Pecan Grove (www.pecan-grove.net) Pecan Grove and Senior Residence

April 30, 2025

April 2025

Filed under: Pecan Farming — knewman @ 3:07 pm

April has been gorgeous, certainly spring has sprung. We are enjoying wild flower season, and decided to take advantage of the Bluebonnets. We took a little trip with the residents, just to scenic sight-see. Here they all are in the Bluebonnets, and at Freddy’s for burgers and shakes afterwards. Arguably, their favorite part!

Here are the staff from the same day.

The staff decided it would be nice to have a picnic to continue enjoying this weather. Here everyone is enjoying the breeze on the porch.

Just like with March we have a lot of birthdays in April. Kenny turned 33 and got to have pie instead of cake. Marie even made some fabulous shrimp etouffee! Here he is with his pie and card, and the table set with Marie’s etouffee.

Ken and Shawn’s birthdays are 2 days apart so we had a birthday lunch for them.

Kathy, Ken, Shawn, Anita

Alice and Ken share a birthday, so we all went to celebrate at Park Manor nursing home. We brought cupcakes and even shared a few with their staff and residents. Everyone was so happy to see Alice and Gilbert again! Fern was too tired, but the ladies talked to her all the same. Here we all are in the lunchroom, and a few of everyone enjoying their cupcakes.

Doreen had the first visitors of the month, Chuck and Elain Griffeth from Michigan. Also, her cousin Janalee Kracht and husband Harold came for a short visit. Here she is with both sets of visitors, and again everyone around the lunch table.

Franz and Sally Holzmann visited Elsie. They were her neighbors when she lived in New Braunfels. Don and Becky Schroeder visited and took Elsie home for a week, then brought her back the following weekend. David Cleveland was here for a few days, gathering his things. Elsie loves scrabble, so Wayne and Dawn watched a scrabble game.


Jack Nelson and his wife, Linda, brought Joyce Major to visit. Jack helped us build Pecan Grove so he has many good memories to share. Here they are in front of the fire place.

We had a good visit from Brooke Henderson who came to see her great aunt Ruth. They had many discussions back in her room and Brooke was so happy to see her fitting in. They are both related to Talus Murphy who is in our field this year. Here they are in front of the dinning room.

Our young sister worker, Aislynn Stanton, came with her grandmother, Susan, for a visit. Here they are chatting with some of the sisters in the living room.

All of our new ladies really like to work hard. They don’t call them “sister workers” for nothing! Kenny says there are so many helping hands in the kitchen it feels like swimming with a school of fish. Here is a quick picture to show what we mean.

Ken and Kathy were on a Far East trip. In Singapore they were asked to make a presentation about Pecan Grove at a pot luck! Ken quickly put a presentation together, and the friends certainly enjoyed it. Here are the friends and workers that were there.

Friends and Workers in Singapore

We still have Minerva with us, she has taken to walking with Ronald down to see the fish. She must recognize people using walkers and it reminds her of Alice. She stays right there with him, often crossing under his feet or following close behind him. Here she is with her new walking buddy.

Resident Journals

Ronald Elliott

Ronald has been getting better with improved sleep. He loves to walk down and feed the fish. The staff now tries to accompany him. He really lights up when he sees the fish and even seems to get some of his memories back. So the staff has been encouraging him to go out into the beautiful sunshine more. Here he is on one of his nature walks down memory lane, and again with Doris Kopitke (Salena’s aunt).

Doreen Beyer

Doreen is still doing great, although she did have some strange headaches recently. Her blood pressure was higher than normal for a few days which kept her from working too hard in the kitchen. Everything passed pretty quickly and she was back to her usual self again. She still keeps a regular correspondence with many friends in the islands and can be found texting or calling them on a daily basis. Here she is with some of the ladies and some of our Texas sister workers Mona Reese, Sue George and Sue Dawson.

Elsie Schroeder

Elsie stays the same, ever willing to put piece after piece into a puzzle. Even when her eyes might fail her she still painstakingly feels the edges of each piece and finally puts them all together. This month brought several surprises for her, for example she spent an entire week with her son Don and Becky Schroeder and her neighbors from New Braunfels Sally and Franz.

