Monday in Fort Worth and Tuesday Treasures!

Monday was fun like a PARTY!

We were up early and at Mike's front door in Fort Worth just a few minutes  - like less than 4 - after 11:00! Mike was shocked! He didn't expect me until 11:30 so he didn't even have his shoes on!

 

Mike drove us over to pick up Lonnie and then drove us to our favorite Mexican restaurant over in the Fort Worth Stock Yards to meet up with Joni - a friend who is actually more family than friend as she is Nita's sister in law from her first marriage. Nita and Billy Bob - that's what we called him back then - remained friends and Nita kept her mother in law and sister in law as well as Billy Bob's grandma in her life and there they stayed.

Joni brought me a gift bag holding her two favorite wines and said she likes to mix them.

One is bubbly and one is a white zinfandel.

Joni and Mike!

Since my son in law is a Mike - I call him Nita's Mike.

My brother Lonnie!!

He's lost a good bit of his eyesight but he is as funny and charming as ever!

Joni treated us to drinks and appetizers before we ordered our lunches and we had such a good time visiting and laughing together!

Our favorite restaurant Los Vaqueros turned out to be closed on Mondays  so Joni - who arrived first - scouted us out another place - Esperanza's! The food was excellent and the service was s l o w.

But that was perfect for us since we were in no hurry and that gave us more time to be together.

Joni and Bernie are going to come for dinner in a few weeks and I'm already looking forward to that!

We dropped Lonnie off at his house and then went to visit Lily, Joni's mom.

She is 99 years old and still as beautiful and elegant a lady as she has always been!

I took her a container of fruitcake cookies because those are her favorites!

I had visited over the back fence with Nita's neighbor, Sheryl, earlier - while Mike was putting on his shoes! Remember she is a master gardener and her huge back yard is absolutely amazing!

She grows so many fruits and vegetables and flowers and plants and trees!

I didn't think to take a picture of Nita's memorial garden but it is beautiful with the red oak growing and a bench to sit under its shade.

Sheryl is a lovely lady and so special to us. 

Nita loved her and always called her 'the best neighbor in the world!'

A member of my family is on a business trip in California and staying on the Queen Mary.

How amazing that is to do something like that. Back in the 80's I toured the Queen Mary and had dinner at one of the restaurants. I bought this cup in the gift shop there.

Louis Dean is not a fan of cruises - but I am!

I met up with Brenda for our Tuesday Treasure hunting and we each found some winners!

I more than she - as usual.

LD wears size 13 shoes and I am always surprised when I find him a pair.

He keeps all his old shoes and even Gorilla Glues them when they start to fall apart or even duct tape them together. He has over 2 dozen pairs of shoes and still counting.

His room has spokes along two walls near the ceiling and he puts his shoes on them.

The ones I find for him are his 'good' shoes and I am happy he wears a pair of them when we go out in public!

I am always searching for a purse and seldom find one that 'works' for me so I am looking for higher quality ones like this Nicole Miller bag....brand new and leather.

Stone Mountain - brand new with the tags still on!

I love the color.

Cute sandals.

An unbreakable wine glass for LD with a lid to keep the gnats out.

I know they don't drink much but it's annoying trying to fish them out!

Brenda found these for me - the first two are for Christmas wearing and the third Chico's t is going to be a favorite!

I usually print up my blog in books at Blog2Print and received an email that they are going out of business. They have a 50% off sale right now.

I'm glad I already have 2010 - 2023 all printed up.

I do them in quarters - each year requiring four books.

I don't know if I will be find another company that does this. If you do, please let me know.

Update on Summer!

She is doing well and back at Bar-J in Arkansas

Thank you for the prayers said for her.

God is good!

April's Last Weekend.....

 This month has gone by so fast!

We have spent many hours outside working in the yard, gardens, flower beds and pulling weeds!

Funny how I love the pretty weeds at the ranch but get irritated when they are in my flower beds here in the city. The east side of our back yard is all junk and weeds.

Louis Dean has done a good job of stacking all his 'stuff' next to the fence - he won't allow any of it to be thrown away - even the stuff that is obviously TRASH!

