Doctor retires, and I'm considering it, too

Tomorrow is a bittersweet day.

My doctor is retiring. I know. ... Why would anyone be bothered by not having their doctor in their lives anymore?

He's the best. Dr. Madison practices in Sioux Falls, and he has delivered the last six of our kids. I told him that when he retires, I will, too.

But, I do know where his cabin is (he told us), and I suppose if child No. 10 came along, Ron and I could just "be in the nieghborhood" with the cattle ultrasounder. ... We could make an appointment out of that. Nothing wrong with a little resourcefulness.

I fear change; can you tell? I don't want to switch doctors!

Before I say anything else, I'd like to clarify something. Although I have used the ultrasound machine from the veterinarian, it doesn't mean you should do this yourself. Always plan regular doctor visits. There. ... That's my disclaimer.

I also am hoping my veterinarian doesn't read this, by the way.

Anyway, my best friend is a vet tech, and her and I have checked our babies before when we've been wondering about something. Our conversation goes something like this: "Hey, haven't felt the baby moving all day. Bring home the machine, and lets check it out."

Hey, it saves on a co-pay.

Back to my doctor and a little bit of why I think my doctor is the bees knees:

--He grew up on a farm near the Luverne/Pipestone area and wanted to be in obstetrics because he --helped deliver all the farm babies and just knew that was his career path. How cool is that?

He was a military doctor, and I believe he did obstectrics there, too.

--He can remember what had been going on on our farm from our previous conversation — be it a week, a month or a year.

--He can put up with me. He deserves a medal.

--He's into vineyards and wine, as am I. That's probably why he can put up with me. ... I'm thinking that he may have to have a drink before dealing with yours truly. I'll be the first to tell you, I'm probably not the best person while I'm in labor. To be honest I'm not easy to deal with during the whole pregnancy, especially if it's hot outside.

--He's extremely caring and just one heck of a nice guy who is compassionate about his job. You just don't see that much anymore.

So with that said, I sure hope he has a great retirement. I don't think of retiring as the end of the line but a new beginning. Think of all those things a person can do. After all, it's 100 percent your time. Here's to hoping Mr. Madison, as well as everyone who is retiring, takes time to travel, enjoy a hobby or two or just relax. It's well deserved.

Make sure you tell that special person who has a great influence on you, such as the one Dr. Madison has had on me, that you think they are the bees knees and how important they are to you. People need to hear that. After all, I know he is "just" my doctor, but I always walk away from him thinking, "How I can be a better person who works hard yet cares about others," and "How I can definitely use that mentality in my ag career as I teach people about the aspects of farming?"

But again, between his vacation home and the vet, if I have another baby, I'm covered. Whew!

Until next week. Fairchild Farmgirl.