Oh what a wonderful day!

The Smith family had a MAGNIFICENT day together at Glenda's house on Christmas Day!!! Blessings were abundant!!! Ollie and I are leaving tomorrow on vacation until Friday night. I will post Christmas pictures and have more to say when I am not in the midst of packing!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!!! God's blessings!

A BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

A Christmas Prayer

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father,
Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift
and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing
which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning
make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds
with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven,
for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Saying good-bye to cousin Hershel

Sadly, yesterday was spent with Mom and Dad the funeral of Dad's special cousin Hershel Doyle. Hershel was 90 and had been ill for a very long time. His precious wife, Lillie, like my Mom, untiringly cared for Hershel throughout the duration of his illness. Hershel died in his own bed, holding Lillie's hand. Until his death on December 18th, he and Lillie had been married 71 years! They married in 1939 in the Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Giddings TX and remained life-long members there. It was in that same church where the funeral was held Saturday.

Hershel's mother, Mamie, died when Hershel was only 15 months old. My Grandmother, Mabel, took over the care of baby Hershel, even though she was a very young girl. I have not yet been able to find out what year Ira and Ida married to determine how old Grandma was at the time, but I do know that Grandma cared for Hershel a good while and called him "her baby". That was until Uncle Ira remarried Ida Wuneburger. Grandma married Grandpa Sewell Smith when she was only 16 and my Dad was born on her 17th birthday!

Dad and Hershel were 4 years apart. In celebration of Hershel's 90th birthday in May 25, 2010, a collection of friends' and family's comments was made. I was talking to Gary, Hershel and Lillie's son, yesterday. He told me that the last lines of what Dad wrote for Hershel's birthday, for him, summed up his Dad's life. I want share Dad's full comment with you. I am typing it exactly as Dad did..."DEAR HERSHEL;AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY HERO..SOME OF THE MOST FONDEST MEMORIES OF MY GROWING UP IN ELGIN WERE WHEN UNCLE IRA AND ALL OF YOU WOULD COME TO VISIT US IN THE WAGON...NOW THAT'S A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I STILL REMEMBER IT. I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO HOME WITH YOUALL AND DRIVE THE MULES. I WOULD STILL LIKE TO HAVE SOME MULES BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO WITH THEM..YOU ARE GOING TO BE NINETY YEARS OLD...MY WHAT A MILESTONE..I HOPE I CAN MAKE IT..I WILL BE EIGHTY FIVE IN JULY...YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT IN YOUR LIFE...YOU SERVED OUR COUNTRY IN WORLD WAR TWO---YOU AND LILLIE HAVE HAD A LONG AND HAPPY MARRIAGE---YOU ARE AN HONEST AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN---YOU RAISED A GOOD FAMILY---WHAT ELSE CAN A MAN ASK FOR IN LIFE? I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT YOU ARE MY FRIEND. MILDRED AND I THINK OF YOU OFTEN AND HOPE TO VISIT SOON. WE LOVE YOU...HARVEY AND MILDRED SMITH" And Dad signed it "Harvey"

Dad was especially sad at the funeral. I believe it was because of his love and admiration for Hershel and that Dad was thinking about his deceased brother Roy. As I said good-bye to Mom and Dad yesterday after the funeral, I hugged Dad and told him that I'd bet Hershel and Uncle Roy were already fishing together in heaven! Dad laughed and shook his head yes.

I then said, "And don't get it in your head to join them any time soon!" Dad pursed his lips, grinned and nodded, "Okay!" At least, that is what I am interpreting it to mean!!! God bless the soul of Hershel Doyle and give Lillie, daughter Barbara, son Gary and all their family strength and peace.

The Smith family will gather at Glenda's house on Saturday to celebrate the birth of Christ and and the joy of Christmas. I am printing out a child's version of the story of the Nativity for the younger kids to read aloud to our family. I firmly believe it is our job to teach them about Christ in Christmas! At this link, there is a colorful printable "book" for children ages 6-11, although I hope to have my great-nephews Randy-15 and Bradley-13, and great-niece Kelly-9 (Jean's grandkids) take turns reading it to all of us. A lot of family members will groan, but we traditionally sing a few Christmas carols while Danny's wife Lisa accompanies us on the piano! I am big on tradition!!!

From all of us to all of you, have a safe, blessed and merry Christmas and a joyous, healthy and prosperous New Year! "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on Earth." Amen!

HI! It's Sandi Claus time!!!

Hello all! This week flew by! One highlight was that, on Thursday, Glenda, Whitney, Austin and I went to see Mom and Dad! Glenda picked up brisket, ribs, chicken and all the fixin's from Opie's barbecue on her way, so we feasted! Dad had just gotten up, so he had barbecue for brunch!

We found them in great spirits! Mom and Dad were so happy to have a house-full of energy! Dad is so contented just having us in the house! He spends a good bit of our visits napping in his chair, but he enjoys listening to our conversations with Mom and he gets a kick out of the antics of the great-grandkids when they come! It was a windy day, so Dad didn't go outside, but I entertained Austin by taking him on a long golf cart ride! What is it about kids and golf carts?!!! We always spend a little time checking Mom and Dad's emails, even though she had already read some of them earlier in the week! Mom is so proud of herself that she can do that now! A computer is still pretty intimidating to her, but she 's a trooper! There's not much Mom can't do if she sets her mind to it!!! Sometimes that's a problem!!! We have to gently and lovingly remind her from time to time that she's not a spring chicken any more! She laughs and totally ignores us! If any of us are stubborn, we certainly came by it honestly!!!!!

Even in his silence, Dad is still such an icon to all of us. "Everyone has their own special gift. In some, silence. The world has need of small perfection as well as great achievements." Certainly we miss his speaking, but his presence is respected and revered. When we all gather, the excitement level goes to max when Mom and Dad arrive...all the kids and grandkids hardly let them in the door before they are overwhelmed with kisses and hugs! Someone said, "Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old." Well, you'll never see Mom and Dad's faces brighter than when they are getting lovin' from their grandkids or great-grandkids! However, someone also said, " An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly." I thought that was pretty funny and so TRUE!!!

Mom had her Christmas tree up! She has a beautiful artificial tree that she has moved to one of the buildings between seasons. She keeps the lights and garland on it and wraps it in plastic until the next year! Then, all she has to do is have someone move it to the house, hang the ornaments and plug it in! To me, a Christmas tree is a great spirit booster! The lights and the decorations just do something to warm up a room! Our family loves Christmas! We will all gather at Glenda's house outside Oak Hill on Christmas Day. There's always a lot of commotion, but it wouldn't be the same without it! ~ O come let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him ~ We'll have a big lunch and then spend most of the afternoon watching the kids open gifts and play with them! After all, Christmas is about Christ and children!

Christmas is my very favorite time of year! I love focusing on the birth of Christ as well as the Christmas parties and the hustle and bustle at the malls and stores. The season seems to give everyone an excuse to speak to a stranger, smile at the kids in their Christmas outfits waiting in line to see Santa and share God's love with everyone! I feel so privileged because I have a Christmassy name and I take full advantage of it! The day after Thanksgiving I become Sandi Claus!!! Sandi Crinkelmeyer already sounds pretty Christmassy to me, but it's so fun to be Sandi Claus!!! My favorite thing in the whole world is buying people gifts, or as I call them, "prises". Not prizes - 'prises! That all started with my oldest niece, Jennifer. When Jennifer was a toddler I didn't work on Fridays and I spent almost every Friday with her and Jean. Each time I came I brought Jennifer a surprise! However, she couldn't say that word, she said 'prise! She'd say, "Aunt Sandi, did you bring me a 'prise?!" To this day, Aunt Sandi loves to bring all the nieces and nephews and the great nieces and nephews 'prises!!! It's what makes me happy!!! Daddy used to tell Ollie that he felt sorry for him because I was going to give all our money away!!! Well, I can think of worse things to be known for!!!

"Christmas gift suggestions...

to your enemy, forgiveness,

To an opponent, tolerance,

To a friend, your heart,

To a customer, service,

To all , charity,

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect."

