July 9, 2014 Wednesday "Toto"

First Words

      …thoughts of an anachronistic, solo pediatrician

                            by Glenn Feole, M.D.

       "Be careful too that the reading of your story makes the melancholy 

        laugh and the merry laugh louder," Cervantes, Prologue to Don Quixote

Contact: ishmaelish36@gmail.com

Blog site: ishmaelish36.blogspot.com

July 9, 2014 Wednesday

Chief Complaint: (written on the chart before I go in the room)

   "Newborn Vaginal  Apgars 8 & 9, Itachytinic"  (A note left on my desk)

Interesting Name:

     Toto

Anecdote:

Poetry:

Coup d'essai:

PART XI

9/16/02:

    Today at the satellite clinic in Salemburg, I met a GP who fills in whenever they are unable to send a doctor over from the main clinic in Newton Grove.  His name is William Owens and it seems to me that his first name could actually be Owen.  He is thin as a bird, tall and frail, and a man of few but friendly words.  He has that presence that seems to say that he has seen it all, and although he retired in 1993, nine years ago, he still fills in here when they need him.

     Dr. Owens told me about Miss Warren, 95 years old, who rents out apartments to doctors in Clinton.  "She feeds you, takes care of you, …if you are in with Miss Warren, you’ve got it made.  She’s raised many a doctor in these parts,” Dr. Owens informed me.  "She doesn’t charge much for the apartments, but they are filled with antique furniture.   She made some investments years ago and plays the stock market.  She’s well off.”  

     So, he’s going to check this out for me.  He also said that I could stay in his country home for free.  He just goes there during the day to hunt and work the land.  It’s his “utopia.”  

     I drove three miles south of Salemburg to a small town called Roseboro during lunch time.  I stopped in at “Tony’s Amoco Station” where they have a grease pit.  Locals lined up to buy a grilled cheeseburger from the friendly staff there.  I bought a soda and candy bar, had to charge it on my credit card, and the pretty woman behind the counter gave me a nice smile and said, “Y’all come back now.”               And I probably will.  

     I had pulled up to a combination gas station and luncheonette (which reminded me of one of the jokes I used to tell my children: a gas station I once saw had a sign that said, ‘Eat here.  Get gas.’), and for the first time in my life I had the newfound experience of driving behind an 18 wheeler filled with hogs.  This was about the tenth such truck I had seen in the last three weeks and my curiosity was peaked.  The driver pulled in and got out to get a soda.  The smell emanating from the truck was hard to describe…a overpowering pungent, penetrating odor.  

     We both came out of the luncheonette at the same time but he got into the cab before I could talk with him.  I stood next to the truck as it slowly started to pull away in the warm sun.  The hogs were noisy and this surprised me.  They were packed in, shoulder to shoulder, and were making grunting noises and jostling each other.   I realized that the truck had three vertical layers, all packed with hogs, the sides of the truck oozing a brownish, foul-smelling liquid.  

     When I mentioned this to Terry, the friendly counselor back at Salemburg, he threw his head back and let out a laugh and said, “Oh, yes.  I remember the first time I was stuck behind one of those hog trucks on a long country road.  That’s when I experienced my first ‘hog shower.’”  He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t push him on it.  

Favorite Musician/song:

Natalie Merchant,  "Wonder"

    A beautiful, lush voice and a earthy feel to her persona and her songs.  The music sounds live and vibrant.  This song is an anthem to live by as well.  It has it all.

Favorite Book/author:

New York Times, Obituaries

    I read these every day and collect the poignant ones, distributing them during Christmas to family and friends…nothing morbid but, rather, a joy at a life well lived.  They are filled with insights, humorous anecdotes and inspirations.  I will consider adding another category to this blog for this...

Favorite Movie/DVD:

The Goodbye Girl, with Richard Dreyfus

    He is a force to be dealt with with his outgoing, exuberant personality.  Heartwarming and funny.