Another Day With Our Great Grandsons

Our Boy, Relaxed

Playing With His Nani

Proud Parents

Tommy, Tommy, Tommy

It's 8:50, and I've been up for just an hour, having slept in until 8:00. Evie's just gotten her coffee, Tom's been up since 7:00, and Mary is off to work out. It's a quiet house since Rhys didn't sleep over — quiet, and honestly, a little boring after yesterday's fun day.  It's a sunny day here in Missouri, with a high in the mid-70s.

Tommy's First Swim

Tommy And Me

Yesterday was a full day. Rhys slept over, and Nick arrived at 8:30 to work, bringing Tommy along, so we had both boys until after dinner — around 7:30. The morning was theirs, the boys taking over our lives in the best way. Fortunately, there were four adults between Nick and the four of us, so when one ran out of steam, another stepped in. Both Tom and Nick were working from home but could break away to help whenever needed. Tommy naps at 9:30 and 2:30; Rhys takes a couple-hour nap at 11:00, since he'd been up since 5:00. As you can imagine, our day revolved entirely around the boys. While Rhys was down, Tom took Tommy for his first swim in the pool — and he seemed to love it.

Evie Gummy Shopping

Once Tommy went down for his second nap, Tom volunteered to drive Evie and me on a few errands — gummies for Evie and wine for me. He recently bought a Tesla Model Y All-Wheel Drive, Premium, and this was our first real ride. We figured out how to open the doors, settled in, and Tom started the car and announced to Grok where he wanted to go: first to Flora Farms, a dispensary, then Total Wine. And that was all it needed. The car backed us out of the garage, navigated to the main roads, stopped for lights, changed lanes as needed, pulled into Flora Farms, and parked — on its own. At the dispensary, which was quite busy, Evie showed her ID, and a helpful, happy staff member walked her through the options. She left with three different kinds of gummies and a 20% discount, spending around $65. We got back in the car and, just like that, it drove us to Total Wine and reversed neatly into a parking space. I walked out with six boxes of wine — $23.99 for the Chautauqua, $13.99 for the Missouri. Tom tapped "Home" on the screen, and off we went.

Rhys Loving His Cars

The Gals And Boys

Rhys Loves His Mom

I'm a believer. I want one. Tom said it took him two minutes to order the car online — and honestly, if I had the nerve, I'd do it. The self-driving feature runs $99 a month, and you can turn it on and off as needed, which is clever. If I were heading out on a road trip, I might activate it for that month and let it do the work.

Tommy And Mary

Tommy And Tom

Rhys And His Papa

A Couple Of Cuties

When we returned, it was so warm and sunny that Tom took Rhys swimming, and I couldn't resist — I threw on my bathing suit and joined them. Rhys loves the water, dunking his head under every now and then without a care in the world. All seven of us ended up outside while Tommy napped, and when he woke, he came out too, happily dangling his feet in the water. Aundraya arrived around 5:30, fresh from a fifth work anniversary celebration at Hallmark. We all relaxed while dinner came together: sweet potatoes topped with taco meat, black beans, onions, cheese, and guacamole. We ate on the screened-in porch, watching TV, until it was time for Nick and Aundraya to pack up the boys and head home. The quiet they left behind was deafening.

Tommy

The Guys

Rhys With Baba And Granny

We watched some of the NBA, but Evie and Mary turned in around 9:00, leaving Tom and me up until 10:00 — just in time to see the Lakers beat Houston in overtime.

A Couple Of Days With Rhys And Tommy

Aundraya, Nick, And The Boys

Watching Truck Video This Morning

Lee's Summit Morning

It's 8:20, and we're at my son Tom's house in Lee's Summit, MO — a lively, bustling place. I've been up since 7:00, but my great-grandson Rhys, who spent the night, was up at 5:00. His brother Tommy just arrived with his dad to spend the day, so we're in for a busy and fun one. Right now, at 8:50, Tom and Mary have taken both boys out for a stroll in the stroller on a sunny, 56° morning. We were in touch with Beth yesterday and this morning, and Rami is still in the hospital and had a couple of successful procedures.

