Where should I even begin?  I think I could write a book after we are through with this adventure but that could be quite a while from now.

Well let me start with the big one.  Yes folks this is one I hope to never repeat but one never knows around here.

Okay let's start at the beginning.  I was really busy in the office and several people were in there.  It is not a big office and when you get four managers and two or three residents it is crowded and noisy.  It had been a really busy day and it is time for me to go help with supper.  Yes it is breakfast, dinner, and supper around here.  There is no such thing as "lunch".  That's okay though because being a farm girl that is what the meals were called in my home growing up.  The phone rings and I am the lucky one to pick it up.  This woman on the other end tells me she has been calling a male friend of hers and his message box is full.  I am thinking to myself that I don't understand how this is my problem.  I told her perhaps she should try later.  She seems frantic to get hold of this guy and she tells me she wants me to take a message to his apartment.  I ask her what the problem is.  She tells me every Friday they go out to lunch and she wants to know if they are going tomorrow.  Sounds like a likely story to me but she is insistent I take a message to him and ask him to call her.  I am wondering why in the world she thinks I am in charge of a dating service.  However, I decided it was easier to take the message to him than argue.

Now comes the good part.   I trek on up to the third floor and walk down to his apartment.  I hear the television just blasting.  I knock on the door rather loudly--you have to understand that at least 99% of these people have to wear hearing aids.  I wait for a minute and he doesn't come to the door.  In this community hardly anybody locks their door.  So if you are delivering something you knock on the door and if they don't answer you walk in and leave whatever you need to deliver.  When my friend didn't come to the door and I knew he was there because of the television I opened the door and walked in.  Big, big mistake.  There sits the guy in his comfy chair with big earphones on watching television, buck naked!!  Yes folks he didn't even have socks on! 

Then the thought crossed my mind--I would be even more embarrassed if he saw me!  A little voice said, "Do not make any sudden movements or buck naked guy will see you!"  So very, very slowly I backed out of his apartment and prayed he woiuldn't see me out of the corner of his eye.  Then I shut the door ever so slowly and carefully.  At that point I was glad I had put tape on the note.  I taped it to the front of his door and ran down the hall as fast as I could.  I am sure it will take thousands of dollars for counseling to get me past the memories of that one.  I told Richard I was just so glad he had his legs crossed--okay that is rude but I just had to say it!  Richard told me one of the housekeepers has to come to him quite often and say, "Richard will you go tell John Doe that it is time to clean his apartment so could he please put some clothes on?"

Second big story of the week happened this morning.  "Jane" (names have been changed to protect the innocent) calls the office and says, "Sharon go quick and stop the grounds cleaning people from leaving.  They took my pooper scooper!  I am sure they thought it was theirs but it is mine and I have to have it back."  I told her I didn't even know if they were still there but I would see.  A few minutes later I saw them outside my window so I went out to retrieve the stupid pooper scooper.  Now I have to admit I was really glad she did have a pooper scooper because any resident that has a dog has to clean up after it when they take them outside.  There are one or two that just happen to have conveniently left their pooper scooper inside when they walk their dogs.  Anyway I go outside feeling like a fool to ask for the pooper scooper.  The scary looking guy doing the grounds maintenance looked at me like I was from Mars when I ask for the pooper scooper they had accidentally picked up thinking it was theirs.  He said, "We don't even use pooper scoopers so I am sure we didn't pick it up".

I then walked back in the building and saw "Jane" coming down the hall.  I tell her they didn't steal her pooper scooper and for a good 15 minutes I had to hear how important that pooper scooper was.  Everytime she saw me today she would come to me and talk about the pooper scooper.  I am ready to go to the store and buy her a new one so I don't have to hear about it.  I am sure about the time I bought her a new one she would find her old one in some place like the refrigerator.  That's why we call this the land of the happily confused.

And then we have another little sweetie that we have to work to get rent from her.  The first time I approached her she ignored me.  A few days later when we still didn't have her rent I went to her apartment and she whipped her mobie around and went in the bedroom and slammed the door.  Today I sent Richard because all the old ladies like him.  This time she said it was supposed to be auto draft but she would call her bank in San Francisco of all places.  Then as Richard left she said, "You are the big boss of this place.  You are supposed to be able to take care of these problems!"  Sometimes you want to remind them this is "independent" living.

Last Sunday when we were at church just as Sacrament meeting finished this little boy ran in to the chapel to the lady sitting behind us and said, "Hi Grandma!!"  It reminded me of Cash and Sloan running in to church in Lindon and saying the same thing.  I will admit I almost had a meltdown.  After being here close to two months I am so lonesome for our grandchildren.  But then I tell myself I am in Billings for a reason and I do love the people.

There are moments you question yourself about your abilities to handle everything.  It is very long hours and being on call four nights a week for E-calls.   But I really feel the need to love these people and bring some smiles and sunshine in to their lives.  I was told by somebody higher up that I shouldn't get too close to these people.  After all you get close to them and then they die or they just get too personal with you.  I told Richard if the company policy was not to get close to these people I was in the wrong job.  He reminded me in training we were told over and over to love these people.  Sometimes we might be one of the few smiles they see.  I am afraid in spite of what one person's opinion is I will always love this precious older generation that we work with.  Most of them are so lovable with a grouchy one thrown in here and there.

There is one resident I call "Weird Al Crankavich"  He is the kind of person who brightens up the room by leaving. Nothing is ever good enough for him.  My goal was to see him be pleasant for just a minute and maybe smile.  Yesterday I did it.  We have a "Wall of Honor" where we have everybody's military photo, both men and women who served in the military.  It is so cool.  I stood there looking at the photos yesterday and saw Al's military photo.  It shocked me how good looking he was and how there was no trace of bitterness in that photo as there is in his personality now.  When he came to dinner I told him I was looking at the Wall of Honor and when I saw his photo I thought, "What a good looking man." He smiled ever so slightly and quietly said, "Thank you very much."  Richard broke though the wall of Cranky Al the other day also.  He told him some corny joke and Al burst out laughing.  Then he went and told some of his guy friends that Richard Oram had told him the funniest joke.  They wanted to hear it.  Al had forgotten it.  So goes life here.  That's why I fit right in.

I have rambled enough.  We truly miss all of our friends and family.  I know Billings is not exactly on most people's travel route but if you ever get near us please come see us.  We love you all.  And as Grandpa Oram used to say, "Be good and sing loud in church!"