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

September was fairly quiet.  Marybelle returned from Malcom convention, Lois’s broken ribs healed nicely, Kathy and I enjoyed visits in California, and Dominique and Mimi left for France.  Winston and Lynn LaPrarie visited from Louisiana, shown here with Jack and Gilbert.  Rex and Martha Taylor and daughter Heather visited from Wichita Falls.  Here they’re shown with 6 of the residents.  While they were here we had a sing.

Marybelle’s brother Charles visited from Oregon.  Here he’s with Marybelle and is holding Katelyn.  Ed Lloyd came for a visit and took Elton to see Roger in the nursing home.  Roger has been on hospice for several months and is slowly declining.  Then Ed took Elton to eat at Pie in the Sky – one of Elton’s favorite places.

We have a new employee, Kameran, shown here with Salena.  The Hoffman’s are raising a fawn, shown with Elton after meeting one Sunday.

We decided not to farm the pecans this year… too much labor and expense.  There are plenty of pecans on the trees, but most are black with scab.  The crows are having a great time!

October will be a busy month. Some folks are planning on going to all 4 conventions in Texas and we’re expecting visitors associated with the conventions. Also, several of Elton’s family are coming for his 101’st birthday!

Ken

Jean Hagemeier passed away August 18.  She was at PG from May 2010 to May 2018… 8 years, our longest resident.  In May she went to her nephew’s, Kent and Linda Opels in Pearland (south of Houston).  Jean had health issues her whole life, but lived to be almost 95.  She loved to study the bible and always had bread in our studies.  Here’s a picture of Jean with Kent, Linda and Abigail Hoffman, when they came for a visit in June.

August has been a busy month!  Elton flew to PA for a week to be with family and at Newry.  Marybelle flew to Iowa for 2 weeks to be at Malcom (she will return Monday).  Lois fell and broke 2 ribs.  She’s recovering painfully.  John graduated from a walker to a cane, but still has to be careful walking.  Marcos and Lety Valdez decided to return to Mexico.  A few weeks later they were gone!  We’re glad that they are happy to be there, though they left many dreams behind here.  Here’s a picture of Elton with some of his family at Newry, and Marcos, Lety, Hannah and Jonathan, with Joyce, Blanca (Marco’s mother) and Kathy.  There was a going away lunch at PG… here they’re with the “Y’all Come Back” cake.

Marie and LaVina have been having meetings in Huntsville, and staying at PG some of the time.  Here they are with Gilbert.  We have a new renter for what was my parents house, Ericka.  She’s a mounted patrol at the mall so we have a horse in the horse pasture again.  She came in uniform to the going away lunch for Marcos and Lety.  Here she’s holding our grand daughter Maren Furrow.

There were 2 birthdays in August, our daughter Karin Kelleher’s (35) and my dad’s, Jack Newman (85).

We had many visitors in August, some of which we didn’t get pictures of.  Steve Peirson from WA was here for a few days, mainly to visit Fern, but we all enjoyed his visit.  Here he is with Fern, then with Fern, LaVina, and Andy and Patty Rosehill.  Also on a 4 wheeler taking Fern around the farm.

Other visitors included Nathan and Allison Potter and their girls Caroline, Kayleen, Allie, from Mountain Peak.  Ulysses and Vernell LaPrairie from Effie, shown with Marie, Gilbert and John.  Then Eugene and Laura Robertsen from LA with Gilbert and John.

Lolita Chavez and Dany from Laredo and Glenn and Shirley Spunaugle from Redbud Canyon, shown with Dominique.

Some family photos… Wayne and Dawn Overby and their family, and our 6 grandchildren.

Ken

The current residents at Pecan Grove are:  (back) Elton Cleveland, Gilbert Reese, John Culver, Jack Newman, (front) Fern Duncan, Alice Oetken, Lois Culver, Marybelle Armstrong.

Our staff includes the 4 girls below, Chanda, Jocelyn, Jennifer and Salena (the manager).  Lety Valdez has worked at PG but is now busy with 2 kids.  Marcos is working on the farm now.  Residence staff not shown are Penny and Abigail.

Chuck Buchanan is doing some work for us, shown here with Salena.  Mimi Mille cuts hair… here she’s cutting Gilberts.

John decided we neede a fried chicken dinner.  We had it for our July 4th celebration, which actually happened July 7th.  Everyone living on the farm came.  We had a sing afterward, waiting for it to get dark, and then enjoyed some fireworks.

Joan Hinkley had a birthday.  Duane and Joan live near PG now, but are trying to sell their place.  They had a pot luck which most of the residents attended.

Visitors in July included Pearl, Pauline and Alma who visited Fern.  Lyle and Roberta Overby visited Wayne and Dawn, and had good visits with Gilbert.  Our grandchildren played house under one of the tables.

