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!