Esther Duncan

Esther is still doing great. She really likes astronomy and catching the phases of the moon. Every night she goes out to check on her lunar friend. She said “even if I can’t see him, I know the moon is there”. Just where God put him.

Emma Perez

Emma has had a few outings already with some of our dear friends. Of course she also loves to go visit Alice, Gilbert, and Fern. Here she is smiling in front of the fire place and again with Alice.

Marie Mounce

Marie does well, still finding her way around the kitchen. It sure is nice having a Cajun in the house! She bakes and makes classic Cajun cooking, with a lot less spice of course. We get these local magazines called “Postcards” which have some fun recipes. Marie is always game to try them. Here she is happily baking applesauce pancakes, and again with Anita.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen is doing great! She still is part of the puzzle crew and gives a lot of effort to putting them together. We recently received some new puzzles which are more tricky, this does not deter them.

Ruth Henderson

Is doing well, and has adjusted to living here quickly. She is another one that likes to be in the kitchen, drying dishes or rinsing them. Whatever is needed!

Joyce Naber (Willis Nursing Home)

While finalizing this blog update, we just heard from the nursing home that Joyce fell and hit her head. She seems fine but they are sending her to the hospital to get checked out.

Otherwise, Joyce really does well, considering she had some dental trouble this month. She had to get some temporary crowns, and then return a week later for the permanent ones. She takes it all in stride. Here she is completely unphased enjoying a Freddy’s milkshake, and again smiling with Anita and Salena.

Fern Duncan, Gilbert Reese, Alice Oetken (Park Manor Nursing Home)

Fern, Gilbert and Alice stay pretty much the same. Alice still likes to eat meals with Gilbert, she calls him grandpa and worries about him. Alice loves having visitors and is quick to invite us back anytime. Here she is with Emma and Esther, then Fern with Esther, then Alice, Gilbert, Ruth, Joyce and Ken. Emma suggested getting a toy cat for Alice, which we did. She was delighted.

Thanks for your interest in us here!

Kenny and Ken

March 31, 2025

March 2025

Filed under: Pecan Grove,Senior Residence — knewman @ 12:38 pm

The biggest event in March was the passing of Elton Cleveland peacefully in bed March 6th. He was 107.5 years old, and had been with us here at PG 10 years. About 115 were here for his memorial service March 15 and many more listened by phone. About 50 attended the burial in Fairfield Pennsylvania March 22nd. Here are links to his obituary and to the notes from the memorial service.

We miss Elton’s zeal and joy very much at PG, but we are glad he finally was able to go on to the reward he has been waiting for so long. Here are pictures from the memorial service, the lunch afterward and of Elton’s family that was here.

At the end of March Ruth Henderson came from New Mexico to be our 43rd resident at PG. Ruth is 95, and has spent 68 years in the work. Here she is surveying the view.

Owen Henderson and his wife, Susan, brought his aunt Ruth here. He was a coworker with Gilbert Reese many years ago. He got him laughing about some old times in Colorado. He seemed to know him just by seeing him, which is really good for Gilbert these days.

Emma has only been here a short while but she has already had several visitors. Here she is with Geili and Rubi Gomez and again in the kitchen with Sara Husers.

We had a revolving door of visitors this month! Almost too many to keep track. Luckily, we had quite a few birthdays so many opportunities to take photos and jog our memory. Here is Esther on her birthday, 91 years young!

Doreen just arrived and we already got to celebrate her birthday! She turned 80, what a milestone. Here she is with her well wishers and walking through the buffet line.

Salena’s aunt and uncle, Doris Kopitke and Les Craighton, stopped by for the night before heading out on their vacation. Here they are in front of the fireplace with Gwen.

We had two families come that know most of the residents. They were RVing around the South and wanted to stop by and say hello. They are the Lairds and the Taylors, seen here in front of their RV and in the kitchen respectively.

Everyone has been getting a special visit recently. Esther had some friends from Georgia come, Walker and Pam Wood. Here they are with Esther in her room, and again with Abigail.

Andray still comes to work with us when he can, this time we had lunch at the cabin! Also, Emma asked for root beer floats on Sunday and they were a hit.

We are always enjoying the nature here, but spring has really vibrant colors. Here are some shots of the nature, sunsets, a bald eagle and the twins with a duck they found.

