One....More....Time....

Yep, we were at the ER again tonight. This time for my neice who was having an asthma attack. I don't really have any experience with asthma attacks, but it was pretty clear that was what was going on, as evidenced by her lack of ability to breath normally. And, I do know these things can turn really nasty, even deadly, very quickly.

"Do you have your medication with you, honey?"

"No, it's at my mom's house." Okey, dokey.

Call dad, 'cause he's only 10 minutes away. No answer.

Call mom, about 1/2 hour away. No answer.

Call grandma, also about 1/2 hour away, just as mom calls me back. "I'm on my way." Okaaay, how long do we let this go on?

Go knock on the door of Nurse Margaret next door. No answer. Call her cell phone. No answer. Call her house and her daughter answers. She's at the OTHER neighbor's house with her husband, chasing down a 3 ft snake in the living room. I run over there and tell Margaret what's going on, she drops the broom she's been weilding and sprints over to our house. After a brief consultation, we jump in the truck and zoom on over to the local ER, where mom meets up with us after a bit.

Niece is fine. Snake has apparently been evicted. We're going to keep Margaret on retainer.

Now, someone who doesn't know me might come to the conclusion that anyone who has taken family members to an emergency room or acute care clinic five times inside of two months might be suspected of being somewhat overwrought. ("I'm not an alarmist; I just play one on the internet.") Those who know me know I'm really a very level-headed kind of person, not easily startled or upturned. They also have probably come to the conclusion that I have been temporarily cursed. I'm sure it will pass. Maybe I just need to bribe the right mojo master.