Dateline Parkinsaw, MI
March 7, 1999
A view from the Lighter Side

Greetings from Parkinsaw, MI again, the certified community for
Parkinsonians.  It's been an interesting week up here in the U.P. you
betcha.  There was talk going around town about the healing properties
of copper bracelets.  Apparently, Betty Swanson saw this ad on
television about a  copper bracelet that has curative properties.  Well,
no one paid much attention to the medical claims except her husband, old
Harvey Swanson  (82/22).  He figured since he lived so close to the
Copper Country up in the Keneewa Peninsula, that he would call his
cousin Ozzi who lived up there, and have him send down some copper ore
samples from the White Pine mine.  Well, Ozzi came through in spades,
rather, in copper, and now Harvey is walking around town with 75 pounds
of copper ore in a knapsack on his back.    He says he hopes to cut his
Sinemet in half by the time the ice leaves the bay----which is around
the 4th of July.  We promised Harvey that we would keep the National
Parkinson Foundation informed of his experiment with the copper ore
samples.  (Meanwhile, Harvey has scheduled an appointment with his
orthopedic specialist due to recent occurrence of back spasms.)

You know, sometimes you just have to take your hat off to those stalwart
souls who seem to overcome all odds and manage to live their lives the
way they want, in spite of their handicap.  For example, take Carl
Soderman, 67, whom although suffering from Parkinson's Disease for most
of his adult life, decided 10 years ago that he was going to learn to
play the flamenco guitar.  Now, Carl had no music background, nor had he
played any other instruments.  He had seen a flamenco group on PBS and
he was hooked by the passion of the music.  So, at the age of 57, he
bought a used classical guitar down at Moose's PawnShop, and sent away
for flamenco guitar lessons on videocassette.   What makes this story
all the more remarkable is that Carl's Parkinson's problem was mostly
tremor and stiffness in his right arm and fingers, with the accompanying
loss of dexterity, and some rigidity complications late at night.  To
play a flamenco guitar, well, Holy Wah, everyone thought it just
wouldn't work out.  But, we were wrong.  Although it took Carl ten years
of exhausting finger exercises, and endless practice sessions, he
learned to play very well indeed.  And, this last Thursday, he had his
first gig down at Skinny's Bar.  We were there and this is what
happened:

Roll the video camera.  First off, Carl opened the show with several
beautiful pieces, including some soleares and bulerias, which he
described as the true soul of flamenco, and continued to amaze us with
his repetoir.  Then, following the intermission, Carl stunned the crowd
by bringing out on stage his pet porker Porcine, who he called "the
world's only flamenco dancing pig", complete with costume and all.  (How
he trained that pig without anyone getting wind of it is a mystery)   He
explained that he had tried to find a dancer in Parkinsaw, but had no
luck, other than some interest from old Harriet Jacobs who could hardly
walk. Carl had rigged this crazy contraption consisting of two crutches
with rubber tips, connected together with two by fours, and painted
bright red, for the pig to lean against while she was dancing to the
flamenco rhythms.  He had also fastened castanets to each crutch for
Porcine to rattle with her snout, but that part didn't work out so
well.  Well, everyone was rolling in the aisles with laughter as the pig
twirled around and around pretty much in time with Carl's guitar, when
old Rasmussen, back off the wagon since his disastrous snowmobile fiasco
shocked him into short-lived sobriety, managed to climb up onto the
stage and asked the pig to dance.  Of course, the pig said no, which
didn't do old Rasmussen's self image any favors I can tell you that.
Well, they finally got Rasmussen back to his table, a castanet in hand,
and things finally quieted down.  Carl's drugs began to wear off, and he
had to put his instrument away, get his pig in the pick-up and make it
home before stiffening up made it too difficult to drive.  But, all in
all, it was quite a night in Parkinsaw down at Skinny's Bar.

By the way, in a related new item, Chubby L'Barre,  President of
Sty-King, the new group formed to promote a more positive image of the
pig, has invited Carl and Porcine to perform at the group's next monthly
meeting, time and place to be announced.

Over at the Basil Ganglia Friday night, Parkinsaw's very own oldies
band, The Dopaminos, played to a full crowd.  They performed several
songs reworked from the originals which are quite entertaining:  'Just
Shuffle on By, Wait on the Corner',  'This is Medicated for the One I
Love', 'This Could Be the Start of Something Pig', and 'I've Got PD,
Babe', are some of the group's most requested tunes.  They also do a new
version of an old song by Da Yoopers, a nationally recognized band from
the Upper Peninsula, called 'It's the First Day of Deer Camp and All the
Parkies are here'.

Well friends, the sun is sinking low over the horizon now here in
Parkinsaw, MI, and the men are coming in from their fish shanties, so we
better pack it in for this week.  Stay cool, let your smile be your
umbrella, and don't you dare give in to PD and forfeit God's gift of
your laugh and sense of humor.

John Bjork
60/20