Three Days in Iuka MS, Part One

"Iuka is built on the site of a Chickasaw Indian village. The name "Iuka" comes from the name of one of the chieftains of the village." - Wikipedia

I hadn't seen my old pal, Carolyn for a loooong time.  She invited me to come and stay with her in her wee house in Iuka, Mississippi.  I was eager to meet her new (sort of) husband, Frank.  He had a major stroke a few years ago, although he has come quite a long way since then.  Still, he has a few "quirks" ... let me hasten to add that they are the most adorable quirks and when I think of them, they still make me smile, some two weeks after my visit.  


Curiously, Frank's brain thinks more in images than in complete sentences, so you have to play this "fill in the blank" game with him.  A typical conversation with Frank goes something like this (and you have to imagine each word spoken with great emphasis) ... Frank:  "Work!  Boilermaker!  Talented!  Exercise!  Work!  Money!"  Carolyn interprets:  "Yes, honey.  You are an extremely talented boilermaker and if you keep doing all your exercises, you will get well enough to go back to work and make lots of money!"  Frank, nodding emphatically:  "Yessir!  Yessir!"  He says "yessir" to everyone, man, woman, or child.


This first morning there, I walked into the living room in my shorty nightshirt.  Apparently too much leg was showing.  "OHHHH, NOOOO!!! DON'T LOOK!!! NEKKID!!!" Frank yelled, his good hand covering his eyes.  I'm still laughing over that one.


Frank is a bit Obsessive-Compulsive.  Carolyn is not sure whether he was always that way and he just hid it real well or if it's just what he has to do to cut down on his own confusion.  At any rate, EVERYTHING must be in its proper place at all times.  If he goes looking for something and it isn't where it's supposed to be, he is not a happy camper.  I didn't realize all this at first.  On my first night there, I went looking for a blanket after everyone had gone to bed and found one near his chair in the living room.  So I took into the guest bed room and covered up with it.  Nighty-night!  Not good.  Unbeknownst to me, Frank gets up early (4:30), makes coffee, and sits in his recliner under his blanket to watch t.v.  Oops!  No blanket.  It wasn't that he minded sharing his blanket, but it bothered him no end not being able to figure out what he had done with it.  Everything.Must.Be.In.Its.Place.  Period.  When Carolyn and I got up that morning, we were met with the query, "Uh ... BLANKET?!"  Wasn't hard to fill in the blanks on that one.


Each morning, Frank very sweetly made me coffee ... but if I left the room even for a moment, I would come back and the coffee would be gone.  Okay, I see how it works now ... dishes gotta be washed and dried IMMEDIATELY.  That first morning I had to tell him that I was a slow drinker and I promised to tell him when I was really, really finished.  He nodded and replied, "Yessir!"  Funny thing, though.  Every time I glanced over at him, I could see him repeatedly checking out my coffee cup from the corner of his eye to see if it was empty yet. Frankly, I was afraid to ask for another cup.  Didn't wanna mess up the regular program too much, ya know!


At one point, I left my cell phone on an end table.  I walked back into the room just in time to see him picking it up and taking it into the kitchen.  I followed him just to see what he would do with it.  He put it on top of the stove.  Actually, this sorta made sense because on the wall next to the stove was a key ring rack.  When he turned around and saw me, he said, "PHONE ... KEYS ... GO ... DOOR!"  Made sense to me.  When you get ready to leave, your phone and your keys will be right here together by the door.  I said as much to him, just to make sure I was getting it right.  "Yessir, yessir.!"  Hey, I was actually starting to get the hang of this.  Simple really ... just fill in the blanks and don't leave anything laying around.  I must say, Frank's fastidiousness has paid off for Carolyn.  He cleans like a demon.  "THERAPY,"  he says.  Their house is spotless ... I mean spic and span!  Leaving Carolyn time to pursue her art, which at the time of this writing is quilting.  Beautiful work, I hafta say.  Wish I'd thought to take a photo of it.

Carolyn has recently lost quite a bit of weight.  Knowing this, I brought her some clothes that I was no longer wearing.  Most of you know by now that my closet is full to bursting with "diva" garments.  Sparkle, glitter, fringe, feathers, etc.  Carolyn is a bit more conservative than I am, but I figure all women have a little diva in them, so I encouraged her to try them on anyway.  She finally settled on something to wear on our outing that day and went into the living room to show Frank.  "What do you think?" she asked.  "LOUD!" he replied.  Oh, well ... chuckle.


And what does any of this have to do with jewelry design?
Stay tuned for Iuka MS, Part Two.