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PHOTO BY BARB BURDETT SLAUGHTERBECK JERRY BURDETT NELLIE/WM>GERALD GEORGE>JERRY Jerry Burdett 2-6-04 I'm doing pretty good I think. It's the same old thing. I feel good, and then I don't. I'm told by the doctors that for that kind of operation it's what I have to look forward to for awhile. I went downtown today and messed around all day. I went to the Wal-Mart, walked around in there and spent some money. What I'm doing is I'm just getting a little ahead of myself; as a result when my staying power runs out I get sick. They're telling me to expect these things. I'm getting so I want to eat eat eat, because I never know when I'm going to get sick and I won't want to eat. I want to get back to where I was when I was 25 years old, and that isn't going to happen We
hadn't had any winter until just here lately. We got about 4 or
5 inches of snow the other day, and it's still on the ground.
We're expecting some more. Where I live it's just wind-ey hills.
Too many people don't understand. If you don't have 4 wheel drive
you have to make sure you have plenty of food until you can get
out, and you've got to have insurance. All the animals are just
fine. I left them in the other night - the cats - and they just
tore the place up. The cats are big cats and spoiled. They get
in here, and they just tear the heck out of stuff. Now they're
going to stay outside. Of course there's snow and ice out there.
But they didn't follow the rules. They find places. There are
plenty of places for them to get in. I have one cat that won't
come in the house. These cats get so they're scared of people.
I just talked to Barb the other day, and of course Gerald calls
every other day. JERRY BURDETT JANUARY 23, 2004 I'm doing pretty good. The doctors seem to think I'm doing just fine. I think I am too, but I have some problems. When I had my checkup it was the first time I was able to spend time with the other patients in cardiac. Some of them are really bad-one especially. He was about 60 years old, and had had his second bypass. He's had a lot of operations. I'm still driving. I'm not supposed to. I wasn't going to drive up there. It's a 200 mile round trip. My old buddy has problems, so I just went up there and took it easy. He was going to drive me. You can't depend on anybody. Most of the people I know are working, and they're not going to take off work and wait all day while I see the doctors. I'm not in that bad a shape, just a little sore. When I went in there I was in bad shape. I knew 10 yrs ago I had the blockage. I didn't know whether I was going to make it or not. You darned near didn't have me very long. Anyway I'm happy with it. The incision is not that big. When I began to come to I was 24 pounds lighter. I've started eating, and it's hard to stop now. I'm going to try to slow it down now. I've got all the stuff I need. I talked with Barbara. She was going to the doctor, but she was happy with how everything turned out. Its amazing nowadays what they can do. I'm surprised. We
had one little dusting of snow here (Arkansas). This area here
is unusual if snow stays on the ground very long. Unfortunately
I let the water freeze up in the other house. I'm not going to
worry about it now. Ill take my time. I figure this is all borrowed
time anyway. I knew when I went up there what to expect. I got
the vehicles all fixed up. I keep them winterized. Even in the
summer time I do winter maintenance. I got the house all winterized
also. I'm just like a bug in a rug. This one I have now is one
of the few houses I've had that's all automatic, all electric.
