Hospital Hauntings at Halloween

 

by Pa Rock

Curmudgeon

I am enjoying my stay at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, though I would still like to bust out and go home.  The staff are very solicitous of my care and comfort, and I have everything I need, but I know that Rosie must be getting very concerned about my continued absence from Rock's Roost.

My son, Tim, came by yesterday morning and stood in front of the window orienting me to the street life five stories below.   My room is on the side facing Stateline Road, so I have a view into Kansas City, Missouri.  From here I can see some Missouri apartment buildings, part of the hospital's parking garage, and down a side street as far as the Jazz Cafe which Tim says is New Orleans' themed and has spontaneous live jazz for entertainment.  I'm thinking that might be a fun place to take Tim and Erin for their courteousness and patience in putting up with me.

I have a nice private room and saw no need to even step out into the hallway yesterday, and today will probably more of the same.  I did manage to get some good sleep last night - they hold the infamous nighttime interruptions to a minimum.  Halloween officially arrived with the night crew.  Princess Peach, my night nurse, came by with a bag of treats early in the evening doing a "trick-or-treat" round for everyone who dressed up as hospital patients, and this morning a leprechaun with pointy ears helped me to get out of bed.   I'm sure they had other places they would have preferred to be on a festive night like Halloween, but they came to work anyway and made their patients' night more fun.

Great staff, great hospital!

Tim and Erin have an annual soup-with-the neighbors' night in their driveway on Halloween where they greet the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.  I'm sure they had a great time, and all of their spooky little visitors did, too!

Here's a timely Halloween hospital story which you might not know.   The great magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini, died a century ago last night at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.  He had been struck in the stomach by a college student several days prior and had continued working until he finally gave into the pain and was admitted to the hospital on Halloween.  He died on Halloween evening, 1926, from a ruptured appendix - and has yet to escape from the after life - at least not that we know of.

Breakfast has arrived!  French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, pineapple, and cold milk.  This blog is no longer the priority!  More later, probably. . .