I'd like to add...To God, praise.

I pray that each of you has a very merry Christmas and a safe and blessed New Years! "Come freely, go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring."

Twice is nice!!!

Ollie and I went to Mom and Dad's today to visit and get our dining room furniture that we were storing in one of their buildings. Since Robert and Austin have recently gotten their own place, I can move my office back upstairs and use the formal dining room actually as a dining room! I loved being downstairs with Ollie while he worked at his desk and I at mine, but I sure didn't like everyone seeing my messy desk! Life is about transition, right?!!! Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit." Hmmm...after loading and unloading the truck, I sure don't feel very energized!!!!

The four of us went to the new Chinese/Sushi restaurant, Koy, just north of the bridge in Marble Falls for lunch. Yes, they have a full Chinese menu as well as Japanese sushi! It was really good and, for the four of us, our tab only came to $34.00 and that was soup, appetizer and an entrée for each of us !!! We all enjoyed our menu choices and I found out that they both like hot and sour soup and egg rolls! Now I can pick those things up for them and Mom can serve them for a quick lunch or a light dinner. She loves us to come bearing gifts of food!!!

Mom and Dad hadn't seen the picture of me hugging Dad at Thanksgiving. I loved that picture so much and had a 4 x 6 print made and took it to Dad! His reaction made me feel like a million bucks! I love my Mom and Dad immeasurably!!!

So, Mom and Dad were excited to have another visit this week! How I'd love to always see them at least every-other day! This evening I called to let Mom know we made it home safe and sound with our load and teased her saying they'd get tired of us if we continued to come so often and she exclaimed, "No, we love having you here!" And I know she means it...I know they do love having their kids and family members there, as well as friends and relatives! Mom and Dad...they are blessings from God in our lives!!! Thank you God! Amen!

Good Day!

Good morning! It's a glorious morning in Austin, despite the cold wind! The sun is blazing through the windows, reflecting on the golden and red leaves in the trees and showing off God's creation!

Jean and I had a great visit with Mom and Dad yesterday! Mom said that oooo friend chicken for lunch sure sounded good, so we stopped at a place in Marble Falls and picked up a feast of chicken, fried okra, coleslaw and rolls! Not the healthiest foods, but, my theory is that at their age they can eat anything they wish for!!!

Marge, the speech therapist, arrived a little early, so she and Dad started working together about 12:30. Sadly, this was the last time she will be able to come in a professional capacity. It is so obvious that she cares so strongly for Daddy and it showed in the respectful but humorous manner she worked with him. Mom, Jean and I provided the audience while Marge and Dad worked on his communicating machine. I am going to find something better to call it...I'll work on that! After about an hour Dad was obviously tired and pushed away from the table! We presented Marge with a thank you card that Mom and Dad signed as well as a Christmas ornament that said, "Angels come into our lives..." Sorry, I can't remember exactly what it said, but you get the gist of it! Dad was visibly sorry to hear that it was their last therapy session. She made tremendous strides in Dad's willingness to communicate with us. His improvement since she began working with him in May is outstanding. God bless her!

After Marge left Dad headed to his chair for a nap! However, Mom had other ideas!!! She insisted that he stay awake and visit with Jean and me! He had slept until 11:00 that morning, so she didn't think he needed a nap! We all went to the computer and got them caught up on their emails. They got a good chuckle at the picture of our twin granddaughters and their Mommy Neely and Daddy Carl in their Halloween costumes of the 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf!!! They were also amazed at the email Betty Means sent them of the two women who make statues of horses out of driftwood! They're amazingly life-like!

The four of us then congregated in the living room and Dad finally got to relax in his chair! He did stay awake and listened to the conversation between Mom, Jean and me. She and I headed home about 3:30. We always feel so good about spending time with Mom and Dad. The days get long, especially for Dad, when there's nothing but quiet in the house. While many of us long for quiet days with not much to do, it can get old very quickly!

It's so hard to believe that today is December 1st and the Holiday Season is upon us! It's my favorite time of the year! In fact, on the day after Thanksgiving each year I become Sandi Claus!!! <:-) The spirit of happiness seems to fill the air and I see more smiles on people's faces! It seems like people put their prejudices and frustrations aside and relish in the joy of the birth of the Jesus!

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

God bless us one and all! Amen!

Belated Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, a little late, from all the Smith family! We are all thankful for you, the faithful followers of the blog, friends and family members who keep Mom and Dad in your thoughts and prayers!

The majority of the Smith clan were at Jean and Jimmie's ranch for Thanksgiving Day.

Personally and selfishly, I was happy that it was cold and windy so everyone wanted to stay in the house most of the day, rather than be spread out all over inside and out! Mom and Dad arrived full of smiles and happiness to share with all of us! We gathered in the kitchen shortly after their arrival for our prayer and our meal. Isn't especially spiritual for the whole family to pray together?! I just love that!

Jean and her sister-in-law La Rose made the turkey and dressing and it was outstanding! The rest of us provided the side dishes and desserts. If anyone went home hungry it was their own fault!!!

Dad bundled up in the middle of the afternoon and went out to Jimmie's shop to watch all the guys shoot pool and harass each other! He really loves that! He is using his hemi-walker much more lately and it has enabled him to be more active! Some days he's faster walking than others, but the important thing is that he is walking!!! Mom is great about suggesting he use the walker rather than the wheelchair! It sure makes it easier for her!

Jean and I are spending the day with Mom and Dad tomorrow. It will be the last day with Marge, the speech therapist. We are continuing to work with Dad on his communication machine. I asked him Thursday if he was using it at all and he said he wasn't. It's not something that is absolutely necessary for Dad and Mom to communicate, but it would be so beneficial if he would use it when he has visitors or family members there. We'll keep encouraging its use, of course, but it is something that requires practice. It's tough since we can't be there every day or even every-other day to work on it with him. We all do what we can...

I will look forward to blogging after tomorrow! I am thankful for each and every one of you!

"Blessed are You, loving Father, for all Your gifts to us. Blessed are Your for giving us family and friends to be with us in times of joy and sorrow, to help us in days of need, and to rejoice with us in moments of celebration...Father, we praise You for Your Son Jesus, who knew the happiness of family and friends, and in the love of Your Holy Spirit. Blessed are You forever and ever." Amen.

Here I am!

Well folks, all I can say is that time sure flies between postings these days! I know, I know, no excuses! I do apologize! Cousin Donnie thought something was wrong with the blog since the last posting was in October! Well, the blog is working fine, it's the one who's supposed to be doing the blogging that hasn't been doing her job!!!

Happily, we have all been doing a good job of keeping Mom and Dad company! One week Jean will go (and often Jimmie or Jennifer accompanies her), I'll go the next week, Glenda and Mollie usually go every-other Saturday and Danny goes every 2 weeks or so. Dad goes to the deer camp once a month for poker night to have steak dinner with the guys and play cards for a little while! We are all so grateful for our dear friend Leslie who makes sure Dad gets to go!

Recently Mom and Dad took a tour of some of the Painted Churches near Schulenburg. Jean and Jimmie picked them up and met up with six of Mom and Dad's close friends. Mom loved seeing the Churches. I am not sure that Dad enjoyed it as much as she did! Needless to say, they were worn out by the time they got home and took a couple days' rest to recuperate! Mom said it was well worth it! If you haven't toured the Churches, I highly recommend it! One of the sites you can get information about them is www.klru.org/painted churches/

Last Saturday Danny picked Dad up and took him out to the deer lease. They chose a deer stand that Dad could get in and out of easily and hunted together! They didn't shoot anything, but Dad got to sit there and watch the deer and enjoy being with Danny! Dad loved that and, no doubt, so did Danny!

