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Guess where we are…
No, that wasn’t rhetorical. We are really wondering where we are. We tried finding Salem, Ohio on a map and it seems there are 2 Salem, OH’s. One is SE of Columbus in Perry county and the other is NW of Columbus in Columbiana county. Of course a quick check of mapquest.com showed Salem’s in VA, MA, IN, IL, TN, NH, NJ, OR, AL, and AR.
We’ve tried navigating by the stars but in the 81 days we have been here it has snowed or been overcast (let me count here for a second) oh, 81 days. We have had 5 days where the temperature rose above freezing.
It seems Salem is a derivative of Jerusalem, a city significant in a couple of obscure western religions. I skimmed thru Salem: A Quaker City History and learned the following.
John Fenwick landed in NJ in 1675 and founded the first English settlement in NJ. He named it Salem. Apparently this lovely city didn’t appeal to everyone because after just 131 years a dissatisfied group (Zadok Street Sr. and John Straughan) left there to move to Ohio.
In 1806 they set up a village. Showcasing the independent pioneering spirit that led them to settle in the wilderness they named this place Salem.
Zadok’s son Aaron, emulating Johnny Appleseed, moved to Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa sowing Salems where ever he went. When some associates in Oregon asked his opinion for the name of the new capitol he perused his vast store of appropriate place names and came up with…Salem.
Another point of historical interest (or boredom, your choice) is the Straughan house built by John, the co-founder of our Salem, in 1840 is still sitting at 375 W State Street and is currently Adamson Veterinary Hospital where Dr Vickey Brooks practices.
From the Doctors Desk…
Happy whatever holiday to everyone! I finally have had a chance to sit down and write my portion of this newsletter. Joe has only been bugging me to get this done for the last month. So here I sit, late at night, banging on the ole keyboard to bring you the latest goings on of my life.
So, as Joe told you earlier we now live in Salem, Ohio. It seems we can never stay in one place for long. We discovered that we definitely didn’t like living in Maryland. Between the road rage and the long hours I worked it seemed a terrible place to live. So I looked around in Ohio for a job and found one at a small clinic here in Salem with Dr. Dan Adamson at Adamson’s Veterinary hospital. Dr. Adamson has had this hospital open for many years and needed another veterinarian to help him out. It is a nice small rural town and people like each other. There is no road rage to speak of and if I want big city we can just drive a few minutes up to Youngstown or a few hours in any direction to any large city like Columbus or Cleveland. Dr. Adamson’s wife Cathy found us a wonderful place to live that is in a quiet neighborhood and the move, although physically strenuous, went well. Thanks to all the help form our daughter and her husband down in Maryland and the folks up here in Ohio that is. The hospital is small but is in the process of becoming a bigger one – yep it is under renovations. Before I took the job Dr. Adamson assured me that he would get it all done by the end of spring just in time for summer. So things are coming along nicely, odds and ends are getting done a little at a time and the opening of the new hospital section is scheduled for the end of May. The new hospital will have 3 really nice exam rooms, a huge treatment area, a wonderful surgery (which we already have), and cages and runs for our patients. It will have a go-iny door and a go-outy door for our patients’ convenience and to keep traffic moving and a neat play area for our patient’s youngest owners. All and all it is beginning to shape up.
I am really enjoying my job. It is great to be working as a full-fledged and licensed veterinarian at last. I never realized how frustrated I was feeling until I got my license and saw my first patients. As many of you know I love surgery and I’ve had the opportunities to do a few neat ones, like a colectomy on a cat (for those of you that don’t know, that means I removed most of the cat’s colon and took the small intestine and attached it to what was left). The best thing of all is the cat did well and has continued to do well. I performed at least 2 pyometra surgeries (removed an infected uterus), and several spays and neuters. There have been several lump removals as well. Lots of dentals and teeth removed too. Soon, I will also be doing limited orthopedic surgery because I finally have the equipment to do knee surgery and hope to be doing that in a couple of weeks on a little poodle that ruptured the cruciate ligament in his knee. So, along with the usual ear infections, skin infections, vomiting and diarrhea I have had lots of surgery time as well. I also get to see lots of puppies and kittens as well. To top it all off I actually get days off. LOVE IT!
