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Day 9 in Shingra-La

I'm free, I'm FREE!

Took my very last Prednisone this morning so I am free of the pill-popping.

The Shingles made me feel sickish. The anti-viral made me feel punk. And the Prednisone made me feel kind of "blown-up," as in, "balloony."

Now I'm looking forward to a bit more of the ol' vim. My back is still achy underneath the numbness, but not as distracting as before.

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On the visit front, Nancy took Carolyn and the boys over to Prairie Bridges Park yesterday, where they introduced her to the trails and most particularly a little creek where they sometimes go wading. I understand they well nigh came near to changing the flow of the stream.

My little engineers.

After that, thanks to Mom and Nancy's generosity, we enjoyed Casey's Pizza for supper!

The cheese, it FILLS us.

(currently, Ethan and Aunt Nancy are out on a bike ride. Guess Ethan found himself a willing adult for his excursions!)

Mom didn't go along to the park yesterday. She was catching up on rest from all the excitement of the trip. I'm afraid we don't have the greatest bed in the guestroom, but she did have a substantial nap yesterday afternoon.

I also got the preliminary curriculum scribbled down for the fall, and suddenly realized I had skipped over a science book Ethan was supposed to have last year.

He's just starting high school and I've already messed up his transcript! You'd think Ma would stop making some of these stupid mistakes. Can't even blame it on the medication, since it happened last summer :-(

On the weed front, weeds have pretty much taken over, what with staying inside during the hot spell, falling ill and then getting ready for visitors.

But there is one thing about weeds: they won't be running away anytime soon. Perhaps later this weekend.

Speaking of which...it's Saturday and we are expecting a few more visitors :-)

Ardith and Justin are driving up, and quite possibly Kendra. A little visitin' with Grandma and some noshing of the vegetables. Looks like some of Ethan and Trevor's sweet corn is ready....Yummo! A few beets and plenty of green beans.

Now, to go out and pick the cole slaw...
 

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Visitors From Out Indianaway

Ok...I guess "Indianaway" doesn't have quite the zing of "Ioway," but I gave it a try.

My mom and my sister Nancy arrived around 5;45pm and had a good, if tiring, trip. Stopped in Kalona, where Mom got to visit with some relatives she hadn't seen since the age of 10, I think,(wow), and then up here with no problems, thanks to Ma's excellent directions:

"...go till you get to the second forked tree....not a low fork, but one high up in the trunk, curving slightly to the right...then it's three fence posts after that tree and you turn..."

Well, it wasn't quite like that. I even remembered the proper road numbers this time.

After supper I hit the treadmill and had the kids watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show for the first time in their life. They started watching The Dick Van Dyke Show but I had them switch to a Bill Nye video (I can monitor the TV broadcast downstairs, while I tread). It doesn't happen often, but even the old shows can hit a topic that's not the best for young kids.

The funny thing was, Jerry Van Dyke was guest starring on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

I'm just going to have to stop and ponder the ramifications of that...

Nancy has already played (and beaten) two of the kids at chess, as well as survived a tour of the boys' room. There were some words concerning potential "booby traps" before the tour, but she seems none the worse for wear so I guess Nolan was just talking big :-)

We started Nolan's birthday book, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, for bedtime reading. I was pleasantly surprised.

I may have to employ a few of her tactics...
 

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The Hotness Continues

Well, it's not quite as bad as a week ago, but still plenty drippy when you are mowing!

Ethan and I went out for a hour before lunch and man...you may as well be mowing underwater, you get so wet. But that is life in good ol' Iowa.

Speaking of the Hawkeye state, we are getting it ready for visitors! Our little part, anyway.

My sister will be driving my Mom out from Indiana on Thursday, so we're cleaning and mowing and trying to hide sort a few things that I've been ignoring. Glad the weather has moderated a tad, though it will still be warm and muggy. What can you expect for the end of July, eh? So thankful we have air conditioning. And fans for the slightly warm bedrooms.

Speaking of yard work, we haven't mowed as often. And all the sultry weather has it growing like weeds.

Even the parts that aren't weedy are growing like weeds.

Caterpillar Update: Stripey has gone to Chrysalis!

He was hanging and and the white stripes were turning green, then Trevor saw him wiggling and wiggling...
...and you see the process almost completed, with a few faint stripes up near the top.

This is the first time we have witnessed this precise part of metamorphoses. Usually we get up in the morning and...."BING"...there is the chrysalis. Very cool for the kids to see :-)

One of the little babies survived and has already molted. Trevor named him "Polka-dots." Is that adorable, or what?

