"R" hath arrived!

Robert Eaton has arrived in Florida as of yesterday. And we're all happy to see him. Robert goes by "R" and has for most of his life. If you don't know him he is quite a character. Everyone is laughing whenever he is around. And no, it is not at him! He just has a way about him that makes people crack up. Trust me.

I picked him up from Tampa International yesterday afternoon and brought him to my father's apartment. He got settled in and then we headed down to the VA to visit my father. Naturally, they were both happy to see each other. I'll try to find a photo of the two of them together, but it will be from months ago. Maybe in the next few days I'll snap some newer pics.

R is staying at my fathers apartment and driving to the nursing home each day to visit. In fact he was there for several hours earlier today, but he plans on doing a second trip with me in about an hour. After seeing the nursing home yesterday R was relieved that it was quite pleasant and the people extremely caring and friendly. We've all been shocked at how well run this place is, to be honest, but my father has been bragging about the VA hospital for years and years.

It's all in how you look at it

Today was a big day. We had several rather important appointments at the VA hospital this morning and we we're a bit nervous going into them. The first appointment was simply a visit to the clinic where they drew his blood and made sure everything looked fine. And everything looked fine.

The next appointment was an X-Ray of his chest. The goal was to determine how the lung cancer had progressed. And as expected the cancer has grown. Cancer does this. But the good news is that the growth is very small since April, which was the date of the last X-Ray.

It sucks having to be happy about the cancer growing slightly, but growing slightly is much better than growing significantly. So today was a pretty good day. We left in good spirits.

Food at the VA isn't always edible

When I arrived at the VA to visit last night I noticed that my dad ate almost nothing at all for dinner. Obviously, this worried me. So I asked him why he didn't eat and he responded, "Did you see that pork chop!?" Note Exhibit A below.



Exhibit A

Now wanting to see him starve to death I asked him if McDonald's would be more appealing. See Exhibit B.



Exhibit B

I felt sorry for that Big Mac. It didn't stand a chance. And the Sunday went down pretty fast too. I even tried to take a bite of the corn bread that came with the nursing home meal and I literally spat it out in the bathroom. It tasted like ass-flavored cardboard.

But not all of the meals at the VA are like this so don't worry. I've tasted several and they're darn tasty. Last night the cooks must have been drunk or high or mad at something.

Pics from when Keith visited

Picture this...

Here are some photos of my father and his new home at the VA. Of course this new home could very well be a temporary one, but it is still home right now so that's what I'll call it.

Allow me to introduce Joey

The VA has lowered his Oxycodone dose from 30mg to 20mg per day. Every 12 hours they bring him a 10mg pill to alleviate pain. And it works. Unfortunately, one of the side effects to this extremely powerful central nervous system depressant is that it can put you into a veggie-like stupor.

There have been times when we’re visiting and he is hardly there mentally. The drug makes him sleepy and it tends to slur his speech. The end result is he feels like he is drugged up – and he is.

A few days ago I was sitting with him in his room talking about this and that (mostly that), when he suddenly asked me, “Where did she go?” I asked, “Where did who go?” He says, “The little girl that has been sitting here for the past 30 minutes or so.”

Wow.

There wasn’t a little girl sitting with us. And I told him so. He quickly realized that he had been hallucinating and it scared the heck out of him. So he clicked the button to call a nurse and a male nurse immediately showed up at his bedside. They are really good at the VA and we have no complaints. It couldn’t have been more than 10 seconds from the push of the button to him standing there asking what he needed.

So my father explained to the guy what had just happened and we discussed it for maybe 20 minutes. The nurse said that hallucinations are not common, but they do happen on Morphine and Oxycodone and other such drugs. They can be more common in patients that have some liver problems, and my dad’s cancer doctor had suggested maybe a year ago that he probably had some liver cirrhosis. Maybe this was the cause. Maybe not.

We requested that this nurse put a note in for the head nurse tomorrow. And he did. The next day his dosage was dropped from 30mg to 20mg per day and it seems to have had an immediate positive impact on his personality or liveliness.

Today I visited and he was in good spirits. We spent some time outside sitting on the huge patio facing the mangroves that line the bay. There are a zillion squirrels scampering about all day every day – and they stare at you waiting for you to throw them some peanuts or other foodstuffs.

But the signs all over warn us, “Do not feed the animals! They will bite!”