Evie And Rhys

Mary And Rhys

Tommy And Tommy

Papa And Tommy

Yesterday was an easy four-hour drive from Oklahoma to Lee's Summit, a suburb of Kansas City. We left around 9:00 and pulled in just after 1:00, making one stop for gas and skipping breakfast altogether. I drove the whole way and felt great. Mary and Marlena were waiting in the driveway when we arrived. Rhys was napping, so the first hour was quiet — until he woke up and claimed everyone's full attention. Tom was working from home and could step away whenever he liked. What a luxury. When Rhys finally stirred, I was able to go in and lift him from his crib. He looked up at me, said "Baba," and stretched out his arms. How neat to be recognized. He's all boy — loves playing with trucks, has a little hoop and basketball, and is devoted to his football. When he's tired, he winds down watching truck videos on TV.

Mom And Rhys

Tommy And Nick

Around 5:00, Nick arrived with his wife, Aundraya, and seven-month-old Tommy. We caught up on their busy lives — on Sunday, they're flying to Cancun for a much-needed break, leaving the boys with both sets of grandparents. While everyone played with the kids, Tom got the steaks ready, and Mary made a salad and baked potatoes. Tommy seemed perfectly at ease with both Evie and me, which was wonderful — we each got to hold him before and after dinner. 

Granny And Tommy

Chillin And Grillin

Tom grilled the steaks to perfection, and we sat down to eat around 6:45: beautiful Costco steaks (Evie's special request), salad, and potatoes. Nick and Audraya headed home around 7:30, leaving Rhys to spend the night. We stayed up until 9:30 watching the NFL Draft and went to bed around 9:45. What a great day.

Four Hours To Kansas City

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View Of Data Centers From Our Holiday Inn

It's 7:30, and I've been sitting in the breakfast room of a Holiday Inn for an hour, sharing the space with roughnecks — workers here to build the massive data centers rising behind the motel. We are in Pryor, Oklahoma, just off Highway 69. It's 67° and shaping up to be a windy, overcast day for a road trip. I still have a cough, but it's improving.

Wednesday was a hard day. Around 8:00, we had to say a reluctant goodbye to Beth as she headed to the hospital to spend the day with Rami. We passed the morning packing and making sure the house was ready for her return that evening. Leaving felt a little easier knowing Rami's mom was there to step in and help. We're ready to go back the moment we're needed, and the kids have all volunteered to come as well. As of this morning, Rami is still in intensive care — a sobering reminder of how fortunate it was that he was taken to the hospital on Tuesday.

Oklahoma

Some Color

We left at noon and spent the first hour grinding through six or more lanes of Dallas traffic on Interstate 75. Eventually, the congestion thinned to two lanes, 75 became 69, and before long, we were in Oklahoma — flat land stretching in both directions, brush on either side of the road, and the occasional small town breaking the monotony. We passed numerous lakes, none of them inviting — a murky, dirty orange with no boat traffic in sight. I drove the first three hours to McAlester, where we stopped for gas ($3.25) and a quick bite at McDonald's. Evie took the wheel from there and drove us the rest of the way to Pryor and our Holiday Inn. We got settled in the room, only to find the TV wouldn't work — a frustrating discovery after a long drive — and had to switch rooms entirely.

Landscape Rarely Changes

Once we were sorted, we relaxed for an hour before walking next door to the Double D Bar and Grill. As I'd half expected, the bar was full of data center workers — no women in sight except Evie. She ordered a berry salad; I had a chicken wrap. Both were surprisingly decent. The owners were warm and genuinely grateful we'd stopped in. We headed back to the room, watched a bit of basketball, and scrolled our phones until 9:30, when we finally switched off the lights.

A Two Minute Walk From Our Holiday Inn

Today we have a little under four hours ahead of us to our son Tom's house in Lee's Summit — and to our great-grandsons, Rhys and Tommy. We can't wait.

ALARMING, IF TRUE11

Another Try: North To Oklahoma

Kayak Morning: 4/22/25

Morning Clouds And Sun: 4/22/25

It's 8:15, and Beth, her mother-in-law Chelo, and I are up, enjoying our coffee and getting ready for a long day. Rami went to the hospital yesterday morning and spent the night, so we pushed our trip to Kansas City back by a day. It's now 8:45, and Beth and Chelo have just left to see him, leaving us behind to get the house in order and feed the dogs before we head out around noon.