The kitchen simply oozes with expectancy.

Also in preparation: Family Camp, coming up August 3-7. Should be a busy, but fun, though busy and maybe hot, but certainly a busy, time.

And then, that little matter of making out the kids' homeschool registration and subjects/courses lists...if nothing else, I can get that done after Melinda leaves for college.

Day 6 in Shingra-La: The pain is not as annoying. I took a pillow to my 2-hr continuing education class last night, and sitting wasn't as bad as in church on Sunday. Think we're making progress.

Tomorrow I get down to 1 prednisone pill per day, but what I am really looking forward to is being done with the Acyclovir. I just don't feel right. Sometimes I can't remember a word I wanted to say, or the wrong word comes out...actually, that's pretty much what's been going on all the time....so strike th...whatever it was I was saying...just....take the necessary measures.

There are numb patches on my back but hey, it's not like I'm going to be typing or playing the piano with that part of my body, so I guess that doesn't matter. Maybe it will subside.

How fortunate I can still feel the hot flushing from irritating hormones.
 

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Day 4 in Shingra-La

Yesterday was not so hot, in that it's difficult to find a comfortable way to sit in church for approximately 2.5 hours. Add the 1 hour of combined driving and you certainly look forward to a nap in the afternoon.

It's not always easy to sleep, but after extended periods of not leaning against your back, simply laying down is restful.

This morning I woke up and almost felt good for a bit. All this taking the pills with food is messing with my exercising on an empty stomach, but oh well. And you definitely, DEFINITELY do not want to taste the prednisone pills! Very bitter.

Not that much got done by me, today, other than taking Nolan and Trevor out for their promised "shopping with Mommy and stopping at McDonald's, summer treat."

We had a good time. After we got the food to our table and they'd started eating, Trevor leaned back in his seat and said, "Ah...this is bliss!"

They thanked me several times and told me what a wonderful Mom I was which naturally leads one to ponder that immortal question, "How did bribery ever get such a bad reputation?

A greasy slope is the way to a boy's heart.

Speaking of the boys, they are going to have their work cut out for them, as far as tending caterpillars.

Nolan found another fair-sized one yesterday, and when he went out for more milkweed leaves this morning, came back with this:

Yes, it is a gold mine of monarch eggs!


Now we can truly watch them from the first stage to last.

I think there are 12 on this leaf and there was one on the other....maybe another one or two to hatch out? We'll see.

Two ice cream buckets may be necessary to house all the little one critters.

And speaking of strange animals, I posted a picture (on Facebook) that I thought was a baby owl peeking out of a pine tree....

WELL, I just might have been mistaken. And Justin-the-son-in-law was pretty stinkin' close with his "hypnotoad" comment.

Because a week or two later, this is what we saw...


I still stay the first picture looked like a baby owl. But one cannot deny that this latest photo shows either a tree frog or toad.

I'll let others decide.
 

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Day Two in Shingra-La

I guess they weren't kidding when they said Prednisone ramps you up, a tad. I got a lot done today, despite oversleeping just a bit, thanks to a storm rolling in around 3am.

Also had trouble going to sleep, but that was because my first dose was around 2pm.

ANYWAY, all exciting med details aside, I got the kids to clean their bathrooms, a usual Saturday chore. Then something quite amazing: I cleaned the master bath, with had been neglected...*cough*...for about 2 weeks a while.

The tricky part is getting in five doses of the anti-viral, every 4 hours. I stay up late, so that helps, and I'm fudging a bit by cutting off 15 minutes here and there.

I discovered you don't feel any better by sitting around the house, so I went out and mowed for a total of 3 hours. It was very humid! But I find you don't notice the hot flashes as much.

Let's hear it for high heat indices! (not to mention cool plurals)

Ethan and Carolyn helped me with the mowing, as did Nolan. Nolan even volunteered for a second stint, which is slightly amazing. I was glad to let him, since he did a pretty good job on his first square.

Not as great the second time around, but at least he got an extra helping of Gatorade, which is why he was willing to mow in the first place :-D

The kids have been very helpful today. Ethan made the entire main dish for supper and they have been at near-best behavior so as not to stress out Ma.

And I don't think the Prednisone has made me grouchy, like the pharmacist warned. In fact, Loren mentioned not long ago that he was "thinking of calling the men in white coats..."

"Why? I haven't yelled at all today...(hardly)."

"I know. That's what's scarin' me."

Hmmph. I do notice a funny feeling in my head, but that's probably just due to growing more brains in my old age.