Somehow we ended up with a small Ziploc of peanuts weighing us down, so we discreetly tossed them to the patient squirrels. I took a few digital photos of the little guys, so maybe I’ll succeed in posting them here. How can anyone resist feeding squirrels? They’re such a cool animal.

This Blog is by "invite only" now!

I've just made this Blog accessible by invitation only. There are too many weird people wandering around the Internet surfing from one Blog to the next. Some of them have a tendency to say inappropriate things. Keeping this Blog private should eliminate that problem. But you'll have to log into your Google Account each time you wish to access this Blog. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it seems to be a wise safety precaution.

Dad at the VA nursing home

Hello everyone. This is Chris posting. My father is now living at the VA Nursing Home. He has been there for several weeks and will probably be there for at least another few weeks.

I'm going to start using this Blog to keep all of you in the loop as to his health status. It can be difficult to relay the same information by telephone to lots of people every few days. This Blog should do the trick so please check back often if you are interested in learning about how he is doing.

Please post comments! All comments will be printed out and given to my father on a daily basis. Obviously, nothing beats an occaisonal phone call, so please feel free to give him a call whenever the mood strikes. He cannot make long distance calls from his room, but we're looking into fixes for that problem. We might get him a prepaid calling card or figure out how to bill long distance calls to his home phone. But as of right now you will have to call him. I strongly suggest you don't call before 9:00 am or after 8:30 pm. I'm not going to post his phone number here, so ask for it through email if you don't currently have it.

Another Perfect Day in Pardise

Hi Yall:

My friend Robert Eaton (R) came to visit me several weeks ago and now he is in the hospital here, with pneumonia. He has been there for 2 days and he is sleeping a lot. I hope he gets better right away.

The weather here is very nice, temp in the 60's. My family are taking very good care of me. If I need something they are one step ahead of me and they get it. They are very very good for me.

I hope all of you are doing well. I will try to blog more frequently.

The Wedding "Chris & Tina" is very close

Looking forward to this Sunday. I couldn't be happier about the wedding. It will be outdoors and they are forecasting 62 degrees. Perfect for the folks from up north but a little chilly for those of us who live in Florida.

Hope all of you are as happy as I am. My friend "R" Robert is down from Syracuse and will be staying for awhile, maybe even until the kids get back from their honey moon in March. They are going on a cruise and Chris worries that I'll fall or need help and there won't be someone here to help me

I have been getting stronger "I think", but I continue to fall, as I did at 3am the other night, on my way to the kitchen for a snack "in the dark". I now have a couple of bruised ribs and they hurt.

Obviously my thinking hasn't improved any. "Going to the kitchen for a snack at 3am and in the dark" Now there is some stinking thinking, needing a check up from the neck up.

Great Day here today.

Once again I apologise for the long time since posting here. I won't give you the usual excuse. I feel good. Chris and Tina are getting married on the 18Th and we are all excited. My friend "R" (Robert Eaton) is coming down from Syracuse and my brother Don his wife Jan and daughter Carrie are coming down from Cleveland also. It will be a great time for everyone and many of Tina's family are coming down from Boston also. Should be about 120 people with those from down here, friends and family alike. They are getting married outdoors (weather permitting) at the Botanical gardens.

For those of you up north ha ha, the weather here is sooo bad I can only wear a t-shirt. Good to be talking with all of you again. I hope you still look for me from time to time. If you have given up you will probably not see this post.

Phew....I have been gone a long time....Sorry

Well most of you know I have bad spells and so I won't get into a long discuss about that. Spent 8 days in the hospital from a reaction from Chemo and so I have quit the Chemo. It was bad.

I am doing well and getting out of the house now but only for short spells. The boys and I (Tim and Chris) and Mark plan on going to the Cape 2 weekends from. I am looking forward to that. I now have an Electric Skooter (the one advetised by Arnold Palmer on TV) and a lift on the back of my car.

Should start getting around better.

I have wanted to visit you guys but now it's starting to look possible. Take care I love all of you and hope to hear from.

Soul Patrol!

This is Chris talking here. You know, Son #2...

If you're not watching American Idol this year you're missing one great season. Tina and I are addicted and really look forward to each night. But this season has been a rough one where a handful of singers have all been worthy of the title of "American Idol."

