I am posting early today. It was a busy day with a drive to New Berlin for a wedding shower. I drove and expect that the sandman will be strewing sand all over my brain in not too long a time.

Chelsea and I and a nice walk. I got to sleep until 6:30 which is always a good sign. We ran into my friend Bill Cain and his friend Pat on our walk. Chelsea was torn. She didn't know whether she should be sniffing rocks or barking but pretty much chose sniffing rocks which makes it easier for me to visit.

I spent the morning preparing the shower gift and cleaning up the kitchen.

I picked up Bobbie at about noon and we drove with no problems to the wedding shower for Sarah Gretzinger. Sarah is Dick's grand niece, Teresa and Gary Gretzinger's oldest daughter. The wedding will be in Medford on May 10 and we are just crossing our fingers that Dick will be well enough to go. Teresa would be so disappointed if he can't.

The shower was a lot of fun. Brenda was there too. Dick dropped her off and then headed for the mall to cruise a bit. They had a big spread of food and two wonderful cakes. Then we played ONE game. We split up into groups of 5 or 6 and dressed one of our members up as a bride using toilet paper for the dress. Brenda, Bobbie, Suzi, Jeanie, Hazel and I formed a team. We dressed Hazel up as our bride. We gave her straps, a bodice, a dress, a headdress, a bouquet and the finishing touch --- a garter. She won hands down and we all got a door prize. Then we went to my favorite part of any shower. The gift opening. Sarah received beautiful gifts. She is registered at several places and many gifts reflected that. I had gotten things to surround a bottle of wine brewed by Dick and me. She seemed pleased with the gift and I love to be able to personalize. I have decided that any wedding I am invited to the gift will include the trivets that I make because I like to give something really unique and this is something of me.

From Reader's Digest. "What do you call Photographers who chase dogs? Puparazzi."

I remember when the Deeley's were in Texas for a wedding several years ago and Uncle Leif was calling for us to smile every time we turned around so he could snap pictures. We felt like we had paparazzi and loved it. We got very good at posing when we were told to. It was easier than resisting and such fun. We all treasure those memories. We are a loving family and delight in making memories.

Til tomorrow.

Love you

Mary

We had a true spring day today. It was 55 degrees at its peak and I wore my jean jacket to shoot at Rhine tonight. The pistol range in the basement was actually not a deep freeze for the first time since before the first of the year. This has indeed been a LONG winter.

This morning Dick and I did a bit of shopping. We needed prescriptions, a couple of things to complete the shower basket for Sarah's wedding shower etc. We were home by 10 and just in time to greet Jim and Michelle returning from Jim's visit to HIS doctor to remove the stints in his nose. He looked tired but still good. He is recovering very well. Dick and I bought him flowers today. Dick always found flowers comforting and wanted his son to have them as he is recovering from the surgery. We visited for a while then Dick and I had to get ready to take HIM to Sheboygan Memorial for HIS procedure. (What is it with these Kunert men lately).

This was a breeze though. Dr. Siddique did a Sclerotherapy procedure which is apparently much less invasive than the lazer. They put a chemical in the vein to eliminate it and wrapped the leg in an ace bandage. The remaining procedures will be like this and much easier to deal with. We are really delighted. It has been such a long road to travel. I am seeing an end. I hope that all of this combined with the newly prescribed therapy will provide some strength to his legs.

When we got home I was exhausted and laid down for an hour. Sometimes I just am DONE. The hour was all I needed. Then I worked on dinner and took a quick run over to Kate's to confer on stuff for the Spring Fling.

We ate a bit early as Nancy and I drove out to Rhine to shoot pistol league. I did not do as well as last week but it was not bad. Nancy did pretty well too so we are happy campers.

I fixed salmon with fresh green beans and rice for supper. Num Num.

Chelsea is staring at me. She is trying to tell me that it is way past our bedtime. She is even starting to whimper a little bit so I know she is very serious. SO. I guess it is time to sign off for the evening. Have a loverly weekend. It should be very nice for us. I enjoy Dick's family and will see them at the shower tomorrow.