Resident Journals

Gwen Farmer

Gwen got a special visit from her sister Wenona.. from El Paso, which brightens up her day. She keeps faithfully making the puzzles with Elsie, even if some of them are harder to see. Here she is with her sister Wenona, enjoying some chicken and saying farewell to Karen Cleveland.

Esther Duncan

Esther still does great, especially for 91! She still walks everyday and helps out in the kitchen. She keeps up a healthy correspondence, even more so now that it was her birthday. Here are some shots of her with her cake and some of the festivities.

Ronald Elliott

Ronald has slowed down some, he gets frequent bouts of pain in his back. This causes him to not sleep so well which contributes some to his decline. He still gets many visitors who love to come and chat with him. Here he is with the Lopez’s and again chatting with Doreen.

Marie Mounce

Marie does well, still likes to cook in the kitchen from time to time. She enjoys the frequent company, especially any Spanish speakers, or someone she can talk about the islands with. Here she is with Leroy and Sara Husers, and again at the table with Javier and Nohemi Lopez.

Elsie Schroeder

Elsie still does well, still finishing puzzles with relative ease. Her granddaughter, Candace Sandon, and family came for another great visit. Here they are in front of the fireplace.

Emma Perez

Emma is our new little celebrity, with so many visitors in just a few short weeks! She loves to wash dishes. Kenny told her if she kept washing so many dishes we would have hire her! Here she is reading to Alice.

Doreen Beyer

Doreen fits in great! It feels like she has been here all along. She enjoys working in the kitchen too. With her, Emma, Marie, and Esther all working in kitchen we feel well staffed! Here she is with her birthday cake, and in the kitchen chatting to Gwen and Marie.

Ruth Henderson

Ruth is getting moved in nicely. She shared many years with most of the workers here so she is always willing to chat. She has already made a quick visit to those at Park Manor. Here she is excitedly talking with Joyce at the Willis Nursing home. She is always up for a laugh!

Fern Duncan, Alice Oetken, Gilbert Reese, Joyce Naber

Each one does well, keeping on being peaceful and gentle souls. Joyce is always so alert and smiling when we come to visit. She remembered Ruth right away, even called her by her nickname! Her brother Galen Naber and his wife Marilyn came for a visit. Gilbert lit up when he saw his old friend and coworker Owen Henderson. Fern has had some very good days, even talking some on the phone when we are with her. Alice is always so sweet, and wanting us to come by more often. Here they all are with various visitors.

Thank you for your interest and love for those here at Pecan Grove.

Kenny

February 28, 2025

February 2025

Filed under: Senior Residence — knewman @ 2:52 pm

February continued to be wet and cold, but not enough for more snow. We have had a very busy month anyway, with several big birthdays and some major changes happening.

First, our birthdays! Both Patty Maki and David Cleveland had birthdays on the third. Patty was out of town to celebrate so the girls went all out for David. Here he is with his guitar cake, and the cake again.

We did two birthday celebrations together for Mimi and Salena today. Abigail went all out again for them. Here they are with their tiramisu- macaroon cake.

Joyce was having a few bad days of weakness and confusion, which made the staff very concerned. They took her to the ER and found nothing out of the ordinary, but because of her being physically weak the doctor ordered some rehabilitation. During rehab she was given physical and occupational therapy everyday, but once she was given a cognitive assessment it was clear she could not return to us. We were able to move her to a memory care place in Willis Nursing and Rehab that we have used before. She took the news well and the move went smoothly. Several of the residents and staff have been to see her in the new place and she is doing well. Thankfully, the new place is only 15 minutes away, which makes for easier visits. She has the same great spirit, lights up when she sees us, is happy and laughing when we talk with her. Here she is with her dear friend Esther, again with Kathy, and again with her new room equipped with some reminders of home.

We have another new arrival: Doreen Beyer, from Iowa, is our 42nd resident! She has labored all over including: Iowa and the Caribbean, mainly in the French speaking islands! Here she is with Marie, Esther, and Emma in the entry way.

We had many visitors this month. Fred Adadjo came again bringing his wife, Julie, and son, Benjamin. They really enjoyed talking with Ronald and getting around to some of the others here. Here they are in the entry way.

