July has been hot! We had a heat wave that lasted all month with the occasional thunder storm giving us respite. As always we celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks and a snack buffet. We enjoyed having everyone on and around the property come to usher in America’s 250th year. Here are some pictures of the fireworks and festivities.

Marie turned 93 this month, so we celebrated her in style. We had several of the surrounding neighbors come to celebrate and offer her well wishes. Here she is with her cake and flowers.

We had several quick visits this month. Bob and Donna Tangerose came to see Roberta and Elsie, but they also knew Gloria and Naomi. Here they are leaving after breakfast.

Cindy Abate came to visit Irving. She knew many other sisters that labored in the East Coast states. Here she is with Irving, Marie, Esther and Roberta in front of the piano and again with Fern outside Park Manor.

Jeff and Gayle Carolus and family came to visit Irving.

Kathy’s sister Kim Schneider came from Minneapolis for a week to take care of Karin’s children, Katelyn and Dylan, while Karin and Patrick celebrated their 20th anniversary on a cruise. We didn’t take a picture of her at PG, but here they are at Chick-fil-A.

Jenny and Eddy Raschein have came to visit their son Kendall and family. Jenny’s parents, Bill and Sherry Taggert, came with them. Here is the the family in front of the piano after Sunday morning meeting.

Theron and Angela Schroeder and their children visited grandma Elsie

Resident Journals

Louise Martin

Louise does well, outside of the occasional phone trouble. Technology gets away from you sometimes. She likes to sit out on the porch and watch the birds, make phone calls and catch a little sun. Here she is with her dear friends Stacey Seidlitz, Ruth Wagner, the furrows and Terry Boulter.

Naomi Watson

Naomi does well, and has recovered quickly from her minor surgery. She still plays her piano frequently and looks forward to her monthly visits from her son Kevin. Here she is with her Missouri visitor Terry Boelter.

Marie Mounce

Marie is at it again in the kitchen. This time she made some delicious bread pudding. She also made and eggplant lasagna that went over very well, and shrimp etouffee! Here she is mixing her bread pudding.

Doreen Beyer

Doreen had a rough month due to arthritis pain. It has improved somewhat with medication. Here she is at Marie’s birthday admiring her cake.

Gloria Edwards

Gloria is doing great, helping in the kitchen and setting the table. Here she is chatting with the puzzle crew and helping them when the puzzle is too difficult. Here she is doing just that, and again visiting at Park Manor.

Emma Perez

Emma does about the same. She is looking forward to going to Mexico for convention. Here she is with Mary Simmon and Gwen.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen is doing great, she is inquisitive as to how things are going with everyone else. Dawn Overby likes to come help with the puzzle and chat with the ladies in the evenings. Here is Gwen and Dawn visiting.

Roberta Stipp and Elsie Schroeder

Roberta and Elsie are doing well, but Elsie is slowing down some. Her grandson Theron and his family came for a quick visit, followed by a visit from Don and Becky. Here they are doing their puzzle, and Elsie reading to her great-grandchildren.

Irving Ross

Irving continues to do about the same. He can often be found reading the newspaper or a magazine. He takes an interest in what is said by each one at the table. We have the staff sitting next to him to help relay what was said. He loves ice. Here he is getting ice from the ice maker in the kitchen.

Esther Duncan

Esther does great. Everyday she takes a walk either to the gate or to the pond. She really loves looking at the moon every evening but does not like having to stay up so late to do it. Here she is visiting the Park Manor residents.

Alice Oetken, Ronald Elliott, Joyce Naber, Fern Duncan

Everyone at Park Manor continues to do well. Lounell Clayborne takes some of our residents over to see them every other Friday. Here they are enjoying their visitors.

Farm

The wildlife is thriving even with all of this heat. The trees and flora are soaking up all the sunlight, but the grass has had enough heat and has decided to fade. Kenny’s house has had a bevy of swallows born on its porches. The first picture is of one of those swallow chicks having landed outside the nest. The rest are some of the beautiful days we’ve been having, Pecan Groves dried herbs and spices, and Ken and Kenny cleaning out his pond full of weeds.

Kenny’s new joke for the month.

Thank you for your interest and love for us here.

Kenny and Ken

We had several big birthdays this month, starting with David Opel. He turned 23 this month and we celebrated with cupcakes. Here he is with his cupcake tower.

Our nurse Tammy also celebrated a milestone birthday. She was surprised that we were planning to do anything for her. Here she is beaming with her cake.