All my love

Mary

Another nice day. Not warm. But it was not windy and the sun shone so we are grateful. I know that those of you in Sunny California, or Cajun Country or the Lone Star State or Florida think we are silly to be glad for days with temps in the 30s that just do not drip or snow or blow. BUT we are.

Chelsea likes them all. May poor little girl is getting SO old.


Kate picked me up at 9:30 and we went shopping. We drove to that shopping center in Kohler up next to Hwy 43. Michaels was our first stop and we did pretty well there. I actually have a couple of Christmas presents, which is a bonus, and I got a good start on the shower present for Teresa's Sarah. Next stop was TJ Maxx. I did well there too. I now have the give all planned and only need to pick up two small items to compete it tomorrow.

We had to stop at Home Depot to pick up a toilet seat for Kate. She had to get it replaced immediately.

Then we drove over to Toni Nevicosi's to work on the CWI Spring Fling stuff. By that time I had only one hour so we worked our butts off to get the cutting done so that projects could be done quickly later. I got home at 1:30PM just in time to help Dick get his shower under way.

At about 4pm I called over to Jim and Michelle's and he is up to guests. So I went over and shared some Beef Barley soup that Kate had brought. Jim looks really good. His color is wonderful and he says the pain is not as bad as he thought it would be. I hope that continues. He is getting the stints out tomorrow. The reconstruction is causing him to have to learn how to drink all over again. Kind of interesting. If he goofs, liquid comes shooting out his nose.

We also had soup for supper. I am tired now. Don't you wonder why.

I have been thinking about my cousin Mickey Deeley. He has been gone for some time now. We were good friends when I just got out of High School. If I wanted to go out, (ladies did not go to bars alone, even teen bars) I could always call Mickey. One night he and my friend Jack Lutz ended up at my folks house late one evening and got into a discussion of theology. These were two very intelligent educated people and here was little Mary kind of in the middle of a really deep discussion that I only half understood. I miss Mickey and I sometimes wonder whatever happened to Jack. I would like to see him again. He was a great guy.

Love

Mary

It was rather beautiful today. The sun shone and more snow melted. I am finding green shoots coming up in the gardens. I may, if it is nice in the morning check down at the bottom of the yard to see if any of my herbs survived. It may be a bit early but I need to start checking.

Chelsea was a little crazy dog this morning. She loved her walk and when she came in saw Dick at the table and turned into a whirling dervish. Spinning like a top. It is so good to see her happy and lively.

We then went to McDonald's for breakfast, to the bank and to the grocery store to get the tickets and some wine. Then I took Dick, who was not feeling too well, home and went BACK to the Pig to finish the grocery shopping.

Michelle came over right after lunch to tell us how Jim is doing. Poor guy. Michelle said he is still bleeding some. The doctor instructed him as to how to avoid swallowing the blood so he is not as sick. We will go to see him tomorrow. He needs LOTS of rest. I have this urge to fix special food. Perhaps in a day or two when he can taste and swallow.

Dick did not feel up to going to the Sheboygan Theater Company production of Clue tonight, so I asked Kate. She was delighted. So it was a lady's night. We ate at the Villager. We all had Pasta Voile. A pasta dish where you pick the type of pasta, the sauce, the veggies and the spices. It is served with soup or salad and a bread stick and was really good. We all brought home enough for another meal too.

The play was Clue, the Musical. I had never heard any of the music before and each production has a different ending depending, just like the Clue board game, which cards are drawn and hidden at the beginning of the production as to who, which room and what weapon were used. Kate and I guessed correctly from the clues. Mother did not bother because she can't see well enough so she just enjoyed the music and the dialogue. It was a fun and lively production and well acted and sung.

I think Dick would have liked it.

So another busy and productive day. Keep praying for Jim and his caregiver, Michelle, who has to be nurse and everything right now. Keep Dick in your prayers too. He will be starting physical therapy next Wednesday. I am glad of that. If he has direction, I know he will do it.

All my love.

Mary

Dick had an appointment with Dr. Sharon at 2PM. He has been experiencing more weakness in his legs and some

Well, we are back on the doctor cycle again. Started off with a chilly walk. Chelsea seemed a bit tired. We went quite a way but she was not adverse to coming home a bit early.

