A Duh Moment

When I worked in activities at a veterans' nursing home, there was one black fellow. He was probably in his early 80's and had grown up in the deep south. His "problem" was discussed at a care planning meeting one day. The "problem" was that sometimes he would raise such a ruckus when it was time to get his bath. By the way, this man had Alzheimer's disease and his memories were probably 30 to 40 years in the past. Lowly me, I spoke up and said, "Do you realize what would have happened to him 40 years ago if he had been caught naked in the same room with a white woman?" Duh was the expression on most of the faces, including social workers, R.N.s, etc. So, good idea! The black female nursing assistant and the men were to bathe him from then on. Well, guess what? He never threw another ruckus about it! Isn't it amazing what can happen when one stops to think a little bit.....

Beano

This is another one of my younger daughter's poems. My sister rescued a Shetland pony 30 years or so ago. She doesn't know how old he was when she got him.

To the little man, loved by many. Good pony.

ODE TO BEANO

Rescued from fate...welcomed

to love

Better than most...long were

your days

Learning to trust...

the hands that touched you

Grazing in peace...plenty

of hay

Darkness took you...yet peace

still remained

Kind hands kept you...long in

your days

The end comes to all...some

sooner than others

If not for your fall...still

would you be...

Grazing in peace, trusting the

hands

long in your days

Julie 9/13/05

My dog park experience

I had never been to a dog park. For obvious reasons. I don't have a dog and there are no dog parks nearby, at least no fenced ones where the dogs can run and do dog things freely. I spent a few days with my daughter who has recently acquired a dog. A really sweet dog. So we went to the dog park three days in a row. What a hoot! All the dogs had to run and greet every new arrival and had to escort each friend who was leaving. They had to inspect each person-thing that came in, just to make sure they were okay, I guess. They had to establish their dominance with each other, which was very interesting to watch. There were many breeds and mixes there, some very comical. A half golden/half Bassett was hilarious looking. Golden with a retriever's head and the body of a Bassett, tail of a retriever; legs of a Bassett. I can't describe all that was going on there...too much! But I think every community needs a fenced dog park with a place for the elderly and bored and lonely people to sit and watch. Of course, not inside where you get wallowed and drooled and licked. And where you find yourself petting three at a time. I got nailed by a couple of dogs running. One hit against my right leg. I didn't fall but it hurt. Seems okay now though. Go visit a dog park, just for fun, and stay out of the way.

Facing a Fear

I tolerate bugs and spiders and other creepy things pretty well. BUT, I find centipedes and green tomato worms quite disagreeable. I think the centipede thing comes from an experience on a farm one time when a guy forked up some loose hay in the barnyard. It seemed to me (a child of about 5 or 6) that there were hundreds of centipedes scurrying around underneath that hay. I don't know about the tomato worms except that they're made out of green juice. Did you ever throw one into a chicken pen and see the green juice squirt everywhere? Yep. That's it. Well, this summer I planted a few tomatoes in a tub. I looked at them one day and wondered why one of them looked so awful. While looking closely, I finally saw why. A big green tomato worm was clinging to a stem! At first I almost freaked out. Then I decided to look him over real close. Do you know that they have legs? When he was hanging on the bottom of a stem, I saw about 4 or 5 sets of bright yellow legs (not feet) curved around the stem. He also had eyes and a funny mouth with tiny teeth. Of course he had the hook and the "eyeballs" on the sides of his body. I looked at him every day for weeks. Then one day he was gone. Did he go do whatever they do this time of year, did a cat get him, did a bird get him? I have to admit I felt a little sorry he was gone. I don't think they are so disgusting after all!