Moving to HealthCare

It's been a challenging two (plus) months and Friday marked the beginning of our "new normal" for Mom. We moved her out of The Hampton and into a HealthCare room at Holly Hall, where she will make her permanent home.

During her time in "rehab", we had spent two full days going through their things and organizing them into categories - getting ready to pare down Mom's belongings for the move to a smaller room. Although easier this time, we had many flashbacks to "The Nightmare on Blackburn Street" in 2008.

Going to their apartment in Assisted Living was sad, in a way, because Dad is no longer there and it illustrates how, as we age, our worlds get smaller and smaller. In the prime of your life, you're working and have friends and you're cruising around in your car and you're travelling to interesting places. You never stop to think that at some point in your future your world will be one room.

A parting shot of Dad's chair, bought for him when they moved to Holly Hall and being left behind, along with his things, because he doesn't need them any longer.



One last look at their living room before wheeling our cart of "left-overs" to the car.



As we left AL #130 behind, we finally had Mom set up in her new location - HC #312. View from the door, where you will be greeted by a purple Halloween cat.



Ramona kindly made arrangements for Mom to have a larger room and we were happy to see that the walls were a nice shade of gray, instead of the institutional off-white they normally are. We found places for much of the art and nick-knacks to make the new place feel more "homey".



View of the living area with love seat ...



View of the living area and new 40" flat panel TV, paid for in large part by a hidden roll of Dad's money we unearthed in a drawer!



Looking back towards the door ...



I shot this photo of the closet for entertainment value - it will never look this good again, so I'm happy to have it recorded in digital pixels!



Closer view of Mom - remote in hand - and the living area.



We've got a long way to go before she's happy in her new surroundings - actually, we have a long way to go before she even ACCEPTS her new surroundings. WE know that it is a blessing for her to be in this room in a facility as nice as Holly Hall, even if she does not.

National Squirrel Appreciation Day

We appreciate squirrels at our house EVERY DAY, but January 21st of each year is National Squirrel Appreciation Day



Did you hug a local squirrel on Saturday?

Rock Sculptures

If you haven't seen it, the next time you're in Galveston take at look at this interesting sight and humanitarian experiment. I'm talking about the Rock Garden area on the Seawall. During the storm, many of the large rocks were thrown up onto the Seawall, smashed against each other and broke apart. New rocks were added as additional protection for unknown storms to come.



Last fall, mysterious rock sculptures began to appear ... first one



... and then many more



The sculptures range from simple to intricate, but each one is an example of patient selection and balancing of "just the right rocks".



This is one of the more impressive feats of "rock engineering"!



Sometimes the rocks change overnight ... as if little elves have visited the scene.



Simple, but interesting.



I'm basically against graffiti, but I have to admit that Sea Goddesses DO ROCK!



Jerry surveying the area from one of the newly rebuilt jetties.

Pink Sky & Pelicans

We went to Galveston for the MLK weekend and woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful sunrise ...



Red sky at night, sailor's delight
Red sky in morning, sailor's warning ...



No need for a warning on Sunday and our special guests - the pair of white pelicans - were out enjoying the morning. This was one of those moments where I couldn't believe I actually had a camera in my hands - the pink sky was reflected in the calm water, along with the pelican's own reflection.



Got a few more good shots, but it was after daylight and the pink was gone.



A better close up ...

Elvis is an Artist

In the ever expanding world of iPad applications, I found a fantastic game for cats with three options: a laser game, a floating butterfly and a mouse to chase. Just before Christmas, the developers released a new add-on that allows your cat to paint as they paw at the electronic mouse. Very cool technology.

Ike didn't really know what to think - he's not into electronics. Denny watched the mouse for a while and then looked at me like I was an idiot. Elvis LOVES it and now seeks out my iPad and will pick it up with his teeth (by the rubber case) to get me to turn his game on. If I've got the iPad in my hand, he'll come sit by me and watch whatever I'm doing - waiting for me to let him play with the mouse.

I wasn't too sure about the painting, but he's really getting into it! Here are a few of his works of art ...



This was a special painting to cheer Mom up after being moved from Methodist to The Hampton.







He was in a very expressive mood on New Year Eve when he painted this one ...



His latest piece in black and white - he's really getting into his brush strokes!

The '80s Were NOT a Friend to Fashion

We've been going through Dad's things and came across a packet of photos from a Family Reunion in 1988. This is a classic ... permed hair ... Vaurnet sunglasses ... Reebok High-tops. 'nuff said!


Just to be sure we are identified in all our glory, here's the run down - Nan, Mary, Kent, Toni (in front), Suzanne, Ed, Grandpa Bonura and Mom.

Uncle JoeLee, always a fashion icon, Grandpa Bonura and Dad



JoeLee, Aunt Bunt, Grandpa Bonura and Aunt Mary Louise, sans gold handbag and shoes (LOL!)



Grandpa Bonura with Toni



Fun shot of Aunt Bunt with Kent. She was something else ... let's just say she was ahead of her time. Women like her forged the way for the rest of us to be successful in business and to life life free of the expectations of generations past.



And, just for fun ...



Hey, at least we were thin!

Ike the Wonder Cat

You all remember last August/September when we got the news that Ike was not producing the Red Blood Cells he needs and was very ill. Our "one shot" medication to increase RBC production hadn't worked and we basically just backed off all treatment with the exception of a daily dose of MiraLax to keep the cat litter he had been licking from turning to cement in his stomach.

