Morning at Morningside

For some odd reason, I have been getting up very early lately. I’m often the first one in the dining room for breakfast. I don’t know the reason for this. I suppose it’s partly due to the fact 1 don’t have a partner in the bed with me, but I will wake up and don’t want to go to the dining area before 7 because they’re not ready for me.

So, I get up and make the bed, and do the little chores I need to do each day. I feel a need to get them done before I go down so if anyone stops by it’s done. Most of what I need is done by Morningside, but the things that I have to do, I feel a need to get them done soon, so I’ll be able to do what I do all day, which is nothing.

My daily routine includes some important family highlights. Every morning around 8:30 or 9 Michael H comes by to check on the mail and take care of bills, waters the flowers on the patio, and helps with the aquarium and any errands I need. It’s something I really, really appreciate having him do these things. But it’s also knowing that he’s going to be coming over.

Then son number 2, Mark, calls one or two times a week, and that’s a big boost for me. Shirley comes by every afternoon, and during the time I had Buttercup, a cat Ruth helped me acquire, she assisted with cat chores. Unfortunately, my doctor didn’t think I should have a cat due to the risk of the cat increasing my risk of falls by being underfoot.

Before Susan broke her wrist, she came by during her supper hour as part of my routine. She hasn’t been able to resume her normal routine yet.

But, I want to tell you about my other family. When I get to the dining room in the morning, I’m usually the first one there. I say good morning to the gentleman who is usually there about the same time and we greet the cook, as he takes our orders. I like the breakfasts very much. The choices include items I enjoy and can easily eat.

My place in the dining room faces the wall. I’ve fussed ever since I got here we should rotate seats periodically so we each get different views, but that has not happened yet. So, as I sit I hear people coming in behind me. I can identify the groups as much by topics as voices.

There’s a group, who come in I call the “organ recital.” They start by telling each other how their various organs behaved during the night. I’ll spare you the full list, but bladders aren’t the only topic. Another group will come through and they’re all excited about what trip the group will be offered this week.

One of the ones they like the most is a casino in Kansas, and they go to that early and come back late. If they win a few pennies they’re happy, but if they lose a few, they seem to think the day is worth it. I’ve never gone but they love to talk about the games they played.

Then there’s a group of old farmers. They stand by the windows commenting on the weather, and how it is likely to impact the year’s crop yields. “The weatherman says it’s not going to rain, but I can tell it will.” “Look at those clouds.” “Do you have crops?’’ “No, not anymore, but I worry about those who do.” Then there is a complainers group. They spend their time complaining. Such as having to put on street clothes before coming down to breakfast. They don’t see why they can’t just put on a robe, come and eat breakfast and then go back to their room for baths/showers. The manager says the reason you need to put on clothes is “would you go to a restaurant dressed in pajamas?” (I told her I just might, if they were nice ones, but I don’t think she believed me.)

And of course, since they’re in the dining room, they’ve got to complain about the food, or the service, or both. We’re supposed to be able to have breakfast at any time, but the lunch is at 12, and dinner is at 5, so they like us to be on time. But when we are, we often spend 15 minutes waiting to be served, so that gives the complainer group time to complain. “If they’re not going to be ready at 5, why don’t they make it 5:30?” ”Why don’t they just let you come in like at a restaurant, and it doesn’t have to be an exact time” – throwing back the restaurant concept at management.

The food is always a source of complaint. I don’t think we could exist without tuna fish and pasta. They’re big on sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, and things, which are hard for me to eat, but they have wonderful desserts. For me, that makes up for the monotony of the other meals. If they serve a cake or pie, you can get ice cream with it. If it’s called a tart or something like that, you can’t get any ice cream. We’ve never figured that one out. But we do have good desserts.

The other group is a little smaller. It’s the one that talks about their cats. There were five of the 72 residents that had cats when I had Buttercup. They had fun talking to each other about being awakened by the antics of their cats. There used to be a dog, but the owner died, so the dog moved.

But, the happy news is that Ruth has taken Buttercup into her home and she’s doing well. Ruth tells me her range has expanded from the upper floor to the full house, so she has more space and companionship there than she had here at Morningside.

So that’s basically the groups of people who are at Morningside. In the afternoon, they usually play Bingo, or I’ve tried to get Chinese checkers started and I’ve been somewhat successful. I’ve been playing Scrabble with a couple of ladies. But the biggie is Bingo.

We’ve had a variety of people to become acquainted with and to learn about each other’s lives. It’s not as bad as you might think, because each of us had a different life. Although they have different paths, they all care about each other. For example, today there was a little religious verse saying, have a good weekend. Not signed, but we all know where it came from - a well-intentioned resident, trying to convert us all. She said to me “why don’t you get involved with the Bible like I do.” I told her, “The husband I just lost after 71 years was a UMC minister. The number of services I’ve attended over the years should cover me for the time I’ve got left.”

Good morning, I hope you have good day.