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Susan Howard (Bowman)

I have been reading the Forum every day and am lifting up in prayer all of those I have read about who are ill or have other issues.  Jackie is so wonderful about keeping us all up to date on things that are going on with our classmates and I, particularly, thank her for that as my name and my husband's has been on the Forum alot lately.  Thank you, Jackie! You are an angel.  Thank you to all of you who have been praying and thinking about us.  This has been a roller coaster ride and we aren't finished yet, but as of this week things have improved.

Bryon is still in critical care in St. David's in north Austin, but the good news is he is improving.  His kidneys are now functioning on their own and he will not have any more dialysis. A week ago today I would have thought we were headed for skilled nursing and then hospice.  His pneumonia is pretty much  gone and he is now able to take an oral antibiotic for his MRSA.  He has developed a blood clot in his picc line and is now on coumadin for that. Even though he is improving his general health and condition is fragile.  He is supposed to be transferred to a skilled nursing facility in Georgetown sometime this week, but that also changes daily because of some new issue.  So every day is anybody's guess!

I can't tell you how much this class means to me.  Just to know you are out there and that we care for and support each other is so much comfort. I have heard from so many of you personally and that is much appreciated, also.  I know many of you who read the forum are suffering from personal health issues, pain, or someone you care about is, or there are other issues in your life.  It is special that we can reach out and feel the support and love of each other.

A day at a time!  

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Susan, AMEN!!  Our continued prayers for Bryon and you and others that are going through challenging times.  We are always here for each other and that means and says so MUCH. 

Jimmie Sue, so sorry about your mom, it's not an easy task taking them away from their home and into a nursing facility.  It's a very emotional transition, but I pray  she will find peace and comfort in her new surroundings and God Bless you, too.

Update on Wayne Lake from Jimmy Hilsher - "Wayne's surgery went well, we will see him soon and Henny Banning is here with us."  God Bless and thank you God.

Hugs, J

Sandi Schlesinger (Stark)

Sooooo relieved Wayne's surgery went well.  Now he just needs to get out of there before the Hospital makes him really sick. 

Susan, so happy to hear things are improving for your husband.  Add me to those wishing him a speedy recovery.  My thoughts are with you and remember to take care of yourself during these trying times.

Sandi  

Henny Banning

Good Morning Jimmie Sue!!!  Have read your note, several times

about your Mother.  I cannot even begin to imagine your precious

lost in the woods an entire night...God Bless her.

My Mother, had Alzheimer's...difficult - conditions to face - little

headway it seems in the reasearch of these conditions.  My

prayers are with you.  Please keep us posted...love, henny

Jimmie Sue Roach (Nation)

Thank you for your prayers, Jackie and Henny. This has been one of the hardest transitions I've ever had to face.  Some days it is so very hard to walk out and leave her. We are Blessed, she is doing better. Love to all.

Jimmie Sue 

Diane Jaenecke (Logan)

Hey, everyone!  I've been reading your posts for months now, being sorry I live so far away and not managing to make it to reunions, flings, etc.  One of these now-retired days I am actually going to arrange a "meet" in Houston with my oldest friend and 3rd sister, Talley, and hopefully, make it line up with a class get together!!

Meanwhile, to all of you who are dealing with serious issues, I add my thoughts and prayers to those of other classmates, that you remain strong and victorious!  Take care, all ....  Diane

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Diane, what a wonderful surprise to hear from you.  We miss you!!  I certainly hope you will come to see us.  Just let us know when and I'll get our group together.  Our next Spring Fling will be in April and I'll post the date closer to the event.  Maybe we'll see you then???  Or sooner???

Hugs,

J

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Update on Wayne Lake - per Jimmy Hilsher

Most of his tubes are out and he's recovering with minimal pain.  They have started him on solid foods, so that's a good sign. 

Hugs,

J

Beau Wann, Jr.

Hello myne fyne waltripynes...Susan, know that you and Bryon and your family are in hundreds of folks prayers, and on prayer lists in lots of churches across this country, believe it....some times miracles happen, you just never know....  the Masters plans, not revealed to us,  generally works out somehow...