As long as I don't have to sit for a long time, I'm OK. Keeps me off the computer a bit and I even swept three rooms, the stairway, and washed the kitchen floor.

And cleaned off some counters in the kitchen.

Now I'm getting scared...
 

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When is a Backache Not Just a Backache?

When it's Shingles.

Really. I can't say when I've been so excited. And by that I mean, "Thank God I am not going nuts, I've just got Herpes zoster!"

It's the cool version of chicken pox.

I noticed a bit of back pain last week and thought, "Hmmm. I really need to stick a board under this sagging mattress."

The pain didn't go away and we had the church picnic where we sat on hard wooden benches...it got a little worse and I thought, "Man, we have got to get some of those canvas camping chairs, next time!"

Still, it was mostly just annoying and then I got these tingly, burny sensations on my back. I thought to myself, "Maybe it's time to have that stupid, large mole hacked off."

I had Loren take a peek and he said, "Yeah, you probably ought to have someone look at that. There's another one, too..."

(I had the large mole checked 12 years ago, and then again, 5 years ago)

So I made an appointment with the same PA who told me to get new shoes for my sore feet (I figured maybe she would tell me I needed a whole new wardrobe, this time). Meanwhile, the needle-y pain/itch/ache had spread to my rib cage, and I notice a couple of "bug bites." I wondered if anyone would think I was nuts were I to describe the pain as radiating out and around, under the innocuous-looking red spots.

Now the back thing is really starting to bother me. Loren and I go out to a movie on Thursday night and it is next to impossible to find a comfortable sitting position, despite traveling in the luxurious 1989 Toyota with the broken air conditioning.

On the way home, the idea of "Shingles" pops into my head and I thought, "Nahhh. Only 'old' people get that!"

Waking up this morning I realized I did, indeed, feel icky. Sorta sick-like. And thought to myself, "I wonder if this has anything to do with wanting to take naps all the time?"

So the nice PA listened to my symptoms and looked at my back and said right away, "You know, this looks like Shingles, and shingles is often brought on by stress. Have you been under any stress, lately?

*sounds of maniacal laughter*

"Yes, this looks exactly like Shingles....I'll be right back. I need to go get my script pad."

"You mean, I am not going crazy?"

"No, you are not going crazy. You need medicine."

"You mean, this will make me feel better?"

"Yes! Although, it works best if treated within 24 hours of symptoms. You may have residual pain....(blah, blah, blah)...I'll need to see you back in 2 or 3 weeks."

Whew!

Then I wasted 20 minutes while they tried to run my insurance card through at the pharmacy next to the clinic.

After which I ran all the way over to our home pharmacy, 25 minutes away, to get the meds (stopping first to chat with Liz Currier at "Got You Covered," since I was in the vicinity :-)

FINALLY I could beat it for home, that home which I had tried to call umpteen times and where the phone was slightly off the hook....("serenity now...serenity now...")

Can you imagine? Perfectly calm Ma in her perfectly calm world, coming down with something associated with stress.

As I told the ladies at the pharmacy, "What took it so long?"
 

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Pine Lake

First swim of the 2011 season. I am starting to feel too old for this!

Course, it was pretty hot, today.

How hot was it?

It was so hot, I couldn't get my computer to work to go online to see how hot it was.

Seemed like a good opportunity to visit the cooling waters of Pine Lake, however.

Trevor has his color coordinated water wings and swim ring.


Ma spent most of time parked in the shade on a lawn chair, listening to the oldies station, sipping Diet Coke, and popping Almond M&M's. It's a Pine Lake tradition that may not be repeated. I finally got around to reading the caloric content after I'd almost finished the bag. It was enough for a day! Oh well, I can always get serious about cutting back, tomorrow, ha ha.

After a couple of hours, we took a little walk along the lake, where Nolan and Trevor followed the age-old call to throw stones.



Don't think I can take doing a bunch of pictures, tonight. They didn't turn out too great and besides, my back is annoying me. It wants to go lay down on the couch and watch TV.

It will still hurt, but at least it gets to watch TV until the over-the-counter meds kick in.
 

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Allison Bible Church Picnic 2011

Probably one of the hottest church picnics on record. Heat advisory and surprise rain shower, which only seemed to make things hotter.

Caleb DeFord put in an appearance. As did his leg.


Stephen Kruse, demonstrating what a good idea it was to play catch.


Water art, by Trevor.


I would let these guys defend me, any day!
The Bell boys strut their stuff with borrowed duct-tape-reinforced Lego swords, from the Hoyts.

