i just learned today that my good friend and back door neighbor passed away within the last week. her name was mary schroder. she was an elderly widow and though her arthritis sometimes got the best of her, she remained very active and involved at her church. shes also been involved with most of the performances at the old opera house for many many years as a ticket taker and refreshment server during intermission. she even took my husbands ticket when he came to see gypsy the first saturday of the run.

the kids and i spent every christmas eve day at her house for the last 8 years. we would spend most of the day with her playing old maid and a dice game her husband had made years before. i always brought my christmas crunch candy and she always had sodas. i made her a christmas sweatshirt one year and every year after that when we'd come over, she'd be wearing my shirt. over the years in addition to the sweatshirt, i had made her other little handmade christmas things and she always had them hanging with all her other decorations. she cherished things like that. i adored her! and each year, we never got to leave her house without the big tin of 3 different flavored popcorns. and we always ate every last piece.

anyway, im a little sad tonight. joey wants to make her a card telling her he "likes her and stuff". were gonna do that as soon as he gets out of the bath. her services will be held thursday so i'll take it to give to her family then.