SharivilleLife stories from Shari

Now that we are short timers, soon to head out for the “Wild West,”  I  am thinking of all the wonderful things here in the DFW Metroplex that we will miss.  It has been a wonderful adventure, started out very scary but thanks to all the prayers and wonderful people and the extraordinary heart surgeon, Dr Michael Mack, the nurses at Baylor’s Heart Hospital , and the rehab nurses at Baylor’s Rehab Hospital, our newest adventure has been wonderful.  We have had the most special loving support from our kids, that really saw us thru.  We most of all will miss them, Tommy and Angie, and Felecia and Tyler.  The 4 legged family we will so miss too.  They have become like our own and I treat them so.  They have accepted us unconditionally, and I know they will miss us.  I know we will be in phone contact but it’s just not the same. Ruby won’t be able to tell me how she is, I can tell now by looking at her. Tommy will have to hook us up to the camera on our laptops.  It still wont  be the same.

We have been to so many restaurants, from the very high end, Texas de Brazil, to the many Mexican restaurants , “Rose’s, ” where they have the best taco’s and condiment bar,  and “ Mi Cocina,” where they have the wonderful Mambo Taxi’s   This is a frozen margarita type drink with secret ingredients, and believe me two is the max, or else you could be sorry. They are the best.  The fried pickles at Hooters are great, and Bone Daddy’s has good pulled pork sandwiches, both have scanty dressed , pretty girls to wait on you. . There is of course our good ole standby “ Joe’s,”  they have the best down home country cooking.  They also have a singing waitress that sings Happy Birthday to you on your birthday and she does it in a most unusual manner.  Sooo funny. This week end we are going to try “Babe’s,” a very popular place in Roanoke, a little town nearby.  They specialize in fried chicken and chicken fried steaks.  Guess you can tell we love to try all the different foods in all the areas, esp cultural foods.  We like gourmet restaurants, but who doesn’t and let me tell you Dallas, Fort Worth area is the place to be.  It’s definitely ” Happening Here.” Tommy and Angie have seen to it that we have been totally exposed to the very best of all  here.      And I will miss Sonic drive inn’s, ask Jerry, the best burgers.

I will miss the shopping here, there is everything a person could possibly need and more, esp lots of  speciality places. It’s all available and with same day delivery.  The one thing that really impresses me is the people around here.  Texas folks are wonderful, friendly and most helpful in any manor you need them to be.  They are just polite and accommodating.

Some odd things that I will miss……….like driving the 114 or the 121 after dark and watching the jumbo jets lining up to land at DFW airport. Often there are 5 and 6 coming in at various altitudes,  the landing gear is down and all the headlights are ablaze.,at the same time on the other side of the freeway are various planes departing and gaining altitude at various levels.  They fly right over the freeways and it seems like you could just reach up and touch them. I would not want to be a traffic controller here…….I will miss listening to 96.7 Platinum radio show..while driving anywhere…..I will miss the wonderful efficient health care here.  They have their system down pat. The hospitals are beautiful……..I will miss all the beautiful spectacular buildings  in the Metroplex.  It’s really an experience to drive in both cities.  Dallas is very sophisticated, while Forth Worth is laid back and country. I love both cities.  I will just flat miss TEXAS!!  Plain and simple….I will really miss Three Dog Bakery and so will Teddy…..speaking of Teddy his full name is,” Texas Teddy.” We are bringing home a genuine Texas cow dog.  Teddy is a georgous Red Heeler, and as smart as a whip.  His breed is one of the most intelligent dogs there is, really I didn’t just make that up. Teddy is a whole nother blog., soon to be included. He will always be our pride and joy from a Texas street corner.

The saving grace is, is that we will be back.  There is so much here for us and it will always be wonderful to spend time, lots of it here in The Metroplex. Our kids are here after all.

Both Jerry and my daughter Angie make use of the Veterans Administration health benefits, and are grateful that they are available.  Esp. in light of all these up and coming  problems with the traditional medical system. As a retired RN, I am totally impressed with the available facilities and the specialities in place. I am certain that Karen Statt, Jerry’s PA at our local VA facility in Chico Calif.   is absolutely thorough, dedicated to the vets and a source of   the best medical care available.  Jerry has a private cardiologist and family MD, but I can tell you that our local VA is absolutely the best.  The VA also has a low co-payment on some very expensive meds that Jerry takes, makes our life easier.