I've been known to go out while he's napping and squirrel as much as I can in the bottom of black bags and then I piled the weeds I've pulled up on top to discharge prying eyes from investigating.

Stephanie lets me put some trash out on her driveway curb.

Where there's a will there's a way!

You know the coolest thing about me cleaning up some of his messes?

He will later say, "Have you seen how less junky the back yard area is?  I've been WORKING on it!"

Last summer we bought a new lawn mower and it lasted one DAY!

LD tried to mow a big brick!

It is unrepairable - but he refuses to put it on the curb - where someone would pick it up and use parts or something. We compromised and will take it down to the ranch - where it will hopefully be loaded up with the metal things that Dean puts on a trailer and takes to sell.

Same thing with the small tiller that has been living in our back yard but hasn't run in three years!

He refuses to have the repair guy look at and he refuses to let me put it on the curb - so it will go to the ranch, too!

We came home and he found the lawnmower he wants with a Briggs and Stratton engine so I ordered it on Amazon. It will be delivered next week.

I'm loving this green GREEN spring!

Louis Dean planted all these sunflowers for me by way of feeding the birds outside his window.

Mulch is down!

The honeysuckle bush if FULL of birds!

A lot of work but I've really enjoyed doing it!

Louis Dean has been cleaning up the decks and 'sorting' things in his storage building.

I thought he looked so cute sitting in there admiring his room with his feet propped up and drinking a beer.

He's so cute and still as charming as he can be!

After working outside all Saturday morning, we cleaned up and got ready to a birthday party!

Brenda was giving a 70th birthday party for Billy and we did not want to miss that!!!

I made this Birthday Board of sweet treats!

Brenda had a great spread of munchies and hearty appetizers!

She made a delicious salad of sliced cucumbers, sliced red onions in a balsamic vinaigrette. 

It was the nicest afternoon!

We watched some music on  TV - George Strait and Alan Jackson - and then the Texas Ranger Game - all while visiting and eating.

It was time for the ice cream birthday cake!!

Billy was trying to grab the lighter for his candles when he leaned into the cake and got his shirt dirty!

He is such a fun guy!

He acted all embarrassed as he tried to hide the spot and then made it worse by trying to wipe it off!

That's when he embraced the coverup trick!

What a lovely  Saturday night celebrating with our best friends!

I wish you could all meet Billy - he is 'Salt of the Earth' and loved by all who know him!

WE happened to notice it was early voting at City Hall so we stopped there and there was our financial advisor Darrell Plunkett! He's running for City Council in his district!

What a good weekend and then we had Sunday!

Since we had been gone a good bit on Saturday, I decided to watch church online.

LD does best when we don't have things to do or people to see or places to go 'back to back!'

I baked up a batch of fruitcake cookies to take to Fort Worth tomorrow while Louis Dean played music in his room and looked for his missing three shave kits!

We cleaned up and made it to Mike's hockey game in Plano and were in the stands even before the game started!

He is a member of the Whiteboard Warriors and all the players are coaches....hence they whiteboards!

Mike coaches the Bell girls team and several of the other players are current or former coaches through the years the kids have been playing hockey.

It's a good thing to stay active socially while we can and for as long as we can but I have slowed our calendar down over the last couple of years.

Sweet Trystan and Amber!

Kailey always seeks her granddad out and spends a few minutes bonding with him!

Amber is a first class hockey mom and Mike and all four kids play the game.

I'm their biggest fan!

It was a wonderful weekend......and now.....

Summer's Successful Surgery!

 We were up early Thursday morning as we had to be in Frisco, Texas by 7:00!

We ran a tiny bit late and they were waiting on her as she was the first surgery of the day!

Normally it is the patient that must wait!

We went right  in and they were so efficient and kind and allowed me to stay with her right up to the moment they took her to the operating room.

Surgery was scheduled for 8:00 and that's exactly when they started!

Everything went as planned and she spent 30 minutes in recovery!

We were heading to Starbucks at 9:30 for tea and coffee!

I've not seen Summer this happy in a long long time!

She was sore because of the incision but had NO pain!!!

Praise God and thank you for all your prayers!

Louis Dean cooked supper for us last night to celebrate!

