Say, John.... I'm sure I'm not the only List-member who'd just LOVE
to vacation in Parkinsaw.   Why we'd feel right at home there! (even
if most of us don't have a pig for a pet)

Are there any local Parkinsaw hotels, RV parks, or B & Bs you could
recommend?  Also, you seem to spend a lotta time telling us about the
fantastic nite spots in Parkinsaw, but seem to have neglected to
mention any of the finer restaurants.

  Mind you, I don't expect to find Cordon Bleu <sp> couisine being
served in the backwoods of MI,, because after all.... even tho
there's a Wolfgang Puck's "Spago" eatery on nearly every corner here
in L.A., I don't dine there EVERY nite. <grin>

Hmmmm... (thinking)  "Spago?"  Gee.... suddenly I'm ravenous!   Must
be time for an ice cream snack (does a PINT of ice cream qualify as a
"snack?") <giggle>

Barb Mallut
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: john bjork <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, March 07, 1999 10:51 AM
Subject: Parkinsaw, MI, A View from the Lighter Side, March 7, 99
(Report #5)


>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
>