PEDIATRICIANS, HAILSTORMS AND VIOLINS

yesterday morning (wednesday) i was watching willard scott do the birthdays of those 100 and over, and just as i stepped into the bathroom, i heard a name that sounded familiar. Dr. Leila Denmark. now, why is this a special name? well, you see, first of all, the woman was 111 years old yesterday. and...........she was my pediatrician. yep, MY PEDIATRICIAN. they announced her name on a nationally syndicated morning show, and she WAS MY PEDIATRICIAN. and she resides in a small town about 10 miles from here. to make this more amazing, about 20 years ago i was in a opthamologist's office in atlanta and i saw a door on my way in that said "Dr. Regina Gabler, OBGYN. Dr. Gabler had been my mother's OBGYN back when i was born in 1954 and was still in practice. i haven't checked lately to see if she is still practicing. the picture they showed on tv of Dr. Denmark showed a woman who was old, but earned every wrinkle by taking care of sick children for nearly 75 years. i was just so elated to see she was still alive.

Leila : The Life, Accomplishments, and Philosophy of Dr. Denmark : The Story of an 89 Year Old Pediatrician Who Is Still Practicing Medicine
Starring: Leila Denmark Format: VHS

(this was published 22 years ago)

we had the most amazing thunder/hailstorm last night. it was so intense it even brought the downstairs neighbor and me together. i heard the tornado warning sirens downtown. there were 2 of them. one at 6 pm and another 15 minutes later. i knew what was coming next. about 3 minutes after the last siren, the hail started. it pelted the window air-conditioner and the windows, as well as the tin roof. i walked into the kitchen to get something to drink when the wind started blowing sideways. there is already a crack across the lower portion of the window above my kitchen sink, and i was afraid it was going to blow right out into the middle of the floor and hit me. it leaked, but never broke again. the lightning was bright and seemed to be right over the house. i looked downstairs to the front door and there stood my downstairs neighbor. i walked down and we went out on the porch and watched the rain, the wind, the hail, the lightning. after the storm ended we could smell the broken evergreens nearby. the scent of pine needles and sap was amazing. i just soaked up the smell. i also caught the scent of something else. burning wiring. it was coming out of the neighbor's apartment. i went in and checked it out, but nothing. we went back to our own units and that was that. i hate i didn't have my camera with me. the sky was pitch black within seconds of the beginning of the storm, but there was one cloud that hovered over the church across the street from us. the lightning made the cloud dance. it was as if the cloud was a scrim and the lightning a disco light going off behind it. it was a amazing. the picture below was taken by someone living in Fayetteville, about 15 miles to my west. see how big the hail was there?



i would also like to take this opportunity to thank one of my friends, nelishia, for getting me hooked on freecycle. today i picked up a really nice white wood bathroom cabinet that i plan on using in my kitchen, as well as a unique and beautiful amber colored all glass violin lamp. it is exactly like the one pictured below. i haven't purchased a bulb for mine yet, but it is the same as this one.



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