Pat, great that you connected with your grandaughter...your posts always reveals your sweet loving kindness...It'd be hard for me not to love a grandmom like you...well shucks, I love you as a friend....as I'm sure most all your friends and classmates do....

Wayne, we've been thinking about you alot...glad your scourgery went well...your sawbones are the best of the best...but knowing you, you're probably a good patient....and that helps too...before you know it, you'll be down on that old pier giving the dolphins hi fives, reeling in the mahi mahi and crabs and shrimpssss and stirring that gumbo pot ...I can smell it from here...God speed to you young man....

Jimmie Sue, hope your mom gains some peace and comfort from her wonderful and caring daughter...you...hope you receive some peace and comfort...we are all thinking about you and your family...

 I've stated  before, my mom, 96 years, is in an alztheimers unit in clear lake...doesnt know who I am, or who anyone is...last time Cooper and I were down there,  she didnt even know who cooper was...and before, she knew him and not me...(none of the folks he visited there knew who he was...so sad)  

never bothered me that she doesnt remember me, not her fault,  just that she was having so much trouble, and now is combative and angry...(well, who wouldnt be)...My mom really isnt there, just an empty shell of a dying body...maybe the lord will be merciful and take her into his kingdom...let her walk barefoot through the rich black bottom land dirt of the farm that was her childhood home she talked so much about.......

dont know if the A word is genetic, but been trying to do lots of math and puzzles in my head, just to keep the old grey matter  occupodo...dont remember how to diagram sentences, or I would do what Pat and Jimmie Lee do, diagram them in my head...

It isnt easy to think of anything when the unrelenting and merciless pain of my RA and PMR flares up, which at this writing, is once a day, everyday, all day long.

And the added worry of catastrophic storms that we seem to receive whenever it rains...got 9 inches last weekend...Just had the bridge in the driveway redone a couple of weeks ago...the good gnus is it didnt wash out like the zillion times before...the bad gnus,   it caved in this time...we were cut off from the whirld for a few days till we got it repaired...we  couldnt get out, and no one could get in...good thing I have a large supply of whiskey aand pills...and my y2k spam and corned beef hash...

Rode Pegasus today...my therapist...physical and mental...to college station Harley dealership...needed to get some service done and an inspection...100 miles round t rip...my beloved went with me...she helps a great deal, although sometimes I snap at her for this or that...pain will do that...I am always remorseful at my outbursts, and ever apologetic....of course she doesnt take it to heart mostly...just tries to encourage and soothe...

When the pain seems almost unberable,  twists and contorts my mind, making it a struggle to even pick up an arm to drink a glass of water...I just wonder why I have to go on...where's God in all this...Then through the clouds of pain, I see...others have just as much or more discomfort or worries than I...I pray for them all, Jackie, Barbara, Susan and Bryon...Sweet gentle Pat...Jimmie Lee...Jimmie Sue...Wayne...kay...Scotty and Lola...just to name a few, but  all of our classmate/family, and what everyone is going through...

Whether be good health or bad, mental or physical, or both, God has a plan...wouldnt you like to get a peek at the book?  Jesus said that the Father knows how many grains of sand in the world and how many hairs you have on your head...of course mine is easy for him, I have none...Everything is prewritten...even though some of us, me, seem to think we are in control, and would love to be, it all belongs to the heavenly Father...

If we would just let him conduct his business and we conduct ours...living, and faith in the Lord...

Dont watch much TV, cant understand what's being said...all speaking a foreign language...Been trying to read books and things, and reread t he bible...the pain blocks out any attempt of concentrating, so I have to rely on passages memorized, or pieces of passages...

Ecclesiastes 3:1...For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to reap, and a time to sow;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance....

dont remember the rest of the verses, or if I got them right or in order, but it is easy to find...I like the book of Ecclesiastes and also Isaiah, for that prophet affirms the coming of Jesus...so when anyone actually doubts that Jesus existed, just point out that Isaiah was written 850 years before the coming of Jesus...I think it is Isaiah chapter 7 and 9 that tells  "Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel".... "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..."

