Admissions or Not?

Friday night/ Saturday morning found the RRR once more trekking into the Big City to begin his 5 night stretch on the Adolescent Psych unit. But first we must turn the clock back to Friday morning when Mrs. RRR left for work at "Oh Dark Hundred". I added the moisture cover to the heating pad and placed it over the affected liver and napped in the recliner. At 0545 the County Psych Ward called and asked me to work day shift there, but facing an 11-7 later declined the honor. This was the day two things HAD to happen. Mrs. RRR's little red Metro had to become completely roadworthy and the brush mower had to be mounted on Helen Wheels, the ancient H Farmall. But first...

I made myself a low carb breakfast, fried eggs and cheese with a slice of homemade bread to soak up the excess grease, then 3 raw carrots dipped in Blue Cheese dressing and a large glass of milk. (The 1956 Merck manual suggests a quart of milk a day for cirrhosis patients.) Then put away the clean dishes from the dishwasher and wash the ones just used, and then out to work.

The Metro wasn't too bad, adjustment of the wipers so they cleaned the windshield and not the cowling. Hazard of installing a "new" wiper motor. Then down to take the snow blade off Helen. My procrastination harmed me. Stinging Nettles had grown up through and around my home fashioned 3 point hitch. So I dug out the Ryobi string trimmer and started cutting nettles and hit the frame of the blade with the power head and with the nettles only half gone had the trimmer lying on the ground in pieces. "If you must pull a nettle, Grasp it like a man of mettle." Yeah, right. I tramped them flat and lay boards over them. Smashed my hand only once when the wrench slipped. But at last had the snow blade unhooked and drove up to the shop in triumph. Then it was time for spring cleaning... er, maintenance. Winter oil out, summer oil in. Other fluid levels topped off. The battered old air compressor wheezed to life and eventually managed to pump up all the tractor tires. Then hook up mower, grease and maintain IT and at long last cut the knee high weeds along the lane just as Mrs. RRR came home. Then cut the "hay" on the South 4. When I was a farmer boy, everybody had a South 40. We have a South 4.

Then in for Mrs. RRR's superlative lunch including the world's finest homemade sauerkraut. We had devotions, Oswald Chambers' reading for May 20th being awe inspiring and at last to drive in. Here the multiple admissions faded away as rare common sense prevailed here (the patient belonged in jail, not the hospital) and parental control exerted itself at an outlying hospital. I find myself now at 0230 actually ready to start the work I should have begun at 2330.

And to all a good night.