Writing on the Wall: Summer 2022

A Master Storyteller
conditioning unit of popsicle sticks
and drawer liner mesh keeps the
house cool, while the home’s internet
wiring climbs up the chimney.
Scattered among purchased furniture
are hand-crafted pieces made of
popsicle sticks and toothpicks. The
attention to detail, down to linens in
the hope chest, is astonishing.
the place he lives appears. Before
moving in with the Turners, he lived
in rentals not properly maintained.
“There’s lots of role playing (interacting
with the home and mannequins)
about growing up,” Pam remarks.
There’s a landlord from his early life
he often emulates, who didn’t care for
properties to Dennis’ standard. Taking
on that role with this miniature home
gives him the power to change the
narrative and act as he believes a good
landlord should. “He is able to work
through things in his past through this
storytelling,” Pam explains.
When Dennis invites you into
his world, you enter a place
where stories reign supreme. A
master storyteller, he weaves
tales through spoken word and
thousands of tiny physical details
that add up to show you
the richness he creates in the
space he claims as his own.
Dennis also employs his skill
caring for physical spaces in
his job helping maintain the
Madison Heights office. His
caring nature finds another outlet
delivering Meals on Wheels
in his community. Everywhere
he goes, those twinkling eyes
“Watch out! She’s gonna get you,” he
exclaims, nodding over his shoulder
to the far corner of the room where
a nurse mannequin stands sentinel,
empty (needleless) syringe and tubing
dangling from her hand. “She gives
shots,” he illuminates. “You gotta
watch out for her.” His eyes twinkle
as he turns from her to the centerpiece
of the room, the astoundingly detailed
miniature house he has built.
Dennis gestures at the house proudly,
bending to show off each room in the
“beach house.” A peek inside reveals
hand laid floors crafted from popsicle
sticks sanded down to make perfect
planks. Tongue depressors cut into
rectangles and laid in a pattern form a
contrasting floor in the kitchen. An air
Dennis explains the beach home
is a rental. As landlord, he has had
some very troublesome minature
tenants. Some caused rodent infestations
he bravely cleaned out one
by one. Worst was tenants who
caused a fire. “Smoke damage on
the ceiling… had to sheetrock…
put in new paneling… paint,”
Dennis remembers. “Whole lot
to fix it… Whew!” Every time a
tenant damages the home, Dennis
jumps into action and fixes it.
Maintaining the home beautifully
is very important to him.
Provider Pam Turner, who has
known Dennis since she was 13,
notes he has the most exceptional
fine motor skills of anyone she
has ever met. She says using those
skills caring for the dollhouse and the
rest of his surroundings gives Dennis
a needed sense of control over how
and bright smile go with him, promising
a tale worth hearing to all who
take time to listen.
~Angie Covington
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