We had to be at the Anti-coagulation Clinic at 9AM. Dick's count is a bit low but Sue said that is OK because of the surgery. If it is still down or lower next week she will adjust his thinners.

On the way home we stopped at Woodlake because they have more tea varieties that I like. I now have my Republic of Tea Green Pear. We also picked up some new rubber gloves for putting on the support stockings. I have worn out two pair now.

Then we went to the Plymouth City Hall to vote. Now I am hoping to see some results showing on the news as it is after 9 and results should be coming in. We filled up the gas tank on the way home too. SO Dick was a tired guy by the time we got home.

I spent the afternoon finishing stamping and filling the envelopes with seeds that are going into the gift bags. Now all I have to do is finish the book we are preparing. Kate dropped by this afternoon with two meals of soup - broccoli and 12 bean. They are a welcome treat.

Shortly after we got back we got an email from Michelle that Jim was in surgery. Later, she let us know that he came through with flying colors. The doctor was VERY pleased with what he was able to do. Then she asked me to feed Boots as she decided to stay with Jim. He is sleeping a lot. Michelle said Morphine Jim is funny. They will be home tomorrow sometime. I sat with Boots for a while tonight while Dancing with the Stars was on.

Now it is time to wind down for the night. Keep Jim in your prayers, once that morphine wears off I am sure he will be very uncomfortable. However, they are letting him eat semi soft foods, like eggs and mac and cheese.

Take care


Mary

A full day. Chelsea and I started out at 6:30 with a nice walk. It was not raining then but had before we went out. We did a nice long 4o minute walk. I am trying to do that every day as we were really hampered during this long impossible winter.

Bible Study was almost a reunion. Tom and Kathy Keyes were back from their long sojourn in Texas with their son and Helen Morgan was back from her vacation too. We were 9 strong and had some very lively discussions. The readings were about Jesus revealing himself after the resurrection and somehow we got off on the subjects of moral issues versus legal issues. But it makes us really think.

The Epistle is 1 Peter 1:17-21 and actually is quite beautiful. I found it quite gentle when you consider it comes from Peter who was such a hothead. He speaks of journeying through a strange land. Could that strange land just be our lives?

After Study I went and visited with Mother. She is just fine and has a busy week ahead of her. She was planning on going across the street to play cards with the Seniors at Church. I hope it didn't rain when she was ready to do.

I spent the afternoon putting nice labels on water bottles to put in the gift bags for the CWI Fling. Now I just have the seed envelopes and the book left to do.

We had pork riblets with potatoes and cucumbers and tomatoes for supper. I invited Jim and Michelle over for dessert. The apple pie. I figured they needed a treat before he heads in for his surgery. Would you believe that Jim ran into Brenda and Dick across from the Milwaukee Public Library in Milwaukee today? They were seeing wonderful sights in Milwaukee to celebrate Brenda's birthday. She emailed that Dick was treating her like the royal princess that she is.

Keep Jim in your prayers tomorrow especially at 9:45AM and later because that is when he has his surgery.

We were talking about confirmation today at bible study. I was confirmed when I was 12 and I confessed that in my holy younger days when I got confirmed, I kind of was disappointed because I did not have tongues of fire coming down from the heaven onto my head. No doves flying overhead either. I have come to realize that wisdom sometimes comes with a whisper. So I try to listen.

Love

Mary

It was a super Sunday. Chelsea and I had a chilly walk. A few large snowflakes even came down while we were walking and melted as soon as they hit the road. There was frost all over the grass.

I went to the 8AM Mass. Poor Fr. Van Beeck. He will soon be the pastor of St. John the Baptist in Plymouth AND St. Thomas Aquinas in Elkhart Lake. He is having difficulty deciding HOW he can pastor two separate parishes and laid out some of his problems to US this morning. He is willing to say four masses on a weekend but will be only able to do one each day at each parish. Someone will be unhappy no matter what he does. I told him that I had been through the Blessed Trinity merger, which is even harder because you have to CLOSE churches and this makes people really unhappy. I mentioned that I got a glimmer of the hurt that this entails when they changed the name from St. Mary Help of Christians. After all, my grandfather helped choose that name. That was when I realized how little I was giving up after all. Anyway, I told him to be brave.