So, while here in Dallas I have had a couple of occasions to accompany Angie on her routine visits to the VA here. Now I am really impressed.  Dallas has the largest VA facility in the USA, next only to Long Beach Ca. Here it covers 86 acres, and believe me they have not wasted any space.  It’s an incredible, beautiful facility. It’s like a small city. They have every speciality and test facility available here. The inside is also to be proud of.  There is an abundance of seating, comfortable seating, and snack areas and vending machines and even a canteen  food court in the basement, a Bistro, Cafe VA, Starbucks and even a PX.  The busiest place tho is at the pop corn machine, my favorite snack ever, well ice cream too.  Anyway its here where  all the  social action takes place.  They sell the pop corn and have a condiment table so you can flavor the pop corn with many flavors, from cheddar cheese to parmesan to Chile powder , Cajun flavorings,my favorite, plus garlic powder.  Sounds trivial but sit there for awhile and watch the activity.  It’s run by volunteers and these guys know everyone  of the employees and some of the regular patients, and as they  pass by  never fail to call out greetings of some kind. A very social area.  Angie bought me a 10$ bag of pop corn, it didn’t cost that much of course, but Angie told the guy to add  the change to the money bucket, it’s for a good cause.

While sitting by the pop corn machine I felt certain that I would encounter some vets who would feel free to let me interview them.  I was interested in their feelings on this magnificant facility. In no time I had several Vets sitting aroung in wheel chairs or leaning on walkers or sitting beside me and we were deep into conversation by the time Angie had finished with her appt.   She came out and saw all the activity and wondered if I was being mobed.  You know me, I’m naturally friendly and people seem to like to talk to me.  I was lucky enough to be there on the day of the week that lots of vets meet there in a support group for each other.  They talked to me about various degrees of disability and both medical and psychological problems related to seeing active duty. All of the vets  that I talked to seemed to appreciate the benefits and care they were recieving.  The main complaint is that there are so many of them that need some kind of attention, therefore the waits can be long.  Also as with everything else everywhere in the civilian medical community the red tape and paperwork is tremendous. For some of the vets this is difficult to get it done and keep up with it.

This facility also has a domiciliary, social workers,  mental health inpatient units, psychology service , hospitalized patient units, med surg units, respiratory therapy , orthopedic surgical nursing unit, diabetes clinic, woman’s clinic and clinical research units. All medical specialities are in house.  These are among the many available options for these wonderful Americans who have given so much.   I love the saying,” If you can read, thank a teacher, if you can speak English thank a Veteran.”  It’s the least we can do for these dedicated men and women who have given us our way of life. God Bless one and all. I feel so privileged to have been able to see this place in action because it truly is unbelievable.

Wow, had to get up earlier than usual this morning.  Big day, places to go, people to see, stuff to do.  Jerry and I started out with the requisite bowl of honey nut cheerios and bananas and of course 2 cups of coffee.  Then off to Tommy’s shop.  Tommy had our truck down there and was having his people detail it.  So far Tommy has wrapped the truck, had the windows tinted, some mechanical work done on it and now totally detailed it and it’s ready to roll west. Less than 2 weeks now before we hit the road.

Today was also baby band day. Always one of my favorite times to visit the shop.  There were some real cuties there today. Got some cute pictures. These parents are slways so happy to get their baby’s head bands wrapped in cute colorful  wraps.  My favorite is the dinosaurs.