Does this riverfront make me look fat?
I don't like this picture, but it man-oh-man, did it feel super to stick my steaming hot legs into the cool river!

Oh course, there was the obligatory water fight.


But even crazy-energetic kids had to rest, once in a while.


A highlight for Ethan was taking a ride with Ezra on Steve Bell's jet ski.


The park in Greene was nice, but the weather was ex-TREME-ly hot. I didn't realize you could almost fall asleep sitting on hard, wooden benches.

Trevor left his beloved bracelets in the grass, but no one was hurt, and no one melted, though I daresay we were pretty close to evaporating, once or twice.
 

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'Twere a Fair Day

Went to the Franklin Co. Fair, which I have to say is tons better than the Butler Co. Fair, but...oh well.

One of the neat things is to walk down a replica of old-time Main Street.

The blacksmith shop is always a favorite stop.


As is the Sheriff's Office. This particular "jail," little more than a cage, really, was used up until 1960.

For a few short moments today, the world was safe.



Oh yeah, Trevor...I'm sure that's what they did when incarcerated.


We indulged in the fair's famous homemade ice cream. Out back, they have four canisters, all spun...


...by tractor power :-)


We walked through the historical building and something caught my eye this time around (pardon the pun).
No really, something seemed odd. After I pulled up the pictures, I realized the guy who invented the plastic eye was a dentist. So I looked him up and there's an interesting blurb about Dr. Wirtz, here.

For $.50 you can get a "train ride," which is really a frame stuck over-top of a tractor mower :-D
I looked at the numbers and right away I thought, "Hey, if you turn all those upside down, you'd get '666' !" (years of Dispensationalism have taken their toll)

Posed shot (for some reason Carolyn and Ethan didn't go...).
And I must be getting old, since it seemed bumpier than last time.

There's this guy who dresses up geese and wanders around the fairgrounds off and on, during the day. I don't think eccentric would be too strong a word. And of course, the goose packing a gun caught my eye.


Well that is enough. My back aches and I missed my afternoon nap.

Hoping for a fairly normal day, tomorrow.
 

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Catchin' Up

On sleep. Think I'm almost there :-)

It would help if the sun didn't come up so early.

Seems like a slow day. Did some schoolish things with the boys...took two naps...went on the treadmill for 5 miles and plan to get in another 4 or so, later tonight.

Also picked enough raspberries to make a nice syrup for pancakes. Syrup that was totally wasted on my philistine sons who only ate one pancake each, with regular syrup because:

a) they don't like raspberry syrup

b) they don't like pancakes

I imagine if I had used store-bought syrup and store-bought pancake mix, they might have enjoyed more of the meal.

No one said living with barbarians would be easy.
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Looks like we'll be heading out to the Franklin County Fair, tomorrow afternoon. It's one of the best around, with an old-time main street (blacksmith shop, barbershop, jail, old bank, etc.) and really great homemade ice cream, stirred by tractor power.

They know how to do stuff, in Iowa. Sometimes it looks a little weird, but it tastes, OH, SO GOOD!

I'll try and get some pictures in-between all the hot flashes. These sudden heat attacks are getting to be rather annoying, but cold cereal with milk, and ice cream seem to help, ha ha.
 

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Iowa Storms

Wow. So tired! But we made it down to Iowa City for Carolyn's check-up. No surprises and she was sent home with a 48-hour Holter monitor, which she absolutely loves (not!).

Tired because there was very little sleep for this ol' Ma, last night and this morning.

I can usually handle the occasional hot flash. Or some achy joints. Or a touch of indigestion. Or twitchy limbs.

But all of the above, ensemble were a bit much, regarding sleep. So when I was finally semi-conked out around 4:00am, and groggily realized it was raining elephants and blowing, I barely batted an eyelash.

In fact, I was glad for the rain :-)

But I knew there would be heavy-duty Coke-drinking.

On the way down, we saw a few leftover remnants from the storm.

(taken while Carolyn steered and I snapped out the window)

Then we were trying to find a restroom, and at the second attempt I was miffed to find the Casey's General Store closed, with the large sign bent over. Moving on, I thought to myself how some of these places go out of business in small towns. Then we started seeing tree limbs broken off, and semis turned over...

The corn got flattened.



This is what happens when 130mph straight-line winds meet up with an empty semi.
The trailer was on the median, and the cab was across two lanes and dumped on the east side of the road.

(Carolyn took the last two photos on our way home)

Pretty big doin's, storm-wise. Here's an article that describes some of the damage and includes several videos.

