Hello again Helene! The homeless woman and her dachsund

Helene and I sat next to each other for lunch today.

She expected me to be late, which I was not. She saved an old pic of me up in her apartment in Brookside Bldg, where I walked up six flights of stairs to get there.

The photo was taken on Bauman Drive in Maple Glen, where she used to live. The white spot on my nose is Eucerine cream which I applied in the car when we were stopped by flagmen/women.

Upon further viewing of this photo, the smaller Ruthie looks like a homunculus.  This is when twins are in utero but only one of them develops into a real baby. The other is, well, just some odd parts. I'd orig'ly read about this in Time mag when I was in the 11th grade.

No one would believe me. We'd thrown out the issue, so I had to go to the library

  Bertram Woods in Shaker Heights and leaf thru all the back issues.

Finally found it and took it to class, so I could show it to the guy sitting next to me in Biology Class.

I brought over my recent paintings which she really liked.

 Donna's Copper Watering Can

I wanted to paint something shapely. Donna thought she was gonna move in w/me, so she brot over a lot of her things.

Doubt she will.

 Purple Hubcaps

 Roses for Frankie, about a friend of mine who took his own life at age 45, a combination of intractable pain and a mental illness. It was not his first attempt, as is common.

I do love the coffee at Rydal Park. I just call it Egbert's. I always choose Decaf. That word alone conjures up the ability to do good work.

Helene told me about a radio show she listened to called RadioLab. The voices of Mel Blanc were on there. Mel was the voice of Bugs Bunny and numerous other characters. 

We sat next to a hard/hearing woman named Sarah and her aide.

Sarah agreed with Helene that the food was none too good. Sarah said her carrot soup was delicious.

Since I have diabetes, I only order and Salad and

oops!  Pecan Pie. The reason I did was b/c in my last short story - Moses, The Making of a Man - Moses eats some pecan pie - with ReddiWhip - with a small spoon.

I injected the maximum - 10 units - and will probly have to ride my bike for five hours to lower my sugar.

In the long hallways of Rydal Park are paintings by both residents and other artists. These pears are by Diana, whom we met on Helene's floor. We held the elevator open for her as she walked with a cane.

The woman in charge of choosing the paintings is a resident there named Perky Cohen. Guess who I'm gonna call up?

*

So, New Directions gets a call. It's from a Diana M, who's staying at a Motel 6 in King of Prussia.

She'd never heard of us.

She's 67 yo, has insulin-dependent diabetes, a history of 2 strokes, and has a 14-yo Dachsund who's she's never gonna abandon.

  I'll tell ya, Wikipedia has the best photos! When they email me, which they did last year, I'll make a donation. The NY Times admitted they have reliable info about Ebola.

I called Abington Memorial Hospital to ask about Diana and her insulin problem. She told me she lost her insulin pens in one of her moves. She's a New York resident but decided to move down here to be near her cousin, who wants nothing to do with her.

The nurse said she definitely needs her insulin, even though Diana has no food whatsoever. I didn't ask Diana how she is paying for her room, and she will not go to the hospital as she doesn't wanna leave Doxy alone. He does have food.

I'll tell you, if I were starving I'd certainly eat dog food.

So we do not know what to do with this woman! I asked two members of New Directions to look in on her. Will they?


Helene told me she was traumatized when she moved out of her house in Maple Glen. I told her I had gone to hear Mark Padmore at The Kimmel Center.

"We used to go there," she said.

"I remember you did. You and Aaron."

"No, it wasn't Aaron I went with."

So who did she go with? Possibly her nephew Gerry.



In fact, I wrote Mark Padmore and his wife Vicki Mortimor a note today, thanking him for hosting Sarah and myself at the Kimmel Center.



I used three thin Barnum and Bailey stamps.

Whatever 44 x three is, that's how much it costs to go to England. If you're a greeting card.

On my way out, I asked Solomon, a couple of questions, but first I said....

Solomon Grundy born on Monday
christened on Tuesday

He'd never heard of it.

You'll never guess where he's from.....

Liberia! His mom is there.

I also learned that my friend Betty Williams, who lived there, had died.  She was 93. When she moved, reluctantly, into Rydal at the behest of her late husband, she gave me a few very nice things I still have.

She was a terrific gardener.

These tiny saucers are from Morocco. She and Bill toured the world. She was also a painter.

On my way home. I was mad I had forgotten to bring Helene two sweet potatoes I had baked this morning. We were gonna eat them for lunch.

I drove all the way back and left them at the front desk for her.

  Helene said these were the sweetest sweet potatoes she has ever tasted!