Evel's aunt

A little bit of trivia here folks. Useless knowledge, I suppose. Evel Knievel died today following a multitude of problems, including pulmonary fibrosis and complications of hepatitis c. His aunt Angelita Knievel was my principal at Manitowoc Roncalli in the late 1970's. She also taught a variety of classes, and was very bright and always welcoming. She was a member of the Franciscans. Jo and I just talked about how bright and articulate the Franciscans are. Most have masters or doctorate degrees. Angelita always blushed when anyone asked about Evel. She was very proud of him. It seems he was quite the philanthropist, and had several charities he donated to. Pic is of Evel (real name Robert Craig) and his son Robbie.

good-bye to a friend

Today was the funeral for Germaine B, a wonderful elderly woman who I've been visiting for 3+ years. Her husband of 62 years passed away this spring, and she has been carrying on without him. They were such a great couple. They farmed for many years in St. Peter, just east of Fondy and on the ledge overlooking Lake Winnebago. Germaine and especially her husband Leander, always would remember the Lisa French halloween murder case of 1973, because Lisa's remains were found on their farm. This was their 'claim to fame' that they'd rather not have. They were just delightful people. They had 1 son, and he had 6 or 7 kids...all great people too, and they were very proud of them. I'll miss them both. Rest in peace Germaine, and enjoy your reunion with Leander:)

good old dog

Mctavish is really going downhill because of his arthritis. He's on aspirin therapy but it doesn't seem to help much, and he continues to need help to get up. He can't manage the stairs either. The hope is he'll just sleep away. Having put several pets down, it's not something I want to do. Today is just as cold, and at around 11 AM we had quite a blast of snow. I went out to help Stan at the farm, and for a while it was white out conditions. Eva and I are going tree shopping today, and then working on the table centerpieces for the wedding. Also have to give the house a thorough cleaning, before dragging in all the Christmas decorations. Thank heavens Grandma Mare is back on-line, and we can shoot her e-mails once again. For anyone who doesn't have her new address, it is: gmare@lakefield.net

different directions

Everyone is busy tonight. Eva cantored for a funeral earlier today, and now is heading out to do homework at the cafe. Her plans then include meeting with Rick to bring him some gingerbread because he's been sick today. Elle has auditions for the middle school musical, which will be The Wizard of Oz. Aliyah is busy trying out for the jump roping team at her elementary school, the Wizards. I had the day off, and planned to put up the outdoor decorations. It was 17 degrees and 35 mile per hour gusts, so I abandoned that idea. I've been busy addressing Christmas card envelopes. We plan this year to include a wedding photo in our cards. It would be difficult to wait until after the 15th. to address everything. So, I'm thinking I'll address the usual Christmas list, and then on the 16th, order a nice wedding photo to include. Response cards have been coming in regularly. We may have to do a few calls for those who haven't responded yet. Paul is busy at the new church tonight, getting ready for the bishop and tending to many details, for the dedication of the new church. He says after December 1st, he'll 'have a life again.' We'll see.

poor little guy

I just spoke to Jo. She spent 4 hours in the ER with True. He was running a fever and feeling poorly all weekend. After some x-rays the doctor confirmed pneumonia. We've got to stop these ER visits! Get well wishes go out to True Samuel:)
Love you. xxooxxooxx

lovely weekend

Special thanks to Rick and Kate who picked up James and Elise at MKE on Thanksgiving Day. We finished up some last minute wedding details, and had a traditional feast. Elle made her famous gingerbread trifle:) On Saturday, Elise and James left and we drove up to visit our Manitowoc family. Jeff and Mickey joined us from Madison, and we had another great meal at Jeannine's house. It was very relaxing. Eva is feeling much better, but is still on her meds. We had a nice surprise when we came home today. Vonn visited from Platteville with his lab Vala. He's testing for his pilot's license next week. Good luck Vonn! He promised me a flight after his solo. To Grandma: I'll be the first to go. I trust his training and his judgment, and I think it's a privilege. We'll get you on a plane yet! (Maybe to Nashville to visit Elise and James? Or to St. John, to vacation with Krissy and Dave.)

ER night, Busy day...