Joyce Naber and Gwen shared a birthday party here at PG. Joyce and Alice were both brought to celebrate the big deal. Gwen was so pleased to be able to share her birthday with Joyce. Here they are enjoying their cakes and flowers.

Of course all of our ladies loved the opportunity to see Joyce and Alice and dote on them some. Joyce, of course, brought her signature smile and charm, we always appreciate her joyful spirit. Everyone who could come did come to celebrate with our ladies. Here they are showering Joyce and Alice with love.

We enjoyed many visitors this month. Emma had several visitors which she was so pleased to see again. Her brother Rolando Perez and his wife Juana came for a lunch visit. She was so pleased to have her brother meet all the residents. Here they are in front of the piano.

Russ and Judy Rosehill came at the same time as Rex and Martha Taylor. They know a lot of the residents well and really enjoyed a chance for a visit. Here they are in the entry way.

Emilee has offered to come out on Mondays and hold an exercise class for the residents. Here they are really working out!

Resident Journals

Irving Ross

Irving does well, he has more energy lately and has been talking more at the table. Here his sitting down for supper.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen was so pleased to see everyone come for her birthday. Especially the Park Manor residents she does not get to see very often. Here she is with her cake admiring Joyce’s pie.

Doreen Beyer

Doreen continues to do well and help out in the kitchen. She likes to check in on the others and offer a hand if they need anything. Here she is doing another helpful task, serving water for supper.

Esther Duncan

Esther continues to do great. She still gets regular correspondence from around the world and is busy responding to mail everyday. Here she is out for Thai food with Roberta.

Marie Mounce

Marie does well, she still tries her hand in the kitchen as often as she is able. Recently she has been interested in making caprese salads with every possible dressing, which has been interesting. Here she is with Stacey, Emma and Louise in front of the piano.

Emma Perez

Emma is doing well, she has had a persistent cough that she is using an inhaler for now. She really loves to visit Alice or have Alice, her old co-worker. Also, her brother coming from Illinois was such a highlight for her. Here she is with Alice and another visitor from Mexico, Clara Moreno.

Elsie Schroeder and Roberta Stipp

The sisters, Elsie and Roberta, continue to do well. They enjoy their daily puzzles and reading the newspaper. They had a surprise visit from Elsie’s old friends and neighbors, Sally and Franz Holzman. Here they are chatting before dinner.

Louise Martin

Louise is having a fun time fitting in. She likes to laugh and make others laugh so she really brings up the spirits around here. We moved the mechanical chair into her room so she can get up easier and keep her feet elevated. She is pretty excited about it. Here she is with her visitors from Alabama, Rita Sumners, Judy Sanchez, Kellie Whitley and Anita Walden.

Gloria Edwards

Gloria does well and fits in nicely with the other residents. She is another one that loves to send correspondence and can often be found at her desk writing. Here she is with Louise and Roberta.

Naomi Watson

Naomi does well, she plays her piano everyday. She had some minor surgery done on her sinuses and was in her room for a few days. Here she is eating Thai food after a visit to Park Manor.

Joyce Naber, Ronald Elliott, Fern Duncan, Alice Oetken

The Park Manor residents continue to do about the same. They light up when we come for a visit and this month they have had several. Here is a picture of them at one of the visits.

We decided to take a new resident photo because of all our new comers. Here are all the current residents of Pecan Grove with several of the staff as well as our visitors Joyce Lawrence…

Farm

Wildlife here has been abounding with all our rain and heat. We have several species of birds nesting around the center and several large creepy crawlies have been spotted.

Thanks for your interest in us here!

Kenny and Ken

Great news! We had another new resident join us this month. Her name is Gloria Edwards and she came to us from Florida. Several of the ladies know her well and have been very helpful in her transition to living here. Here she is with Judy Mattison (who she was living with in Florida) and Sharon Carroll who traveled with her to Texas.

Greg Harger came at the same time as Sharon and Gloria. Here he is included in a group picture at Park Manor.

We had 3 birthdays this month. Louise Martin turned 95 years young. She asked that we do not make a big fuss about her on her birthday. We tried our best, but eventually it ended up being a surprise party. Her niece, Sara Hopkins, and nephew, Doug Nelson, and his wife, JaNae surprised her by appearing in time for lunch and visiting several times over the next few days.

Kathy had a big 75th birthday this month. She appreciated all the well wishers. Here she is with Ken and her birthday pie.

Stetson also wanted a low key 32nd birthday this year. He asked that we don’t sing happy birthday but some folks didn’t hear that so he was serenaded anyway. Roger and Connie Jones were visiting but we only have this picture of Roger sitting next to Stetson with his birthday cake.