Thankful no one was seriously hurt.

Last time Carolyn and I traveled to Iowa City, we drove home through the start of a blizzard.

Come January or July, it's good to be safe and sound, back at the Hoytstead.
 

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Summer Getaway!

Yes, you too can win a semiannual trip to Iowa City for someone's cardiology appointment!

Full of frills and chills!

Frills being a stop at Panera Bread for lunch!

Chills provided by the student driving of Carolyn B. Hoyt!

For your added excitement, no air conditioning in the car!

And waking up really early!

After an evening of very little sleep, thanks to hot flashes, fidgety legs, and indigestion!

Large quantities of Diet Coke recommended, assuring even more indigestion and exclamation points!
 

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The Chimneys Continue to Fade

Melinda has worked her way down to the kitchen floor in dismantling the second chimney. We have sheets rigged up to keep the plaster dust at bay, but there is still a fine coating over most everything in the kitchen and dining room.

Along with leftovers in the other rooms from the first chimney.

Oh yes....I'm supposed to make a meal for the Caleb DeFord family this weekend (he's the father of twins who broke his leg).

Hope they don't mind a little extra fiber, heh, heh.

The three boys have been kept fairly busy carrying out the bricks and the loose mortar. We have quite the nice brick stack accruing beside the dirt pile, and the white, powdery mortar is helping to fill in some low spots in the driveway.

I'll bet we could completely finish the drive if we just started taking out the house foundation...(I'm kidding).
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In other news, we've enjoyed having Derek here for most of this week, in part, for Loren to help with work on Derek's pickup.

Either tonight or tomorrow he'll be heading back to Cedar Rapids. Then it's off to Iowa City for another cardioversion.

Does this guy know how to have fun, or what?

Apparently, Derek's been in atrial fibrillation since last January. But he was so busy at school that they couldn't work out a plan at that time.

So, with the help of his trusty older brother, Jason, Derek will report in around noonish to get the ol' ticker shocked back into a normal rhythm.

(brief primer: atrial fibrillation is not a life-threatening rhythm, such as ventricular fibrillation. A-fib...and there are different types of a-fib...is when the upper chambers of the heart start to race or beat chaotically. It usually makes one feel more tired. And it's the kind of thing you don't want to persist indefinitely, since it can lead to a weakened heart if sustained over a long period of time)

More updates tomorrow, no doubt.

And now that the light is fading, Ma must go out and water her little trees and put her "little" boys to bed.
 

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The Days, They Pass So Quickly

Can't believe we're already into July!

Did a bit of ye olde summer schoole with Nolan and Trevor this morning, watered my trees and then, after it got appropriately hot, Ethan and I went out to mow.

Seemed warmer than 85 heat index, but we got enough done to look respectable in the front, on one side. There is no need to press it too hard. May as well spread out the work and get consistent exercise.

Man, does it feel good to be close to my right weight! And the workouts, whether mowing or on the treadmill, give you extra energy in the long run. I can keep at it out-of-doors better than last summer...hey, maybe I'm getting younger!

I'll tell you, watching this guy keeps me feeling chipper. The Eastern Kingbirds always seem to know a meal is forthcoming...
..."YUM! They're getting out the mowers...here come the bugs!"

Of course, once I got the camera out, Mr. Kingbird stopped snapping at moths and such. He did pose close by, however.

Trying to mow with a camera around my neck proved somewhat cumbersome. Naturally, as soon as I took the camera back in the house, it started catching insects again.

Also today, I decided it's been so dry that I should run in and water a few things at the Ackley Memorial garden, which I've adopted. I even had the foresight to take in one of our hoses, so I could hook that baby right up to the spigot on the shelter building.

Too bad whoever built the shelter did not have the foresight to use a size faucet compatible with our hose. Loren said it was probably industrial size, which is 1 inch.

Fortunately, I brought a couple buckets. Had to compulsively pull a few weeds first, however.

Ma's a weedin' fool :-D

So summer school and mowing and watering and treadmilling (6 miles) and throwing together a haphazard supper pretty much took up my day.

And I'm almost afraid to say this, but August is just around the corner...
 

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Catchin' Up

It'll never happen! But we keep trying, don't we...

Somewhat behind on posting but here are a few glimpses of 4th of July at the Hoytstead:

Jason, Derek and Kendra were here. Always good to have the older ones. Isn't funny how there seem to be more and more "older ones."

Of course there was some vying amongst the younger crew over who got to sit by whom at the table. It goes uncontested that Trevor has to be on one side of Jason.

