Chipley, Bob

A Very Long and Rewarding Trip....

2010-10-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know, Bob left for his trip on Oct. 3, 2010 at 2:04 AM. It was a wonderful send off that we will remember for ever. Bob was surrounded by love of friends and family.

At 1:30 I got the uncontrollable urge to make chocolate chip cookies. I had no idea why I had this urge, I just did. I announced to everyone that I had to make cookies and Pat came with me to help. I found a mix of peanut butter cookies and Pat said that would be perfect with chocolate chips, since Bob’s favorite candy is peanut butter cups.

Pat and I made cookies and the smell of fresh cookies filled the house. It was a warm, happy smell. Tina went in to check on her father and came out and told me that the cookies were almost done. I went in the house, took the cookies out of the oven, placed them on a plate, and put the last batch in the oven. I walked down to Bob.

“Pop, I made you cookies, and I sure hope you can smell them,” I said. I rubbed his head and held his hand. He laid there and took his last breath with me. I couldn’t believe that he waited for me, and the smell of cookies.

We then all gathered around his bed, and shed a small tear knowing there would be no new memories made with Bob on this earth. We all hugged and then it was like a heavy vale was lifted.

So life moves on with a blessed past. There will be a gathering of friends and family at the house the first weekend of November. Bob loved cookouts and fishing and we are going to remember him the way he wanted to be remembered. We will be sitting in the back yard, telling stories, fishing, and eating hamburgers, his favorite meal. We will end the evening with fireworks so he and Joan will be able to look down and smile along with us with pride and joy.

We will latter, during the summer take his ashes to Hazard, Kentucky and lay him to rest beside Joan. We will let everyone know when this date will be when we are aware of dates and times.

His obituary was placed in the Lexington, Harold and read as followed:

CHIPLEY Robert "Bob", 80, passed away quietly on Sun, Oct 3, 2010. After serving his country in the USMC, Bob was a lifelong firefighter starting his career in Lexington in 1952. He moved to Orlando in 1971 and was the first fire chief at Walt Disney World. His vast experience included working as the Florida State Fire Marshal, Director of Florida firefighters training facility in Ocala and finally, Chief of the Port Orange Fire Dept. Bob was a dedicated and loving family man. He leaves a wonderful legacy including three children, Robin, Rob, and Tina; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He also leaves his brothers, Dave and Ronnie and their wives, Lois and Garnetta. Bob's family takes great joy knowing that he is finally at peace and home with his loving wife, Joan who passed in 1994. They are holding hands and smiling down on us.

We have asked instead of flowers for donations to be sent to the following places:

“Remembering the Brave” This is an organization remembering and honoring families of fallen soldiers.
http://rememberingthebrave.org/

“Vitas Hospice” this group took wonderful care of us and Bob at the end of his life.
http://www.vitascharityfund.org/

I can’t thank all of you enough for your love and devotion you gave Bob and our family. I know that Bob has a clear mind and is now aware of all the things that we did for him, and all the love he was sent by friends and family far and near. I am so blessed and honored to have been the one to take care of him. Like I told one of the Hospice nurses, “I can’t say, Let’s do it again, but I certainly will say, I Would definitely do it again, without hesitation.”

Extra, Extra --NY Times Headlines

2010-09-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the last six weeks that I feel like I’ve been on a trip around the world. I will try my best to get you all caught up.

After Sarah’s birthday, Bob went into full blown Parkinson’s dementia. We have always been dealing with behavior problems, no sleep, and some confusion, but this was ridiculous. It was like we were living in a nightmare and couldn’t wake up from it. Hospice was trying to work with us to get him under control. Medications were changed so much and fast I couldn’t keep up with what I was giving and when. I had to start looking at my medication chart that I keep for him every day. He also was beginning to look like he had been in a horrible accident. Bruises covered his arms and legs and it was hard to tell the new bruises from the old bruises.

Suddenly I found myself not taking photos of Bob for memories, but for documentation. I was taking photos of falls, injuries, and things he was doing at night to show Doctors and Nurses as they came to check on him. Grabbing the camera to take a photo wasn’t fun any more. It was beginning to be a chore and not pleasant.

I kept telling Bob over and over he had to be careful. “It’s only going to take one good fall.” I would tell him. Bob so wanted his independence though and would still get up and walk and do things when he wasn’t suppose to.

Well, that one good fall happened last week. Last Tuesday he got up and walked back to his bedroom and was looking through his dresser drawers. He turned, got his feet tangled, and fell. He had worn his angels out and this time they let him slip through their fingers and he hit the floor hard. He was taken to the hospital and we quickly learned that Bob had broken his hip.

On Wednesday, Bob had surgery and on Friday, he was sent home back to hospice. Bob did very well with the surgery, but he is not going to recover from this. He is being kept very comfortable and we are doing everything we can for him.

We have all had our emotional roller coaster ride. One minute we are laughing, and the next moment we start crying. Sarah is such a great kid and she told me the other day, “Mom, stop looking at Pop-Pop with your eyes and start looking at him with your heart and soul. If you will do that you will see that he is ready and you need to let his body go.” Wow, those were words of wisdom.

Last night Bob told me he needed a travel carry-on bag because he is getting ready to go on a trip in a couple of weeks. He kept telling me that he needed my help to pack. I told him, he was already packed and everything was already taken care of where he’s going.

He then told me that he wanted me to post his trip in the NY Times. I found that strange and asked if he didn’t mean the Lexington Harold, and he told me that was a good one also, but the NY Times was a bigger paper and more people would see it. He wanted it on the head lines. I told him I would take care of it.

As family and friends we are selfish and want Bob to stay with us forever and not complete his journey here on this earth, but if we stop looking with our eyes we will see that his journey is finish and it’s time for him to more on.

We are going to be blessed with hopefully, a few more weeks with him and we will cherish these last moments and use them to reflect back on memories of loved ones that he is about to be reunited with.

I will keep everyone informed the best that I can. If he is having a good day and can talk I will have him call people, we will just have to wait and see how things go. Please still send him your love because he can still feel it even if you are far way.

Sarah's 16th Birthday

2010-08-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

Bob's progress

2010-08-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well it’s been a couple of rough weeks, but we are still hanging in there. Sarah had her 16th birthday. We surprised her with a hot air balloon ride. It was a wonderful day. Pat came and sat with Bob while Tina, Rob, Sarah, and I went off for the morning. Great thanks and love goes out to Pat for allowing us to spend this special time with Sarah. She would have loved to have her Uncle and Grandfather with her, but Bob would not have been able to survive the day.

Bob had taken another turn for the worse. His behavior had gotten to be almost unbearable. He had gotten mean and aggressive. The doctor was forced to put him on an antipsychotic medication to control him. This has helped to a certain degree, but we are still having issues. He now requires 24 hour adult care. Sarah had been able to sit with him for an hour or so while Rob and I went to dinner once a week. That is no longer the case. He is doing things that she can’t take care of and needs an adult.

Hospice has been called in for us, but at this time he gets limited service from them. They come in once a week for about an hour. As time goes on they will give more and more help. Many people think that Hospice is only called in at the end of life and that isn’t true anymore. They can be with a family for three and four years sometimes. They get to know the family and help out more and more as the patient gets worse.

So what exactly is Bob doing? Well, I won’t go into all of it, because honestly, you just don’t want to know; but some of it is, trying to sit down in his chair when he is five feet from the chair. Then he falls on top of the chair and says we pushed him. He gets up at two AM and moves the toilet safety seat from the bathroom out in the hall. He refuses to eat dinner until we have to bribe, and threaten him with taking things away. If Rob is home he follows him everywhere and if Rob gets up to walk across the room he yells for him and tells him not to leave him. Yes, it has been a challenge.

While we try to sympathize with him, it gets hard because it is very frustrating. We are still working with the doctors to get some medication that will work for him. It will eventually get worked out. Tensions rise in the house, and we do explode every now and then. We go outside or retreat to our rooms until we are better and go back to deal with it again. And no, we don’t feel like saints, even though we have been told many times that is what we are. Many times we feel like devils because we have yelled, fussed, and fumed.

It’s not all bad though. There are times that we have good moments with him. He will say something funny, or Rob will sit and watch a movie with him. He will remember something from the past and tell us a story from when he was young. Those are good times and we relish in those moments. He was good for Pat on Sarah’s birthday, and we even went out as a whole family for dinner that evening.

Keep him in your thoughts. Foot ball season is fast approaching. I don’t know if he will be able to follow the games, we will just have to wait and see. He used to love watching sports, now they are confusing to him.

Bob's Fish

2010-08-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

He Caught a Fish!

2010-08-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Rob took Bob down to the lake this last week and told him he needed to fish some. Bob would cast and then stop and pull some weeds and then cast again. I went down and threw a few casts with him and didn’t catch anything.

I went back into the house to finish up dinner and Rob was out on the back porch grilling out some ribs. All of a sudden Bob started yelling for his brother, Dave. Rob went running towards the lake.

“Pop, what’s the matter?” asked Rob.
“I got one,” Bob replied.

Well, to be honest Rob didn’t really think his dad had a fish because he was all tangled up in the weeds. The only set of weeds on the beach since we had it cleaned off and of course Bob was pulling his line right smack dab in the middle of them.

Rob took the line and started to reel the line in honestly thinking there wasn’t anything on the end of it. Suddenly, there was a large splash and a big bass came jumping out of the weeds.

“Pop, you really do have a fish, do you want to reel him in, or do you want me to do it?” Rob asked.
“Pal, I don’t think I could get him in if I tried and I sure don’t want to loose him. Get him in for me,” Bob replied.

Well, Rob reeled him in through the weeds and then came and tapped on the window holding him up for me to see. I was so surprised. How cool was that? Bob talked about that bass all night long.

Bob goes to the doctor this week, regular and neurologist. Let’s hope for some good reports. He’s been having some slight problems the last couple of weeks with his memory and behavior. Hopefully, the doctors will be able to work together to get some things worked out.

Keep him in your thoughts this week.

Nathan and Bob's Birthday Cake

2010-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

A Great Day!

2010-07-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Bob had a great birthday! Thanks everyone for sharing cards with him. He enjoyed opening cards all day long.

The family got together and we were blessed to have his grand daughter, Nancie visiting. Bob's great-grandson turns one next week so the young and old enjoyed cake and presents together.

Some things never change no matter how old you get.

The Family got together for Bob's 80th Birthday

2010-07-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

Bob's Birthday Song

2010-07-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

Family

2010-07-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

visit from old friends

2010-07-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Happy July 4th

2010-07-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s been awhile and it has been good and bad. We have had some busy months. It started off with a great visit from Charlie and Harold life long friends of Bob. In May, the three friends enjoyed a short visit by the lake talking about old times. Bob was in good spirits. He was put on an anti-depressant from his medical doctor and the first two weeks were great. He wanted to get outside and do things. He was in high spirits and we really had a good time with him.

After about two weeks, Bob started to return to his normal self, but it wasn’t as bad. We had a lot of work to do and we got him outside to help with the yard work, and painting of the house. Pat and Tina came over to help, and Bob worked hard when Pat was around.

Before we knew it, we had more company. Dave, Ronnie, and their families came to a week visit. Bob really enjoyed sitting with his brothers by the lake, fishing, and talking about old times. It was too short and fast of a week. They had to leave before we knew it, and we were all sad to see them go.

Bob was especially sad. He sat around for a week after they left feeling sorry and sad. Rob and I went to talk to the pharmacist about his anti-depressant medication. Well, low and behold the pharmacist had to pull him off of the medication due to other medications that Bob takes for Parkinson’s. The pharmacist is now researching a new anti-depressant medication that will work for Bob and trying to work with the doctors to get this problem fixed.

One thing that did boost his spirits was a visit from his grand-daughter, Christina. She arrived on July 4th for a week visit. We had a great 4th of July with food, fellowship, and a great fireworks display thanks to Pat and Tina. Since everyone was here and Christina won’t be here on the 17th for Bob’s birthday, we had a small cake and sang the traditional, “Chipley Birthday” song.

So other than being busy, and trying to keep him happy and not depressed, Bob is doing surprising well. On July 17, 2010 he will turn 80. We are very thankful he is still with us and we are still able to have some great memories with him. If you can, drop him a card with a photo for his birthday. He loves looking at memory books with all the photos of family and friends. And you know me; I have a ton of photos and memory books for him to look at.

Phooy on Earth Day!

2010-04-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Remember, he's special!

2010-04-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

We had a quiet Easter with Bob. He doesn’t do much anymore. Getting him to get up out of bed seems to be a struggle these days. There was one day that he decided to stay in bed the entire day, until Rob came home. Rob and Pat are the only ones that can motivate him now. It seems that Rob comes home at least three days a week now and sits to have a heart to heart with his dad.