Well, yall get the idear...I dont pretend to be a biblical scholar, well, pretending to be one is about as close to being  one as I'll get... I just remember a few passages from it thaat are comforting, and explain a lot...to me anyway...

sometimes when you're up to your arse in aligators, it's hard to remember that you just came in to drain the swamp....

Ok, I've been rambling on like a krazed idjit on steroids...sorry for that, but talking to yall and believing that you are listening to me and not taking anything personal that I have said or omitted, is therapy...and I thank you for that....yall are the absolute best...been thinking alot about my good old DuBarry days and how deliciously simple they were....I do thank God for them, and you..

Jimmie Lee Smith (Brawner)

Beau, we do listen.  That's the beauty of this "Message Forum" - we can communicate with so many of our classmates to know who is going through hardships, worries, pain..............  I pray for you and all our classmates going through trying times, but you make my heart "glad" when you quote The Bible's promises.  We are assured of The Lord's Plan for each of us, but like you, I sometimes wonder what that plan is.  But, then, I come to my senses and realize only He knows that plan and I've come through life so far because of His mercy, so He'll get me through the rest of it.

I pray especially for all the caregivers - those of you who are watching your loved ones go through such trying times.  I pray you are given strength, courage, stamina, energy, guidance and continued love for your cherished family member. 

Beau Wann, Jr.

It's me again Margaret...  Jimmie Lee, I love it when you post...I get to see you and Charles and your pups...lifts my heart to read  what you have written and what others have written, and what's on everyones mind...Of course now instead of the prom, senior rings,  sock hops and beating Reagan on Friday night,  the tests for tomorrows English class or Algebra, it's our concern for everyones health and welfare...we go from what was important in our lives in our "DuBarry days", to what's important today...still our classmates...we've come full circle...kinda cool sort of.....not all the health problems, but the care  and concern...

Oh great, more vicious thunderstorms....under a tornado watch now...oh gee there's a surprise...

Ok, Cooper is barking...gotta check on that old puppy...see ya in a while my beloved friends....

Llynn Roff

Yes Beau, we are listening.

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

We're all reading and listening!!  Thank you BroBeau for your beautiful Godly words and yours, too Jimmie Lee.  All I can say is AMEN and AMEN to all.   I'm sitting here at the office with tears streaming down.  God Bless all of you wonderful classmates.  We don't know what God's plans are for each of us, but whatever our journey, we will face strongly because we have His love and the tremendous love and support of all of you.  How good can it get!

God Bless & hugs J 

Pat Brantley (Ross)

Beau, I listen and pray for you and all the others who share.  God hears us.  I am driving to Kansas City with some friends to visit a dear lady who has been my friend since 1965.  She has ALS and it is progressing swiftly. She can't speak anymore so she writes on a whiteboard or types on a tablet.  This past summer we were together at a church retreat and she wrote that she would just like to be able to say Jesus one more time.  Amazing.  I don't think God gives us these examples because He is saying others are worse off than we are.  He is just saying that we should try to see His perspective.  I wish I could say I have any insight regarding Alzheimer's disease.  I don't.  I wish I had the answers, but I have few.  My parents died so early that they didn't go through what many are now facing.  I pray for all of our classmates.  It is an honor.  

Beau Wann, Jr.

How good can it get?    Jackie...you are as good as it gets...as  is all of our classmates...And,   We can all meet again up yonder...sans health problems...our "DuBarry-Mayberry" in heaven...yes! ! !

Oh Pat, with all you have been through, and all that you contribute to your friends,  you are such an inspiration...and you  gentle Pat, are as good as it gets...God Bless you....

Finally settled the ole boy down...not me, Cooper!   We have to put a beach towel under his tummy and pick him up by the harness and the towel and hold him till he gets his "legs" set...he weighs a hundred pounds, and it's like picking up a 200 pound sack of cement...he cant help us get him up, he doesnt know what to do, so he just freezes until he gets his legs under him...he has eaten two breakfasts this morn, which is unusual for him, because he rarely finishes a meal...I added chicken juice to his normal kibble and he cleaned his plate, again unusual...