When I got home I fixed breakfast and put the Spinach Egg casserole together and baked a Market Day Apple Pie. At about noon, I drove out to Rhine Plymouth to shoot three league targets. I did pretty good. I was a little worried because my shoulder has been rather sore but it didn't hurt while I was shooting and my scores were all above 50.

Then I took a nap. I drove to Falls to pick up Mother to join us for dinner. We had a lovely evening with her as usual. She mentioned that she was on her last bottle of wine so we sent two home with her. A Gewertziminer and a White Zin.

Now I am home and settling down for the evening.

Today I sat down to rest for a bit and Dick had the travel channel on to Samantha Brown's European show. She mentioned that the mountains where she was touring looked almost like they were painted on the sky. That reminded me of the Grand Canyon. It is so big and massive and full of color and also looks JUST like the paintings you see of it. Incredibly beautiful.

Love and stuff and have a great week.

Mary

Chelsea was really happy and a whirlwind on our walk this morning. It is always good to see her having such a good time. Of course, the rest of the day she is usually a little subdued and sleeps a lot. Today, Dick took two naps and she really likes that.

I got to be home all day today. I finished the Angel Bags for the CWI Conference and worked on a couple of other things.

The day just sped by anyway.

Tuesday, Jim is going to have a surgery to correct some of his sleep apnea problems. It is a painful procedure so we must all remember to pray real hard for him. Michelle has time off to be his nurse and I know she will be a very good one to him.

Tomorrow, Mother will be here for dinner. It will be a busy day. Church in the morning, Shooting at noon and Mom in the evening.

My friend Toni stopped by with some more covers for the book we are putting together. She loved the "Don't Piss Off The Fairies" garden stone that I have in the front garden. She wondered if a good Catholic should have such a statement. I told her about Chelsea being afraid of Mother's kitchen when we first got her. She would not set foot on that floor and was obviously terrified. Mother suggested that perhaps some Little People were living in the kitchen and were scaring her. So when Bart, Barb and I were in Ireland, I found, one day, a little Barbie sized jacket on the street. I picked it up and brought it home. I washed it and took it to Mother's house and we left it out for the Little People. They never TOOK the little jacket, but Chelsea is no longer afraid to go into Mother's kitchen. What do YOU think?


Love

Mary

I had a very nice day. Chelsea and I went for our walk at the crack of dawn. It was just getting light. No wind and we did go through the park. If we have a warm day soon with no rain I will check out the path in back of the condo. I am afraid of that one because of the slippery hill coming down from the railroad tracks. I am going to see if I can terrace it a bit so I have some steps.

Then I cleaned the kitchen and prepared angel bags with toothbrushes, combs, toothpaste and floss for the Spring Fling. Then I went to Dairy Queen for lunch with the bank ladies. This is the first time that I have been able to go in over a month and will be the last for about another month. It was good to see them all. Barb, Marlene, Betty and Ceil were there. I DO see Marlene and Ceil at church quite often. Poor Marlene had to have surgery for carpel tunnel on her right arm. She said that it is really a pain. One has no IDEA how much we depend on BOTH arms.

We had ham and colcannan for supper tonight. It still tastes good.

Tonight I had to work at Rhine. We are on the second week of league. We only have 13 teams so far. Last week, the opening, was a dud. It was Good Friday AND a storm hit. Only one team signed up then. We got 12 tonight. The shooting was all done by 8:30 so I was home by 9PM which does not break my heart.

This morning Dick and I were watching the game show channel and Peter Marshall was a guest on a contest thing they are doing right now. He was mentioning the stars who sat in the Squares over the years, Wally Cox, Charlie Weaver. And Dick and I both remembered Paul Lynde. He was such a wit. I never will forget the day he got the following question. "In what state was Lincoln born?" His answer was, " In the same state as the rest of us. Naked and screaming."


Have a wonderful weekend. We have invited Mother over for the famous Kunert Spinach Noodle Egg Casserole on Sunday. Should be fun.