His mental health is failing more and more. When he returns to the doctor in a few weeks we are going to ask for a PET scan on him. I don’t think it will give us information to help improve his quality of life, but rather it will give us the information we need to understand what he is going through.

He likes to get up in the middle of the night and wake the house up. It will be two AM and he will start calling for everyone asking, “What’s going on? What are we going to do today?” One night I sat in the hall reading my book telling him to go back to his room every twenty minutes. He was in a state of sleep walk and we were told that this is a symptom of Parkinson’s. There isn’t a medication that will stop this and he has no memory of it the next day. He tore down his curtains and rods in his room, so we put brown craft paper over his windows. I left about 12” at the top of the window to allow light in. At first we just left the windows bare, but that was really bad, since he could still see out the window. Covering the windows up stopped a lot of the confusion at night seeing lights and shadows out the window. If he pulls the paper off, it is a whole lot cheaper to replace than curtain rods that are bent in half.

Rob takes Bob outside after he gets home from work to walk around the house and the back yard. They walk around the house twice and then Bob has to sit and rest for awhile. Rob can get his dad to walk about six times around the house before he is exhausted and done. Then we sit on the back porch for awhile. The weather has been nice lately and sitting outside seeing the birds, squirrels, and ducks have been a real treat.

He misses Kentucky and his friends and relatives that he can’t see anymore. He talks of his grandchildren and asks how they are. If you think about it, try and drop him a card with a picture. He doesn’t read anymore, it’s not that he can’t see; he can’t comprehend what he has read. He will pick up an advertisement from off the table and carry it around with him for hours, looking at it, and trying to figure it out. After a few hours, I will ask him if he is done with it and after he hands it back, I will read it, or ask if he’s hungry for pizza since it was a coupon for pizza. Then he will understand what the paper was and respond. Pictures he likes. He sat one day for almost the entire day looking at old photo albums.

We got him a new chair! He kept lying down on the couch and I told Rob I was tired of fighting with him to sit up. We went and bought him a recliner. He can’t figure out how to push back with his back and lie back, so he sits up half the day and then Rob or I will walk over and push on the back and he can lean back half of the day. I honestly think he would prefer the couch, but we told him that we bought the chair special just for him.

We thought about a lift chair, but I am against it at this time. It would work with him, but Bob is the type that if you give him on inch of help, he will go for the mile. He will get to the point that he will refuse to get up without help, and he can get up. He will also play with the buttons which will be a nightmare. I know we will wind up covering up the buttons to keep him off of them. Then he will refuse to get up unless WE pushed the button. No, bad, bad, bad idea.

Remember the special one this week. He remembers all of you, it may not be all the time, but he does still remember.

2010-03-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

2010-03-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Back to his old self

2010-03-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great six days of bliss with Bob. He is now his old self again. Fighting to go outside, and arguing about everything, but he isn’t winning. That’s alright though; I will take the six days and look forward to the next six days in the future.

He hates going out and working in the yard. It’s a lot of work for him to do this. He says he wants to use the exercise bike instead. The bike is good, but we have told him it isn’t getting him fresh air and sunshine. It also isn’t getting him up and walking. While he does sit outside while he pulls weeds, he is still up and walking around a lot.

Last week, one night, he got up at midnight and decided to go through all of his drawers in his dresser. Thank God, I had already cleaned out a lot of these drawers and there wasn’t a whole lot left. I went back to his room and found him with things all over his bed. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me that he was trying to figure out what all of the stuff was. Sarah and I had to take everything out of his room that night and pile it up on the dining room table. I had to go through the rest of the stuff the next day and finish cleaning out his room. At least I got his room clean and that room is now done for the spring cleaning.

Saturday, everyone worked in the yard all day. After we were done, and resting, Rob announced that everyone needed to go inside and get cleaned up. Bob pitched a fit for getting another bath. He had just gotten one the day before, and he didn’t understand why he needed another one. We all laughed and told him he was filthy from digging in the dirt. He told us a little dirt never hurt anyone, but I told him that it would hurt the couch and he wasn’t going in and sitting on it with dirt all over him. Rob told him he would live through another bath and to get inside and get it over with. I am happy to report that he did indeed live and smelled so much better. We were all very tired Saturday evening after working so hard in the yard.

The weather here has been nice. Warm during the day and cool in the evenings. We have had some rain, but nothing horrible. All of the plants are starting to bud and when the summer finally does hit, they should be in full bloom.

Keep Bob in your thoughts this Easter and encourage him to get out and enjoy life. This is the time of year that it is perfect for getting outside and getting some fresh air. We all need to air our bones out from being cooped up all winter.

Spring is Here

2010-03-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Life is good again

2010-03-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! What a wild week this has been. Monday, was a terrible day. I honestly think it was one of the worst days I have ever spent with Bob. The weather has been nice for a few days, and so I took Bob outside to sit in the sun while Sarah and I raked leaves. We knew Bob wasn’t able to rake, but he could sit in the sun and get some fresh air.

I handed Bob a rake and tried to get him to rake around his chair. That was a disaster. He pitched a horrible fit and refused to do anything. So next I moved is chair next to a large pile of leaves so that he could help pick the leaves up and put them in the bag. Once again, he refused to do anything. Then he refused to walk for me or even stand.

It was a horrible day with tons of nasty comments until finally I blew and let him have it. I told him he was working his way towards a nursing home and I threw in a few other comments along the way also.

Rob came home from work to find a house that was totally out of control. I was on the verge of tears from anger and frustration. Sarah was afraid to move or speak, and Bob was still throwing a fit and pouting on the couch. Rob came in the house, went over to his father and sat down.

“Pop, are you giving up? Is that really what you are doing?” He asked.
“Yep,” Bob replied.

Sarah and I just stared at each other amazed that Bob was actually telling the truth. We stealthily slipped away to another room to get away from anything that might begin after that comment.

I have to tell you, that I adore my husband, because in a situation like that where most people would loose their mind and begin to yell, he is calm, but stern. He began to tell his father that he was breaking his and Tina’s heart because of his actions. He continued to talk for about 45 minutes to him, telling him to listen and not speak. After he was done with his lecture, he told him to sit and think about what he had said to him, and then he walked away.

Tuesday came and I again took Bob outside while Sarah and I raked leaves. This time while Sarah and I raked I handed Bob a broom and told him to sweep the back porch off. He stood up, and started to sweep. He continued to sweep as Sarah and I worked and we continued to praise his work. He did a fabulous job.

After we had finished working and Bob and I where sitting on the back porch, Bob told me he was sorry. He told me he had thought all night long and he had been a stubborn mule. I surely didn’t disagree with that one. I told him I was sorry for the things I had said to him in anger. We had a good talk about his actions and how he needed to do things in order to feel better about himself and for his health.

Wednesday, Pat and Tina stopped by right after Bob had gotten up. He came out and greeted them and then asked for his shoes. I went and got them and then he proceeded to pull everyone outside with him to get going on working for the day. Tina and I just laughed and were amazed at the change in him. Pat took him out and helped him rake, sweep and then pull weeds. He didn’t even want to go in after 2:00 when I told him I was tired and was done.

Thursday, Rob stayed home from work and it was a little chilly. I didn’t get him outside till after 3:00, but he swept again, while I picked up leaves. We sat on the back porch with Rob and laughed and talked. It was wonderful.

Friday, he worked again in the yard and then asked to go fishing. I got him a pole and took him to the lake. He sat and fished for over an hour. He almost got a bite, but it got away.

I can’t tell you if this will last, but please say a prayer that it does for a very long time. He is a joy to be around when he is like this. He is doing so much better, mentally and physically. And as for watching TV; in the last three days he has only watched a few shows during the day. YEAH!!!!!!!!

Bowling Feb 2010

2010-03-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Update!

2010-03-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s been awhile. Things are still the same. Time seems to run together now except for a few good days that stands out. A typical day for Bob is getting up around 10:00 and sitting on the couch until 6:00 where he then moves to the table to eat dinner. After dinner he moves back to the couch to watch a ball game until bedtime between 9 and 10. A few days out of the week Rob gets him on the bike to peddle while watching a show.

I spend the day switching out DVD’s for Bob to watch and giving him his medication on time. Oh sure, we have tried to get him to do other things; coloring, drawing, word puzzles, typing, writing with a pen or pencil. They all end up the same way, first he can’t do it, then he needs something different, like it’s not the right kind of pencil, or the right kind of pen. He couldn’t type on the computer; he needed an old fashioned kind of type writer. It’s always the same thing. We drag it all out, and then put it all back away with nothing being accomplished but a lot of arguments. He talks a good talk about wanting to do these things, but when we call his bluff and pull everything out, he suddenly can’t do it and it isn’t the right things he needs.

I sat one day with him for about 45 minutes trying to get him to type. He told me he couldn’t see the print. I made the print larger. He told me he couldn’t see the keys, I went and got a lamp. He told me he still couldn’t see the keys, I told him to point to the letters with one finger. He got every letter right. I then gave him a simple sentence to type. He got a few words out, but then stopped and said he couldn’t do it. At least he did try.

It isn’t all doom and gloom. The doctor’s say he is doing very well. He has the best blood work of anyone in the house. He has lost some weight, but we are working on getting some back on him. He doesn’t eat much anymore and we are constantly shoving food in his mouth. He is very healthy physically. Mentally, well what can I say?

We have had some good days though. Pat and Tina took Bob for a day while Rob, Sarah, and I went to the flea market. It was a wonderful day on both sides. Rob and I had a great day with Sarah and even went to dinner and a movie after the flea market. Pat and Tina took Bob to Dunkin Donuts, back to their house and then out to dinner at an Italian restaurant. After dinner they went back to their house, lit a fire in the fire place, and watched an old movie. Bob had a fabulous day mentally and physically. Pat and Tina were really pleased they were blessed with such a good day.

About two weeks latter, Pat, Tina, Sarah and I took Bob bowling. That was another fabulous day. We bowled three games and Bob threw two frames a game. He got a strike and picked up a spare. He was very pleased with himself. He uses a kid’s ball, but still has the throw down. We all laughed and had a great time hanging out with him.

A few days ago, I took Bob and Sarah to Denny’s for dinner. He was very happy about that. He had biscuits and gravy. It took him an hour to eat, but he ate every drop on the plate. Sarah and I finished our meal and then sat and talked letting him finish at his own pace. He enjoyed getting out.

The weather is finally warming up down here in Florida. We are very happy for that. I don’t mind the cold, but this year was just ridiculous they way it lingered on and was just freezing. Burrrr. Poor Bob about turned into a Popsicle. With the cold weather leaving and the warm weather moving in, Bob will be able to go outside more and get some fresh air. Hopefully, I will be able to get him out by the lake and sit a spell. If I can’t get him out I know Rob and Pat can.

Keep the one, who thinks he’s old, but has no clue as to how young he really is, in your thoughts this week. He does love hearing from everyone. His phone conversations only last about ten minutes before he starts saying good-bye. Ten minutes is better than nothing though.

2010-01-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

We made it through the holidays! Bob has had a rough two weeks, but it is finally winding down. Christmas was almost too much for him and next year we are toning things down even more with him. Smaller amounts of presents and we will let him open presents separate from the family. He got upset while we were opening presents as a group this year. It was just too much going on at one time for him.

New Years was better. We put him to bed early and he brought in the New Year snoring. We tried to do some family activities with him, but each time he got himself worked up and we wound up cancelling events to keep him calm.

We have had issues with him refusing to eat and drink again. His Parkinson’s medication is taken five times a day and it is hard on his system when he doesn’t eat anything. I was raking my brain trying to come up with ideas of how to make him eat and drink. Finally, after calling my Mother and talking it through we came up with a plan. He takes his medication five times a day. Each time he takes his pills he gets ¼ of a sandwich and a small sweet. That way he is eating and it isn’t a full meal. So he grazes all day. He still gets dinner with the family at six. We are hoping that this plan will work out for him.

Bob enjoyed all of his cards he got during the holidays. Pictures of family, small notes from friends really made him feel loved.

We hope that everyone had a great holiday and is now refreshed to return to work, and the regular routine of everyday life. Happy New Year everyone and let’s look forward to what 2010 has in store for us all.

private blog

2009-12-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

Due to a breach of privacy I am making this blog temporarily private. This means that if you receive this blog through e-mail you will still be able to get regular updates and photos of Bob. If you do not receive this blog through e-mail you may no longer be able to find the blog and get updates.

This hopefully will just be temporary. We are having to do this due to someone trying to get information about the Chipley/Macauley family. In order to keep children and Bob safe we are making this information private. We are confidant that this person will be taken care of by authorities and life will presume again as normal in just a short while.

