Happy Thanksgiving

Enjoyed spending Thanksgiving and the Saturday after with family! We love you all!

What a great guy!

Yes, I AM married to a wonderful guy. He decided to hang the Christmas lights this afternoon, before the cold front arrives next week. I remember going to get donuts for the boys when they were little, on a Saturday after Thanksgiving. I was the only female there, with a long line of Dads waiting to buy donuts (I think all the other females went Christmas shopping!) One guy near the front of the line made the comment, "Time to put up the Christmas lights," and that started a chain reaction of groaning all the way down the line. It's funny how little moments like that stick in your head for years!

Pop Pop's Day Surgery

Pop Pop had day surgery to remove pre-cancerous spots on his face, which he has had done before. Papa C has also had this done, so it runs in the family. Pop Pop is feeling fine, but will be sporting a big bandage at Thanksgiving.

Danny's Ensemble Guitar Concert Nov. 23rd & 30th

Danny's Ensemble Concerts
will be Tuesday Nov. 23rd
and Tuesday Nov. 30th
at Brookhaven College
at 7:30pm!

Apple Tart

"The Dans" made an apple tart to take to a friend's "early Thanksgiving dinner". They vetoed my posting the photo I took of the two of them goofing off in the kitchen, but okayed this pic of their finished product!

Goodbye Jasper

The day has arrived that we will be saying goodbye to our Jasper. When we "adopted" Jasper as a stray, he had been running loose at Murr C and Papa C's lakehouse. That was so many years ago, and of course he became part of our family. Jasper was a sweet and docile dog, although he looked like a guard dog - part Chow (black tongue and curled up tail) and part German Shepherd. He has been blind now for several years, and takes the same exact path to get to his dog dish - right along the fence. He somehow got out of the back yard about a year ago, and we spent hours looking for him. When we called Animal Services, they had received a call from a family on the other side of Sandy Lake Road who had found him and had him in their back yard. Sandy Lake Road is a 4 lane, divided road. How on earth he managed to get across that street, blind,without getting hit is beyond me. I imagine Jasper and Lightening and Sarge and Joy and Prissy all playing together in one big wonderful dog park... without fences...

Papa C Returns Home!

Murr C and Papa C returned home this afternoon after 17 days at Medical City! Missy is spending the night with them tonight, so they will be in good hands - nurse's hands! Good night, and sleep tight...

Grapevine Springs Park

Native
grasses
at
Grapevine
Springs
Park
Community
Center

In Memory of Papa

Today would have been Papa's 82nd birthday. The photos are of the pear tree that we planted in his memory 13 years ago. It's turning the most beautiful autumn colors...

Papa C's Status Nov. 13th

Papa C is feeling much better, and is walking the halls of the hospital with assistance. The doctors will do another CT-scan and if no sign of pneumonia, possibly release him to go home around Tues-Wed. Andrew is going up to the hospital today so Murr C can go to the house. Our new oven was delivered, and thanks to my "handy Andy" (funny story about where that name came from), it is all set up, level, and ready to cook a Thanksgiving meal! I think I'll make an apple tart for Andrew and "the Dans". I'd like to take one to Papa C (he has a sweet tooth!), but he is on a sugar restricted diet :(
Gong Gong and Pop Pop are all set up in their new house, and even have new rose bushes planted in their back yard. Andrew & I are both up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning; where did those leisurely weekends go?!

Papa C's Status Nov. 8th

Papa C and Murr C had a restful night of sleep last night and Saturday night. They moved Papa C to a regular room that is closer to the nurses' station, with a video feed from his room to the nurses' station. They are encouraging him to (with assistance) get out of bed and sit in a chair for periods of time. I'll try to post again after we visit tonight. Murr C has been posting updates on her (new) blog at http://www.circus24-7.blogspot.com/

Papa C's Status Sat. Nov 6th

Papa C was moved this afternoon to a regular room at Medical City Hospital, after being in ICU for 8 days. Murr C and visitors will have more room, especially since there's a chair that folds out flat into a twin size bed. The down side is that every nurse has 5 patients, so there's not as much help available. Papa C forgets, because of his dementia, that he is too weak and unstable to get out of bed, so every time he has to use the restroom, he tries to get out of bed. Last night he tried to get out of bed and fell - thankfully on his backside, so he didn't get hurt. He's now in a bed with an alarm, set on the loudest setting, that goes off every time his weight shifts off of his pillow. Hopefully that will wake Murr C up in plenty of time to get him to lay back down before he tries to get out of bed. Papa C's sense of humor is still intact, and he is such a gentleman with all of the nurses. Murr C and Missy went to the lakehouse to get more clothes, and Andrew and I stayed with Papa C in his room today. Kevin drove up from Austin to see him yesterday. Last night, Andrew and I, Kevin, Danny and Danielle went to The Olive Garden in memory of my Dad, who would have been 82 years old on Nov. 13th. He loved going there for dinner, so we try to go there on his birthday every year to remember and raise a toast to him.

Papa C

Papa C was admitted to ICU at Medical City on Friday night, with pneumonia. Last night he had surgery to insert a tube to drain the fluid collecting around his lungs. Murr C spent the night here last night, and with Mike & Missy the night before, since Papa C had received sedation and was no longer trying to get out of bed. Family has been coming to the hospital, and Kelley and Kevin are expected to visit soon, too. We'll head to the hospital some time this morning.