A SAD SITUATION ... AT 7TH AND MONTANA

It was a Collective Sigh of Relief at 7th and Montana this morning as Joyce revealed that she took some steps to hopefully ensure that the elderly woman once known as "Mother Goose" for her tendency to show up at Starbucks half-naked gets the help she needs. You see, at first we thought "Mother Goose" was just another Local Eccentric, but, over time, her behavior has become increasingly erratic. Several weeks ago, when she began routinely tottering back and forth across 7th Street amidst oncoming traffic, we knew something was terribly wrong. The problem has been, how do you handle a situation like this delicately enough to get the woman some badly needed help without upsetting her? One couple famously courted disaster by confronting her directly. "Are you disoriented?," they asked. Not surprisingly, she exploded into denials more vehement than Richard "I-am-not-a-crook" Nixon. Joyce, however, quietly came up with a better idea. She visited the independent living facility where this woman lives and let one of the employees know that we're concerned for her safety. As a result, the management in her facility is notifying her family -- who live overseas -- and, with any luck, help is on the way.