We entered Fey's jewelry store in downtown Naperville one Saturday during our anniversary month, May 1982, to search for a ring guard for Rita. Fey's store consisted of one long rectangular room with a single door entrance. Windows on both sides of the entry door showed many offerings of jewelry with price tags conveniently inverted. Inside, showcases lined the sidewalls offering shiny and expensive jewelry, nearly all for women. The far end of the store ended with another jewelry case and a small cash register. Several other women shopped whispering softly because sound reverberated off the hard walls.

Rita examined ring guards and variations checking every detail for flaws, blemishes or other irregularities. Although we whispered, my male voice was easy to hear. The search narrowed to two ring guards adorned with small diamonds. Rita flashed her first choice before me. I saw a band densely covered with countless diamonds.

"Dear," I murmured, "Don't you think all those diamonds are a bit much?" The other clients, astonished, audibly supported Rita's answer.

"Jack, you can never have too many diamonds!"

Murmurs were now chuckles. I whispered to the clerk that I wanted to buy Rita the ring guard and offered my new Master Card for a first time purchase on it. Some women smiled approvingly. The clerk took the card, retired to the back room, then returned and said calmly, "Your card has been rejected."

Everyone heard the owner. Women stared inquisitively, my face reddened. I coundn't understand why it was rejected. A new card unused--declined in front of everybody. I grew tired of the chorus of sighs and offered my trusty American Express Card. Purchase completed. Then we walked slowly out of the store passing the other clients, Rita grinned happily, while I nodded timidly to our newfound friends as we exited.

An episode from the memoirs of John Patrick Roche (Jack)

Labels: active retirement communities, Chicago independent living, chicago senior living, Jack and Rita, upscale retirement living

Hi folks! Would you believe that Christmas is just around the corner. After our super duper fall weather, I guess we can adjust to staying inside during the winter. At least we will be toasty warm that is with exception of my required trips outside. By the time you get this letter I'll bet my paws will be frozen stiff, but I can't stand those four-footed booties. Put on one...shake it off. Try again; nope. When I have a chance, guess what? They will disappear. Don't tell, but the wastebasket is still within my reach.

One compensation which makes up for the cold weather is that the holidays are here. Wow! Just the thought of it makes me chase my tail and jump for joy. Although the inside decorated tree is off limits, I always get a present to add to my stuffed toy basket... And the turkey plus all those wonderful smells give me reasons to stay close to the kitchen and under foot. Can I help it if the cooks call me a four-footed walking nightmare?

I'll never forget one Christmas when a favorite smell got me in heaps of trouble. It was Christmas morning. A box was pulled out of its hiding place and inside was lots of fancy wrapped packages. Now what should a guy do? Rather than search for my toy, I found one that smelled delicious.

After waiting for my family to leave, I dragged my loot to a favorite hiding place and chewed my way through a box of luscious Marshall Field's Frango Mints. Enough said. That Christmas was a bummer. I certainly found out the hard way that chocolate wan't for dogs.

And then there was the year that I was given the most unusual gift ever. A kind neighbor, who was also my baby sitter, bought a wicker basket with a hood over my head just like a baby's buggy. The mattress, coverlet and pillow were handstitched and done in red and green flowers...how embarassing!! And on the outside of the top, she attached tiny tree lights. They were connected to a small square box and when touched, all the lights blinked on and off.

Of course I thanked her with lots of kisses, but deep inside I couldn't help but giggle. But on the other hand it was sad to spend so much time making a gift that would never be used. There's no way I'll ever spend one night in it. Remember, I'm a big boy.

Well I'm sure I can think of other gifts that were either good, bad or ugly, but now it's your turn to remember some of yours. But in the meantime,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Love, P.D.

Labels: active retirement communities, active senior living, Christmas, pd the dog, senior living, upscale retirement living

Rome
Our many trips to Europe were not without some scary experiences. I remember them all clearly. The first happened in Rome, Italy, on a bus trip to the Vatican. Rita and I, crushed together in the overcroweded bus, could hardly move. Typical tourist, my money belt with the pocket in front, clearly outlined the shape of my wallet.

The bus swayed back and forth. Bored, I stared into the faces of unkown people on the way to Saint Peter's Basilica. Our bodies touched and leaned in unison. An olive complexioned man with dark hair and eyes, neatly dressed with a tie, probably Italian, moved in rhythm with me. Avoiding direct eye contact, I watched the beauty of Rome pass. Suddenly, I got a feeling that someone was touching me; I looked down and saw that my money belt zipper was halfway open and my wallet clearly visible. I abruptly closed it and stared ferociously at this cool stranger. I did not take my eyes off of him, and I tried to look ready to fight. I said nothing, just glowered at him. At the next stop, he got off and vanished into the crowd. A narrow escape, I learned that pickpockets know their business and that I had to be better at protecting my valuables.

