... Jim Brewer for the role of George's Best Friend!! There was no walking the red carpet for this star, but he is definitely worth his weight in Oscar gold! Jim & Beverly drove out to Katy from Spring today, and the four of us had lunch at Victor's Casa Garcia. It was yummy, as usual, and when we got back to the house, Jim volunteered to stay with George so I could get out and run some
errands. Bev & I headed out the door about 2:30 and didn't get back until nearly 6 p.m. ... who knew that it would be soo difficult to find X-Long twin bedding for the hospital bed?!? We hit Kohl's, Wal-Mart, JCPenney's and finally Bed-Bath & Beyond, and of course, that last stop is where I found them. However, w
e did manage to buy something at nearly every stop we made! When we arrived back home, Jim was outside raking leaves that he had blown off the patio and walkway, and th
en he came in and installed the handicap safety rails I had bought for the bathroom toilet. After he was done, Jim sat down to make sure they worked; Bev said he took a test drive! Jim also checked out the bathtub fixture to see if there was any way that I could attach a spray nozzle to shower George. He said it might be pretty tough with the kind of fixture we currently have on there, but he is going to do some investigating and let me know what options are available. Of course, George still can't get into
either bathroom because of the narrow doorways, but once the transport chair gets here that Christine ordered last week, that will all change. And then, hopefully, I can get the sink situation figured out with help from Paul, George's son-in-law, and we'll be in the business of making life a little easier! And thanks to Kathy & Gary Nelson for making Friday's evening a little easier for me. They delivered a delicious bar-b-que meal for George & I, complete with fresh vegetables that her Dad had prepared. Both the green beans and squash were really good and definitely enjoyed ... please pass on our thanks to him as well. We hope everyone has a good week ahead!!
... and to dust you will return! Today marks the beginning of Lent, a holy season of repentance, renewal and resurrection. My family all went to Ash Wednesday services together this evening and it was nice. I think it was a fitting occasion for George's return to church since his stroke. I pray that in the next 40 days, we will all become refreshed and renewed, both physically and mentally, so we can fully and joyfully celebrate the resurrection of Christ at Easter. And guess what else George got to do today for the first time since his stroke? Go in to the bathrooms ... thanks to our generous friends! 
George's transport chair was delivered yesterday evening, so Dave got it out of the box for us, popped everything in place, and George was good to go (literally ... ha!). The hallway bathroom is now very accessible and equipped with grab bars for toileting, so now we need to focus on the master bathroom for bathing/showering. Dave had to remove the door going into the master bath so the chair could make it through that narrow opening, but now that he can get in there, we still need to figure out what kind of hand-held shower nozzle will work on our tub since the therapists do not want George attempting to step up and over the ledge leading into the shower stall. A friend of my mom's has loaned us a tub bench to use, but it would be much easier if we had a hand-held shower nozzle instead of the regular faucet. I may need a plumbing supply salesman to come and give us some options, so if any of you that follow the blog are in the Katy area, come see us!!
We'd like you to meet a third member of George's home health team, his occupational therapist, Wendy. She has a smile and personality as big as Texas, and makes George's therapy sessions as fun as they can possibly be! 
Wendy had George practice writing his name with his RIGHT hand yesterday, and his first few letters were great, but then as his hand tired, the letters got smaller and smaller and hard to read. But heck, I didn't even know he could write at all with that hand, so I was excited. George's release with that right hand is getting better as well, so keep those prayers coming his way, they are working!!
