Saturday, June 19, 2010

Old Friends

I'm a senior citizen, in what's called ' my golden years'. One thing sad about being in the golden years is that so many of my old friends have gone on to that big gyro fly-in in the sky. When I mention that another of my old flying friends has passed on my daughter tells me that I should have younger friends.
Hanging out with younger people might work for some older persons but as for me I like to be on the same page with my friends. We can talk of things long gone by, things we did back then, of trends, of world news and all sorts of things that the younger generation know nothing about. We talk the same language, in other words.
And when an old friend with whom you have lost contact over the years re-emerges it's wonderful.
That happened to me recently. I heard from an old friend that I had lost contact with. It was good catching up and talking of how our lives have changed from back then and what's going on in our lives at present .
I have a special memory of this friend from many years ago . It was a cold day in early spring . I had flown in to a gyro fly-in where he was in attendance . As I landed and shut the gyro down I was greeted by many people but this friend , when he came up to greet me was carrying a cup of hot coffee for this half frozen gyro gal. That thoughtful offering touched me deeply for as much as I was glad to see everyone, the hot coffee really was what I needed and appreciated right then, and simple as it was, it stands out in my memory.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is , enjoy and treasure your friends for you never know when life might take them away.
Old friends are part of the memories we cherish in our 'golden years'.
Till next time.
Marion Springer

Friday, June 4, 2010

How fast time flies


That darling little puppy that is trying so hard to climb onto the couch is Buddy, my male Doberman. He was two months old at the time. It was quite a challenge but he finally made it onto the couch as you can see in the lower picture. That was only three years ago and the "little" guy and his sister Connie, turned three years old on May 3rd. Buddy now weighs a whopping 80 pounds.

His little sister, Connie is smaller in size and weighs about 60 pounds.

It was a first for me, raising two puppies at the same time but when I bought Buddy his little sister was left all alone and it broke my heart to leave her behind so I went back and bought her too.

If you ever need a challenge in your life, try raising two puppies at the same time. My two pups chewed up several bedspreads , every magazine or newspaper they could get hold of and they were absolutely bottomless pits when it came to food. They never thought they had enough dinner.

Then there was the hassle of ear clipping and the weeks long healing process with both pups wearing huge protective collars . All this excitement took place in the high desert in the middle of triple digit summer heat. But, as things do, the bad times passed and the puppies grew into , well, maybe not really obedient pups, but fairly well mannered dogs and they are great companions.

I used to think that big dogs needed lots of room . I thought that a big dog living in an apartment for
instance would be terrible for the dog...I have had to rethink that idea for I have 10 fenced acres and my dogs prefer to be with me, under foot , in my easy chair, ( it used to be my easy chair), or just generally right where I am doing whatever. But, that said, they will leave me for the next pretty face to come along. When my son Dave, comes home they leave me like the devil is after them and go to spend time with him. Then let Linda start up the golf cart and they leave Dave to ride in the golf cart. Buddy will sit for an hour in the cart waiting for someone to give him a ride.

They howl sometimes and I enjoy hearing them. I don't know what sets them to howling and it usually doesn't last long except for the time last month when I went away for three days to Britta's gyro fly-in in Arizona. I'm told that my two pups howled almost constantly until I came home. And what a welcome I got from them when I returned home! After jumping on me and nearly knocking me down, Buddy just sat and stared and stared at me . The look he gave me was pure unconditional love. Connie was right there with the same, I love you, look in her eyes.

In spite of the ups and downs and sometimes extreme frustration with the two pups, the past three years flew by. My two dogs give me unconditional love and all they ask for is to be with me, well OK, they do like to take little side trips to see Dave and Linda.

I will always have a dog or two in my life.

Till next time.
Marion Springer


What is it about Doctors that I hate to visit one?

I have been down with bronchitis for the whole solid month of May. Yesterday was the first time in a month that I felt that I could get back to doing the things I normally do.

My daughter Linda, from the first day of my illness said, " Let me make a doctors appoint for you". As usual and as she expected, I said no. Further , I told her that if I didn't feel any better tomorrow
then I would see the doctor. Next day . of course, I told her that I felt a little better so no, don't make a doctors appointment for me. That went on for the whole month.

All that was not new to my daughter for we go through that scenario every time I come down with an illness, which fornatualy isn't often. After what seems like ages, I recover from whatever the illness was and then I begin to question myself...now why didn't I go to the doctor?...I could have been over the bug and back to living again in no time at all if I hadn't been so stubborn...I like my doctor, have no problem with him... don't like waiting in the waiting room for ages though, still...So, every time it's the same old thing. I do recover but not nearly as quickly as I would have if I had gone to see my doctor.

I think a lot of my reluctance to seeing the doctor is that sometimes, he will do the examination, take X-Rays if needed then send me to another doctor or to the ER for them to read his findings and then to make their own recommendation as to the best way to make me well again. My doctor will send the X-Rays with me for the new people to refer to and they throw them in the corner without even looking at them and take their own X-Rays even tho the ones I brought from my doctor are less than one hour old.

After a complete examination and questions etc. that my own doctor had already done, the new people will send me home with a prescription for whatever...all the things my own doctor could have done with less time and bother to me . I think the HMO business was conjured up to make business for more doctors and hospitals. I miss the good old days when a visit to the doctor was just that, a visit to the doctor's office, and exam, meds or not as required and outta there in less than a half a day. Guess that's why I tell Linda, " no don't make an appointment for me for I'm better today".

My best doctor's visits were to the doctor I used to go to for my annual flight physical . I just loved him...his office attire was Levi's, a western style shirt and cowboy boots. I told him he reminded him of the song by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, " Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Make them be doctors and lawyers such". He was a hang loose type of doctor that got the job done and his word was final, no sending me to here and there and all over the place for someone else to double check his findings.

Till next time.
Marion Springer