Ol' Doc Thompson

As I have said before - I am a city girl. But my family on both sides are what you would call country folk. OK so they aren't but their families are. My father's family is in Iowa. That really small town I have blogged about before called Oakland. (Yeah I know every state has their own Oakland.)

Farming is the main (only) business there. All other businesses support farming. My cousins have all farmed. That's what guys do there. Either they farm their own farms and/or hire out to other farms. Well my cousin Jim was no exception. One summer I went back to stay with my Aunt and Uncle and meet my cousin's new fiance. I was about 12 or 13 years old. I had such a great time. 

We were hanging out one day. My cousin Nettie and my soon to be cousin Joyce. We decided to go horseback riding as Joyce had 3 horses. But their was a problem. There was only 2 saddles. She asked me if I could ride a horse. So here I am trying to look like I know what I am doing but in actuality had absolutely no idea what so ever. I thought how hard can this be? I've see how many episodes of Bonanza and it looked easy. Heck I can do that. People have ridden horses for eons - I can do that. So I said Sure I can ride. Pffft. 

My cousin Nettie said she wanted a saddle for sure. Joyce wanted the saddle so I get the horse without the saddle. I am riding bareback now. Just getting on the horse without looking like a utter complete idiot was worth an Oscar in my book. But I did it - somehow. So off we rode for a while through some really dry grass and not hardly any trees. Bear in mind that it was about 104 degrees out. Ok it was 95 but it was HOT. So after about an hour or so we were really feeling it. 

We stopped to figure out what we were going to do next. We knew we were going to the demolition derby that evening but should be go back now or what. We were really excited about going to see the cars bang up against each other. It was the most excitement the town had seen since the 4th of July parade. 

Well as luck would have it there was a clump of trees not too far away. But being the know-nothing kids that we were, we were talking in the middle of field in the hot sun. Well my horse had had enough of this. He saw that shade and decided to make a line straight for that shade. Problem was he didn't bother to tell me about his plans. I was already leaning to one side talking with my cousin when off the horse went. Well, then off I went. 

I remember seeing the ground get bigger and bigger. Just like in the cartoons. I put my hand out to break my fall and didn't know any better to just bounce and roll with it, but instead tried to be strong and just land my feet. I ended up landing on my hand which then broke my arm and then my face met the ground with force. I ended up with a mouth full of dirt and a pretty good cut on my lip from my braces. Can we say ouch and not very lady like!

So I get myself up, embarrassed as all heck and realize my arm doesn't work. Joyce took me back to my Aunt's house where we figured it's time to see the doctor. But the regular doctor was out of town that weekend, of course, it's my luck.  Therefore, I had to go to the retired doctor instead. Ol' Doc Thompson. The same doctor that delivered my dad.

Bear in mind that I have heard story after story from my own father along with my uncle about Ol' Doc Thompson. How he used to scare all the kids with stories and threatening them with the skeleton in the closet if they didn't behave. 

So off we go to Doc Thompson's house. He is 84 years old at this point. As we went over to his house we were met by his wife with such a warm smile that I didn't even notice my arm. Then Doc Thompson came out and said "So this is Charcoal Eddie's daughter."  My dad's name is Charles Edward - you get the drift. He was always dirty as a kid.  

We are ushered into this office that I imagine saw many a patient (including my dad and all his friends at one time or another) and I sit there. He examines my arm, and does the all encompassing "Hmmmm" and "well, let's see what we have here" and more of the "hmmmmmm". He actually looked at me over his glasses. I felt like I was in an episode of Little House on the Prairie.

I don't have a broken arm but torn ligaments. It still needs a cast so he gets the plaster ready for the cast. But here's the deal. He is 84 years old. He moves like an 84 year old. One speed - SLOW. When I inquired how long this would take to get the cast he informed me that if I argued any more he would bring out his skeleton he had in the closet. My mouth was hanging open that he actually thought that would work. But evidently it did since I pretty much kept quiet from then on. I did chuckle to myself from time to time that he actually had a skeleton in the closet just like my dad said he did. Heh heh. 

Now it's all done and we are leaving. It was daylight when we walked in and it was evening when we walked out  - - - three hours later!  We missed the demolition derby too. I was so bummed about that. But hey I had a cast to show for it. 

Calling Mom and Dad was another story though. I let my Aunt do that one. That's what adults do. Right?!