We Did Spend a Week There

Anytime I hear a quote making fun of Philadelphia, I always think that it was something WC Fields must have said because he made several such statements about his hometown (click here.)

So just yesterday, as Pam and I were preparing to leave Johns Hopkins in Baltimore after being there for a full week, I thought of the quote about having spent a week in Philly – “I spent a week in Philadelphia – last Sunday.”

I had these deep thoughts as I was on my way to the Hospital parking garage to retrieve our car, pick Pam up at the hospital entrance and take her back home following her back surgery. We had checked in exactly one week ago and here we were now checking out only a little worse for the wear and tear. In my case, I was ok; but Pam was hurting like a (see song below and no, Clyde was not the songwriter.) After that long week, Pam and I were both more than ready to head south.

As for the “I spent a week quote” I learned later that it was not WC who originated it. Credit is given to a 1908 magazine cartoon that first published something along those lines:

It was a long and slow week but as always , in life you do what you have to do. And we did it. We made it back to the County yesterday afternoon and have been resting up ever since.

As for Philly getting no respect from WC and whomever came up with that cartoon, poor Baltimore seems to have become the new whipping boy among cities. The section of Hopkins where we stayed was primarily for folks recovering from spinal surgery; but it also served as the gun shot victims’ unit. One of the staff told us that it can sometimes be a 50/50 split among spine op patients and gun shot victims. She finished by saying “They don’t call it Baltimorgue, Murderland for nothing.” (Remember the hit T-V show Homicide: Life on the Street based on and filmed in Baltimore? How many other cities can make that claim?)

Buzzy’s Country Store stayed open during my absence thanks to the efforts of my family and friends, in particular Jenny and Brian. When Buzzy traveled he would often say how nice it was that he didn’t have to think about nor worry about the Store because he knew that Berta would take care of everything. I feel the same way now whenever I am not at the Store for awhile and appreciate all the help from everyone on both sides of the counter. I may even be back behind the Buzzy counter today. Believe me, it is lot better than spending a week in a hospital in Baltimore.

Even if not written by Clyde this is a pretty good little tune, profanity and all: