run on sentences

Friday at work, we were getting a lecture from a trauma surgeon about doing open thoracotomies, which means cutting into someones chest to do open heart massage, or to clamp an aorta to stop bleeding, or to do some other life saving thing in the ER because the person will die before you get to the operating room. The outcome, as one might guess even if one is horrified by even the thought, is grim, especially in pediatric patients. However, the outcome is certain to be death without this last ditch effort. Anyway, the surgeon said there are two simple rules to remember. I thought he was going to mention the right sized rib spreaders or aortic clamp, but I was wrong. Here's his two rules: 1. If it bleeds, put your finger on it. 2. Don't be a dork. I think his point was to not panic. One good way to not panic is to have all the necessary equipment...much of it looks like tools one would use to build something - thinks that maybe you could buy at Sears. Did you know that ...

When I was in Michigan, I went for a walk with my brother to the town's beautiful cemetery. He is an alcoholic and has been drinking since he was 13 or even before for all I know. He won't admit it though - just like most alcoholics, he lives in denial, in his own movie as he puts it. I can't change his movie. No one can, no matter how much we love him and want to help. I don't think even the TV show "Intervention" would save him. I don't know why he is this way - there's a long line of alcoholics in our genes so maybe it is hereditary. Or maybe it is because when he was only 7 our dad who was an alcoholic at the time, got in a bad accident and couldn't be what my brother needed anymore. Who knows? Anyone that has an alcoholic in the family probably has theories. I wonder why it is that I can have a few glasses of wine and then quit and he can't. We have always been pretty close but sadly I remember only a few times since we were you...

This is Suzanne, me and Paula today on world run day which happened to be my 55 th birthday and entry into a new race category. Look how good we look for women over 50! I am the oldest (in the middle). Paula and I ran for our friend Bob, who died of ALS about 6 weeks ago, and his wife who has cancer. We will donate some money to the Utah ALS foundation. Suzanne ran for her four children and also for the Best Friends Animal Shelter in Kanab - it's a wonderful organization that saves a lot of animals, including Michael Vick's dogs. My daughter, across the country in Carlisle, PA, ran too, with sweet Lewie the dog. Anyway, we ran about 15 miles - give or take. We did what we call the Devonshire run - one of our favorites and also our friend Bob's favorite run. It is a hard route. Suzanne and I ran about 1.5 miles to the start of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail where we met Paula. Then we ran to the zoo and above it (pretty hilly run) to Devonshire street which is as clo...

Below are some pictures taken on one of my runs or walks in my little home town in Northern Michigan a few weeks ago. This one is a view of the main street, which is about a mile long from end to end. The church is the Methodist church. the original one burned down and was replaced with this one which is almost exactly like it. The church bell is over 100 years old. My sister had them ring the bells on the day Bob died. My dad's funeral was here as well. The two pictures above are of a road that leads into the woods and up to a replica of a little old church that burned down years before my time. There are a lot of mine shafts up there and my dad used to cut wood up here when I was little. He knew all the types of trees. When I was in high school, we used to have keg parties in these woods. Sometimes there is bear poop on the road so I did not run very far in this direction. This picture is the view from the hill where my grandma used to live. The house on the left belonged to the ...

Happy 27Th Bill. Since we already did the reminiscing entry last year and I don't want to overdo it, I decided to give you some advice based on what I have learned over the years. You may be way ahead of me on all of these but nonetheless, here they are in no particular order. 1. Be true to yourself or as someone else said "To thine own self, be true". Life isn't a popularity contest - make your own self happy and do what makes you happy. Trends come and go and if you buy stainless steel appliances, next year they will be outdated. If what you have works, keep it. But be generous to others and good causes. Oh and never, ever do anything just for money. It is funny that we do all know what we should do, but we don't often have the courage to do it. 2. You can't make everyone happy all the time and don't waste time trying. On the other hand, you can never give enough thank yous - even to people you don't know. You never know when you will make someones ...