I don't have to do anything. I've lit the stove up in the shop
maybe once. Once in awhile someone comes by and needs wood, and
I just tell them to go down and load up. I don't have to worry
about hauling wood in, just keep stuff in the refrigerator. Update Jerry Jan 17-2004 I don't know how I'm doing. I've got to go back to the hospital. They say I'm doing fine, but I don't feel good, and I don't expect to be feeling ok for awhile. That's probably because of them pulling the drugs that's making me feel bad. According to them I'm doing above average, but I don't know what average is. I'm by myself, and I'm not supposed to drive, but there's no way I can get by without driving. I know it's not good for me because if I go out and drive to town then my chest hurts. What driving does is keep that stuff moving, and it doesn't heal as fast. I didn't realize how much I move while driving until this happened. I just drive my truck which is automatic. They did a good job, and it doesn't look that bad. By the time it heals, and the hair grows back you won't even be able to tell it's there. They took the artery out of my leg, and in a couple more weeks you won't even be able to tell anything happened there either. It's no big deal, I just don't have much energy. My appointment was two weeks away when I came to the conclusion that I had to do something. I wasn't ready for the operation psychologically or emotionally. I went in there to take the stress test. I told them beforehand that I wouldn't get up on the treadmill. My blood pressure was up, and they couldn't get it down. They told me they had to go in and do the surgery. It appears to me that they cut holes in my stomach, and I figure they went in there and found the blockage. Evidently I was laying out there for several days with nothing happening. Philip and I talked last night, and he identified with a lot of it. I was in three hospitals. I don't know why, but they all had a particular part in the operation. I don't understand the whole thing. An old boy came in there just as I was going out and introduced himself and said, "I'm the one who keeps you alive." Things would be happening, and I would be doing things, and after awhile I realized that these people didn't exist. I asked them about it, and they told me that these things happen because they slowed me down. I've lost my short term memory, and they said I would get it back in about three months, and it would be better than it was. I'm
still having trouble eating. I'm supposed to be on a high protein
diet, but that's hard to do when I'm having to force myself to
eat. The trouble with getting into specifics about the operation
is there were so many people involved, and I was out of it, and
I don't know these people. When I started coming back everybody
seemed to know me, and I didn't know them. They were talking to
me like they've known me all my life, and I didn't even recognize
these buggers. My appointment for re-evaluation will be January
21st. Jerry 1-9-04 I'm "doing" is about all I can say. Anytime you get cut on there's pain. I feel really tired and weak. I was that way when I came out, and then I got better. Now I'm not doing so good. It isn't real bad, I'm just sort of short winded. I don't hurt too bad, but the surgery site is touchy. Some of it came out good. I was feeling pretty good 'til yesterday. With surgery you got more problems than the surgery. Those problems had gone away, but now they've come back. I called this morning to see somebody. Whether they will want me to come early before my appointment on the 23rd I don't know. I don't think it's all that serious; I'm just really draggy. I don't really need help on some things, but when I need something done I need it right now, and the ones who usually help me have something else to do. Everybody's got their thing to do. I've got a couple of people here for emergencies. I'm not supposed to drive, but I've been doing it anyway, and my chest hurts. They told me don't drive and don't life anything over ten pounds. I've been lifting some, but not very heavy weights. I assumed the driving wouldn't hurt me, but I go out there and drive, and my chest hurts. They've got screen wire woven into my chest to keep me held together while I heal up, and I'm agitating it. The county has a program to help the elderly, but it's the same way, at their convenience. When they operated on me I lost seven days. I guess I'm doing as well as can be expected.
It has been cold, unusual for this part of the country. My other
place froze up, and I couldn't do anything about it. Something
busted under the house, and I can't crawl under there and do anything
about it. They said it was supposed to get 19 degrees. DAD'S EPISODE BY GERALD BURDETT JAN 4, 2004---Dad, Jerry Burdett, went into the Hospital on the 9 th of December, my birthday. I knew that he had probably forgotten when he didn't call me that evening as he usually does. I called him on the 10th, but got no answer, so I left him a message. I received a phone call from Joe Adams, my uncle, on the 11th telling me that Dad was in the Hospital in Little Rock, Ar. He gave me the phone numbers for the hotel where my aunt Rose was staying. She was with Dad in the hospital. I called the hotel and got in touch with Rose who informed me that Dad was going in for surgery on the 12th of December for a double by pass. I called Dad that evening to see how he was doing, and let him know that I was planning to come out there on December 26th as soon as I could secure a new job. Rose kept me appraised of his condition every day or so, and all reports were that he was doing well. The operation went exactly as planned, but there were a few complications that developed after the surgery. I won't go into that. I arrived in Little Rock on the 26th as I had planned, and Dad was in much better shape that I had been given to believe. So much so that he was released the following day, which was Saturday, December 27th. He has been home since then and is doing much better. He is still weak and tired, but is recovering. There are a couple of friends that are checking in on him, and they are only a phone call away if he needs anything. I have his computer back up and running again and if you'd like to drop him a line, His e-mail address is Olebuzzard@hypertech.net. I