Then we were off for a very interesting few hours. We got directions to the Sixth Floor MUSEUM. But like Tommy said if we get lost just drive around because Dallas is a really beautiful city.  He was right on both accounts, we got lost and did see some really lovely mansions. I still wonder what people do in a house that covers an acre.  One thing Dallas has is fab homes and really fast and wonderful cars.  These two abound.  We visited the Sixth Floor MUSEUM, at Dealey Plaza in Dallas.  For anyone who has not been there, its truly a moving emotional experience.  Jerry and I are very fond of museum’s, and have seen some really wonderful and important ones. Most of them cover a period of yrs.  This one basically covers one day in our history.  I’m talking about the assassination of President  JFK.  This took place,  as some will remember who read this,on Nov. 22, 1963.  The Sixth Floor of the old Texas school book depository now houses this incredible museum, because it was from there  on that floor that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated a President of the United States of America.  In Oct of 1989 the Sixth Floor Exhibit opened to the public to help visitors find meaning in the tragic event.  It took three decades after JFK’s assassination for the Secretary of the interior to designate Dealey Plaza a National Historic Landmark District. Who hasn’t heard of The Grassy Knoll?  This then finally became of historical significance in US history as the spot where John F. Kennedy died.  Since the museum opened in 1989, over five million people from all over the world have visited.  I am proud to now be able to say that I too have visited and I came away with a deep feeling of sadness that that kind of thing really did happen to this man and to this country. I personally cannot find any meaning to this tragic event.  It’s said all things happen for a reason, where’s the reason? Aside from my personal feelings, the exhibition, entitled “ John F Kennedy and the memory of a Nation,”  examines the life, death,  and legacy of the 35th U.S. President.  It covers the time of his presidential campaign ,through his influence on current events.  The exhibit features documentary films, historic footage, hundreds of photos and artifacts. There are 2 short movies and 3 video events.  The perch where the sniper sat and the stairway from which he eventually made his escape on that eventful day is highlighted.  The exhibit covers the Warren Commission and the various conspiracy theories.  I did leave there wondering about the fourth bullet? Was there one or not, was there a conspiracy or not?  How was it that the cops were so careless as to let Jack Ruby just walk up and murder Oswald?  Since Oswald is really apparently the only one who really knew the truth.

We do know that we were very glad we did go to see the museum.  Since I am such a history buff it was very important to me to see  this very interesting and famous exhibit.  It’s something everyone who appreciates United States  history should see.  I think some of you who read this remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at 1 PM central time on Nov. 22, 1963.  Do you?

On the way home we stopped off at Jason’s Deli for late lunch.  That place is always so good.  We usually get the soup and salad.  There are 10 different kinds of soup to choose from. The salad bar is fab and they have the most delicious mini corn bread and ginger breads.  The desserts are good too, Jerry had chocolate mouse.  All in all it was a really good day.

Another exceptional day.  Today we started out with breakfast at ” Biscuits,”  had really good corn beef and eggs.  Then we  drove back up to Sherman to visit Joy Jones and to have a wonderful dinner with her and her daughter Tammy and husband Chris and lovely daughter Jordan…Tammy cooked “the best” spaghetti and meat balls and sweet Italian sausage.  This girl can cook. 

We felt so privileged to be invited to their home for dinner.  We had never met Joy’s daughter and family and it was so special that she took the time to entertain her mom’s friends. It was above the call of duty.  After having spent one of the best afternoons I can remember I truly understand her generosity.  These folks are just special people.  Joy has a very special relationship with Tammy, just as I do with Angie,  It’s so nice to see that, so I understand the connection.  Joy has lots of love and support from Tammy and her family. We are both very lucky daughters.

We took Teddy along for the visit so he could have a “play date,”  with Joy’s little Missy.  At first Teddy didn’t know how to act with Missy  bouncing around him.  He quickly caught on and they did play with gusto for sometime.  Enough to tire each other out.  I think Teddy met more than his match. It was fun to see these two play. 

Tammy has a lovely home and without a doubt I think she has the most extensive collection of Precious Moments figurines I have ever seen in one place.  They are of course beautiful.  She has a flair for decorating and has lots of American Indian decorations in their home. Both Joy and Tammy are very talented ladies craft wise.  Tammy showed me the quilt she is making for daughter Jordan, gorgeous.  Speaking of Jordan we got to see some tapes of her singing.  Give her a couple years to get a little older, she’s only 16, and she will be ready for American Idol.  I couldn’t get enough of her singing, they ran out of tapes.  So she’s not just a lovely young lady, but a talented one too. She’s very active in her church youth groups.

We had a great visit and it was hard to say goodbye  to Joy this time knowing I would not see her again now until Sept when she drives out with Missy for our 50th class reunion.  She promises to stay with us for awhile when she comes out.  I haven’t  known  Joy long but we will be firends for life now.  I already miss her.

