Mom is still wondering which truck hit her yesterday because her 99 pound self had a four hour hip replacement surgery involving, of all things, cable. She's been talking to Daddy and visiting restaurants like people do who have lost track of time. Last time she was at the dentist's office. This lady gets around. Nurses du jour were Laura the magnificent and smiley Pam and Toni plus Nicki and a whole bunch of others. Hey...it was a long day. Laura told me they are taking good care of her and I trust that because I see it every day in my work. Healthcare is not a deparmentalized type of deal when it comes to working with sick people. Cross-train folks..it's what's Jesus or Buddha would do.
My brothers and I will go days without talking and then when crisis time hits we're all in touch which has been a lot lately. T lives 14 hours away and has two small children and a home based business. Bubba has three jobs and works himself to death. As the eldest, only daughter and healthcare practitioner? #burnout
We were raised by an honest to god farmer and his socialite wife on a piece of paradise that came to us by chance before my grandfather died. He was a real estate manager and had this farm when Mom and Daddy moved back here from Martin hauling a one year old that cried all the time. AND did artwork with poop on the cedar walls. I have these memories because they have been passed on to me by my elders. The office was in what is now White and Associates in downtown 'burg by the FUMC. That was after the new hospital was built in '58 on Parkview Street. As a child I spent time after church or school or holidays in the front where all that money got changed into misery. Lots of people had a good old time on Papaw's dime. This old guy named Herman ran the manual elevator and sat on the stool in that ancient cage. I think he liked it when the kids came around.
Daddy's USDA office was in the basement for years until the federal building was put up. It's now mostly empty except for the USPS side that bustles and throbs according to the season. These people seriously need to be our bankers because the government can at least make something work. I have several friends who work for the postal service and lord knows we could all use a card. That was his day job, with the ag department and it mostly involved moving pins around on a paper map after driving 80 miles to set and pick up traps. If I'm lying I'm dying!
His rest of the time job was overseeing the crop production and cattle. One of my most vivid memories is of him mudding through the field across from my house banging on his truck at the ones who were roaming. Never mind that the fencing wasn't worth a damn. After he retired from the day job he spent his days hammering and post hole digging and otherwise being a good steward of the owner's money because that's how he was raised. Not to expect much back from life. I suppose none of us should because you never know when it's gonna' be over. I reckon it's like "they" say: Enjoy the ride ~
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