Athletics: Observations of a casual fan 
Like most American men, I have followed sports all my life. I played most of the team games in high school, some better than others. I carried over that interest in sports to college – interest, not participation.

Did Jesus like blueberries? Apparently not
I grow blackberries. I propagated the vines from a single plant, a gift from a nephew. Eventually I had vines enough to produce about 10 gallons of fresh berries every summer. That was about three times the amount we could eat, give away or freeze. The leftovers eventually went into blackberry syrup.

Wintry weather will give way to spring tornadoes 
It’s cold and wintry now but spring is not very far away. And spring brings the likelihood of storms. Tornadoes often threaten and occasionally touch down in our area. I have not experienced a tornado first-hand but there have been two that impacted my life.

Working on Christmas never a chore

I never minded working on Christmas. It was such a change from the days leading up to the big day. The few weeks before Christmas were always hectic. Our waiting room and appointment book were overflowing. Pleas and even a few demands for the “pink medicine” echoed throughout the office. Everyone wanted their child well for Christmas.

First Christmas together spent poor and happy

It was our first Christmas away from either side of our family. Carolyn and I and our infant son had moved to Philadelphia for my second year of pediatric residency. We had to adjust to living in a large city, in an Italian neighborhood where older residents spoke no English and in the northeast where speech patterns and food preferences were different. And we were poor. I made $75 a month. Our rent was $150. Our families helped out.

The worst of Days; the best of days
Pathology was almost finished. All that was left was the final. I had survived the absolute hardest course in my second year of medical school. Some said it was the hardest two semesters of the entire four years. Few would disagree.

My first night at Grandma & Grandpa’s house in Oklahoma
From time to time I will reach back into my childhood for my column. This one is one of my first vivid memories.
August was a special time. The time we went to Oklahoma to spend two weeks at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. My first memory of those visits was when I was 5 years old.
Grandma and Grandpa’s house had three bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, dining room and kitchen — the usual arrangement of houses built in the 1920s. Unlike most houses, it had a bonus room – a “Florida” room.

Some job interviews tougher than others

We needed help. The three of us in our pediatric practice had become so busy that a fourth doctor was our only solution for surviving the upcoming winter’s crush of sick children.
We talked with several Vandy faculty members and it seemed that Rich was the best candidate from that excellent pediatric training program.