Dreams

Last night had to be one of the strangest ever, probably because I missed a couple of doses of medicine that I normally take for MS. In addition, so that I could enjoy the evening, I had taken an additional dose of medication designed to fight fatigue. A friend said that some of the drugs I'm taking affect the chemistry of my brain and I believe it!

I attended my book group yesterday evening and had a wonderful time. Each woman in the group is so interesting and magnificent in her own way -- I feel very blessed to be a part of it. We discussed The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the true story of how the author grew up in appalling poverty and neglect despite being part of an intact nuclear family. Her father was an alcoholic and her mother had some mental issues, but the author is now a successful journalist and author. Most of members of the group agreed that they enjoyed this book, although (of course) we spent some time discussing its weaknesses.

I got home about 10 and watched the Emmy Awards with Ron (we had taped it), but when they got over about midnight I wasn't tired. I read for another hour and I was still wide-awake. I tried to sleep anyway. That was a mistake.

When I closed my eyes, I saw crazy patterns and flashing circles -- it put me in mind of the Beatles Yellow Submarine or hallucinations I imagine you might see if you took LSD (my wildest drug experience during the 70s was limited to eating some Alice B. Toklas brownies then watching the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey).

When I did get to sleep I had vivid strange dreams: in one I chased an errant trick-or-treater through an apartment, caught him and turned him upside down. Pretty amazing feat I must say. In all my dreams, I am able-bodied, even supernaturally empowered -- running, hiking, swimming, even flying. Wish fulfillment I guess. Anyway today I am back to normal (whatever that means) and will get onto the regular schedule of drugs.

A side note: when I saw my doctor last she said that some of the people who have multiple sclerosis are taking as many as 30 drugs. I take three. I guess I should feel good about that.

E. E. Cummings

While decidedly NOT a poet, I appreciate the poems of E.E Cummings. They are usually short and accessible, both important qualities to me as a non-poet. In high school, we studied some of his popular (and least opaque) poems like "in Just" and "anyone lived in a pretty how town."

His poem "Buffalo Bill''s" is a favorite:


Buffalo Bill's
defunct
who used to
ride a watersmooth-silver
stallion
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
Jesus

he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death

Today, I started reading from a book on my shelf, a selection of poems by E.E. Cummings. Here is one that particularly stands out to me:

in time of daffodils(who know
the goal of living is to grow)
forgetting why,remember how

in time of lilacs who proclaim
the aim of waking is to dream,
remember so(forgetting seem)

in time of roses(who amaze
our now and here with paradise)
forgetting if,remember yes

in time of all sweet things beyond
whatever mind may comprehend,
remember seek(forgetting find)

and in a mystery to be
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me,remember me

Doc Holland

John "Doc" Holland passed away Tuesday. He was a member of our church and I got to know him about 10 years ago when he headed up the church's Benevolence committee. He treated every request with careful consideration and I very much respected both his wisdom and genuine humility. He was a great example of a true Christian. I was very blessed to know him.

Obituary from the State Journal-Register

SPRINGFIELD - John Madison Holland, MD, 82, of Springfield, went to be with the Lord at 12:35 pm, Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at St. John's Hospice surrounded by family members. He was born October 7, 1927 in Holden, WV, the son of O.I. and Lou Vena Holland. He married Mary Louise Bourne in Harrodsburg, KY in 1950. They have three children; John David (wife Margaret) Holland of Chatham, Stephen Lee Holland (friend: Lois Walsh) of Saratoga Springs, NY and Nancy Louise (husband Randy) Pickett of Chatham; seven grandchildren Andrew Holland, Peter (Leanne) Holland, Charissa (Lucas) Motley, Rebecca Holland, Brent (Ashley) Pickett, Matt Pickett and Melissa Pickett and 1 great grandson Ethan.

He graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1949 and University of Louisville Medical School in 1952. After graduating he went into training at St. Joseph Infirmary in Louisville. He served from 1953-1955 in the US Air Force Medical Service as a Captain in Pennsylvania. Dr. Holland began practicing family medicine with Dr. Paul LaFata in Springfield, IL in 1955 which became the Physicians Group, where he practiced until 1980. He served as St. John's Hospital's first Medical Director from 1971-1995. He then served as Medical Director for St. John's Hospice from 1995-2010. He was active in developing the Community Blood Bank and paramedic programs. He served 12 years in the State Professional Medical Licensure Board. Since the 1980's he was a Clinical Professor of Family Practice with the SIU School of Medicine teaching end of life and hospice care. He was a Past President of St. John's Hospital Medical Staff and The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. In 1970 he became a Charter Member of the American Board of Family Practice and in 2001 a member of the American Board of Palliative and Hospice Medicine. He was a member of South 7th Street-Cherry Hills Baptist Church since 1957. He was active in several building programs and Co-Chaired the Church's 100th Anniversary Committee in 2004. He was also a deacon and Sunday School teacher.