Alice was able to go to Happy for convention.  Before she went her niece Carol and Mike Martin from OK visited with their granddaughter Kayden.  After Happy Chuck Bunger brought Tsutomu Miyata from Japan for a visit.

The Hoda family from Fosters, Alabama, and the Bryant family from Louisiana visited.

We’ve enjoyed sweet fresh figs at PG.  Unfortunately they don’t keep very long.

Kathy and I are currently in Brittany, France, enjoying cool weather and looking forward to the French convention this weekend.  Kristina Roudiy came to visit us today.

Ken

Jean Hagemeier wasn’t doing well, and went down to her nephew’s home, Kent and Linda Opel’s, in May.  She improved somewhat but decided to stay there, reducing our resident count to 8 (see the list in the upper right corner).   The Opels did bring her back to visit in June… we were glad to see her.  Here’s Linda, Kent, their granddaughter Abigail Hoffman (who works at PG part-time) and Jean.

John came home from the rehab hospital (after a broken femur and hip replacement) June 3rd.  Here he’s with Mimi, Lois and Dominique.  John has continued to improve… he’s still using a walker but getting around well and is in good spirits.

Gilbert, who came home from the same rehab hospital in late May after a heart valve replacement, continues to improve.  He’s back to walking about 30 min per day, and his memory is improving.  He had visitors from Louisiana in June including Linda Fletcher, Jody and Verbie VanHouten, Charles and Bethel Arnold, Charlie Kerr and Richard Gasser.

There was a baptism at PG June 16th.  About 110 came for a meeting, the baptism and then a potluck.  It was a wonderful experience.

Dominique and Mimi Mille, Kathy and myself went up to Redbud Canyon for their 20th anniversary celebration June 23rd.  Over 100 were there.  Here Glenn Spunaugle is shown making a presentation about the 20 years Redbud has been open.  Some Spunaugle  grandchildren sang hymns for us.  It was wonderful to get to know more of the friends, workers and residents there.  It was a visit to Redbud Canyon in 2007 that gave us the idea, and with Glenns help and encouragement we started PG.  Next February PG will have been open 10 years… it’s hard to believe!

Most of the residents go to the Terry and Kim Hoffman home at PG for meeting on Sunday mornings.  They had a potluck after meeting one Sunday. Also Norris and Nancy Goff visited Clinton in the nursing home in Conroe, and came to visit us at PG.  Another staff member, Jennifer Maddoux, had a birthday in June.

Our grandkids, Katelyn and Dylan Kelleher spent a few days with us and were in the morning bible studies.  Dylan flipped off a swing a week before and broke his leg.  Katelyn tried to make Vince into a zebra with chalk, which Vince was fine with until he was told he had to eat grass.

Ken

May has been a busy month, with as many as 3 in the hospital at one time.  Gilbert’s heart valve replacement went very well.  He was transferred to a rehab hospital for a few weeks, and then returned to PG.  He says his memory is worse, though it is surprising what he does remember sometimes.  He continues to improve as he settles back in to the routine at PG.  His nephews wife, Gloria Reese, came from Minneapolis and spent a few days with him in the hospital.  Here’s a picture of Gloria and the Damon and Rachel Olson family with Gilbert before his surgery.  My mom’s cousin, Audrey Fuller visited from PA, and is shown here with Gilbert in the rehab hospital.  She was in LA for several years when Gilbert was the overseer.

John Culver fell and broke his femur at his hip.  They ended up doing a hip replacement.  Then he was transferred to the same rehab hospital as Gilbert.  Here’s a picture of Jack, Gilbert, John and Kathy in the rehab hospital.  Also, more recently, Lois and John.  We’re hoping John will be able to come home from the hospital next week.

Jean also went to the hospital, twice, with an infection.  She’s currently recuperating at Kent and Linda Opels.  We hope she can return to PG next week also.

The other 6 residents are doing fine.  Dad is happy to be mowing again.  Elton has a new hearing aid.  Marybelle will travel to see her sister in Kansas in June.

Here’s another picture of Gloria Reese with the Nordic’s wolf Zeus and with 3 of our Furrow grandkids, Maren, Maven and Evren.  Yvonne Wilson from Trinidad visited, shown here with Fern.  Patty Maki brought Diane Hensley to visit.

Loren and Kenion visited, shown here with Audrey.  Also Elton visited Roger at the nursing home.  Kathy had a birthday in May.

We did have a few bluebonnets, and now the lily pads have started to bloom.

Kathy and I spent some wonderful days in Israel in May.  Some of you know some of these folks in Haifa and Jaffa (Joppa).

Ken