The day turned out to be inspiring. We went to the Papal Mass mixing with the huge crowd wanting to see the Pope John Paul II. The jostling for positions by thousands of faithful separated Rita and me. I wound up buried in the center of the milling crowd while Rita, pushed to a nearby railing, lucked out. The Pope walked by on the other side of the railing, smiling and touching outstretched hands. Passing, he grasped Rita's hands between his for an instant and softly said a prayer. She felt lucky and honored to see and touch this holy man.

Florence
In Florence, the passengers climbed out of the buses slowly into a great piazza where I noticed the bands of gypsies roaming the area. I remembered published warnings to avoid them. Rita and I moved to the side of the piazza to watch for our shipmates. We noticed a tall American from our ship of Chinese ancestry leave the bus. Good-looking and confident, he wore a money belt hanging just below a trim stomach. The gypsies with young children rushed excitedly amongst our sightseers, begging for money.

A tall fellow passenger walked unkowingly into a band of gypsies. A woman, baring her breasts, while openly feeding a baby, had several young children running freely about her. A young boy, about eight, ran up to the man holding a newspaper under the passenger's face, so he could not see. In a second, they cut his money belt and carried it off. He started to scream, accusing the woman of stealing his money belt. She immediately passed the baby to a young girl and shed all her clothes revealing her full naked body to prove her innocence--she had no money belt. My eyes fixed on her nude body, thereby missing the escaping bandits, a planned distraction I'm sure. She was poor and begging for money but her trimmed pubic hair, cut for fashionable bikinis, made me wonder whether she was truly poor. We later learned that the young man lost $1,500.

Paris
Rita and I used the Metro for easy, inexpensive travel in Paris. There are 14 lines making up the Paris Metro, and I read that 293 stations handled over one-and-a-half billions trips in 1993. Just reading the names of the stations was an invitation to French history. The Metro stations are all different--large and small, below and above ground and many have exquisite beauty like the Louvre Museum area stations.

This wonderful system is not without some anxiety. We arrived at a station in the heart of Paris to return to our hotel. We left the train and headed toward the long escalator leading to the street, high above. I noticed two well-dressed men in suits, about 40 years old, talking quietly close to the foot of the escalator. Rita went first a few feet before me and then one of the men slipped in behind her separating us. The second man followed behind me. Odd, I thought, splitting us that way.

As we neared the top, Rita exited, then the first man dropped something. Bending over to pick it up, he stopped at the top end opening blocking me from exiting. The second man pushed into me from the rear. I knew I was their target. Quickly, I put my hand over my back pocket stopping him from lifting my wallet and pushed the first man on to the floor aggressively out of my path. Both disappeared into the maze of the station having failed that time. Shaken, but pleased at thwarting them, we returned to the hotel and our private happy hour.

Labels: Jack and Rita, pickpockets, the garlands upscale retirement community, upscale retirement home, upscale retirement living

Bill Cox feels right at home working the equipment in The Garlands' Woodshop on the garage level near the Wright elevator. In fact, he used the workshop for years at Clearbrook in Arlington Heights, an organization caring for people with developmental disabilities. Teaching woodworking to them was very satisfying. Clearbrook phased out the woodworking classes and offered Bill, at no charge, all the shop equipment. Bill alerted The Garlands, who quickly accepted it for our active retirement community.

Equipment and parts later donated by Bill Youngberg, Bucky Ellis and others help maintain the shop's high quality. Members build professional pieces here. Recently, Sam Jeffers finished a beautiful folding screen for his apartment. The photo does not reveal all its beauty. The screen is seven feet high, has three vertical two-and-a-half foot wide hinged panels; each having three padded sections covered in elegant fabric and framed by rosewood stained maple.

Bill Youngberg designed and made a solid oak bookshelf to fit a special space in his daughter's home. Many appreciated his banana hangers and various footrests built for The Garlands and Prairieview. Bucky contructed sliding shelves for his apartment's kitchen cabinets. Others sharpen knives, fix chairs, tighten nuts and bolts and more. Bill Cox still advises all who need help.

Scott Weimer, assistant Plant Director and his staff use it for maintenance. Members are encouraged to use it and do--mostly men but women are welcome. Member service will open the shop for any members, just dial *02.

Labels: active senior living, Jack an Rita, the garlands, upscale retirement community, upscale retirement home, upscale retirement living, woodworking