My sweet friend Kim Wagner has gone with me to visit with Mom and Dad on at least two different occasions. She doesn't work on Wednesdays, so that makes a great day for us to catch up with each other on the ride from Austin to Marble Falls and then to visit with Mom and Dad! She and I have been best friends since we were juniors in high school! We all love her dearly AND she brings home-made lunch when she comes! Last time she even made a pecan pie!!! That put a great big ol' smile on Dad's face!!! Mom especially loves it because she doesn't have to cook or worry about what to do for at least lunch and another meal from the left-overs! Someone said, "It is never best friendship until it has gone through and survived some rough times." Well, let me tell you that Kim has seen me through and helped me survive a LOT of rough times!!! Of course, we have LOTS of great happy memories together!!! "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure." ~ Sirach 6:14 ~ I am so very blessed to have great friends in my life, like Kim!

Coincidentally, the last time Kim and I were there, Donnie and Mary Vollette also came! They visit often, as do several church friends. Donnie and Mary picked up a coconut cream pie, Dad's favorite, from the Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls on the way, so Dad let them come in!!!! Just kidding! We had plenty of sweets that day with the pecan pie and the coconut pie! Dad's mother, Grandma Pauly, made the best coconut pie you ever tasted! However, none of us had any problem eating the one from the Bluebonnet either! Kim's pecan pie was a close second to my Mom's pecan pie...and that's a HUGE compliment!!!

Please know that Mom and Dad truly enjoy your visits and it sure helps to make their week go by more quickly! Mom and Dad are a little slow getting their days started...Dad doesn't get out of bed until close to 10:00, so they eat a very late breakfast, a mid-afternoon lunch and a small night-time dinner. If they know you're coming, they will adjust their schedule accordingly! Luckily, they're flexible! They still love to eat lunch out and do that often!

Jean and I went to Mom and Dad's yesterday and spent a good part of the day. Dad's speech therapist Marge was there for well over her usual hour because we were all playing with Dad's new communicator! Yes, it finally arrived and it is really cool! The main thing is that we just have to get Mom and Dad comfortable with using it! It has all kinds of tabs and options to help Dad be able to be more social with visitors and family. Mom and Dad don't seem to have any trouble communicating with each other. However, when someone else is there, Dad obviously stays out of the conversation other than to laugh or respond with facial changes. This way Dad can push a "key" and actually ask the visitor a question like, "How's your golf game?" It is SO COOL! Marge is only able to continue speech therapy through the end of this month, so she is working diligently to train us in the use of the machine as well as other speech-related therapies.

The rep for the machine was with us as well and we had him program the machine with a page for poker night! Ollie and Danny are going to keep a pad of paper handy and write down things that they know Dad would say during the game (no cursing though!). In addition, we are all keeping a notebook of things that we think should be in the machine. It's supposed to be easy to program, so we will each enter new phrases, words, etc. as we go there to visit.

Mom and Dad were in their usual good spirits and loved having two of their kids there for the day! Time flew by much too quickly and we headed home about 4:30. It's funny because Jean was trying to be back to her house by 4:00 and we didn't even leave Mom and Dad's until after that! She and I agreed that it is so hard to leave once we get there! I count my blessings to have such admirable people as my parents!

Billy Graham said, " The family should be a closely knit group. The home should be a self-contained shelter of security; a kind of school where life's basic lessons are taught; and a kind of church where God is honored; a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures are enjoyed." I am so prayerfully grateful that I am one of the blessed ones whose family fits warm and snuggly into that category! TO GOD BE THE GLORY! Amen!

Remember me?!!!

Howdy family and friends! Can you believe how great Dad looks in these pictures?! Dad and our great friend Leslie bought this boat. Leslie modified it with a chair lift similar to the one that helps the handicapped person get upstairs. However, the dock at Horseshoe Bay was level with the entrance to the boat, so the Dad and the wheelchair were easily loaded! This is now designated the family fishing and fun boat!!! Yeehaw!!!

Mom, Dad, Jean, Jimmie, Lisa and Danny accompanied great friends to tour the Painted Churches on Wednesday of this week. Jean said they all had a great time, enjoyed the churches immensely and had a wonderful lunch together. Mom and Dad got home Wednesday evening and are probably spending today in their chairs. Dad, however, does have speech therapy today, but I'll bet the rest of the day is spent resting! Mother said they were both really tired! I hope to get some pictures from Jean to share with y'all!

Last Sunday Mom and Dad went to Mass, which is their current routine. The great news is that Dad used his hemi-walker to go to Mass and lunch afterwards!!! That's a huge accomplishment! It shows me that he is determined to continue making progress, despite maxing out on his physical therapy! Way to go Dad!!!

Ollie and I just returned from 7 days in New York. The highlights of our trip were visiting with friends who toured us through some of the western part of the state and then to Niagara Falls! That was absolutely a memorable spiritual experience for me! We then rented a car on Monday and spent a whole day antique shopping and driving to Cooperstown to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday! Let me just put it to you this way...I am not sure Ollie's eyes were dry the entire day we were there!!! We were told that an "average" baseball fan could get through the museum in 3-4 hours. Well...it took us about 7!!! Ollie was raised on baseball in St Louis and visiting the Hall of Fame is something he has wanted to do all his life!!! I felt privileged to be there with him!!! We are so blessed to have been able to take this trip!

I'll go spend a day with Mom and Dad next week and have more to report then! God's blessings!

Finally, I'm back!!

Hello friends and family members!!! I am finally back from our big sale at Warrenton! Ollie and I got back Sunday night and were happy, but exhausted! Thank you God for a successful show!

I went to visit Mom and Dad today. I arrived simultaneously with the physical therapist. I was sad to learn that today was Dad's 15th, and last, home physical therapy treatment. Susan, the therapist, said that Medicare requires specific progress and, if he is not making it, then they think that he can do "maintenance" on his own. Truthfully, he is able to do the exercises without her supervision. The problem is that he is pretty stubborn about doing them! Mom said that he does walk around with his hemi-walker, but he usually won't exercise at the handrail or lift the little weights to strengthen his arm when she suggests that. I believe he will do the exercises with us kids when we visit, so we are determined to take turns so that someone is there a couple of times a week, if possible.

Dad's right shoulder has been hurting. Due to the effects of the stroke, the arm has separated from the shoulder in the socket. This is a common issue with stroke victims. Dad wears a special splint when he is up and supports it with a pillow when he is in a chair or in bed. The therapist said that people who have this issue from a stroke either have no feeling at all in the affected limbs or they have pain. Sadly, Dad has pain. It doesn't seem to be constant, and it mostly hurts after it has been exercised. Mom said that she has been trying to get Daddy to let her make an appointment with an orthopedist. I don't think that's a bad idea, especially because I don't think that shoulder has ever been x-rayed. I'll talk to Mom about making that appointment.

Speaking of appointments, Mom told Dad last night that he had a dental appointment scheduled for today at 12:50 to have his teeth cleaned. She said he started blurting out all kinds of negative "words" of disapproval! She laughed and said to him, "You're cursing aren't you?!" Mom deserves so much praise for retaining her sense of humor!!! Maybe it's a good thing that she couldn't understand what he was saying!!! Rev. Billy Graham said, "A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected and outlast the unbearable." Mother is the epitome of that!

Despite Dad's grumblings, we did go to his dental appointment!!! You'd think that, after 64 years, he'd have learned not to argue with her!!!

After the appointment we went to lunch. Mom was headed towards a restaurant called the River City Grill, but when she got to a stop sign where she needed to turn right, Dad made it very clear that he wanted her to turn left. We had been talking about Janie's Mexican Food restaurant and turning left would take us there! So...we had a nice Mexican food lunch!!! Dad reads the menu and points to what he wants to eat. Today it was Steak Ranchero!

I headed back to Austin once we got back to the house! It was already after 3:00 by that time!The day sure does fly by when we're visiting! One of their favorite daily activities is to sit in their comfy living room chairs and watch "The Virginian" on the western channel on TV. We don't talk during that show and it was about to come on, so it was a good time for me leave!

Oh...good news...the communication machine that was ordered weeks ago came via UPS today! Marge, the speech therapist, is scheduled to be at Mom and Dad's tomorrow, so I am hopeful she can start setting it up immediately! Dad isn't very optimistic about it, but I have high hopes that it will be user-friendly and help him "talk" to Mom and all of us! Prayers please!!!

