I had coffee with John almost every morning I was there. He loved his coffee. Cream and sugar, and he loved it best when I made it. John didn't have the best of vision, but he could spot a girl or a pair of legs, standing a distance away. He was our flirt on the unit ~ I kinda had to warn the other visitor of his flirty behavior. Moonie (another coworker ~ which John gave her that nickname) bought him a stocking cap with the word "Flirt" on it. This morning I had to place that cap on his head, cause it just wasn't right, him laying there without his stocking cap. John loved his company. He always looked forward to his wife and daughter coming into visit. The staff came to know and love his family. They were one of us, and we were part of their family. When I was off helping another resident, I would hear "Pam are you here" "Yes John, I'm here" "Ok, just checking, making sure you are still here" On Mondays. we need to clean the bird aviary, well when I would tell John what day it was, he would remind me that I had to clean the bird cage, and he would comeover and make sure the birds didn't get out. And I would even get him to wash the windows at times.
When he was hungry, he would say "Pam, get me a snack, I'm hungry" I would say, "what do you want, a smack?" and I would walk over with my fist, he would come back to say, "Now Pam, you wouldn't do that to me" His favorite was the Vienna sausages, head cheese, pork rhines and hard boiled eggs. And he would always make sure I had something to eat. When John would ask for a pop, I would say, "You wanna pop, huh?", and I would walk over with my fist closed, and he would go "Now Pam, be nice". This might come off as being mean, but we knew each other so well, that it was taken as humor.
John loved to hear me laugh. He would either be signing, or telling one of his many stories. I enjoyed hearing stories and stories over and over again.
I was the only one that could get away from turning his ball cap around, so he was wearing it backwards, and covering his eyes and saying "guess who?" He would say "Pam?" When he was dozing off, I would wake him up and say "Well I'm going home" "Why are you leaving me" "Cause your sleeping, no need to be here if you are going to sleep" "Now Pam, don't say that, you know I would miss you if you left" And in no time I would find him sleeping again.
Just after the Pope died, he was known as Pope John Edward. He was the one that came up with that name. We had alot of fun with that. He hated camping ~ he was in WWII and had lots of stories about camping. When I would be off for a couple days, he would say, he didn't know what he was going to do with out me. I told him, well I spend more time with you, then I do with my own husband, so I guess its him turn to spend time with me... LOL. But I loved spending time with John. He didn't care for Pres. Bush, he was making humorous comments.
Another part of the day, is when we do our exercise, I would put John next to me, so he could see what I was doing, and I would poke him sometimes to keep him awake.. LOL. One exercise we do is "row the boat", and I would ask John if the boat was ok to row, and he would say, yep. Well we sing Row Row the Boat, and we would get done, I would ask John, why there was water in the boat. And he would either say, he forgot to put the plug in the boat, or there was a hole in the boat, and he would have to get naked to fix it.. LOL. But I would say, well we better row back to shore before John has the chance to get naked, and he would say "Oh, Pam"... LOL Another one of our exercises was where the residents need to open their mouth wide. And when we were finished, I always asked John for his "hillbilly smile" And I would get the most cutest hillbilly smile. I will miss that. Oh, and when we did our marches, Left right, left, I had a good home and left, why did I leave?
When it would get time for me to go home, I would do my charting and John would ask if I was doing my homework. And he would sit and talk with me while I did my homework. When I would take my classes for quilting, he would ask me if I had to go to school, "Yep John, I have school tomorrow"
John looked forward to Friday's also, those are our Happy Hour days. John loved to request "Tiny Bubbles"
When John went to bed, it was always ~ Night John boy, Night Pam.
Gosh I'm sorry if I took up to much of this blog, but John was like a Grandpa to me, he was either calling me his granddaughter, niece, or cousin. I grew to know and love John, as if he was my grandpa. There were several times where I told my coworkers that I would never have or had a relationship with my grandpa like the one I had with John.
I have so many memories of John, that I look back and all I can think of is memories, and they involve John. Tonight when I with John's family after he died, I thanked them for sharing John with us. And John's wife said that he worshipped me, and that he loved me so much, and I was all he talked about.
John died on my Grandpa Mathison birthday. My grandpa would have been 90 today.
John taught me this saying:
In the shade of the old apple tree
by the light of the moon I did see
Alittle red spot with a hair on its top
and it looked like a june bug to me.
John Edward Faust
October 11, 1914 - November 1, 2005
John, I will miss you, alot of my memories involved you.
Love, Pam
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