Mom's volunteer work in nursing homes | Ramblin' & Amblin' | Oct 26, 2026
Ramblin' & Amblin' Field Notes with Mike Hall (Staff Software Engineer)
Recorded on the move: engineering observations, systems architecture, and software craftsmanship reflections.
• Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNtb969T2-l0
• The Sound Above Curriculum: https://www.just3ws.com/series/the-sound-above/
• Canonical Profile: https://www.just3ws.com
Spoken Overview:
"As long as I can remember, since even before I can remember , my mom was an excellent sewer and knitter. Oh, not knitter , crochet, excuse me. She would be... stop with me. Croch eting. She crocheted blankets, all kinds of stuff. Sweaters,..."
Recorded: October 26, 2026
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
As long as I can remember, since even before I can remember
, my mom was an excellent sewer and knitter. Oh, not knitter
, crochet, excuse me. She would be... stop with me.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Croch
eting. She crocheted blankets, all kinds of stuff. Sweaters,
all kinds of stuff. Mostly very fancy.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
In very warm blankets. Sophisticated patterns. And she
would get the... she had a hole set up for her...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I'll call
it her lab. Sewing machines and tables and cutting scissors
and all that. And she would... every year there was this
place called Holy Family Villa Persink Home in Lamont,
Illinois.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And she was volunteering there in the early 80s. And what
she would do is that she would make a little costume for me
of Santa Claus. And this was an advanced care nursing home
that was run by... Lithuanian nuns.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
So, her sister... Martha. I don't remember
her name. But there was one of the main sisters...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
one of
the... had sisters. She kind of like ran the... the nuns
and the...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
the facility. And... this was... before modern assisted living.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Okay? This is early 80s. She would... my mom would go and
volunteer.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
It was a few miles from the house. This place was built like the 1920s or 30s. It was ancient. Um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
it no longer exists. I should say that they built a
new building. But all that happened right around the time my mom was a
bunch of retiring from the place. And in a way, my mom did have a dream that one day she
would become a resident inside of there.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Unfortunately, she did not live long enough to do that. But, um... at the time she was, uh... a stay-at-home mom.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Very creative. Um... lots of energy. And she would...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
go
and dress me up as Santa Claus. And take me around to these, um... largely... in...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I don't
want to say in... but they were... they were... dementia.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Alzheimer's. Um... they were severely advanced. Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
elderly. They were no longer able to care for themselves. And they
required, um... a lot of, um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
assistance. And, uh... every year she would dress me up as Santa Claus
and take me around to, uh... cheer up all of the, uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
all
of the residents. And this, uh... became a thing that continued on until I
was in my late teens. Not the, uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Santa Claus thing, but the volunteering. Um... is I would... be in there...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
wheeling around nursing
home patients. And, um... back... back and forth from activities.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Because later, um... after... years of... this volunteer
work, uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Illinois started to... build out the concept of
an activity director. And the whole... um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
thought... a process around... these
nursing homes was changing. And, uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
became the first... one of the first activity
directors in Illinois, as far as I'm aware. And, uh... did a whole lot to...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
bring, um... comfort. And some... um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
engagement. Some intellectual engagement. Uh... you know, were...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
and... and... and... um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I'm gonna just say that she's part of why I did user groups
. Like... because she brought people together. She could...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
at her eulogy, they... they talked about how
... One of the, uh... people that was always...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
One of the, uh... people that was always... Her name is Maureen. She was the, uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I'll think negative. Not... it's all good. Just...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
she was better at handling people than my mom was. And I got a lot of my mom... in me. And, uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
but... With her eulogy... And she talked about... Maureen talked about how...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
My mom... could be... told the day before... That, uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
oh... you know what? We... we...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
we're having, um... Whatever... the bishop's coming in. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Something's gonna happen. We need to have... an activity set up. And my mom...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
would... Somehow... MacGyver... together...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
The cutest... display... And she would... it would be made out of...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Toilet paper... Centerpieces... Doorlies... It would be...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Brick-it-back knick-knacks... But... When you came in... It would all have been done...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
With so much care... And so much precision... That... You would have thought...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
That she had gone out... And bought all of this stuff. And it was... it was made...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
For... As a decoration. But it was a lot of tissue paper... Toilet paper...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Toilet paper rolls... Paper towel rolls... Baskets... And...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Whatever she could get enough of... To turn into... A place... A setting...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Or... Or... And it would just be tremendous. Um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
She, uh... Over this time... Just painting a picture here for... Another story is that...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
During this time... When I was... Volunteering there with her... Or...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Sometimes she'd pay me a few bucks... To help out... So that way I could buy... A tape or...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Go to see a movie or something... Um... But I'd have to do something like... Extra...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