Last night we ended up in the ER for 3 hours with Eva. She was having chest pain, and it was getting serious. She was born with 'pectus excavatum' or funnel chest to the lay person, and when she was 5 years old doctors said it was not bad enough to warrant surgery. She has never had any symptoms, and has always been very active. Her cousin Kylie had surgery several years ago to correct this problem, and I recall her Mom Kathy saying she just had 4 inches between the sternum and backbone. Eva's case was not that severe. Somewhere I read about a familial link(?) Anyway, after a series of tests, blood work and x-rays, it was determined not to be serious, but only a condition called 'costochondritis,'which is a swelling of the cartilage joining the ribs to the breastbone. The source of the pain may have been stress induced. What stress? A wedding 3 weeks away, a break-in down in Nashville, term-papers, finals, pedagogy class, juries, etc. Did that hit close to home. She was prescribed hydrocodone, but I'm VERY cautious about that. She had 1 dose, and it cleared up the pain immediately, but she was totally 'loopy' for lack of a better word. We'll see how today goes. I'm working at an all day church community blood drive, and later helping out with Immanuel Trinity's free thanksgiving meal program to the homebound. It's a great community effort. Volunteers sign up to help fix the meals, or deliver them to individual homes. I heard that they will be starting up a Christmas meal program also. Lots to do today....best get started. Keep Eva in your thoughts and prayers, please.

Justin was 28 yesterday!

Birthday wishes go out to Justin, who shares a birthday with Aliyah:) We made some chocolate covered strawberries for him! Don't they look delish?

Happy Birthday to Aliyah!

Our dear Aliyah is 8 years old today! (This is incredible, because she was born at 6 months gestation, and weighed 1 pound and 13 ounces.) She was all fired up, doing cartwheels on the floor, and asking for seconds of ice cream cake. It made me remember when I was 8. I had a birthday party with all of the girls from St. Boniface School. We all went outside to play games, except for Stephanie Held, who stayed behind and ate all of the frosting off the cake! It's funny the things you remember. We played "button, button, who's got the button" and "clothespins in a bottle." I was good at that...I always had good eyes. I remember Mom Marilyn made sloppy joes, and all the girls came to the party with dresses on. Friend Mary had a fresh perm. She was cute, as usual. I always admired her blonde hair. Isn't it funny, we always want what we don't have? Birthday wishes to our Aliyah...we love her:)

Vinnie and Brett

Another great game. I think I heard friends Donna, Robin, Tony and Clyde screaming from Valders! Go Pac:)

"of Spiders and Men" (or women) 70 years later...

John Steinbeck himself would have been frightened. I had the worst 'spider' moment of my life. While helping out at Elise and James' new house, I was trying to tighten up the garage door sensors. They had loosened up, which happens a lot, and they weren't facing each other. The door would't properly close. So I was kneeling down with my right hand tightening the wing nut. I had previously noticed some VERY big insects in a web, and 2 big egg sacs, but didn't worry much. It was 41 degrees and growing up on Lake Michigan I knew spiders to be VERY sluggish in November. Well, as I started to tighten I noticed something moving in the web. I glanced up and saw a black widow. I didn't realize that my right pinkie finger was stuck in the web with the egg sacs. The movement must have drawn 'Momma' out. Our 'Momma' spider gently caressed her egg sacs, and then came after me, but I was long gone. I called Elise out to look, and she said I was white. I've never been that close to a black widow before. I could literally feel her vibrations. The neighbor said to destroy the egg sacs which can hold 700 spider-lings...so we did. Elise and I were crawly all night. On a lighter note, we cleaned the house pretty well, spending 12+ hour days, and even managed to bathe the cats. Really, the house was trashed. There was glass everywhere. Elise said that James pushed her into the laundry room when it was discovered they had a break-in, because he didn't know if the person or persons were still there. She was happy to see me on Thursday, and got up to check the locks when I left early this morning.

no posts for a while:(

I won't be posting for a while. I've booked a flight to Nashville tomorrow early AM, to help out with the clean-up. Thanks to friends Sandy and Donna, for helping me out and rearranging plans for this weekend in Fondy. James will be gone to Las Vegas, a trip that has been planned for some time, and Elise will have her hands full with the clean-up...I'm good at that. Also want to thank John and the church folks for their continued prayer and concern. Will post on Sunday evening when I get back. Thanks also to Dottie and Tess for their kind thoughts and prayers following our conversation. There are a lot of good people out there.

