BILL CHERRY'S GREATEST DALLAS PARK CITIES REAL ESTATE BLOG: June 2009

This is a very interesting column in today's (June 29, 2009) Galveston paper.  The author is the paper's editor, Heber Taylor,  And let me say up front.  Mr. Taylor is a fine journalist, one of great character, so he doesn't lie.

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BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS - HIGHLAND PARK

214 503-8563

As they do every summer, the Dallas Fine Arts Chamber Players will perform every Sunday in July in the beautiful setting of the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park, 3601 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd. Enter at Gate 6. 

The small auditorium where the concerts are held is, of course, in doors, air conditioned and has restrooms.  But the entire wall -- floor to ceiling -- behind the stage is glass and offers a full view of the park's gardens.  I can't tell you how spectacular this is.

The concerts are FREE.  Doors open at 2, and the program begins at 3:30.  No reservations or tickets necessary. 

This year, the series is titled the Basically Beethoven Festival.  Click here for more information.  Patty and I will see you there!

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS - HIGHLAND PARK

214 503-8563

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OK, while even though not of sterling silver, I was raised with a silver plate spoon in my mouth. 

I admit it.

<<==Luke the Schwan Man 469 441-3744

A driver picked-up our laundry every Monday and brought it back on Friday.  His name was Richard.  The sheets were washed, starched and ironed.  My daddy's dress shirts were each folded and individually packaged.

And the laundry man was different than the uniformed man who picked-up and delivered the dry cleaning.  His name was Mr. Wheeler.

Mr. Covini brought fresh eggs and butter every week, Mr. Crawford sent his driver with the prescription drugs, and Bovio's Grocery's barely English speaking delivery man, Beyanke brought our groceries in a big basket on his three-wheel bicycle.

Mrs. Levin at Nathan's would send the store's driver out to the house with several new outfits she thought my mom might like.  Often my mom would pick a couple, then send the others back.

There were no MasterCards or Visas.  Each store sent their own bill once a month.

And then little by little the civility ensured by door-to-door service has all but vanished, and I don't like it. 

ONE REMAINS: THE SCHWAN MAN

Schwan's has an enormous catalog of frozen foods, from steaks and lobster to garlic potatoes and blueberry cobbler.  The ice cream is of Bluebell quality.

Once every two weeks, our Schwan Man, Luke, comes by in his big yellow-cream colored refrigerated truck and we get our supply -- the basics of each of our orders are strip steaks, skinless chicken breasts and shrimp skewers.

While I understand Schwan's is in most of the larger communities nationwide, in Dallas you can have Luke as Your Schwan Man just like we have.  469 441-3744.

Bring civility into your life.  Start by using the Schwan Man.

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS - HIGHLAND PARK

214 503-8563

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The other afternoon about 2, Patty and I were in a Dallas area where we seldom go.  Bad enough to be hungry, but worse to be hungry where you are unfamiliar with the restaurants that are nearby.

On a whim, we picked GREAT CHINA RESTAURANT in a nice strip center on the corner of Preston and Frankfort.  The food was extraordinary.

Let me add that this isn't one of those goofy Chinese buffet affairs that I personal abhor, and even better, the smell of stuff frying in grease isn't in a smoke cloud hovering at the dining room's ceiling.

Great China Restaurant is a well-decorated and appointed fine-dining restaurant where everything is prepared to order and from fresh ingredients.  You'll be pleased.

The cost?  Pretty darned reasonable.

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS - HIGHLAND PARK

214 503-8563

ON THE WEB

BIO

It was one of those things that may be driven by young people's libidos rather than could they be fairly sure they would be compatible; maybe someday marry.

At any case, she moved in with him.  He had owned the home they set up housekeeping in for at least fifteen years before she got there.

After the first year, the relationship's value diminished for both of them, diminishing incrementally day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year.  Finally, he wanted her out.  She said she didn't have anywhere to move.

They argued and fought about his proposal to end their relationship.  Nothing was going to encourage her to give up her free lodging.  Afterall, she didn't even have a job.  How could she pay rent or buy food?

She told him it might help his attitude toward her if he would move himself into one of his home's spare bedrooms.

Finally, he went to the Justice of the Peace, filed an eviction on her.  Days passed.  Both were still living in the house together.  Of course she was in the master bedroom now, and he was in the 10 x 11 guest bedroom.  When they spoke, they argued.  Most of the time they said nothing to each other...went their own ways.

But wouldn't you know, she didn't move by the court-given deadline, so the constable, following Texas real estate law, came out and stood guard as her former boyfriend and some hired laborers removed all of her possessions and stacked them in the front yard.  Then the locksmith changed the locks on the doors.

So my first question is simple:  How did not being married take away the possibility of a commitment?  My second question isn't so simple:  How's he going to get this woman's junk off of his yard? Praise God. Amen.

NOTE:  Dr. Michael M. Warren, while also holding the prestigeous Ashbel Smith professor of surgery position at University of Texas Medical Branch Division of Urology, has been one of my heroes for a long time.  The reason is because he's a big thinker and speaks out about many subjects, from religion and philosophy to science, education and medicine.

He frequently writes a column on health care and medicine for The Galveston County Daily News.  This one shows that at least Dr. Warren knows what patients think, so I asked if I could share it with Activerain readers.

 Anyone Care to Tell Doc to Be Patient?

By Michael Warren

Published June 9, 2009 

Nowhere in the medical-school curriculum is there a course about what it's like to be a patient. Wouldn't it be good to put every medical student into the hospital and do to the "patient" some things done to real patients?

First, we could dress the doctors in those specially tailored hospital gowns and let them walk out in the hallway with "you know what" exposed. 

Then we could feed them hospital food. Give them all some of the special treatments like enemas, and put tubes everywhere. We could wait until they just fall asleep and wake them up to ask them if they want a sleeping pill. We could wake them up again to take their temperature and blood pressure. 

It's interesting being wheeled about on a stretcher, so all you can see is the ceiling. We could leave them outside the X-ray room for several hours and on the hard X-ray table for a few more.

How about a good bed bath? A few shots would also be nice, and we could finish by putting them in a room full of health-care workers who wouldn't talk to them.

After that, the doctors would probably think marine boot camp a gentle experience. It would give them a new outlook on health care from the patient's point of view.

When they are finished, we will send them a bill and make them pay good money for the experience. Now that's realism. You could add more such experiences to the list, but I do have some compassion for my fellow doctors.

Those of us in the health-care business often do forget about the patient. We get so fascinated with all the new technology that we lose site of what we are supposed to be about. We are supposed to be caring human beings entrusted by you to care for the well being of all. We are well paid for this trust. Although we have spent considerable time learning how to be successful, we must always remember that it was you who allowed us to do it.

If you did not desire to spend billions of dollars each year to teach new doctors, to build "state of the art" hospitals and fill them with the latest equipment, and do all the other things necessary to develop one of the best health-care-delivery systems in the world, we would not be able to do anything but make a few simple drugs out of plants and do a little blood letting like our ancestors.

Caring is still the key for successful medical care. It is cheap; it doesn't require major technology or equipment. It doesn't even require a great deal of training. It does require some effort and time, but it's worth it. Are you getting the caring you desire? If not, fix it. As the expression goes, "the patient is always right." .

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS

214 503-8563

BIO

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