We have had a whirlwind of visitors this month, some of whom we failed to get pictures of. We really enjoy visitors returning and keeping contact with our residents. It gives them something to look forward to. Rob and Donna Pikcilingis came to visit Irving.

Lynden and Nadene Laird came to visit Fern at Park Manor and also to visit Irving. They only stayed for lunch, but got plenty of quality conversation in. Here they are with Irving at the lunch table.

Stacey Seidlitz and Ruth Warner came to visit Louise. They helped her get her room organized. Here they are in front of the bookcase.

We had a little excitement happen recently. The coffee maker decided to expel its innards all over the wall just before lunch. We turned it on, rang the bell, and then all of the residents got to watch it explode onto the wall, as well as wait for us to clean it up. Here is Stetson getting some of the finishing touches done on the floor.

Resident Journals

Irving Ross

Irving continues to improve. He has more energy and is talking at the table more. He has a unique sense of humor, but we like that around here!

Marie Mounce

Marie does well, so long as her blood pressure does not act up. When it gets too low she feels woozy and sleeps a lot. When it is high she is doing great, which is normal for her. Here she is talking to Ronald at Park Manor.

Elsie Schroeder and Roberta Stipp

The sisters, Elsie and Roberta, are doing well. Sally and Franz Holzman came to visit them. The Holzman’s were next door neighbors to the Schroeders in New Braunfels. Here they are enjoying the puzzle together.

Emma Perez

Emma does well. She is interested in the funerals that have been happening often. Today Kent and Linda took Emma to a funeral. Here she is with Joyce and Alice.

Louise Martin

Louise is doing great, especially after recovering from her fall. Here she is with her family and Stacey Seidlitz.

Gloria Edwards

Gloria is fitting right in and she is sharp as a tack. She was a co-worker with some of our ladies, and knows all of our residents. Here she is today at Pecan Grove.

Naomi Watson

Naomi enjoys a visit from her son once a month. He brings beautiful flowers and produce from his garden to share with us. Here she is playing a duet with Ty Nordic.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen is acclimating to her new room. She told Kenny “I want this room to be perfect because this is the last move I will make.” We are more than happy to accommodate that. Here she is next to Kathy on the left during Louise’s birthday lunch.

Doreen Beyer

Doreen does great. She corresponds with many co-workers and friends. She is faithful to her job in the kitchen, often rewarding her hard work with a sweet treat at the end. Here she is chatting with Ronald and Esther at Park Manor.

Esther Duncan

Esther does well, still number one in correspondence with her friends around the world. She is a routine walker, every day she walks as far as the gate or mailbox. See picture above.

Ronald Elliott, Joyce Naber, Fern Duncan, Alice Oetken

Our park manor residents are hanging in there. Fern has had more smiles and been alert recently. Alice always loves a visit so they sit her with Joyce and Ronald for their meals. When any of our friends go for a visit the staff knows to bring out all four of our residents.

Farm and Wild Life

Our wildlife is loving all this rain and intense sunshine. Esther asked that we make a new bird house to separate the more territorial birds. Emry and Evren put the bird feeder together and the twins painted it. Here are some nature pictures along with pictures of the new house.

Thanks for your interest in us here!

Ken and Kenny

April has been a month of highs and lows. We celebrated several birthdays and grieved two who passed. We also had many great visits and added a new resident to our number here at Pecan Grove.

Our dear resident, Ruth Henderson, passed away suddenly on the morning of April15th. We held a memorial service for her at PG on Sunday the 26th. Her great-nephew Talus Murphy and great-niece Brooke Henderson were here and had a part in the service. Her funeral service will be Sunday, May 3, in New Mexico with a burial in Minnesota May 30. These links provide the memorial service pamphlet and notes. Pamphlet Notes

Brooke stayed for a few days with her new co-worker, Jennifer Lester. They went through Ruth’s room and Brooke commented “I have more stuff in the back of the car than she had in this whole room!” Here are the sisters in front of the fire place.

Our dear brother, Gilbert Reese, also passed away suddenly and peacefully on April 25th in the Park Manor Nursing Home. When we went to visit the 5 Park Manor residents on Friday the 24th, he was fast asleep. His nurse informed us that he had been sick. Saturday he was put on hospice and passed mere hours after that. In the 8 years we were responsible for him, we never heard a complaint. Here are some pictures, first in January 2018 when he came to Pecan Grove. and then earlier this month with Rob Eberhart. Gilbert’s funeral will be in Marksville, Louisiana and burial after in Effie, Saturday, May 2nd. Here is a link to his obituary

We have a new resident! Louise Martin came to us from Louisiana. She knows Marie and Emma very well, and she is so outgoing that you would think she was your best friend just by talking to her. Emmy Nelson, Rob Eberhart and Joanna Bishop brought her. They ended up staying for a few days to help her get unpacked and her room ready. Here they are with her by the piano, and Louise at one of her first bible studies.