had to come back on the 31st. I had an out brief on the 2nd of
Jan, and I start my new job on the 5th. Dad is doing fine, He
isn't suppose to do any lifting (more than 10lbs) for 6 weeks
and then nothing over 20lbs for three months. Other than that
he can do pretty much anything he wants to. He isn't supposed
to drive for the 6 weeks but that is impossible. He was driving
some while I was out there. Not much though as I did most of the
driving. He is still weak and tires quickly; he is taking naps
quite a bit, but I think he will recover fine. He is an independent
person and will not sit still for very long. I call him every
day or so to check up on him, and fuss at him if he isn't taking
his meds right or hurts himself. He is being very careful not
to fall or jolt himself though. When I left him the incision was
healing real well, He is bathing himself and cooking so he isn't
doing bad at all. Gerald Jerry is to have double bypass heart surgery in the morning. He is in the VA Hospital in Little Rock. Will keep you posted on his condition. BarbBurdett S. 12-11-03 I don't want to call him for a couple days. He will probably be in intensive care for a while anyway. I called Phillip last night and told him about Jerry . He says that he (Phillip) is doing just fine. That's good news. I have a little enigma here. I had three pictures left on a roll of 35mm film in my camera, so I made a trip to the cemetery and took those pictures of Gatch's tombstone. I took the film to the photo shop and had them developed. I picked them up yesterday. There are 24 pics on a roll, and when I looked at the the envelope when I got home it said there were 21 pictures. I counted them, and sure enough, 21 pics. I checked the negatives, and the last three frames were absolutely blank. They had been exposed, but there are no images of anything on them. Weird...................If it is not too cold and nasty tomorrow, I'm going back over there and try again. You will have to wait awhile for those. Later luv Barb
Left: Jerry Burdett 2001
Bryant/Burdett Reunion, Tampa---
L -L- Jerry's new house last winter ........R-Jerry 2003LL-Jerry's neL-w house last winterJerry
L-View from Jerry's deck ...........R-Jerry & friend Jean
BLANCHARD VALLEY SPRINGS: Rainwater falling on the Ozarks has soaked into the ground for millions of years. As it moved thru cracks in the limestone bedrock, it dissolved the stone and slowly widened the cracks to form Blanchard Valley Springs Caverns. The water remained in the caverns until surface erosion carved valleys and allowed the water to escape. As this valley cut deeper and deeper, lower sections of the cave were drained. New springs then developed below older dried-up springs. Blanchard Springs probably came out of the holes high on the bluff above us many years ago, when the streambed lay 20-30 feet above its present level. This stream flows thru bat sanctuaries on its way thru Blanchard Springs Caverns. The water is enriched because of bat wastes and the decaying remains of those that died. Although this does not affect the appearance of the water, it does make it UNSAFE TO DRINK. Photo & Text Provided by Barb Burdett S.- obtained on trip to visit Cousin Jerry Burdett 09-2003---More Photos To Follow We
got Jerry's computer up and running and on the net and gave him
a few lessons on how to operate it and how to get on the net and
talk to people. By the time we left he was surfing like a pro
and sending and receiving e-mail so all you bryburcon people can
e-mail that long lost cousin. e-mail address: Olebuzzard68@yahoo.com |
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"ARKANSAS STORM" BY BARB BURDETT SLAUGHTERBECK THE DECK Jerry's deck on his trailer is very unique. It goes from where you see its starting point in front, all the way around the end and across the back and it is all roofed. The framing and floor is constructed with treated lumber but the posts are his own creation. They are saplings that he cut from his woods. When he chopped the branches off he left little nubbins sticking out. You can see them very plainly in the photos. It's neat. He has a walk all they way out to his workshop that is made from Arkansas red rock that he's picked up around his property. They lay like flagstones. The steps up to the trailer deck are also rocks. Three of them, laid in tiers. About a 3 ft sq. one on the bottom, little smaller on next and a smaller one on top. Very innovative. Don't know if I mentioned it or not but I brought one of those big rocks home with me. It's now a stepping stone in front of my deck. He also has an observation deck built on the roof. He can set up there and see what he can't see from the deck. Just a little information I thought you'd like. luv later BARB 6-16-02 THE ARKANSAS TRAVELERS by Barbara Burdett Slaughterbeck At
last November's reunion, I promised Jerry that I would make a trip
to Arkansas to visit him. My friend Jean and I left Ohio on the
third of June, headed for Jerry's place. We
had a very uneventful trip. We stayed overnight in a motel near
St. Louis that night and arrived in Shirley, Arkansas the next day.
