Jack the Quack

Jack the Quack

When I was a kid, we’d go to a Chiropractor whose first name was Jack. My dad always called him “Jack the Quack,” even though we all went to him for treatments and agreed that he was an adequate chiropractor.

See, our family isn’t of the idea that Chiropractic will cure every ill, but that when your back and neck and hips are in anguish, it can sure go a long way in helping feel better. For a family who (mostly) consists of people who have physically demanding jobs, we rely on our Chiropractor, Dr. Bookman, to keep us in good running condition. One caveat: his office is a complete dump.

Office or Dump?

Dr. Bookman’s office is in a town about 40 minutes from here. He has no staff, and accepts no appointments. It’s all drop-ins, and nobody cleans the office, either. When you get there, he’s usually playing whatever on his computer and he stares up at you as though you’ve just interrupted him. 

It’s always fun for me to recommend him to friends, because I have to give them the warning about his office. If I don’t they’ll be frightened.

Dr. Bookman always has a slew of topics for conversation. Each visit can be a running conversation, or I can just wait for him to pick the topic. I usually prefer the latter, unless I want to ask him if he’s seen the latest animated feature (a passion for us both) or if he’s wrecked any good computers lately (he “builds” them for fun).

Prairie Home

In looks, he reminds me an awful lot of Garrison Keillor, host of Prairie Home Companion, the radio show that airs each weekend on National Public Radio. He’s a fun person, and quite eccentric.

Rob and I went to see Dr. Bookman this morning. He’s changing the back of his office to the front, so he can rent out the prime retail space to one of those cute little shops that will probably only be there for 6 months before they’re forced to close because there’s just not enough business to support it… or as has happened to a few of my favorite little shops, a family emergency or illness has caused the shop owners to close doors.

Cheap or Not Cheap

I just love the jewelry and handicrafts and unique gift items at those shops, but I’m kind of sad that Dr. Bookman’s office will turn into one of those Yuppie Havens, where Urban-Assult-Vehicle-Driving-Soccer-Moms can congregate to shop for a $50 necklace for their daughter to wear to her First Communion, or for $80 rubber books for their 3-year old that sport a Ladybug print. Or my personal favorite, a $20 bar of soap that doesn’t have a price tag, so that I end up looking like a cheap beyotch when I don’t actually purchase the thing… so that the next time I go into that shop (last Christmas) and the ($1.50 value) votive candle I’m holding turns out to be $9, I still buy it because I don’t want a reputation in that store of being a cheap beyotch.

And please believe me that retail clerks do classify people as being Cheap or not being cheap. I have been a clerk of one sort or another since I was 14, so that’s a full 20 years of rolling my eyes and talking about a customer’s Cheapness after they’ve left the store.

Mind, it’s not that people not spending money are considered Cheap. It’s people who’d really like an item, but time and again refuse to pay the asking price. And again it’s not the people who don’t have the money to pay for it. It’s when someone’s literally fought with me about the price of something and after they’ve left, Coworker Joan will tell me that the person was a friend of her parents and they could literally buy and sell us both along with everyone on our block.

Still on my Soapbox

So we’re going to my Dad’s family’s Christmas party this afternoon. We’ll talk to cousin Al and his wife Raelyn about fostering. And then I’m sure I’ll tell my parents about it, even though I didn’t want to because they’re sure to dissuade me from taking this leap.

But I can’t be selfish anymore. I have love in my heart, darnitall, and so does Rob. We want to share our love with kiddos who might not otherwise know love if it hit them up ’side the head. We want to help, and we want to show them, even in our own small way, what being a family is all about.

Yes there will be heartache. Yes there will be trials, but haven’t we experienced them ad nauseum with Mindy Lou Who? We have. And we’ll continue to juggle too many things at once. I’ll have to decide whether I want to quit my job or go to part-time. But those are things we’ll deal with another day.

Today is the day for making plans, for starting out, for big ideas and lots of love. Today is the day for miracles in our hearts.

Thank You God for loving me so much that we had a champagne snow last night and the beautiful sunshine is making our yard into a zillion diamonds. Who says this bitter cold is depressing? Who says I can’t do something besides 9-5 work? Who says I can’t strike out in a new direction? Certainly not you, because You put these ideas in my heart and fostered them until I think my bones are going to burn if I don’t chase after them.  I LOVE YOU!!!! – Jayleigh