We had several big birthdays this month! Ken and Alice once again shared a birthday together. Here are the party goers celebrating them at Park Manor.

Kenny celebrated his 34th birthday this month. Here he is with Kathy having a laugh around his birthday pie.

We had an above average amount of visitors this month. Most came for the memorial service, but several came just for a meal or the night. Starting with Harold and Janalee Kracht coming to visit Doreen. Here they are in front of the piano and again outside the bunkhouse.

Elsie and Roberta had several visits from friends and family. Charles and Shirley Whalen came for a visit with Charles’ aunts (Elsie and Roberta).

Jack Nelson and his wife, Linda, came for a few days visit. They brought Joyce Major from Alaska. They know many of our residents well. Joyce decided to take a candid video at the lunch table. Here they are visiting the Park Manor five, with Irving in front of the piano, and the video Joyce took.

Roberta had some friends visit from Ohio, Frank and Elaine Kraft. They really enjoyed chatting with her, Roberta and Emma. Here they are in front of Naomi’s piano.

We’ve had a lot of staff changes recently. Here’s a picture of the current staff, 8 of whom work part-time (Kenny is missing).

Resident Journals

Louise Martin

Louise has made a great addition to our Pecan Grove family. She likes to joke and laugh, which livens up the place. Unfortunately she had a fall only a few days after arriving here. She pushed her button, but by the time someone responded she had already gotten herself up off the floor and was walking with her walker. She has a some substantial bruising around her right eye, but otherwise is unscathed. Here she is visiting with Kenny and Fern. And again with her black eye, we like to jokingly say “you should see the other guy”!

Roberta Stipp and Elsie Schroeder

Elsie really thrives with Roberta being here. Roberta takes great care of her sister. Here is Roberta with her visiting friends, Garrick Besterwitch and his wife, Elissa, and three kids Rowan, Reid and Adelyn, and again with Joanna Bishop near the entrance. Lastly, a picture of the two sisters getting acquainted with Louise.

Emma Perez

Emma is doing well, she still loves to make Jello “salad” whenever she can. She did not receive any personal visitors but was well known by many who stopped by. Here she is with Joanna Bishop and near the bunk house with Sue George.

Irving Ross

Irving is doing fantastic considering how far he had to come after his painful blood clots. He had physical therapy and was doing so well that they discharged him until further notice. He really enjoyed his visits with Rob Eberhart, Silas Gartin and Clarence Mounce. Here he is with the physical therapist, talking to Fern, and with Rob Eberhart.

Marie Mounce

Marie is slowing down but still does great. Her sister Verena McFadden passed away in Louisiana. Marie went to see her before she passed and stayed for the funeral. She loves too cook, especially seafood and Cajun food. Here she is enjoying a visit with Joyce Naber and Fern.

Doreen Beyer

Doreen does great, she is still as helpful as ever. She really enjoys visiting Park Manor and cheering up the residents there. Above she is talking with Fern.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen continues to do well, she enjoyed sitting at the table and listening to all of our visitors chatting. Here she is enthusiastically talking with Fern.

Naomi Watson

Naomi does great and always loves a good visit. Her son, Kevin, came to pick her up and take her back home to Missouri. She really enjoyed revisiting the school she taught at for so many years, and they surprised her by asking her to read a book to the class. Even though she enjoyed reminiscing and catching up she came back and told us “while being away I came to the conclusion that Pecan Grove is were I am meant to be. It is truly home for me now.” Here she is at the birthday party for Alice and Ken.

Esther Duncan

Esther does great, as is her usual. She still has daily correspondence with her many friends in Kentucky and Tennessee. She has been quite worried about the wild fires and tornadoes in Georgia and how they might affect the friends in Tennessee. She likes to give us daily updates on the changing situation. Here she is with her visitors today, Ron and Doris Taylor from KY.

Joyce Naber, Fern Duncan, Ronald Elliott, and Alice Oetken

Other than Gilbert passing away, the Park Manor 4 are still going strong. Three of them sit together everyday for their meals. Everyone enjoyed seeing them and bringing them good cheer. Here they are with visitors this month.