But for the laws of physics, he'd be on both sides.

Despite a few gasps of shock from the kids, we decided to incorporate Kendra's birthday celebration into the festivities. Her birthday was last Thursday (June 30th) but she was slaving away at her classes in Des Moines.

Here she is opening up Trevor's present, while he dares anyone to make fun.


I decided to unload all the Fox Trot cartoon books.
It looked like cartoon heaven to Nolan, who immediately asked, twice, "Can I read one?"

Kendra was with me when I found the cache of books at Goodwill. After I discovered she liked that strip, I squirreled them away for most of a year, hoping she'd forget what she'd already read :-D

She may need them as occasional, light, diversion from her arduous studies.

Jason and Kendra had to go back to their respective abodes for work and study, but Derek is staying here for most of the week. He and Loren will work on Derek's pick up, and then Derek heads down to Iowa City to be cardioverted, again, as he's been a-fib for a while.

Towards dusk, we headed out to Iowa Falls for their fireworks display.


I call this, "Palm Trees."


It was a great show. Even Derek was suitably impressed.

Hope everyone else out there had a good 4th of July, as well.
 

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Summertime, Summertime..

It has sure felt like it, several days this week. But first, back to the previous Saturday, which is the last time we mowed.

The boys found a baby sparrow in the front yard.


It was completely adorable :-)
And we moved it to a safer location, though the parents were pretty frantic when I picked up their lil' darlin'.

Two days of heat advisory, this past week. Finally on Friday, we got out the sprinkler.
Nolan gets clean feet for the first time in nearly a week, while Trevor makes a few crucial adjustments to his swim goggles.

There were death-defying leaps!


And feats of gymnastic prowess!


And earlier this week, the field just south of our property was sprayed. I went out to check the wind direction since the boys were lugging out bricks that had been dismantled from the first chimney. It was blowing pretty straight, from west to east. I decided they would be OK.

However, there was enough fitful gustiness, that drift occurred.

I know this because I could smell it while sitting on the porch, putting on my work shoes. Still, I figured it was just the odor, right?

Wrong. Within a day, mysterious brown speckles began appearing on some plants in the garden. My cosmos flowers, all tall, bushy and soon ready to bud, turned brown.

Not everything is dying, but Carolyn's spaghetti squash plants, which had been producing flowers, began curling its (formerly green) leaves.

My second planting of beets, newly sprouted, look....well....beat.

Even some plants up next to the house have been affected.

But saddest of all (other than the flowers), my newest trees, only five of which had leafed out...my trees which I have tended with waterings nearly every night....my trees over which I've agonized (OK, that's a bit much, but still...) and rejoiced as two more recently showed signs of life....are in various stages of withering or dropping their leaves.

I can't say as I'm mad, just very disappointed and discouraged. Though I suppose the exercise invested in weeding and planting, etc. can still be considered good.

And I noticed the sprayed field of beans are turning brown, with mottled leaves, as well. Have to wonder if someone didn't spray too high a concentration?

Alas for the wounded plants.
 

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My (Kendra's) Way

(Start out reflectively and build to the end)

And now, the end is near,
Oh wait that's wrong...I've got two years, yet!
My friends, I'll say it clear,
Some day I hope, to drive a cor-vette.

But first, I have to learn,
To slow it down, along the byway.
I'll work, I'll study hard,
And do it MY....way.

Regrets, I've had a few,
But what's the point of telling others.
It on-ly gives more grist
For silly songs, written by Moth-er.

I wish, she weren't so hip,
So very cool, tan über blasé.
But still, I must press on,
And do it MY.....way.

{Big, full, chorus}

So--bring--me jaundice, strep, syncope,
I'll grab my bag, my stethoscope.
I love the thrill, drama and such,
Cadaver labs (well, not so much).
Show me disease,
And if you please,
I'll heal it MY....way.

{with a thoughtful, glittering tone}

My tools, bright shiny tools,
The scalpels which, I love so dearly,
Flash-light, blood pressure cuff,
It is the stuff, which makes them fear me,

But I, will be so kind,
That they won't mind...it when I poke them.
It's not the pay, but just to say,
I did it MY....way.

{BIG finish...let's hear it!}
For---what---is---a man, sinew and bone,
Some manganese, and H2O,
Iron and Lead, Sulfur and Zinc,
Aluminum, Cobalt (I think),
From time to time, it blows my mind, (but!)
I'll learn it SOME.....day.

{softly and reverently}
I'll be a “P--A”

apologies to Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra
 

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