prayers needed folks

Elise just called. Someone broke into their Antioch home (smashed through a kitchen window)and stole electronics, games, jewelry, tv, and misc. Apparently they ransacked everything. James was on the phone with the police as Elise called us. After the robbery at the new church, I really understand the feeling of violation. They found both kitties hiding under a bed:(

interesting sounds

Very interesting sounds over here tonight. Eva is practicing violin for an upcoming UW concert (Don Giovanni overture) while Elle is practicing jazz sax in the next room:) Henry is singing opera (thanks to Elise) and Steven is barking at the neighbor's new puppy. I wonder if I'll ever be old enough to actually miss all the noise!? I'm also trying to finish up sister Koke's stained glass panels...I've been working on them slowly due to my sore right wrist. Spent some time with Stanley on the farm today. Loaded up a 'ViaVoice" program for him, so he can speak into the computer rather than type, which is getting very difficult for him. Brought home some more Winesaps...very tasty apples.

Tatum and Jo Jo

Jo and Tatum came to Fondy for a dress fitting today, and also found cute shoes for both Tatum and True. Jo took some photos of the nativity scene stained glass, (above photo) for possible use in the paining. Afterward, Tatum enjoyed herself at the new McDonald's lighthouse play area, which includes a few water falls. Jo and I had some ideas for the reception area at the new church...seeing this wedding is a first, we have to plan from scratch. The area we will be in for hors duevers is the gathering space, and the small band of musicians will be playing here also. We didn't know when the regular saturday mass service would be (now we know it's 4:15) so we had to have a little "wiggle" room with the time for dinner...we need to be out of the reception area, and into the dining hall by 3:30-ish. (That's why an exact time wasn't given on the invite.) It looks like reception from about 1:00-3:30, and sit down dinner in the large dining hall around 4:30 or 5. (It's all in the same building.) The evening big band will play from 6:30 to 10:30 approximately, so it won't be a very late evening. Jo and Tim are helping put together the reception table situation, keeping in mind we wanted round tables, and the church only has banquet tables. Lots of extra work, but we're paving the way for others. Maybe some generous person will donate the funds for the round tables :) It has been estimated to cost 35 thousand to outfit the new dining hall. Ouch.

QUITE A GAME!

This has been a great weekend for Wisconsin in sports. Brett just continues to break records. Paul and I had a chance to go to a Monday night game, and he's just as amazing in person. Enough said:) Friend Kate visited today, and as usual we enjoyed her company. We had the rest of the turkey tenderloin in subs...they were yummy, and managed a walk with McTavish who is doing pretty well with aspirin therapy. I was also browsing through some class schedules for January. I haven't decided on anything other than a local yoga class. Elise and I went to yoga every week while she was in school at Marian. Of course, she was more limber than I was, but we both really enjoyed it. I'll sign up for a Tuesday class, as that's the only day around here that has nothing else scheduled. Maybe Elle would like to join me. They always say dancers should "cross-train." Just kidding. She's busy enough. Besides, she probably doesn't want to hang out with a bunch of old ladies!

busy weekend

The Badgers had a great game today, beating Michigan. It was very exciting. Elle and I watched while cleaning, and I guess we did more watching than cleaning! Today at 4:15 is the first mass at Holy Family (the new church) so we're planning to go. Paul has been there all day ironing out minor sound problems, and also attending a staff inservice. Eva's choir sings tomorrow at 10, so we may go again. Elle and I bought some turkey tenderloin for the grill tonight. Eva and friend Kate are doing homework at the Internet "Connect Cafe" downtown. Invites finally all done. Quiet evening planned. Maybe a little hottub:)

couldn't resist

Snapped this photo of Lena today, thought it was funny. Otherwise, I treated friend Carol to a nice lunch today, as she celebrates a birthday on Sunday. Also picked up a beautiful oak antique table that Eva has been slowly paying off. The antique dealer is a good friend, and said she could take as long as she needed. Well, it's finally paid for. She also bought a large 100 year-old mirror, in great shape and very decorative. We must find a place for them until Eva moves out. She may leave Fondy after her sophomore year (this year) as she's in the guaranteed transfer program. We'll see. I have a temporary splint for my hand, so I'm forced to use it less, and the pain is tolerable. Ellie reports her back hurts much less. That's good, because she has another 3 hour dance session tonight:) The response cards for the wedding are coming in fast already, even though the last of the invites aren't out yet. Lots of work to do.