Thank you for your interest in us here!

Ken and Kenny

March is always a fun month full of birthdays! Doreen was our first birthday this month, she wanted it to be a simple affair. Here she is with her German chocolate cake and again with her bouquet posing with Don and Becky Schroeder.

Our next big birthday was for Esther (92). Here she is with Kathy and Ruth.

We have had several fast visitors this month, some only coming for a few hours. Tom and Rebecca Jones came from West Virginia to see Roberta and Irving. Rebecca professed in Roberta’s meetings many years ago, and really wanted to express her appreciation. Here they are in front of the piano.

Gwen had a wonderful surprise this month. She was visited by a family from South Korea that knew her well. She even spoke at the table for half an hour talking about how the work went into Korea and the different struggles they overcame. Here she is being greeted by her friends, speaking at the table, and again posing with the family.

Don and Becky came for a quick visit to see Elsie. She had been feeling under the weather so they thought a quick visit might help pick her up. They were right of course, she always loves seeing family!

Lounell offered to bring some of our residents over to see the Park Manor 5. The staff knows who we are and were ready to bring them all out the common area. Here are some of the pictures of the residents catching up with their old friends.

Naomi’s son, Kevin, came for a visit and decided to put his skills to use. He redid the garden and got it ready for the residents to care for. Here they are with their fresh garden.

Todd and Naleta Farnik visited from Colorado. They may come this way with their family for a few months.

Jeff, Tracy and Trevor Chenault came to help out on the pond cleanout project. We enjoyed their visit as much as their help!

Resident Journals

Doreen Beyer

Doreen is doing great, she still helps out in the kitchen. She has taken over the dishwashing operation. She helps out anywhere she can, with Irving and anyone else that needs help. She appears in several pictures in this post.

Esther Duncan

Esther continues to do well, she had a lot of correspondence this month because of her birthday. Here she is at Park Manor with Kathy and Ronald

Naomi Watson

Naomi does well, she really loves her piano! She likes to challenge herself to keep playing some of the more complicated tunes. Here she is playing the piano.

Irving Ross

Irving was able to return to us after his hospital visit. His legs are very sore because he has a massive blood clots. This makes him not want to stand up or transfer. We have him on 24 hour nursing care, someone is with him at all times. We have a hospital bed for him so he can sit up, and an over the bed tray for him to eat. Recently he has improved somewhat so that he is able to be at the table for meals and in some of the meetings. The blood clots seem to be dissipating slowly, allowing him to stand and even walk with a walker and an aid for a short distance.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen was so excited for her visitors that she wanted help to write their names in Korean. She had Kenny attempt to write in Korean, and was very particular as to how the names turned out. Here she is instructing Kenny on how to write, and the names on the table. This was a first for sure!

Emma Perez

Emma does well, and has been on a dessert making spree. She really likes to make Jello, but also does Tapioca and Rice pudding. She often wants to be a part of those who go to visit Park Manor. Here she is receiving some flowers with Elsie and Roberta, and again pulling her laundry with her new “invention”.

Roberta Stipp and Elsie Schroeder

Roberta and Elsie continue to do well. Roberta likes to read more than doing the puzzle so she sits with Elsie reading. Elsie was under the weather some this month, but the visit from Don and Becky cheered her right up. Here they are holding hands at the puzzle table, Roberta visiting with Joyce and helping Marie make apple pie.

Marie Mounce

Marie does well, even with some back and neck pain. She still loves to cook, and decided one day she was going to make omelets. The following week she made a savory souffle! Here she is toiling away in the kitchen.

Ruth Henderson

Ruth does well, she does not like to complain so we have to be sure to ask her how she is doing. She spends a lot of her time reading in her room. Here she is looking for her next interesting book.

Alice Oetken, Gilbert Reese, Ronald Elliott, Joyce Naber, Fern Duncan

The Park Manor 5 are doing great! When our residents went for a visit they were so pleased to have some fellowship. Ronald always carries his bible with him, and has been more talkative of late. Doreen had a nice conversation with Gilbert, she said he was answering her questions and was very clear. Alice loves to talk, and Fern has also been talkative. They all light up when our residents come to see them, it is sweet to see that they may not know your name but they know the spirit.

More recently Ken and Kathy visited them. Fern was more “with it” than we had seen her for a while. She spent some time on the phone with Sherdinia.

Farm

The pond cleanout project has been the major effort this month. Thanks to the Chenaults, we had some competent equipment operators.

Thank you all for your continued interest in the residents here and at Park Manor.

Kenny & Ken