Now that we're down to Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee I am voting for Taylor. In fact I cast 3 votes total for Taylor and will try to cast a few more if the lines ever open up again. There are 3 lines available per singer, but that damn things are busy nonstop. The other night 55,000,000 calls came in, so I'm assuming it will be more than twice that amount tonight.

Oh, don't laugh that we are watching American Idol! You would love it if you watched too. Katherine is incredible and deserves to win just as much as Taylor, but heck, only one can win and I am voting for Taylor for a very good reason. Katherine is beautiful. She obviously was born with a silver spoon. Yes, she is a wonderful singer, but since we can only vote for one person I simply like Taylor more and think he wants to win more than she does. Taylor has nothing else going for him. Taylor is 29 years old with completely grey hair and no real prospects other than music. And wow does he love his music. It is so obvious. Katherine could be an actress or singer any day...just based on how pretty she is. I guess I'm rooting for the underdog.

Soul patrol! Good luck Taylor!

Update

I've been away so long no one will be reading this. I have been distracted by other things (seemingly more important). My health issue and the like. Truthfully I am just too lazy to comment everyday.

To those who read this blog I hope you are all well.
I am bored to death with politics (all games anyway). Even the so called cable news channels are boring me to no end. You can actually see their agenda's with out looking too hard.

I still enjoy some channels. I have been watching cspan-2 and it's bookTV program. I love to hear the authors talk about their books. I guess I am reading more books these days and listening to lots of music also. Music soothes the savage beast to say the least. I wish I had someone to share music with though.

Went over to Tina's and Chris's house and we had a cook out. Tim and the girls came over also. Angel is in Ohio with her mom who is pretty sick. I hope she gets better.

I will be getting a scooter for getting around. My breathing is poorer these days and this will give me the chance to see more things. Like I don't even go to the mall now because I can't breath when I walk. Or at least I can't walk to far. I am looking forward to the scooter.

My last guestion didn't work

I thought I would get some responses to my guestion "which Democratic would you like to see as the next President" There was not even one response. Of course there may be many reasons for that, such as not wanting to go out on a limb. Cowards......or perhaps you actually couldn't find one to put all your cards with. Now that I couldn't blame you for. Oh well, it was just a foolish game I was playing anyway. I was really hoping to get some conversation going with someone using my blog but thats not happening. Maybe I will stop using this blog anyway. Right now I have other more important things on my mind.

Who would you like to see as a Democractic President

This question is floating on Chris's website www.booktalk.org . You should come take a look. If you have a suggestion click on comment below and let me know who you think it should be. Hillary, Liberman, Teddy who do you think.

Everything here seems good. The weather is beautiful with the temperature around 80 for those of you who have just left and it was cold for you when you were here. Balmy breezes and warm weather. Could a person need more.

Might get a newer car and do a little traveling this year. Have not made up my mind yet. Just thinking. Talk with you again soon.

Time flies

Howdy, I am sorry for the delay in writting. things are pretty much the same. I am still hobbling around but I am getting better. My sister Bobbie is here in Florida this week with her daughter Lynette and son-in-law Gregg and the kids of course (Nataly and Nolan). They are over at Disney and Chris,Tina and I are going over on Sunday to visit them. I am looking forward to that. I have been posting on Chris Website called http://www.booktalk.org/. You should pay it a visit and join in on some of the discussion if you can handle it. It a very great site. I love what he has done there. If you have trouble in navigating let me know and I will be happy to show you the ropes.

Great day today

Today I feel great. Ankles and knees are doing so much better. The sun is shinning and it's a perfect day. Maybe I will get out for awhile. Chris and I want to take a look at some video cameras and I am waiting for his call. I hope everyone is doing fine. Send me a note and let me know how you are doing.

Heads Up information

Landed in the hospital last Sunday night with a breathing problem. Stayed there for 2 days and all is well again. They are going to be looking closely to figure this out but just now there is no prognosis. Of course I have emphysema as most of you know and I have been treated for Lung cancer but the sudden lost of breathing capacity is a real problem that we will have to figure out. I will go on a nebulizer machine about 4 times per day for about 5 minutes and that may be all I need. I will keep you informed.

Chris took me to the VA yesterday and spent an entire day wheeling me around from office to office because I am still unable to walk on my own from the sprained ankles and swollen knees. He has been a life saver for me and I would be in big trouble without him.

I feel so much better today.

