tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141668912011-06-07T23:17:00.073-07:00Musings on family life, folklife, medicine, and belief.ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.comBlogger131100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1161108722283555522006-10-17T11:04:00.000-07:002006-10-17T11:16:50.160-07:00

When the weather turns cold, my rings start spinning on my fingers. They slide around between the base of my finger and my knuckles, and if I’m not careful, they slip all the way off. Two years ago, I lost the sapphire ring Blain designed for me. I cried when I realized it wasn’t on my hand, and I still haven’t found it. Last year I lost my platinum band in a bag of leaves; I was raking without

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1161108217881496512006-10-17T10:59:00.000-07:002006-10-17T11:03:37.973-07:00

What a difference a month makes. Turns out I was flat-out, dead wrong. We have, apparently, five *hens* who are uncommonly fertile. At least two of them regularly lay two eggs a day, and hence, we now have a refrigerator overflowing with beautiful brown eggs. I think I'll make crepes this afternoon. I'll find a podcast or two to listen to while I stand there, using up my eggs.

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1157480690181101702006-09-05T11:20:00.000-07:002006-09-05T11:29:38.046-07:00

Well, those cute fluffy chicks grew up. And it looks like we’ve gotten 5 for 5. Roosters, that is. We’ve been checking and hoping and waiting for any signs of hennyness, but no. They’re old enough to lay eggs now, and we’ve had several visitors who’ve raised chickens say, Those sure look like roosters to me. I think they’re not full enough in the breast, and their combs are pretty big, and yeah,

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1131319954623890262006-07-03T22:09:00.000-07:002006-07-03T21:45:32.033-07:00

My daughter, K---, has become a good reader. And she has discovered that you can change the settings on a DVD movie so that it becomes subtitled. Of course, she doesn't read any languages other than English, so she likes to put on English subtitles with some other spoken language.She has been watching The Sound of Music lately, with the audio in French. I actually have never watched a dubbed

Blainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700225117087582452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1143327796450942432006-03-25T15:00:00.000-08:002006-03-25T15:03:16.453-08:00

Our family's foray into the world of pets has been creeping and cautious. When our oldest daughter was four, I bought her two goldfish, which we kept in a small fishbowl and which she named Mary and Joseph . Two days later, Mary was belly up on the water; Joseph followed a day after that. We weren't sure why they died so soon, but our daughter didn't seem terribly upset, only dismayed and

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1129439747414288792005-10-15T21:49:00.000-07:002005-10-15T22:15:47.420-07:00

I was looking at a blog entry over on Bloggernacle Times about cognitive-enhancing drugs. You can read my comment about it.It got me to thinking about a physician's role to discern disease state. Although less-progressive folks might still question whether things like depression or ADHD qualify as disease states, I think that most people would agree that they do. The question is whether or not

Blainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700225117087582452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1129243310554446492005-10-13T15:25:00.000-07:002006-09-05T11:54:01.716-07:00

So we're long back from Paris, which was wonderful and stressful and expensive and stimulating--and I very much got out of the habit of writing, once home. I wrote a little bit while we were there, and this is one of those jotted-down entries in my much-loved Moleskine notebook:Sept. 19, 2005In a Chinese cafe tonight, a man sat alone, reading the paper and eating his dinner. He was seated a few

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1124491160969449262005-08-19T15:22:00.000-07:002005-08-19T15:41:35.246-07:00

One of the things I find remarkable about this rural place is the number of people who can. It's not just an old-lady, depression-era generation thing; everyone cans. Part of it, I'm sure, is the sheer bounty of fruit in this fruit-growing region. (And vegetables, in the form of tomatoes and zucchini!) People have given us bags of zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes, boxes of plums and apricots,

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1122512673256147452005-07-26T21:58:00.000-07:002005-07-27T18:21:51.546-07:00

I spend most of my time feeling pretty tired. Fatigue is my constant companion. Even at those times when I think that I'm not fatigued, I have only to close my eyes for a second and then I realize that I'm mistaken. It has become a way of seeing life, I think. There are just degrees of tiredness. One day I'm extremely tired; the next, not so much so; the next only slightly fatigued; and the next,

Blainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700225117087582452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1122267594982426612005-07-24T21:27:00.000-07:002005-07-24T22:17:53.223-07:00

Tonight with our children we watched The Secret of Roan Inish, which is a hauntingly beautiful tale. The telling of family stories--their personal folklore--plays a central role in the film; the main character, Fiona, comes to know who she is through her family's stories.Coincidentally, I read Holes this last week, a story with an entirely different tone and setting, and yet one that rests just

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1121215454030823262005-07-12T16:11:00.000-07:002005-07-12T21:32:55.466-07:00

The invitation came as a postcard in the mail, from a woman, L__, who I knew from church. Because she lives right down the street and because I like her, I RSVP'd that I'd come. My desire to be social and get to know other women here overcame my aversion to these parties that's made me avoid all other similar invitations in the past. But on Friday evening, the night of the party, I began to feel

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1120497583122340482005-07-04T09:39:00.000-07:002005-07-04T13:31:30.580-07:00

At some point, the idealism of one's youth falls away and the business of living begins. A man supporting his family in the traditional way must ask himself: have I used my intellect and work ethic to be compensated in a way I deserve?This question is coming up in regard to Blain practicing family medicine, working as hard as any physician, and being compensated at the bottom of the physician pay

ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15684226460734387752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14166891.post-1120434796181234462005-07-03T16:53:00.000-07:002005-07-03T16:53:16.183-07:00

Here's to our new collaborative effort!

Blainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700225117087582452noreply@blogger.com2