Ollie and I are taking a little vacation next week, October 14 - 20, and going to New York to visit some dear friends of ours who lived across the street from us for about 9 years and deserted us to live where it's not so hot! They live outside Buffalo in a little Amish village called Orchard Park. We plan to go into Canada from there as well as see what should be the 8th modern wonder of the world, Niagara Falls! After 3 or 4 days with our good friends, we will rent a car and drive to Cooperstown NY. Ollie is a HUGE baseball fan (he grew up in St Louis MO, so guess who's his favorite team?!), so "we" are thrilled that "we" get to spend a WHOLE DAY in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown! We'd better take a bunch of tissues with us because my ol' softie of a husband will definitely shed a few tears that day!! If he had a bucket list, visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame would probably be Numero Uno!!! I'm sure it will be wonderful...I'll be happy just watching him enjoy it!

Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this new blog posting! I am not sure how much I'll post between now and when we depart for NY, but you are all always in my heart and in my prayers! "Love is not written on paper, for paper can be erased. Nor is it etched on stone, for stone can be broken. But it is inscribed on a heart and there it shall remain forever." Amen.

Wednesday

Hello all! My sweet friend, Kim Wagner and I spent the day with Mom and Dad on Wednesday. Kim and I have been best friends since we were Juniors in high school! Let me tell you that we have gone through a LOT together!!! Kim is one of the kindest and sweetest persons you could ever hope to be blessed with as a friend!

Mom and Dad were up and having breakfast when we arrived! Mom seemed so much less stressed in getting Dad ready for therapy, since they come to the house now! I am so pleased to tell you that Dad's home therapy has begun! It is so nice for Mom not to have to deal with getting Dad to Burnet and for the therapists to come to the house! I did pluralize therapists! Somehow it was approved for Dad to have speech therapy AND physical therapy at home!!!

Dad's physical therapist, Susan, is a young blonde, so Dad is VERY cooperative with her and smiles a lot!!! He's still such a big flirt! Susan had Dad make a couple of trips around the house with the hemi-walker and then had him walk forwards, backwards and sideways back and forth at the hand-rail. After he was back in his wheelchair, she exercised his right arm, shoulder and hand. The hour with her went by quickly and then we had lunch.

Sweet Kim had gotten up at 6:00 and prepared lunch to bring to Mom, Dad and me! She made King Ranch chicken, corn and a beautiful salad. Oh, and she made peach short-cake for dessert! Mom was especially thrilled to not to have to cook and to taste someone else's cooking for a change!

Kim told Mom that they should move to Georgetown, where she lives, and she would cook for them a lot! Mom got this great smile on her face and said, "Okay!!!" I think she'd take her up on that in a heartbeat, but there's no way on God's green earth that she could get Daddy to move from their house! They've talked about it from time to time, but Dad makes this stern face and points to the ground as if to say, "I am staying right here!!!"

Time flew and Marge, the speech therapist arrived at 3:00. This was her second visit to the house. She took Dad to the computer and continued working with him on turning on the computer, calling up his emails, reading them and responding to them! So, if any of you would like to hear from Dad, just send him and email! Either Marge, Mom or one of us kids will help Dad to respond! If you email him, just a short message is best! I am also proud to say that Mom is now able to retrieve and respond to emails too! She doesn't get to the computer often, maybe once a week at best, but she loves to hear from her friends and family! You don't have to be concerned about the length of the email with her! She loves to read your news! Marge is keeping track of the communication machine that's on order. It should be arriving any time now! Hoe blessed we are that she will help Dad get it set u p and teach him how to use it!

Between therapies and after lunch, Kim and I helped Mom with folding and putting away some of her laundry. It was fun having girl-talk while our hands were busy. We also stripped the bed, washed the linens and hung them on the clothesline! Kim nor I had hung clothes on the line in YEARS! We laughed and laughed because we couldn't even remember how to hang sheets!!! She said she couldn't wait to tell her daughter Heather about our fun! She doubted Heather even knew what a clothesline was!!! Some of the sheets were close to dry by the time we finished since it was so hot and the wind was blowing! Think of the electricity we saved! After about an hour we went back out there and took them down! Ah, what a wonderful scent sheets have that are dried outside! It brought back so many memories of my childhood! "Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume." ~ Jean de Boufflers

The day flew by much too quickly, but we shared lots of laughs and hugs, so it was a very good day! Mom and Dad loved spending time with Kim, as she did them! What a treasure my friend is to me and my family! "Friends are kisses blown to us by angels!" ~ author unknown

Thursday, September 23 marks two special events, the first day of Autumn and the opening of the big antiques sale in Warrenton TX! Ollie and I set up two booths in a building there called Cole's and spend September 20 through October 3rd there! I probably won't be posting again until after the end of that show. I pray all is well with each of you and I look forward to "talking" to you in October! My love to all of you, Sandi

Dove Season!!!

A huge tradition with many of our bunch is Opening Day of dove season, September 1. Ollie and I went to Jean and Jimmie's ranch so he could hunt with Jimmie and with Jennifer's guys, David, Randy and Bradley. This year 9-year old Kelly joined them as did 3.5 year old Austin! They, like all the hunters, were decked out in their camo and Kelly had the 410 shotgun (well-supervised, I promise!)! While the hunters are out, Jean and I get a chance to relax and visit, watch a movie, or whatever suits us!

The highlight of Opening Day is the tailgate party at dusk. All the hunters and visitors gather in a pasture and back the trucks into a circle. We set up a table, open a couple of tailgates and spread out the food...it's a night of junk food, chips, dips, jalapeno wienies, sardines, smoked oysters, brownies and all kinds of unhealthy but tasty things!!! Fortunately we only eat like that at the taligate party!!!

Mom and Dad joined us too! They arrived early enough for Jimmie to take Dad (and Austin) for a ride around on the ranch on the Kabota! Jimmie took them to see the hunters and then to the tailgate party! They really enjoyed the ride! For they guys in our family, hunting is an opportunity for fellowship and camaraderie.

This is blog 3 of 3! It was a busy week with Mom and Dad and we loved every minute of it!

Yay for Caffeine!!!

Like I said, Dad was pretty perky during speech therapy! Usually, when we get home from Burnet, Dad heads straight for his chair in exhaustion! Well, not Thursday! I guess that caffeine from the Mocha Frappe' kicked in 'cause as soon as Dad got out of the suburban, he headed for his scooter!!! He got himself out of the wheelchair and onto the scooter and took off! We could hardly keep up with him! Mom went in the house to get her sun hat and Dad was out the gate and halfway to the garage before she caught up with him! First he wanted to go check out the back garage. After he was satisfied as to what was in there (Ollie and I are storing some furniture in there), he turned around and was well on the way to the front garage before we could get the door locked, catch up with him and get the front garage doors opened!!! The scooter Leslie and Kim Stephens bought him has given him a new sense of independence! Leslie and Kim live on the property next to Mom and Dad. Leslie plans on laying a pathway between their houses so Dad can come visit! Mom will have to be on her toes to know where he is!!! Maybe we should tie a bell on the scooter!!!

Caffeine still working, we all went back to the house, Dad got himself back into the wheelchair and went right to his office computer! The Internet was down, so we couldn't check emails, etc., like he wanted. By the way, Dad and Mom have a new email address. It is WHSmith@txwinet.com. Mom has been practicing opening and reading emails, so feel free to send them a message!!! They LOVE hearing from all their family and friends! Speaking of that, they also relish visitors! Call Mom before you go, but please go see them!

Keep reading, more to tell!

Dad's last day of therapy in Burnet was Sept. 2. Jean and I decided that we would go get him and take him! As Jean and I were headed to Mom and Dad's house, we stopped at McDonald's and picked up a quick breakfast and took breakfast burritos for Mom and Dad. While we were waiting for our order, I started reading about the Mocha Frappe'! Well, it sounded so good that I decided Jean and I had to try one! Let me just say that it is simply one of the best tasting things I ever put in my mouth! I had a feeling that Mom and Dad would think so too, so we bought one fro them! You should have seen Dad's face light up when he took his first sip!!! It was like, "WOW!" He drank the majority of it, even though he and Mom were supposed to be sharing it!!!