I
finally spotted a trailer way up the hill and I told Jean, that's
the place. She wasn't so sure I was still sane and remarked that
she sure hoped I was right. I knew Jerry was a BMW fan so when I
saw all those BMW's sitting there I knew I had hit pay dirt. Jerry
did a fine job of entertaining us while we were there. We had a
favorite place called "Bills" where we went every morning
for breakfast. On the last morning there, we informed the waitress
that we were leaving the next morning. I thought she was going to
break into tears. She gave Jean and I a big hug and said to be sure
to come back. Jerry
took us sight-seeing around the big lake and all around the Shirley
area. It is beautiful country. We traveled about 30 miles to a town
called Mountain View, two nights in a row. They were having a music
festival on the Courtyard grounds. Everywhere you looked there was
a band of some kind, playing music. We settled in close to a "Blue
Grass" band that we enjoyed. The music was great and so were
the eats. PART TWO There
was a big rain storm there, and the next day we went to Wal-Mart,
and then Jerry wanted us to see a lake that was near there. When
we got close to the lake, it had flooded and water was way up over
the road. We shelved that in a hurry, backed out, turned around
and went home. Jerry about caused me have a heart attack when he
went to start his truck and it just grunted. Sounded like the battery
was clear dead. I could just envision a 10 mile hike to get help.
BUT, it started finally, and it was fun. Saw some of the best looking
horses and cattle I've ever seen. Just beautiful animals. Big herds
of both. Jerry's half-brother's son and his wife and two kids came to visit him while we were there, and we had hamburgers and all the fixings of a cook-out (but it was inside). It was a real enjoyable time. Jerry was very happy. I don't think he gets much company up there, as isolated as he is.
He does have a few friends that show up every
night right around dusk. Two raccoons named Pedro and Bandito and
a coyote named Wiley. He fills two big bowls with dog food, sets
one on the deck and the other across the drive in the grass on the
edge of the hill. We sat on the deck talking and enjoying the cool
of the evening, when here they come. You sit right there not 5 feet
away and they scarf up that dog food. They do it one at a time.
When the one is done the other one comes and eats. By that time
all the food is clear in the bottom of the bowl, so he climbs in,
sits on the edge of the bowl, leans forward and the food falls right
in his lap. If we would get up and move, they would disappear but
would return as soon as we settled down. We had to be real quiet
when Wiley was there because he was a mite skittish. He also has
a momma cat that had five beautiful kittens. Right at the curious
stage. They romped and played. Then they'd lay down in a pile and
go to sleep. When the cats are in bed for the night, the coons come
and clean out the cat food in the cats bowl. JUST ONE BIG HAPPY
FAMILY, JERRY AND HIS CRITTERS. THE END
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"Where Jerry Lives"
Jerry & Lamborghini
Arkansas Countryside
The Lake We Visited
Where Jerry Actually Lives
(Joke about the little trailer being his residence was cooked up by Jerry & Barb. Please don't blame the editor.)
Barb in Arkansas
BMW
View From Jerry's Front Yard
Pedro & Bandito