Chicken fried steak fingers, garlic green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy!

I made us all small salads.

I absolutely LOVE Happy Endings!!

Monday Critters, Tuesday Treasure, Wednesday Things and Summer's Surgery is in the Morning.....

 We loved our bonus morning at the ranch!

The rescue horses came down to say goodbye!

This one is my favorite!

Can you see the carrot I gave him?

I fed them to the other two also!

Tarzan is going to miss us!

He is a wild cat and muscular and eats the mice/rats around here!

I am so grateful for him and we love him as much as he loves us1

Sweet Tarzan!

We made it home in the early afternoon on Monday with a smooth trip all the way and I was so thankful for that!

Happy Hour on the driveway!

Louis Dean started to worry that he had not remembered to bring his laptop!

I KNEW it was not in the camper and front room when we left!

To keep him from fretting, I crawled up in the truck bed and snapped a pic of it and then showed it to to him! Crisis averted!

Things are changing here with his dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

I am trying to cope with our new normal while at the same time I'm thinking I may not be far behind him in terms of my memory loss and discombobulation!

I am being truthful in that this scares me.

I miss and grieve that I am not able to connect with Deanie anymore.

I will visit Lonnie next Monday and I am grateful he remembers me and asks about me.

It's unreal how life has changed since we lost Nita. 

In the middle of the night I woke up and checked on Louis Dean!

I found him in the bathroom sitting on the toilet with the electric heater on and eating a bowl of ice cream! He said, "Do you have radar and wake up when I am doing something?"

Now I did not even know we HAD ice cream in the freezer!

I need to be more observant!

Tuesday morning I woke up and Louis Dean was running water in the bathtub!

I knew he had taken a bath last night so, once again. I asked him what he was doing!

He loves washing his laundry in the bathtub!

I sent the two pics to his granddaughter Chandy and she said he used to do that all the time when she was little.

It doesn't hurt anything and it kept him busy!

LD needs a project and he is good about finding one!

I admit to being a little blue on Tuesday -maybe more than a little to be truthful.

Change is hard and I am reeling from knowing my sister and my brother and my husband are all suffering the same disease. Relationships are affected and I feel a real grieving in my spirit.

It is a blessing to have Brenda in my life as a best friend. And Billy!

She is a constant to me as are Dean and Sherry and Amber and Summer and Jesse and Benjamin.

I do try to make the best of what I have and the least of what I've not - but it's a good thing to have someone to talk to in the hard moments.

Like some of you who are reading my words right now.

I love our online friendships and am so blessed by them.

My Tuesday treasures are all mixed up but I want to share them....

This candle is on the chest in our bedroom and smells so good!

I found this cup for Louis Dean since he is always missing a lid or the cup.

Alas, he's already lost this one!

Glade products are always good!

These are for Louis Dean! He dearly loves a bubble bath!

This distressed metal tray was just 99 cents!

Win! WIN!!

Yankee pumpkin candle for under $5!

Brenda found this and I will be wearing it a lot!

A new swim cover - or I can wear this over a sleeveless long dress! 

Out of order but my sunflowers are blooming!

A mercury glass vase for 99 cents!

This Wednesday morning was a beautiful time to be outside on the kitchen  deck!

The garden has never been more beautiful!

Love the birdsong and waterfalls in the ponds and all the greenery!

I call this my herb garden......

Louis Dean put up this arbor using an old bedspring from a family home in Comanche!

Our lillies will be blooming any day now!

Mornings on the kitchen deck is my very favorite time of the day.

Coffee and Jesus.

The Bible and prayers.....

My prayer journal and devotional books.

This time with the Lord gives me the strength to go through my day.

My first thing to do this day was to clean and prepare the guest room for Summer!

She arrived late this afternoon.

The second priority was Louis Dean getting a manicure and pedicure.

He was a happy man!

I had the super deluxe pedicure since he was having both!

Time and money well invested!

So much less than visiting a podiatrist every month and SO much more enjoyable!!

Summer is here and this is her 'Last Supper' before surgery in the morning!

Thank you in advance - all my sweet friends in the world of Blog - for your prayers for my daughter.

I love you all and pray that God blesses everyone who reads my words....