Off to therapy the three of us went. Dad was so perky! Marge spent the whole hour working with Dad's writing skills! She showed us the comparison of that day's writing versus the writing he had done when she first started working with him. His progress is remarkable! She would ask him to write things like, "Write her name" and point to Jean. He did that with ease! The fewer letters in a name or a work, the easier it is for him. He even spelled Sandi with the "i" when she asked him to write my name!!! He gets his e's and i's transposed sometimes, but that is very normal with his type of stroke patients. Towards the end of the hour, his brain gets fatigued and it shows in his spelling and handwriting.

Marge prepared three pages of speech related activities for Mom and the rest of us to work with Dad at home. Most of the time it's hard to get him to do the activities at home, but we keep encouraging him to do so!

Marge will begin home therapy with Dad next week! She would have started this Tuesday, but Mom and Dad are attending a funeral of one of Mom's cousins, Bill Goertz. in Rockne. I am not sure what the therapy schedule will be just yet, but I'll let you know!

Keep reading...Dad was on the go today!!! This is 1 of 3 blog additions!!!

Harvey the Llama?!

Meet Harvey the Llama! Isn't he handsome?!! Well, not as handsome as my Dad!!! Yes, eleven years ago he was named y cousins Barbara and Richard Schmidt in honor of my Dad!!! This was so thought-provoking...Harvey the Llama's job, which he takes very seriously, is to guard the goats and sheep from coyotes and other predators! I thought it was so parallel to our Heavenly Father and our earthly fathers who watch over their flocks!

I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and my sheep know me. ~ John 10:14

Ollie and I met up with Mom and Dad yesterday at 9:00 and headed to Boerne to visit Mom's niece Barbara (or Bobbie, as Mom calls her) and her husband, Richard. Barbara is the daughter of Mom's oldest brother Mike, or Mitchell, as many called him. Barbara and Richard live about 15 minutes outside Boerne in the beautiful hill country and raise the gorgeous male goats you see in the picture and entrust them to Harvey's care. Richard treated us to a tour of their ranch and shared a few stories of his growing up there. Barbara proudly showed us their home, shared stories with us from the old family pictures and memorabilia on her walls, and fed us a nice lunch. We enjoyed our visit with them so much!

We got back to Mom and Dad's about 4:00 and left with Dad is his chair, no doubt! I encourage Dad to say "Bye" and "I love you!" to me before I left. He smiled a radiant smile, looked me in the eye and told me he loves me! That made my heart soar! ...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles... ~ Isaiah 40:31

This may be Dad's last week for speech therapy. We are so disappointed about that, but Medicare has caps on the number of visits he can have, unless he is showing MARKED improvement. Marge, the therapist, does believe that there is enough progress for therapy to continue and she is filing all the paperwork and working diligently attempting to get Medicare to approve it. We are so blessed to have her working with Dad!

Wednesday is Opening Day of Dove Season! We are hoping that Mom and Dad will join us at Jean and Jimmie's Ranch for the annual tailgate party that evening after dusk! I'll take some pictures, if they come, and share them with you!

My love to all of you! Sandi

Good Work at Speech Therapy!

I took Daddy to Speech Therapy Thursday morning. I was so impressed with the work Dad and the Speech Therapist, Marge, did on Thursday! Dad spent most of the time working at the computer! Marge had some incomplete sentences in Microsoft Word and asked Dad to finish them. They were...

1. Today is

2. Yesterday was

3. Tomorrow will be

4. I like to drink

5. I like to eat

6. My wife's name is

7. My oldest daughter is

8. My 2nd oldest daughter is

9. My 3rd daughter is

10. My son's name is

It was clear that Dad would know what he wanted to type...he'd start to type the word but he could not spell it without Marge writing it down. Dad would then look at what she had written and then he would type it. She said that it is a common type of post-stroke syndrome that doesn't allow him to take a thought and be able to write it or type it like he wants to. Marge made Dad us the cap's lock when appropriate, made him spell everything correctly and end each sentence with a period. If he made an error, she would have him arrow or backspace to it and correct it. When he was answering what he liked to drink, we discussed it and asked him things he'd like to put there. Once he had listed three things he very emphatically typed the period! He was ready to move on! The three of us had a good laugh about that! Typing was a very slow process, but he was able to do it!

Marge is working with Dad on saying "Ah" for yes and "Oh" for no. He is in such a habit of shaking his head that it takes a lot of reminding. It will just take consistency in changing the habit.

The hour went by very quickly and the last thing Marge had Daddy do was to sing "Happy Birthday!" That song is one that therapists like to use because of the clear sounds of the H, P, B, D and the vowels. The therapists at Reliant tried to get Dad to sing it, but he wouldn't - he thought it was silly! He'll do it for Marge, though! And, you know what, he sounds pretty darn good! I got teary eyed listening to him! Those are the most "words" I've heard him "speak" since September!

Dad and I went straight home for lunch! If our mouths are empty, we're hungry!!! Mom had made us pinto beans and corn bread! I delayed Dad's nap a little bit by showing him and Mom some of the results of the new project I'm working on. We also started listening to a CD that Jimmie had made for us from an old cassette tape...it was a taped conversation between Mom and her oldest brother, Mike, who shortly thereafter passed away. Jean, Mom and Whitney had gone to visit him in San Antonio years ago and Mom and Uncle Mike talked about memories of their childhood! After Dad had listened to the "tape" for about 30 minutes, he slowly started backing himself out of the room! Of course, he was headed for his chair and his nap! Mom's eyelids were so heavy that she could barely stay awake, so I left as soon as it was finished so she could also have a nap!

It was such a good day and we enjoyed each other so much! "A happy family is but an earlier heaven!" ~ John Bowring

Amen!

Tomorrow

I am going to take Dad to speech therapy tomorrow. I have been staying away because I've had a sore throat and wanted to be sure it was allergies and not something contagious. I will bog after my visit with Mom and Dad! Love to all of you!

Harvey's Birthday Picture!

A picture truly is worth a thousand words!

God bless my Daddy!

Howdy!

Dear family and friends! Sorry there hasn't been much to write about lately! As I have said before, status quo is good, I guess! Kind of boring, but good!

Mom was a little under the weather for a couple of days with what she thought might have been the edge of a kidney infection. She goes into action when she isn't feeling well and takes a little better care of herself. She was feeling better yesterday and much better today! I suggested she have Jerry come help her on Monday, which she did! She was so happy that she had called him and said that he does such a good job. I suggested to her that she could have him come more often, but she is pretty happy with their current schedule. Dad no longer has physical therapy, but his speech therapist worked a little miracle and he has more visits with her on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We are patiently awaiting the arrival of the communication machine.

Mom and Dad's dear, dear friends Leslie and Kim Stephens bought Dad some kind of electric scooter! I haven't seen it yet, but Mom says he loves it! A golfing friend is picking Dad up this week so he can ride around in the golf cart with him while he and Dad's old (and I mean that respectfully!) play a round of golf at Meadowlakes! I know Dad will enjoy that!

I know we've had such a mild summer, but I am ready now to go back to Colorado and get out of this heat!!! How about you?!

Like I said, not much to report. I am hoping to go to see Mom and Dad on Wednesday. Should have more to report after that!

All my love, Sandi!

For my friend, Janet!!!

I know this is a little out of the ordinary, okay, a LOT out of the ordinary, but I just HAVE to do this! My friend Janet is on a HUGE shopping trip to the World's Longest Yard Sale. It actually runs 675 miles, from Hudson Michigan to Gadsden Arkansas! Most of you know that one of my weaknesses is garage sale shopping! I was invited to go with my friend, but circumstances and timing were just not right! So, I am shopping vicariously through her blogging on facebook every day! She and the wonderful lady that she is shopping with, Tricia, are having a contest and the prize is a box of goodies that they are collecting along their way. One of the ways to gain 5 whole points is to blog about their trip! So, here's my blog! Thanks for allowing me to stray!!! Love y'all!

