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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