Fall is here in RehabLand

The leaves have been turning shades of red and gold here in RehabLand. They aren't at their peak, but they are getting close.

Dahey, Bubba and I had a fun time taking a drive to the country to see my cousins who live in a quaint little town that dates back to the early 1800s. It's a blip in the road, but every year this time, the locals have their fall festival and people come from miles around. The cousins throw a party and invite all the relatives to see their place and go to the festival.

Bubba wasn't sure he liked it, because the corn maze was a longer walk than he expected. Some folks just don't get that, yes, there is indeed a big difference between 1/8 of a mile and 8/10s of a mile. He walked most of the way there, then decided to turn around.

We went back to the village green and signed up for the fun Money in the Hay contest. We missed the pumpkin decorating contest. Since he had a commitment at home, we couldn't stay long enough for him to enter the pumpkin pie eating contest. This was, of course, traumatic, for a preteen boy who can eat you out of house and home when you aren't looking.

Thankfully, he liked the soups and chili the cousins had, as well as the entire dining room full of sweets. He didn't make much money in the contest, but he had fun going out there with all the younger kids.

One of my cousins, an ER physician with three kids, showed up with his family. We talked shop among other things, since I rarely see him (he's always working). He's just hoping he never ever sees ebola at work. Since he practices in a much bigger town than PumpkinLand, but smaller than the regional centers, he hopes he's safe.

As we said our goodbyes, Bubba asked if we were coming back next year. I said "What do you think?"

He said, "Oh, yeah! Let's do it."

I'm so glad it turned out as well as it did.  Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are.

Lovin' every minute of it

Yes, there's a song about this title, but since the staycation is drawing to a close, I'm still enjoying myself.

Weather is cooperating, had my own film festival and watched lots of movies, and hung out with Bubba and Dahey whenever I could.

Back to the entertainment,or as they say back to the wheel.

More later...

More stories

"A balanced life is the centered intersection of your values, time, and action. That's where integrity resides." Don Blohowiak

I decided as one of my New Year's resolutions, I'd do more volunteer work this year. My first gig: I was a judge for a writing contest at Madison.

I love to write, hence the reason why I volunteered to judge the writing contest. Patients submit poetry and short stories for our local Creative Arts Festival. There's a performing arts section, too, that's really good. The winners get to have their work/performances submitted to the National Creative Arts Festival.

I dawdled with the task at hand, but I finally sat down recently and read my entire book of submissions. Some were good, some were okay and only one or two was really not my cup of tea. Although, some of my counterparts said I rate too easy, I don't think I do. I like stories, poetry and other work that take me away.

Two pieces transported me to places I could see in my mind. One poem talked about the author going back and dancing with a woman, from the perspective of a guy in a wheelchair. I could almost hear the music, see the low lights and smell the perfume in the air. I also wondered which of my patients might have written this poem.

The other was a story, of love, disappointment, joy and unbridled happiness, woven into a story of birth. The center of the story was a curtain, sometimes open and sometimes pulled to protect her. In the  end, the author knew she wasn't alone, if she dared open the curtain up. It had a picture in the ending that was happy and bright, without being saccharine.

Hope you enjoy your next volunteer experience as much as I did!