Dr. Seuss and other tales of medical horror

It is Monday. I love Mondays. They have become my favorite day of the week. Long ago, in a far away place, Fridays used to be my favorite day. But no more. The weekends only mean more work for Mom. On Mondays everything returns to normal and I have time to get stuff done! Today, I was in an especially playful and happy mood. However, the boys woke up immediately bored and fighting. They also continued lamenting about the mending I didn’t completely finish on Saturday. I had neglected to get the most important sewing projects done, obviously—the millions of dolls and stuffed animals with popped seams that were creating a stack in my laundry room the size of Mount Lassen. Len was comforting his poor horse whose tail had been ripped off 3 months ago. He told me we needed to take him to the doctor. That’s when the idea hit me that we could take care of boredom by playing doctor, and maybe I could get stuff done in the process.
We set up office—our staff consisted of 2 doctors, 1 nurse, and a surgeon (me.) After a while Len started calling me “Dr. Seuss.” He and George brought the patients to me via ambulance (or a “canoe-ee” was what Len called it), which was actually a Rubbermaid container lid. They wrote on a chart, weighed the patients, listened to their hearts, took temperatures, told me what had caused the wounds, administered anesthesia gas, and lots and lots of shots! We had a meeting beforehand to talk about what we were going to do, and they busied themselves while I sewed up the patients. They also took care of their animals and dolls while they were in recovery. I was amazed how quickly the morning went by, and how I was able to get all the mending done, keeping the boys and Clara totally entertained and mess free for hours!
I made sure to write on the patient’s chart after each operation. It was quite entertaining to read through. Thought you might enjoy.

Mr. Horse—
Emergency surgery, disconnected tail. Could not recover tail. Reconnected fur where stuffing was seeping out. Anesthesia gas was administered, after totally unconscious, and local anesthetics were applied via shot.
A tooth was extracted as well.
Quick recovery—was walking around and playing again before anesthetic had completely worn off.

Mr. Alaskan Bear—
3rd degree tears on left leg and hip seam caused by “big boy’s class at church with Daddy.” Deacons can be detrimental to a toy—he is lucky to be alive. He may reconsider attending church in the future.
Stitches given, as well as brain surgery by Dr. Len. Dr. George gave lots of power shots to help him recover quicker.
Nurse Clara was a bit temperamental and possessive of the clipboard. Might consider replacing her in the future. A pen was thrown, and unwanted shots were applied while she screamed. Also, I received an injury during surgery when I poked myself with the needle. Everyone quickly administered to it and a band-aid wasn’t required.

Miss “Anna” doll—
Only local anesthesia seemed needed to reattach left leg. Was alert throughout surgery. We ran out of “broken leg” medicine, but Dr. Len was able to find more. She seemed fine after recovery, but had to be suddenly rushed to the hospital “because she was about to die.” Unfortunately, she did not make it. However, Dr. Len was able to locate some “poison medicine” as an antidote, which helped Miss Anna come back to life.

Miss “Jubie” doll—
Popped seams on right shoulder, right hip, and posterior of left leg. Preventive repair also done on posterior right leg. Surgery was long and intensive but all went well. Post-surgery therapy recommended due to psychological damage from being in darkened cupboard for 4 ½ years.
Nurse Clara took suddenly ill during the surgery also. Dr. George found the necessary elixir and administered through shot.

Purple Lizard—
Gaping wound in tail. 13 stitches required.
Future rehabilitation therapy will be needed to return flattened tail to original state by moving stuffing downward.

Clifford Dog Pillow—
Small hole creating problems. No anesthesia was necessary because of pillow’s fear of “hurty medicine.” Recovery was quick, and was able to go home immediately.

Happy Birthday, the Underground Castle, and Welcome Home

SomeOne is One! Clara loved her Winnie-the-Pooh cake. Growing up I collected Disney figures. I put them in a big box when I got older, and it's become a tradition that for each of the kids' birthdays I take one out and put it on their cake. The kids really look forward to it, even make requests, and it's a good use of old stuff, right?

So, the kids have been forming their own collection lately. It's that time of year when antlers are being shed (I had no idea deer lost their antlers until we moved here, go figure! Weird!) So, the kids have found HUGE racks, much to their enjoyment. The old retired gentlemen in the neighborhood also scour the land for the antlers for their individual collections, but Len and Eliza both found their prizes right underneath their competitor's noses. How? Their secret is the "Underground Castle." On our property there is a small ravine, or dip in the landscape. I've often seen the kids out playing on it, and recently learned they call it the "Underground Castle." The antlers have become many things since then, boats, cages, swords. I have started to hide them.

Seth was gone for a few days (felt like a few years) to Ventura and L.A. area for business. We missed him (a lot!) But he brought home a box of seriously the best, sweetest strawberries I've ever tasted. He said all he did was eat out of strawberry fields, tasting varieties, and eating big dinners of course (I'm sure there was more work involved than that, like sitting on the beach and eating bon-bons...) Good thing he brought home some for us to sample! He knows by now he has a wife motivated by food. Sure honey, you can leave me alone for a week with sick kids, symphony rehearsals and a concert to prepare for, chicks dieing and escaping in the kitchen, power outages, phone outages, brawls, blood, poop, insanity--but bring me home some strawberries the size of avocados? All is forgiven.
I didn't know you could take strawberries on an airplane, but apparently you can. Just not toothpaste. Seth was sure to tell me about the poor young fool they caught in line with toothpaste. I had questioned him before he left on only taking a carry on and not toothpaste. He told me he'd find some when he got there. He told me after he'd arrived, that every one else had just a carry on also. Apparently, farmers pack light, and aren't avid toothbrushers which makes room for their agrarian souvenirs for the trip home. Just don't talk to them, unless you offer them a mint or stick of gum first.
Anyway, we are so happy to have him home!!! He has brought peace and balance to our universe once more.

Every Boy Needs a Dog

Meet Bruce and Tootsie, our newest additions. Some friends of ours were blessed with puppies (yet again) so this time we decided to take one. However, after hearing the poor thing whine all night outside, I decided that dogs are like kids. It is easier to raise 2 than 1. So, we now have two, one for each of our boys. And they entertain each other quite nicely.

New Arrivals

Seth hatched fifteen chicks in the incubator. The kids were so excited!

Cousins from Kokihona

More Pictures from Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay

In January, we had some visitors from Oklahoma (Koki-hona if you ask Len and his cousin Stevie). Sharon, and her beautiful girls visited us before they head off to Japan in the next month or so. It was a lot of fun to have them here! While she was here she kindly offered to watch some of the kids while Clara and I headed down south with Seth. He had a meeting in Watsonville, near Monterey Bay, so while he roamed strawberry fields, Clara and I shopped at factory outlets! I felt a bit hilbillish driving Seth's big monster farm truck, caked with mud, around the stylish city, but hey, anything to get out and shop! Thank goodness I learned on a stick, eh? I only ran over a few curbs! We also went out to dinner with some of Seth's associates for sea food at a fisherman place right on the boating dock. The squid was really yummy chewy deliciousness! Clara liked the crackers, which is all I'd let her eat. It was rainy and cold, but I still made the three of us go swimming in the outdoor heated pool and hot tub. My favorite part of the trip was walking along the beach, even though we were literally pelted by rain, soaked within seconds. I just love walking on the beach with my honey though, there is nothing better in the world.
While we were gone Sharon survived with five kids. Len showed her his favorite routes to various destinations (although they weren’t the most direct...)