Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

  I was looking through the various contests at Fan Story, the writing site that I belong to, when I came across a writing prompt about what it would be like if the residents at a nursing home went off their meds and there was no one around to assist them. This is the story I came up with. It garnered my third place in the contest. I hope you enjoy it. I was about to enter the front door to the Morning Glory nursing facility when I saw Mrs. Culpepper sitting on the bench in the foyer with her Depends around her ankles. Thank God she had on her nightgown and was covered  from her shoulders to the top of her knees. I couldn't see if the floor underneath her was wet, or worse, but I was hoping she hadn't relieved herself yet or I'd be dealing with the mess once I got inside.   I tried the front door, but it wouldn't budge. I could see the red lights on a panel on the wall of the foyer, indicating the door was locked, but I didn't see any nurse or assistant around to un...

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~This is a poem that my Fan Story friend Adonna wrote. I never really cared for poetry until I started to read some of the work she put out. I've never known anyone who could put what was in their heart to words as well as she does. Her husband is suffering from dementia and she's been in need of some friends. I'm glad to be able to call her a friend, I only wish we lived closer to each other so I could help with some of the chores. My thanks to her for letting me use this fine poem on my blog. When I was a child I did not know how small the world could be. I did not know you were born only a few miles from where I lived, and if, perchance, I saw you at the grocery store clinging to your mother's hand as she reached for your favorite cereal, or smiling from a car window that passed me on the street, I did not know enough to smile back or to wave hello. I wish you had reached out for me then as I passed you by. If only I'd known you were so close. But God...

  Jan and I enjoyed a delightful time last night with a young lady who is preparing to return to the lower 48 for a job she's really wanting. For the record, this isn't the gal  pictured here- she's a different young lady named Renee who just recently got married. She used to be the school counselor and we developed a friendship that  I cherish. She too left, a pattern I've seen all too often here in Hoonah. We just get to know someone and off they go. Isn't that life though? Anyway, our friend last night, Shannon, mentioned that I reminded her of her grandfather. That's a good thing. If she had said that I reminded her of Harrison Ford or some other equally handsome fellow, I might have felt the need to shave or shower or get dressed up a little before she came for a visit. As it was, because I'm getting to be an old guy, I don't feel any pressure to hold in my gut or stand up straight or anything. She knows I'm an old guy and accepts me as suc...

    If we are lucky enough to enjoy a long life, the chances are that our bodies and minds will gradually deteriorate. Just like any piece of machinery, no matter how well oiled or maintained, time will eventually have an impact on us. I just returned from a whirlwind trip south to assist in getting my mother moved into an assisted living facility. Several months ago she suffered a stroke. It required her going into a rehab program and sharing a room, much like a hospital room, where she could get the help she needed. Unfortunately, the stroke wasn't the worst of the problems she was facing. Over the course of the past year or so, it was becoming increasingly evident that Mom was having problems with her memory. Not just the common forgetting where you put your keys or not being able to pull a word out of your mind to complete a sentence. In the course of a conversation I would often answer the same question five, six, seven or more times. Every day knowledge that she sho...