With life membership in the Sangamon County Medical Society he has chaired the Community Health Committee, leading the 1995-2005 efforts toward merging the City and County Health Departments. His Honors have included the Illinois State Medical Society, Public Service Award in 1996, the March of Dimes Humanitarianism Award in 2001, the SIU Family Practice Resident "Teacher of the Year" Award in 2003 and the Copley (Illinois State Journal Register) First Citizen Award in 2004. He received the John M. Holland, MD Community Health Service Award, which was created in his honor, and presented to him, by the Sangamon County Medical Society in 2007.

He enjoyed gardening, model trains and spending time with his family.

A visitation will be from 3-7 p.m., Sunday, August 29, 2010 at Cherry Hills Baptist Church. A lie in state will be held at Cherry Hills Baptist Church from 10:30-11 a.m., Monday, August 30, 2010 with a funeral service at 11 a.m., with Pastor Jeff Nelsen and Reverend David Holland officiating. Burial will be in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Cherry Hills Baptist Building Fund or St. John's Hospital Foundation for Hospice.

The Bel-Aire Manor Motel

The Bel-Aire Manor Motel in Springfield has fascinated me since the early 1980s when I arrived here. Back then, it was more well kept, but little has been done in the ensuing 30 years and now it appears to be a place for the down-and-out to land.

The Bel-Aire has all the quintessential 60s details that I remember so well: the satellite ball with the multicolored spikes evoking Sputnik and the Jetsons, a fountain with a seal shooting water from his mouth (or at least he used to), a in-ground outdoor swimming pool (also not in use), and a sign with a colonial-looking gentleman welcoming you. Even the name of the place, Bel-Aire, is evocative of a simpler time.

There is a move afoot to resurrect this place as a Route 66 Museum. I haven't ever been inside this beautiful landmark, but I am guessing that it would take lots of money to restore it. A grant has been applied for, but in the meantime, occasionally a resident is injured or killed walking across busy 5th Street to the convenience store, and the neighborhood residents don't like the occupants of the hotel -- and I can't say I would either. Still, it would be a shame to lose this weird 60s landmark.

Hollyhocks

When I came out of the hair salon today I saw a pink hollyhock growing in the corner of parking lot. The salon is in an old house in an old Springfield neighborhood and it makes sense that hollyhocks would be growing in this area, since they are kind of an old-fashioned flower. It was nice to see this pink flowering plant growing up in such a relatively desolate place.

When I was a child, we kids spent a week or two with my grandparents, my mother's folks, on the farm near LaHarpe, Illinois where she and her sister grew up. For entertainment, my sister and I made hollyhock dolls.

It's easy to make a hollyhock doll: You pick a blooming hollyhock, whatever color you like, and use it for the skirt of the doll, then you pick a bud and use it for the head. These are fun to play with and twirl around.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed a house in Los Angeles using the hollyhock motif, called (oddly enough) Hollyhock House. According to the website, "The house takes its name from the favorite flower of Aline Barnsdall. At her request, hollyhocks were incorporated into the decorative program of the house, and stylized representations of the flower may be found on the roofline, walls, columns planters and furnishings."
It's open to the public and I would love to see it some day.

Satisfaction

In the immortal words of the Mick Jagger "I can't get no satisfaction." But, in my case anyway, Mick was wrong. I felt very satisfied when I completed the project I worked on for most of the day yesterday.

I am editor for the bimonthly volunteer newsletter for the Dana-Thomas House, the Volunteer Voice. This month that meant that I met with the volunteer coordinator for the house and the director of the gift shop, gathered article ideas, wrote the articles, sized and wrote captions for the photos (someone else did take the pictures), laid out the newsletter and sent the PDF for review.

Maybe it is such a satisfying project because I do almost everything and I am given a lot of control. Or maybe it's because I feel like I am performing a needed service or because I am so comfortable with these tasks. I'm not sure what makes this so nice to work on, but it is.

One of the photos from the funeral reinactment of Lawrence Joergen-Dahl
in the September/October Volunteer Voice.

I need to find more projects like this that involve social interaction and use my writing and publishing skills. This opportunity came my way a few years ago when the volunteer coordinator let me do it to stay involved since I had to give up giving tours. It has been a real blessing, especially now. I thank God for it.

Fun at the Fair

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Illinois State Fair. It is held here in Springfield every year and it is usually unbearably hot; however, we've had great weather and yesterday was absolutely beautiful, maybe getting up to 80 degrees at the most. When the girls were young, I used to take them every year to ride the rides and spend money on t-shirts and food, but since they have grown up, we haven't gone out too much.

I took my scooter and it made a huge difference in my ability to get around. We were amazed that there were so many people on scooters and in golf carts, many appearing to be perfectly able-bodied. Hmmm...

We spent a lot of time in Happy Hollow, watching the BMX, bear and aerial shows. Then we went up the hill to the Artisans building and saw the amateur and professional art exhibits. After that we caught the commercial exhibits at the Expo building and listened to a band at the Ethnic Village. Fair food was wonderful: a Cuban limeade, the obligatory corndog, lemonade shakeups, reuben sandwich, beer, baklava, and mini doughnuts to top off the evening. (State J-R photo)

What a great day!