Yesterday began as usual. Beth and I were up early, around 6:00, had our coffee, and she was off to school by 7:00, leaving Rami and me to ourselves. We had some breakfast, fed the dogs, and let them out into the backyard. Evie was up by 8:15, and we were planning to leave around noon for Oklahoma.

Unfortunately, Rami wasn't feeling well. We kept checking his blood pressure, which was hovering in the low 80s/50s or high 70s/50s — worrisome numbers — and he seemed somewhat confused when he spoke. We texted Beth, and she decided to come home. After speaking with his doctor, who encouraged her to get Rami to the hospital, she called EMS. They arrived shortly in a massive ambulance, five or six men strong, all of them capable and reassuring. I kept the dogs in the bedroom while they attended to Rami. Beth followed in her car, and we decided to push our trip back a day — no big deal. We'll leave today around noon.

With the afternoon ahead of us, we got busy changing the beds, washing the sheets, and making sure the house was in good order for when Beth and Rami return. Chelo, Rami's mother, flew in from Florida and arrived by Uber around 2:30 to help out once we leave. The three of us settled in for the afternoon, catching up — we hadn't seen her in years. None of us were very hungry, so we made do with leftovers; Evie put together a ham omelet and a bagel for me. We sat around talking and watching the NBA game until around 8:00, when Chelo headed to bed, being an early riser.

Beth didn't get home from the hospital until about 8:45. We stayed up talking until 9:45 before finally calling it a night — the end of a very long day, especially for Beth.

“I would have won Vietnam very quickly. I would have, if I were president.” DJT

North To Oklahoma

Nap Time With Tin Tin And Kaia

It's 7:00, and Beth and I have been up since 6:00, with Rami having just joined us. Beth is making his breakfast and will then head off to school. It looks like we'll have rain today on our drive north to Oklahoma. We're not leaving until around noon and expect a short four-hour drive today, followed by 3.5 hours tomorrow to our son Tom's house in Lee's Summit, MO. I actually got a good night's sleep for once, with little coughing — which is why I woke at 6:00 — and I hope it continues.

Monday was typical: Beth was off by 7:00, and the rest of us got up at various times — first Rami, then me, then Evie. Rami had an appointment in Dallas at 8:30, and I wasn't sure whether he needed me to drive him. He's usually reluctant to let someone else take the wheel, so he left around 8:10, leaving Evie and me to the morning. I sat around reading, enjoying coffee and a bagel, and writing the blog. Evie was up by 8:30 and joined me, and we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves other than clean the kitchen and organize a few things. I still didn't have enough energy to walk the dogs, so we let them run freely in the backyard for most of the morning. I ended up taking an hour nap around 10:30 and woke feeling more like myself.

For lunch, I had a ham and cheese sandwich and some of Beth's chicken soup. I wasn't sure what the afternoon would bring until Rami called to ask if I could take an Uber to the hospital and then drive him home. The nurses wouldn't allow him to drive because of his low blood pressure. The ride to the cancer center was interesting — mostly a long stretch of businesses, restaurants, gas stations, and malls, seemingly going on forever. I arrived at the Presbyterian Hospital Cancer Center and finally found Rami in the infusion room, along with ten to fifteen other patients sitting patiently with IVs in their arms. It's quite a place — people constantly coming and going — and it gives you a real sense of how many people are fighting cancer each day. The nurses were wonderful and finally gave Rami the okay to leave once his blood pressure was high enough. We were home in fifteen minutes, an easy five-or-six-mile drive. Rami was relieved to be home, especially after what should have been a two-hour appointment stretched into six. 

Thank you, Ms. Albaran

Beth arrived home excited because he sixth graders, knowing that she had missed a few days because her husband was sick, had a gathering to show her how much they appreciated her. How neat. Later,  I drove to the pharmacy to pick up another inhaler — a steroid inhaler called Symbicort, which I had used a few years ago.

For Beth

I watched the Cavs game during wine time, since it tips off here at 6:00. Dinner had already been made — turkey chili over pasta and a salad — and we watched two more episodes of Season Two of Landman before everyone but me went to bed around 8:45. I then watched the Knicks blow a late lead and lose to Atlanta at Madison Square Garden, quite the upset. I finished the night with the first half of the Nuggets and Timberwolves, a game eventually won by the Timberwolves.

