Thank you all for your condolences and encouragement as we grieve the passing of Tony's dad. We are all doing well, as the Lord comforts us as He promised. I know those times will come when we think of him, or Tony says he gonna ask his dad something or have the first Father's Day without him or the first Christmas. It's going to be hard at times. Tony has a great attitude about it all.

We all went out to the farm yesterday afternoon just to do something "normal" for a change, and of course carried Tony's mom with us. We're trying to keep her busy. She's doing better remembering about her husband. Adam and Pop (my dad) went fishing yesterday and caught 17 good eatin' size bass. So we had a fish fry and overindulged. (My puffy ankles are evidence to that today - all that good salty fish and fries and hushpuppies.)

We can't hardly look at the farm without thinking of Bepa. His family were the original owners and now it's been passed down to us. He was always so anxious to see what projects we were doing while we were restoring the house, and clearing and digging the garden. He loved to ride around in the truck and look at the land. My husband likes to quote Jett Rink on the movie "Giant" and say, "you can ride around on this land all day long and never see it all". We have only 78 acres, but he still likes to say it. The next project was for Tony and his dad to go buy a tractor and build a tractor barn. I guess Tony will be doing that alone. I know he'll be thinking about his dad.

Well, anyway, I couldn't let this photo pass ya'll up. After supper last evening, we were all sitting on the front porch enjoying our redneck entertainment for the evening. "You might be a redneck if..." (I'll let the photo speak for itself - )

My Father In Law

I am briefly checking in to let you know that after 2 weeks in the hospital, my father in law unexpectedly passed away in the wee hours Saturday morning, April 18, 2009. My husband was with him and he slipped quietly from his son's arms to The Son's arms. He was in no pain and the two of them, Bepa and Tony, talked and laughed only minutes and hours before. He was to begin dialysis, but his blood sugar kept crashing and his body just shut down. He was one of the most honorable, most gentle, most selfless and most loving men I've ever known. He will be sorely missed by his wife, his son, his daughter in law, his grandkids, and all that knew him. He was kind, helpful and a friend to all - be they rich and powerful or poor and lowly. He was a good Christian example to all those around him and enriched our lives so. Until we meet again, Bepa. We love you.

Princess Cooked Something!!! It's a Miracle!!!

We've been giving our college daughter grief over the years cuz I've tried to get her into the kitchen and learn some cookin'. She wanted no part of it - but now that she's a college gal, she suddenly wants to be Suzy Homemaker and learn to cook!

Wow - look what she did! Sauteed seasoned asparagus in olive oil, lemon pepper tilapia, ceasar salad! She even sent me this picture to prove it! I'm so proud of her! I think she did a wonderful job. And she prepared something healthy - what a smart girl. I just had to brag a little!!!!!

Deer Crossing

Just had to share this with you while on my way to work this morning. We see deer quite often, but I usually don't have my camera with me. Today I did, and was delighted. There were about 20 or so deer bounding across the creek bridge just off my street. They really didn't seem alarmed at all. I guess security in numbers... They were stopping to play and leap and frolic, jumping over the barbed wire fences, even squeezing through the fence, going into the trees and disappearing only to reappear a bit down the road. They're beautiful animals, full of grace and acting so silly this morning, just having a wonderful time in the sunshine and cool dew.

My FIL is having surgery to have his dialysis fistula catheter thingie placed in his arm this morning to begin official dialysis. We hope it will go well with him and he'll be able to be strong enough to go home in a bit. The Drs. said that dialysis "buys one time", as FIL is not a candidate for a transplant. If he can go home for awhile, we have discovered a place here called "Caring Partners" that can come to their home, clean, cook, help bathe/dress, take FIL to dialysis, shop, whatever he and MIL need. They are not medical people, but they help with all the things Tony and I CANT do because of our jobs. We're going to check them out and see if this is something that can at least keep them in their home for awhile longer. It all depends on my FIL's ability to get a little stronger and be a little bit more ambulatory. It will buy Tony and I some time locating a place for them to enter the next stage of their lives. Sad, but true... My mom is doing well, 3 more weeks til we see if her knee surgery worked or not...

Hope ya'll have a wonderful week, I'm checking on everyone as I can to keep up with you --- Vickie

More Stress

This is getting to be such a bummer to read, I'm sure. All I've had lately is bad news. Who wants to read that??? Not me! I don't blame you all if you don't want to either!

We had to have an ambulance come pick up my father in law Monday morning and take him to the hospital. He had been retaining lots of fluids and was wheezing, etc. He couldn't get enough air and was huffing and puffing. He's had heart problems and kidney problems for a long time. They haven't exactly said "congestive heart failure" but that's basically what it is. His heart's not functioning full capacity and neither are his kidneys.

He's doing better, but we can see a pattern here that may repeat itself, unfortunately. He's hoping to go home in a few days after getting rid of fluid and possibly some dialysis.

Our problem now is what to do with my mother in law. She has dementia and cannot remember where her husband is and why he's there. She can stay by herself for short periods of time, but has to call my husband and ask him where his dad is. I imagine they will have to move into assisted living in the next few weeks. That seems like the best solution at this point. She can't cook anymore or drive either. If my father in law is well enough to go home for awhile, we're going to get Meals on Wheels to come bring them a meal a day. I think we can take care of the rest. It's a wonderful organization - I used to be a volunteer when my daughter was little and she would go with me to take food to the shut-ins. They loved seeing a little one!

So, we've been pretty tied up with all that - running back and forth to the hospital and to hubby's mom's house and also my folks' house. We're going to be real busy for awhile, so if I'm not around for awhile, please don't forget about me!

We've worked on our garden some, but will have to care for it in between the folks. We've been so blessed to have all our parents all these years, but it can't last forever. My mom is off her feet for 6 weeks letting her knee heal, so I've been helping her with chores and cooking. My dad EVEN MADE A CAKE!!! I have never known my Dad to make a cake! He grills and can cook a little, but he wanted a chocolate cake the other day and mom can't do it. So mom sat in her wheelchair and coached him on how to do it and it turned out great! I'm sure he thought it was the best cake he'd ever eaten! I bet the kitchen was a mess, too! My dad is not known for his tidy-ness!

On a brighter note - my middle son is planning on doing a foreign study program this summer in Great Britain. He's been rather instrumental in getting the program running along with his Sociology professor at his university, and they gave him a $2,500 scholarship to go towards his trip! I'm so excited for him and so proud! This is the kid who in high school did nearly nothing towards his grades. He's made a wonderful turn-around in the last couple of years. I'm happy about the scholarship $$, but more than that, I'm so proud that he's finally come into his own and is making great strides to becoming a productive, independent adult!

I've been reading all your lovely blogs and trying to keep up. I'll be back from time to time, I HOPE, to check on you. I miss you all when I am busy and away - later... Vickie