There is a live feed on the blog that allows me to see who and where people are that view the blog. There are some people that read this blog currently that do not subscribe to it (meaning they do not receive it in an e-mail) We do apologize to those people and ask that you pass this information to family and friends of Bob.

Again we are sure this is only temporary.

He Did It!

2009-12-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

Graduation

2009-12-13T13:26:00.000-08:00

Rob walked for his graduation yesterday. For the last week, the family tried to come up with solutions on how to make the day enjoyable for Bob. Finally, after many different ideas, we decided to just bite the bullet and do the day as best we could.

Friday, we made sure that Bob got lots of exercise, rest, and was ready mentally for the big day. Saturday, we started the day at 5:30 and everyone got up, dressed, and out the door. I actually packed a suit case for Bob with everything I could think of that might be needed on the big day. Bob did great for the ride over to Melbourne, a large breakfast, and getting settled for the ceremony.

Before the ceremony, he got a little concerned about the crowd of people, and bathroom issues. We assured him that he would be fine, and we wouldn’t leave him. He was fine for the ceremony and afterwards with lots of photos. Then it was the trip home. We wanted to get back to Orlando and eat at a nice restaurant ending the day with a family dinner. Bob got himself worked up and wanted to go home. Pooh!

Well, at least he lasted half the day. We really couldn’t ask more than that. Even though I got a little miffed with the situation, I got over it as the night wore on. I thought, “Why can’t you just give your son one day?” Rob, talked to me that night and explained that his dad gave all he could and I knew he was probably right.

We dropped Sarah and Bob off at the house and Pat, Tina, Rob and I went to have a nice dinner. Then Pat and Tina surprised us with a new fire pit for the back yard. How cool was that? We sat by the fire pit, made smores, and enjoyed the last of the evening. Bob even came out and sat by the fire. It was the perfect ending to an almost perfect day!

Bob recovered from his busy day and spent Sunday watching football, his favorite pastime thing to do. We are thankful he got to attend his son’s graduation and we got some great photos and memories that will stay with us forever.

Christmas is right around the corner. We hope you all are getting your shopping done. Happy Hanukkah to everyone! May the light of God shine through each and every one of you, just like it burned for eight days in the temple.

2009-11-29T16:02:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile!

2009-11-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s been a month since I have posted about Bob’s progress. I do apologize for that. To be honest, it’s been hard dealing with things and then sitting down writing something nice about them. Oh, it hasn’t all been bad, but I won’t lie and tell you that it has all been easy.

Bob has been put on some new medications. We have paid for some, and then had to turn around and throw them in the trash because they haven’t agreed with him. That is never fun to do. Especially when they cost about $300.00 a pop, but they have finally found some that do seem to agree with him, and by luck they are generic.

He is walking better, and he is talking better. He can carry on a pretty decent conversation with you now. He still doesn’t know names very well, and struggles with remembering things. I have to watch him more because he just LOVES the bed and I catch him more and more in it these days. I told him this afternoon that I guess the new rule is going to have to be that he can’t be in his room during the day time, because he keeps getting in the bed. Sigh!

Pat and Tina are finally settled in the new house, and it is a wonderful place. They are now enjoying making it a home with all of the little touches that makes a place unique. I know that they are now starting to wind down a little and enjoy their new place.

Bob had a few surprises over the Thanksgiving holiday with a visit from his granddaughter, Nancie and his old friend Charlie. Nancie came with her husband and new baby for a short visit. Bob at first didn’t know who she was, but it didn’t take long before his memory sparked and he told everyone the next day and Nancie had stopped by. He got to hold his great-grandson, Nathan. That really made his day.

The next day, Charlie stopped in to say hello for an hour. Bob was thrilled and when he saw him outside got all excited. He sat on the couch and talked and Harold even called while Charlie was here. It would be nice some day to get the three of them together for a short while, but with money, health, and distance that is hard to do.

Bob has had a rough month with the medications not agreeing with him. He has been sick, and not agreeable. The new medication has helped a lot with this. Although, he still gets worked up if his schedule is changed. He also has to drink juice three times a day. His blood pressure is low and he dehydrates very quickly, so the Doctor prescribed the juice to help eliminate this problem. He fussed at the Doctor when she prescribed it and told her he didn’t like juice. She told him to just look at all the different tastes he was going to get to experience.

He fights me on the juice, but he has been drinking it. I have tried all different kinds and combinations with ginger ale, smoothies, and watering them down. It just boils down to the fact that he doesn’t like fruit and he has to drink it. Blah!

He occasionally, likes to get up at 3AM and be confused. He doesn’t know where he is and I have to get him back into bed. Of course he goes back to sleep; while I am up the rest of the night listening to every little creek, and sound a house makes at night. I am amazed at how many sounds there are at night. I am thankful that this is only an occasional thing and not all the time.

So overall, Bob is doing well. His blood work came back good, and he is healthy for the most part. He misses everyone and asks about you all often. Think of him this holiday season and send him a photo in a card. We have photos all over his room of friends and family and point to them often talking about names and old times. I will try and post more and keep you all informed.

Trip Out West

2009-10-25T12:34:00.002-07:00

Sarah is Home

2009-10-25T12:34:00.001-07:00

Sarah came home earlier this week! She came bouncing in the house and went straight back to Pop’s room. He matched her level of excitement and beamed with joy to see her. She shared pictures, her rock collection, brochures, and memories of her trip with us. It is so nice to have her home.

Last Wednesday, we went to the VA and he received his flu shot. At least that is out of the way. With everyone getting sick and Florida having one of the highest numbers for the flu, we don’t want him getting sick.

This week we went to get his blood work done. That took forever! We were at the lab for over an hour waiting to be called. There weren’t a lot of people there, they were just very slow.

Hopefully, we will be back at Pat and Tina’s this next week; helping them move into the new house. The light construction work is finished and now it is time to start moving in boxes. Bob will be a great supervisor for that job.

Enjoy a few of Sarah’s pictures of Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and the Bad Lands.

Helping at the New House

2009-10-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Another week

2009-10-04T16:06:00.001-07:00

Well, it’s been a good week for Bob talking to family and friends. He got to talk to all of Tina’s girls this week and that really made him feel good. Any time he gets to talk with his grandchildren always make Bob feel happy. He also was able to talk to his brothers and some friends this week.

Pat and Tina have bought a new house. They are getting it ready to move in. Painting, cleaning, and some light construction work. Bob and I have been going over to help with the painting. He has enjoyed getting out of the house and actually helping. He’s done a great job and is looking forward to us returning this week for more help.

Sarah will return home in two weeks, so the house is still very quiet with her gone. Bob gets confused with a quiet house and will come out of his room ‘looking’ for people. When she returns home he will be confused because there will be noise in the house. We miss her and can’t wait for her return home. She has had a fabulous trip.

Bob is on a new medication from the neurologist for his Parkinson’s. It appears to be working great. He doesn’t like taking it. It is a large pill and I have to cut it in half for him. He still doesn’t like it even though I cut it in half. Oh well, at least the medication is working.

Tomorrow he will get a treat seeing his granddaughter, Christina. She is coming down for a week to visit with Pat and Tina and see the new house. I know he will love visiting with her.

Wednesday, we return to the VA for a regular podiatry appointment. He always likes going to the VA.

We hope to hear from you all soon.

The New Master of the House

2009-09-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Busy Week

2009-09-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy and exciting week for Bob. Thursday, I had to take Bob with me to the eye doctor. The appointment was for me and normally, I would have left him home with Sarah, but seeing she is in Tennessee, I took him with me. He didn’t like waiting in the waiting room while I had my appointment.

We left the eye doctor and went to Lowes to buy a few odds and ends and I called Pat and Tina and asked if they would like to join us for lunch. We all met up at Steak n’ Shake, one of Bob’s favorite restaurants. Bob got a large chocolate shake and had it finished before his hamburger and fries ever reached the table. Tina asked, “Daddy, how do you drink that so fast without getting a brain freeze?” He looked at her, thought for a minute, and then replied, “I don’t know.” We all laughed.

That night Rob came home with his diploma from college. He got a kick out of showing it to his father. Bob was very proud of his son.

Friday, Rob and I had some running around to do and we dragged Bob with us. We wound up eating lunch at Sonny’s BBQ. That was another nice outing he had.

I have had trouble keeping Bob out of the bed. He seems to think that he can just lie down any time he wants now. I have told him over and over to not get in the bed unless he is sick or sleeping. He isn’t active enough to lie down all the time. He must sit up in the chair to watch TV in his room. It’s bad enough that he goes to bed at 8 PM and gets up at 9 AM. I am now constantly going back to check on him to make sure he isn’t in the bed. He is still doing his exercises, but that isn’t enough activity to keep him from getting pneumonia from lying down.

Try and give him a call this weekend. Encourage him to sit in the chair and get off his behind once in a while.

Be Very Afraid

2009-09-14T15:06:00.002-07:00

two week update

2009-09-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

It was a busy week for us. Bob’s granddaughter, Sarah, got her driver’s permit and left for a month visit with my parents in Tennessee. We had a lot of last minute running around to get done before Sarah left on Thursday.

Sarah did pass her written test and can now practice driving this next year. Beware if you are planning a trip to Florida. Keep your eyes out for a red head behind the wheel and a panicked Mom sitting beside her. Bob I think was a little sad with Sarah getting her license because he can’t drive anymore. I just keep telling him to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Sarah left for Tennessee and the house is very quiet with her gone. He was a little confused for a few days, but he seems to be back to normal now. He got to talk with a few friends this week and that made him very happy.

Pat and Tina have been over and shared a photo of his new great-grandson, Nathan. Bob is always happy to get photos. He told me the other day that it is hard to keep all the grand kids straight. I told him not to worry because I had the same problem.

We went to the neurologist on Monday. She increased his medication again. He is doing better, but still not quit there yet. We have him on a strict workout routine. He gets on the bike for 45 minutes and then works out with weights for another 15 minutes. He does this at least six days a week. This way we at least keep him moving.

Try giving him a call this week; he loves hearing from all of you.

Shopping!

2009-08-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

great report from the Doctor

2009-08-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

A good report from the regular Doctor! She was pleased and nothing was changed. He returns in three months and has to have blood work done at that time. Other than that he received a clean bill of health.

He has had his moments during the last two weeks. We finally had a melt down on getting him to move his body. Rob stepped in and informed his father that he would exercise and not complain about it. That has helped some. He had gotten to the point where he only sat in the chair, in front of the TV all day long. The only time he would get up is to go to the restroom.

Rob has changed that now and he is back on an exercise program. He rides the bike for 40-45 minutes per day and then he works out with a 5 pound ball for another 10-15 minutes. He is normally zapped after that. We are trying to slowly increase his time on the bike and add a minute or two longer on the ball. He is also bowling on the Wii some.

This last Saturday, Pat and Tina came over and we took him shopping at the mall. Sarah is getting ready for a trip to Yellow Stone with her grandparents. She needed good hiking shoes. So we all went to the mall and walked around. Bob wheeled himself, we only steered. He was really worn out after that outing. He did enjoy it though.

He received a letter from his high school friend Doris last week. He got the news on some friends. He had me put the letter in his drawer and told me he needed to send one back, but don’t count on it. He doesn’t write much at all anymore. We found out that is most likely due to the Parkinson’s. The joints in his hands get stiff and his hand writing has changed. He still enjoys getting cards and letters though.

Give the old stiff one a call this week! Talk about the old days, and the new days ahead.

Another Fabulous Week!

2009-08-17T07:24:00.002-07:00

Good report from the Doctor

2009-08-17T07:24:00.001-07:00

Bob had a great report from the neurologist. His medication was increased because he is still stooped when he walks, and doesn’t have much facial expressions. The doctor was pleased with the way Bob can stand from a chair and walk across the room. He is doing very well. Now if I can just get him to get out of the chair and move some that would be fabulous.

Sarah had a birthday this last weekend. We had fun celebrating it with her. Lesa, Bob’s niece, sent presents for Bob as well. So Sarah and Bob opened presents together. It was like Christmas. Bob got some new shorts. He needed them. Thanks Lesa for thinking of your Uncle.

Tina came over this week and cut her Father’s hair. We brought him outside and gave him chocolate donut holes while Tina cut his hair. At that moment life just couldn’t get much better. After his haircut, I told him to go shave and get cleaned up. After it was all done he looked polished once again.

Last night Pat and Tina brought Pat’s homemade lasagna over for dinner. After dinner we went outside and sat on the back porch. Bob was sharing stories about fishing on the lake, old neighbors who have long moved away, and the time he went down the river in a canoe with his buddies. They were all stories we have heard a hundred times before, but we sat, listened, smiled, and filled in the blanks when he needed help, which wasn’t that often.

