Come What May: I'd trust my life to them...

This is an old picture of Pal pretending to palpate - just like Dad. I love it. I don't have a picture of Justin and Cache, but one of my favorite memories is finding a young, 4 year old Cache and 5 year old Justin mimicking Bert by playing veterinarian. The boys were in their bedroom one day with a syringe, a towel, a band-aid, and a rocking horse. Only they weren't rocking, and to my knowledge they never did. The only thing that horse was ever used for was to practice their doctoring skills. I came into the room that day and asked, "So, did you fix him?" Justin turned, pretended to pull his arm out from under the tail, and said sadly, "Nope, we killed him. Just like Dad." It still makes me laugh, but in Bert's defense, he was newly graduated.

I knew last week that this popular game had been revived (pardon the pun) when the kids came to me and asked if they could make a trip to the dollar store. They were looking to find a stuffed animal. The rocking horse is long gone. I informed them that if, instead, we went to the goodwill, they would find a much larger assortment for an even greater price (and maybe, if they were lucky, one truly infected...).

They were thrilled with their .25 cent bargains. Here is their waiting room. From left to right we have a case of: fluid on the brain, face lift, bad eye, tummy tuck, and heart surgery.