More Magic(al) moments…Viewcrest Health Center (03/20/09)

3/20/09 Magic’s visit to Viewcrest Heath Center, Duluth, MN

New budget item request: LIFE JACKETS FOR ONE COWBOY AND HIS MINI HORSE

There was a lake in the parking lot. Jeff parked right on the edge of it. As he was getting Magic out, a car pulled up, the window rolled down, and a women shouts this bit of advice:”Don’t let that puddle fool you, it’s a lot deeper than you think. You and that horse would have to swim to get out of there!” Questions: Can Jeff and Magic swim? Who would save whom?

New budget item request: A SIGN: I AM IN THE BACK OF THE TRAILER WITH MAGIC

From afar Carole and I saw the truck with its lights on and its engine running. We waved. No one waved back. As we were walking to the truck, there was no Jeff in the driver‘s seat. We walked around the outside of the trailer. No Jeff. Where could he be? DID MAGIC DRIVE HERSELF??????? NO Jeff, No Jeff, No Jeff. We went back to the lobby and wondered if Jeff went around the building. Carole stayed out there to wait for Jeff while I went to another door. All this time, Jeff was inside the trailer with Magic, with the door closed. He was just doing a last minute clean up. WHEW! At least he was not swallowed up by the big lake in the parking lot.

The parking lot was so icy. I was worried about Magic slipping. One of the staff wanted Jeff and Magic to go to another door but I felt the sidewalk was too slippery. I insisted and kept insisting that Jeff and Magic come in the front door and that Jeff and Magic would love the long walk to the activity area. I got through to the staff member just as a visitor came in the front door, saying she came to see the horse but it was so slippery out there. The staff member asked if she meant the roads, “No.” she said, “I mean your parking lot and your sidewalks.” “Oh and can’t you do something about that big lake in the parking lot? It takes up half the parking spaces.”

As Jeff and Magic walked down the hall, a staff member, pushing a cart remarked that it is the first time she had to move her cart over to the side to let a horse go by.

The staff was caught up with the excitement. For several of the staff, it was there first time petting a horse. Staff said this was the rarest occasion the residents have ever had in the building. They kept on saying over and over, what a big hit we were.

The staff was so good with the residents. They helped every resident have a petting experience with Magic. It was a lot of work but they had high energy. They kept bringing people down. It got so crowded no one wanted to leave. One man was supposed to go for an x-ray but he wanted to stay. They got him in the elevator but he came back down and proudly said to Jeff,” No x-ray right now.” “This is more important.” he said with a big grin. He stayed the whole time.

One resident mentioned her mini that she owned as a child. She called her Shirley. Shirley was not a riding mini but Shirley pulled a cart with her and her brothers and sisters. She said she knew how strong mini’s were.

One woman kept saying bring Magic over here. Then she asked, “Is that a donkey?” We heard a lot of when are you coming back? One resident repeated, “Sweet, Sweet , Sweet,…… as she petted Magic. One resident said, “ Hi friend.”

One resident was very vocal though out the whole 1 ½ hours. While some of the residents were annoyed and scared of him, Magic was not. When it was his time to pet Magic, I took his hand several times to pet her. Then he stroked her himself. He stopped vocalizing and looked straight at Magic. A staff member said she had never seen him take an interest like this. He stopped making the sounds for the rest of the time we were there.

Again we cleared out the beauty salon. It was even funnier because one woman was in perm curlers with a plastic sheet around her neck and the other just had her perm curlers removed so her hair was wet in tight curls in a towel. The beautician was with them with her comb in her hand. The beautician asked if they could pet Magic so they could get back to the salon. Well they stayed longer than they thought, talking to Jeff and petting Magic. The beautician said that Magic’s hair looked great to her. Jeff jumped on that and said, “That’s a professional talking,” Then the beautician said, “Magic is welcome to come in for a perm anytime.”

A resident said that Magic was having a bad hair day like she has every morning. The staff member who overheard that, mentioned to the resident that, “Now you have nothing to complain about, you know you don’t have it so bad.”

The residents came from lunch. When it was announced that the mini was in the building, people came from the dining room after eating lunch. They were so excited, they still had bibs on. Magic was in Heaven licking off the bibs. The people loved it. She even found a garbage dispenser with a swinging door and to the delight of the residents she pushed it open several times. One woman had a covered plastic fruit cup filled with pineapple. Magic went straight to her lap and the cup. She had all of Magic’s head in her lap. She was so happy.

One woman said she had draft horses on her farm. She said her horses were a little bit bigger than Magic. Jeff had a good laugh, and said, “ wayyyyyyyyy bigger. “One staff member said her friend has a Great Dane taller than Magic.

One resident, who wears a different hat every day, put her hat on Magic. It was a designer black and white hat that even Jeff said looked good on Magic. One woman said Magic needed some curl. Others said bows would be much nicer for the 2 wisps of hair. A lot of residents tried to push her 2 wisps down. They would not go down. Magic especially liked the long fingernails of several women. Jeff said Magic was really itchy and loved being scratched.

One woman asked how Jeff shrunk a horse to get to that size. Jeff replied, “I put her in the dryer and it was fun to see her go round and round.” Gramma Carole and I gave Jeff THE ROL L YOUR EYES LOOK AND we looked at each other with the HOW DID JEFF THINK OF THAT LOOK.

One woman asked Jeff if she could take Magic home. Jeff said no. She put her arm around Jeff’s shoulders, leaned into him, looked him straight in the eye, and said, “ Can I take you home then?”