Friday, July 22

I spent the day with Dad today while Clara played bridge with some of her friends.  We had a really good day.  Bad news...Dad hit his shin on a coffee table and wound up with a 2"-3" gash.  He had to get around 20 stitches in his left leg.  It's wrapped with gauze right now. The table, in the upstairs TV room, has been moved over to the side. He only uses that room to watch a tv and work a picture puzzle.  He is walking on it and appears to be doing fine.  He was awake most of the day.  Seems he naps more now than he sleeps.  He seems to be handling the chemo a lot better.  We changed his pain patches.  To get out we went to Woodwind, and there was a showing occuring at the house, so we waited around the corner in the car until they left.  We looked around, cleaned a few things up, made a few decisions on things that needed to be trashed, and he took a few small things with him back to Clara's. We had lunch, he took another nap, then he read some.  He's currently working on a balsa-wood clipper ship model.  Clara returned about 3:30 and I left about 4:30.  It was a pretty good day for him.

July 18th, 2011

This was a good weekend. Cyndi and I were in Arlington on Sunday along with most of the rest of the family to witness Penelope's baptism at Trinity United Methodist Church on West Park Row.  It was a wonderful ceremony, and Penelope did great in front of a huge audience of witnesses.  Dad and Clara made it and sat next to Cyndi and me.  After the ceremony Nick and Kassidy had a small gathering at Mom's pool clubhouse in North Arlington by Randol Mill Park, with snacks and tea.  All of us sat around and visited.  Dad and Clara made it there later.  He went home and took a short nap.  He has been in really good spirits these days.  Maybe the chemo is working.  Last week was his 5th treatment.  I asked him what the plan was for total treatments and he said he thought it was 8 or 9.  I will find out and let you know.  This week I'll be back over at Clara's house for the day to watch him and work while Clara again gets some well-deserved time off to play bridge with her friends.

Picture of Shawn and Grandpa on Thursday July 14, 2011

Wednesday, July 13th

Today Dad went for his 5th chemo treatment.  I didn't get to call him this evening to see how it went, so I have nothing new to report there.  I will try to talk to him tomorrow and report on his status then.  I did talk to him on Monday, and he said his weekend was pretty quiet and peaceful.  I did spend the day with him last Thursday while Clara went to play bridge with her friends in Dallas.  We talked a little in the morning, but his hydrocodon strength has been increased slightly and he was feeling the effects of it.  He was a little woozy and out of it.  So we postponed our conversation for a few hours while he grabbed a nap.  He had plans that day to have lunch with his good friend Bill Ralston.  He came about 11:30 and they went to eat lunch at a small diner in Pantego on Bowen Road.  He came back around 12:30-1:00.  He said he had a good visit with Bill and ate a good lunch too. It was great of Bill to come all the way from Greenville, Texas (about an hour east of Dallas, and an hour and a half one-way to Clara's house).  Clara arrived home about 3:30-4:00 and had a good day with her friends. The Woodwind house is coming along, not too many bites right now. Kassidy and Nick will be bringing Penelope into Arlington this weekend for her baptism on Sunday morning at Trinity United Methodist Church in West Arlington. And I believe that Reno and his family are scheduled to come into town soon too, I just don't remember the exact dates.  I think around the 21st of July.

Monday, July 4th

Well Happy 4th of July, everyone. Let's recap the last several days since my last post.  Dad, after chemo, went in the next day for a shot and a 2-pint blood transfusion.  It obviously worked. Cyndi and I went to visit with him Sunday afternoon, and he was in a very active state of mind, and physically moving around. He was concerned about the house on woodwind, so we agreed to jump on it the next day...July 4th.
So early this morning we were at Woodwind.  The house has a realtor sign in front and is on the market.  Cyndi and I arrived from Rockwall about 9:00 and started to work cleaning, clearing, and decluttering.  Dad and Clara arrived around 10:30.  Pedro helped most of the morning too.  Gregg and Austin arrived around noon, and Russell and Kim arrive around 1:30.  We got a lot done with the house.  The trashmen (who come on Tuesday, that's one of the reasons we jumped on the house today, Monday) won't be too happy when they see the pile of trash that's at the curb!  But the inside of the house looks great.  It still needs a little more work in the kitchen and the master bedroom, but it's about 85%-90% there. Dad, Clara and Gregg left about 2, and Russell and Kim and Cyndi and I left around 2:30.  It was a long, hot, hard-working day, but a lot was accomplished.  When Dad left he was a little exhausted, but I think he felt good that so much was done today, and the house looks much more presentable to the buying public. Thanks to Cyndi, Gregg, Kim and Russell for helping so much today.  Siblings, please send me emails with items in the house or garage that you want. I will be maintaining a list. FCFS (first-come, first-served). I will be over at Clara's on Tuesday to watch Dad while Clara takes a well-deserved day off to play bridge with her friends.
Also, Nancy, Dee's daughter, has informed me that the golf course in Costa Mesa where Dee played golf for so many years, is trying to get a plaque put in place on the golf course in her memory, since she was such an active member and love by all of her lady golfers there.  What an awesome tribute.  And there will be a dinner service held in July held by her family which I will attempt to attend.
That's all for now.