Ken and Mary MacAdams came for a few days with Don and Becky Schroeder. Becky and Mary are sisters. They all came to see Elsie for awhile. Here they are visiting the residents at Park Manor, and again at the table.

Elise’s’ daughter and granddaughters Carol, Amelia, and Sara Aarestad came for visit. They take special interest in spending one on one time with Elsie and playing as many games as she can handle. Not to mention, they are a whizz at puzzles! It must run in the family! Here they are…

A few friends of Fern came by to meet the residents on their way to see her. Joy Jackman with grand daughter, Mariel, sister, Wendy Rudolph and Wendy’s daughter, Rebecca.

We decided to have a little hymn sing, with Doreen playing the piano (unfortunately Elton is no longer able). Here is everyone singing around the piano.

The boys have had enough of dealing with clogged drain pipes. This time they took out the backhoe! Here they are figuring out what to do when we finally get down to the pipe. Hopefully this won’t happen again!

The Texas workers staff have been on special meeting rounds this month, and they planned another workers meeting here. We really enjoy having them, and they really enjoy the time all together. Here are some pictures of the lunch afterward and the 2025 Texas Workers photo.

Even with all the rain and snow we still see some wildlife pictures.

Resident Journals

Emma Perez

Emma is doing great, she gets daily phone calls and correspondence from her many friends. Sadly, her brother in Chicago passed away this month so she spent the over a week up there. She was able to spend a few hours with him in the hospital before his passing, and attend his funeral. Here she is at special meeting being greeted by some dear friends, and again with Mary MacAdams. This young boy was pretending to be her cane!

Doreen Beyer

Doreen has fit in seamlessly, and really enjoys her new life here. She enjoys talking with Marie about anyone they would know together from their time in the islands. Here she is happily settling into her new room.

Esther Duncan

Esther does well as usual. Still keeps busy with correspondence and phone calls or emails. She is often wanting to go into town, especially to visit Joyce and the others. Here she is with Joyce being best of friends, and with Mary.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen stays the same, still corresponding with her friends in Korea as often as possible. She liked having the Uzzell girls here for a visit, and took them to her room to see some of her treasures.

Elsie Schroeder

As always, Elsie really perks up when she has company. This month she had two separate visits to enjoy. Don and Becky coming with Ken and Mary was a welcome change of pace. She really loves to play games, and hardly ever loses! Here she is at the puzzle with son, Don, and Dawn Overby.

Elton Cleveland

Elton has gone down a lot. He sleeps most of the day and then is sometimes up at night. When he does come out it is for meals, and very briefly. He did come to see what all the fuss was about when the workers were here. Here he is sitting at the piano with Jade Carolus, sunning outside with David, and again relaxing on the floor after a small fall.

Ronald Elliott

Ronald is slowing down quite a lot. Mostly, he deals with memory issues and incontinence. He has a vivid imagination sometimes, and the staff gets to go along on some of his mental journeys. He recently got prepared to have a baptism here in the pond. All we would like to know is, who is getting baptized?! Here he is celebrating David’s birthday.

Marie Mounce

Marie is her usual jovial self, and still cooks up a storm. She still struggles with her blood pressure and sometimes has to lay down because of dizziness. Here she is with some of the Uzzells who came for lunch.

Joyce Naber (Willis Nursing Home)

We have been able to visit Joyce several times already. She is always happy to see us, and seems to remember who we are. Shawn and Anita visited most recently and she knew their names. Here she is with Anita, and again with a few other visitors.

Fern Duncan, Gilbert Reese, Alice Oetken (Park Manor Nursing Home)

All of our away residents are doing quite well. Fern has even been talking when we go to visit! Gilbert still doesn’t say much, and now has Alice to watch over him and keep him company. Alice is always happy to receive visitors, but does worry about Gilbert a bit. Here they are happy to see Shawn and Anita, and Fern with her clean hat, then Doreen, Gilbert, Marie and Alice.

We have a sign over the coffee pot that gets updated regularly. Here’s the current sign:

Thanks again for your interest in us here!