When a family member gets sick or has a crisis, it’s often difficult to deal with.  You feel helpless and inadequate, you fear for the outcome.  Yesterday we got a call from Angie that Casey ,  onean IV and gave him some Valium.  Blood work was done, which turned out normal.  The Dr. wanted to observe him for 24 hours, for further seizures.  As of last night he was doing OK.  The Dr. thinks possibly while down at the shop he managed to get into something that caused a reaction.  It’s either that or he has epilepsy.  That will take time to determine.  In the meanwhile we will ALL keep the vigil and pray for Casey.

We are praying for Casey’s rapid return to health.  He’s such a special dog, aren’t they all.  This one is the baby in the family, less than 2 yrs old.  He sleeps with Tommy and Angie at night on the bed.  He’s the life of the party at home.  He’s gentle and loving and wears his feelings on is paw.  He looks at you with his big liquid brown eyes and you can just absorb the love in them.  He loves to play with his toys and he loves his cookies from the Three Dog Bakery.  In fact he is looking forward to the next Mutt Mixer at the bakery later this month.  He and Teddy plan to attend.

He has become my puppy Teddy’s best friend and mentor.  He is so patient with him dispite all the little puppy tricks Teddy pulls on him.  Teddy greatly misses Casey and he told me so.  He never quits checking out the house and yard for him.  I told him he would be home soon.  Casey has taught Teddy food manners, ie, don’t try to eat out of other dogs food dishes, but  we will share the water.  Casey does get tired of drinking the water that Teddy has washed his feet in tho.  Maybe when he gets home he will concentrate on  teaching Teddy water manners.Another lesson Casey is teaching Teddy is that rawhide bone is MINE, until I tell you otherwise.  Now he needs to teach Teddy some patience like he has. 

We are presently awaiting news from the Dr on Casey’s night of observation.  I am sure he rebounded well and will be home with all his loved ones today.  We miss him so.

I was lucky enough to be here in the Metroplex for this momentous snow storm. It has not snowed like this in over 50 yrs.  Here at Angie’s house we got a foot of snow.  I was out side last night at midnight taking pictures, it was so bright out side, Angie said the moon was out but it was still snowing. It looked like a Christmas card picture .  Across the street and down the block they have the most creative snowmen. I am putting a picture in here to show off their masterpieces.  The dogs are having a great time playing in the snow.  Teddy sticks his nose into the snow and pushes it like a plow.  Then he climbs onto the lounge chair by the pool and wallows in the snow there.  Casey runs rings around the pool with teddy close behind.  They are hilarious. Casey has such long legs and Teddy just trudges along on his little short legs.  We thought a Red Heeler was not a water dog, but oh contrare, he seems to love water.  So far he has not seen fit to jump into the pool yet.  He does recognize icy water.  Lucky, the cat, has not requested his usual outside stroll since all this started.

The news reported 22 accidents in Dallas last night alone.  We can watch out the window and see the cars slippingaround on the street outside. Jerry trudged out into the snow in the back yard yesterday to fill the bird feeder for the beautiful red cardinal pair who depends on us. There’s not a lot of food out there right now. Half the flights out of DFW are canceled, 180,000 folks are without power, not us, thank goodness.  They have brought in 2500 repair crews from other states to help out.  The kids are enjoying snow days off from school and using everything they can find to help slide in the snow. They are using laundry baskets , garbage can lids and old election posters. The whole south is getting hit including Fla.  The snow storm of yesterday has now moved on into the Atlanta Georgia area.  It’s been a fun run here and we are so glad to get to be here and see it all. It may never happen for another 50 yrs.

The kids are stranded in Dallas and will end up spending two nights at a hotel.  Tommy shop is in Dallas and this isthe big All Star Week in Dallas and lots of Tommy’s business is tied into all the festivities  there in Dallas.  The roads were to frozen to come home last night so they are doing the hotel route for 2 nights. Its warming up now and the snow is falling off the trees.  That was one of the most beautiful parts of the snowfall.  The snow just glistened on the trees esp last night at midnight. It was truly a winter wonderland that I got to see in person.  Remember I’m a California girl not used to such glorious sights. I will enjoy all this beauty while it lasts, but like most beautiful things , their time in the sun, little pun there, are fleeting and will soon be lost to only memories, blogs and pictures.  Those will last for a long long time.

