Back on Track (Helen)

It's been a few weeks since I last talked to you guys. I had a lovely time at BlobFest and a nice relaxing vacation, and now I'm ready to get back into my schedule in earnest. The older buds have just as many stories as ever, some of which pop up spontaneously. I'm not able to capture every single story, but I keep track of each one in case somebody gets writers block and needs inspiration. Sometimes you are your best inspiration.

Helen Claybrook 

7.27.2017 

The Happiest Day of My Life to Date 

My kitty is a real kitty. She has the personality of a jaguar. She hissed at the exterminator. So he will come back next month. Zoey will have to be put in a cage like a wild animal. 

She runs around like she is looking for another animal to take down. She finds every piece of paper on the floor. She knocks over everything that isn’t nailed down. She will not go in dirty pots, like eating my foods. She runs up the front of me. Pushed her off. She runs up the back of me. I told my doctor. He said give her a month to get used to home. She has six more days to shape-up or ship out. When I spotted her in the cage, she had her four with paws up in the air. She was in a little tub with her brother and mother. I love my little Zoey. I am very happy I got her from the shelter. She is three months old. I didn’t ask how long she had to live. But she is living up in Uncer Village.

See you next week, and enjoy your summer!

Curated by Caitlin Cieri

On Break

Good evening everyone. I'm on vacation so I'm not posting anything on the blog this week. See you in seven days!

Cooldown (Loretta D.)

Good afternoon everybody. Like I said last week, there was no Best Day session due to the heat and the holiday. Things are finally cooling down, both metaphorically and literally, and we'll be back in the swing of things soon enough. I would like to make a fun little announcement: I will be at the run out in this year's Blobfest! It takes place every year in Phoenixville, PA, one of the cities where The Blob was filmed. The run out reenacts the scene where the blob oozes through the movie projector into the theater, ready to eat some cinema-goers. Naturally, the audience screams and runs out of the theater! I actually found out about this from the Jerry Spinelli book "Love, Stargirl" and I've wanted to do it for years.

This movie is such a cult classic, I'd love to find out if any of the older buds ever went to see it. Or if they ever went to a similar event celebrating cult classics, like a Rocky Horror show. And if you ever went to see the first showings of The Blob, or even the first Blobfest, let us know at In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying this story in a Healthfully Air-Conditioned room!

Loretta Dotson 

1.18.2018 

Family 

I remember when I was growing up, I wasn’t overly happy with most of my immediate family members, my sisters and brothers older than me were bossy. I had to obey them and do what they commanded or dictated or they would rat on me and I would get a tongue lashing or worse, “no dessert.”

I rarely got new clothing, coats and dressers were handed down to me, I didn’t mind because they kept very good care of their clothes and also they were new to me. I had aunts and uncles that needed assistance with care and housework. We were volunteered to help out, no pay. They would say thank you ma’am. I’ll dance at your wedding. I would smile and say, “thank you.” But, I would be uttering, “you’ll never dance.” 

I loved my younger cousins – I could boss them around, kind of, but nicely. They shared their goodies with me. Sundays were church days, all day long. We had a huge picnic basket with plenty of food. We often made visits to other family members homes and functions. We felt save everyone looked out for you. We had each other’s back. Now our family members are widespread. We don’t seem them too often. Even weddings and funerals can’t unite us all. But, Facebook and messenger, Twitter and Gmail and texting makes it easier to keep in touch. 

Curated by Caitlin Cieri

Heat Wave (Elliot)

It’s been very hot in Philadelphia lately. Dangerously so, which is bad news for the older buds. At times like these, I’m ambivalent about whether or not I should hold a Best Day Session in this heat. On one hand, the senior center has air conditioning, which makes it a safe haven on days like this. On the other hand, our older buds come from all over Philadelphia, and they don’t spend all their travel time in the A/C. This week, I’ve decided to give the older buds the week off for the 4th of July. I’m also working on an Independence Day post for this blog too. It might not come up right away, because I want to make it something really special.

Even in the better weather, we’ve had people coming in late or people who just can’t write that day. But no matter where you are or what you’re doing, I hope that Best Day will always give you, as our newest older bud Sadie says, “a spark to write.” That’s what we’re here for. 

Elliot Doomes 

11.16.2017 

One Summer Day 

It was a hot summer early evening and the living room door was open. And in walks this burly insurance man with a cigar hanging from his lips. He said to my sister-in-law, Doris “It sure is a hot day out there, Honey.”

And my brother jumped up from the couch he was sitting on and he was very angry. 

And he said, “What the hell did you just call her? Honey? You walk in my house 

without knocking, smoking your cigar, don’t even take off your hat indoors. Do you do that when you go to people’s houses on the Boulevard?” (And back in the day, the Boulevard was where you had all the semi-wealthy people; upper-middle class). 

“You put out your cigar at the door, and you knock before entering and you take off your hat once you’re inside.” And before the insurance man could respond, my brother had picked him up and threw him out of the door and he gave him a couple whacks too! And my brother was that strong because that was a big guy he threw out. My brother weighed about a hundred seventy-five and the insurance man was about two ten, two twenty. And my brother said, “The next time you come back here, you gonna get the same thing.”

The next month, we had a lady insurance person. No more insurance man. I’ve never seen that guy again. 

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy the Senior Selfie from our older bud Frances!

Curated by Caitlin Cieri