I love this prayer...

Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through Your eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth of my wrongdoing, and receive forgiveness.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately.

I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.

I believe that You change people and You change things for good reasons. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. I pray for each and every one of my family members and friends and their families. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than You. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly...

This is my prayer.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Sorry!

Hello friends and family! I apologize for the lapse in my blogging! I get so easily side-tracked these days! But no excuses!

On Dad's birthday, last Thursday, Mom decided that she wanted to drive Dad into Austin to have a change of scenery. So she and Dad picked up Ollie and me and we met Danny and Jean and Jimmie and their grandsons Randy and Bradley at Red Lobster. We had a great time visiting with each other and enjoying some good seafood! Mom and Dad came to our house and Dad headed straight for the comfy chair in our living room for a quick nap!

While Dad napped, Mom and I visited at the table about a story from her childhood that I am intending on writing at least an article about for the Wild West Historical Assn's newsletter. When my Mom was 9 years old, someone mistakenly shot my Grandma Grohman when they were intending on shooting my Grandpa! I am in the process of gathering all the information I possibly can, which will take me a while! Not that I have time for another project, but this is one I just can't resist!

Dad was ready to go home immediately upon waking from his nap!!! I helped him up from the chair and, with his hemi-walker, he went through the dining room, motioned to Mom that he was ready to go and that was that!

We all met at Glenda's house this past Sunday to celebrate Dad's birthday all of his kids and most of his grandkids and great-grandkids! He came into the house using his hemi-walker! Mom didn't even bring his wheelchair!!! That's the first time that happened! Dad's balance is so much better and his legs get stronger and stronger! That's why it's such a shame that Medicare has a cap on therapy. About the time Dad was really making progress, it ended. However, Mom said that Dad is faithfully exercising daily on the handrail that Jimmie installed in the hallway.

I also noticed that Dad was more involved with us that day. He attentively listened to our conversations and laughed and played with the little kids more than usual. I don't know if sometimes he isn't feeling well and that keeps him from participating in our visits. Often he just wants to nap most of the time we're together. We all talk to him and try to involve him, but he makes it pretty clear when he is or isn't interested! We were all happy that he wanted to "play" with us!

Erma Bombeck said, "The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." Well, our family knows what binds us all together, it's how Mom and Dad taught us to love and appreciate each other!

It is my understanding that the speech therapist was able to get authorization for Dad to have more visits with her, which we are incredibly grateful for! Mom said that he now has speech therapy every Tuesday and Thursday morning. We are still waiting for the machine to come that will help him communicate. We knew it would take at least 6 weeks to get it. I'll let you know as soon as it comes!

I think Mom is getting a little restless! She and Dad were leaving a restaurant in Marble Falls recently and there was a motor home parked outside. It was small but had a bathroom inside and had the ability to "expand" on one side where the "living room" would be. She was telling me about it and said she told Daddy that they should buy one of those! She said Dad just grinned at her! I'd love to know what he was thinking!!!

I hope and pray that each of you is having a wonderful summer! In our area, we have been so blessed with milder temperatures and abundant rain! It's ust now getting to be 100 degrees, whereas last summer we had well over 100 degree temperatures in early June! Stay cool and don't let the heat get you down! Instead of warm hugs, I'll send you cool ones!!! Talk to you soon!

HAPPY 86th BIRTHDAY TO HARVEY!!!

It's a happy day!! It's Dad's 86th birthday!!! If you get a chance, call and leave Dad a birthday greeting today! He and Mom are coming into town to have lunch with some of us kids and then we are having a big party with all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids to celebrate him on Sunday at Glenda's house!

Dad was born in Elgin Texas on July 29, 1924. He was born on his Mother's (Grandma Mabel Pauly's) 17th birthday!!! What better gift can a woman receive than her first-born child, a son!!!

Since I love the Psalms, I looked up Psalm 86 in honor of my Dad! If you have time today, please read it and say a prayer for Dad. Part of it reads, "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart: I will glorify your name forever." Amen!

Dad's home number is 830-693-3957. Their address is 6850 CR 120, Marble Falls, TX 78654-7914.

We're back!

Hello loved ones and friends! Ollie and I are back home from our trip to New Mexico! We had a great time but were ready to get home! We borrowed Mom and Dad's Suburban for the trip since it has more room than my 4-Runner. We plan to return it tomorrow and visit with Mom and Dad. I'll get back on track with my blogging once we have been there! Talk to you soon! Love, Sandi

My always-positive Mom!

I spoke to Mom on the phone today just before lunch. I try to talk to her at least every-other day. She said she thought that she and Dad were having a really good week! They were loving the fact that they have their home to themselves and that, for the most part, Dad can be pretty independent in the house. She said that many mornings she'll be in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast and he'll come "sneaking" in the kitchen already dressed! I think he could even shave himself, but he likes her to do it for him! She's always spoiled him, which is one of the reasons they've been married 64 years!! It's something for us all to make note of!!!

My nagging worked! Mom finally got another wrist emergency alert! She didn't like the one that hung around her neck because she accidentally pushed the button once and she was afraid of that happening again! She has one for herself and one for Dad. Now all we have to do is keep reminding her and Dad to actually wear them! I think they're wonderful and necessary. Mom agrees. She just forgets about them! I suggested she put them with their watches. When they put on their watch each morning, they can put the alert on the other wrist! We'll see if that works!!!!

As you know from my previous blog entry, I have been worried about Dad since I was there Tuesday. After today's phone call with Mom I realized that I was worrying rather than trusting my sweet Lord! We all have off days, and that's what I was experiencing with Dad. Were it not for the stroke, I wouldn't have been so concerned! So I put my trust back where it belongs..."Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2

Just had these few things to share! I'm reading the Book, 90 Minutes in Heaven" and need to get a few things done so I can get back to it! It's a fascinating true account of a man who was dead for 1.5 hours, went to Heaven, and was brought back to life through prayer! I can't wait to read about his interpretation of Gods plan for him!

I pray you, my dear friends and family, are all having a wonderful summer! "Go well and safely, the Lord is ever with you. " Amen!

Not such a great day on Tuesday

You all know that nothing makes me happier than giving you good, upbeat news. Sadly, it just hasn't been an upbeat week.

I went to Mom and Dad's Tuesday. Dad seemed okay when I got to the house. He and Mom were running a little tight in getting him ready to go to therapy. When we got to the Suburban to leave, knowing Mom was going to town, Dad tried to tell her something he wanted her to do, but couldn't get his message across. From that point forward, Dad's mood went downhill. One can imaging the frustration he must endure on a daily basis, not being able to communicate what he wants to say. When he and I got to speech therapy, I told the therapist what had happened and asked her to help me figure out what he wanted to tell Mom. We worked on it a few minutes and then remembered that Dad's driver's license was about to expire. They discovered that when they were filling out the paperwork for the STAP machine. Dad needed a valid driver's license number or ID before they could submit the form. When she asked Dad if he was trying to remind Mom that he needed to renew his license he got so excited! Yes, that was it! I immediately assured him that, after lunch, I would take him to get that accomplished! That appeased him but then he did not want to participate in therapy. I don't know if he was tired or just having an off day, but he didn't do well with therapy. Physical therapy followed speech therapy and it didn't go any better. No doubt, Dad usually works hard and does well. I dismissed it as just a down day. "Life is full of ups and downs. The trick is to enjoy the ups and have courage during the downs." I am in awe of my Dad's courage.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Amen!

We went home for lunch and then headed straight to the drivers' license bureau. As I was suspecting, but disappointing to Mom, they would not renew Dad's license, in fact they confiscated it! Since Dad is physically unable to drive at this time, they would only issue him an ID. Of course, it makes total sense, but it was sad to witness them taking the license. Mom asked if she could have it as a keepsake and they said no. You can't blame them! No doubt many physically handicapped people have licenses and drive that shouldn't! At least Dad got his ID so the paperwork for the machine was completed and put in the mail! Okay, there's something positive to say!