Love

Mary

We got to stay home all day today. It was wonderful. I got up at 6:30 and took Chelsea for a good long walk. There was no wind and no precipitation. She loved it and came bounding into the house looking for Dick to tell him how wonderful it was. He was sleeping but it was good to see her so happy. She has been pretty subdued the rest of the day. I think she is like Mother. One big event per day is all she wants to handle.

I spent the day cleaning bathrooms and dusting everything. I also did some emailing and putting together of items for the Spring Fling. I loved today.

We had chili for dinner tonight. Boy was that a good batch.

A lady opened her refrigerator and saw a rabbit sitting on one of the shelves.
"What are you doing in there?" She asked.
The rabbit replied:
"This is a Westinghouse, isn't it?",
To which the lady replied "Yes."
"Well," the rabbit said,

"I'm westing."

I got this from a friend of mine and thought it was really funny. It also reminded me of an incident that happened when my brother Randy was just a little boy.

Mother opened the refrigerator one day and there was a little kitten sitting on a shelf shivering and looking very scared. She asked Randy if he knew anything about it and he said that he HAD put it in the refrigerator. She asked him why and he said "Because I wanted to save it." Then she remembered that he had asked her why she was putting leftover food in the fridge and she had told him that she was "saving it. " Thinking back she remembered that there had been a couple of toys in the refrigerator during the past week or so.

An explanation of "saving" solved the problem. Thank heavens our refrigerator was never closed for any great length of time or it could have been curtains for that poor kitty.

Love

Mary

A sunny cloudless day. Chelsea and I had a really nice walk. We went through the park and she really liked that.

We usually shop in the morning but Dick had such an awful night that he just went to bed for a while. So, I vacuumed the downstairs den and worked on several projects that are in need of finishing.

When he woke up we decided to just move the -breakfast then shopping - to lunch then shopping. We drove to Sheboygan Falls to the Parkview for lunch. We had bacon cheeseburgers and I got a gift certificate for the Parkview for Mother to give to a friend that has been so very good to her.

Then we drove back to Plymouth and did our grocery shopping. Everybody there was surprised to see us there so late. Isn't it nice to be noticed.

I had a dentist appointment to seal the teeth that have been hurting when cold hits them. Now they ache because he had to do some gum work to DO the coating. I will have to be careful and rinse with salt water until it heals. It is weird that now it aches all the time. I guess things have to get worse to get better.

We had creamed egg on toast for dinner. Num Num. We DO love that. One of the advantages of Easter is a lot of hard boiled eggs.

Tomorrow we will not have to go anywhere. The first time this week that we do not have one errand.

Have a good day.

Love
Mary

LIPSTICK IN SCHOOL - PRICELESS

According to a news report, a certain school in Garden City, MI was recently faced with a unique problem.

A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the wash room. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. He called all the girls to the washroom and met them there with the maintenance man. He explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night. To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, he asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY..

There are teachers, and then there are Educators

Hi everybody. This has been a nice day. I spent the lion's share of it preparing things for the gift bags that we are putting together for the CWI Spring Fling. Kate and Tony and I finished the little holders for the soaps we are putting in the bag. We also got a lot done for the little recipe book and a couple of other things. We shared cookies and pizza for lunch. Then I stopped at Walgreens on the way home to pick up some prescriptions, specials and bandage stuff.

It really was a beautiful day. It was a bit windy and chilly when Chelsea and I went out for our walk but she got me up early so we stayed on the roads in Tallgrass where it is safer. We found out yesterday that the sidewalk around the park is in pretty bad shape yet. AND we are supposed to get more snow on Thursday.

My Bret called tonight. He sounds really good. He spent Easter out at the river at his place and said it was a perfect weekend. They spent lots of time in the pool and lots of time jeeping.

Talked to my Bart tonight too. He also sounds good. I do worry that this business of Barb being in Florida is wearing on him but they will be OK. Barb comes home for a long weekend next week and then he will go back down there in about three weeks so they can be together on their anniversary. She will be home for good at the end of May. In June Adam comes back from his overseas mission and they will be going east to greet him.

I was delighted when I talked to Bret when he told me that Tony's wife, Dee, makes Green Meatballs every year for St. Patrick's Day. She LOVES the Green Meatballs and Schlitzhagen cookbook that I sent to Bret years ago. I need to make a copy for Michelle and Jim.