It has been great to get to spend extra time with all the animals who live with Tommy and Angie.  There are 3 dogs  and 4 cats.  Plus Turbo the aquatic turtle.  He definitely is family.  Today he let us know that his filter was plugged by going to the filter and rattling it around to get it to partially work.  He’s a very resourceful turtle. Tommy fixed it for him and now he’s a happy turtle.  It’s my desire that all the animals are happy.

The oldest is Espresso, she’s the black cat and is about 17.  You would never know it, shes beautiful, shiny and healthy.  She has a bourbon tenor voice, don’t know where that came from, but we are sure she is on the wagon.  Her thing is after the lights go out at night she howls. No one knows why, but if Angie lets her into her bedroom to sleep with them, shes just fine?  She knows how to work the system. Espresso prefers men, she’s Jerry’s buddy. She’s also a California cat originally.

Then in line of hierarchy comes Mocha.  She’s a Tortoise shell, with big beautiful eyes, white whiskers and such a lovely face.  Mocha likes to groom peoples hair, at the very least she loves to lay behind you on the couch or pillow and just rest her paw on your shoulder.  She just loves to touch and has a purr you can hear across the room.  She’s so loving, and is the prettiest cat of all. She’s very social and hangs out in the kitchen when I’m cooking, hoping for a snack. Mocha is a Calif cat too.

Next in line is Ruby.  Ruby is a Blue Heeler and quite the old lady.  She’s a senior dog now about 16.  Shes beginning to show her age now and struggles at times.  But she is so loving and remains the alpha dog.  She gets  respect from everyone, including the people in her life.  She looks up at you with those big brown loving eyes that melt your heart.   She’s very much Angie’s dog and has been so protective of her since day one.  Shes been Angie’s loving companion since she came into Angie’s life.  Ruby came from the Butte County Humane society in Chico. I love Ruby very much and she knows who loves her.  She is also my kitchen companion, she’s a smart cookie.

Next in line would be Joey. Angie dug Joey out from under a bush.  He’s a cracker Jack Yorkie. He was discovered by Ruby hiding under a bush while she and Angie were out on a run on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere.  Angie said at first she thought he was a big rat, except Ruby approved of him, so she did further investigation and found a Yorkie.  He was literally starving.  He belonged to someone who was greatly abusing him.  He was flea infested, wormy, under nourished and dehydrated.  The vet Angie took him to expressed the hope that no one would ever find his original owner.  That became a reality and Joe has been family for over 10 yrs now.  He lost the vision in his Left eye due to a tussle with another dog, but he never lets on to his disability and has coped wonderfully.  Joey is quite the character and truly believes he’s a big dog anyway.  He remains very protective of his food, he’s never been able to conquer the fear of not having enough food.  He got his name partially because when Angie first got him he had a habit of drinking left over coffee out of cups, we figured that’s the only way he could find fluid to drink.  There’s a longer story about Joey but all that’s important is that he was rescued from deaths door, and now he has a wonderful life.  Hes even flown to Calif. on two occasions to visit me. Joey is about 11 yrs old , a little dog with a great big personality. Joey is precious to me.

Then came master cat, a yellow cat that is.  Jerry named him Lucky because he was so lucky to get a home.  Angie transported him from Arkansas where he was dumped there during one of  Angie’s business ventures.  He was headed for the pound when Angie’s group took up a collection, got him a crate, a cat box and some food and smuggled him into the hotel.  Angie was lucky enough that the airline person didn’t charge her for his transportation to DFW.  Lucky is definitely the “cock of the walk”, with his yellow cat personality. He can be very affectionate if he wants to and gives very sweet kitty kisses.  He will also play with the dogs if the notion strikes him.  He’s an important and loved part of this animal and human family.

Then one very hot 4th of July a few yrs ago little Liberty was discovered hiding behind a gasoline pump, just hoping to see better days.  Here is another very sad beginning.  Tommy was low on fuel and had to make a stop in the ghetto.  There she was -  just a kitten.  She had been so abused, she had a broken leg and tail.  She was also infested with everything, starving and thirsty.  Angie grabbed her up and they drove her into a wonderful life.  Liberty got her name because she was found on the 4th of July.  She’s a Calico with lovely blue eyes that almost always focus.  She’s very gentle and timid, but so loves to be petted ever so gently, just not picked up and cuddled.  Guess she had her fill of the human touch before the kids found her.  She’s a sweet baby and we all love her.