Once we got home from the lengthy visit to the license bureau Dad was more than ready to get in his chair and have a nap! I said my goodbye's and headed home.

I need to clarify something I previously told you in error. I thought that Jimmie had installed the handrail down the length of the hallway in Mom and Dad's house so Dad could walk from the bedroom to the breakfast room. Actually the handrail is only on one part of the hall so that Dad can stand at it and exercise his legs. I did suggest to Mom that ask Jimmie to install a handrail at the other end of the hall so he COULD walk from the bedroom to the breakfast room. She liked that idea and said she would ask him.

Jean was Dad's chauffeur Wednesday. Little did we know that he no longer qualifies for physical therapy! He was allowed 18 visits and actually got 19, so, for now, he will only be going for speech therapy. We will pursue getting PT to request more visits. Had we known he was about to run out of visits, we would have already had them working on the authorization for more! Very frustrating! So, for now, Mom, the home-health care aide Jerry and us kids will do Dad's physical therapy at home. Unfortunately, Dad really doesn't let any of us do much therapy of any kind at home.

Ollie and I will be in Ruidoso NM next week soaking up some cooler temps and attending the Wild West Historical Association's annual convention at the Inn of the Mountain Gods!!! Glenda will fill in for me taking Dad to speech therapy while I am gone. I'll try to keep you updated while I am gone! Love and hugs! Sandi

Friday

Jean went back to Mom and Dad's Friday to go with them to speech therapy. The therapist, Marge, as I mentioned before, has been trying to get a special machine for Dad to help him communicate more easily. The rep for the company was in Burnet Friday and met with Mom, Dad, Jean and Marge.

The machine (I will find out its name so I don't have to keep calling it that!) will be provided through a program called STAP (Specialized Telecommunications Equipment Program). STAP is a state-wide program that provides specialized assisted equipment or services for Texans having a disability that interferes with their ability to access the telephone network. Apparently, on our phone bills each month is a small charge, $2 or so, that funds this program! For instance, STAP provides specialized phones for the hearing impaired.

The rep from STAP took Dad's information and will seek approval for a communication machine for Dad. The approval process will take 6-8 weeks and, once he is approved, it takes about a week to get the machine to him. During the interim, we are all jotting down things that we say on a frequent basis that would be hard for Dad to communicate otherwise. Those types of thigs are what will be programmed into the machine!

The machine is a small computer and monitor, similar to a lap-top computer. It comes with either a 6" or a 12" screen. The 12" screen is the best choice for Dad. It runs on a battery that lasts about 5 hours before it has to be recharged (which seems rather short to me, but maybe we can get a longer life battery or leave it charging when he's not using it...). It has a touch screen with tabs across the top. It is designed for total customization. For instance, we can program a tab with all the family and friends' names. Dad can go to the "People" tab and touch the name or picture of the person he wants to talk to Mom about. Then he can go to another tab that says something like, "call," or "visit," or "have you talked to him/her lately," etc. Dad watches over their vehicles, so a tab could be set up for "Vehicles" and under that tab could be things like, "Suburban" and "oil change," rotate tires," etc. It doesn't allow arbitrary questions, only what is programmed into the tabs' verbiage, but it will absolutely make an appreciable difference compared to how he communicates right now!

This machine will allow Dad to be much less passive and become so much more involved in every-day conversations! Certainly he and Mom communicate well together, after all, after 64 years they can practically read each other's minds!!! But, Dad is pretty quiet around other people most of the time because it is such an effort for him to get his message expressed. I get butterflies in my stomach every time I think of the possibilities this can open up for Dad in communicating with the rest of us! Technology is fascinating!!!

I will keep you posted on this! As always, I pass good news on to you as quickly as I can! Please help me pray that SPAT approves Dad for the machine! Amen!

Sorry for the delay!

Dear family and friends, I apologize for the lack of blogging, but I have been under the weather! I'm now on the road t recovery and hope to get to go see Mom and Dad next week. I never want to risk passing something on to either of them, of course!

First, I have a request...if you have an old Scrabble game stuck in the back of a closet somewhere, please send me the tiles! I want us to be able to play Scrabble with him as I told you in my previous blog. I have two sets, but it takes about six to have enough letters to prevent running out of vowels and some of the consonants. My address is 10109 Talleyran Dr, Austin TX 78750-3834.

Jean and Jimmie went to Mom and Dad's Tuesday. Jean took Dad to therapy, speech and physical, and Jimmie installed hand rails down the full length of the hall between the breakfast room and Mom and Dad's bedroom! We are so fortunate to have such a talented craftsman in our family!

The speech therapist is working diligently on getting Dad a computer that will talk for him. Rather than letters on a keyboard, there will be words! He can then touch the words to create a phrase like, "Need water please." We have been searching for something like this ever since the stroke occurred, but there wasn't anything on the market that was workable, until now! The company rep is meeting with the therapist, Dad and Mom and Jean on Friday to see how Dad does with it! I pray that it works for him! We're anxiously anticipating the possibility of Dad truly being able to "talk" to us, to Jerry and to visitors!!! I want so badly to be there Friday, but I won't go until I am healthier!

We have also been working with getting Dad to use the wheelchair less. As I told you in the blog about going to Colorado, Dad was able to walk onto the plane since his wheelchair was too wide for the aisle. He did such a great job that we know he is strong enough to continue using his legs more and more. Jimmie installed handrails down their bedroom hall. Once Dad gets to the breakfast room, there's furniture for him to hold on to all the way to his living room chair. Jean told me that he walked up and down the hall twice while they were there Tuesday afternoon! There's nothing more exciting than being able to tell you about progress!!! My heart knows that our precious Lord is giving Dad the physical strength and mental spirit not to give up! Saint Francis said, "Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." We chose to take the path of faith, rather than listen to doctors and therapists who told us Dad would never improve. Each step of the way, Dad would make progress and they would still try to squash our hopes and tell us that things wouldn't get better. All I have to say to them now is that faith can move mountains!!! It's been a steep climb, but Dad is moving mountains!

"Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark." Amen!

The progress continues...

Jean chauffeured Dad to therapy yesterday and today was my day. It is an eye-opening experience to be there and witness how hard Dad is working to get better. The new speech therapist, Marge, has 40 years' experience and is wonderful! Speech therapy started at 10:00 and lasted an hour. That hour flew so quickly! Marge told me she has seen marked improvement in Dad over the two weeks that she has worked with him!

First, she got out a sheet of paper with the each of the letters of the alphabet a separate box. Another box read, "end of word." She wrote a sentence and had Dad read the sentence with her. She encourages him to use his voice and all his words sounded pretty much the same, but at least he's using his voice! She then had Dad point to each letter on the sheet that corresponded with the letters in each of the words in the sentence. For instance, he would point to each of the letters "t-h-e" and then touch the box that said, "end of word." Then he would point to each of the letters in the next word and then touch "end of word" when he finished that word, and he did that until he had done the entire sentence. His recognition of letters has greatly improved since she has started this exercise! She explained a lot to me about aphasia and how it is a learning disability like dyslexia. Many stroke victims end up with a form of dyslexia and she sees a little bit of that when she works with Dad.

Then she got out little colored tiles a words or punctuation marks on each tile. With the tiles she made the sentence, "The little brown cat ran up the big tree." She had Dad read the sentence and she mixed up the tiles and told him to arrange the sentence! He gave her a hearty, "HaHa!" He then proceeded to arrange the tiles. He would get the tiles in the wrong place but would proof-read his work and correct it! He had the sentence correct except he kept calling the cat "the brown little cat" and he had "the" and "big" backwards. Marge told Dad that there was an error at the end of the sentence and he re-read it and fixed it! She gave him positive feedback and then mixed the tiles up again! Once again, he gave her a hearty laugh! It's obvious he likes working with her! He worked to set up the sentence and, once again, he transposed "the" and "big." She told him there was an error and he fixed it! She had him work with the sentence about six or seven times until he got it all right!