At home with sprained and swollen ankles

I am staying home to recuperate from a fall that sprained both my ankles. I have been having this falling problem for over 2 years and we are not sure what is causing the problem as of yet. Well I fell at the airport when picking up my friend "R" last Tuesday night. He was very helpful during his one week stay but now he is gone. I am having some difficulty but Chris is helping me a lot. I hope everyone is doing good. I will be forced to lay low for awhile but thats okay too.

The place I go to relax

Visitor from the North

This is my friend Robert Eaton from Syracuse New York. He is know as "R" by his family and friends. That is why I call him Bobbie. He will be visiting for a week and I am sure he will drive me crazy and I will love it. He is a good friend and we have fun together.

My cousins Hal and Bob are in florida

I spent the day last Saturday visiting with my cousins Hal and Bob over in Haines City. I took a couple of pictures I thought some of you might enjoy

Changes

Chris has made some nice changes to my blog. How do you like the pictures of the restaurant?

Our weather down here has been cold once or twice and I don’t like it much. I do like warmer weather. Not hot, warmer.

I will try to get back to recording in my blog more often.

BT Bones Steakhouse open for business!

I'm adding some pictures of the new BT Bones Steakhouse for my father. More pictures will be added over time I'm sure. The place has been packed since the first night! Nice sign, eh?


And here is the front from a distance. There are benches out front for the smokers or for when the restaurant is on a wait. The parking lot is huge so plenty of room for customers.

Another Day in Paradise

Who is it? Well come on in. Good to see you again. Hope you are happy and well. Things are not as frantic these days. The restaurant is open and I will post some pictures of it for you soon. I feel very good, healthy that is. The doctor told me she could not distinguish any cancer on my lungs and that we will just continue to monitor them. That’s good news…….ehhh?

I will set about to begin the Franchising part of the restaurant now and I think it’s going to take me several months or more to put all of that together. Wish me luck, it’s very legal oriented and costly.  The attorney fees are hard to believe.

Weather here in Florida is good today but we have had a few weeks of colder than usual weather. Maybe in the 50’s a lot and to me that’s cold. Some of you are having a milder than usual winter and others are having a nasty winter. This is the best time of year here in Florida but not during the summer. Maybe some of you will come down for a visit.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I hope all of you have had a happy new year. As you may have guessed I have been more than busy these passed 6 weeks with the restaurant and getting ready for the opening. I will post some pictures soon. We planned to open this week about the 4th or 5th. Most things are finished all we have to do now is some cleanup. It has been quite a challenge. After the restaurant opens I will have more time as I begin the franchising process which will take about six months. Most of that will be done from home.

Son #2 reporting from Clearwater...

This is Chris here. My father has been quite busy lately with helping start the new steak restaurant. He spends all day there ordering kitchen equipment, neon signs, furniture and the likes. I've stopped by several times over the past week and the place is looking incredible.

Last night they sanded the hardwood floors and put the first of three coats of that glossy stuff on it. I guess it is laquer. They won't be able to walk on the floors for a few days I suppose - as this stuff dries. From what my father says it is looking beautiful. Originally the floors must have looked great, but it is 25 years later and this is the first time they have been sanded and refinished, so I'm looking forward to seeing them.

The big question is whether or not the owner will have a full country band again. The day before yesterday he mentioned that the band might only be a 2-man gig - which is nothing like it used to be. In the past there was a full 5-man band that performed every weekend. People were line dancing, 2-stepping and getting fairly rowdy. I suppose he is wanting to get away from that sort of crowd, but I fear that he is not considering the big picture. There are a zillion steakhouses out there, but absolutely none that you can go to and hear live country music. The band was his niche and what brought people in, but I'll admit the food was far better than any other steakhouse. But good food is not always enough. People want the right atmosphere.

It is still early so we'll see. I'm really hoping that he'll bring the full band concept back in time. For the first month or two I understand that the priority must be on getting the place up and running. Systems need to be established and food quality consistent. This will take time.

Hey you! come out here on the floor and lets dance some more!

Hello everybody, Just a few thoughts.

I know you can be overwhelmed, and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you just be whelmed?

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?

Yes I am a little silly today but I am having fun just the same. Hope all of you are well.

Better than ever

Hey! Hope all of you are doing well. I am better than ever and looking forward to a great year coming. Last year was a tester to say the least. I will know on Thursday if we have sufficient funds to start the restaurant as planned. I will let you all know. Thanks for the efforts of everyone.