Then along came Casey.  What a find. Tommy and Angie found him up for adoption at the Pet-co parking lot.  He was found chained to a Rottweiler somewhere.  They figure he was 6 to 9 mos old.  He’s mostly a Swiss Mt dog,called and Entelbuscher.  He has long legs like a deer and jumps like one too.  He’s mostly black with brown and some white splashed on.  He’s a very gentle loving dog, and has very sensitive  feelings and you can see it in his big brown eyes.  You just melt when he gives you that loving look.  He’s very smart and playful with boundless energy.  He weighs in about 65 #.  But, he is positive he is a lap dog. He insists on sleeping in bed with Tommy and Angie and so it kind of gets crowded with Joey and Casey and Espresso all in bed with them.  But I know they would have it no other way, they are after all family.  If more wanted to bed down with them they would make room. Casey loves his toys and could tear up an iron ball.  He needs tough toys. Casey is also a swimmer and loves to swim in the pool when the weather is good.   He’s the most loving, loyal,  cuddly dog, just a big sweet boy.   Casey has been a good influence on my Teddy, as Teddy was only 7 weeks old when we brought him here to the house.  He has helped to socialize Teddy and  taught him many things.  Casey is  devoted to Angie.

Then of course somewhere in the mix is Turbo the Turtle.  I did an earlier blog on him.  He’s my buddy.  He started out as a  house guest, ie they were baby sitting him when his people decided they didn’t need him anymore and were going to put him in a swamp somewhere.  Well, Angie and Tommy would have none of that and now he’s family.  He lives in a very nice aquarium in the dinnet.  He was silver dollar size when they got him , now he’s almost dinner plate size, with a personality to match.  His favorite color is purple.  He totally drools if you come up to his aquarium with purple on.  He comes to his window and swoons.  He’s a favorite of mine, I just can’t hug him.

So, before we leave to go back to Calif. I wanted to get this blog written.  It’s important that I express how very much all these precious babies mean to me. During all my visits they have been here and welcomed us with open paws.  It has been my pleasure to help take care of all of them.  I will surely miss them all when we leave and hope to return someday to hug them all again, except Turbo, for him I will wear purple.  I love you babies all.

Good friends are hard to find and then sometimes hard to hang onto.  I have found a good friend in Joy Jones.  She came to me via Judy Lou back home when Jerry was stricken with the bad news of another heart surgery. Judy Lou has spent the last several years trying to keep the class of 60 together and united, so she was up on the fact that Joy lived in a near by town.  Joy  and I went to school together in Chico and she will be coming out for our 50th class reunion in Sept.  We do not remember each other from high school, but we had a big class.  Joy was so supportive of us with Jerry’s heart surgery and I think she was an angel sent in disguise.  So I am not going to lose track of her.  She and I have really got a lot  in common and think alike on a lot of things.  I am thankful for her friendship.

Thurs. Jerry and I  drove up to Sherman where  Joy lives for a visit and to go to lunch.  Its about 60 miles north of here.  It was drizzling rain, but rain never bothers me.  It was a nice drive to someplace we have never been and that’s what we are all about.  We are here for a reason, an unplanned one, but here.  We are going to take advantage of these adventures, you only have one go round here and I want to see and do it all.   We went to lunch at The Olive Garden, had my favorite, fetachini alfredo, Jerry had his favorite spaghetti and meatballs and Joy had her fav lasagna.  It was a good lunch and a very good visit.  We returned to Joy’s house for coffee and to visit with her precious pup, Missy. She is the cutest little girl, only 10 mos old and a ball of energy.  I can see why Joy loves her so much. 

Joy is also the craft person of all time and she makes the most beautiful jewelry.  She really has a flair for color co ordination.  She also does silk embroidery, very fine work.  We visited for a couple of hours and then had to leave so we could get back to the Metroplex before dark, which we did.  It was a really nice drive, and a good visit with a friend I have come to greatly appreciate and love.  She is also a face book buddy and a computer fan.