Give him a shout this week. He misses you all and speaks of you all often.

Another Family Cookout!

2009-08-03T13:51:00.002-07:00

A Busy week

2009-08-03T13:51:00.001-07:00

Another busy week has come and gone. Bob became a great-grandfather and Christina came to visit all in one week. It was a lot for Bob to deal with this week.

Saturday we had a cookout with the family and a few close friends. Fireworks ended the evening with a loud bang. It was a great time for everyone. The funniest moment of the evening was when Tina and I were sitting inside having some alone, quiet time together and we looked out the window and saw Bob getting up to come inside. He had four people all crowded around him like a cocoon helping him stand and walk to the house. Tina and I about busted a gut laughing at how he had everyone fooled. He was taking baby steps and slowly walking toward the house holding onto hands that were extended helping him walk.

Now granted, Tina and I both agree he needs assistance, but FOUR people to help him inside? He was eating up the attention. It was priceless. Tina looked at me, grinned, and said, “Oh Dee does he have them all fooled or what?” I totally agreed with her. Here is a guy who just this last week was hopping up into a very large truck with almost no assistance and now he had four people helping him walk across the yard. HA!

Give the great one a ring this week. We return to the neurologist on Thursday. I am looking forward to some good news from the doctor.

Great-Grandpop

2009-07-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

Bowling on the Wii

2009-07-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Shhhhh, Don't tell Bob

2009-07-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

SHHHH….Don’t tell Bob, but he is getting better! The new medication for Parkinson’s is working. It has taken three weeks to get into his system, but we are seeing improvements. Of course Bob can’t see any improvements and if you ask him he will tell you he is still the same.

The other night Pat and Tina bought tickets for Rob and Sarah to go and see a concert of their favorite band. It was an early birthday gift for Sarah and a graduation gift for Rob. (He now has a Master’s degree) Anyways, while they went to the concert, Pat, Tina, Bob and I went to dinner. Bob got to ride in the new truck which is very high and very large. Bob stepped up and climbed into that truck without any problems at all. Tina and I both dropped our lower jaw and stared at each other.

He is also standing much better. He used to have to rock three or four times in order to stand; and now he is grabbing the bars and pulling himself up with the first try. He still has tremors and is slow moving, but he is moving a lot better. Exercise helps him a lot, but Bob doesn’t like to exercise at all. He will if we make him come out and do them, but volunteer….no way! I find that after he has been on the recumbent bike, worked with his weights, and played a few games of bowling on the Wii, that he is able to walk and stand a lot better.

He doesn’t see the improvements like the rest of us do. He wants to be healed immediately. He wants to run around the block like he did in his 20’s. That unfortunately, isn’t going to happen. He does sometimes uses that dirty word, “can’t” while we are trying to exercise. I have told him for now on, that word isn’t allowed. He has to come up with some other kind of vocabulary to express himself other than the word ‘can’t’.

We have started to slowly take him off one of the Alzheimer’s medication and it hasn’t made a bit of difference. I think one of the reasons he was having so much trouble is one of the medications the doctor’s prescribed was making him nutty. Once we took him off of that, he has slowly gotten it out of his system and is so much better now.

Christina, one of his granddaughters is coming this week for a visit from Louisiana, and his other granddaughter, Nancie, is having her first child this week. It will be an exciting week as Bob waits for photos of Nathan his great-grandson, and seeing the rest of the family for a cookout this coming weekend. Bob still had cards coming in this last week from his birthday. He so enjoyed each and every one of them.

2009-07-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

A Great Birthday!

2009-07-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Bob had a great birthday! Thank you all so much for sending him so many cards. He really enjoyed sitting and reading them all.

I spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing for the afternoon event. I made three pounds of pizza dough, and a cake. Pat, Tina, and their daughter Helen came over and we all started making pizza and celebrating. Bob had so much fun hanging out with two of his grand-daughters Helen and Sarah. After everyone had left and he was getting in bed he told me over and over how much he enjoyed sharing the day with his family. It really was the best gift we could give him.

Pat and Tina got him a new bed. He really needed one since his bed was over 30 years old and was falling apart. He hadn't been sleeping well, so they decided it was time. A new bed with matress and box springs. That meant all new sheets and comforter also. He was all set up when it was all said and done. It is a beautiful bed that will last him a long, long while. What a great gift.

Dave, Lois, and Lesa came down and spent a few days with Bob and spent the day at Sea World with him. That was the best gift ever! He loved spending time with them and told me how much fun he had at the theme park with his family. What a special gift.

The cards everyone sent were fabulous. As Bob opened all of his cards and read each one we all laughed and made jokes after each one. And then he opened a card from an old friend from high school. Doris had sent him a card. He opened the envelope, read the front, and then opened the card. Silence. Tina and Rob both leaned toward their father. Pat and I both asked, “What does it say?” Silence. And then Tina spoke, “There’s a lot of writing, from all kinds of people. Here Daddy, let me help you with the names,” and she began reading messages from friends far away.

We all stood in awe and silence for a brief moment, touched that he has a network of love from near and far and that network spreads out further than we can imagine. It takes a small moment like that to make you smile. We smiled for Bob because he was happy, we smiled for his friends who were thinking of him, and we smiled for ourselves because we knew it was a good moment.

Enjoy his highlights from his birthday! We had a great time and sure wish you all could have been with us.

The One that Got Away

2009-07-11T08:13:00.001-07:00

Send a Birthday card

2009-07-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Send Bob a Birthday Card! His 79th birthday is July 17, 2009. We would love for him to receive lots of cards in the mail. He loves funny cards. The funnier the better! If you need an address shoot me an e-mail and I will be happy to send it to you. If you add a photo in the card that would be awesome! Dchipley1@yahoo.com

Bob has had a great time with his brother, Dave, and his family this weekend. I give you photos of, “The one that got away,”

Enjoy!

It's not Alzheimer's

2009-07-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

It’s Parkinson’s disease! He was misdiagnosed all of this time. We went to the neurologist on Thursday and she had him diagnosed within an hour. We were amazed at what she pointed out to us.

He has NOT been having mini strokes, NOR does he have Alzheimer’s disease. He does have a loss of memory and has trouble with speech. That is all symptoms of Parkinson’s.

So the treatment now is that he has to be slowly weaned off of the Alzheimer’s medication. He has started a new medication and been removed from one of the Alzheimer’s medication. The others will be removed over the next few months.

He is also having home therapy. This will help him with walking, eating, and daily things like getting dressed. We have been told that once the new medication gets in his system we will start to see a big change in him.

Parkinson’s is a very touchy disease and while it is treatable there is no cure for it. Stress and change in schedule will agitate the disease. So we are still asking for no bad news to be shared with Bob. Each time he has bad news there is a decline in his condition and that is a classic symptom of Parkinson’s disease.

The disease is not hereditary and they are not sure what brings the disease out, but the trauma from his neck injury is most likely what brought this on.

Bob has been in a much better mood since the doctor visit. While he still is not sure what is wrong with him, he knows that Rob and I were thrilled with the news and so that made him feel so much better. As a caregiver to Bob I am so happy to finally have some answers. I now know why he is having trouble walking, and I can stop fussing at him, and start helping him. There are a lot of things that make sense now and finally a light is at the end of the long tunnel.

Rob and I both know that the tunnel is a long one and at Bob’s age this recovery is not going to be easy. With prayer and a lot of hard work I know that Bob will have a good road ahead.

Hanging out with Family

2009-06-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Driving

2009-06-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

Bob had to sign the truck over to Rob this week. It has been in his name all this time. We have tried to switch insurance from Bob to Rob, but we couldn’t do that because of the title. We have avoided this because we knew Bob would not take this well. We were right.

Bob’s birthday is fast approaching on July 17 and the tags are due on the truck. Rob finally said enough time had passed we needed to transfer the title. After filling out the paper work the last thing we needed was Bob’s signature. Rob handed me the form and told me to go get his signature. I took the form, rolled my eyes, and told him to at least come stand in the doorway to help support what I was about to explain to Bob.

I reluctantly, carried the form back to Bob’s room and started the explanation. I asked him if he drove anymore and he told me no, but he felt like he could still drive. He told me that he didn’t think he would have any trouble behind the wheel of a car. I sighed. “Well, that might be true, and you might be right in how you feel, but the doctor’s have told us that you can’t drive anymore. The doctors have all written on your medical files that you shouldn’t drive, and we have to honor what they are telling us,” I told him. He agreed that the doctors had told him he shouldn’t drive.

He finally agreed to sign the truck over to Rob and signed the form. I told him he was welcome to gift the truck to any of his children or grandchildren, but the truck would leave the house if he did that. He told me no, he wanted the truck to go to his son. “My boy has the truck, and drives it, and I still get to see it every day,” he told me.

After the form was signed, Rob sighed with relief, we left Bob in his room. It wasn’t long before he came out to find me to talk. He told me he felt old and worn out. I laughed and turned to look at him. “Pop, do you remember the last time you drove a car?” I asked.

“No, I don’t remember,” he said. “I know it has been a long time.”
“Well, I remember the last time you drove,” I told him.
“You do? When?” He asked.
“It was when Sarah was in the eighth grade and needed to take a test at the middle school. I was working and couldn’t get her there. You took her to the school and went back to pick her up. The school is less than two miles from the house. And that was almost two years ago now. That was the last time you drove anywhere.”
He stood there thinking, nodding his head in agreement.
“Pop, even though you may want to drive, there really isn’t a reason for you to drive. Where is it that you would like to go that Rob and I can’t or won’t take you?” I asked.
“Kentucky,” he answered. “I would like to return to Kentucky.”

Home, I thought. He wants to go home. Home; the place that is rooted in our hearts, the place that we can smell in our dreams. We all want to return to that place we know as home. I sighed and told him that I thought he would have some visitors soon from Kentucky. His brother, Dave is coming soon.

Wish us luck at the doctors this next week. Give Bob a shout this week and tell him driving isn’t all that great anymore. Too many cars on the road; and all those other drivers drive like idiots.

A Great Father's Day

2009-06-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Father’s Day! Bob had a great Father’s day. It started out that he slept in till almost noon. I got him up and out on the exercise bike. We put in Dick Tracy and Rob sat on the couch while his father peddled. They watched the serial together and talked about the actors, the old cars, and the show. It was a nice time for father and son to spend a few hours.

That afternoon Pat and Tina came by for a visit. Pat’s Mother, Matti, had made a quilt for Bob. It is a beautiful piece of art. The workmanship in this quilt is beyond words. It truly was a labor of love. Bob opened it and we put it on his bed. He didn’t leave it there though. When it was time for bed he carefully folded it and laid it aside so nothing would happen to it. I put it in one of his drawers for safe keeping. I am thinking about getting a quilt hanger to display it in his room. That way he will get to enjoy it year round.

After the gifts were given we all went outside and sat by the lake to talk. Bob came outside on his own, to sit with us. It was nice having him there. We talked about anything and everything. Johnny and his family showed up to do some fishing and we sat and watched his family row around the lake pulling in fish after fish. I guess we watched them pull in about fifteen all together. They didn’t keep any of them, they threw them all back. Each time they threw one back I yelled, “That one was big enough for my frying pan! Don’t throw that one back in the lake.”

Around eight that evening Pat and Tina took off and it wasn’t too much latter that Johnny and his family left also. Bob had a great time watching the guys fish and visiting with his son and daughter. I can’t think of a better way to spend Father’s day.

I hope the rest of the Father’s out there got to spend some time with your children or at least got the hear from a few of them. Give him a shout this week and ask him about fishing.

This week in pictures

2009-06-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

Finally, an appointment with a specialist

2009-06-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Bob has an appointment with a neurologist on July 2nd. We are so happy we finally have an appointment with a specialist.

The new medication did not work well at all. For four nights we tried it and had the same results each night. He wasn’t sleeping, he turned ugly and mean, and was not very pleasant. So that medication was given a large “X” on the lid and set aside.

I made him go outside and sit for a few hours this week. At first he told me he didn’t want to go outside, but I told him if he wanted his lunch he was to eat it outside. “We’re having a picnic.” I told him.

After he ate his sandwich I handed him a small bowl of peanuts and told him to open them. He told me he didn’t like nuts. “That’s alright. You don’t have to eat them. I want you to open them and then throw them on the ground for the squirrels to eat.” I told him he needed to do things with his hands and this would be good for him. He started throwing the peanuts on the ground without opening them and I had to pick them up and hand them back to him. He fussed that they were too hard to open. I showed him how to press on the seam of the peanut to get it open. Well, he finally sat there and opened the rest of the peanuts and threw them on the ground. It was worth feeding the squirrels just to have him doing something with his hands.

