Kenny

Uncle Kenny's funeral was yesterday. Aunt Delores sent a report about it, and it sounds like the family all gathered just like they always have, all through the years. She also says, "To top it off, when Gene and I left Kennesaw this morning, I looked to the Kennesaw mountains, across the highway from Kenny's final resting place, and there was a rainbow...what can I say...It was beautiful to know that Kenny is truly at rest and we will miss him very, very much. He was special and I loved him."

I don't know - something magic like that should also remind us that, after a hard life, Kenny's now in glory with Mammaw and Pappaw, and, though we miss them, that we WILL see them all again.

Delores also says, "Kim read a poem that Eddie wrote for Kenny in 1973. It was called "One Brother Short" and was about going to the farm at Thanksgiving to shoot the guns but Kenny didn't make it home that year for Thanksgiving. It ia a beautiful poem and I hope we all get a copy of it." Isn't it odd that writing poems seems to run in the family? I remember many years of many different Morris poems being read on many different occasions. I bet Eddie's was a real nice one. If I get a copy, I'll post it here.

Mi familia

My Uncle Kenny passed away Monday. I never had occasion to get to know him very well, and I almost never saw him, but yet I really miss him. He was a part of my family, and I loved him, and now he is gone. I remember him being sweet to me when I was a kid.

Mom had 8 brothers and sisters. Mom is the oldest, then Luther, Wilma, Raymond, Deloris, Kenny, Patricia, Brenda, and Eddie. Mom says that when she came home for Christmas after her first semester at college, she was furious to find that Mamaw hadn't done any shopping for presents for the little ones, and she hadn't decorated the house. Mom did it herself, cursing all the while because her Mom hadn't done it. On Jan. 2nd, Papaw woke Mom up in the morning by saying, "Come look what your Mommy has done", and Mom went in to find Mamaw in bed with a new baby, my uncle Eddie. Nobody, Mom included, had any idea Mamaw was pregnant. Mom felt totally rotten for having been angry.

Growing up, I usually only saw the extended family every Thanksgiving, Although I sometimes saw family members at various times throughout the year, it was very rare to get the chance to be with Kenny. My main memory of visiting him was when his now grown kids were tots and he lived with his family in a little house on my Papaw's farm.

I know it would be very important to Mom if she were able to get to the funeral, but I know that can't happen. Ain't it wonderful to deal with age and disability?

So! Changing the subject....

...I had Spanish class in Clarendon last night. Which is, I guess, the whole point of Spanish class - to change the subject of my life away from disability and living among the aged.

It was fun, I really need to actually study. Otherwise, it is kind of pointless, isn't it?

I have a unique opportunity here because I have native Spanish speakers here to practice with. I managed to tell one woman this morning that "Mi dormitorio no es limpa," which, I think, means "My room isn't clean." Upon hearing this, however, she seemed quite jolly, so lord knows what I said. With a word like "limpa", I'm kinda scared to find out!

golden globes

Did everyone watch the "Golden Globes" last night? I thought I'd seen a lot of movies, but I saw NONE of the ones that won big awards. I'd seen a lot of the nominees, but they didn't end up winning. For example, "Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist (Does anyone notice a distinctive "Johnny Depp" leaning to my interests?)

There are many, many movies that the show inspitrd me to see. So. in my typical schizophrenic manner, I'm going tomorrow to see a movie that is none of them. It's "The Green Hornet". I've heard it is good, though.

philosphy

MS is large coffee stain on the shirt of life. But more than that… It is also a tear in the armpit….

…And the hem is out! Lets don’t forget that the hem is out.

But don’t throw out the shirt! OK? It can be nominally attractive under a jacket… if the jacket is big enough to hide the coffee stain.

Or you can give it to the poor… if they’ll take it. I think the poor might be getting pickier.

This entry ends with royalty

I went to Mom's and Dad's house today. They are in a retirement community, but it seems so much more like a real apartment in a real home than this nasty room of mine does. Granted, they are in independent living rather than assisted living, but still.... Residents are treated as thinking individuals worthy of dignity and respect! It would be heaven were anyone here were to converse with me rather than just tell me stuff. The staff seems much more professional...

Maybe its different in assisted living there, but in independent living, when a resident says something to a staff member, the staff member actually listens and reacts in some fashion. Or at least pretends to understand and care. That isn't true here. For example, I changed clothes, with help, when I got back. Then I asked to be put back in my wheelchair, because I wanted to work on the computer. The caretakers didn't listen. They use this big Hoyer lift to move me around and were putting me into my easy chair where I read and watch TV. I said, "No! I told you that I want to go to the wheelchair!", to which the caretaker responded, "But that's not the chair I cleaned off!" As you can see by the fact that I'm managing to write this blog entry, I can be quite persuasive.

One just gets tired of being in an adversaial situation ALL THE TIME!

I had a good time with Mom and Dad. Mom and I played Scrabble. Sue ansd I bought her a groovy new Scrabble set for Christmas which has little ridges along all the lines on the board, forming boxes to put the letters in as one plays so that a simple joggle of the board doesn't ruin the game in progress. (Sorry, Ed!)

We also gave Mom a little figuine of Queen Elizabeth. It is solar activated and waves *hello* in a royal manner. Mom now has it in a window and SHE LOVES IT! She waves back! Mom has always felt a great kinship with Queen Elizabeth, you know. In fact, at times I believe she thinks she is Queen Elizabeth.

If at first......

I screwed up big time. Those of my friends who think I would never admit to such a thing should engrave this date deeply and clearly into their memories - January 14,2011, DEBBIE TAYLOR ADMITS SCREWING UP! I had an appointment today to go see The Jefferson - a Sunrise home on Taylor Street in Ballston.

I think I would love to live in Ballston!

The place is om Taylor Street. So how hard do you think that ought to be for Debbie Taylor to remember that? I should have arranged the metro trip no problem.

BUT NO-O-O! I screwed up and arranged for the bus to take me back to the place I went yesterday. When we got there and I recognized what I had done, I begged with the driver pitifully enough that the driver brought me back home, but I was lucky that he was kind. By rights, he should have just left me there for 2 hours until the next driver came to pick me up,

I called the Jefferson and left a message asking for another chance. They are the only place I've ever called that is full and has a waiting list, so lets see what develops.

Meanwhile, when I returned I was bummed out enough that I went down to Clare and Don's Beach Shack, which is only a block away, and had a burger, seafood chowder, and 2 big 16 oz. lager beers on tap.

So, I guess if plans go no place, then just go someplace unplanned?

Why do you need a coat?

I went yesterday to go tour a different Sunrise - I very much want out of this one. This place had a broken bathtub for an entire week through Christmas and, rather than paying what it would take to have it repaired, they waited for about a week and I force to go through Christmas dirty.

This place I toured wouldn't have had the same problem. They are apparently large enough that they have several tubs. BUT - they have the same "Assisted living people have no real life and certainly no future" attitude as this place does. For instance, they have no closets in the rooms. When I ask where people put their stuff, I'm told, "The families just bring it back and forth as needed." ARGGGG!!