Jerry’s birthday started out good and only got better.  We went to a place called Boopa’s Bagels for a cranberry orange bagel with apricot cream cheese for me then walked down the street to Starbucks so Jerry could get some coffee cake and some coffee for both of us. We sat there and enjoyed our breakfast. From there I walked next door to get my hair cut, had to look nice for Jerry’s pending birthday party that night.  While I was there, and since she did such a good job on my hair, I decided to have some waxing done.  Just to be sure to look extra wonderful.  Well that was possibly asking for to much.  The eyebrows went very well, when we got to the upper lip, you know the mustache touch, well something went very wrong. The girl got the wax on, but there it stayed….. ON.   Boy were we both surprise at that.  When she went to flick the tape off nothing came off.  Nothing was going to get that wax off my upper lip.  I really thought that girl was going to pee her pants when that wax stuck like glue.  And I’m sitting there thinking how attractive I  was going to look on our big night out.   We ended up literally peeling it off and I have whats called sensitive skin.  It seemed to me I could feel the top layer of the skin on my upper lip peeling away with the wax.  A cheap dermabrasion,  but only on one side of my lip.  So then I had a very red half  mustache.  Fortunately the day did get better.  We bought some Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and went home, because everyone knows Thin Mints will solve lots of problems, esp if you eat enough of them.

Felecia and Tyler came over and Jerry opened his gifts.  He got a beautiful watch from Angie and Tommy and from Felecia and Tyler a burger dinner from Sonics.  That’s a great drive in burger place here with wonderful milkshakes.  It all made his day, but it just got better. From here we went to down town Fort Worth to a simply fab Mexican place called Mia Cocina, they have a speciality drink called the Mombo Taxi.  The ingredients are a secret, but we have all decided its the best drink ever.  One is usually enough.  We spent a couple of hours thoroughly enjoying the food and drinks and company.  Now the next stop we , Jerry and I, were not so sure of.  It’s called Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar.  I guess I pictured a bunch of old folks sitting around a piano listening to oldies passively played on a couple of piano’s, Oh Heck NO.   This was one of those places with a cover charge and a stamp on your wrist, to say YOU have arrived.  From there on it was jumpin non stop music.  Loud, fun, sing along music. There were two pianos, plus drums, an electric guitar and a violin.  There were  5 different band members and each one of them could sing like no one else.  There was never a pause in the music from 8 PM until we left at 1 :30AM.  The band members just kept switching off with no intermission.  We cannot remember a more entertaining night.  The music was of all era’s up to and even one or two Hip Hop songs.  The female singer played the violin as well as Charley Daniels, when she did, “‘ The Devil Came Down to Georgia.” The music and songs were very much audience participation sing alongs.  I was sure I wouldn’t have a voice by the time we left.  Songs like “Lucille”, “Twist and Shout”,”Run Around Sue”, and sooooo many many more.  All six of us laughed and laughed, ,  had a couple margarita’s, sang along with the songs.  The place was packed with standing room even filled up.  It certainly wasn’t a mild piano bar.  Remember ”Road House”, with Patric Swazey,  well this place had the actual ” Coolers” there to keep the peace, just in case.   The “Cooler’s were entertaining all by themselves, with their big heavy flashlights. 

 I should have known the kids wouldn’t pick a dud.  They recognized the fact that 77 yr old grandpa’s are still in the main stream.  Grandpa Jerry sure is.  He hung right in there with all the participation of any of us.  They did a birthday salute and Jerry was right up there on stage participating in the Hokey Pokey, with the rest of them, and then back up on the stage for the salute to Veteran’s when they sang Lee Greenwood’s  “Proud to be an American.”  He just happened to be wearing his Koren Vet hat.  He got lots of hugs from the ladies and handshakes from the guys for his military service.   This place was big enough to hold several hundred people and the joint was jammed.  I can’t remember when Jerry enjoyed himself so much, in fact he put off leaving a couple of times he was having so much fun. I think if we lived here Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar would be a place to go on more than one occasion.  I know we shall return.  It was one more wonderful experience we have enjoyed here in the Metroplex.  Jerry’s birthday was a wonderful success.  Remember take every birthday with a grain of salt, this works much better if accompanied by a margarita. According to Maxine.