June 20, 2011

I've decided that I will start writing a longer entry covering the weekend and post it on Sunday night or Monday morning.  The posts on the other days of the week will probably be cut back a bit on account of limited internet usage.  The song of the day today is "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash. 

Since I spend my days at work, the only time that I’m around Tent City during the daytime is on the weekends.  Saturday at Tent City it was hot, windy, and dusty.  There is not much relief in the way of shade and the dust really blows.  Many seek shelter in the Administration Building from the wind and the dust which, in my opinion, is a worse enemy than the heat.  The Administration Building has central air conditioning that provides a reprieve from the heat to those who want it.  The heat doesn’t seem to bother some residents as long as they can find some shade.  I sit in the shade with an elderly woman everyone calls Miss Mary who is one of the sweetest old women I’ve ever known.  Miss Mary is probably in her seventies, and I know that she has diabetes, and probably a host of other health problems.  She is weak and walks slowly, but the residents of Tent City all keep a close eye on her, including Alabama.  Miss Mary is always sure to be stocked with ice and water that she keeps in a cooler in her tent delivered daily by a concerned citizen.  She keeps a garden on the side of the Administration Building that has some melons and squash growing now.  There is never a shortage of volunteers helping Miss Mary water her garden, and even the toughest residents have walked her back to her tent when the wind is blowing too hard.  I don’t know how she makes it some days in the heat and I wonder if she would accept a spot in an assisted living facility should she be offered one.  I know that she would be a hoarder if given a spot in a place such as that, always taking crackers and sugar from the dining room and knocking on people’s doors to collect their empty cans.  I guess it’s better than knocking on doors and asking for spare medication which is what I’m sure many of our peers would do if given the chance.