He “fell” again this week. I wouldn’t call it a fall really, but more of a kneel. He went to sit in his chair and sat in it sideways, and more or less kneeled to the floor. He came out of his room telling me that he was hurt. I looked him all over and told him I saw nothing. He told me to hang on a moment and he would go back to his room and get some blood.

I followed him back to his room, looked him over, talked about how he “fell”, and then suggested he get cleaned up. After he got cleaned up he felt better. The next morning he tried and tried to find a bruise somewhere from his fall, but try as he might, alas there wasn’t a single bruise that appeared. Every bruise he tried to point out I sadly had to tell him it was old. I do think he was a little disappointed in not having any battle scars.

Rob and I went to the medical supply store and bought a few more hand rails, and a rail for his bed. That way he can hold on to something to pull himself up and support himself when he sits down. He was all confused when we installed them on Saturday, but he will get the hang of them in a few days.

Tina, Bob’s daughter, and her husband Pat bought a new truck this week. They brought it over for us all to see. It sure is perrrrty. It has that nice ‘new car’ smell. It has so many buttons and gadgets on it, I couldn’t begin to tell you what they were all for. Before long they will have a car that you sit in, state your destination, and the vehicle will drive you where you want to go.

Well, Bob may think that his driving days are over, but I am here to inform you all, that he does just fine with driving us nuts daily. Give him a ring this week and ask him how the magic are playing….the first game with the Lakers wasn’t very good.

Information for upcoming visitors

2009-05-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is a small note since the summer is here. There are many people that are planning their summer trips and want to come and visit with Bob. Rob and I are delighted that he is going to have so many visitors this summer. Please remember that I work three days a week and our daughter stays with her Grandfather those days. We ask that there be no visitors those three days of the week. Bob calls me the warden because he says I make the rules for him, but honestly, this request, is more for the safety of our daughter than it is a rule for Bob.

Also, Bob has a very hard time with days and the sense of time. So if you tell him you are planning on paying a visit, like a small child he can’t remember when that date is and worries that it is very near, when it is weeks away. He remembers you are coming and he is excited about your visit, but he can’t comprehend when your visit may be. On a good day, he has no problems with dates, on a bad day, it is every twenty minutes he is asking when an appointment is coming up.

Bob has a one week calendar in his room that we write on when something important is coming up. That way we can mark the days off so he can see when the event is near. Please let Rob and I know when you get your vacation plans finalized and we will mark them on our calendar and then the week before your visit we will mark it on Bob’s calendar. That way he will not be confused to when and who is coming to visit.

We look forward to seeing so many of you this summer, and hope you all have a safe trip down.

Burdens

2009-05-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Doctor Visit

2009-05-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

Bob went to the doctor Friday. When I explained that we were having trouble with sun downing and night issues she looked at me and said, “Well, I think it is time for a nursing home.” I looked at her and said, “That is not an option.” She looked at me and said, “Then what about assisted living?”

“He already lives in assisted living,” I replied. She looked at me blankly. She then looked back at his chart. “He lives at home with his son, my daughter, and me. We provide his meals, baths, medicine, help him get dressed, and take him to appointments. He already lives in assisted living.” I answered calmly. “May I ask you why you think he needs a nursing home?” I asked.

She looked at me and replied, “Well, it is apparent that he is a burden to your family.”

Now, this is when I about came off the chair. How dare this woman speak about Pop in front of him like he was a rag doll that needed to be recycled. In a society that throws everything away and gets everything new, I believe we have lost the regard for human life.

I took a deep breath, looked the doctor straight into her eyes, and replied, “Was not his son a burden to this man when he was young? Did he not have to work extra hours to pay for things for his son? Did he not have to give certain things up for his family as they grew? Was that not a burden to him as a young man? He has earned my respect and devotion because without this man I would not have a husband. He is not a burden to me, but a life that deserves my attention.”

I then went on to inform the good doctor that I wanted a referral to a neurologist. She was reluctant, but knew I would not give up until she gave it to me. I do not have that appointment yet, hopefully I will be able to make the appointment Monday.

She did give him a new prescription for sun downing. It seemed to work the first night. The second night we had problems again. So it is a hit and miss with this medication. I don’t think we will get it straight until we see the specialist.

This current doctor wants to see him in August for another regular appointment. Part of me says ‘phooey’ on this doctor. I wouldn’t want him to be a burden to her. The other part says, she is a doctor and needs to see him and to just wait till we see the specialist and go from there.

This week I give you a collection of photos of all the ‘burdens’ Bob has had throughout his life. Isn’t it wonderful that he never gave up on any of them? When Bob needs 24 hour ‘nursing care’ we will know, and he will be placed in a facility that will care for him, that time is a long ways off.

Sea World May 2009

2009-05-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 21, 2009

2009-05-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Bob has taken another downward turn. The first week after his Mother’s death he seemed to handle the news well. Although it bothered me that he really showed no emotion. He only twice got a little tearful while talking with his brother, Dave, or his niece, Lesa. Other than that he really did not show any feelings at all. The second week is another story though.

Bob started acting out on the weekend telling us that the pipes in his room were leaking; there was water on the floor, he was seeing people again, the list goes on and on. These all happen in the evening after 4PM. On one occasion I was talking with Tina, Bob’s daughter, on the phone when he had such an episode. She listened as I talked Bob through the event. She couldn’t really do much, but asked me to call her if I needed anything.

The days went on and on Monday Sarah had issues with him while I was at work, and then that night he really acted out with me. I had finally hit my breaking point and stayed home from work Tuesday and phoned the Doctor. They told me his regular doctor was of course on vacation and I wouldn’t be able to get him in for a week. I asked to speak to the case worker and explained to her my situation. She has been following Bob’s case since before he broke his neck. She spoke to the doctor on call and told me to try increasing one of his medications. I did.

Wednesday morning I get up, get ready for work, go to tell Sarah bye, and look down the hall at Bob’s room. I always check on him before I leave. It is like a Mother checking to make sure the children are still in bed. Bob wasn’t in bed. Instead he was up, bed made, sitting in his chair, TV blaring, looking at me standing in the doorway stunned. “Hey, what’s on the agenda?” he asked me.

Holy Toledo, I thought to myself. Normally, this man sleeps till 10:00 and then you have to go and wake him up. Here it is 6:30 and he is wired. I walked in, sat on his bed, and started talking to him. I asked him how he was, what was he watching, what would he like to do today, simple questions. Normally, he would not be able to answer these questions. He would stumble and trip over his own words. Not this morning! He answered every question and even asked me some questions to go along with mine. It was great!

I got his coffee, called my work, told them I needed the day off. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Sarah with him when he was totally out of character. She is very good with him, but when he is unpredictable, that is not good at all.

As the morning progressed he was more and more alert. I asked if he would like to go to Sea World for the day. His eyes sparkled and he told me yes. I got him ready, called Pat and Tina and asked if they would like to join us. They started to say yes, but remembered they had other priorities they needed to fulfill and told me to be very careful and if I need them they were a phone call away.

Sea World was a hit and miss. We only stayed a few hours. We had good experiences and some bad ones. We left after a few hours, picked up lunch, and came home. After arriving home I called Tina to let her know how the day was progressing and telling her I was glad I stayed home from work today because I didn’t feel right about leaving him with Sarah. Right at that moment Sarah yelled for me to come that Pop had fallen. I threw the phone to Sarah and ran back to Bob’s room. He was lying on his left side propped up with his elbow looking at me. I yelled down the hall to Sarah telling her to tell Aunt Tina and Uncle Pat to get to the house. Tina and Pat were at the house in less than five minutes.

Bob was embarrassed and told me he didn’t need Pat and Tina. I explained to him that it was either them or 911. I could not get him off the floor without help and I need people who would be able to tell if something was broken. He could easily have a hairline fracture in his hip and not know it till we started moving him.

Pat and Tina got there, came straight back to the room and the language of love started flowing. Pat squatted down so that he was on the same level with Bob. For about fifteen minutes he stayed in that position talking to Pop and asking him questions. Pat was in a horrible motorcycle accident the same time that Bob last year broke his neck. They two accidents actually happened on the same day. Pat has extreme vertigo as a result from that accident. He has gone through endless therapy sessions learning how to deal with his condition.

After Pat felt that Bob was alright to get up off the floor, Pat and Tina lifted him up while I checked him over. He had a scrape on his elbow and a small scrape on his knee. Other than that he seemed fine. Pat then worked with Pop for another ½ hour teaching him how to walk without getting dizzy. One thing Pat did point out is that Bob had too many patterns in the room. His bed spread and rugs were too busy. We changed the bedspread to a solid and today we are going to change the rugs in his room.

Bob has a doctor appointment this next Wed. in the morning. I am hoping that we can straighten out his medication and hopefully get him into a specialist at that time. I can’t thank Pat and Tina enough for their help this week. I don’t think I could have done it without them.

Since Bob does not handle stress well these days we are asking people to only share happy things with Bob. Please no news of death, sickness, fights in the family, etc. etc. It is apparent that these things bother him on a level that we can not help him on. Please feel free to pass important news on to Rob, Tina, Pat and I and we will choose to share the information with Bob or hold it for a future date.

A small report

2009-05-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

There isn’t a whole lot to report on with Bob. He went to the dentist this last Thursday. He had a filling that needed fixing. The dentist told me that Bob doesn’t brush his teeth well and he doesn’t clean his dentures. I knew this, but besides brushing his teeth for him, I really don’t know what to do. The dentist told me that as long as we get him in every three months for a deep cleaning he should be alright. We just don’t want to have to pay for a new set of dentures.

Bob doesn’t do much of anything anymore. It is getting harder and harder for me to take him places. Because of that I have to wait for Rob to help me take him places.

Rob has been playing with Johnny and this last week the band played at the Harley Davidson dealership here in Orlando. Pat and Tina, Rob’s sister, came out and joined in on the festivities. They had some BBQ and some great hot weather. It sure seems a lot hotter this year from last.

Bob is wearing gloves on his hands now. The gloves cover his hands up so that he doesn’t pick at age spots and cause sores. He tells me that he actually like the gloves because they keep his hands warm and his fingers poke out so he can still use his hands. I was a little afraid he would take them off, but he says he likes them and keeps them on all the time. They were very inexpensive and I bought a dozen pairs so I keep them changed out quite a lot.

I don't have any new pictures to post this week. It has been hard without my computer. We are hopeful to have my computer back and running in a week or two.

Thanks to everyone who sent Bob sympathy cards this last week. He enjoyed getting mail. I have them set around his room.

Leaving behind a legacy

2009-04-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Bob’s mother passed away this morning. She was 97 years old. I had to tell him the sad news. I went back and told him it was time to get up, opened his curtains and let the light in his room. He got up, helped me make his bed, and sat in his chair with his coffee.

“Pop, I got a phone call from Kentucky this morning,” I said.
“Oh? Was it bad news?” He asked.
“Well, MaMaw passed away this morning around three o’clock. She went in her sleep, and Dave, Lois and Lesa were all with her.” I told him.

He sat in silence. I let him sit for a few moments taking in what I had just told him. No matter how old you are, you never want to hear the words that the one who brought you into this world and loved you unconditionally has passed away.

After awhile I filled him in on details how she went peacefully in her sleep, and the funeral would be fast. I then suggested he call some friends and family to let them know.

I could tell you some funny storied about Bob’s Mother. I could tell you how she made the best snicker doodle cookies and was famous for her pecan pie. I could tell you stories about how Lesa, her granddaughter would find her asleep in her chair with her open Bible across her lap and under the Bible was an open romance novel.

I could tell you how her brother would visit and she would insist that there was orange juice in the house because her brother loved orange juice, but the rest of the family knew the orange juice was spiked. She outlived all of her siblings and she was the eldest of them all.

But the one thing in my opinion that this woman leaves behind is her legacy of faith. She was a woman of great faith. When ever MaMaw came to visit things got cleaned up. It wasn’t just about taking the vacuum out and dusting off the furniture. It went beyond the house; people would start cleaning their own lives out. Language was cleaned up, dress was more conservative, and things you ate and drank were even changed.

How could one small woman have such an impact on such a large group of people? It was her faith in God that mattered. She had such a faith that could never be altered. You could never convince MaMaw that beer was actually good for you in moderation. She would never believe you because the scriptures taught in Ephesians 5:18 “be not drunk in wine”. You couldn’t budge her faith in God’s word.

