At week 17 of 40, we’re nearly halfway through this pregnancy. We had a doctor appointment on Friday that went very well, although the doctor was concerned that I haven’t gained any weight and I was told I need to eat more. She used the doppler to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. I didn’t cry during any of the sonograms, but for some reason, listening to that heartbeat made me well up with tears. Perhaps just because I had my eyes closed which made it possible for my imagination to take over.
Things changed over the weekend when I started feeling a great deal of discomfort. After several calls to the consulting nurse and a handful of tums, the consulting nurse sent us to the ER on Sunday afternoon. By this time the discomfort had graduated to excruciating pain. After 5 hours in the ER, they determined that I have gall stones. Baby is fine. Now I’m on a non-fat diet. They gave me some pain and anti-nausia medication and told me to call my doctor in the morning. I have an appointment to see my doctor today to figure out how we will treat this moving forward. It may just be a watch your diet and wait and see kind of thing as they really don’t want to operate during the pregnancy.
I’m still in some pain but feeling much better now, although completely exhuasted. My big task for this week is getting caught up on all the homework I fell behind on over the past several days.
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Don’t even think about treading on
That tempting little hose of soft clear ….. plastic lying on the floor
There are plenty enough ways to
Incur my wrath without committing
That most heinous act of barbarism.
Mind your step, you fool, watch
Where you put those uncoordinated ….. blobs you call your feet.
Its not just the punishment
That should prompt alertness on
Your part, nor even humanitarian
Compassion to guide your steps aright.
But think on this, the balance
Of all the laws of physics and the
Cosmic glue that holds the
Universe together, lie at risk
Of total disintegration at
The touch of toe on tube.
Most like an arch—an entrance which upholds
and shores the stone-crush up the air like lace.
Mass made idea, and idea held in place.
A lock in time. Inside half-heaven unfolds.
Most like an arch—two weaknesses that lean
into a strength. Two fallings become firm.
Two joined abeyances become a term
naming the fact that teaches fact to mean.
Not quite that? Not much less. World as it is,
what’s strong and separate falters. All I do
at piling stone on stone apart from you
is roofless around nothing. Till we kiss
I am no more than upright and unset.
It is by falling in and in we make
the all-bearing point, for one another’s sake,
in faultless failing, raised by our own weight.
The Collected Poems of John Ciardi (University of Arkansas Press, 1997)
6 years after our first date and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Last week my friend Sharon drove out to the Dorothy Page Museum in Wasilla, Alaska and sent me these pictures. Within that museum is a recreation of my grandfather’s dental office. I didn’t actually have any pictures of this installment so it was a great thrill to receive these pictures.
The dedication (pictured above) reads as follows:
Dr Lee L. McKinley
Dedication
This re-creation of Dr. McKinley’s dental office in Butte is dedicated to his efforts in pioneering “Bush” dentistry and his selfless commitment to the people of Alaska.
For over 40 years “The Flying Dentist” faithfully practiced his profession throughout the entire state serving people from all walks of life. It has been said that Dr. McKinley would often render services free of charge for those who’s circumstances called upon his generosity.
In the early 1950’s, he was also instrumental in adopting legislation that limited the power of the State Dental Board thus allowing more dentists to practice in Alaska.
As a youth, Lee McKinley was one of four sons of an Arkansas meat peddler. It was his fathers faithful devotion to good will and hard work that would eventually create a solid foundation in each boy. Individually the boys sought public service in the fields of dentistry and medicine. All four have become professionals in their respective fields.
From this early beginning, Lee McKinley entered college on probation as he was without a high school diploma. Undaunted by the work that lay ahead, he pressed on to graduate and practice dentistry in Detroit in 1934.
By the mid-forties, Dr. McKinley and family became disenchanged with the city life. With his son Blake and another youngster, Dr. McKinley loaded up a Hudson pickup and started out for Alaska.
Thus began the illustrious service of Dr. Lee McKinley in Alaska.
We are honored to create a tribute to such a fine man that gave so much of himself to the people of Alaska.
(A complete history of Dr. McKinley is available through narrative and video tape in the museum archives)
And here’s a bonus photo of the Matanuska Valley from Wasilla
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This is my contribution to Candid Carrie’s Friday Foto Finish Fiesta
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