Other than our far-too-infrequent contributor Ken, wh has been my best friend since we were in college, I had only actually met, as in person, one person on this blog, Yorkshire. I met York a couple of years ago, when he was in the hospital after losing his leg.
Well, today I met Art Downs, Perry and Joe Shallenberger. Art, as you may know, had a heart attack a month ago, and recently suffered a stroke. I haven’t said too much, because Mrs Downs didn’t want things made too public.
But, today, I arranged to go to Delaware and visit Art; I had written Perry, York and Donviti, who all live reasonably close, to see if they could come as well. York and Don couldn’t make it, but Perry did. Joe, who is a friend of Art’s, and his wife, just happened to visit while Perry and I were there.
So, now I’ve met four blog contributors, and I’ve met every one of them in a hospital room. Somehow, that doesn’t seem like a very good pattern!
In what must have been an absolutely never-before happenstance, Joe brought Art a book, Criminal Justice Through the Ages. This is a thick, paperbacked tome, translated from the original German, and it looked like a perfect cure for insomnia. What made it unprecedented was that Art already had a copy in his room!
I remarked that this had to have been the first time this had ever happened in the history of the world. Perry asked me if I had googled it to be sure; I said no, I hadn’t, but I’m certain anyway!
I’m keeping the details of Art’s condition private, since that’s what Mrs Downs wanted, but it was good to meet him — yes, I will tell you that he is perfectly conscious — and Perry and Joe and Hara.
I want outside citations to prove that Perry is conscious.
Okay, I needed to throw that snark out. But it’s good to know Art is alert and apparently in good humor. I called the hospital a couple nights ago to deliver Art a message. Since I work 2nd shift, I can’t talk directly to him during the week. But the nurse laughed while taking the message. I hope Art laughed when he got it. And I hope everything comes out alright.
Perry seems like a good guy.
As it happened, Perry parked his vehicle beside my F-150, deliberately; he figured out which one it was from the Pennsylvania plates and the “Proud Parent of a Soldier” decal on the tailgate. When we walked out, we talked for a few minutes, and then I noticed the Obama sticker and “Democrats Care” emblem on his right rear window; I made a cross sign, with my fingers, like you’d do to ward off a vampire.
Then I noticed why he was a perfect liberal: not only did he have tyhe stickers, but his vehicle is a hybrid!
Thank you Dana, Joe and Perry for visiting Art! I know it meant a lot to him and your kindness to Art means a lot to us, as well.
I KNEW that Dana and Joe were compassionate conservatives, of course. Both ooze conservative human kindness in every post. But, Perry…what can I say? How can I possibly argue with a man who has shown himself to be such a nice guy, in spite of his owning a car that has been defaced with an Obama sticker?
Quick, Perry! Say something over the top about how wonderful Obama is before I start feeling WAY too warm and fuzzy about your show of liberal largesse!
I’m so glad you got to see Art and I wish him a quick recovery.
As much as I hate to do it, I gotta do it.
Thank you, Perry, for visiting Art. (Oh, and thank you, too, Dana and Joe.)
It was my pleasure to visit Art, as well as meeting Dana, Joe S, and his wife Hara.
Art was very entertaining with his stream of personal stories and historical events, just as he is on-line but more so. And I was impressed with how well he is doing.
This experience reinforces those I’ve had occasionally, when meeting fellow bloggers and commenters, and that is the one-dimensionality of on-line relationships, relationships which can be quite different when the other two dimensions become part of the contact. It’s something like the pleasure of finally meeting a pen pal.
I;m glad you guys went to see Art. Friday night presented a dilemma. A Co-worker who was extremely well liked had died and Saturday was the only viewing day. We had a few other visitations to make and finished with visiting my Mother who has Al-Z.
But it was good to hear Art is in good spirits. And Dana, we’ll have to meet outside of Hershey Med Center and before Jim Thorpe becomes Mauch Chunk again.
Just read the email, thanks for the update Dana. Hope Art recovers soon!
[...] he’s the same Art whom Perry and I met last November. I’m not certain how much he could contribute to the blog once he does get internet [...]