Because of her strong faith, people would change around her. They acted better, dressed better, and talked better. Her faith reached beyond her small world and influenced other lives. It was her faith in Jesus Christ being the son of God that took her through her daily walk in this world. When she was able to get around, you knew that every Sunday she could be found at the Baptist church because her faith told her to worship.

I am happy to tell you that she died this morning in faith. What a legacy she has left us all with. At the age of 97 she carried her faith with her and there is no doubt that she is right now in the presence of her blessed Lord. Margaret Chipley influence more people than she will ever know. The mere knowledge of her coming visit had an impact on people’s lives. And that impact did not stay within the family circle. If you had someone visit the home while she was there, you would warn them ahead of time to clean up their act.

We need more Margaret Chipley’s in the world. We will miss her dearly; I hope that you all think of her often and remember her faith.

Parks are great!

2009-04-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

Pie Festival

2009-04-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

It was a trip to the Doctor last week. Bob got a very good report. He is physically fine. His weight, blood, and over all physical health is great.

He was assigned a new Doctor. The office has experienced a few set backs and have lost a few doctors. We were having trouble getting some of his medications filled. Everything was resolved and we are currently pleased with his new doctor. Let’s hope it remains this way.

On Sunday, we went to the park to fellowship with some friends. When people started greeting everyone they of course doted over him. They asked him how he was doing and Bob waved his hand side to side to indicate fair. They told him that he looked great and asked him if we were taking good care of him? He replied, “Yeah, for the most part.”

I cracked up laughing. Rob looked at his father and asked, “Did you just say ‘for the most part’?” How funny. Out of the mouths of babes, I believe is the old saying. You just never know what will be said next.

Rob had a gig with weekend in North Florida with Johnny Bulford. He was off to a fantastic county music festival for four days. Sarah and I stayed home with Bob. I took Bob and Sarah to the great American Pie Festival that is held here in Celebration, Florida. I was looking forward to it.

Bob started out with the typical “woe is me” attitude. We stopped for lunch at Denny’s and he wasn’t any better. I fussed like I normally do telling him to embrace life, blah, blah, blah.
We get to the festival and Bob refuses to try any pie and doesn’t want to even look at the pies. The main event is a long road full of booths on both sides of the road. For one price you may go down the road and get free samples of pies. It can’t get much better than that. The thing is you can’t get into the event unless you have a wrist band on.

Bob refused to eat anything. He informed me he didn’t like pie. I told him they had chocolate pie and he still told me no. I told him they had peanut butter pie and he still said no. Well there was no way I was going to pay for him to just be pushed down the isle and so we left and walked around the park there in town.

When we walked back to the car I turned and looked one last time towards the tents holding all the different kinds of pies. I smelled the air and looked towards heaven, “Lord?” I asked, “I know you’re telling me I don’t need the pie, but did I have to drive all the way here for you to tell me that?” Sigh, well at least we had a nice walk around the park.

Give the grumpy one a call this week, and for heavens sake don’t ask him about the pie festival……

The day the Tree Fell Down

2009-04-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Nancie's Visit

2009-04-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

What a Week!

2009-04-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a week! It started with a special visit from Bob’s granddaughter, Nancie. She was only down for one day, but we were very thankful she came by to see us for a few hours. She came with great news, SHE’S PREGNANT! Bob is going to be a Great-grandfather. How exciting.

There was more news, IT’S A BOY! With all girls in the family it will be nice to spoil a boy for a change. And she is due right around Bob’s birthday in July. Who knows, maybe Bob will get a special birthday gift this year.

Nancie couldn’t stay long and this is the last time she was allowed to travel so we won’t get to see her for a long time. We pray that she has a happy and healthy boy this summer.

Tuesday, we couldn’t let the week go by without more excitement. The neighbor across the street had a very large oak tree in her front yard. Half of it fell and landed in front of our house. What a mess. All the power and cable lines came down. Sarah was great and called 911 to report it. The fire department was there right away. Bob couldn’t figure out what had happened, Sarah told him the tree had fallen.

They called me and told me to bring home dinner since I couldn’t cook anything. When I got home Bob was sitting on the couch watching all the excitement out the window. I knew we would be sitting in the dark soon so I quickly fed everyone. The power company told us we would be without power for quite a while so I had Bob call everyone so he would have something to do.

Bob told everyone we had a storm that made the tree fall. Not really. It didn’t even rain. It was a little windy that day, but not enough to push a large oak down. The tree was just old and had some rot in it. It was just one of those things. After Bob called everyone he kept asking to watch the game on TV. We had to keep telling him over and over that there wasn’t any electricity. He looked out the window and told us that there was a light on across the street because it kept blinking. That was the light on the power truck.

We tried to keep him talking about different things. He told us that Harold told him why he keeps forgetting things. We asked him what Harold had said, and he shared the following story with us.

“When I was young,” he said. “I used to have a blanket that my Mother gave me. I would take that blanket everywhere I went, and when ever I could, I would take it out and use it like a cape. I would yell ‘Shazam’ and pretend that I was Captain Marvel.

One day out on the playground, Harold and I were out playing ball. Harold was up to bat and I was catcher. I had my special cape on. Harold went to hit the ball and I stood up at the same time and he hit me in the head with the bat. He said that I got one step in before I went down, out cold.”

Rob and I laughed and laughed with the image of a small boy with his special blanket tied around his neck. I am sure Bob thought that blanket would protect him from everything. Rob told his dad that he thought that happened too long ago to affect him now. I told him maybe Harold was the one who knocked some sense into his head.

After we talked for a long time, Bob kept asking for the TV to be turned on. I suddenly, realized that we did have a radio and went for the batteries. I turned the ‘magic’ basketball game on and told Bob, he could listen to the game. Rob and I went and laid down, Sarah went to her room, and Bob was sitting on the couch.

Before we knew it, the lights came on. Rob and I had fallen fast asleep. It was way past 9:30 I woke up and jumped out of bed. I looked out in the living room and Bob was still sitting on the couch, in the exact same spot, still listening to the game. I told him it was time for bed and I could turn the TV on for him and he could finish the game in his room. He was very happy to hear that.

Christina got off to Louisiana without any problems on Wednesday. Bob sure is going to miss his grandchildren. He loved it when they would come by and visit him. They will have to call him regularly…hint….hint.....nudge…..nudge…..girls!

Our Perfect Family

2009-04-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Saying Goodbye to a Granddaughter

2009-04-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

It really wasn’t a busy week, but it sure felt like it. Bob went to the VA on Friday, and we discovered that his VA doctor is leaving and he will be assigned a new doctor. So we are once again doing the waiting game on getting an appointment with the VA. He saw the podiatrist and he had a good report with no complications.

Saturday, we had the family over for a cook out. Bob’s granddaughter, Christina, is leaving for Louisiana on Wednesday. This cook out was a time for the family to sit, reflect, and cherish the moments we have with one another. It is times like these that we realize how fast time flies, and how we need to really cherish the time we have with friends and family.

Bob once again benefited from the visit of family. We all sat by the lake and enjoyed the great Florida weather. Bob was having a great day and shared stories, had some great comebacks from conversations going on around him. He had everyone laughing.

I think the highlight of the night was when he was tired and was ready for bed. Christina and I went in to give him his nightly medications and chocolate milk. Christiana was sitting on the bed with him, telling him she loved him and she promised to come back and see him soon. Bob looked at his granddaughter and said, “You better, because a Chesnick always keeps his promise.”

Christina and I looked at each other a little confused. I looked at Bob and asked, “What’s a Chesnick?”
He replied, "I am."
I looked confused. "You are?" I said.
Bob tugged at his shirt and said, “Me, Robert Chesnick.”
Christina and I started laughing, “Chipley, silly, your name is Chipley!” I said.
“Oh, yeah, right, Chipley.” he replied.

We had a good laugh.

I was glad Bob had a good day to spend with his granddaughter. I know he will miss her, and we wish her all the best in her new life.

So whether you wish to speak to Mr. Chipley, or Mr. Chisnick, give Bob a call this week, I am sure one of them will be available to talk.

Spending the day with Pooh!

2009-03-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

Family is the best medicine

2009-03-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

Bob got a treat from his daughter Tina this last weekend. Rob and I wanted to attend the bluegrass festival in Fort Christmas. Bob does not like country music at all and would have had a horrible time. Rob called his sister and asked if she would visit for the day while we went to the festival. She was delighted to help.

I told Bob that Tina was coming to visit Saturday evening when he was going to bed. He was happy to hear the news. He sat on the edge of the bed and said, “Tina Marie”. I said, “Yep, that’s her name.” He nodded his head yes, that was indeed her name. And he crawled into bed.

Pat and Tina arrived early in the morning with donuts and coffee. What a great treat for Bob. He came out all dressed and ready for the day and had donuts waiting for him. He was happy already. I ran through the typical dos and don’ts with Tina and then Sarah, Rob, and me got in the car and left.

I must confess I was a little nervous. I felt like a mother leaving her child for the first time. It was a silly feeling, but it was still there. Rob joked with me in the car.

At the festival the phone rang and I grabbed it after two rings. Pat and Tina wanted to take Pop to lunch.

“Do you have a spare key to they house anywhere?” Tina asked.
Silence, and then I started laughing. Of course there wasn’t a spare key to they house. Why would we think of such a thing?
“Leave the back door unlocked,” I said. “You won’t be gone long and no one ever goes to that door.”

I made a mental note…make a spare key for Tina.

It was a great day at the bluegrass festival. We heard great music, saw some crafts, and ate some scrumptious BBQ.

When we got home around 4:30 we entered a house that was full of happy people. Pat and Tina both said they couldn’t believe how fast the day went.

“It seemed to just fly by,” they both said. “We sat and talked all morning long about old times. We talked about Smokey, the cat, Rob playing his guitar in his room with all of his friends. We kept saying, ‘get out of my room’ which was a popular phrase when the kids were young.”

Bob sat on the couch with Christina grinning from ear to ear. He had been out of his room all day. They had lunch at Fire House Subs where Christina works. He had a full, fun day with family. It was the best medicine for him.

The funniest story Pat and Tina shared about the day was when they took him to lunch. Every time he eats his nose runs. His sinuses open up and it is like turning on a faucet. Tina handed him a napkin and told him to wipe his nose. He did wipe his nose and then he took the napkin, looked at it, gestured to Tina to look, and said, “Would you look at that, it looks like a man riding a horse.”

Bob had a full day and was in bed snoring by 9:00. Bob was in a great mood for the whole next week. Family really is the best medicine.

No Cavities!

2009-03-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Watching the game

2009-03-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Bob can’t work the TV remote anymore. He is constantly changing the channel. He used to come out and ask us to find the ball game for him, but he doesn’t do that anymore. Now, he just keeps hitting different buttons until finally he stops and waits for someone to come to his room.

A few nights ago I entered his room to find him watching a drama. A lady was in a hospital bed hooked up to all kinds of tubes and she was clearly dying. A man was at her side and they were sharing her last moments together. I asked Bob, “What are you watching?”

“The ball game,” he relied.
“Really!” I answered, as I grabbed the remote to change the channel. “What is the score and what is going on?” I asked.
“Well, you see, that lady that you saw she had to guess the score of the game, and if she gets it right she wins all kinds of money.” He said.
“How cool is that?” I replied.
“Yeah, I thought it was good also.” He said, and at that moment the ball game came on the TV. “You see, there is the game now, they are starting to play again.”

Now remember, I just changed the channel to the sports network.

“Yeah, let’s see what the score is…” I told him.
He got up, moved closer to the TV and pointed to the score. “That 48 is one of the numbers that lady picked and I think she is going to win now.” He said.
“Maybe, it is only the third quarter, so she may loose her numbers, but who knows. Let’s hope she wins. She looked like she was in the hospital so she probably has a lot of bills.” I told him.
“You know, I think your right,” he said.

I left the room and went in our bedroom to see Rob, I told him we had a new game to play. We turned off the sound on the TV and clicked on different channels and linked all of the shows together into one story. The problem was that our story wasn’t as nice as Bob’s. Maybe we are too connected with the world still and can’t detach ourselves from it.

Sarah and I detached ourselves on Friday and went to Sea World for part of the day. Rob stayed home with his Father and let Sarah and I get away. We need some time without him.

Bob went to the dentist on Thursday. He has to return to see the doctor. He has a filling that needs fixing and a wire on his dentures needs adjusting. Other than that he had a good report.

Well with the government in the shape that it is I am glad Bob is detached from it. It seems with all the gloom from the news and the rest of the world I don’t know if I should look towards the heavens, or crouch to the ground waiting for God’s wrath to pour out. Maybe I am to do a little of both.

Whether you are standing tall or crouching down, give him a call this week end, he would love to hear from you all.