Now, the following I know is probably not new to most of youse youtes, and I'd be willing to bet that all youse lovely ladies out there, could cook circles around me with half your brain tied behind your apron, while asleep, (I have sampled some of Pats food and Lynn Burkhardts, as they were sweet enough to send food to us when one of our sons broke his leg in 4 places, so I know first hand how good some of yall cook)          but just in case it is helpful here it is:   (of course I learned this from better women than me, my mom and my beloved)

For those that are nursing a critter or human for that matter, chicken soup  really is  the best...here's what you do...go to the store, it matters not which one,  look for the already roasted chickens, preferrably without seasoning, and they do have those ! ! !     Then go to the produce department..."TJ, go to  produce, TJ"   collect all the veggies that you would like in your chicken soup....go home, fill a pot with water, and just add the chicken...since it is already cooked, you dont have to worry about WHEN it gets cooked through and through...that's the beauty of buying an already roasted chicken....(that doesnt count as cheating)

Boil the heck out of the chicken, and there is a method to my madness,  you are cooking juice into the chicken and making a broth at the same time...(if you are feeding to an animal, be sure YOU DO NOT USE ONION...I REPEAT, DO NOT USE ONION..,...IT WILL KILL THEM...SLOWLY, BUT WILL KILL THEM...)

I generally boil it till the meat falls off the bone, then just let it cool and finish deboneing said chicken...
If just the dogs are going to consume the soup, I dont add many veggies, mostly carrots and potatoes,  because they  get that in their regular dog food...I pour the chicken juice into it's own container to be refrigerated, and then chop up most of the chicken to be added to their food...skin and all...

Oh, fat and skin and grease is bad for them?...not so mon ami...they are old and not really going anywhere but the rainbow bridge...in due time...and the chicken excercise is really to get them to want to eat...I save a few big chunks of chicken as a treat to get their digestive juices flowing so they will want to eat...

(works mostly...except  in a storm, Jack will not eat anything, no matter if it's fillet mignon or what, he will not touch any food...that's how terrified he is of storms....I think he was lost during IKe and spent the entire storm outside...found him at the ranch after the storm...)

Anyway, it's simple, and will last them more than a week if kept in the ol kelvinator...and all it cost is about 6 dollars for the already roasted chicken...cheaper than canned dog food, and more nutricious(why cant I spell that word...no matter how I spell it, it just looks wrong)     too, and without the added "red dye number 5 and blue dye number 40 and alll the additives that are additted (sic)...yes, I know, my grammar is all wrong, but it's fun...

If you arre making the chicky soup for a human bean person, just add all the veggies your little heart desires...and, you can add barley,(a box of barley is about a dollar and takes about 45 minutes to get tender), or rice, or noodles or orzo ...man it is so good...oh, you can add beans to it, Limas, peas, any old legume will do er nicely....

Now I've gone and done made mahsef hongry...(forgive me Mrs. Simpson) ! ! !

For all youse youtes that still like to cook, get an electric pressure cooker... We have a Power Pressure Cooker XL...anyway, we have a slow cooker too, and the pressure cooker also acts as a slow cooker and rice cooker...what takes me 10 hours to cook a chuck roast with potatoes in the slow cooker, takes a mere 2 hours in the pressure cooker...just add veggies and water and close er up and voila, you have a wonderful meal...Pork and chicken take about an hour, and all is so tender, it just melts in your mouth...About the onliest thing hard about the pressure cooker, is it is a little tedious to clean, but well worth the trouble...

Aint I just the "chef tell" ....more like "Chef boy yar de"ese vittles good...."  margret, call out the men in white coats with the flutterby nets this ol boy is a psycho crazoid"...(did youse youtes know, that before they were butterflys, they were c alled "flutterbys"?   I sort of like the latter dontchew?

Yes, I know this is long, but real informative dontchew think?   And, guess what?   No, really guess! !!
Ok I dont see any hands up...dint chyall study for this test?  Ok, ok I'lll grave on a curb...NO No NO, that didnt come out right...I'll grade on a curve...yeah, that's the ticket...

