Remember the lyrics from “I’ll Take Care of You,” sung by an older teenager to a younger teenager. Scene happened in the garden of Sound of Music movie. Now a bunch of adults–including my four children–take care of this ‘old’ man. The facility here bills itself as Senior Assisted Living. My translation is “old folks boarding house.” More than 60 seniors try to keep from falling. The wheelchairs are battery powered, but walkers and canes
Category: Boarding House
Soliloquy
At my old folk’s boarding house lately I carry on a bunch of conversations with myself. A “soliloquy.” A fancy playwright word that describes talking aloud to yourself. Think Hamlet and Lady McBeth. Of course, those two usually command an audience. Covid demands a soliloquy. Two weeks of quarantine. Dining room closed. Meals delivered to your apartment in styrofoam containers. And worse news, another old-timer in our home passed away. My soliloquay: “Thanks, Lord, for giving
Jig-Saw-Puzzlers
A jig-saw puzzle waits in the two main halls of our old folks boarding house. You’ve got to make yourself walk past the table. Just look. Then, reluctantly, press on to the dining room. Just described another form of addiction. Could have started at childhood. Or at holiday family gatherings. Back when you welcomed, say, inside diversion from the outside winter weather. The family welcomed the 500, even a thousand inter-locking jig-saw puzzle pieces, cut
Pajama Party
They organized a pajama party at the Old Folks Boarding House where I live. Began at 11:08 pm. Know time because I had just gone to bed when the ringing started. Alarmed me. Oh No, don’t want to go the hospital. Thought the ringing was in my head. Started to telephone son-in-law, a retired physical therapist, for guidance. That’s when one of the staff appeared at my bed. Said I had to get up and
Raised Up
We youngsters were invited to her 105th birthday party. We arrived wheeling wheelchairs–some battery-powered, pushing walkers, leaning on canes. Don’t know about the other old timers at our Old Folks Boarding House, but I did the math. Joyce Ruminer is 13 years older. When people compare ages, I can get a bit smug. After all, my oldest great-grandson just graduated from Mississippi State. Now working at an engineer’s job in North Carolina. Who knows? My