The Falling Leaves

2009-03-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

march madness

2009-03-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

March madness is in the air and we are feeling it. Bob is having a hard time keeping up with all of the games, and we are having a hard time keeping up with activities. Between festivals, and every day activities we are going strong.

Last week Rob played with the band at a Wing Festival. I took Bob so he could watch Rob play. He may tell you that Rob sang, but that isn’t true. Rob plays lead guitar and Johnny is the only singer. Bob enjoyed watching the band, eating hamburgers and getting out of the house.

A few days latter I took Bob to a Chocolate Festival. Sarah was studying time management and wasn’t able to go with us. She stayed home with her father and it was just Bob and I. Bob loves chocolate and I knew he would enjoy this festival. It wasn’t very big and was a little costly, but the main thing is that he saw, he ate, and he was happy. He even called his niece, Lesa to tell her where he was and share the news with her.

This week we have had fun raking the leaves in the back yard. We have a lot of oak trees and when the leaves fall they cover the whole yard. We have been raking and filling bags for a few days now. Bob has tried to keep up with us. It hasn’t been easy for him. We have had to make him stop a number of times and rest.

I took him shopping with me today and he got his hair cut. When the hairdresser made a comment about how hot the weather was he told her not to fear because it was getting down to the thirties tonight. Oh, how I wish. I think the cold weather is gone and it went straight from winter to summer in one night.

One symptom we have been battling with is Bob has developed Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or better known as OCD. This isn’t bad; it is just something we have to deal with. One example: he had a small place on the back of his hand. It was a place that you or I would never even bother with. Bob however, fixates on this spot and rubs or picks at it until it becomes a sore. Once it is a sore, then he has to continue to pick or rub it until it becomes bigger. So, I have to constantly tell him to leave it alone, or I have to find a way to cover it up while still letting it scab and heal properly.

Another example: It may take him an hour to make his bed in the morning because he can not have any wrinkles in the bed at all. If someone comes in and sits and the bed, that is fine, but as soon as you leave he will be up and straighten the bed again.

And last: he may brush his teeth four times in one day. It isn’t that he has forgotten he has brushed them; he isn’t sure he has done it right and wants to make sure he has cleaned them properly. The same goes for shaving.

A good article on this is at http://www.caregiver.com/channels/alz/articles/ocd_in_elderly.htm

Bob has had a good couple of weeks, full of activities, and work. Give him a ring this weekend and share with him some of the things you have been doing and try to get him to tell you about his activities as well.

Will Wheel for Sweets

2009-03-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

Refused to Bowl

2009-03-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

We went bowling this week. Well, we went there anyways. Bob refused to bowl with me. So he sat and watched the kids bowl. This always makes me mad when he does this. There isn’t any reason why he can’t get up and throw a ball down the lane.

When we left the bowling alley, I started fussing. I told him that I don’t get upset because he doesn’t write anymore. I know it is difficult for him to write. He has lost the thought process on how to write. I don’t fuss about him not working word searches. I know that is difficult for him to do. I don’t fuss about him not being able to get dressed, or button his shirt. It is hard for him to work buttons. However, I do get upset when he refuses to get up out the wheel chair and move his body. There is nothing wrong with his body, other than the fact that he doesn’t move it. He sits in a chair all day long, and we have to make him get up and get on the exercise bike.

So after I finished my rant of about fifteen minutes on how I am upset because he doesn’t move and how because of that he is getting closer and closer to a home facility because eventually he won’t be able to stand and I won’t be able to lift him…..I paused in my rant and he says to me, “You’re right, I do need to start writing again, but I have to sit to do it.”

Sarah snickered in the back seat, which I promptly, shot her a mommy look. I sat in silence for about two minutes and then said, “You really don’t get it and you will never get it again. It isn’t you who needs to get it, but rather me.” You see, his mind and body no longer work together. Oh, sure he can still walk, stand, eat, all those things, but his mind no longer will tell him to get up and move.

I can fuss all day long to him about getting up and moving, but he will just continue to sit. I have to stop fussing at him, but rather tell him or give him commands of what to do. The days of asking him if he wants to bowl are long gone. His mind will always say no. For now on it will be; stand up, walk to the line, and throw the ball.

So, with that new information we went to Walmart. And we walked the whole store. Bob wheeled himself around in the wheel chair as he followed Sarah and I. He started fussing telling me that he couldn’t get the wheel chair going once he had stopped. Sarah and I had to give him a starter push. That was fine, until we went to the check out counter.

Now, this is funny, the check out counter was empty of people so Bob was back behind Sarah and I. Sarah was unloading the cart. Bob all of a sudden starts the wheel chair moving on his own and heads towards a display unit. I went over to him and asked what he was looking at. He pointed to the CANDY and said, “I was just looking at some of this stuff here.”

“Would you like some candy?” I asked him.
“Can I have some?” he asked.
“If you can pick one out and get it over to the cash register without any help, then yes you may have some candy.” I told him.

He picked up the M&M’s wheeled himself over to the counter and dropped it on the belt. HA!!!! He will wheel for sweets!!!!!

The next day we went to the park and he wheeled himself around the park for chocolate cookies. I would walk ahead of him and stop. Then I would make some comment on how the weather was, how good the cookies were, the flowers were nice, and then say, “Oh, would you like a cookie?” Of course he did and he would wheel himself up to me and get a cookie. Then I would walk ahead of him again, stop, turn, and wait to offer another cookie.

He told me he felt great getting out and exercising.

He heard from some old friends this week. I am sure he shared with some of you his trip to the park. March is going to be a busy week for us with some fun activities coming up. We hope to hear from you all soon.

Sea World with friends

2009-02-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

Back to Sea World

2009-02-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

It was back to Sea World this week. We are getting our money out of these season tickets. Rob was suppose to have Friday off this week and he was going to stay home with his father, while Sarah and I went to the park with some other home school families. Alas, that did not happen. Rob was called into work and so we took Bob with us.

Most of the day the kids road “Kraken,” the roller coaster. Bob and I sat and watched. I did make him stand some and walk around a little bit. I think he was a little scared even with me standing next to him. He was very unsteady on his feet.

We saw more of the animals this trip and we learned where all of the best handicap restrooms are in the park. There are some that are NOT very handicap friendly. When I pointed this out at one of the guest relations they told me that all of the bathrooms in the park are being redone because of that reason. They circled all the new friendlier bathrooms on a map for me. I now keep that map in our Sea World bag.

Bob did well most of the day. He did get tired near the end and started complaining, but that is understandable. All the kids were tired and fussy.

Rob and I returned to Sea World on Saturday, to see Hall and Oates, a band from the 80’s, perform. The concert was included in the price of the season tickets. The band came out, and one of the lead guitar players on stage happens to be a friend-of-a-friend. It was nice to see a familiar face playing on stage with a big name act.

Bob had a couple of bad nights this week. He has returned to sundowning. He can’t work his TV remote at night and is constantly changing channels. I finally last night had to take the remote away and take it in our room so he couldn’t push the buttons anymore.

He also had trouble getting into bed. He doesn’t know how to lie down in the bed. When he lies down his feet are off the bed, his head isn’t on the pillow, he is lying on most of the blankets, and he can’t cover himself up. I had to get Rob Saturday night to help me put him in bed. I can’t lift him and he won’t work with me to move him in the bed. Rob had to come in and the two of us had to turn him in the bed so that his head was on the pillow, and I could cover him up.

He said Charlie has fussed at him to write some. Rob and I told him that we felt he should be writing. We have given him all the materials to do this. Encourage him this week to write something this week. Even if it doesn’t make since at least he will trying.

It's a Party!

2009-02-15T11:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!! I sure hope you all enjoyed the holiday remembering those close and far away, I pray they are close in your heart no matter where they may be.

Bob spent Friday at the park where we had a Valentine party with Sarah’s home school group. He pouted at first when we pulled up at the park. I have learned not to give Bob information about where we are going. He frets too much about where, when and how. We just let him go along for the ride now.

Friday morning he was up, dressed, fed and then led off to the car for yet another adventure. Upon arriving at the park the sour look fell across the face and the “if I have to” attitude appeared. We got him out, and situated, and then the other families started arriving. The children first made Valentines for the VA. After a few cards were made we then gathered for about six different group games. Bob got to watch the children play silly relay games that reminded him of when he was in school and played similar games.

After the games it was time to eat. Everyone had brought finger foods to share with the group and we all dived in to finger sandwiches, cupcakes, brownies, and hotdogs. The brownies were Bob’s favorites. After we ate we let the kids run off and play while the adults gathered and talked about life in general. Bob had a good time after all no matter how hard he tried to pout.

After the party we delivered the Valentines to the VA and I was able to reschedule his appointment. Come find out, his Doctor had switched “teams” at the VA and so they had switched Bob with the Doctor. I know it is confusing. That is the VA for you. The good is that we get to keep the same Doctor and that is good because I like her. The bad is that we are on a new team and you have to learn how this team does things. They will tell you, “We do things just a little bit different from the other teams”. So now I have to learn all of those, “little differences” all over again.

He did get an appointment. It is this Wed. at 2:00. Yeah, I know it falls on my work day, but that is what they did and no, I can’t change it unless I want to wait three months. So I will have to work half a day on Wed., at least it will be done.

So, then after his busy day on Friday, I just couldn’t let the week end go by without taking him to Sea World on Saturday. Rob got to play with Johnny Bulford at Sea World and we now have season passes. So I dragged Bob to Sea World for him to watch Rob play and as a bonus we got to see Kenny Rogers. Bob did well from about 12:00 till about 4:00 and then he started complaining. He does not care for country music and did not want to hear Kenny Rogers at all. He was tired of sitting and his butt was hurting. I told him to stand up and walk some, but he refused. Well, when the kids start to whine it is time to head home, and that is exactly what we did. Since we have season tickets we can return at any time and stay till the kids start to whine again.

Give him a call this week end and let him share with you his trip to the park, and Sea World.

Friends

2009-02-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

You take the good and the bad....

2009-02-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Birthday wishes go out to Bob’s brother Ronnie this week. Happy Birthday and we wish you many more.

It’s been a quiet week for Bob. The weather as you all know got cold for a few days. I had planned on taking Bob with us to a hike that Sarah had at the park. Bob wasn’t going on the hike with her, but I would sit and let him see parts of the park while she was on her hike. It was just too cold for him to go. I wound up taking Sarah to the hike and I sat in the car and worked on some paper work I needed doing. Rob stayed home with his dad.

Rob had a few old friends drop by for a short visit this week. They were down escaping the cold weather of the north. Bob didn’t remember them. His memory is getting worse, but there are other things that are improving. His new medication seems to be agreeing with him. He has been working on word searches. That is a fabulous sign. We have not needed to encourage him at all. He also has been asking to get on the bike and exercise. We have not needed to force him on the bike.

He had some trouble remembering who Ronnie, his brother, was this week. I took a card to him to sign so we could send it for his birthday. When he first signed the card he put “PoP”. I told him Ronnie didn’t call him that and he needed to change the “P’s” to “B’s”. He got a little upset and told me that Ronnie did indeed call him “Pop”. I was confused at this and asked him who Ronnie was. He told me that Ronnie was his son from his first wife Phyllis. Oh, Dear.

When I finally got through to him that Ronnie was his brother, and then we went through the family tree again, he realized his mistake. He changed the letters and fixed the card. I then sat and talked with him about the family and his children and close family members. He had a hard time remembering his second wife “Joan”. This is the first time we have seen a memory loss of close family members. Rob and I talked and are now going to make it a priority to bring Joan and his immediate family up in conversation regularly.

So while some things have improved, there have been other areas to decline. We have to take the good and the bad. He is having more better days since the new medicaion. He is much happier, and not as withdrawn as normal. He asks now in the morning what the schedule is and if we are doing anything. He remembers if he is suppose to call him, or he is to return a call. These are all very good things.

I know you all encourage him to work puzzles, and exercise. Keep encouraging him. He loves hearing from you all. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers this week.

Family

2009-01-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Queen of the Universe Shrine

2009-01-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

Two Weeks Worth

2009-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

Birthday wishes go out to Rob and Christina who both celebrated birthdays this last week. We wish them many more to come.

Sorry, about the delay in posting. We have had a couple of busy weeks. After Rob got back from a great trip to Nashville my parents came down for a week visit. Bob really enjoyed their visit along with their friends Libby and Don. It was a busy week running around Orlando. We were able to visit the Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine and the Morse Gallery. If you are ever in Orlando I highly recommend both of them. You will see some wonderful artwork, great architecture, and they are both affordable to visit.

Bob really enjoyed getting out of the house and seeing the sights. We also got to see a play at the Shakespeare Theater called “The Velveteen Rabbit”. It was very good. Bob liked it a lot. They sang some songs and did an excellent job as always.