To... To get the money... Um... Usually like...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Fixing something or... Doing... Uh... A lot of...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Of shuttling people around... Or things like that... And... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I was always... I... I was great at... Running bingo...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And... Uh... I would always have my... Walkman on...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And if I had my Walkman... Going... I had... Either Dead Milkman...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Weird Al... Red Hot Chili Peppers... Maybe... In Excess...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
A little bit... And... Um... Whatever I can get through...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Columbia... House... Records at the time... And...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Um... Maybe some stuff that I recorded... Off the Dr. Demento show...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
On Sunday nights... Um... The... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I'd have that on... And I'd... Be listening to that... On my headset...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
On Walkman... Uh... But... During this time...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Um... Towards the... Later... Stages...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I think I'm 15... This time... Is that... Um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Uh... Lollapalooza... Lollapalooza... Came...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Was coming to Chicago... It was gonna be the first Lollapalooza... And I wanted to go so bad... But there was no way...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
My mom had already destroyed... My ministry... Um... Tape...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Um... And... Uh... My...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Nine Inch Nails... Pretty hate machine... So I had... Mine is a terrible thing to taste...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
My ministry... Destroyed... Uh... For being devil music...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And... Um... Um... Nine Inch Nails...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Destroyed... And it would be like... When I would be out... Working...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
So I knew that my mom would like... Go through my stuff... While I was... Like...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Mowing the lawn... And... Uh... And...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Uh... Listen to it... And make... These kinds of decisions...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
So... Um... So... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
So... Uh... Uh... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
The... Uh... The main point that I'm... Making here is that...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I... Didn't have any hope of going to... Uh... Lollapalooza...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
But then... Uh... Uh... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Uh... One of the... People that works in the nursing home... That's...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Works with my mom... And... Um... Um...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I had... A good friendly relationship with this person... Uh... She...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
But... Like... It was just... She was like an...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Older sister kind of person... Uh... Not a... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Like... Any kind of... Anything... And she was...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Very not kind... And she was like... Hey... You know...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I'm gonna go... To Lollapalooza... Mike can come with me... And my friends...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And my boyfriend... Whatever... I don't remember... But the point is...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And... All my mom knew... Is that there was gonna be drugs there... And...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Uh... I did not get to go... And... I was...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Crestfallen... Uh... Is the word for it... I was...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Uh... Very frustrated... But now... It's part of the story...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
It's like... In a way... The not... Going...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Just like... With the Red Hot Chili Peppers... Is like... Almost...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
As much of a... Definition... A moment for me... Because I was already...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Listening to... Um... Oh my gosh... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Oh my god... Oh my god... What was... What was his name?
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Again... It's been so long... And I... I don't keep up with everything...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Jean's Addiction... Sorry... Yeah... Jean's Addiction...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And this is again... All of the stuff... That we know now... Came out...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Um... Was my mom right? I don't know... Maybe she was...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
But... What she did do... Is give me something... That I have to think about...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Here... Now... As I'm... Getting ready to go sit down...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Because my ankle's hurting... And I've been walking too long... Um... The...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Uh... Fact is... Is that... I would've gone...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And I would've like... Been overwhelmed... And had that story... But instead...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I... Had this kind of... Meta story... Where I have to like...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Reconcile with my feelings... About the... Uh... The not getting to go...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And it's sometimes... That um... I think about the concerts... I did go to later...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And like... How little I actually... Remember of them... They're more like...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Flashes of memory... But... Because this kind of... Went around...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
All of... What I wanted... Instead of it... Being me...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Going to the concert... And then... Whatever would've happened there... Good, bad, and different...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Probably would've been amazing... But I wouldn't have understood... At the time... Because it was...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
It was... New... But now... Here I am...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And I'm not getting to go... To Riot Fest... I'm... Uh...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Not getting to go see... Uh... Dropkick Murphys... I didn't get to go see...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Uh... Um... I didn't get to go see... Angine Dupatrine...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Who... It's... Kind of been the soundtrack... Of...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
2026 for me... Um... But I still have the music... And I still have...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
What it means to me... I just didn't get to go see... That particular concert... So...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Um... Sometimes... The not getting something is... Is...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Is the, uh... Is the interesting thing in time... Kind of that... Garth Brooks...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Well... Garth Brooks when he said about... Um... Unanswered prayers...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Alright... Anyway... Alright, thanks... Bye.