I HAVE ALREADY ERECTED OUR CHRISTMAS TREES...YES, TWO OF THEM...Never have started this early, always waited till the last minute...not this year...I'm gonna be ready for old Saint Nick....
We have two trees, one that we packed away when we moved to the rent house two years ago, and one that we bought for the rent house, a smaller one...I have put one in our bedroom in the corner between two winders, (east Texas for window)   and you should be able to see it when you drive by on 290...the other is in the GRRRREAAAAT ROOM...

These are prelit trees, and are fairly cheap when purchased the day after Christmas...usually half price ! ! !
Ok, if the bridge doesnt collapse or wash out, yall are welcome to stop by for some refreshments...gonna make my Christmas candy this year...yup, I am just a multitalented idjifiedmoereon...

I make dark chocolate candy in moulds...I have some cameo moulds that I hand paint with white and red and blue melted candy, and then add the chocolate...Dianes ladies group, BETA ETA, a professional teachers organization, just love them, and they sell first at the auction...this year, Dianes ladies group wants to meet here for their Christmas meeting...I am going to surprise them, and make cameos for everyone to take home, plus ones for the auction...gonna be a lot O tedious work, but methinks I  "can git er done"....

I am making chicken soup...got so involved in mah chicken soup distructions, just had to make some...

WOW, the wind is blowing a hunnert miles an hour, or 15, which ever is the lesser...not much rain, just a misting nuisance...not so in Austin and central Texas...some places got 16 20 inches of rain in just a  couple O minutes...Global Warning I s uppose...

oops, gotta run...but I'll be back...
Here's ssomething to remember,  "only God can make a tree"...

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Hey Chef Beau,

You made me hungry!  Went to Fresh Market at lunchtime and bought a chicken and some vegetables.  Guess what I'm making tonight? 

Stay dry and hope  you get a break from the rains.  Understand from Susan, it's flooding in Georgetown and saw a Utube of raging flooding waters in Wimberly and Austin.  Still overcast here, no rain so far, but it's on the way.

Hugs, J

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

10/30/15 - Parts of Austin, TX are evacuating to higher ground as quickly risking floodwaters are threatening residents of low-lying areas. The city of Austin, TX said several shelters have been opened for residents near Onion Creek, which has reached it's highest point in record time.

Pat Brantley (Ross)

Pat Brantley (Ross)

This upside down photo is the tube chute in new braunfels this afternoon.  Maybe next time I am in Houston someone can teach me what I am doing wrong.  

Pat I fixed it -- Hugs J

Beau Wann, Jr.

Pat, you're not doing anything wrong, you're just thinking oustside the box...just happens to be the wrong box to think outside of, that's all....cause it thinks for itself and we are just the caretakers of  the buttons...

Still, that's probably how some folks feel this morning, UPSIDE DOWN ! ! !  So, well done myne fyne fryend...

We got just over an eench and one kalf to go along with the 9 eenches we  got on the last go round...Doesnt take algebra to figger out the grand total of 10 and one kalf eenches...

But, we're still here...looking through my handy dandy spyglasses,  down through the clouds up here on Everest, I can see the bridge, and it looks to be intact...soons I get the chariot fired up, we will see what we will see...

Spent most of the night with Jacks head hiding under my arms and in my lap...When he's scared, we get scared...We know when it's all over, because Jack is just as calm as a cucumber...The big yaller dog, old yaller, slept through the whole thing...I think I'm gonna start taking his medications when the storms appear...

I'll swanny, at the height of the blizzard/rainstorm last night or early this morn, my beloved starts a hollaring that the wind blew our tomato crops over...well, it is just one tomato plant, but it does have some tomatos on it, green though they be...I was really unconcerned for the health safety and welfare of one stinkin tomato plant...