Rob and Sarah got a treat from Pat, Tina and Christina. They had two extra tickets to the Monster Truck Show and invited them to come along. They came by and got to visit with Bob some before they took off. Bob loved seeing Christina again.

My parents left on Sunday and then it was back to normal for us for this week. Well, as normal as we can get anyways. I returned to work, and I thank God everyday that I still have a job. Things are getting bad out there and they are going to get a lot worse before they get better. Thursday, I took Bob to get his hair cut and then we went to Wal-Mart to do some shopping. Bob was in the wheel chair but we didn’t put the feet rests on and he “walked” himself around Wal-Mart in the wheel chair. He was pretty tired when we left and was ready to get home and rest.

Friday he was suppose to have his annual visit at the VA. After we got in the car and ready to go, I received a phone call from the VA canceling his appointment. Bummer! We were already in the car; I hadn’t even started it up yet, so we went to Sam’s Club instead. Bob got another work out “walking” and “riding” around the store.

His good friend Tom McKinney sent Bob a couple of books to read. He has been looking one of them over this last week. Every day I ask him how much he has read and what the book is about. Every day the book is in the same spot not moved. Finally, last night, he told me he wasn’t interested in the book. I asked him if I could read it since I had just finished my book and needed one to read. He was excited and said, “Sure” thinking he was helping me out loaning me a book. So now I plan to start reading, telling him how much he has missed and maybe he will find an interest and read it with me.

Do some of you remember how Bob used to listen to old radio tapes? He has hundreds of old radio show on cassette tapes he has collected over the years. We have tried to get him to listen to them again. He won’t do it. The only times he will listen is if we are in the car going some place. Otherwise, if we put one in at home, if we leave the room, he turns it off right away. Well, maybe it is because he has heard them all before.

Give him a shout this week. Ask him about the places he went to and the things he has done over the last two weeks. You might have to coach him here and there to spark his memory, but he will tell you about them all the same.

A Trip to the Mall

2009-01-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

Good report from the Doctor

2009-01-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

Rob got to go on a mini vacation this week. He traveled to Nashville with some friends to watch Johnny Bulford perform at the Grand ole Opry. Rob has been playing in Johnny’s band for a few years now. Johnny won the Colgate Showdown competition on Thursday. It was very exciting; the show will be aired in the future. I will announce the date when I find out.

Bob went to the Doctor on Friday. He has a new doctor, his former Doctor has retired. We had two lists of questions when we walked into the doctor’s office. One list was questions Bob had for the Doctor, and one list contained questions that I had for the Doctor. His new Doctor was great. He listened and talked with Bob about each question he had on his list and really made him feel comfortable. Then he looked at me and asked me for my list.

So this is the deal, Bob is now on a new medication for Alzheimer’s. This is in addition to the other two medications he has been on. He has once again taken a turn and the Doctor wants to try and treat the condition and not the symptoms. WE LIKE THIS DOCTOR!!!! So, we are trying this new medication for a month to see if it works. If it does, great! If it doesn’t work, then we have to treat the symptoms. Bob’s blood work is great. He is healthy otherwise. He doesn’t have to return to the Doctor for three months.

I really missed Rob this week. I don’t like separate vacations at all. They stink. And I don’t deal with stress very well. Rob balances me out in that area and boy did I need him. I try and post this weekly blog so that friends and family can keep in touch with Bob’s progress. He has so many wonderful people that care about him and our family. I want to share these precious years with you all. You can’t please everyone all the time; and some people get upset when they don’t get special attention. I was told this week that God was watching me and wasn’t happy with my actions with Bob. Well, my stress level blew to sky heavens, and instead of letting God catch it, it fell back to earth. Now if any of you remember Science then you know that stress fell at a rate and volume much faster and heavier than it went up with. Poor Rob wasn’t here to knock me out of the way of it. BAM! It hit hard and fast!

Well, I needed some help getting back up and thank God, Tina, Rob’s sister, was here to pick me up. She listened to me vent, gave me hugs and assurance that I was doing the right things. You know what? God is watching me, but more importantly, he is GUIDING me with everything I do with Bob. I will take guidance over distance watching any day.

A person I didn’t know very well asked me one day, why I took care of Bob. They didn’t understand why we didn’t hand him over to someone else or put him in a home. Paul in the New Testament wrote a letter to Timothy talking about the church and their responsibilities. I am leaving you with the words from Paul…..

But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety (means -dutiful respect or regard for parents) at home, and to requite (means -to make repayment or return for) their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. ----no need to say more. Give him a call this week. He loves talking with you all.

911 field trip Jan 2009

2009-01-09T15:31:00.001-08:00

We love field trips

2009-01-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

We had a field trip this week! Bob likes field trips. We went to the 911 operations center today. The day started out early for him. Normally, he doesn’t get up till around 10:00. Today he needed to get up at 8:00. I went in, gave him his coffee, got his clothes out, and laid them on the bed. I told him he could get dressed while I got his breakfast.

I went to the kitchen to get his bacon, eggs, and toast going. I had just finished putting everything together and decided to run back to his room to get his shoes out for him. I turned the corner of his room and found him standing there dressed----kind of. He had put on his sweater first and then his shirt over the sweater. Now, give him some credit, he actually was in style—“Hip” as they would say. Unfortunately, this household is not very “hip”. He had to change. It only took seconds to get him from his “hip” state of being, to a traditional style of clothing. We were off for our field trip.

The 911 operations center is an amazing place. Things have changed a lot from the days when Bob was fire chief. He was lost most of the time. He sat and listened and didn’t speak much. He did speak up once telling one of the ladies that things were a lot different in his day. They all turned and started asking him asking what he did and where he worked and really made him feel special. You could tell they had a special place in their hearts for police and firemen.

We also got a tour of Orlando’s Traffic Management Center. They showed us how they watch intersections, report accidents, and control traffic lights. I came away with a new respect for our 911 operators and the whole system.

One of the Mothers asked a worker, who had worked there for twenty years, how she dealt with the stress of the job. The worker hummed and stumbled for words, and then finally said, “I personally am a very spiritual person and I rely heavy on that part of my life to deal with this job. Most of the people that work in this field, who stay with the job, all tend to also fall into that same category.”

Give Bob a call this weekend and ask him about the days he was fire chief and how things have changed over the years.

Bob Making Christmas Gifts

2009-01-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!!! I think….

Bob decided to bring the New Year in with a few challenges. He has taken another turn downward and it has been a fun week. The hallucinations have returned along with sun downing. He frequently talks to people that are not there and asks who are the people visiting us.

We have learned to give the imaginary people names, and come quickly back with answers to questions.

We now have him in the evening hours out in the house with us. Normally, he is sitting on the exercise bike watching a ball game. We constantly ask him questions about the game or include him in on a conversation we are having. This has helped some keeping his mind focused.

We replaced the ceiling fan in his room with just a light. He had to practice coming in and out of his room to turn the light on and off. He had a hard time remembering that the switch was on the wall.

Bob’s daughter, Tina reminded us this Christmas of Bob’s ham casserole. He used to make this every year for Tina’s birthday. If you were all close by, I would make up a large batch and have everyone over for a dinner and a sit beside the lake. Instead, I will share his recipe with you all, and ask that you make a batch, and while you eat it, think of Bob and the happy days you have all shared with him.

Bob Chipley’s Ham casserole

6 ounces medium wide egg noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 cups diced ham
½ cup milk
2 slices of pasteurized American cheese
1 teaspoon instant onion
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine
¼ cup bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles until almost done. Mix together soup, milk, cheese, onion, mustard, and sour cream. In a casserole dish layer noodles, soup mixture and ham; repeat until you don’t have any more. Top off with bread crumbs, melted butter, and Parmesan cheese.

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes
Serves 4-6
Serve with green tossed salad and beverage.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T12:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day

2008-12-25T12:57:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Bob had a great morning! He wondered why we were getting up and making him get dressed when Christmas he said was next week! HA~~

We got Bob a new clock that will hopefully help him with the day and time. This clock connects via satellite with the atomic clock in New Mexico. It tells him the date, day, time, and temperature. It has large numbers and is very easy to read. We hope this will help him keep his days straight.

We also got him a new light for his room. The ceiling fan bothers him. It makes him nervous with the spinning action and it creates shadows on the walls and ceiling. We are taking the ceiling fan down and replacing it with an old fashion plain light. We are hoping this helps also. If when warm weather rolls around he needs a fan we will get a small oscillating fan for his dresser.

Lesa, his niece, sent him gift cards to Steak and Shake for when we go see the plays. He loves eating there and there is one right near the theater. She also sent him new lounge pants with UK on them. (I will need to work on getting him some from Alabama and LSU) He is currently wearing his new lounge pants.

He was given a visit from his daughter, Tina with her husband and middle child, Helen. They stopped by for a few hours to share Christmas with him. Tina got her dad a collection of DVD’s that included Charlie Chan, and Sherlock Holmes movies. These are great since Rob tries to watch one or two old movies with him a week. He really enjoyed these movies. His granddaughter, Christina was given tickets to see the ICE show at the Gaylord Palms and was attending the show. She will have something in common to share with her Grandfather when she comes to visit latter.

Bob also got candy and homemade cookies. The cookies came from my parents. He dived right him eating those. YUMMMM. We received two tins of cookies and he claimed both of them telling us they fit nicely in his room.

Sarah also made out well this Christmas. She received four pairs of shoes, perfume, UK shirts, rings, the Wii Fit game, and the game Spores. She also wound up with almost $100 from friends and family.

Rob was a sweet heart this year and since he couldn’t get me a new camera he fixed our grill which is almost like new now; and he fixed the rails that had broken on our refrigerator. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but it meant more to me than words can ever say. What a guy! Thanks honey, I love you for thinking of the little things that make our lives function better.

Rob and I hope that you had a great Christmas just like we did. We hope you spent it with ones you love, remembered those who weren’t with you, and preserved the day with lots of photos and videos. Years from now loved ones with look back and remember the Christmas of 2008! Now, let’s all get ready for a new year full of wonderful challenges and adventures…..

A Great Visit

2008-12-21T09:38:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

It was a quiet week. We did not go bowling or ice skating. Ice skating was not going to be very fun with him since there isn’t anything for him to do and it is cold. Normally, this activity falls on a day that Rob is home. We decided to skip this month and try for next month.

Last week I hit the exercise bike with my foot walking through the living room and broke my little toe. It is still a little sore and so Sarah and I thought it would just be best to skip bowling. Sarah would have to bowl with Pop since I couldn’t bowl with him, and she wouldn’t get to visit with her friends.

Our family was given a great treat on Saturday with a visit from Mike and Wanda Stiffler. Mike is a childhood friend of Rob’s and they live in Sarasota, Florida. They came for the day and brought their two grandchildren, Alanna, and Sarah Grace. We had a great day spending time with them. Pop stayed in his room most of the day. Small children make him nervous. He did get a large grin on his face when they came back in his room to say hello.

He has enjoyed the Christmas cards from everyone. I took a card back to him on Friday. I handed him the card and asked him who it was from. He told me his eyes were getting bad again because he couldn’t see it. I asked him to try again and look at the return address. “Try and read it again and tell me who it is from.” He stared at the name for a good two minutes and then he looked at me and said, “Susan”. I smiled and said, “Who do you know by that name? I think you talked to someone just this last week…” suddenly, he remembered and he shouted out, “Sue! It’s from my cousin Sue.”

Sue asked him to draw a picture of the old house on the reservoir. He said he would like to draw the house, but he doesn’t think he remembers the house well enough. I told him I have a picture of that old house and will let him look at it.

We also found a treat this week. We were cleaning out a ton of home made videos that Bob had made over the years. Most of these are movies he had taped off the TV. We were getting rid of bags full of these old VHS tapes. I found three tapes that were of home movies. One of them was labeled: Buster’s home movies-Mom’s copy. Rob and I put the tape in and sat and watched, and watched, and watched. We saw relatives from long ago. It wasn’t easy getting out of Bob who Buster was, but finally we sparked his memory to tell us that Buster was Aunt Dot’s husband. Aunt Dot is Bob’s Mother’s sister. Rob is taking the VHS tape to have it copied to a DVD. What an awesome treat to find.

I asked him what he thought Santa was going to bring him this year, and he told me that he hasn’t been good enough for Santa, but he knows that his niece, Lesa will load him up. I laughed and told him he will just have to wait and see.

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone! We love and miss you all. Keep the memories alive with lots of pictures this year.

Ice and Horticulture Tour

2008-12-13T13:46:00.000-08:00

Gaylord Palms Ice Show

2008-12-13T13:43:00.000-08:00