He went through a down phase and all he wanted was to bond with the Maine Coon boys. We let him do whatever he wanted - as long as there wasn't any trouble. Soon he stopped licking the litter, but started licking the patio bricks every time he went outside. While this was an improvement, it was still a sign that he was craving iron.

The MiraLax was a miracle and his appetite returned to normal, he "got off the bricks" and started to gain weight. All very good signs, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, and we just went on like this was expected. Grateful that he was happy and seemed to be feeling OK.

As we moved into November, he started to meow every time we picked him up and was acting a little strange in other ways, but he looked fine and was still eating. Days turned into weeks and he seemed worse, pain on the left side of his face/ear, but no clues as to what it was. When he missed a few meals, I made an appointment expecting the worst.

I'm happy to report that our Yoda-cat has a terrible inner ear infection (no visible signs) and his RBCs have increased enough to get him out of the "danger zone", although they are still low. His WBCs were too low, but probably depleted because of the infection and weren't as low as they've been in the past. All in all, it was a good report.

Antibiotic shot + three days of pain meds and he's like a brand new cat. Our little Ikey loves us and wants to hang around a while longer!




Hanging with his friends ...



and enjoying the fireplace.

Ticket City Bowl

Granted, the Ticket City Bowl does not carry the same prestige as the Sugar Bowl, but with our one game loss (the Championship) the Coogs ended up in Dallas instead of New Orleans. Our good friends, the Lohrs, met us there and we had a great time.



We enjoyed lots of room service as we watched the pro games in our room-with-a-view on New Years Day.



We arrived at the Cotton Bowl Stadium early, but it was so COLD we weren't really in the mood for much tailgating. It would have taken a significant amount of "anti-freeze", which didn't seem like a good idea for a variety of reasons.



Jerry, practicing his best cougar paw!



Jerry and Ronnie in the sun. Our tickets were in the upper deck and the wind was brisk, so we moved to the then-empty end zone and started pealing off our warm layers. As we entered the third quarter, the shady side of the stadium had migrated to our area and it was packed.



Cory Morrow sang the National Anthem and we had a fantastic fly over by three fighter jets. They really rocked the stadium! Then everyone started looking up above where we were sitting and a number of paratroopers became visible in the sky.



They make this look so easy ... the last guy in delivered the game ball.



Houston Cougars take the field ...



It was an exciting first half, with less action in the second. Cougars won 30 to 14! Here's an early shot of the filling stadium.

The New Year

I'm not really the New Years resolution type, because ... you know ... who are we kidding?

That said, I do always have that little moment of nostalgia when the old year ends and a new one begins. Thoughts of the past are always quickly replaced with thoughts about what's ahead in the new year, so I decided to make a list of a few things I'm looking forward to in 2012:

Helping Jerry open the Tanglewood Branch of The Bank of River Oaks, known around here as "Jerry's Bank", in February. It's been a long time in-the-works and I know their third location is going to do great!

Running - We're already registered for the Capitol 10,000 in March and the Crescent City Classic in April. I'm not making any promises about my fitness level or finish time, I'm just looking forward to being there!

The Rodeo - Although I'm not as involved in Rodeo Houston as I was during the Chase years, we always enjoy going out there and welcoming the Salt Grass Trail Riders into Memorial Park is an annual event. It's silly, but even after twenty-seven years, I still love it when they stream down N. Post Oak Road, headed for the park - creating traffic jams as the horses and wagons complete their week-long journey.

Rain - It's funny how you don't miss something until it's been gone a while, but after 2011 I have a new attitude about rain. I no longer care if its messing up my hair or making people drive crazy - I just appreciate the fact that it's keeping the trees and wild animals alive. I'm looking forward to a drought-busting spring all across Texas!

The Byron Nelson - We're going back to the Byron in May, if our good friend can finagle us a room at the host hotel. It's always a good experience, the money goes to a great charity and it's a fun way to see the golfers up close and personal.

More time at the Beach! - 2011 was a good year, and I am grateful for the extra work, but I put in a LOT of weekends and we weren't able to spend as much time at the beach as we like. Of course, this goes hand-in-hand with replacing the beach house furniture that's been on the "Goodwill list" for the last year. Note to Pottery Barn ... I need a factory condition Austin style sofa and chair to turn up at the outlet store in San Marcos for about 40% off!

Golf - my golf game has gone to the dogs over the last year or two and 2012 may be my come-back year. Look out GCC, you'd better load up on sand to fill my divots!

Cougar Football - we've been season ticket holders for several years and although I'm no fan of those early season afternoon games (can you say HOT?), we have a great time watching the COOGS. With their stellar 2011 season, I'm hoping for a good schedule and ALL night games in 2012!

Laying out strategic marketing plans, developing on-target creative and producing lots of events for current and new clients. BrewerETC wrapped up it's SEVENTH year in December and I had the opportunity to work with many great clients, who have become friends. That's a blessing and I am very grateful.

Spending time with family and friends - time passes so quickly and we all need to cherish the good times!

Happy New Year ...

Oh Christmas Tree ...

Well, it's been a whirlwind Holiday Season with Christmas and New Years being dampened by Dad's death and Mom's accident. We did have a lovely tree and it had lights on it, but no ornaments ... no tree skirt ... no wreaths around the house ... no exterior lights and no Christmas cards.

In fact, due to another situation that I'll spare my regular readers, the "new shutters" were taken down off my office window five days before Christmas and still have not been replaced. When I put up the paper shades, my neighbor called to see if we were moving. How pathetic is that?

Since the tree was so pretty, I decided to post a photo. I'm sure the 2012 tree will be covered in ornaments!



I did send New Years cards, so I guess that's something ...