Next she got out a bag of six sets of Scrabble tiles. The three of us made sure all the letters were face-up on the tiles. She said Dad liked words about the rodeo, so that was our word for the day. She and Dad spelled "RODEO" out with the tiles and then we took turns finding tiles to spell words that we could play off of "RODEO", as if we were playing Scrabble! It was so much fun! Every once in a while Dad would get a little stuck with spelling, so Marge would put out 3 or 4 tiles and let Dad pick from them, rather than from the huge pile. He gets a little confused or overwhelmed and she helps him but doesn't just give him the tile. On one of Dad's turns he pulled an "R" then an "E" and an "M" and was adding it to the "U". Marge could not figure out what he was trying to spell! I said, "I know what you're spelling, Dad!" it was "REMUDA!!!" WOW!!! Marge got so tickled because she didn't even know what a remuda was (a herd of horses)! I explained it to her and Dad was nodding his head and pointing to her while I was telling her, as if he was explaining it to her himself! What a hoot! Before we knew it, the hour had flown by and it was time for physical therapy!

The physical therapist spent the 30 minute session today showing me stretches for Dad's legs, knees and hips. What I realized, while I was working with her, is that Mom has so much to focus on during each day with the house, preparing meals, laundry, etc. that she doesn't seem to be able to work in any home therapy. It's just too much for her. At this point we are very grateful that Dad can go to therapy 3 times each week. I don't know what we're going to do when Medicare decides to cut back on that. I wish so whole-heartedly that we lived close enough that I could go over on the days he doesn't have therapy and work with him. I'll have to figure out something!

Lisa spent some time this weekend visiting with Mom and asked her what was her biggest stress. Mom said it still was deciding what to cook and the actual chore of preparing meals. Lisa and I worked together and found a restaurant, Noon Spoon, in Marble Falls that will deliver lunch. So today I called and talked to the owner, Jennifer, and pre-arranged lunch to be delivered at 11:30, so it would be there when Dad and I got home from therapy. Dad had a dental appointment at 12:40, so the window of time that we had to eat lunch was pretty small. The food was delivered promptly at 11:30, as ordered, and was waiting on us when we returned from Burnet! I had ordered 2 sandwiches and a quart of soup. Mom saved the soup for their supper and we thoroughly enjoyed the sandwiches for lunch! Would you believe they will deliver the food from Marble Falls out to Mom and Dad's house for only $5.00?! I told Mom it was so worth it for her to take advantage of that! I will keep urging her to order lunch (they have a different hot-meal special every day of the week, sandwiches, salads, etc) on the days that Dad has therapy. That should help her a lot! I was so impressed when this afternoon the owner of the restaurant called me to see how Mom and Dad liked the food! She also offered to talk to Mom and have a customized menu for them!!! What a blessing she is going to be!!! The trick will be to get Mom to use her services!

After Dad's dental appointment we got back to the house and he went straight to his bedroom chair for his nap! Mom and I spent a little time checking her emails and going over a few things the therapist had told me. Bless Mom's sweet heart, caring for Dad is a full-time job despite her usual house-keeping chores. Hopefully we kids can keep figuring out ways that she will allow us to help her! Please keep our precious Mom (and Dad, of course!) in your prayers! "Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the City gate." Amen!

Steamboat Springs Colorado!!!

Mom was in our driveway promptly at 8:05 Thursday morning! We had asked her to be there between 8 and 8:15! What a champ! She and Dad were all smiles!!! Since Jean was so wonderful and had gone Wednesday to take Dad to therapy and help Mom with the last-minute packing and other details, Mom seemed so unstressed and ready to go!!! Dad was all thumbs up!!! We headed immediately to the airport in Austin to get checked in, eat breakfast and relax until our flight left at 11:26. I won't get on my soap box, but there is nothing that infuriates me more than to have the security guards pull my Mom and Dad out of line and body search them...my sweet Daddy because he is in a wheelchair and adorable Mom because she has had both knees replaced. I know, I know, they're just "doing their job," but it still makes me crazy!!! Okay, enough of that!!! All six of us, Lisa, Danny, Mom, Dad, Ollie and I were able to board. How about that, one advantage of a wheelchair-bound person! Dad's wheelchair wasn't able to fit down the aisle of the plane, of course, and they didn't have one of those skinny chairs nearby. we asked Dad if he thought he could walk onto the plane, and HE DID!!! Danny supported him and Dad walked from the door of the plane to his aisle seat! No problemo!!! The flight was non-eventful, Mom and Dad napped off and on, and we were in Denver in a couple of hours! The pictures are backwards, but I couldn't figure out how to switch them! One is of Mom, Dad and Danny on the tram from the Denver terminal to the baggage pick-up and car rental! Aren't they looking great?!

Lisa had rented us a wonderful van with 4 rows of seat! Dad gets to ride "shotgun"!!! The drive from Denver to our cousins Fran and Jimmy Callahan's lodge north of Steamboat Springs took us about 3.5 hours. The scenery kept everyone captivated, so it was a pleasant drive! We arrived at Fran and Jimmy's about 3:30 or so and, boy, did we receive a grand welcoming! Everyone was so incredibly happy that Mom and Dad were able to be there! Blessings abound!!! One little issue that we were all anticipating was getting Dad up into the house! The other picture is of Danny, Bobby Sonnen and Ollie literally carrying Dad and his wheelchair up the stairs! Hmm...let's just say that Dad sure must trust those guys!!!!! He seemed to get a big kick out of making them work so hard!!! After that, the guys got a little smarter and figured out they could push the wheelchair up the hill, around to the back of the house and take Dad in the back door, which was a lot safer!!!

It was such an honor to see this great group of people who absolutely adore our parents, and visa versa! Cousin Jimmy Callahan is Mom's first cousin...his Mom, Lucy, was my Mom's aunt...Grandma Grohman's youngest sister. He and Fran are the ultimate hosts! The six of us stayed at the lodge with Fran and Jimmy and the other guests stayed in cottages down the road. I think there were about 24 people there, or something like that. Jimmy hosted golf for the linksters on Friday and Saturday at two different coursesOlie said he got to play a lot of golf for the money!!! The rest of us either relaxed or went to Steamboat and shopped. Mom was so thrilled to spend Saturday at the lodge all by herself! I was trying to decide if I should stay there with her and she wholeheartedly encouraged me to go if I wanted to because she was looking forward to having the house to herself!!! She stayed in her robe most of the morning, worked her crossword puzzles, napped, showered and got dressed, all without interruption! Boy did she deserve that!!!

The whole weekend was very low-keyed and full of love and friendship! Jimmy fed us his famous fried chicken out on the deck Friday night and Saturday night was steak-night! Fran did all the delicious side-fixin's and everyone pitched in! Saturday night Jimmy got us all quieted down (a major feat in itself!) and had many of us in tears talking about how they all feel about Mom and Dad and how blessed we were to have them there! His prayer is that they will be there next year and that Dad will be able to speak to the group! That would be awesome! "May (his) tongue sing of Your word!"Amen!

Many times throughout the weekend, someone would go give Dad a hard time about something or tell him something funny and Dad would laugh his big ol' hearty laugh out-loud! It was music to our ears!!!

We were on the road Sunday by 9:15, headed back to Denver for our 3:10 flight home. We really didn't have a minute to spare once we had dealt with the traffic, stopped for a potty-break, unloaded at the airport, returned the van, eaten lunch and gone through security. In fact, we were some of the last ones on the plane! Got back into Austin and away from the airport at 7 p.m. Next on our agenda was some dinner! Danny and Lisa were in their own vehicle and went right on home. So, Mom, Dad, Ollie and I had dinner at the Frisco in Austin, where Mom and Dad used to take us when we were kids! Their vinegar cabbage slaw is wonderful! Mom and Dad headed home right at 8:00, had a good night's rest in their own bed and were doing great this morning! Mom said Dad slept until almost 11:00! I know the trip was exhausting for him, but he was such a trooper and it was priceless having him and Mom there!

I will go spend the day with Mom and Dad Wednesday and take Dad to therapy and acupuncture! So, until then, God's blessings!!! Love, Sandi