Joe, Cat-a-puss, Blonde Kitty, Brat Bird and I are all settling into our new house. It is a really nice two story duplex 3 bedroom home in a quiet neighborhood. I’ve begun to fill up the house with my usual jungle. I’ve got at least 10 African Violets, one struggling Poinsettia, one partially eaten palm (Blonde kitty ate most of it then vomited it up over several days), a really long Pothos, and some new Hydrangeas and an Easter Lily that I’ve put in a big pot to keep on the patio. I’m also trying my hand at container growing. I’ve got a yellow lilac growing in one container that is doing well. I also scattered Coleus seeds on top and they seems to be sprouting today. I ordered a Cissus Discolora plant (one of my favorite vines) that is suppose to be here this week. Soon tomato plants will be in the nurseries and I will try a couple of them too. I even thought I might try growing a pumpkin or two. In two weeks we will be driving down to Indiana. We still have books and stuff in there that we hope to pick up, sort out and, finally get most of my household back together and out of storage since before I went off to Ross University.
Speaking of Ross University, I’ve meet a few friends up here at the Ohio Western conference in February. Josy Mercado was there with a nice set of rings on her fingers – yep she got married. She married a nice guy too. Congratulations Josy. I met Mark from Purdue (sorry Mark, never could remember your last name) at the conference – Mark is having lots of fun working in internal medicine (he hates surgery and is glad not to have to do it). News of other friends: Tammy Hepler has been doing well and is now going into seventh semester – in just a few months she will be back with the living here in the states. Jennifer got married and is finishing her senior year in Texas. Jen, what is your last name now? Ken Frolich (remember ole Ken who use to live beside us?) is living in Arizona and working in human medicine and acupuncture. Anthony Smatt is living with Deb and her son Robert in New York and is working hard to get his NY license. I understand that Deb is working as a veterinarian now and managing to help keep Anthony out of trouble while he studies to take his boards. Last I heard he had proposed and she had accepted and that perhaps there might be another addition to their family on the way but I’m not sure about that. Shelly Carter is in Minnesota and has been working as a veterinarian technician while she waits to take her ECFVG. She is considering coming down to Ohio till she can take that @$#%$& exam. I think Cory is down in Oklahoma doing her senior year and should be done soon. Last I heard Jessie and Eileen are still in Mississippi working as veterinarians. Sylvia has dropped off the face of the earth – last I heard she left school and was traveling with some guy in the Caribbean. I haven’t kept up very well with people from Purdue, but I hope they all have found great jobs.
Now for Family News as I know it:
My daughter, Yvonne, is doing well in her new job as a security guard and is learning how to juggle kids, jobs, housework, and husband. See Yvonne, I knew all that Tae Kwon Do training would pay off. We just gave her one of the pieces of land we have in Virginia and she and her husband plan on building a home there next year.
My son, Jeremy (or Jerry), is also doing well, he is living with a lady up in Washington State (named Connie) somewhere near Barrington. They just bought a small travel trailer and are enjoying themselves up there. He has been working in construction.
Muriel (my mother-in-law) is also doing great. She is finally off all that silly medication she was taking that was causing her to act silly and can now hold a coherent conversation and even manages to drive her car without running herself over.
Patty and Marty – my sister-in-law and hubby, are doing well. They bought some new horses and have been working hard. Last I heard Patty has a new job, but I don’t know what.
Jim (my brother) has finally moved out of the hotel he works at and now rents a small place of his own. Gee Jim, you’re only 50 years old and you finally got your own place :> His kids are doing well last I heard and he is finally a grandpa. His daughter, Dawn, gave him a granddaughter last year.
My Dad, last I heard, is still fighting a loosing battle against Alzheimer’s disease. He can still remember who I am though when I call and can hold a conversation without repeating himself too many times, but I fear it won’t be long before he won’t be doing as well. Sorry Dad – just try to remember I love you even though I had to move so far away. We’ll all keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
Polly (my sister) has had some difficulties but will be doing better soon. I haven’t heard much from her daughter Nowassa, but I have heard from her daughter Tara Jo. Tara Jo seems to be doing well and now has a couple kids of her own so Polly is also a grandma a few times over now. I haven’t heard from her son Lavell so I can’t give any updates there.
Well, that is about life as I know it for now. I go to work, I take care of patients, I study, I garden, and I love my husband and critters. I even get to go up to Boardman and get a facial once a week. Live is sweet!
BYE! Vickey Brooks, BLS, LVT, DVM (don’t you just love all those initial – makes a body feel important or something :>)
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