This is a recently discovered old photo of Anne and I, back in the day. . . ;-)

(Small Postscript:) :-)

...Forgot to mention it was Mom & Dad that took Petra out as a gesture of Thanx ...
(This is where the idea came from...I think we should follow suit...)

Hence if there are those that prefer "Snail Mail"...(supporting your local PO...Ha!)
Here's her mailing address:

5221 Sun Valley
(same zip as Mom)


(Thanx again Gang...) :-)

...Hey Gang...Heard the latest....?! ;O)

...I'm relating this to the family for a couple of reasons... First off November 4 (national presidential erection) is coming up on us soon enough and it really is time to consider who you are voting for the next president of our ole USA...

Please vote if nothing more...just make sure you do your homework and you're are sure of your choice...it's so important and don't take this lightly...(I was glad to hear that Bernadette did her voting already, as have I also & voting Republican
FYI...) Good luck on your decisions and chose wisely...(Enough said on that.)

Now on Matters of the HEART.... An update with Mom, she is doing well and still gaining wait almost daily...she has good humor and now waits anxiously her
"Care Giver" (Did I get that right, Ralph...?)... Her memory has improved greatly
(short term) and overall she is really in the positive more than she has been in long time... she sees Dad more often now and they have even gone out to eat etc... (The Village Inn) ... Now with that said and done let's talk about Dad...

Dad has also been doing well, of course he's still in his wheel chair, but otherwise
his spirits are much higher than the past; mostly due to Mom's more frequent visits and going out together etc... I can't tell his current medical condition; but
hopefully it may have improved somewhat due to his more regular nurse visits he has now (which he didn't have before...shame on us.).... So you see not to get your hopes up but things are "looking" much better for now... And yes I do expect Dad to see several more B-Days down the road... For those that have been praying Thanx a whole lot 'cause it's been working & for those that have been staying in touch pretty regular by phone THANX also for this and anything else that might have helped THANX, THANX, THANX... 'cause of these things even though small has helped in some form or way...

And many many THANX to Babette, Patrick,
Debbie, & last (but nut least) RALPH (my dear brother :o)... )

I'll tell you another THANX we owe because of her great endurance & patience etc. our "Care Giver,"...Petra. I'm making a "FAMILY" request...
(for those that read this blog to send her a simple message of THANX for all her efforts she has made (& many you are not aware above & beyond; not only what is required of her...she is truly a Godsend, I believe...)
Her email is:
Pertravipec@aol.com
...Thanx everyone for all your support, efforts and regular contacts with Mom & Dad....etc.

Love You All Dearly...

-Bernard-

* (No, Pat I'm not "deluded"...just getting older; know what I mean?...)
** (Don't be afraid to send Mom an occasional email...you might just be surprised...-just keep it 'short & sweet'-)
*** (Last time: "Don't forget to VOTE everyone...! ;O) *

Fall

Pictures of what we see these days. The scarlets were brightest a week before, but it was raining all the time. I will never be tired of how pretty it is here. Cudos to Babette for getting all her vacation photos uploaded. I got some prints from Snapfish of our various trips, they were good as well as fast.

We haven't been doing alot. Finally finished the fence so Beau can go out unsupervised. It was trial and error as neither of us knew what we were doing, but using Michelle's husbands trick with the metal rods instead of setting posts made it easier.

Still no job for Em. She got an interview for the Child Center, but that's not looking promising. She's doing fine with her online class, but really is bored being home. I wish I could do something about it. Last Sunday I dragged her out of bed at an ungodly hour for an adventure in antique hunting. The biggest antique market in Europe is 2 hours from here in Tongren, Belgium. We took off at 5:30 AM! The fog was bad all week, and it slowed me down so we got there at 8:00. Amazing how many vendors - this is definitely the grandaddy of all shows. You name it, it was there. There are also quite a few antique shops, which I didn't get to see. We spent 4 hours going from stall to stall (two indoor warehouses and the main street, a marketsquare and a winding side street. Fun! Emily wants to go back for more waffles. I didn't find the sideboard I'm looking for, so the hunt is still on.

And we are back! Our provider put a new tower on "A" Mountain so hopefully we will have more consistent service now. So email away!

Just a short post to let you all know Patrick and I are experiencing technical difficulties with our internet service. It has been down for almost 2 weeks now. Hopefully we will be back on-line by the end of this week. So if you have sent us an e-mail in the last 2 weeks we probably have not seen it.....please don't think we are ignoring you!

Keeping the Family Blog Alive

Hi, all,
Since the blog has been "dormant" for a while, I thought I'd post an entry to revive it! I am happy to report that all is well on the home front. Mom had completely warmed up to Petra - I would venture to say that they are fast becoming close friends! Wow! What a transformation that is! Dad is holding his own, too. It's nice not to have to report any crisis for a change...

This weeks marks mid-semester already - we're on the quarter system which means report cards only come out every nine weeks. My work load is still not bad but now that I've taken on the French Club, I'm finding myself busier than I had anticipated but it's also fun! I just "survived" Homecoming Week. The French Club had a fund-raiser during Powder Puff football and the Bonfire - selling "Chocolate Mousse Sundaes" - and what a hit it was! We completely sold out!! However, I was at school that day from 8 a.m. until nearly 9 p.m. - a very long haul to say the least! Our next fundraiser will be Nov. 1 at the Anthony annual fiesta. On October 21, we'll be having "un repas francais" - a French luncheon - put on by our very own GHS culinary arts dept (they have swept the state awards for the last few years!). Our menu consists of: quiche lorraine, fruit, salad and creme brulee - with a demonstration for the club members by the culinary arts students.

Ralph and I are looking forward to next week when we will spend several days in the Sacramento Mountains near Cloudcroft - at the Ravin Winds Ranch (at a couples' spa retreat!). We've decided to pick up some of the great wines at Eagle Ranch Pistachio Farms on the way up to the mountains - and have a wonderfully relaxing R & R. Also want to get in some hiking as I've not kept up with my exercise routine the last few weeks - so hard to "get going" when I come home from a full day of teaching! In mid-November during a three day weekend, we're also going on a spiritual retreat at the Pecos Benedictine Abbey - just north of Santa Fe where I used to go (Mom and Dad took Phillip there several times when he was young). These short 'get-aways' are just what we need to re-energize -though in some ways, it's difficult to make long term plans as we never know when the next crisis with Mom or Dad will be...

The kids are doing fine. Deniz is doing OK with her diabetes management even though each time she gets sick (comes with the job of being a first grade teacher!), her numbers go crazy. This is truly an on-going learning experience for her but fortunately she's a very fastidious learner. Selim is financing a franchise for Mat - a frozen yogurt enterprise in San Antonio (forgot the name of it but they've taken off in other parts of the country and are non-existent in the Texas Hill Country). Let's hope it takes off in San Antonio as well...

Ok...that's the family news. Not sure how many of you will read this since some seem to have not caught on how to use the Blog. I still think it's a great idea, Chris! We may have to be more pro-active in teaching the finer points of blogging...

Ciao! Salut! Auf weidersehn!

Babette