Not so Diane, it was one of HER plants, in HER garden...she was flying around the house looking for something to tie the damn thing to the fence...I said, "you're not going to go out there and try to save one stinkin tomato plant are you"? or words to that effect...
"Let me rephrase that, you dont expect ME to go outside in a raging torrent of a blizzard/rainstorm, with the wind blowing a hunnded miles an hour, just to tie up one stinkin tomato plant?"..."do you?"

So, she opens up the door and rushes outside, in her robe....why do women always rush to a crisis wearing their PJs and a bathrobe???? At least it wasnt pink! ! !       Me, I'm fully dressed, boots, cargo pants, khacki shirt, cap, one or two weapons, Rambo knife, two flashlights, some snacks in my pockets, and clean underwear...my mom always said dont go out without clean underwear on...who doesnt put on clean underoos??? Anyway, when they find my body, I will be fully dressed, armed to the teeth,  with clean underoos....

On with our new adventure....Out she goes, with me close on her heels a fixin to do my bounden duty...protect my beloved...I'm sure the good Lord is looking down smiling, wonderin just what in the heck we're doing...I'm sure he recognized one of his angels...not me, Diane, and I thought I heard him say, "Dont worry, I got this"...

What, me worry?

She has a handful of tiewraps and is attempting to tie the plant to the cage, and the cage to the fence...in a hunded mile an hour blizzard/rainstorm, with objects De art zinging past us like cannon fire, hay bales rolling towards us...I did notice it was missing us rather conspicuously...I guess he did have it after all!

I'm holding the flashlight, oh, did I mention that Cooper wanted out in the middle of all this, nothing fazes that ol boy...also, I had carried an umbrella outside with us, and that's t he first thing the winds wanted..so off it sails, Probably to Grimes County by nnow, maybe even to college station....

Anyway, Diane is working furiously trying to get the tie wrap to do right, and I hear a "dang"...the wind blew one out of her size small fingers...guess that's why we have a whole basket full...one for the wind, and one for us...

Still working furiously tieing this to that, and that to this...she then  stood up with a triumphant smile, drenched and windblown,  "YES"!!!!!    Our tomato crop is safe! ! ! It was touch and go there for a while, now I can breathe a sigh of relief, our one stinkin tomato plant with two green tomatos on it, IS SAFE ! ! ! !

We kept the price of tomatoes from skyrocketing by saving ourn...way to go I allus say! ! !

All through the "save the tomato crop" ordeal, I would glance over to where Old Yeller was, and he was calmly and serenely laying in the hay, nose to the wind, ears at full sail, looking like he is flying...and with the meds he is on, he probably was....laying there like it's a sunday afternoon at the beach....another onee of Gods angels....indeed, God did have it afterall....

Looking out over our tomato pasture, I can see that one  tomato plant just standing there, proud and  defiant..."Ha, look at me, I'm still here"...yeah buddy, dont be to cocky, there's going to be other storms to weather...

You know, throughout the whole tomato plant saving ordeal, I thought of a name...GALE STORM, of "My Little Margie"  fame...What a name to have.....

Ok, time to take a tour of the tomato ranch...so remember,

"Only God can make a tomato"...or save one...

Teddie Jordan

Cephus, that may be my favorite post since your original and uncensored one about you and Robbie and Ricky and your band playing at the Tophat Lounge on 34th with all of the hootchie-cooing strippers back in our high school days.

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

LOL what a hoot!  I was with you all the way --- what a funny visual story. Hope that tomato plant prospers and has an abundance of tomatoes after all of that!    Hugs J

Jackie Crowe (Finch)

Good news on Wayne Lake.  Jimmy Hilsher talked to him yesterday afternoon and he's feeling so much better.   Wayne thinks he will be leaving Methodist on Monday --- Tuesday the latest.  Prayers for his continued healing. Hugs, J

Jimmie Lee Smith (Brawner)

Well, as tomatoes are my favorite food, I TOTALLY understand Diane's "rush to the rescue" and, Beau, you were heroic in accompanying her.  See, that tomato plant will thrive because of all y'all's tender, loving care.  Keep the stories coming, Beau.  More power to you and Diane out in the wilds.  Just thought you were going to sit back and relax in retirement, didn't you?