I received a message on facebook from a friend and fan asking where is my latest post on Bea & Pearl. Thank you Kim, first for the interest in this project and second for prompting me into action.
Bea celebrated her 98th birthday on the 26th of March. Her day consisted of numerous phone calls from her large family, each was filled with love and well wishes for a happy birthday. Her special day found me in Flagstaff for the day with four other designers from the valley. We had the privilege of sharing our chosen profession with design students in the NAU (Northern Arizona University) interior design program. On my way home I stopped by to wish her a happy birthday. Our visit consisted of us searching for her two movie theater reward cards, as she couldn't remember where she had put them. Once we found them I helped her retrieve her phone messages, along with answering her incoming phone calls. Shortly thereafter Pearl and Richard came by the house to pick her up, they were scheduled to see Johnny Depp in the new "Alice in Wonderland" movie. Hence the frantic search for the movie reward cards.
As for project Bea & Pearl, well it's in a holding pattern at the moment. I did specify a lift recliner for her and she absolutely adores it. It has made such a difference for her to easily get into and out of her chair fearlessly with ease and comfort. During my visit I inquired about moving forward with fulfilling her wish to take a bath. She said she didn't think so. When I spoke to Pearl the other day she told me Bea was asking when her bathroom was going to be updated. Confused are you? It's quite the dilemma. At this point a full remodel in either bathroom is not feasible. If you've ever done a remodel you know what I mean. The logistic of coordinating and scheduling the trade to come in and make the necessary changes and the natural mess that comes with it. The disruption would be too much for her and the environment would be a safety issue. We really don't know how much longer she can continue to live alone. However there are some wonderful products out there that I can use to improve her current situation and fulfill her desire to take a bath with ease and most importantly safely.
There is a good lesson to be learned here. We don not know what our future will bring us. But we do know things are not always what we expected. Why not plan for the unexpected so when or if it does happen it'll offer us peace of mind? I don't know about you, but for me I'll plan for the unexpected. It'll be a gift for my children and family members.