I have pulled some chili out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow. That really sounds good, doesn't it?

It is so nice to have a week without a doctor appointment. Next week we start again.

All my love

Mary

Such a lovely Monday and I finally saw my first robin of the season. This morning when Chelsea and I were walking, I also saw one of the deer prancing around in the brushy area AND I heard the Red Winged Blackbirds trilling. So I do have real hope that Spring is really just around the corner. Now, all we need is a good warm rain and worms all over the blacktop and we are finally THERE!

Bible Study was lively. The Gospel was about St. Thomas. You know the one. "Blessed are they that have not seed and yet believe." Well, as I read it I realized, for the first time, that the apostles DID see. When Jesus came to them he SHOWED them his wounds. Thomas was reprimanded because he did not believe despite the testimony of his friends. But that makes US the blessed because we are the ones who believe without seeing. Pretty good if you ask me.

Mom was fine, we had a nice visit. I will be picking up a gift certificate for her from Parkview Restaurant so that she can give it to a friend who has been SO good about taking her every week that the weather is possible to the Senior Lunch Program. I took her some ham, cake and colcannan.

She had a good time at Eileen and Fred's. The girls WERE there so that was special.

This afternoon, I went over to Kate's close to 4PM so that we could get on a CWI conference call. This was new to Kate who is a new member of the Board. We were able to give a good update on what is going on with the Spring Fling. I stressed that we really would like to have the names of attendees. They will be pleased when they see the name tags. They are truly collectibles.


Tonight Dick took me out to dinner at the Wilderness. It was VERY special. Quiet, a good meal and a nice break after the busy weekend and busy day.

DOG DIARY

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

Love

Mary

It was a perfect Easter. I got up at 6AM so I could go to the 8AM Mass. That way I had all day. The Easter Bunny came, of course, and filled Easter Baskets for Dick and me.

I spent the morning getting things ready for our dinner. Everybody got here at 2PM. Bobbie and I shared some finished quilting projects and we visited and ate appetizers. We had deviled eggs, cheese and crackers and stuffed celery.

Jim and Michelle and Bobbie and Bill went to the Bucks game last night. Michelle's boss had four tickets he wasn't using. They apparently had a wonderful time AND the Bucks won. It is always SO exciting when the home team wins. They now know what happens while the people at home are watching the commercials. They said the goings on are a lot more fun than the commercials.

We had ham, colcannon, corn and stuffed mushrooms for dinner. It all turned out well and everybody liked the little Easter baskets that the Easter Bunny left for them with an egg with their name on so they knew where to sit.

Jim will be having some minor surgery on his nasal passages on April 1st. The C PAP machine is not really helping his sleep apnea. They seem to be awake more trying to adjust the machine than sleeping and he is a candidate for the surgery. We must be sure to have him on prayer lists on that day and for a week or so. It is, he has been told, a painful surgery so he will be very uncomfortable.

Tomorrow, I will go to bible study then visit Mother. She goes to Eileen's on Easter and I know that she always has a good time. John and Holly were coming from Chicago and she was hoping to see Margaret and Gwen too.

That is all the excitement.

Happy Easter

Mary

The sun shone all day today. The snow that fell yesterday is melting fast but still looks really pretty.

Chelsea and I could not go for a walks this morning because it was slippery and after falling three times this winter I did not want to take a chance on another disaster. So far I have come though the falls with minimal to not damage.

I spent the day getting as much ready for tomorrow as was possible. I made the cake and the rolls and cut the celery and stuffed the mushrooms.

We had a very simple meal, pizza and salad and Jello for our dinner tonight. Tomorrow will be quite full with the traditional ham dinner and colcannon.

Jim and Michelle came over this morning so Jim could install the new disc drive in my computer. It was filthy so he cleaned and vacuumed and blew all the dirty stuff out of it at the same time. I now have my disc drive restored and am a happy camper. THANK YOU, JIM.

Tomorrow is Easter. The promise from Our Lord. Without Easter we have nothing.