Kenny and Ken

January 31, 2025

January 2025

Filed under: Pecan Grove,Senior Residence — knewman @ 1:24 pm

A lot happened early this month. Elton had a bad fall, hit his head, and we thought we would lose him. Karen was called and she headed here from Colombia. He was awake for most of a day, but very confused. After that he went to sleep and was unconscious for most of a day, breathing sporadically. Then, while we were eating lunch, he got up, came out, ate some lunch and played the piano! He’s still not doing as well as he did before the fall, but his mind is good and he gets out to most meals and meetings. We’re glad Karen can be here with Elton and David for a few weeks. She’s heading back to Colombia in early February.

Emma Perez joined us as our 41st resident since we started in 2009. Now we have 8 residents and 3 in the Park Manor nursing home. See the updated “residents at PG” link in the upper right corner for more details. Here is Emma with Aislynn Stanton and Anna Rutherford who brought her here.

Gilbert Reese turned 101 this year! The staff had him spiffed up and dressed like his old self. Here he is at the table with his cupcake, and some of the birthday attendees, and our lunch together afterward.

Kim Schneider, Kathy’s sister, came from Minneapolis for visit. She was actually invited by Katelyn, and the kids really enjoyed their time playing with her. Here she is with Joyce, and the whole family out together at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It is always fun to learn!

Every month Mimi comes to cut the men’s hair. They always look forward to the attention and fresh grooming. Here are Ronald and Elton getting their recent haircuts.

Joyce had a visit from Wayne’s cousin, Lyle and Roberta Overby, from North Dakota. She spent time laboring in that state and was fondly remembering her time there. Here they are at the the table.

We have a monthly staff meeting to keep up with resident information and learn about specific topics. This time Salena did a little show-and-tell about falling to make sure we got the message, also Salena playing with some snow, and our very happy squash.

Kenny always appreciates any help he can get in the kitchen. This time Katelyn and Dylan gave a helping hand. Here are Katelyn and Kenny at the sink and Dylan cutting chicken. Can’t have chicken tortilla soup without the chicken!

Kent and Linda Opel came for a quick visit. Here they are with Karen.

Resident Journals

Ronald Elliott

Ronald continues to struggle with his voice. On his good days he can take part in meetings and studies. Other days he just passes the mic. Here he is with Wayne in front of the bookcase, and again reading the paper.

Emma Perez

We enjoy having Emma here. She works hard in the kitchen helping the staff. She really likes to wash dishes. Here she is with our visitor Lynn Sorensen, and with Anita.

Joyce Naber

Joyce had several visitors and did well reminiscing with them. Here she is with Anna again with Karen. She had a bad spell yesterday (the 30th). She was very weak in the morning. She spent much of the day in the hospital having tests (which showed nothing). During the course of the day she revived and is doing much better today.

Marie Mounce

Marie does well, she attends all of her brother’s gospel meetings that she can, no matter how far away they are. While making buckwheat bread the rising dough got away from her but it turned out great! Here she is with Ronald at the table, discussing current events with Elsie and Joyce, and with overflowing dough.

Elsie Schroeder

Elsie does well and is always glad to see her son Don and his wife Becky. They come often but cannot stay long. She says, “It’s nice to see them come but I hate to see them go.” Here they are chatting on her couch, and her with her morning coffee.

Elton Cleveland

Elton does what he can. He sleeps a lot more throughout the day but is up some at night. He still plays the piano when he feels able, mostly from memory. Having David and Karen here has been a great help. Here he is with Karen and David, again with Kimmy, and watching one of his favorite things: trains.

Esther Duncan

Esther does well, she enjoys a clear night sky and a large moon. When it gets really cold she likes to say, “I am going out for some FRESH air,” and then remarks how fresh it was when she returns. Here she is out for her walk.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen is doing great. She receives regular correspondence from her friends in Korea and New Mexico. She still does the puzzle with Joyce and Elsie and they enjoy changing them out for new ones often. Here she is after the Wednesday study with Anita and baby Evelynn Nordic.

Fern Duncan, Alice Oetken, Gilbert Reese at Park Manor, Conroe

Fern didn’t come out to be with us at Gilbert’s birthday party, but we still brought the party to her. Here she is smiling with Salena, who has been her most frequent visitor. Alice does well, she still likes to sit with Gilbert and chat. Gilbert seemed a little taken aback by Abigail reading him his mail, but always has a sweet spirit.

