Living the Life With Dr. Jim:
A Visit to Denver

Well, I do believe it’s time for another "Living the Life" update. This past weekend, we had the opportunity to visit the National Western Stock Show in Denver as some friends of ours were showing Highland calves they had purchased from us. It was fun to be there and see old friends, visit the mother-in-law and walk the exhibit floors, but we were again reminded of why we have chosen to live the rural life.

It takes a minimum of 45 minutes to go anywhere in that town. Most of the time is spent at stoplights or moving at a snails pace on the Interstate. Shoot, in 45 minutes from where we live we can be in Raton, NM and visit the private meat processing plant where we purchase custom made green chili pork sausage (much lower in fat and no nitrites). This is a drive with little or no traffic, no stress and fantastic scenery. The view coming down off Raton Pass into New Mexico is breathtaking. The landscape opens up to reveal a huge verdant ranchland dotted with extinct volcanoes to the south and east and the continuation of the Sangre de Cristo range to the west. On our return trip home we can enjoy a birds eye view of the Spanish Peaks as we descend towards Trinidad. I don’t think big city living can ever compensate for that.

We spent the same amount of time last weekend just getting from the Denver Tech Center to the NWSS grounds, a trip fraught with some of the most tangled traffic we’ve ever encountered. Blood pressures and tempers rose. That knot in my neck from the once-forgotten rear-end motor vehicle accident reared its (or my) ugly head and I again started feeling my chronological age. All in all, about 3 days is all of the city we can take anymore. As we headed south, we could feel the relaxation set in. Even the madness of road construction through Colorado Springs was bearable knowing we would be on the downhill side of the trip once we passed through the south side of the Springs. As usual, traffic evaporated after the Ft. Carson exits and we enjoyed wide open spaces and pronghorn viewing from Pueblo to Trinidad.

A medical update: our tiny hospital in Trinidad delivered a set of premature twins via C-section this past week as an emergency procedure. A group of neo-natal nurses was dispatched from Denver via helicopter for the delivery. As the weather was non-cooperative, the chopper had to divert to Raton and the nurses arrived via ambulance in Trinidad. One of our family physicians was able to perform the delivery and the neo-natal nurses ensured the babies got the best of care. We are happy to report that mother and babies are well. The babies were transferred north as we do not have a neo-natal unit here. I continue to be amazed at the capability of our small town hospital. Who says life in the rural West isn’t great, surely not these proud parents.

If any of our readers have specific topics they would like to see addressed, please feel free to drop me an email. I will try my best to respond to those requests.

Remember, if it ain’t right, don’t do it.

As always,

Doc Jim