I will be feeding Jim and Michelle and Bobbie and Bill and MAYBE Ron and Kate Herman. I invited them but Ron may be uncomfortable coming to a family gathering. He, like my sweetheart, is more than willing to accept others into his family gatherings but is hesitant to join another's family gathering. I hope he changes his mind. The kids would be very comfortable with both him and Kate.

Talked to Mother this evening. She said that both Nora and Dolores decided not to dye Easter Eggs this year. I guess that I am just an old sentimentalist. I am using dyed eggs for name tags in little baskets of candy. Should be fun.

Love

Happy Easter

Mary

I guess it is still snowing out there. Do you believe this? We got rid of a lot of the snow that has accumulated during the past several months and now it dumps about 6 inches back down on us. It started out quite nice this morning. Chelsea and I had a very nice walk. We ran into one or our regulars that we have not seen much during the winter. We commented that we were looking forward to running into each other much more now that spring has come. Then came the SNOW!

I cleaned the kitchen this morning and worked on my desk stuff. Got a lot done. Then after lunch I stopped at Advanced Eye Center to pick up my new glasses on my way to the Good Friday Services. I also stopped at Exchange Bank to pick up some Alterra Coffee to serve on Sunday to the coffee connoisseurs.

We were watching a show today where a "cheap" person dropped a quarter (maybe a dime) into a tip jar. We were commenting on how coins are not really acceptable for tips any more.

It reminded me of Grandpa Deeley. He used to occasionally very contentedly jingle the coins in his pockets and it was intended as a sign of being well heeled. Isn't that sweet?

I WAS going to to to Rhine for the opening of the next pistol league but it is too icky out there. I had called Nancy this morning to tell her what time I would pick her up. So I called to tell her that I changed my mind and she laughed and said that she had been holding off calling ME because she didn't want to be a party pooper.

The Good Friday Service was nice. I am now here until Mass on Easter Morning to celebrate the Resurrection.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mary

This is the crew that came to the Irishman's walk from the Celtic Women.
Mary, Kathy, Mary, Me, Kathy, Nancy, Toni and Kate

This is CAIM Jacynth Hamill and Heather Innes with Kate Herman on the far left, Nancy Gallagher Roehre second from right and Me on the end.

We had such a lovely evening.


Mary

Such a great day. At HOME. We did not have any errands out of the house all day. I did go to the Holy Thursday service at St. John's this evening.

I spent the day cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming. Then this afternoon, I dyed Easter Eggs. That was fun.

Chelsea got me up before the sun was up so we did not go around the park today. I don't think I told you that I saw two deer yesterday. That was exciting.

I am going to send you a couple of pictures. One of St. Patrick's Day and one of the Caim concert last night. It was such a lovely St. Patrick's day celebration.

Take care.

Love

Mary

Another full day and THE SUN SHONE. It got up to the mid 40s for most of the afternoon. What a joy as it was rather damp and chilly in the morning.

We went grocery shopping after lunch at Mc Donalds and a stop at the bank. Then at 11:15AM Dick had the ultrasound he has to have right after each of his procedures. Everything was just fine again. Thank God. Now we have almost two weeks before he needs to have any other tests or doctor appointments. Yipee!!!

Then, after lunch (Irish Bacon, Tomato and Lettuce Sandwiches, aren't you just jealous?) I went downstairs to finish the tree snuggler quilt. I got half way around the second last tree and ran out of gray thread ------So I had to go out again. While I was out I dropped some Celtic Women stuff off to my friend Mary Kay at Sun Graphics, got the thread, stopped at the Art Center and filled up the gas tank in the Explorer.

When I got home I DID finish the tree quilt. Not I have to take pictures of THAT and share them with you. I like it. It a really colorful happy quilt.

Dick and I had "Dump Soup" for supper and then I left for the Caim program at Mead Public Library. It was really lovely. Two women Jacynth Hamill and Heather Innes sang in perfect harmony traditional songs a capella. Some songs were familiar and some were brand new to me. I picked up Kate Herman and Nancy Roehre on the way. They had as much fun as I did. Bobbie was there too. I was so glad that she could meet my friends. People there said Bobbie and I look either like mother and daughter or sisters. We get that a lot and it does not displease either of us. On the way home Kate, Nancy and I stopped at the coffee shop that USED to be Wonderful World and got a cup and visited. So it was a lovely evening til the very end.

