Mother, My Brother and His Family

Many people have asked about Mother, Levi, Maribeth, and Phil. I'll also tell you about Sylvester.

Mother has been here in Texas in a nursing home near my brother for almost a year. She's really had some ups and downs along the way. Phil has worked closely with the doctor and it seems they have tweaked her meds to a nice mellow balance. She is amazingly clearheaded and knew me immediately.

She is getting good care at Pleasant Manor and this is, no doubt, affected by Phil and Maribeth's daily visits. I really appreciate and admire their dedication. Mother is like the energizer bunny who takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. We hope she will continue to be peaceful in her surroundings.

Maribeth's idea for me to have a slide show for Mother worked out well. We set up a screen in a visiting area Saturday afternoon, invited Shelly (a lovely lady hired as a sitter for Mother several hours a day) and Maribeth's friend, Lynn. We all "took a trip out west" and had a break for pizza. Thank you, Maribeth, for such a good idea.

I saw Mother every day during my week in Waxahachie but forgot to take a photo. Here's one from 2003.Levi is a sophomore at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It's ironic that he had a grandmother and an aunt and uncle nearby when he started school last fall. Now, his grandmother's here in Texas and his aunt and uncle are traveling. Nevertheless, he really loves JMU.

Maribeth works at the elementary school where Levi went. She's in charge of writing grants, fund raising, recruiting students, and public relations. She stays busy all day, every day and loves her job.Phil is retired from 20 years in the Air Force and is a nurse anesthetist in private practice with a group here in Waxahachie. He works very hard and also loves his job.

He's had a challenging fall as he had brain surgery. It was discovered that he had too much fluid build up in his brain (hydrocephalus) and a shunt was inserted. The doctors find it hard to believe that he had no symptoms (This was discovered when he went to the doctor about something else).

This is the first time he's had major surgery and, as with anyone who has surgery, it seems to take longer than expected to recover. He is back at work and doing OK except for some neck soreness and spasms.

Sylvester makes a charming room decoration. What a lover he is!