Eva has a new job...

Eva has a new job which is very fun and enjoyable for her. She records practice CD's for choral use at a local recording studio. She and friend Katie learn and record music in 4-part harmony. It's then sold to different groups for learning and teaching purposes. Eva's a good sight reader, so she really enjoys the job:) My wrist is really hurting from the typing, so I'm going to call it quits. xxooxx
By the way, the time of the posts is off by 2 hours...I'm not sure why. The fact is that the posts read 2 hours earlier than I post(?)

kitty Carmen

I didn't have a nice photo of Carmen until now. She's Elise's kitty who lives here. She is a sweetheart, and prefers to cuddle with Ellie. The woolen in the background is from Ireland... a souvenir from our recent trip. Lots of news for today. First of all, Elle and I are gimpy following a couple of mishaps. Yesterday was quite blustery; 40 mile per hour gusts. While at the grocery store, a runaway cart hit me in the arm just as I was closing the hatchback. This forced my wrist into the hatchback as it was closing. Ouch. I thought for sure I had broken my wrist. I managed to get home, driving left-handed only, and put ice on it for an hour. Still hurts like the dickens, but can't be broken, because the fingers all move. Freak accident, I guess. Elle hurt her back (middle upper) while performing a gymnastics move during jazz and hiphop. It happened near the beginning of class, and she bravely (or stupidly) finished without a complaint. She is now suffering. She's taking an anti-inflammatory and soaking in the hot tub. We're a pair. On a lighter note, all the invites are done for the wedding. Everything is pretty well set. I bought shoes today, and Elise bought a rehearsal dress. I received several cards from staff, all wishing me well in the new job. They are a great group of people. I really will miss them. Tonight we used some of Stan's apples and made an apple crisp, which was delicious. A big thanks to Stan for a winter full of apples.

Good-bye to St. Joseph's Church

Thank goodness the Packers won. It gave us a little positive; although football can't compare with real life. It was a nice diversion. We needed a little Packer high, as it was a difficult day. St. Joseph Church closed officially today. It was a very emotional and beautiful mass. All of my girls were baptized there, and received first communion, so it was hard to hear that "St. Joseph Church is now officially closed." Elise was also confirmed there, as an adult making a commitment to her faith. I suppose we must welcome our future traditions at the new church. Change is difficult, but if we have faith, things will work out:) Just think. We'll have the first marriage, witnessed by friends, families and loved ones. Strength for the days ahead :)

7 and 1! WE'LL TAKE IT!

hi henry

Henry is mastering his "feet" and "wings" lately, and was in a wingy mood today. In other news, I got a lot done. Ordered the tables and chairs for the wedding reception, and then drove out to St. Peter (our little country church) for an anointing after mass. It was very well attended. The folks out there are really friendly, and it's always a joy to go out there. (They also beat everyone with the funeral meal:) Spent a few hours with Stan and split wood using his new splitter. He's got enough for the week and then some. Got lots of exercise tromping from the barn to the house with the wood. Very pleasant day...temps and otherwise.

Good-bye to Holy Family staff :(

I enjoyed a wonderful luncheon with Holy Family staff on my last day as a staff person. My co-worker John gave a heartfelt toast. I'll miss him. I'm going to be working at several group homes around Fondy for people with special needs and autism. It is a full-time position. I will start training, (renew CPR, drug screening, CBRF regs, etc.) in a few weeks. I took a few weeks off to tend to wedding plans and also to finish up on Aunty Koko's stained glass panels. Leaving Holy Family has been bittersweet for me. The staff has been wonderful. I feel fortunate to have been a part of the staff for the past 3 years. I will miss each and every one. xxooxxo

Elle's news!

Elle had good news today. She was chosen to be in the Wisconsin State Honor's Choir, which will have a series of concerts in January. This is really neat, as only 4 middle school kids were picked, (one for each voice) and Elle was chosen to represent the school as the soprano. Congratulations! Show up those big sisters of yours!
xxooxx