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Discovering The Mature Lifestyle

Poetry is a guilty pleasure for all ages

Guest columnist, Bob Ramsey

Arts & Recreation

April 20 & 21, 2017

April Issue

Mike Mudgett adds artwork to his list of spare time pursuits BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Having enjoyed clowning, writing poetry, singing, gar dening and cooking as pastimes, Mike Mudgett now is pursuing artwork. As with everything else he does, Mudgett is going after it with a vengeance. Mudgett, 84, has li ved at Martin Luther Manor in Bloomington f or almost two y ears, as a r esult of 14 sur geries in 18 months. “After thr ee months or so , m y dad was going a bsolutely stir cr azy,� said daughter Christi Michaels . “My mother stopped at Barnes and Noble, picking up an adult coloring book and art supplies . This, in itself , is not uncommon these days and has become a popular pastime. What is e xtraordinary about my father’s story is the magnitude of his production of art. “His room is covered in his art. He has tables dedica ted to his pr oduction and has developed a consider able collection. Now considered the Artist in R esidence, many come and delight in his work. Most of all, it has saved his mind and spirit.� Mudgett agrees. “I used to w atch TV morning to night, � he said. “No w, I’m having a b last. I’m using m y mind, and I’m v ery pleased with it. I think I ha ve 90 different colors of paint here. Picasso started out like this.� Artistic endea vors w eren’t alto gether in the backgr ound before this, however. “I sang in a barbershop quartet, and I’ve had eight or nine poems pub lished,� Mudgett said. In 1988, he r eceived an a ward fr om former Pr esident Bill Clinton f or his Outstanding Contrib ution to American Literature. “I wasn’t worth anything as a scholar, but I loved the arts,� Mudgett said. He played football, base ball and basketball, lettering all f our y ears in high school. “I never went to college,� he said.

Mike Mudgett of Bloomington is considered the Artist in Residence at Martin Luther Manor in Bloomington. (Submitted photo) And he w as a pr ofessional clo wn f or 22 years. “I used to do a lot of children’s birthday parties and r etirement parties,� Mudgett said. “I put a lot into it. I did magic f or the kids , and I did balloon sculptures. You need to do a certain twist each time to get a finished product.�

if her dad w anted to go along. “He got hooked; he w as Mr . P etals, and e verything had flowers on it,� Helen said. “He decorated an old v an with carica tures. I did some clo wning, too. I dr ove the v an for a couple of y ears, and he sent balloons out the windo w. Our basement is half full of clown stuff.� Clowning w as a commitment tha t involved monthl y meetings and up to 10 parades during the summer . “Mike rode a big adult tricycle in the parades,� Helen said. As for the poetry, she said, “He just did it. He has a w hole booklet of poems he has written.� Mike gardened too, mostly flowers. “I did the vegetables,� Helen said. “The philosophy of my life is to mak e the most of it; I’ ve ne ver li ved b y an y other rules,� Mudgett said. “I’m enjoying life; I’m having a lot of fun. You only go around once, and when I get to the great beyond, I w ant to be a ble to sa y, ‘Hoot damn, did I have fun!’� Daughter Christi a grees that for now, art is her father’s world, even though his physical condition f orces him to do all his work with his left hand. “He’s a gr eat char acter,� she said. “He’s a cutie-pie. He couldn’t be a mor e fun-loving, inspir ational person. He’ s spread a lot of joy in his life. We are very lucky kids.�

“Three other girls and I left California and went to Michigan to get jobs,� Helen said. “We w ere all n urses in Adrian, a small college to wn in Michigan. Tha t’s where I met Mike.� According to Helen, Mike used to be a gourmet cook. “He made his o wn bread from scratch,� she said. A na tive of Michigan, Mudgett enThen his y oungest daughter enr olled joyed his car eer as an on-the-r oad in clown school one summer and ask ed salesman in a five-state ar ea f or Stif fel Lighting Co . until r etiring a t a ge 62. “I w as a salesperson beginning in the seventh grade,� he said. “I started selling shoes.� An upcoming expo in Edina is geared toward seniors to help ensure a After retirement, Christi said her dad bright future during their golden years. Sun Newspapers is producing ourLife, was a school hall monitor f or se veral an expo for active adults age 55 and older or their children that will take place years. “He lo ved tha t job; he learned a 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Southdale YMCA, 7355 York Ave. lot about kids,� she said. S., Edina. The event is free, and will feature more than 50 local exhibitors and Mike and his wife, Helen, raised a son vendors. Attendees can enjoy educational seminars, register to win a variety and f our daughters , and no w ha ve 10 of random drawing prizes and take advantage of free health screenings. The grandchildren and eight great-grandchilfirst 100 people will get a $10 gift card to Lunds and Byerly’s, with random dren. The couple met in 1955, when Mike drawing prizes throughout the day. was home on leave from military service in the Air Force.

ourLife Expo to be held April 29

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