Today, I saw a little boy at the clinic. He was a very unhappy little man and a gentleman gave him a quarter to help cheer him up as the gentleman was leaving the building.

For some reason it reminded me of Bart when he was little. From the time he was about 18 months to maybe 3 years old, he would carry pennies around in his grubby little hand. They were some kind of a security thing. I know, I know. Little people sometimes swallow coins, but that was not an issue in this case. He just held them and they made him happy. (Along with his bunny of course. He was a double security baby.)

One Saturday, I was in the kitchen and heard an awful rattling clanging crashing noise. It sounded like maybe 10 trashcans were being rolled down the driveway or the street. I looked out and could only figure out that it was coming from next door. The house next door was vacant and had just been sold. The garage had one of those corregated metal doors. As I walked around the corner I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

(I need to set this up JUST a bit more. My ex husband had our jeep set up so that if it was in any gear it would start with a slight turn of the key so that if it stopped at an odd angle out in the wilds you did not have to shift into neutral to restart it. He had parked the jeep in front of the neighbor's garage, knowing that noone was there, intending to move it to the back garage later.)

There was our jeep, still running, up against the back wall of the neighbor's garage with the metal garage door covering the cage roll bar and my son, all 2 years old of him, sitting in the driver's seat, his eyes as big as saucers screaming. "I want my money. I want my money.

You have never filed an insurance claim until you go to the company with one like this. One of the first questions is "Age of the Driver."

Thank God for the cage roll bar or that boy might have really been hurt.


Love.

Mary

Tuesday, March 18. The "holy day" is over. St. Patrick's day is gone for another year.

Chelsea is back to waking me up before 6AM. I have a rule. If it is after 5:45AM I get up. If it is before, I shut her out of the room and go back to bed.

We had a rather abbreviated walk as it was slushy and rather slippery so we did not go to far.

Dick and I had to be at Dr. Hoduous's office at 9:30AM to check his feet. Things are looking well. The last open callous is shallower so we have some hope that it will heal soon. Then we drove over to my cousin Brian Ayers' home to drop off the watch that Dick gave me for Christmas. Brian is going to take out some links so it will fit me. After that, we swung by Mother's to drop off some Mac and Cheese and Guinness Bread and Soda Bread. She is such a dear. Because of the odd slushy stuff, Lucy Carderelle and she had decided to fore go the Senior Meals today. I am just glad that it was nice yesterday so she could enjoy the St. Patrick's Day meal. (She did say that the corned beef was tough though. We do a much better job. And I told her that Kathy and I had enjoyed a really good corned beef sandwich. at 52 Stafford.)

Spent the afternoon catching up on phone calls and emails and Celtic Women.

Tonight is the second night of Dancing with the Stars. This is Women's night. This is the only contest or reality show that I watch and I really do like it.

Tomorrow will also be busy. Tomorrow is my Bart's Birthday. Do you believe that my baby will be 37 years old tomorrow? I called tonight so I would be sure to catch him. I am glad I did as Don and Marlise, his inlaws are taking him out for dinner tomorrow night. He was disappointed that he could not stay in Florida for those few more days but had to get back for his meds. They will NOT do things over state lines. Good, but in this case a real disappointment.

Have a nice Wednesday. St. Joseph's day.

Mary

I guess I forgot to blog last night. To much partying. I will cut and paste some of the letter I did for my Celtic Women.

Yesterday, those who were able met for our meeting and to join the Irishman's Walk in Plymouth. There were eight of us including Toni Nevicosi's husband John (who is actually the Irish in that family). Three were NEW members Kathy Paul, Mary Dallmann and Kathy Schemrich. Kathy S. just stumbled on us looking for a carpool up to the starting place where we were joined by my brother Jeff and his wife Kathy, who may be a some time attendee. She is of Cornish descent with a smidgeon of Irish too. Rosemary Mugan walked with some other friends so was with us too. A great contingency and we carried the Banner from the International Group. I will send pictures later.