Nature at PG

January is always one of our coldest months. We had several days below freezing and actually had some snow! That doesn’t stop the wild life from flourishing, though. Here are some pictures of the snow, a beautiful winter’s night and our newest neighbors, a beaver and a red shoulder hawk!

We appreciate your continued interest in our residents. Please call the main line if you would like to chat with any of them.

December 31, 2024

December 2024

Filed under: Pecan Grove — knewman @ 11:50 pm

The cold wet weather in December prompted some new decorations from Abigail. Mr. Prickles has never looked so good!

If you have been following along, our roof has been in bad need of repair. We finally bit the bullet and decided to call in the professionals. Here they are getting started on our roof. So long leaking roof!

Trevor, Heather and Winston Chenault from Newry PA came for a brief visit. Here they are chatting in the living room.

This month only had one birthday, but it was a big one, Ronald turned 97! He joked that his birthday last year should have lasted a few more years. Here he is with his cake and his annual birthday present of fruit.


Amy and Rusty Willhoite from Redbud Canyon came to see us. They brought with them one of their newest residents: Reta Fuhrman. She was able to stay the week with us as they went on a family cruise. She really enjoyed her stay and finding out all the little connections she knows here. She had never been to Texas before! What a shame! Here she is with Vanessa Pfingsten and her three children Lindsey, Abigail, Barrett, and again with Amy and Rusty in front of the fire place.

Glenn and Shirley Spunaugle came to pick up Reta after their cruise. Here they are with most of our residents.

Kathy’s sister, Pat Johnson and aunt Jane Jacobson came for a Holiday visit. Here they are with the Furrows.

Elton’s granddaughter, Leah and Daron Griffin and two kids, Isla and Felix visited. Here they are with David and Elton.

We had several of our sister workers, Joyce Lawrence, Mona Reese and Aiyslann Stanton come for a few days at Christmas.

Resident Journals

Elton Cleveland

Elton does well, especially with the added help of Shawn, David, and Hospice. He plays the piano and continues to correspond with Karen over email. He still tries to get some time in the sun. Here he is with “Professor McGonagall” (the new name for kitty kitty now that she lives with Kenny and Salena)

Esther Duncan

Esther is doing well, she keeps up with her daily walk and correspondence. She looks after Joyce and keeps her occupied with different tasks. She took the time to make some orange marmalade.

Gwen Farmer

Gwen did some reminiscing this month. We got a free calendar from a local Chinese restaurant, and it triggered memories of her time in Korea. Here she is recalling a few good memories.

Elsie Schroeder

Elsie does well, as per her usual. She focuses most of her time on the puzzles, while enjoying any company that wants to join her. She just got new hearing aids and her hearing is much improved, especially in our meetings. Here she is playing scrabble at the table with a few of our guests.

Ronald Elliott

Ronald is growing more and more deaf. He is struggling to get his thoughts together when speaking with the staff. He still has good thoughts in meeting though. Ronald also received several visitors and phone calls for his birthday. Here he is with friends Jeff and Patricia Oliver, and again with his niece, Marva Kleine and her daughter and son in law Darcy and Scott Evers.

Marie Mounce

Marie still does well, despite her deteriorating sight. She made chocolate pies using up some of our older Christmas cookies. Here she is with Reta Fuhrman, and again with Mona.

Joyce Naber

Joyce requires more supervision these days. Thankfully, Esther is happy to keep an eye on her. She enjoyed the visits with Pat Johnson because they were co-workers in 1972-73. She said “every time I think of Pat, I giggle.” Here they are on the couch catching up on some giggling.

Fern, Gilbert and Alice

Fern is so tired these days we barely get time to talk before she nods off again. Gilbert does well, hardly changes at all. He seems to enjoy Alice’s company at meal times. Here he is with Marie and Joyce, and Fern in her bed.

As usual, we had a blast celebrating the coming New Year! Sue Dawson joined us and brought Fred Skalitzky. We had a meal, a hymn sing, some fireworks and then Fred had a story for the kids. Here are some photos of our get- together and celebration.

The PG Staff had a holiday dinner together. Here Salena and Abigail are preparing the desert, sticky toffee pudding!

Here is a staff picture taken at the dinner.

Thank you for all your continued interest in us here at Pecan Grove! We wish you all a wonderful New Year! From the staff and all your friends here.

HAPPY 2025 NEW YEAR!

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