today. The freezing rain that had been predicted did not come. Thank heavens. I made the cheesecake today. I also added the yeast and additives to the Lemon Balm and Marigold wines. Then this evening, I joined the crew at church and we finished decorating for Christmas. It looks great. I will take the camera on Sunday to get pictures. After we finished a bunch of us went over to the Firehouse Pizza for something to eat and some visiting.

The package from Bret arrived today. He didn't get it off until Monday and was a bit afraid that is might be late, but here it is. Tomorrow night, Jim and Dick and I will exchange our gifts and I get to open the presents from Bret too. That is always fun. We will have to fill the stockings sometime during the day. I get to stay home ALL day again.

I am afraid that I am not very inventive tonight. Perhaps tomorrow, I can think of something more interesting to write about. In the meantime, be safe and happy.

May

Today was quite pleasant. The temperatures got ALL the way UP to 36 degrees. Chelsea and I hit the streets this afternoon again. We went just the same short walk that we did yesterday. If the weather doesn't betray us, we will go a bit further tomorrow.

Dick and I did our Christmas grocery shopping this morning. We also delivered the candy that Dick presents to the Eastern Shores Library people.

I am working on two new scratch batches of wine now that we have bottled the Currant and there are empty gallon jugs. I mixed up the Lemon Balm and also the Marigold. When I free up more gallon jugs, I will start the Wild Grape.

We had our final choir practice before Christmas tonight. We are singing at the 9:30AM Mass. We are singing Ding Dong Merrily on High and Mary Did You Know. Both lovely Christmas songs. I still remember listening to my Dad sing along with that choir on Christmas. Dad had a beautiful voice. At one time he belonged to a Barbershop Chorus. I remember there was a competition held in Sheboygan at some point in my childhood of Barbershop Choruses. I know that Dad's group didn't come in first but I KNEW that it was the best one.

I will have as much of my meal done or ready to pop in the oven before Mass on Sunday. As a matter of fact I can make the dessert tomorrow. We will have a Kunert Christmas. Too bad that Leslie, Bill and the girls can't be here. I will also miss my Bret and Bart at this time of year. If I had my druthers, time and space would not mean anything if it would bring us all together at ANY time but especially at Christmas. I miss my boys. It is so hard to accept the fact that my baby is 34 years old. I still can remember those littles face when I brought them home from the hospital.

When Bret was born, we had a black cat named Samantha with the most beautiful coat and emerald green eyes. By the time he was born, she had already given birth to two litters of kittens. Anyway, I sat down in the living room with Bret in my lap and Sam jumped up to see what I had. She kind of crept over and sniffed the top of his head. Just then, he let out a little cry. She sat bolt upright and stormed away in total disgust. Someone said she probably felt that he was OK if I really wanted him, but her babies were much cuter AND they were on their own at 6 weeks old.

Bart on the other hand came home to a big brother and no cat as I remember. When he came home, my neighbor, Joyce Nusser came over to see him. She took one look at his little face all scrinched up and red as a beet and said "He looks just like Mr. Magoo." The name stuck for a while. I still think of him as Magoo once in a whild. He was actually a beautiful baby with a flawless complection and just a slight fuzz on his perfectly shaped head.

Have a nice Friday.


Mary

Only three more days until Christmas. Bret called last night. His packages both arrived. However, he sounded so sad and I asked him what was wrong. He told me that his friends' (Earl and Janelle) daughter, Stephanie, who was only 14, was killed in an automobile accident on the way to school on Tuesday. Everyone is, of course, devastated. All I could do was tell him that I loved him, express my sympathy and tell him that I would put the family on the prayer chain at church. Which I did. Would you all pray for this cirle of people too. The funeral is Friday. I can't thin of any more sad a Christmas.

On a lighter note, I took Mother to the eye doctor today and the news is good there. She is stable and he is very pleased. We are always so grateful after the Macular Degeneration episode. She said that she sees about as well distance wise without her glasses as with. That is pretty amazing for an 89 year old woman.

I cleaned the refrigerator and freezer today. Now I will have room for Christmas stuff. We will try to eat up the odds and ends before Saturday. I did remember to take out the ham and put it in the fridge to thaw. Most things really have to be prepared on Saturday or Sunday.

Cadfael's Book of Days said today. "While you live, there is no way of escape from your part in humanity."

I remember a Christmas years ago when living in Santa Ana Heights. My neighbor and I went out to get our trees. We took our pickup. Our plan was to get trees about our height. She was a bit shorter than I, so our plan was for trees about 5 and a half to 6 feet. But when we got into the lot they look different and we were trying to look at shape and fullness and holding our hands up to our foreheads but we must have slanted our hands up. When we got home, those trees were huge and we were totally surprised. My ex and her husband had to cut some off of the bottom so they would stand up in the livingroom. But shey sure were pretty.

Have a nice Thursday. We shop in the morning.

Love

Mary

Today was a rather quiet day. The only excursion that I made outside of the yard was to get my hair cut.

I am all finished with wrapping presents. Actually, I still have Mother's. I have a couple of small things for her but I ordered Galtee Sausages and Irish Bacon and intend to give her an Irish Breakfast for her main present. I will give her the bacon,sausages and fresh soda bread or scones (I have not decided which to bake as of yet. I will do that on Saturday.)

We were watching some game show and they asked a question as to where you send children when they are naughty. It reminded me of Bret when he was in kindergarten.

He had the most wonderful teacher in Kindergarten. Her name was Miss Gamel. She had a class of 16 little boys and 4 little girls. One of the little boys went home and told his Dad that the teacher was a "big beautiful blond." Needless to say that Dad came to teacher conferences.

She did love her students and was infinately patient with them. By the end of the year they knew that if there was a "shy E" at the end of a word - the vowel said "its own name." Think about it.

Anyway. Bret ended up hysterical in the principal's office. The kids were using rather bad words. Miss Gamel said that some of them were REALLY bad and she finally said that the next person that said a bad word would be sent to the principal's office. Bret said "poopy". So she sent him to the office.

He just disintegrated. Miss Gamel felt terrible and the office told her that she shouldn't have done that. But I agreed that she should have. She would have lost all credibility with the class and Bret learned a valuable lesson. He was trying to show off and learned timing if nothing else.

So that is my story about being sent to the principal's office.

Have a great Wednesday.

Love

Mary