"In fourteen months, Trump has turned America into a country people hate, fear, and laugh at."

A Texas Monday

Kayak Morning: 4/20/25

It's 7:25, and Beth has already left for school. I was up around 6:30 to find both Rami and Beth already awake. The day looks cloudy here in Dallas, with a high near 70° expected later. It's our last full day with Beth and Rami — tomorrow we drive halfway to our son Tom's place in Lee's Summit, MO. I'm still fighting this cough, especially at night, and I'm afraid I'll have to live with it a while longer.

Biking Webb's Trail: 4/20/25

On Sunday, Beth and I were both up early and decided to get the week's shopping done at Central Market to beat the crowd — though it's always crowded regardless. We left around 8:30, and at least traffic was light at that hour. Central Market is a culinary delight: a vast store carrying virtually anything you could want, staffed by a seemingly endless number of employees, even on a Sunday morning. We easily piled Beth's cart high with food and were lucky to find an open checkout lane. The scones are to die for, and I'm enjoying one as I write. I've never seen so many ready-made dinners available for takeout — a genuine godsend for a busy working family. We stopped at Walgreens on the way home to pick up some prescriptions and were back by 10:00.

Evie was up when we returned, wishing she'd come along. I had a scone with blueberry jam and a coffee for breakfast — delicious. By noon, Evie had started on dinner: short ribs in the pressure cooker. The first NBA playoff game was just getting underway, and I drifted in and out of watching it whenever I wasn't needed to help hang a painting or tackle something around the house. That set the rhythm for most of the afternoon — the four of us getting things done, then pausing to relax, check our phones, watch the game, and then getting back at it. The biggest project was running an electrical cord under the living room carpet, which meant moving the couches. Around 6:00, the doorbell rang: a neighbor stopping by to welcome Beth and Rami to the neighborhood with a bottle of wine. They apparently have a wonderfully active neighborhood group that gathers a couple of times a year. After a warm chat, we sat down to dinner — short ribs over mashed potatoes with gravy, even better than Brazil's in Westfield. Rami and I both went back for seconds. Dessert was cherry pie, enjoyed as we finished the first season of Landman over dinner and into the evening. Once it ended, everyone was ready for bed — though I stayed up to watch the first half of the Trail Blazers/Spurs game.

43º In Dallas

Kayak Morning: 4/19/25

It's early — not quite 7:00 — and Beth and I have been up since 6:15, neither of us able to sleep in. I was coughing, so I got up, and she's an early riser by habit. The temperature surprised me, a little warmer than it was at the lake. Fortunately, it looks like a sunny, clear-blue-sky day here in Texas.

Yesterday was a strange one. We hoped to get things done, for whatever reason, didn't accomplish much until late afternoon. I still have the cough, though no fever, and Doctor ChatGPT says it may stick around for another week or two. Great. The morning slipped by quickly — cleaning up the kitchen, having scones for breakfast, a couple of coffees, and sitting around talking and petting the dogs.

It was a nice surprise when the Cavs game, the first of the playoffs, tipped off at noon, giving me something to do most of the afternoon. Two more games followed, plus one at 7:00. Evie made me a great lunch — fried potatoes and eggs — which I devoured, since breakfast had only been a scone. Rami had a rough day and slept through most of it, clearly needing the rest. Meanwhile, Evie and Beth were more productive, prepping tonight's turkey chili and doing the wash. I tried to nap, but the cough wouldn't let me, so I ended up watching parts of three different NBA games.

Ready For A Walk?

By 4:00, Rami was feeling better, and he and Beth managed to get a few things done while Evie and I relaxed. By 4:30, I was restless from too much sitting and basketball, so I took the dogs for a quick 15-minute walk. Along the way, we navigated around two pairs of mallards casually grazing on the front lawns of a couple of houses. Bizarre.

Dinner was leftovers — ground beef spaghetti and chicken with artichoke hearts — and I had some of each. Everything still tasted great, so that was a win. We then settled in for three more episodes of Landman before Evie and Beth headed to bed, and Rami and I stayed up watching the Lakers/Rockets game until 10:30.

More games on today. Hoping we get more done than yesterday.